Carlos Alcaraz 'not the overwhelming favorite' at 2023 French Open, says Marion Bartoli
Former World No. 7 Marion Bartoli believes that Carlos Alcaraz isn't the "overwhelming favorite" at the 2023 French Open.
After an injury forced Alcaraz to skip the Monte-Carlo Masters at the start of the European clay swing, he bounced back with title wins in Barcelona and Madrid.
The Spaniard then reclaimed the World No. 1 ranking from Novak Djokovic at the Italian Open. This is despite his campaign coming to an end in the third round following a straight-set defeat to Fabian Marozsan in Rome.
With Rafael Nadal unable to defend his Roland Garros title this year, Carlos Alcaraz has been widely considered the favorite to triumph in Paris. Former French player Bartoli, however, sees the 20-year-old as one of five players who could clinch the clay Major.
"Alcaraz is one of the favorites but he's not the overwhelming favorite. No, I don't think so. There is not one player who stands out in the pack," Bartoli told Sky Sports.
The 2013 Wimbledon champion stated that 2023 will be the "widest open Roland Garros" after years of Nadal domination at the event. She also named five players who could win the Coupe des Mousquetaires.
"This is going to be the widest open Roland Garros we're going to have since Nadal's domination. I have picked five names who could win this year and they are Djokovic, Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. I still feel like one of those players will be the winner but picking five names who could win the men's tournament has never happened in the past in almost 20 years," she opined.
"I'm not afraid to say it" - Carlos Alcaraz considers himself a 2023 French Open title favorite
Carlos Alcaraz has confidently stated that he believes he is one of the top candidates to win the 2023 French Open. The youngster claimed that his recent results on clay have given him confidence heading into Roland Garros.
"Not so much because of the results on clay but also because of the confidence I have, I put myself on the list of candidates to win Roland Garros and I'm not afraid to say it," Alcaraz told MARCA.
Alcaraz, however, acknowledged that there are others who can triumph at the Paris Major in the absence of 14-time champion Rafael Nadal.
"But there are also other great players like Rafa Nadal, if he was there; Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune, Felix Auger-Aliassime. It is a wide range of players called to fight for great things," he added.
The World No. 1 will get his 2023 French Open campaign underway on Monday, May 29 with a first-round match against qualifier Flavio Cobolli.