Carlos Alcaraz weighs himself as one of the top candidates to win French Open 2023
Carlos Alcaraz has confidently weighed himself as one of the top candidates to win the French Open 2023.
The upcoming French Open, which is set to commence on May 22, will feature top-ranked players, including Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Jannik Sinner. They are likely to pose a major threat to Alcaraz's chances of a second Grand Slam title in his career.
However, Carlos Alcaraz feels that his recent results on clay and current confidence will propel him to attain the title at 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 said in a recent interview with MARCA.
Alcaraz acknowledged that there are "great players" who can fight for "great things" at the Grand Slam event even 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 continued.
While the clay swing saw Carlos Alcaraz bag titles at the Barcelona Open and Madrid Open, the recent third-round exit in Rome has been a concern.
However, the Spaniard drew positives from the upset, stating that it will only motivate him to train laboriosly ahead of his Paris trip.
"Although I want to win every tournament I go to I take things from the positive side and this defeat allows me to rest and train with a high load ahead of Roland Garros. In that sense, it's good for me to be at home and train with my eyes set on Roland Garros," Alcaraz asserted.
Carlos Alcaraz not thinking too much about his ranking ahead of French Open 2023
Carlos Alcaraz further claimed that he is not thinking much about his ranking ahead of the French Open. However, admitted that he has to maintain his level during each tournament to sustain his fight for the top spot.
"I don't think too much about the ranking," Alcaraz stated. "I know that if I want to maintain this condition I have to do well in each tournament. If I enjoy myself and have fun, good results will come and the points that make me have a good ranking in the ATP."
Alcaraz suffered a quarter-final exit at the 2022 French Open, losing 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 to Alexander Zverev. He will be hopeful of producing a much better outcome this time around.