Two reasons why Carlos Alcaraz remains the player to beat at the French Open
Carlos Alcaraz is currently enjoying his third spell as World No. 1 and will start as one of the favorites at the upcoming French Open. The tennis prodigy from Spain already has a Grand Slam and four Masters 1000 titles under his belt and those numbers should improve significantly in the upcoming years.
Spaniards, including the incomparable Rafael Nadal, have traditionally done well on the red clay of Roland Garros and Alcaraz seems to be fit to carry the mantle for the next decade or so. He could set the ball rolling this year with his first Grand Slam title on clay.
Here are a couple of reasons why the youngster is the favorite ahead of this year's competition:
#1 Alcaraz has exhibited very good form so far this year
Carlos Alcaraz has been in good form – even by his lofty standards – so far this year, winning a Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells and also defending his titles in Barcelona and Madrid successfully. He has also retained the No. 1 position in the world from Novak Djokovic this month.
However, the Spaniard's early loss in Rome showed us that he is very much beatable on clay. Fabian Marozsan gave him a taste of his own medicine by outmaneuvering him with drop shots at the Italian Open. It was an upset of great proportions but the Spaniard might also overlook it as a one-off.
His wonderful record in the five-setters shows that he thrives on big occasions and pressure situations. Only Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev seem to be able to match him in terms of big-match temperament and tenacity at the moment. The Russian is usually not at his best on clay, his recent triumph in Rome notwithstanding.
#2 Alcaraz’s game has shown steady improvement
As far as Alcaraz’s game is concerned, it is getting better-rounded with every passing season. He has improved his serve considerably, his drop shots and lobs have always been world-class and his net game has also become more refined.
In addition to that, the Spaniard can hit his groundstrokes with great power off either wing. His crosscourt shots are great off either wing and his down-the-line passing shot off his forehand is also quite remarkable. Alcaraz's down-the-line backhand, however, could still improve and his return of serve is not yet elite, either.
Still, one also has to take into account the fact that the Spanish youngster has not attained physical maturity yet and still has time to gain strength and add more firepower to his strokes.
However, this is the age when Alcaraz should feel fit enough to go through the grind of clay court tennis and hence, this year’s French Open is of paramount importance to him.