Alcaraz is coming off a title win on clay surface at the Rio Open
Carlos Alcaraz is often compared to his idol Rafael Nadal. Left-handed, Spanish, strong on clay surfaces – too much in common isn’t it? Well, there is definitely something more to it. The potential, the talent and the precise execution, the youngster has it all in abundance
When you watch Alcaraz play, you can relate him to Nadal in the early stages of his career. Alcaraz has been considered the next big thing in tennis for quite some time now.
The 18-year old won the Rio Open last week. The tournament was played on a clay surface, a good warm-up event leading to the Roland Garos which is played on the clay surface. He became the youngest ever ATP 500 champion after defeating Diego Schwartzmann 6-4, 6-2 in the final. The Spaniard withdrew from the Acapulco Open in Mexico owing to a niggle he suffered post the Rio Open.
Who are the favourites to clinch the title in Paris?
Rafael Nadal has made the French Open his own over the last 15 years. He is undoubtedly the greatest ever tennis player on clay surfaces. The 2022 French Open will once again see Nadal as the hot favourite. He has had the best ever start to a season and won both tournaments he played in – the Australian Open and the Mexican Open. Nadal is the fan favourite in Paris and we can expect him to go all guns blazing for his 22nd Grand Slam singles title.
Novak Djokovic’s participation is very unlikely as French authorities have clearly announced unvaccinated players won’t be allowed to take part in the Roland Garros. The Serbian is clear on his stance – he won’t take the Covid 19 vaccine under any circumstance. That leaves us with the current World No.1, Daniil Medvedev. Nadal has an edge over the Russian defeating him in both the Australian Open final and in Acapulco. On top of that, clay surface isn’t quite his strength.
The other top seeds like Tsitsipas, Zverev, Berrettini have all been pretty inconsistent and prefer to play more on hard and grass surfaces. Therefore, we do have to turn our eyes to Carlos Alcaraz, who is potentially a dark horse. The teenager plays a fearless brand of tennis and is very strong on clay. Currently ranked World No. 19, Alcaraz isn’t quite a favorite on paper but the Spaniard has the potential to pose a real threat to Nadal’s title-winning ambitions.
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