All eyes on top seed Carlos Alcaraz in quest for Roland Garros glory | Tennis News – Times of India

As the French Open approaches, all eyes are on 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, who enters the Grand Slam as the top seed for the first time in his career.
With Rafael Nadal absent and Novak Djokovic facing fitness challenges, Alcaraz sees this as an opportunity to secure his second major title and solidify his position as the world’s number one player.
After missing the Australian Open due to abdominal and hamstring injuries, Alcaraz has been on a mission to make up for lost time. His triumphant return saw him clinch the Buenos Aires title, followed by two more clay-court victories in Barcelona and Madrid.

These successes have propelled him back to the top of the rankings, even though he suffered an unexpected loss to Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan in the Rome third round.
Alcaraz’s dominance on the circuit has made him the player to beat, drawing comparisons to the legendary Rafael Nadal. His athleticism and unwavering determination mirror the qualities that have made Nadal a tennis icon.
Alex Corretja, a former French Open runner-up, acknowledges the added pressure on Alcaraz in the absence of Nadal but expresses confidence in the young Spaniard’s ability to thrive in such circumstances.

Corretja believes that Alcaraz has what it takes to deliver an exceptional performance at the Grand Slam event, scheduled to take place from May 28 to June 11.
“All eyes will be on him and on Novak and all the other potential favourites but being Spanish and knowing that Rafa is not going to be there, all the attention is going to be on him on the men’s side,” Corretja told Eurosport.
“Knowing Alcaraz, he will be okay to deal with that, I’m sure. He loves that, which is amazing and very impressive, but he’ll need to cope with all the attention and everyone asking him about being the favourite and the next Spanish winner.
“Losing in Rome was the best thing that could have happened to him, because he would have lost a bit of expectation and relaxed a little bit.”

Unlike Alcaraz, Djokovic has the experience of winning the title on the red dirt of Paris having triumphed in 2016 and 2021 but the 22-times Grand Slam champion has not enjoyed a perfect build-up to the tournament.
The 36-year-old Serb pulled out of Madrid due to an elbow problem and was hampered by an unspecified physical issue in Rome before losing in the quarter-finals, slipping to third in the rankings following Daniil Medvedev’s triumph.
Former Roland Garros semi-finalist Tim Henman was eager to see Djokovic face Alcaraz in Paris.
“It would be an incredible match to watch,” he added.
“Djokovic’s standard is so high and we expect him to play brilliantly every day, but it’s not that easy. His career at this stage is about the majors but he’s been building up his timing and resilience for the Grand Slams.
“I’d put Alcaraz fractionally ahead of Djokovic, because he has played more tennis and had some good results on clay.”
Djokovic said the next generation’s growing impact on the tour was like a breath of fresh air and is well aware of the threat posed by Alcaraz.
“He’s been playing some impressive tennis, at a great level,” Djokovic said in Rome. “He’s the player to beat on this surface, no doubt.”
(With Reuters inputs)