Carlos Alcaraz claims he is ‘near the top’ of Roland Garros contenders
Carlos Alcaraz has revealed where he puts himself in the ‘list’ of contenders for Roland Garros, as he also confirmed he would play in Rome to cement his place back above Novak Djokovic in the ATP rankings.
Alcaraz retained his Madrid Open title after beating lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff in the final, 6-4 3-6 6-3, putting himself only five ranking points away from the regaining the No.1 spot.
“They are very beautiful achievements for me,” said Alcaraz. “It is my 10th title, my fourth Masters 1000. Defending the title here in Madrid, on the brink of regaining No 1, are very big things.”
The 20-year-old missed the Italian Open last year, so has no points to defend, however the defending champion Djokovic cannot gain any more ranking points in Rome.
Therefore, Alcaraz only needs to show up in the Italian capital to become No.1 once again and he confirmed that was the intention, “I feel very proud of the work and the achievements that I am achieving. I am an ambitious boy and we are going to go for Rome.”
This means that the Spaniard will be the top seed heading into Roland Garros, where he places himself as a top contender alongside three others.
“Roland Garros is the next Grand Slam and for me it’s a very, very good goal and I’m really looking forward to it,” revealed Alcaraz.
The US Open champion added, “There are [Stefanos] Tsitsipas, Djokovic…If Rafa [Nadal] goes, it will always be his tournament. And I put myself near the top of the list because I think I’m playing at a good level & having good results.”
Carlos Alcaraz and his record in 2023
Alcaraz missed the first part of the season including the Australian Open through injury, but has returned in the same form that saw him end 2022 as the youngest ever No.1
The Murcian has only lost two matches all year, and is undefeated on the European clay with Roland Garros on the horizon.
Here are Alcaraz’s performance statistics from 2023 so far:
Carlos Alcaraz win-loss record in 2023: 29-2
Alcaraz’s only defeats in 2023:
- Cameron Norrie beat Alcaraz, 5-7 6-4 7-5 (Rio Open final)
- Jannik Sinner beat Alcaraz, 6(4)-7 6-4 6-3 (Miami Open semi-final)
Carlos Alcaraz ATP titles in 2023: 4 (Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid)
Muchas gracias Madrid por dos semanas inolvidables que han terminado con el ?! INOLVIDABLE! ? @MutuaMadridOpen pic.twitter.com/1rZWbi4P5K
— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) May 7, 2023
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