Alcaraz definitely won’t be underestimating Djokovic in any form at the French Open.
Carlos Alcaraz put himself on the list of French Open favorites and warned Novak Djokovic has a history of overcoming defeats and delivering his best tennis when it matters the most. Alcaraz, who will return to world No 1 on Monday, is set to be the top-seeded player at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.
“I put myself on the list of candidates to win Roland Garros and I’m not afraid to say it. 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, 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,”Alcaraz told Marca.
Alcaraz warns: Djokovic knows how to put defeats aside and play his best
“Djokovic has been at the top for more than 15 years and it is difficult to follow that trail of great results year after year, but his ability to put defeats aside and bring out his best version is incredible and he will surely arrive in Paris with a lot of energy,” Alcaraz underlined.
Now that Rafael Nadal is officially out of the French Open, Alcaraz and Djokovic are undoubtedly the top favorites for the title. Alcaraz has had a better clay season so far, winning back-to-back titles in Barcelona and Madrid before suffering a surprise defeat to Fabian Marozsan in the Rome third round.
On the other side, Djokovic has been struggling with his game and results so far during the clay season. This clay season, Djokovic was beaten in the Rome and Banja Luka quarterfinals while he exited Monte Carlo in the round-of-16.
Despite Djokovic’s struggles, Alcaraz believes the Serb definitely has to be taken very seriously at the French Open. It remains to be seen if we will see an Alcaraz and Djokovic final at the French Open.
