Carlos Alcaraz was alongside Iga Swiatek as one of the French Open’s esteemed guests yesterday afternoon, as they hosted a ceremony for the singles draw.
Offering up first-round opponents for all involved, these elite athletes learned who they will have to bypass if they are to lift the title in a couple of weeks’ time.
Naturally, the Spaniard will be chief among those favoured to do so on the men’s side, having won the event last year in dramatic fashion.
Both he and Swiatek were called up to the stage to offer their thoughts on the upcoming campaign, with Carlos Alcaraz full of excitement for the tournament to begin.
However, his reasons for such elation were interesting.
Carlos Alcaraz previews his Roland Garros campaign
First, it was the Polish superstar called to speak, and she said something which caught Alcaraz’s attention.
She claimed: ‘I have great memories from last year and every tournament was a totally different story. I also learned a lot.
‘It’s always a pleasure to come back here and play on these courts again because for sure I feel like these are the best courts.’
Alcaraz would then offer up his thoughts later on: ‘It’s been a great clay season so far but we are here. It’s the most important tournament of the clay season and one of the best tournaments that we have on the tour.
‘Right now I’m excited to go out here and remember the emotions and the feeling that I had last year. Like Iga said, it’s great to feel it again.
‘The confidence is really high right now. Obviously I’m playing great matches, I’ve got great wins in this clay season which gives a lot of confidence. I’m excited.’
Who can stop Carlos Alcaraz from winning the French Open again?
It’s hard to see anyone standing in Alcaraz’s way as he seeks to add a fifth Grand Slam title to his repertoire, however his unpredictability remains a factor.
Naturally, he tends to show up for the big occasion, but it does feel like the title hinges on his performances.
If on form, there is only really one or two players who can challenge him, one of whom he dispatched in his own back garden earlier this month.
However, Jannik Sinner is expected to be fitter and hungrier heading into this French Open, seeking to avenge last year’s loss to Alcaraz in the semi-final should they meet in the final.
Also, given Jack Draper’s French Open draw, another elite player has been placed on the opposite side of the tournament format to him.
Novak Djokovic remains a constant looming threat, having beaten him at this ground in the final of the Olympics and knocked him out in Melbourne too.
But with the two on opposite sides of the draw, it does seem like Sinner is the only tangible threat to Alcaraz if he keeps his level as high as we know it can be.
