By Shrivathsa Sridhar
BENGALURU (Reuters) – Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and world number one Jannik Sinner resume the hottest rivalry in men’s tennis at the French Open, where Novak Djokovic will fly the flag for the old guard as the claycourt Grand Slam enters the post-Rafa Nadal era.
After Nadal exited the 2024 edition of the major he won a record 14 times, Alcaraz emerged as the Spaniard’s heir apparent with his first Roland Garros title.
Alcaraz has geared up for his title defence with a sparkling campaign on clay this season, with the 22-year-old capturing his first Monte Carlo crown and defeating Sinner in the Italian Open final on Sunday to complete his set of elite claycourt honours.
“All eyes are on Paris now, on Roland Garros,” said the world number two.
“Beating Jannik, winning Rome, both things mix together and give me great confidence going to Paris. I always say ‘the final isn’t about playing, the final is about winning’.
“I just repeat that approach every time I play a final.”
Sinner showed little sign of rust in his first event back from a three-month ban for two doping violations, and fans will be hoping the world number one scythes through the draw to meet Alcaraz in the final.
Former Roland Garros champion Jim Courier said both players would be feeling confident after the level they showed in Rome.
“Alcaraz continues this run, four wins in a row against Sinner, which no one else is able to come close to, so that’s going to give him a little extra boost,” Courier said on the Tennis Channel.
“What a clay season he has had. This has been perfect for Carlos, but also for Jannik. Re-entering (the tour) he couldn’t do much better than this.”
‘NEW REALITY’
Djokovic won the last of his record 24 Grand Slam titles at the U.S. Open in 2023 and is enduring one of the worst spells of his magnificent career.
The Serb unexpectedly accepted a wildcard for this week’s Geneva Open in a bid to find claycourt form after losing his opening matches at Monte Carlo and Madrid.
Djokovic celebrates his 38th birthday on Thursday and while he has suddenly looked vulnerable against the hungry young stars on the tour, few will write him off completely when he returns to the venue where he won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“It’s a new reality for me … trying to win a match or two, not thinking about getting far in the tournament,” Djokovic said after his Madrid exit.
“It’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis, so it’s a challenge mentally to face these kinds of sensations on the court.”
While Djokovic goes in search of a 25th Grand Slam crown, Germany’s Alexander Zverev continues his bid for a first after being hammered by Sinner in the Australian Open final — his third straight defeat in a major championship title match.
The world number three, who came close to breaking his duck at last year’s French Open when he lost to Alcaraz in five sets, won in Munich last month but has gone off the boil since and is looking to find his rhythm at the Hamburg Open this week.
A host of other contenders will be in the mix in Paris, including Barcelona champion Holger Rune, Madrid winner and former French Open finalist Casper Ruud, as well as the fast-rising duo of Lorenzo Musetti and Jack Draper.
While Nadal’s name will not be etched onto the trophy this year, the 22-times major champion will return to his happiest hunting ground for a grand celebration of his achievements on the opening day of the tournament.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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