Alcaraz packs for Paris after conquering Sinner in Rome
Spaniard is one of just five men to have captured all three clay court ATP Masters 1000 titles
22 May 2025 - 14:20
bySHRIVATHSA SRIDHAR
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Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his victory over Italian Jannik Sinner in the Italian Open at Rome's Foro Italico on Sunday. Picture: GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE/Reuters
Bengaluru
Carlos Alcaraz heads to Paris for his French Open title defence having laid down a marker with his victory over world No 1 Jannik Sinner in Rome on Sunday.
Alcaraz’s fourth straight win over Sinner also saw the 22-year-old join Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Gustavo Kuerten and Marcelo Rios as the only men to have captured all three clay court ATP Masters 1000 titles — Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome.
“Winning tournaments and lifting trophies give you a lot of confidence ... just to know you’re on the right path and playing great tennis. “I’m excited about what’s to come for me,” the Spaniard said after his Rome success.
“It means I’m doing the right things, and I’m going to keep doing the right things, coming to Paris.”
Alcaraz made the ideal start to his campaign on the sport’s slowest surface, beating Lorenzo Musetti to claim his first Monte Carlo title, but then suffered an adductor muscle problem in Barcelona, where he lost to Holger Rune in the final.
That fatigue-induced injury, combined with a left hamstring issue in the midst of a gruelling spell, forced Alcaraz to skip the Madrid Open and left fans concerned about his status for 2025’s second Major.
But the four-time Grand Slam champion dispelled any doubts about his fitness in Rome, reserving his most clinical performance for the final against Sinner and taking his record on clay to 27-2 since May 2024.
While Alcaraz has a long way to go to match the consistency of the now retired Nadal on the surface, he possesses all the weapons to be just as ruthless, while his improved mental strength has helped him bear the weight of expectation.
The pressure to unseat Sinner at the top of the world rankings during the Italian’s three-month ban for a doping violation seemed to unnerve Alcaraz, and he crashed to defeats at Indian Wells and Miami.
“Something I realised that I had to do is not think about anything else but enjoying,” Alcaraz said after his triumph in Monte Carlo.
“I’m not thinking about the world rankings any more. I just keep going, doing the things I enjoy that make me happy.
“It’s stepping on the court, showing good tennis, that’s it. If I win, great. If I don’t, I’ll learn and keep going.”
Alexander Zverev will be the third seed at the French Open but the 28-year-old German’s prospects of winning his first Grand Slam title in Paris are not looking especially bright.
Zverev is making his 10th appearance at Roland Garros in what will be his 37th Grand Slam main draw and will again be one of the headline acts during the tournament.
Whether he can finally become the leading man before time ticks away, however, is a regular topic of debate.
Zverev reached the final in 2024, losing to Alcaraz, and the semifinals in each of the three years before that.
He also lost in 2024’s Australian Open final to Sinner when he went down with something of a whimper.
It has been eight years since Zverev broke into the world’s top 10, and he has spent the majority of the intervening period with a single-digit ranking but never No 1.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Alcaraz packs for Paris after conquering Sinner in Rome
Spaniard is one of just five men to have captured all three clay court ATP Masters 1000 titles
Bengaluru
Carlos Alcaraz heads to Paris for his French Open title defence having laid down a marker with his victory over world No 1 Jannik Sinner in Rome on Sunday.
Alcaraz’s fourth straight win over Sinner also saw the 22-year-old join Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Gustavo Kuerten and Marcelo Rios as the only men to have captured all three clay court ATP Masters 1000 titles — Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome.
“Winning tournaments and lifting trophies give you a lot of confidence ... just to know you’re on the right path and playing great tennis. “I’m excited about what’s to come for me,” the Spaniard said after his Rome success.
“It means I’m doing the right things, and I’m going to keep doing the right things, coming to Paris.”
Alcaraz made the ideal start to his campaign on the sport’s slowest surface, beating Lorenzo Musetti to claim his first Monte Carlo title, but then suffered an adductor muscle problem in Barcelona, where he lost to Holger Rune in the final.
That fatigue-induced injury, combined with a left hamstring issue in the midst of a gruelling spell, forced Alcaraz to skip the Madrid Open and left fans concerned about his status for 2025’s second Major.
But the four-time Grand Slam champion dispelled any doubts about his fitness in Rome, reserving his most clinical performance for the final against Sinner and taking his record on clay to 27-2 since May 2024.
While Alcaraz has a long way to go to match the consistency of the now retired Nadal on the surface, he possesses all the weapons to be just as ruthless, while his improved mental strength has helped him bear the weight of expectation.
The pressure to unseat Sinner at the top of the world rankings during the Italian’s three-month ban for a doping violation seemed to unnerve Alcaraz, and he crashed to defeats at Indian Wells and Miami.
“Something I realised that I had to do is not think about anything else but enjoying,” Alcaraz said after his triumph in Monte Carlo.
“I’m not thinking about the world rankings any more. I just keep going, doing the things I enjoy that make me happy.
“It’s stepping on the court, showing good tennis, that’s it. If I win, great. If I don’t, I’ll learn and keep going.”
Alexander Zverev will be the third seed at the French Open but the 28-year-old German’s prospects of winning his first Grand Slam title in Paris are not looking especially bright.
Zverev is making his 10th appearance at Roland Garros in what will be his 37th Grand Slam main draw and will again be one of the headline acts during the tournament.
Whether he can finally become the leading man before time ticks away, however, is a regular topic of debate.
Zverev reached the final in 2024, losing to Alcaraz, and the semifinals in each of the three years before that.
He also lost in 2024’s Australian Open final to Sinner when he went down with something of a whimper.
It has been eight years since Zverev broke into the world’s top 10, and he has spent the majority of the intervening period with a single-digit ranking but never No 1.
Reuters
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