Alcaraz hopes to shake off injury in quest for maiden title

PARIS: Carlos Alcaraz has won Grand Slams on grass and hardcourts but the Spaniard who broke into the men’s tour by making a name for himself as a claycourt specialist has yet to reach the final at the French Open.

Novak Djokovic denied last year’s top seed a place in the 2023 final but Alcaraz got revenge a month later when he quickly adapted to the faster grass courts and took the Serbian’s crown at Wimbledon, stopping him winning a fifth straight title there. However, Alcaraz has since lost his number one ranking and arrives at Roland Garros having had a far from ideal preparation after an injury cut short his claycourt swing this month.

The 21-year-old withdrew from the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open due to a forearm injury and although he attempted to retain his title in Madrid, going out in the quarter-finals, he later skipped the Italian Open.

“I felt some pain after playing in Madrid, some discomfort in my arm ... I did some tests and I have a muscle edema in my pronator teres (forearm muscle), a consequence of my recent injury,” Alcaraz said when he withdrew from the Italian Open. “I need to rest so I can recover and play 100% pain free.” Alcaraz is one of several contenders coming into the most unpredictable French Open tournament in recent years.