tennis
Alcaraz: I’d rather win Olympic gold than win the French Open
Would rather triumph at the Olympics this year than at the French Open: Carlos Alcaraz. photo
© Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
For Carlos Alcaraz, the tennis tournament at the Olympic Games in Paris is very important.
For For Carlos Alcaraz, the tennis tournament at the Olympic Games in Paris is very important.
If he had to decide, he would rather win Olympic gold this year than the French Open, said the 20-year-old world-class player, according to the Clay portal, before his appearance at the ATP tournament in Buenos Aires. “It’s a dream for me to win gold for my country Spain.”
The Olympic medals will be played on the same clay courts as the French Open, which Alcaraz has not yet won. The two-time Grand Slam champion has not yet taken part in the Olympic Games.
Sinner and Djokovic as rivals
Alcaraz currently sees Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner and world number one Novak Djokovic as his biggest rivals. They have to be beaten, said Alcaraz, who ranks himself and Germany’s top player Alexander Zverev one step lower. In January, Alcaraz lost to Zverev in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
The current world number two has won two of the four Grand Slams so far, the US Open in 2022 and Wimbledon in 2023. In Buenos Aires, where German tennis professional Daniel Altmaier failed in the first round on Monday, Alcaraz is once again the favorite as defending champion. On Wednesday he will face Juan Pablo Varillas (Peru) or Camilo Ugo Carabelli (Argentina) in the second round.