Carlos Alcaraz is one of the leading players in the current era of men’s tennis.
The Spaniard has followed in the footsteps of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as a leading player in the game along with Jannik Sinner.
The 22-year-old already has four Grand Slam titles to his name and he is searching for a fifth at the French Open.
Alcaraz and Sinner have won last five majors between them, and they are the players that rest of the field are trying to catch at the four biggest tournaments on the calendar.
Carlos Alcaraz shares his thoughts on the current state of men’s tennis
With Djokovic no longer dominating the game and with Nadal and Federer now retired, the landscape of men’s tennis has changed.
Alcaraz and Sinner are a duo that are currently dominating at Grand Slam level, but tournaments, especially at Masters 1000 and 500 level, feel more open than they have been for some time.
The likes of Jack Draper, Casper Ruud and Jakub Mensik have all won their first title at 1000 level this season, whereas many of these tournaments were won largely by Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, who share 104 titles between them at this level.
But given how open many of the tournaments are on the ATP Tour these days, Alcaraz thinks he is playing in a really strong era of men’s tennis.
“I think so [the level is strong]. In general the top 20, 25, they play a high level of tennis,” Alcaraz told reporters at the French Open.
“We could say right now for example Mensik is 20/21 [in the world] and he won Miami, so that means how strong the top 30 is right now.
“I saw Sacha talked about it, because probably like 10 years ago the top ten was much stronger than now… Could be. But in general the top 30 I think right now is really, really strong.
“As I said, right now we have a really open draw that anyone can make a really good result and win the tournament. I think that’s really good for tennis.”
Carlos Alcaraz is ready for his French Open title defence
For the first time in his career, Alcaraz will enter the French Open as the defending champion.
He was due to start his campaign against Kei Nishikori, but the Japanese star has since withdrawn from the tournament and has been replaced with qualifier Giulio Zeppieri.
Alcaraz followed Nadal as the next Spaniard to claim the French Open title, and he is looking forward to stepping on the Parisian clay once again.
“Roland-Garros is a very special place for me. Obviously, I watched many Spanish players do well here, including Rafa Nadal, of course,” Alcaraz said.
“As a kid, I remember hurrying home from school to turn on the TV with one thing in mind – spending the afternoon watching tennis.
“I’ve enjoyed some unforgettable moments on court, and last year won in the final. It was incredible, a dream come true. I always wanted to win Roland-Garros.”
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