Carlos Alcaraz was looking to begin his French Open title defence with a convincing win.
In 2024, Alcaraz won his first French Open title, beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the final, 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.
One year later, many are tipping Alcaraz to defend his title, having won two of the three Masters 1000 events on clay in 2025 (Monte-Carlo Masters, Italian Open).
The Spaniard was scheduled to begin his title defence against a former Grand Slam finalist, but was handed a different opponent, once Kei Nishikori withdrew from the event due to injury.
Facing off against Italy’s Giulio Zeppieri, Alcaraz began his French Open campaign with a dominant win, advancing to the second round in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
He did, however, somewhat controversially, play his opening match on Suzanne Lenglen rather than Philippe Chatrier, as Alcaraz now reveals whether he was offended by the tournament’s scheduling choices.
Carlos Alcaraz says he ‘doesn’t care’ which court he plays on after opening win on Suzanne Lenglen
During his post-match press conference, Alcaraz was asked for his thoughts on the French Open tournament organizers’ decision to place him on the event’s secondary court, Suzanne Lenglen.
“In the end, I don’t care. Playing in the Suzanne Lenglen,” he said.
“Obviously I already knew that I wasn’t going to break it in, since I didn’t play yesterday, since they’re playing on Sundays and I have played on Monday.
“So, practically, I wasn’t going to break it in. The issue of the court, obviously, the Philippe Chatrier is very special for me, but in the end, you have to adapt.
“Suzanne Lenglen is a wonderful court, and I have played many beautiful matches there. You have to enjoy all the courts that you play on.”
Alcaraz could be promoted to Philippe Chatrier for his second-round match against Fabian Marozsan.
The Spaniard and Hungarian have faced off twice before, with the head-to-head level at 1-1.
- 2024 Indian Wells 4R – Carlos Alcaraz beat Fabian Marozsan, 6-3, 6-3
- 2023 Italian Open 2R – Fabian Marozsan beat Carlos Alcaraz, 6-3, 7-6
Marozsan stunned Alcaraz at the Italian Open two years ago, securing the biggest win of his career, knocking out the world number two, whilst ranked outside the top 100 (135th).
Alcaraz got his revenge one year later, as he eased past Marozsan, 6-3, 6-3 at Indian Wells.
Only time will tell who will come out on top in their third career meeting when Alcaraz and Marozsan take to the court on Wednesday, May 28.
Holger Rune says he’d ‘definitely prefer a bigger court’ after winning first round match on Court 7
Alcaraz may not have had an issue with where he played his first-round match, but the same cannot be said for his fellow 22-year-old, Holger Rune.
The Dane kicked off his Roland Garros campaign against Roberto Bautista Agut on Court 7, and whilst he understood the decision, admitted he’d have preferred to play on a ‘bigger court’.
“I mean I’d definitely prefer a bigger court,” he said.
“But, as I spoke to the ATP, today was tough because we had [Richard] Gasquet, it was potentially his last match and Stan [Wawrinka], a lot of top seeded players, Carlos [Alcaraz], [Jannik] Sinner, so it was difficult but it is what it is.”
| Match number | Philippe-Chatrier | Suzanne-Lenglen | Simone-Mathieu |
| 1 | Iga Swiatek d. Rebecca Sramkova | Jessica Bouzas Maneiro d. Emma Navarro | Casper Ruud d. Albert Ramos Vinolas |
| 2 | Paula Badosa d. Naomi Osaka | Carlos Alcaraz d. Giulio Zeppieri | Daniel Altmaier d. Taylor Fritz |
| 3 | Richard Gasquet d. Terrence Atmane | Bernarda Pera d. Caroline Garcia | Katie Boulter d. Carole Monnet |
| 4 | Jannik Sinner d. Arthur Rinderknech | Arthur Fils d. Nicolas Jarry | Madison Keys d. Daria Saville |
Rune and Bautista Agut could both hear what was happening on Court 9 during their first-round match as home favorite Arthur Cazaux and Alejandro Tabilo battled it out in a five-set thriller.
After the match, Rune gave his verdict on the conditions on Court 7.
“Yeah, it was very noisy, very different conditions from what I’ve practised in the whole week,” he said.
“It’s been a while since the US Open, many, many years ago, when I was complaining about playing on this kind of court.
“It was nice, I played there in my first round as a junior when I won here, so hopefully that can be a good thing. But it’s ok, I got through, that’s the most important thing.”
Rune may well hope to be put on a ‘bigger court’ for his second-round match when he returns to take on America’s Emilio Nava on Wednesday, May 28.
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