‘I’m not Rafael Nadal’s replacement,’ says Carlos Alcaraz, as French Open hopes boosted
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Carlos Alcaraz now has nine career titles.
PHOTO: AFP
BARCELONA – Carlos Alcaraz insisted on Sunday that he is not Rafael Nadal’s “replacement”, as the teenager comfortably retained his Barcelona title, bolstering his bid to succeed his compatriot as French Open champion.
The 19-year-old brushed aside Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 to add the trophy to wins in Buenos Aires and Indian Wells in 2023. He now has nine career titles.
With 14-time French Open champion Nadal sidelined since January with a hip injury and world No. 1 and two-time Roland Garros winner Novak Djokovic struggling with an elbow problem, Alcaraz reinforced his credentials as a major contender to add the clay-court Grand Slam title to the US Open he captured in 2022.
However, he was quick to dampen speculation that he is the French Open champion-in-waiting, just five weeks before the second Major of the year in Paris.
“I don’t want to be anyone’s replacement,” said world No. 2 Alcaraz when confronted with his status as heir apparent to Nadal, who turns 37 in June.
Nadal has not played since his second-round exit at the Australian Open and has missed Masters events at Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo, as well as sitting out Barcelona for a second successive year.
“In the two years that Rafa hasn’t been here, I’ve been lucky or, let’s say, I’ve won the title,” said Alcaraz, who defended his Barcelona title without dropping a set.
His win on Sunday was his fourth in four meetings against fifth-ranked Tsitsipas.
“I’ve always wanted to play against the best, it’s a shame that we haven’t been able to enjoy Rafa these last two years,” added Alcaraz.
“Let’s hope he continues to play for a long time and that we can enjoy his tennis, but obviously we are not here to take over from anyone, but to build our own history.”
Alcaraz’s caution is justified. Despite Nadal’s continuing injury woes, he boasts a stunning win-loss record at the French Open of 112 wins against just three losses since his title-winning 2005 debut.
Two of those defeats came against Djokovic, who shares the men’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles with Nadal.
Djokovic reached that mark with a 10th Australian Open victory in January.
Despite concerns over his elbow,
Djokovic has successfully bounced back from elbow worries in the past – in February 2018, he needed surgery on the injury but still won Wimbledon and the US Open later that year.
Both Nadal and Djokovic are sitting out the Madrid Masters, where Alcaraz is the defending champion.
“Roland Garros is a clear short-term objective,” added Alcaraz.
“It’s a tournament I really want to win, but now we are focused on Madrid and then Rome. Winning the tournament here in Barcelona gives me extra confidence for what’s to come.”
Holger Rune, like Alcaraz also just 19, retained his Munich title on Sunday but unlike the Spaniard, had to battle back from the brink of defeat.
Plagued by a shoulder injury, which needed a medical timeout, the Dane came back from 5-2 down in the third set and saved four match points to see off Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-3) in a rematch of the final a year ago.
“It is the last match and the last push, so you try to find a way,” said Rune, who heads to Madrid having never previously played in the tournament.
“I think for the crowd it was the perfect final. We really pushed each other to the limit.”
Meanwhile, Dusan Lajovic rose to 40th in the world after stunning in-form Russian Andrey Rublev 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Banja Luka final on Sunday to clinch his second ATP title.
Lajovic, who knocked out Djokovic in the quarter-finals, snapped Rublev’s eight-match winning run that began with his triumph the previous week in Monte Carlo.
“It was probably the toughest match I have had in the past six months. I felt drained,” said the 32-year-old Serb. “From 5-1 in the third, I could not feel my legs and felt a bit dizzy.” AFP
