The 19-year-old brushed aside Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 to add the Barcelona trophy to wins in Buenos Aires and Indian Wells in 2023.
Carlos Alcaraz insisted Sunday that he is not Rafael Nadal’s “replacement” as the teenager comfortably defended 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 Barcelona 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 number one 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 last year.
Notwithstanding, he rushed to hose hypothesis that he is the French Open boss in-pausing, only five weeks out from the second major of the year in Paris.
“I would rather not be anybody’s substitution,” said world number two Alcaraz when defied with his status as presumptive successor to Nadal who turns 37 in June.
Nadal hasn’t played since his subsequent round exit at the Australian Open and has missed Experts occasions at Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo as well as passing on Barcelona for a second progressive year.
“In the two years that Rafa hasn’t been here, I’ve been fortunate or, suppose, I’ve come out on top for the championship,” said Alcaraz who safeguarded his Barcelona title without dropping a set.
His success on Sunday was his fourth in four gatherings against fifth-positioned Tsitsipas.
- ‘Assemble our set of experiences’ –
“I’ve for a long time truly needed to play against the best, it’s a disgrace that we haven’t had the option to appreciate Rafa these most recent two years,” added Alcaraz.
“Hopefully he keeps on playing for quite a while and that we can partake in his tennis, yet clearly we haven’t arrived to take over from anybody, yet to construct our own set of experiences.”
Alcaraz’s watchfulness is legitimate. Regardless of Nadal’s proceeding with injury troubles, he flaunts a staggering success misfortune record at the French Open of 112 successes against only three misfortunes since his title-winning 2005 presentation.
Two of those losses came against Djokovic who shares the men’s record of 22 majors with Nadal.
Djokovic arrived at that imprint with a tenth Australian Open triumph in January.
Regardless of worries over his elbow, he knows that customarily he works on as the mud season advances – – his record shows two Monte Carlo titles, three at Madrid and six in Rome, the last critical occasion before Roland Garros.
Djokovic has effectively returned from elbow stresses previously – – in February 2018, he wanted a medical procedure on the injury yet at the same time won Wimbledon and the US Open sometime thereafter.
Both Nadal and Djokovic are passing on the Madrid Bosses where Alcaraz is the reigning champ.
“Roland Garros is a reasonable momentary goal,” added Alcaraz.
“It’s a competition I truly need to win, however presently we are centered around Madrid and afterward Rome. Winning the competition here in Barcelona gives me additional certainty for what’s to come.”
Holger Rune, as Alcaraz additionally only 19, shielded his Munich title on Sunday however in contrast to the Spaniard, needed to fight back from the verge of rout.
Tormented by a shoulder injury, which required a clinical break, the Dane returned from 5-2 down in the third set and saved four match focuses to see off Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7/3) in a rematch of last year’s conclusive.
“It is the last match and the last push, so you attempt to track down a way,” said Rune who heads to Madrid having never recently played in the competition.
Additionally going to Madrid with certainty is ladies’ reality number one Iga Swiatek, the dominant US and French Open hero.
On Sunday, she crushed Australian Open boss and second-positioned Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-4 to guarantee a second progressive Stuttgart title.
“I needed to win extremely hard, yet I realize that I can’t actually zero in on that and just I need to continue to go about my business as I did in past matches,” said the Shaft.
“I’m really glad that I could sort of have a decent mindset and simply center around what I believe should do tennis-wise.”
