Carlos Alcaraz seems to be taking on the task of completely embodying his hero and fellow Spaniard, Rafael Nadal, really, really seriously! Alcaraz just defeated world #1 Jannik Sinner in the Italian Open Final in what was a riveting 7-6 (5), 6-1 win. Sinner, the Italian native and crowd favorite, was looking to reclaim the title for his country after Adriano Panatta, who was the last Italian to win this title in 1976; however, Alcaraz proved yet again, just in time for the French Open, that he can really work the clay.

Having just won his first Italian Open, Carlos Alcaraz now joins the ranks of the other greats, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, as one of the few players who have won all three clay court Masters 1000 tournaments. The three tournaments in question are the Monte-Carlo Masters, Madrid Open, and Italian Open. Alcaraz won Madrid back in 2022 and 2023, and he just won his first Monte Carlo title last month!

Now, with this latest Italian Open win in Rome, not only has Carlos Alcaraz set himself up to be truly feared by his main competitor, Sinner, in Roland Garros, which begins in a week, but he has also marked his fourth consecutive win over Sinner, and that too on the latter’s home turf, which is definitely something the world No. 1 must be figuring out how to combat as he trains for the other tournaments this year.

It also now brings their head-to-head record to 7-4, with Alcaraz firmly in the lead. But to give Sinner some credit, this was his first tournament back from a 3-month doping ban. As Alcaraz himself said, “I’m just really happy to see Jannik back at this amazing level. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for him coming back from three months without playing. Making the final here is something insane.”

Who knows what Alcaraz will bring to the clay in France in a week? And with a strong likelihood of facing Jannik Sinner, what can Sinner expect?

What to expect from current clay court champ, Carlos Alcaraz, in the French Open?

Carlos Alcaraz won his first French Open title last year after steadily rising up in the ranks in the years prior. He ended up facing off against Alexander Zverev and beat him in a five-set match. This made Alcaraz, at 21 years old, the youngest man to have won major titles on three different surfaces. Wimbledon (grass), the US Open (acrylic), and Roland Garros (clay).

Considering Alcaraz’s new record on clay and his consecutive defeats of Sinner, it looks like we can make a safe bet on what one can expect next week in Roland Garros. However, it is also important to note that while Alcaraz looks to be back in shape, he pulled out of the Madrid Open just last month on account of muscle injuries, and though it sure looks like he’s fully recovered, it is quite a recent injury and one to be wary of.

Though Carlos Alcaraz has now risen in the clay ranks and is in one more bracket with Nadal, there is something more he can strive for, perhaps for next year, and that is the “Clay Slam,” i.e., winning all three Masters 1000 events and the French Open in the same year. Rafael Nadal managed to do this in 2010, and had Alcaraz not pulled out of Madrid, he might have had a chance to repeat the same this year!

It is yet to be seen how Carlos Alcaraz fares in Roland Garros, but it’s a court that’s familiar to him, and he is not one to so easily give up his 2024 title! As for Sinner, he’ll have to do better, but in the meantime, there’s no one better to lose to than Alcaraz; his grace and sportsmanship come through in his playing and his words—just listen to his winning speech!