The second Grand Slam event of the year will start in less than a month. Having made an incredible run to the Madrid Open final, the 20-year-old Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz believes he is all set to dominate the French Open, this year. And all the while he’s preparing to put up a terrific fight in the second Grand Slam event of the year in Paris, he recently revealed his pick of stars who might give tough competition to him.

The second-ranked player in the world is now having a blast at the Madrid Open. He will play Jan-Lennard Struff in the championship match to win the ATP tournament and extend his 10-match winning streak in the process.

Carlos Alcaraz picks himself among the favorites for the French Open 

According to the Express UK, after winning the Madrid Open semi-final, the US Open champion was asked about his picks for the 2023 French Open in an interview with Marca. In response to that, the 20-year-old stated his clay court favorites. However, he shocked his fans when he picked himself alongside legnds of the sports like Rafael Nadal and the world number one Novak Djokovic.

He said, “I don’t know, in the end, there is Tsitsipas with a great level, Djokovic will always be a favorite, Nadal also because it is his tournament. I also put myself at the top of that list, I think I’m playing at a good level and having good results, playing with a lot of confidence.” 

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Not only that, but he also expressed his worry about Rafa’s ability to take part in this year’s big clay court competition.

The ATP world no.2, meanwhile, expressed his desire to compete against the 36-year-old Spaniard and made a strong statement about his idol a few days ago.

Alcaraz wishes to face Rafa on the clay court 

The US Open champion expressed his desire to defeat the Spanish GOAT at Roland Garros in a recent interview with Marca. Furthermore, he emphasized how he would like to compete against Rafa in the tournament he had reigned supreme for over a decade. He highlighted the fact that the latter has won the most titles in the clay-court Grand Slam competition and how fantastic it will be to defeat the ‘King of Clay’ in his stomping ground.

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Along with that, he emphasized once more that while he may have defeated the Spanish icon in the past, doing so at the Philippe-Chatrier would be a very different experience.