Can Carlos Alcaraz Win His First Grand Slam?

Carlos Alcaraz’s stock has risen massively in the tennis world in recent months! The newly-minted 19-year-old has been winning trophies and hearts left, right, and center. He has also been impressing the experts and his fellow competitors with his skills, his stamina, and his maturity on the court.

Hailing from Spain, Alcaraz is being called Rafael Nadal’s worthy successor when it comes to tennis. Like his 21-time grand slam-winning compatriot, Alcaraz too is rising through the ranks as swiftly as Nadal. Given Nadal’s complete dominance on clay courts and especially the French Open, experts are contemplating if Alcaraz is ready to take on the mantle from the Mallorcan.

Carlos Alcaraz and his recent form

There is good reason behind all the craze about Alcaraz right now. While people have been taking note of him for quite some time this year, he has been especially good under the tutelage of Juan Carlos Ferrero.

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After losing to Matteo Berrettini in the third round of the Australian Open in an epic battle, he has been in rampant form. He defeated Jaume Munar, Federico Delbonis, top seed Matteo Berrettini, Fabio Fognini, and Diego Schwartzman on his way to the ATP 500 Masters title at the Rio Open! The performance also catapulted his seeding into the Top 20. At Indian Wells, he reached the semifinals before losing to Rafael Nadal.

Alcaraz has won every tournament he has played since his appearance at Indian Wells in 2022. He defeated incumbent champion Hubert Hurkacz to win his maiden Masters 1000 championship at the Miami Open. At the Barcelona Open, he won his second 500 championship while breaking another record in the Mutua Madrid Open. In Madrid, he beat three top 5 players- Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals, Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, and Alexander Zverev in the Final to claim his 4th title of the season and his second 1000 masters.

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Will Alcaraz be crowned champion at the French Open 2022?

To say that Alcaraz is in great form will be an understatement. So far, his French Open campaign has been quite the gripping affair. Compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas truly tested him in the second round. But he managed to save multiple match points to hold his own against the 34-year-old. In his third round, he met another rising star, Sebastian Korda, whom he had defeated to win his ATP Next Gen title. He defeated the 27th seeded American in straight sets.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, the two players who are the favorites for this year’s title, are also in great form, having reached the fourth round without dropping a set. But the momentum Alcaraz has right now might just propel him to win his first grand slam title! However, he will have to overcome World No.3 Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.