Carlos Alcaraz's projected path to French Open 2024 final

Published at :May 30, 2024 at 3:02 PM

Modified at :June 30, 2024 at 7:30 AM

(Courtesy : Getty Images)

Carlos Alcaraz could potentially face Jannik Sinner in the semifinal.

Carlos Alcaraz is one of the favorites to win the French Open 2024, with the former world No. 1 seeded third for the clay-court Grand Slam. It’s not surprising to see the Spaniard among the favorites at Roland Garros.

French Open likely witnessed the last of Rafael Nadal after his tough first-round loss to Alexander Zverev. Alcaraz, who watched his hero on the Philippe-Chatrier court, would want to win the title not only for himself, but also as a tribute to the greatest clay court player the world has ever seen.

However, winning the title is easier said than done, as multiple contenders will be vying for the trophy. Let’s examine Alcaraz’s potential opponents on his path to lifting the Musketeers’ Cup.

First Round: Jeffrey John Wolf

Carlos Alcaraz was slotted in the bottom half and faced American Jeffrey John Wolf in the first round. Many eyes were on the match to see how fit Alcaraz was, having missed most of the clay season due to an arm injury. Fans were eager to watch him play, and many eyebrows were raised when he wore a supportive sleeve.

However, the 21-year-old was flawless as he cruised past Wolf with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 win.

Second Round: Jesper de Long

Carlos Alcaraz secured his place in the third round of the 2024 French Open. The Spaniard defeated Jesper De Jong in four sets. Alcaraz won the first two sets 6-3, 6-4, but De Jong, ranked 176th in the world, rallied to take the third set 6-2.

Third Round: Sebastian Korda

The 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz might face his first significant challenge of the 2024 Roland Garros against Sebastian Korda in the third round. Their rivalry dates back to the Next Generation ATP Finals in 2021, where Alcaraz came out on top. However, the American bounced back with an impressive win at the 2022 Monte Carlo Masters.

Alcaraz holds a 3-1 record over the 23-year-old Korda, who will draw confidence from his win in Monte Carlo, also played on clay. Korda has been in excellent form on clay, having recently won his first doubles title at the Madrid Open. Therefore, this will be a challenge Alcaraz will be wary of.

Fourth Round: Ben Shelton

Carlos Alcaraz might have to combat another American in the form of Ben Shelton to enter into the last eight. Shelton has grown from strength to strength in the last 18 months. The southpaw made it into his first Grand Slam semis at the 2023 US Open and lost to Djokovic.

The 21-year-old won his first clay title earlier this year by winning the 2024 US Men’s Clay Court Championship, becoming the youngest American Champion since Andy Roddick to do so. Alcaraz has won their only meeting between the two and the southpaw will pose a different challenge because of his height and the ability to big serves.

Quarterfinal: Andrey Rublev

If all results go well, then Carlos Alcaraz might take on Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals of the Roland Garros.

The sixth-seeded Rublev will have to produce his best performance to win against Alcaraz as that will register his first-ever semifinal appearance in a Grand Slam. But Alcaraz has all the tools to make a back-to-back semifinals.

Semifinals: Jannik Sinner

One of the exciting factors about tennis is the one-on-one rivalry on the court, and for Alcaraz, in his brief career, he has already been involved in a wonderful rivalry against Italy’s Jannik Sinner. Their head-to-head stands at 4-4 in the eight meetings between them, and if results go their way, Paris could witness the ninth meeting.

Ranked second and third respectively, Sinner and Alcaraz would want to win this match to move into the finals. It was a classic encounter when these two met last time in a Grand Slam. In the 2022 US Open, Alcaraz saved match points to register an impressive come-from-behind victory.

Finals: Novak Djokovic

If one wants to be the best, then he has to beat the best, and that might be the challenge for Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the finals of the 2024 French Open. World No. 1 and top-seeded Novak Djokovic could well be his opponent, who could stop him from winning his first French Open title.

It was the Serbian who did the same last year in a historic semifinal clash. However, Alcaraz got his revenge by defeating the 37-year-old Djokovic in the 2023 Wimbledon finals. Djokovic leads the head-to-head record with three wins over Alcaraz’s two triumphs. Nevertheless, the young Spaniard would aim to replicate the result of last year’s Wimbledon finals.

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