Since his meteoric rise last season, with his first Masters 1000 trophies, his first Grand Slam title, and his accession to the throne that made him the youngest world No. 1 in history, Alcaraz, twenty years old since the beginning of May, has settled for good in the heights of world tennis.

For the first time, "Carlitos", who trained on the Central Thursday at midday, will attack a major fortnight with the status of world N.1. That should have been the case in Australia in January, but a muscle injury in his right thigh had deprived him of the first Grand Slam of the year.

The young Spanish phenomenon, who openly dreams of "becoming one of the best players in history", is not one to hide when it comes to expressing his ambitions.

Asked in Madrid in early May - before Nadal's resignation - about the favorites for Roland Garros, Alcaraz had named three, besides "Rafa": Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and him. "I put myself in this list, because I play at a good level, I have good results and confidence," he justified without fanfare.

20 of 22 on ochre

If the record necessarily leans in favor of Djokovic, even in a form that questions, Alcaraz's 2023 record, on clay in particular, speaks for him.

Carlos Alcaraz against Hungary's Fabian Marozsan at the tournament in Rome, May 15, 2023 © Tiziana FABI / AFP

Juan Carlos Ferrero's protégé has piled up more wins than anyone else on ochre, by far: twenty in 22 matches played, from the South American tour in February, where he belatedly launched his 2023 season, to the European tour. This earned him three titles, in Buenos Aires, Barcelona, and especially Madrid, plus a final in Rio. The only shadow in the picture: his day without experience in Rome ten days ago, where he was eliminated by the 135th world, the Hungarian Fabian Marozsan, in the third round.

Beyond the clay, Alcaraz in 2023 is, in three months, five finals in seven tournaments played, four of which won, and a collection of thirty wins for only three losses.

What strikes him on a court is his smile that often pops up in the middle of a match, and how much the pleasure of the game permeates his speech.

"When I was younger, I was a completely different person. Surely I wasn't having fun like I have now. I was always angry, swinging my racket, complaining a lot," he says. I learned to calm down, to control my emotions. And to love playing tennis, to have a lot of fun on the court."

Carlosmania

In addition to trophies, Alcaraz also wins hearts. You had to see his training sessions fill up in Madrid, and the crowd crowded the catwalk overlooking the outdoor courts to see him at all costs. The video he shot there, camera fixed on him, gives an idea of the growing Carlosmania: five minutes of crowding, phones brandished, and bullets and pens stretched.

"It makes me happy to know that I want to see and play tennis, I love this sport, it's my life, my passion. Passing it on to people who never wanted to, and who have now started it thanks to me, it's wonderful," he said.

In the game of predictions for Roland-Garros, the British Tim Henman, consultant for Eurosport, multiple semi-finalist in Grand Slam and former N.4 world, "would put (t) Alcaraz very slightly in front of Djokovic". "Because he played more on clay and had good results there. Few players can beat him on clay. He's so solid. It serves better, stronger and with more precision. His move is at the top. He varies very well, he goes to the net, uses cushioning," he said.

"Can Djokovic beat Alcaraz? Yes. (Jannik) Can Sinner? Yes. But if I had to pick a winner, I would say Carlos," Henman concluded.

The main interested party, who appears on the front page of general magazines in Spain, sums it up well: "I do not feel superior to anyone, far from it, but it is true that when I am physically good and confident, I know how difficult it is for my opponents to beat me."

© 2023 AFP