Carlos Alcaraz has been unable to defend his title in Buenos Aires, after suffering a straight sets defeat in the semi-final to Nicolas Jarry.

Alcaraz claimed the title in the Argentine capital last year, but his run was ended by the Chilean last night in a 7-6(2) 6-3 defeat.

This is only the third time since the start of 2023 that Alcaraz has been beaten by a player ranked outside the top 20, with Jarry currently at No.21.

The Wimbledon champion gave a very honest reflection after the match, “It has been a difficult defeat for me, it has hurt me a lot. There are many things to improve. The level has to rise, I have played good tennis but far from my real level.

“I have prepared well, physically I feel good. But this type of defeat hurt, you have to know how to read the games better and from there move forward, there is no other option.”

Alcaraz has not reached an ATP final since the Cincinnati Masters last year, and spoke about the complications of beginning his clay court season.

“It has been a complicated tournament,” said Alcaraz. “It is the first tournament on clay in a long time and even if I felt good at the tennis level, I have played against quite uncomfortable players.

“With Jarry, it was difficult to enter the match. I have had many opportunities that I didn’t take. And when you waste them against players like Jarry it takes its toll on you. It’s been a complicated week but I took away many things to improve.”

Enhorabuena a Nico por el partido y suerte en la final! ???????? Gracias ???????? por el cariño de esta semana! ????????????????????

???? Getty pic.twitter.com/94ENFeumH2

— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) February 18, 2024

Alcaraz will continue his clay court preparations in South America next week in Rio de Janeiro, where he was the champion back in 2022 and runner-up to Cameron Norrie last year.

The 20-year-old will begin his campaign against home wildcard Thiago Monteiro, with their head-to-head currently set at one win apiece.

Inside the baseline…

Not only is a defeat for Carlos Alcaraz surprising as a whole, but even more so considering the fact that it was in straight sets. However, Nicolas Jarry is a very good player and has made some fantastic progress over the past year, so it should not be an immediate concern for Alcaraz. However, if he does not reach the final in the Brazilian capital then alarm bells might start to ring, as on paper Alcaraz is by far the best player in that field.

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Carlos Alcaraz has been heaped with praise by Daniil Medvedev, who has described the first time that he realised how talented the Spaniard is.

Alcaraz became the youngest world No.1 in history after winning the 2022 US Open, and Medvedev suggested that the 20-year-old has been a product of his own downfall in terms of critics.

“He started off crazy, at his age,” Medvedev exclusively told Eurosport. “Youngest world No. 1 in history, that says it all.

“That’s why right now when he is losing maybe just a bit more matches than before, you see people starting to say ‘oh maybe he lost his confidence a little bit’.”

The Russian added, “He’s still 20 years old, very young, so it’s normal that sometimes in his career he’s going to have some ups and downs. But the talent that he has is pretty unbelievable. We knew straight away when he came on tour.”

I'm lost for words at right now! ???? I just want to keep dreaming!

???? Getty Images pic.twitter.com/IyQXjvgamY

— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) September 12, 2022

Medvedev went onto talk about the first time that he was made aware of Alcaraz, when the now two-time major winner was training with world No.5 Andrey Rublev.

“I remember he was somewhere close to the top 100, and he was hitting with Rublev,” said Medvedev. “Andrey is one of the hardest hitters in tennis, and at the time I think Carlos was 17. And I was looking and I was like ‘wow, he hits stronger than Andrey’. This guy has good potential.”

Medvedev continued, “So it’s going to be interesting to see how he copes with all the things that come with playing good at tennis, a lot of sponsors, a lot of interest, stuff like this.

“Some guys are easy with it, some guys have pressure and handle it differently. I think he’s still young to make any conclusions, so let’s see how he goes later.”

Medvedev has withdrawn from playing in Doha next week, and is set to return to defend his title in Dubai, whereas Alcaraz will continue to focus on the South American clay court swing in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.

Vamos! ???????? https://t.co/WZ7Sdomm1p

— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) February 16, 2024

Inside the baseline…

Daniil Medvedev makes some really good points about Carlos Alcaraz, who is having a relatively mediocre patch in his incredible career so far. At the end of the day Alcaraz is only human and it is not always going to be plain-sailing for him, and the Spaniard has still achieved his best ever Australian Open performance this year.

READ NEXT – Carlos Alcaraz: Regaining world number one is my goal this season

Carlos Alcaraz vs Daniil Medvedev head-to-head

Alcaraz and Medvedev have played a total of five times, with four of those meetings coming last year:

Alcaraz vs Medvedev: 3-2

1. Medvedev beat Alcaraz, 6-4 6-1 6-2 (Wimbledon 2021, Second Round)
2. Alcaraz beat Medvedev, 6-3 6-2 (Indian Wells 2023, Final)
3. Alcaraz beat Medvedev, 6-3 6-3 6-3 (Wimbledon 2023, Semi-final)
4. Medvedev beat Alcaraz, 7-6(3) 6-1 3-6 6-3 (US Open 2023, Semi-final)
5. Alcaraz beat Medvedev, 6-4 6-4 (ATP Finals 2023, Round-Robin)

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The post Carlos Alcaraz ‘is pretty unbelievable’ claims Daniil Medvedev appeared first on Tennishead.

Carlos Alcaraz says regaining the world number one spot is ‘his goal’ for the season after a successful return to action in Buenos Aires.

The 20-year-old beat Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-2, 7-5 in his first match since losing at the Australian Open to Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals.

That defeat saw both Medvedev and Jannik Sinner, the players who contested the final in Melbourne, close the gap on Alcaraz, who is ranked number two in the world right now.

However, world number one Novak Djokovic dropped points in Australia, meaning Alcaraz is well-positioned to launch a challenge – and that is exactly what he intends to do.

“It’s a goal,” Alcaraz said on court after his win in Argentina. “You have to set goals for yourself. I’m trying to move forward, to do it.

“There are great players fighting for the number one ranking. It’s going to be a good fight. Hopefully I recover it soon.”

Carlos Alcaraz ‘really happy’ with win

If Alcaraz is going to make a serious run for world number one this year, then the clay season is going to be vital to his chances.

The real red dirt action will get underway in Monte-Carlo after the hard court Sunshine Double of Indian Wells and Miami, but Buenos Aires is an early indicator of clay form and the signs were good for Alcaraz against Ugo Carabelli.

“It was a really tough match,” he said. “He’s a really good fighter and a player with good rhythm. He was really tough to beat.

“Playing my game… I started nervous, I’m not going to lie, with the crowd behind him supporting him. It’s normal obviously.

“I’m really happy with my first match on clay since Roland Garros. I’ll keep on going.”

Alcaraz will now face Italian Andrea Vavassori in the quarter-finals on Friday.

READ NEXT: Rafael Nadal: ‘Carlos Alcaraz is better than I was at his age’

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Rafael Nadal says Carlos Alcaraz is better than he was at the same age as he tipped his compatriot for ‘an incredible career.’

The two Spaniards will face off against each other in a special exhibition, The Netflix Slam, in Las Vegas in early March, and they have already played each other in Masters events too.

While Nadal is coming to the end of his career, Alcaraz is just starting his, meaning Spanish tennis can move seamlessly from era to the next.

But, as far as Nadal is concerned, Alcaraz is already ahead of where he was at a similar age, remarkable as that will sound to anyone who watched the King of Clay’s emergence on the ATP Tour.

“He’s a great kid,” Nadal told La Sexta. “A very complete tennis player at his age, with very few weaknesses.

“At his age I had a worse serve, a worse volley, a worse backhand, I had many things worse than him at his age.

“He has things very clear, from what I read at the press conference. He has a lot of ambition.

“At his age I would never have thought of something like wanting to face the best in the final. I think he has all the ingredients to have an incredible career.”

How does Carlos Alcaraz compare to Rafael Nadal?

Alcaraz has had to put up with being called ‘the new Rafael Nadal’ from even before he set foot inside an ATP Tour main draw.

Their games are not all that similar in truth, but they seem to both have that same warrior-like mentality.

They have had similar breakouts too. Nadal won his second major just a month or so before his 20^th birthday, while Alcaraz won his second major a month or so after his.

Crucially, though, while Nadal’s first Grand Slam titles were both on clay, Alcaraz is already a multi-surface major winner. Interestingly, clay is the one surface on which he hasn’t won a Grand Slam yet.

They have played each other three times, with Nadal winning two of them. The last time, they met, though, Alcaraz not only won but beat Nadal on clay. It was at the Madrid Masters and he also then beat Novak Djokovic in the semi-final before winning the title.

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Carlos Alcaraz has backed compatriot Rafael Nadal’s decision to become an ambassador for the Saudi Arabian Tennis Federation (STF), claiming there is ‘no better person’ to help develop the sport in the Middle Eastern country.

Alcaraz is currently in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, and was asked about the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s decision to join forces with the STF.

“I’ve heard people say they’ve been criticising him,” said the Wimbledon champion. “Well, Rafa has decided to be an ambassador, I personally don’t think it’s bad, he has signed up as a tennis ambassador.

“It’s a country that is developing, what better than Rafa getting in there to expand the world of tennis to places where it was never played before. We players are trying to attract more people to watch tennis and there is no better person than Rafa to do that.”

Growth and progress that’s important to see and the STF is working on that.
In a recent visit I saw the interest in both aspects and I want to be part of that role of growing the sport of tennis around the world.
The kids are looking to the future and I saw they are passionate… pic.twitter.com/vF3VaJXazH

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) January 15, 2024

Part of Nadal’s responsibility as an ambassador for the STF includes visiting the country several times a year and helping develop the junior tennis scene in Saudi Arabia.

However, this move has been criticised by those claiming that it is an example of sportwashing, a term used to describe a nation investing a high amount of money to cover human rights breaches, something that has been highlighted by tennis greats Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.

As with other sports including golf, football and Formula One, Saudi Arabia appears to be moving more and more into tennis, with the ATP Next Gen Finals being held in the capital of Jeddah until 2027.

Alcaraz has also played in an exhibition match against Novak Djokovic in Jeddah and is set to compete at the ‘Six Kings Slam’ event alongside Nadal and others later this year.

This exhibition event will see all six players receive a reported appearance fee of $1.5million, with the winner earning a potential $6million.

???? The Six Kings Slam line-up:

???????? Rafael Nadal
???????? Novak Djokovic
???????? Carlos Alcaraz
???????? Jannik Sinner
Daniil Medvedev
???????? Holger Rune

The exhibition tournament is due to take place in October in Saudi Arabia. ???????? pic.twitter.com/jOxk8YHyKX

— Eurosport (@eurosport) February 6, 2024

Despite the human rights concerns, Alcaraz appears positive about the future collaboration between Saudi Arabia and tennis, “It’s good for tennis that there are more venues, that the countries where we go and where we play are opening up.

“Arabia is a country that is evolving very fast in all senses, in the world of sport there are a lot of events there. Football, now a lot of tennis. It’s good for sport in general. I don’t know how far we’ll go, but I’m sure it will be evolving.”

Inside the baseline…

It is unsurprising that Carlos Alcaraz is unwilling to criticise Rafael Nadal’s decision, as they are compatriots and the 20-year-old understandably idolises the tennis legend. Alongside that, Alcaraz also has invested interest in Saudi Arabia coming into tennis, with the current world No.2 receiving generous fees for playing in these exhibition events and is likely to want to continue doing so in the future. However, the concerns for sportwashing by Saudi Arabia should be taken seriously, with previous and current breaches against women and LGBTQ+ people.

READ MORE – Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal announced for Saudi Arabian exhibition

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Carlos Alcaraz is gearing up to play his first tournament since the Australian Open this week, with the Spaniard revealing some of his goals for the season.

Alcaraz is bidding to defend his title on the clay courts of Buenos Aires this week, following the world No.2’s Australian Open quarter-final defeat to Alexander Zverev.

And in his pre-tournament press conference, the Wimbledon champion was asked about whether he would prefer to win the title at the Paris Olympics or add another Grand Slam to his trophy cabinet this year, “I would say the Olympic title.

“For me, it is a dream to bring a medal to my country, to Spain, and winning gold is one of the greatest things that can happen to you in the world of sport in general. This year, if you gave me a choice, I would say that I will keep the Olympic gold… although I would like to win both.”

Alcaraz continued to speak about some of his other dreams, including being alongside the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the history books, “I am a boy who dreams big. I am very ambitious and I target the best in the world and the best in history.

“That’s what motivates me to give my 100% day to day and to go to the tournaments to be able to win them. I’m a very competitive, very ambitious guy. I always want to win everything, it is what drives me to continue training at my highest level, to continue going to the tournaments with a lot of desire to get more titles.”

He added, “Seeing Djokovic up there, the players who are winning titles now, is something that motivates me to be at the same level as them. Also speaking of the ‘Big Three’, it motivates me to get closer to them.”

???????????????????????? https://t.co/xwiX9X4UmZ

— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) February 12, 2024

The 20-year-old went onto list the aforementioned Djokovic and Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner as his main rivals, “I think Djokovic and Sinner are the rivals to beat.

“There is no doubt, both for me and for everyone. Zverev also has the winning head-to-head against me, he is a rival that I have very much in mind, but I do think that Djokovic and Sinner are at the top right now.”

Alcaraz will return to the match court later this week against either Juan Pablo Varillas or Camilo Ugo Carabelli, after receiving a bye to the second round as the top seed.

Inside the baseline…

Carlos Alcaraz has every possibility of being one of the greats in the sport, and he has already put his name in the history books after becoming the youngest world No.1 at the 2022 US Open. It is understandable as to why the Olympics are so important to him, considering they only come around every four years, compared to four Grand Slams a year. Paris will be even more special to Alcaraz, considering it will be his first ever Olympic Games and the tennis will be held on the historic grounds of Roland Garros.

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The post Carlos Alcaraz reveals he would choose ‘dream’ Olympic title over Grand Slam in 2024 appeared first on Tennishead.

It is set to be another enthralling week on the tennis tour, with the first WTA 1000 event of the year taking place in Doha, and both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are set to play their first matches since the Australian Open.

And we, at Tennishead, have all the information on how you can watch the action this week:

How can you watch WTA Doha?

The first WTA 1000 event of the year is already underway in the Middle East, as seven of the top 10 players feature including two-time defending champion and world No.1, Iga Swiatek, as well as Coco Gauff and Abu Dhabi winner Elena Rybakina.

Yessss????????????????????

Congratulations on your well-deserved achievements @JLPegula
Huge respect ???????? pic.twitter.com/N1JQoqWjtj

— Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) February 18, 2023

There are three other former champions in the draw in the forms of Victoria Azarenka, Karolina Pliskova and Elise Mertens.

Wildcards have been given to 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, Paula Badosa, Anna Kalinskaya and Zeynep Sonmez (already out), as they look to compete for big ranking point offerings in the Qatari capital.

Naomi Osaka is also present in Doha, as she bids to return to form following giving birth to her daughter, but faces a tough opening round match in Caroline Garcia, who beat the former No.1 at the Australian Open.

You can watch the Qatar Open on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland or on Tennis Channel in the United States of America.

For more information on how to watch the WTA 1000 tournament in your location, visit the official website here.

READ MORE – Qatar Open 2024 Preview: When is it, who is playing and what is the prize money?

How can you watch ATP Rotterdam?

The biggest tournament on the ATP Tour this week is on the indoor hardcourts of Rotterdam, featuring Australian Open champion and 2023 runner-up Jannik Sinner as the top seed.

Our top seed and reigning Australian Open champion has arrived! ????????

Welcome back Jannik! ???? #abnamroopen pic.twitter.com/kyd69QG8hd

— ABN AMRO Open (@abnamroopen) February 9, 2024

Sinner lost out in a three set battle to Daniil Medvedev in the final last year, but will be hoping to go one better next week in the Italian’s first tournament since his maiden Grand Slam triumph.

Rotterdam has seen many legendary champions over the years, with the ATP 500 tournament producing a winner’s circle including Arthur Ashe, Bjorn Borg, Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, Roger Federer and Andy Murray, to name a few.

Looking to join this list alongside Sinner are Holger Rune, Hubert Hurkacz and Alex de Minaur, with Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gael Monfils also hoping to be victorious in The Netherlands once again.

You can watch the action in Rotterdam on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland or on Tennis TV worldwide.

For more information on how to watch the illustrious tournament in your location, visit the official ATP website here.

How can you watch ATP Buenos Aires?

Carlos Alcaraz is bidding to defend his crown in the Argentinian capital next week, in the Spaniard’s first tournament since his uncharacteristic Australian Open quarter-final defeat.

The Wimbledon champion beat British No.1 Cameron Norrie in the final last year, who is also returning in a ploy for revenge over the 20-year-old.

Diego Schwartzman is the only other former champion in the draw, with the home favourite requiring a wildcard after slipping to No.117 in the world rankings.

You can watch centre court action in Buenos Aires on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland or on Tennis TV worldwide.

For more information on how to watch the South American clay court swing in your location, visit the official ATP website here.

How can you watch ATP Delray Beach?

The final tournament of the week comes on the outdoor hard courts of Delray Beach, Florida, with all top three seeds American in the forms of defending champion Taylor Fritz, 2018 winner Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul.

Fritz and Tiafoe are currently the only former champions in the main draw, but could be joined by 2019 winner Radu Albot, if the Moldovan is able to win his final qualifying match later today.

Wildcards have been given to an all-American lineup of Aleksandar Kovacevic, Patrick Kypson and Emilio Nava.

You can watch centre court matches in Delray Beach on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland or on Tennis TV worldwide.

For more information on how to watch the American hard court tournament in your location, visit the official ATP website here.

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Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev have been revealed as the two newest additions to join debutant Carlos Alcaraz in the star-studded Team Europe lineup for the 2024 Laver Cup. 

The seventh edition of the tournament will take place in Berlin from September 20-22 and Bjorn Borg’s Europe will be eager to reclaim the Cup after a two-year drought.

Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev are set to join Carlos Alcaraz on Team Europe for Laver Cup Berlin 2024.

Full Tournament Ticket Packages providing the same seat for all 5 sessions go on sale on February 16 at 10:00am CET. More info: https://t.co/dCMZg2H7JQ pic.twitter.com/B7wJ7qjOyX

— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) February 8, 2024

Just months after last year’s event, tournament organisers wasted little time in announcing the recruitment of Alcaraz for this year’s lineup in a bid to escalate ticket sales.

The world No.2 will be making his first appearance at the competition, though he will have a smidge of experience to draw from in Medvedev and Zverev – both past champions.

“Team Europe is super motivated to win back the Cup in Berlin,” Borg said in a press release.

“With Daniil, Sascha and Carlos on my team, I think we have an excellent chance of making that happen. The guys have had an incredible start to the year, and this is a really strong first half of our line-up. I’m thrilled to have these champions in the fold for 2024.”

Daniil Medvedev key to Europe success?

Team Europe stormed to consecutive victories in the opening four editions of the Laver Cup, which began in 2017, but have since registered disappointing outings.

Their downfall can be partially attributed to the rise in calibre on the other side of the net – Team World’s average ranking was higher at the 2023 instalment for the first time since the tournament’s inception.

But world No.3 Medvedev is one of the tour’s in form players after reaching the final of the Australian Open in January, and could be key in reclaiming the Cup.

Having not featured since he lifted the trophy with the Blues in 2021, the Russian poses an additional threat to the already jacked lineup.

READ NEXT: Laver Cup: Everything you need to know 

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Both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have been announced in a star-studded lineup for the ‘Six Kings Slam’ exhibition event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Djokovic and Nadal are joined by the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Holger Rune and newly crowned Australian Open champion, Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic
Nadal
Alcaraz
Sinner
Medvedev
Rune

The 6 stars will meet for the 6 Kings Slam exhibition, scheduled in Saudi Arabia in October 2024.

What a lineup! pic.twitter.com/zrzIK9BMwL

— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) February 6, 2024

This signals Saudi Arabia’s continued attempt to move into tennis, with the ATP Next Gen Finals being held in the capital for the first time last year.

Upon the announcement of the event, Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority branded it as a ‘major new tennis tournament’, that will be held on an unknown date in October.

Unlike other exhibition events, this will be held during the tennis season and could clash with Masters 1000 events in Shanghai and Paris.

This news comes only weeks after Nadal was announced as an ambassador for the Saudi Arabian Tennis Federation, with the event reportedly originally supposed to be held after the Australian Open, but was moved due to the Spaniard’s injury troubles.

Growth and progress that’s important to see and the STF is working on that.
In a recent visit I saw the interest in both aspects and I want to be part of that role of growing the sport of tennis around the world.
The kids are looking to the future and I saw they are passionate… pic.twitter.com/vF3VaJXazH

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) January 15, 2024

Nadal had this to say after the exhibition event was confirmed, “After some other tennis players have done so, I am very excited to play for the first time in Riyadh.”

Inside the baseline…

This is certainly an interesting move made by all six players involved, that was likely motivated by large appearance fees offered to them. It was almost an inevitability that tennis would continue to move into Saudi Arabia, with the nation also being rumoured as a potential host for the WTA Finals, but it just seems a bit messy that it could clash with some big season ending tournaments in October. In terms of Rafael Nadal, this is also quite an intriguing move, as it suggests that he still intends to be competing in the latter stages of 2024, despite many thinking he could retire at either Roland Garros or the Olympics.

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Rafael Nadal has openly declared that 2024 is likely to be his final season on tour, but who are the Spaniard’s biggest threats to a triumphant ‘last hurrah’ at Roland-Garros?

Nadal is a record 14-time champion at the Paris major, having lost only three of his 115 matches on the French clay over the years.

If you want to be at Roland-Garros this year to see Rafa’s possible last ever appearance and enjoy the full Parisian experience then buy your ticket-inclusive Official Hospitality through our recommended provider Sports Travel & Hospitality Group (STH Group).

The company pride themselves on ‘taking fans to the heart of the action at the iconic Grand Slam tournament in France with luxury ticket-inclusive Official hospitality’, offering world-class cuisine and beverages, top entertainment and unrivalled views, for a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. Book your 2024 Roland-Garros tickets and hospitality.

However, after spending nearly a year on the injury sidelines, the former world No.1 is likely to be unseeded in May and could play anyone from the first round of the tournament.

So we, at Tennishead, have listed the five players that we believe pose the biggest threat to the ‘king of clay’ this year:

Novak Djokovic

It kind of goes without saying that at any tournament and at any stage of his career, Novak Djokovic has and will always be one of the biggest threats to Rafael Nadal.

Although Nadal has an overwhelming head-to-head over Djokovic on clay, the Serbian is actually the only player to beat the 14-time champion twice at Roland-Garros.

The first of these came in 2015, when Nadal was on a 39-match winning streak at the tournament, however Djokovic put an abrupt halt to that in a straight sets quarter-final victory.

Nadal went on a streak again between 2017 and 2020, winning four titles in a row, before meeting Djokovic in the 2021 semi-finals.

Despite winning the first set, the Mallorcan was pegged back by Djokovic and beaten in a four set classic on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The following year, Nadal did get revenge over Djokovic en route to his 14th title in Paris, but Djokovic won his third title at the tournament in the Spaniard’s absence last year.

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Carlos Alcaraz

From someone who has a lot of history at Roland-Garros in Djokovic, to a player with a relatively new history at the tournament, Carlos Alcaraz.

Alcaraz made only his third main draw appearance at the tournament last year, impressing with a semi-final run that ended in a cramp affected defeat to the aforementioned Djokovic.

The 20-year-old has become a constant threat at every tournament he plays in and is certainly not shy of the big occasion, leaving him as a big threat at Roland Garros in 2024.

Although they have only played on three occasions, Alcaraz has the most recent victory over compatriot Rafael Nadal in an encounter on the clay of Madrid.

And it is the clay in his home capital where Alcaraz has thrived the most, claiming the Masters 1000 crown in back-to-back seasons.

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Casper Ruud

Since being one victory away from becoming world No.1 at the 2022 US Open, Casper Ruud has not managed to reach the same heights.

However, the Norwegian has still been able to showcase his clay court prowess and reached a second consecutive Roland-Garros final last year.

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Do you think Casper Ruud will manage to win a Grand Slam after 3 finals lost? pic.twitter.com/BsjHHQd5N2

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This resulted in another straight sets final defeat, but Ruud is undoubtedly one of the strongest clay court players in the world, with nine of his 10 ATP titles coming on the dirt.

Being a Rafael Nadal Academy graduate, Ruud unsurprisingly idolises the 22-time Grand Slam champion and does not appear to have overcome that obstacle yet.

In their two previous meetings, that include the 2022 Roland Garros final, Ruud has not managed to win a single set and won only six games in their three set match on Court Philippe Chatrier two years ago.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas 

Like Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas has slightly fallen down the rankings in recent months, but is always a threat on the clay and was one set away from the Roland-Garros title in 2021.

Not only does the Greek have pedigree at the Paris major, but he also has a rare victory on clay over Rafael Nadal, that took place at the Madrid Masters almost five years ago.

Nadal does combat this with three victories over Tsitsipas on the dirt of his own, but with the Spaniard’s lack of fitness it may be difficult to keep up with the 25-year-old over a best-of-five set format.

However, the Greek will be hoping for a better build-up to Roland Garros in 2024, having not reached a Masters 1000 final on clay for the first time since 2020 last year.

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Alexander Zverev

The final biggest threat to Nadal in this list is Alexander Zverev, who has been a match away from the Roland-Garros final in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

This included a gruelling semi-final with Rafael Nadal in 2022, with the first two sets lasting over three hours before the German tore all three ligaments after rolling his right ankle.

As expected, Nadal has an overwhelming lead in their head-to-head on clay, but Zverev is likely to be very hungry to avenge the trauma of that aforementioned semi-final.

However, with Zverev’s pending court case expected to take place during Roland-Garros his year, his mind may be elsewhere.

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Honourable Mention

There are several other names that we could have added to this list, including Holger Rune and Daniil Medvedev, but our honourable mention is Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner.

Despite Sinner not being known for his clay court game, the Italian has reached the quarter-finals of Roland-Garros and won a title on the dirt of Umag back in 2022.

To make sure you don’t miss Rafael Nadal in his possible last ever appearance at Roland-Garros, where he’ll try to win a truly remarkable 15th title, you can guarantee the best tickets along with premium hospitality from our friends at Sports Travel & Hospitality Group (STH Group).

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