Carlos Alcaraz is considered the top favorite for the victory in Paris-Bercy, especially after the forfeit of Jannik Sinner due to a intestinal virus. The Spanish ace did not express his best tennis in the last Masters 1000 of the season, but he confided that he arrived at this years edition with better feelings than in the past.
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The surface is particularly fast and Carlitos did not shine in his debut against Nicolas Jarry, risking especially in the first set. The feeling is that the former world number 1 does not like much these conditions of play, where it is really difficult to find the right pace and lengthen rallies. According to the latest rumors, the Paris-Bercys courts are the fastest in a decade. The 4-time Grand Slam champion will need to improve his serve percentages and commit fewer unforced errors if he is to achieve a great result in this tournament.
The 21-year-old from Murcia is in the middle of a fight with Alexander Zverev for second place in the ATP ranking, a very important detail ahead of the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. Avoiding to face Sinner already in the group stage would be a good advantage for both, even if at this moment Alcaraz is master of his destiny.
Carlitos will face Humbert
Carloss next opponent in Paris-Bercy will be the local idol Ugo Humbert, who defeated American ace Marcos Giron quite easily in the previous round. The former world number 1 will also have to pay close attention to the crowd, which will encourage the French player from the beginning to the end of the match.
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Fans will remember how the crowd recorded the match between Hugo Gaston and Alcaraz in Bercy in 2021, ending up confusing the young Spaniard. The four-time Grand Slam champion is much more experienced having been three years and will know how to handle this situation.
Humbert and Alcaraz have already faced each other twice this year, at the Wimbledon Championships and in the Davis Cup, with the Spaniard always victorious. In the press conference, the French player opened up on his upcoming clash with Carlitos at the Rolex Paris Masters: Carlos does a lot of things, he has that presence on the court. He has so much technical potential, tactical... But its the kind of game I love to play, Im not afraid to play the best ones, I can beat them. The atmosphere, Im looking forward to it. In Davis Cup, he had all the crowd with him. Its going to be completely different. Im going to try and take them with me, let him push me like he never did. I saw his game against (Hugo) Gaston (second round loss 64, 75 in 2021). I wish they were as h*t. It was an incredible match. They had managed to get it completely unpinched. But hey, a few years ago... "
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The feeling is that the Spanish ace is not at the top of his form and that the local idol may have a chance to achieve the feat in front of his fans. It will be crucial for Ugo to put pressure on his opponent from the start of the match and impose his pace from the first rallies. Despite having some unexpected defeats in 2024, Alcaraz has once again proved to be a fated man by becoming the youngest ever to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year.
Mouratoglou praises Alcaraz
In a long interview with Tennis365, top coach Patrick Mouratoglou commented on Carlitos season: I think what he did is probably the most difficult thing to do in tennis, to win back to back, two tournaments that are opposite in terms of qualities to win them. At Roland Garros, you need to be high on your legs, sliding, using a lot to spin longer rallies. Then go to Wimbledon, where you have to return big servers on the surface that is, of course, better for counter punchers or players who are much more aggressive with less spin.
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At Wimbledon, you have to be so low on the legs and not slide and wow, those two tournaments are so close in terms of timing, to make those two back to back, is probably one of most difficult things to do in tennis. He was exhausted, mentally exhausted. Two Grand Slam wins in a row. Then can he rest? No. The Olympic Games. Plus all the other tournaments, it was too much. I am not surprised that he is saying that he had so many thoughts and so many emotions that he couldnt deal with. That is exactly the consequence of someone who is emotionally drained. If you are not fresh here, it is more and more difficult to do it.
