Carlos Alcaraz has made it clear that winning Olympic Gold is his top priority this year instead of the French Open. The world No. 2 is seeking his third Grand Slam title after a disappointing end to his recent Australian Open campaign, where he crashed out in the quarter-final. But he would rather enjoy success at his first Olympic Games, with this year’s tennis event being staged in the Roland Garros grounds.
Alcaraz’s Australian Open run ended in regret as he suffered an uncharacteristic defeat to Alexander Zverev. The 20-year-old looked a shadow of his usual self for two and a half sets, struggling to win a game before he mounted a comeback to take the third set in a tiebreak. But he eventually fell 6-1 6-3 6-7(2) 6-4.
After the match, the Spaniard admitted that the quarter-final was a good run but not what he was looking for. It means that Alcaraz will be keen to redeem himself at the French Open in spring. But he has already snubbed the tournament in favour of Olympic glory, showing where his priorities lie.
Asked whether he would rather win a gold medal or the French Open, Alcaraz said: “I keep the Olympic title because for me it is a dream to win a medal for my country. Gold is one of the greatest things in sport in general.
And the world No. 2 also confessed that the French Open had no extra significance to him compared to winning any of the other Majors. “A Grand Slam is a Grand Slam, it doesn’t matter if it is Roland Garros or any other,” he added.
“Roland Garros is a tournament that I am excited to win and I hope to improve on last year’s semifinals, but I don’t feel like I should win it or I have a thorn in my side for not having won it yet. In the end, it’s like any other Grand Slam, it’s worth one.”
Although Alcaraz’s main concern is the Olympics, he will also want to prove himself at the French Open after cramps ruined his campaign last year. The Spaniard came up against Novak Djokovic in a mouthwatering semi-final clash and they split the first two sets before Alcaraz started to struggle physically.
The 20-year-old began cramping and forfeited a game so that he could receive treatment at the change of ends. What started as an exciting contest quickly became a walk in the park for Djokovic, who went on to win 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1.
Alcaraz managed to get revenge in the Wimbledon final a few weeks later but he will still want to make some better memories at Roland Garros. And he could also do just that at the Olympics, as the tennis event will be staged on the site of the French Open this year.
