25/05/2025

SPORTS 12 ON SUNDAY MAY 25, 2025

‘Man to beat’ Alcaraz wary of sharper Sinner at French Open

runners-up finish in Rome. “It gives me hopefully confidence to play some good tennis also in Paris.” Sinner called Alcaraz “the man to beat” but Alexander Zverev is among the title pretenders too after falling just short in last year’s final. Zverev then lost to Sinner in the Australian Open final but does have a clay trophy under his belt this season after winning in Munich. He made a late decision to enter the Hamburg event this week after losing in the quarterfinals in Rome, searching for a boost after a “very negative” loss to Lorenzo Musetti. “This can’t be the last match before the French Open… I need positivity before it starts,” said Zverev. Novak Djokovic will touch down in Paris with limited expectations for a man with a record 24 Grand Slam titles, three of them coming at Roland Garros. The long-time former world No. 1 has slipped to sixth in the rankings, leaving him vulnerable to the possibility of a quarterfinal against Alcaraz or Sinner, as his wait for a tour-level 100th title goes on. His last one came at the Olympics, where he beat Alcaraz on Court Philippe Chatrier to land an elusive gold medal. Madrid champion Casper Ruud is a two-time Roland Garros runner-up, while Britain’s Jack Draper ranks a career-best fifth after winning at Indian Wells and reaching the Madrid final. Musetti has also performed well during the clay swing. The Italian lost the Monte Carlo final to Alcaraz and made the last four as well in Madrid and Rome. Holger Rune is the only player to beat Alcaraz so far on clay this season but he has struggled for fitness either side of his Barcelona triumph. – AFP

Carlos Alcaraz poses for a photo with the trophy after winning the Italian Open. – REUTERSPIC

CARLOS ALCARAZ arrives at Roland Garros brimming with confidence after taking down chief rival Jannik Sinner in Rome, but the defending champion expects the Italian to be an even tougher proposition after shaking off the rust following his doping ban. Alcaraz and Sinner will be on opposite sides of the draw as the Spaniard returned to the second in the world this week following his Italian Open triumph, potentially setting the stage for another blockbuster final between the game’s two rising superstars. The 22-year-old Alcaraz has won 15 of 16 matches on clay this season, triumphing at Monte Carlo and reaching the Barcelona final before going all the way in Rome after missing the Madrid Open with a thigh injury. He has also had Sinner’s number of late, winning their last four meetings to take a 7-4 head to-head advantage, a record that includes Alcaraz’s five-set win in last year’s French Open semifinal. His success on Sunday ended Sinner’s run of 26 successive victories. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz believes the challenge of playing Sinner brings the best out of him. “He’s the best player in the world. It doesn’t matter that he was out of the tour for three months. Every tournament he’s playing, he plays great. The numbers are there. He wins almost every match he plays,”

said Alcaraz. “If I don’t play at my best, 10 out of 10, it’s going to be impossible to beat him. That’s why I’m more focused when I’m playing against him, or I feel a little bit different when I’m going to face him than other players. “He has that aura. When you’re seeing him on the other side of the net, it’s different. “I’m not going to say I’m feeling like when Rafa (Nadal) and Roger (Federer) are playing, but I’m feeling like it’s a different energy when we are facing against each other.” Sinner suffered his first straight-sets loss in 18 months in Rome, underlining his dominance in that time. Equally as impressive though was his run to the final in his first tournament since he retained the Australian Open title in January. “I am closer than expected in a way

of everything,” said Sinner, who served a three-month ban after twice testing positive for traces of the banned anabolic steroid clostebol. Sinner has always maintained the product entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing it to treat a cut.

He eventually reached a settlement after authorities accepted the contamination was accidental and that a longer ban would be an “unduly harsh sanction”.

“After t h r e e m o n t h s coming here

making this result means a lot to me,” Sinner said after his

Sabalenka mixing things up in

pursuit of first French Open title

ARYNA SABALENKA’S (pic) game has always been synonymous with crushing power and unwavering grit but as the world No. 1 strives to find success on dif ferent surfaces, she is adding variety to her game in her quest for a maiden French Open title. The disappointment of missing out on a “three-peat” at the Australian Open and early exits in the Middle East fuelled Sabalenka’s run to four straight finals as she won titles in Miami and Madrid to consolidate top spot in the rankings. With the Brisbane title also in the bag in January, no other player has lifted more trophies this year while she leads the tour with 34 wins. But to become the queen of all sur faces, players must adapt their game. And on clay, they must be ready to not only work harder for every point but also learn to trust their instincts on the slow est surface of all. An illness sent Sabalenka crashing out in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros last year but if she is to pose with the Suzanne Lenglen Cup in front of the Eiffel Tower next month, her renowned power alone may not cut it. Versatility is essential and it has come

“Trying to come to the net, I’m not sure if it’s really successful so far, but I’m trying. I think it’s always ‘work on your self’ and always looking for something to improve and get better at.” Things do not always go to plan, how ever, but that is when Sabalenka’s mettle has been tested. The Belarusian can go from blushing and flashing a sheepish grin when losing her racket during a point to receiving an audible obscenity warning when taking her frustrations out on a fan chirping at her between points. However, she can deal with setbacks better than most. Since 2024, Sabalenka has won nine matches in WTA 1000 tournaments after going a set down and she is the only player with a winning record after losing the opening set in that period. “Right now, I’m stronger than ever, physically and mentally, and also my game improved a lot,” she said in Rome. “So I really hope this is the year where I’m going to look back on the claycourt season and be super proud of myself.” – Reuters

said after beating Coco Gauff in the Madrid Open final. “I’m super happy that we were able to improve my game in everything – the movement, my touch game is much better right now, I trust my touch game much more right now also.

to for Sabalenka in recent tournaments, where she has used not just her brutal strength to put opponents on the back foot but also applied a touch of finesse to leave them wrong-footed. the fore approaches to the net have broadened her game to leave her opponents second guessing and the fans spellbound as she racked up wins and titles. “I’ve been work ing really hard and improving my game, I t h i n k that’s the biggest key in most of the matches right now,” she on bringing variety into movements and

Crafty drop shots, quick

more