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Carlos Alcaraz has embraced the fact that he will be seeded second at the 2025 French Open and joked that he won’t need to play against Jannik Sinner unless he reaches the final. Alcaraz is the defending champion at Roland Garros; he beat Alexander Zverev for the title in 2024.
Alcaraz will go into the French Open with big hopes as he looks to defend a Grand Slam title for the first time. The Spaniard has had a good season so far, reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before winning the ATP Rotterdam Open and the Monte Carlo Masters.
Alcaraz has been in solid form on clay, which is touted as his preferred surface, as he also reached the final of the Barcelona Open last month and is currently playing in the semifinals of the Italian Open. He faces local hope Lorenzo Musetti for a spot in the final and a potential shot at his third title for the season.
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After his 6-4, 6-4 win over Jack Draper at the Italian Open, Alcaraz was asked about his seeding at the French Open, and the 21-year-old had an interesting response.
“I think it's great being (the) second seed in Roland Garros, knowing that I'm not going to see Jannik before the final, if I reach it, I think it's great. It's something that I didn't think about, honestly. Before coming here, the No. 1, it wasn't a goal. Knowing that, it's a great thing,” Carlos Alcaraz said in the press conference.
Carlos Alcaraz has enjoyed a good run at the Italian Open so far and also took time out over the weekend to catch a high-octane game of Italian football.
Carlos Alcaraz holds the edge against Musetti ahead of the Italian Open semifinals
Carlos Alcaraz will take on Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals of the Italian Open and will go into the contest with a slight edge. The Spaniard had beaten Musetti in three sets when they last met, at the final of the Monte Carlo Masters this year.
Overall, Alcaraz has a 4-1 head-to-head record against the Italian, so that will serve as an advantage for the 21-year-old. Alcaraz has been in solid form at the tournament, dropping just one set en route to the semifinals. The win over Draper will serve as a morale boost for the Spaniard, as he had lost to the Englishman when they had last played each other in the final of the Indian Wells Masters.
Carlos Alcaraz already has two titles to his name and is gunning for a third as he bids to enter the French Open on a high and become the first man since Rafael Nadal to defend the crown.
