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After defeating his main competitor, Jannik Sinner, in Rome, Carlos Alcaraz is full of confidence going into Roland Garros, but the reigning champion anticipates the Italian to be even more formidable now that he has recovered from his doping sentence.

Sinner and Alcaraz will be on different sides of the draw since the Spaniard, who won the Italian Open this week, moved back up to the second spot in the global rankings, which might lead to another thrilling final between the two up-and-coming stars of the game.

This season, Alcaraz, 22, has won 15 of 16 clay-court matches. He won in Monte Carlo, advanced to the Barcelona final, and then went all the way in Rome despite missing the Madrid Open due to a thigh injury.

In addition, he has recently dominated Sinner, winning their past four encounters to establish a 7-4 lead in head-to-head play, including Alcaraz’s five-set victory in the French Open semifinal last year. His victory on Sunday put a stop to Sinner’s 26-match winning streak.

Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam winner, feels that playing Sinner challenges him to his best.

“He is the world’s greatest player.” The fact that he missed three months of the tour is irrelevant. He performs well in every competition in which he competes. There are the numbers. Alcaraz said, “He wins nearly every match he plays.”

“It will be hard to defeat him if I don’t give it my all on the field. Because of this, I play better when I’m up against him, or I feel a little different from other players when I do.

He exudes that vibe. It’s different when you see him on the other side of the net.

“I won’t say that I feel the same way when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are playing, but I do feel like there’s a different energy when we’re facing each other.”

In Rome, Sinner lost in straight sets for the first time in eighteen months, highlighting his supremacy over that period. However, his journey to the final in his first competition since winning the Australian Open again in January was just as remarkable.

“Nearer Than Anticipated”

Sinner, who was banned for three months after testing positive twice for traces of the illegal anabolic steroid clostebol, stated, “I am closer than expected in a way of everything.”

According to Sinner, the substance accidentally got into his system during a massage from his physiotherapist, who had applied a spray containing it to a wound.

After officials acknowledged that the contamination was unintentional and that a lengthier ban would be an “unduly harsh sanction,” he ultimately came to an agreement.

After finishing second in Rome, Sinner said, “This result means a lot to me after three months of coming here.” “Hopefully, it gives me the confidence I need to play some good tennis in Paris as well.”

Sinner referred to Alcaraz as “the man to beat,” but Alexander Zverev, who almost lost in the previous year’s final, is also a contender for the championship. After winning in Munich, Zverev went on to lose to Sinner in the Australian Open final, although he did win a clay title this season.

In an attempt to gain momentum after a “very negative” defeat against Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals in Rome, he decided to participate in the Hamburg tournament this week.

“There must be more than one match left until the French Open. Before it begins, I need optimism,” Zverev said.

Djokovic Is Going Unnoticed

With a record 24 Grand Slam victories, including three at Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic will arrive in Paris with low expectations.

As he continues to wait for a tour-level 100th championship, the longtime former world number one has fallen to sixth in the standings, making him susceptible to a quarterfinal matchup with Alcaraz or Sinner. His last one was in the Olympics, when he won an elusive gold medal by defeating Alcaraz on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Following early exits in Monte Carlo and Madrid, Djokovic missed Rome and is hoping to regain his form by competing in Geneva.

British player Jack Draper is in a career-best fifth place after winning at Indian Wells and making it to the Madrid final, while Madrid winner Casper Ruud is a two-time Roland Garros runner-up.

Musetti has done well in the clay swing as well. The Italian advanced to the last four in Madrid and Rome but lost to Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo final.

The only player to defeat Alcaraz on clay this season is Holger Rune, although he has had fitness issues both before and after his victory in Barcelona.