World No.1 continues to dazzle in 2023 with more success on the terre battue
© Corinne Dubreuil/FFTCarlos Alcaraz is already accustomed to marking milestones on a frequent basis.
Whether it’s becoming the first teenage world No.1 or following in the footsteps of his compatriot Rafael Nadal, the Spaniard has been a colossal force once again this season.
The 20-year-old's output on clay justifies his billing as the top man on tour. Let's take a look at our top seed's key numbers on the surface.
20 – The Murcia native, despite a stint on the sidelines, has already accumulated a 30-3 match record this campaign. Within clay-court competition, Alcaraz has the most victories on the men's tour, posting a 20-2 success rate so far.
5 – This impressive turnover of wins has included five triumphs over top-20 talent. Cameron Norrie (then ranked No.13) inflicted his only defeat against this calibre of opponent in the Rio Open final back in late February.
41 – The US Open champion has also been rattling through sets, compiling a 41-9 ratio on the terre battue. Alcaraz lifted the title in Buenos Aires (8-1 sets), was runner-up in Rio (9-4), retained the title in Barcelona without dropping a set (10-0) and also successfully defended his crown in Madrid (12-2). A shock defeat by qualifier Fabian Marozsan meant the Spaniard left Rome early (2-2).
7 – Entering the Madrid final earlier this month, Alcaraz was riding a 20-match winning streak in Spanish clay tournaments. Home comforts propelled him to a three-set triumph over Jan-Lennard Struff for No.21, which delivered his 10th career title.
That's Alcaraz's seventh trophy lift on clay, a promising pattern for his legion of fans ahead of Roland-Garros.
20 – In Madrid, Juan Carlos Ferrero's charge became the youngest player to successfully defend a Masters 1000 title since Nadal in Monte-Carlo and Rome in 2005-06.
The 20-year-old also joined Nadal as the only back-to-back winners in Madrid history. Nadal was hailed champion in 2013-14, along with three other Madrid titles.
2003 – He's the perfect person to have in your corner, particularly in Paris. A former world No.1, Ferrero knows exactly how Alcaraz is feeling in the pressure moments.
It's now 20 years since Ferrero outclassed Martin Verkerk in straight sets to win his sole Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros. Will they mark the anniversary with another major moment on Court Philippe-Chatrier?
FFT1 – Alcaraz heads into a Grand Slam as the top seed for the very first time, however, he won't be distracted by the number next to his name in the draw.
Although the 20-year-old wanted even more clay-court success in Rome, he welcomed the extended time to recharge ahead of Roland-Garros.
"I'm going to rest little bit, some days off for me. I really need some days to reset my mind a little bit, to be fresh for Roland-Garros," stated the Spaniard in Rome.
"I've been playing so much. It's going to be really helpful for me to have days at home practising and getting ready.
"It's great to be the No.1 seed in a Grand Slam, in Paris. That's a tournament I really want to have a good result there. I try not to think about it. For me it's the same to be No.1, No.2, No.3. It's great, but at the same time it's not really helpful for me."
©Antoine Couvercelle / FFT
ROLAND-GARROS
19 May - 8 June 2025
