Google News
Tim Henman acknowledged Novak Djokovic absolutely cannot be counted out at the French Open but noted he is still giving the edge to Carlos Alcaraz when it comes to being the No 1 favorite. Last week, Rafael Nadal pulled out of the French Open.
Now that Nadal is out, Alcaraz and Djokovic are widely considered the two top favorites for the French Open title. "It would be an incredible match to watch. Djokovic’s standard is so high and we expect him to play brilliantly every day, but it’s not that easy.
His career at this stage is about the majors, but he has been building up his timing and resilience for the Grand Slams. I’m sure, come the start, he will be one of the favorites. I would put Alcaraz fractionally ahead of Djokovic because he has played more tennis and had some good results on clay.
Djokovic’s career is now just about the majors and he is building his fitness and level of play. The level of these two is just a little bit higher," Henman said, via Eurosport.
Henman gives a slight edge to Alcaraz over Djokovic
Alcaraz, who missed the start of the 2023 season, kicked off his season by playing back-to-back clay tournaments in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.
So far in 2023, Alcaraz has played seven tournaments - with five of those seven being on clay. Alcaraz won it all at the Madrid Masters, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, while he also ended as runner-up in Rio de Janeiro. "Not too many players can beat him [Alcaraz] on clay.
He is so sound. He serves bigger, better, and more accurately. He doesn’t make mistakes. His movement is as good as I’ve ever seen. He has great variation, comes to the net, uses drop shots. His forehand and backhand from the back of the court are incredible.
Could Sinner beat Alcaraz? Yes. Could Djokovic, yes? But if I had to choose a player to win the match, I would say Carlos," Henman said.