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World No. 2 also discussed his rivalry with Sinner at the clay major
May 23, 2025
Carlos Alcaraz (right) during his recent title run at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome.
Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Carlos Alcaraz (right) during his recent title run at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome.
By ATPTour.com/es Staff
For the second consecutive day, Carlos Alcaraz practised on the courts of Roland Garros to ready himself for his opener against Giulio Zeppieri on Monday, when he kicks off his title defence at the clay major. The Spaniard, who shared his practice session with Francisco Cerundolo, later gave his first press conference at the tournament to evaluate his game.

“I’m feeling good,” said Alcaraz, the No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “Yesterday I noticed a big difference in terms of conditions, but today I was feeling the ball a bit better. I’m not searching for anything specific, just to feel good and comfortable. I want to try and deploy my game in practice without thinking about how I’m going to start the tournament or what the first match will be like.

“Above all, I want to play with joy. That’s what I always try to do in every match, and in every practice session. Without any fear of anything. Not thinking about trying to be more solid. I want to have a good time and do things that I enjoy. Then I think I’ll be ready to start the tournament.”

It All Adds Up

Alcaraz, who arrives at Roland Garros with the title from Monte-Carlo under one arm and the Rome trophy under the other, was asked about whether he feels superior to the rest of the players on clay, and if he believes it is his racquet that dictates the results.

“Honestly, I don’t think about it like that,” explained the Spaniard, who has also reached an ATP 500 final in Barcelona this European clay season. “Obviously Jannik [Sinner] had an incredible week in Rome, but he had had three months off, and that lack of competition makes a difference, especially as you progress in the big tournaments.

“I’ve also been through some difficult moments and really tough matches that I could easily have lost, but I am feeling really comfortable. I’m feeling good. I’m happy about the level I’m producing, but I do feel that most tournaments and matches are in my hands, that if I’m on the right path, if I can orientate myself, in terms of the way I feel, whether or not I’m enjoying myself… Things like that really influence the way I play.”

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This year in Paris, Alcaraz cannot cross paths with Sinner until the final. Having defeated his rival in the Rome final to extend his Lexus ATP Head2Head lead over the Italian to 7-4, fans could be forgiven for thinking that the 22-year-old has his rival’s number. However, according to Alcaraz himself, this could not be further from the truth.

“I’ve said it many times; our rivalry is great because our matches are very tactical,” said the Spaniard, who leads Sinner by 1,090 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as the two players each pursue ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours for the second time. “I’m sure the next time we play he’ll change things. He’ll try to improve. I’ll also try to improve to try and beat him again.

“That’s what the Big Three did for so many years. Rafa [Nadal] also had a number of streaks beating Djokovic, then vice versa, and the same with Federer. There will be streaks and I have to be ready because I’m not going to beat him in every match. That’s the way it is, we can’t always beat him. Every time I play him it’s a mental, tactical and physical battle of the highest order. So you have to be ready for whatever may come.”

Sinner faces Rinderknech, Alcaraz plays Zeppieri
May 24, 2025
Jannik Sinner will play his opening Roland Garros match on Monday.
Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Jannik Sinner will play his opening Roland Garros match on Monday.
By ATP Staff
Top seed Jannik Sinner and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will both play their opening Roland Garros matches on Monday, Day 2 of this year’s tournament.

World No. 1 Sinner will play Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, who is No. 72 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The 29-year-old did beat Sinner in their lone clay-court meeting in Lyon in 2021, but the Italian leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 2-1.

Alcaraz will play Italian lucky loser Giulio Zeppieri, who replaced the injured Kei Nishikori on line 127 of the draw.

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Day 1 play on Sunday will feature Lorenzo Musetti, Tomas Machac, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

Insight into the Spaniard's pre-tournament training
May 26, 2025
Carlos Alcaraz listens to coach Juan Carlos Ferrero on Sunday at Roland Garros.
Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Carlos Alcaraz listens to coach Juan Carlos Ferrero on Sunday at Roland Garros.
By ATPTour.com/es Staff
Carlos Alcaraz had arranged to meet Albert Ramos-Viñolas on Sunday morning on Court 5 at Roland Garros for his final practice session before his Monday opener against Giulio Zeppieri. However, the Spaniard turned up half an hour early in the company of Juan Carlos Ferrero and Samuel López, his two coaches, to work on one specific part of the game: his return.

With his brother Alvaro serving, for some time the 22-year-old was trying to get the ball back in play with something of a disadvantage. Alcaraz kept his eyes closed until he heard the sound of the ball on the other side of the net.

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In an effort to improve his reaction time, the No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings faced his brother’s serve without seeing a thing until the moment the strings made contact with the ball, generating a sound that signalled to Alcaraz it was time to open his eyes and make his move.

With the exercise, which he repeated for more than 15 minutes, the four-time Grand Slam champion sought to perfect the instinct required to be quick and accurate on the return, thus fine-tuning that part of his game the day before kicking off the defence of his title, which he won last year by defeating Alexander Zverev in the final.

The Spaniard, who is always looking for ways to improve his game, made changes to his serve in the preseason. His new action is more relaxed, with a looser wrist. By no longer stopping when the racquet reaches its peak, he has improved the flow of his technique. The stats show that these changes have translated into an improved delivery, and the Murcia native has capitalised on it so far in 2025 with three titles (Rotterdam, Monte Carlo and Rome).

It All Adds Up

Alcaraz, on Sunday was present at the tribute to Rafael Nadal inside Court Philippe-Chatrier, but now will turn his focus to his first-round match Monday against Italian qualifier Zeppieri.

The second seed is charged with defending his title at the season’s second Grand Slam tournament. He will pursue his second Coupe des Mousquetaires.

Carlos Alcaraz issued an early statement Monday that he remains the man to beat at Roland Garros.

The defending champion delivered a flashy first-round display to move past qualifier Giulio Zeppieri 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 at the clay-court major. Alcaraz, who is aiming to become the first man to successfully defend the title in Paris since Rafael Nadal in 2019-20, has now won 16 of his 17 tour-level matches on clay this year.

“It was really, really solid,” said Alcaraz. “The first round of the tournament is never easy, coming here as the defending champion could be even tougher. But I just started pretty well, and kept my good pace during the whole match. I tried to be focused on my game, to get a good rhythm.

“I’m just really proud of my start here at Roland Garros, where I was really excited to play my first match this year.”

It All Adds Up

Alcaraz claimed ATP Masters 1000 titles in Monte-Carlo and Rome before reclaiming the No. 2 spot in the PIF ATP Rankings a week ago. In Paris, the 22-year-old will continue his title defence in a second-round clash against Fabian Marozsan, with their Lexus ATP Head2Head series level at 1-1.

In his first round against Zeppieri, Alcaraz hit a series of stunning passing shots from all corners of the court, but was particularly clinical when advancing to the net, where he won 21 of 25 points, according to Infosys Stats. He also saved all three break points he faced during the one-hour, 56-minute clash.

Alcaraz now owns a standout 28-2 record on clay since last May, highlighted by his maiden Roland Garros title and a run to the silver medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024. The Spaniard has shown few signs of slowing down on the surface this year with memorable maiden triumphs in Monte-Carlo and Rome, where he soared past World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the final and improved to a 7-4 lead in their gripping Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry.

"Right now, I think I found a really good path again," said Alcaraz of his season. "I'm just starting to get it, feeling more comfortable approaching these matches. Once I start the matches, I'm just keeping the high level [throughout] the match and the whole tournament."

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Alcaraz was forced to withdraw from the ATP Masters 1000 in Madrid due to an adductor injury, and wore a brace around his knee during his title run in Rome. Yet he moved freely in his Roland Garros opener, during which he played with no strapping.
Alcaraz owns a perfect 6-0 Lexus ATP Head2Head lead against Tsitsipas, having beaten the Greek in consecutive Roland Garros quarter-finals in 2023-24.

Spaniard chasing fifth major title
May 28, 2025
Carlos Alcaraz improves to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Fabian Marozsan.
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz improves to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Fabian Marozsan.
By Sam Jacot
Carlos Alcaraz recovered from a mid-match dip on Wednesday in Paris, where he moved past former foe Fabian Marozsan 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 to record his 20th Roland Garros victory.

The defending champion lost to Marozsan at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome two years ago and was troubled at times by the Hungarian’s deft drop shot under the roof on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

However, with the alarm bells starting to chime after dropping the second set, Alcaraz quickly put to bed any concerns with a dominant performance in the third and fourth sets. The No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings upped his aggression and produced a number of stunning passing shots to become the first player born in the 2000s to earn 20 match wins at Roland Garros.

"It was a great, great match," Alcaraz said. "I played well in the first set. I had really high confidence. In the second set he started to play much better, really aggressively and didn't miss at all. It was a little bit difficult dealing with his game in the second set but I was pleased to stay strong and refresh in the third set and I started to play better and better. I had a really good last two sets."

Alcaraz is aiming to become the first man to successfully defend the title in Paris since Rafael Nadal in 2019-20 and will next play Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Damir Dzumhur following his entertaining two-hour, nine-minute win.

Alcaraz now owns a 29-2 record on clay since last May, highlighted by his maiden Roland Garros title and a run to the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Spaniard has won ATP Masters 1000 titles on the surface in 2025 in Monte-Carlos and Rome, where he overcame World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the final and improved to a 7-4 lead in their gripping Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry.

Alcaraz was forced to withdraw from the Masters 1000 in Madrid due to an adductor injury, and wore a brace around his knee during his title run in Rome. Yet he has moved freely across his opening two matches in Paris, where he has played with no strapping.

Marozsan had enjoyed previous success against Alcaraz, defeating the 22-year-old in Rome in 2023. In a fun encounter in Paris, the Hungarian posed Alcaraz questions with his touch and net play, but Alcaraz had more of the answers in the cat-and-mouse exchanges, moving freely to pull the 25-year-old from corner to corner.

"Sometimes it is difficult to have fun on the court, I have to suffer," Alcaraz said on fighting during matches. "It depends on the opponent as well. But most of the time I am trying to not think about anything else but enjoy playing and being in this kind of court. I want to enjoy when I step onto court and not think about anything else. I want to play good tennis and make the people enjoy my matches."