The old adage goes that if you're good enough, you're old enough—and Novak Djokovic believes Carlos Alcaraz has it in him to clinch this year's French Open.
Despite being just 19 years of age, Alcaraz leads the ATP Tour with four tournament wins this season after winning the Madrid Open on Sunday. The teenager bested Rafael Nadal and Djokovic before toppling Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-1 in his home final.
It sets the stage for a thrilling entry into what will be his second main draw at Roland Garros later this month. Like fellow Spaniard Nadal, Alcaraz looks particularly menacing on clay, so much so that Djokovic is backing him to be in contention in Paris.
"He definitely is special," Djokovic told reporters after arriving in Rome for the Italian Open. "Already he's breaking a lot of records as a teenager, winning two Masters events this year, a couple of (ATP) 500s. So far he's the best player in the world, no question, this year.
"The way he was dealing with the pressure. I mean, in our match few days ago, how calm he was all the way... .was impressive. He deserved to win the trophy.
"(At) Roland Garros, he's definitely one of the main favourites, no doubt, even though he has never reached the second week of a Grand Slam. With everything recently that he has achieved, he deserves to be one of the favourites."
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Victory in the Spanish capital moved Alcaraz up three places to sixth in the ATP rankings. Wins over Zverev, Djokovic and Nadal mean he's also won his last seven encounters against top-10 opposition, which also includes wins over the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz.
An ankle injury means the youngster will skip the Italian Open this week, with less than a fortnight until the French Open begins on May 22. Alcaraz has been equal to the challenges against more seasoned competition to date, though his escalating success will also paint more of a target on his back.
Djokovic has his own motivations to succeed in Paris, where he hopes to deny Nadal a record-extending 14th Roland Garros title while also climbing level on 21 Grand Slam trophies. The Serb will feature in Rome this week and opens his Italian Open campaign against Aslan Karatsev on Tuesday.
