World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz recently expressed his desire to meet Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open final. Having started an injury-ridden season with the Buenos Aires title, Alcaraz has won claycourt titles in both Barcelona and Madrid. The ongoing Italian Open will be the first event in 2023 where the world’s top two men’s players are participating.
Alcaraz’s Debut in the Italian Capital
Carlos Alcaraz is set to make his debut in the Italian capital and attended a press conference before beginning his campaign. Alcaraz stated that having the Serb in the same tournament is “great” and hopes to meet him in the final. He further added, “Yeah, I always say that as a tennis fan, I always want to see the best players in the world, to watch them, learn from them, ’cause you have to learn from everyone. Yeah, it’s great to share the tournament.”
Opening Match Against Albert Ramos-Vinolas
Carlos Alcaraz will begin his Italian Open campaign in the second round against compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Interestingly, Alcaraz defeated Ramos-Vinolas to win his first ATP tournament in Rio in 2020. Alcaraz reminisced about the Rio Open match, saying it felt good to win against his countryman and acknowledging that their matches since then have been tough.
Preparing for the Upcoming Match
Alcaraz discussed his upcoming match against Ramos-Vinolas, stating that he will enjoy his first match at the ATP 1000 tournament. “I would say it’s a good first round for me. I have to play well to get through. Let’s see. I’m going to enjoy my first match here. Obviously, here, it’s such a nice play to be, to play, to enjoy Italian fans. It’s always great to play in front,” added the Murcia native.
