Carlos Alcaraz gives views on 'pressure to fight with Novak Djokovic to be the No. 1' ahead of French Open

Updated 23/02/2023 at 09:57 GMT

With Rafael Nadal having to very carefully manage his workload as he attempts to get back to full fitness ahead of the 2023 French Open, it has become clear that there is a head-to-head battle between world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz at the top of the ATP rankings. Speaking at the Rio Open, Alcaraz has denied that he is feeling pressure competing with the Australian Open champion.

Highlights: Alcaraz beats Norrie in straight sets to claim ATP Buenos Aires title

Carlos Alcaraz has shared his thoughts on the perceived "pressure to fight with Djokovic to be the No. 1" in their ATP rankings battle ahead of the French Open.

Novak Djokovic has already broken Roger Federer’s record of 310 weeks as men’s world No. 1 and is poised to surpass WTA Tour legend Steffi Graf's remarkable tally when he moves to 378 weeks at the top on Monday.

The 35-year-old is currently tied with Rafael Nadal on 22 Grand Slam singles titles and is constantly being compared to Alcaraz with the pair locked in a head-to-head battle at the top of the ATP rankings as the clay-court season gets into full flow ahead of Roland-Garros.

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For Alcaraz, the apparent pressure that is on his shoulders is not something that he is feeling, and he is simply trying to just enjoy having a "beautiful year with beautiful tournaments" ahead of the second Grand Slam of the season in Paris.

"I am not a kid or a player who is happy with little things," Alcaraz said in a press conference at the Rio Open.

"I always want more, and we will look for it this week. The truth is that I don't feel any pressure to fight with [Novak] Djokovic to be the No. 1.

"The truth is that I hope to have a beautiful year with beautiful tournaments, to be honest. I'll have a little pressure because I'll defend some important titles and play at a great level.

"But as I have said before, I'll have to play match by match, enjoying it, more than having results. That is what I hope."

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After he completed a straight-sets victory over Mateus Alves in the opening round of the ATP 500 event, Alcaraz expressed his relief at coming through an encounter that was "tougher than I thought" to seal his progression.

"Yeah, it was tougher than I thought," Alcaraz, who delighted fans with a classy gesture on Wednesday as he shielded a ball kid from torrential rain, admitted in his on-court interview after the rain-delayed match.

"I have always said that it's not easy to change the conditions. I came from Buenos Aires with different conditions, you know? Coming here, it's not easy to start the tournament well.

"I am really happy with my performance. I am really happy to get through this round. The truth is that I am happy to advance to the next round.

"It was not my best match, but it's never easy to play the first match of a tournament and change the conditions. I am happy that I won and am able to keep playing here in Rio."