Novak Djokovic stated Thursday that Carlos Alcaraz is the person to beat on the Italian Open, however reassured followers that he “feels good” after his latest elbow harm.
Top seed Djokovic comes into the clay-court event, the place he has been champion six occasions, braced to lose high spot on the earth rankings to Alcaraz.
The flamboyant Spaniard, recent from back-to-back clay titles in Barcelona and Madrid, simply must play a match within the Italian capital to return to the summit forward of the French Open which begins later this month.
“He’s going to be number one after this tournament and if it happens it will be deservedly so. He plays very impressive tennis, a great level. He’s the player to beat on this surface no doubt,” stated Djokovic, who begins his title defence towards Argentina’s Tomas Etcheverry on Friday.
Djokovic received a record-equalling twenty second Grand Slam on the Australian Open in January however missed the American hard-court swing in March attributable to his refusal to be vaccinated towards Covid.
The 35-year-old has endured a tricky begin to the European clay-court season, being eradicated within the final 16 on the Monte Carlo Masters, within the quarter-finals at Banja Luka after which pulling out of Madrid along with his elbow downside.
However Djokovic stated that he had overcome the bodily issues which have blighted this a part of his season.
“It’s all good, it’s all good. There are always some things here and there that bother you at this level,” he added.
“It’s regular. When you are not 20-25 anymore you expertise {that a} bit greater than what was once the case.
“I really feel good… Historically all through my profession Rome has been a really good event for me, I had success in it many occasions, obtained to finals.
“It’s my most successful clay court event. Coming into the French Open it can be a great springboard for what’s coming up in Paris where I want to be at my best.”
‘TRICKY PLAYER’
On the courtroom on Thursday, Taylor Townsend, ranked a lowly 168 on the earth, shocked third-ranked Jessica Pegula 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to make the third spherical of the WTA occasion.
Townsend’s solely earlier top-10 victory got here throughout a fourth-round run on the 2019 US Open, the place she beat Simona Halep, then ranked fourth on the earth. She subsequent faces China’s Wang Xiyu.
World quantity 5 Coco Gauff eased into the third spherical with a 6-0, 6-1 defeat of Yulia Putintseva in just below an hour.
“She’s obviously a tricky player, has some big wins. Made the quarters of the French Open a couple times. I know clay is her surface. It’s also kind of mine, too, so it was a good match today,” stated Gauff, the 2022 French Open runner-up.
Former world primary Victoria Azarenka ended Sloane Stephens’ six-match successful streak 6-4, 6-3.
After their wins, neither Azarenka nor Coco Gauff spoke concerning the sexism row which marred their look within the ladies’s doubles ultimate on the Madrid Open final weekend.
Azarenka and her companion, Beatriz Haddad Maia, and Gauff, who performed with Pegula, weren’t allowed to deal with the gang after the Madrid ultimate not like their male counterparts.
On Thursday, nevertheless, Madrid event organisers apologised concerning the resolution, saying “that players and fans… expect more of the Mutua Madrid Open tournament”.
Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner says he feels the burden of expectation from his Italian house crowd because the world quantity eight begins his marketing campaign on Friday towards Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Rome hasn’t seen an Italian winner of the event since Adriano Panatta in 1976.
With native boy Matteo Berrettini out of motion once more with belly issues, Sinner will likely be getting the majority of the capital metropolis’s help.
“There’s pressure, but it’s positive because they’re people who care about me and push me in the difficult moments,” Sinner advised reporters.
“Having the public on your side is a card you can use, but you have to be smart to know how to use it. When I come here to play on centre or the Pietrangeli courts it’s completely unique.”
Sinner has had a good season far, successful in Montpellier in February and reaching not less than the quarter-finals in seven of his eight tournaments thus far.
Source: www.anews.com.tr
