It was a hard-fought loss to Jannik Sinner in the Monte-Carlo final, but Carlos Alcaraz is just looking ahead. While the Spaniard wants to play every major tournament leading up to the French Open, he admits he is worried about staying healthy. He says he is praying his body can handle the demanding schedule this year.
Carlos Alcaraz Aims for Full Clay Calendar but Promises to Rest When His Body Needs It
Alcaraz has a very clear plan for the spring. He wants to play in all the traditional clay-court events on the schedule. This includes Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, and finally, the French Open in May. It’s undoubtedly a long and physically demanding stretch.
Last year, he had the exact same goal, but injuries stood in the way. However, even with the shortened schedule, he managed to sweep Monte Carlo, Rome, and Paris in the same year, a rare feat reminiscent of Rafael Nadal’s peak. He also played in Barcelona last year, but lost to Holger Rune in the final.
When reporters asked about his plans after his final with Sinner at Monte-Carlo, Alcaraz was honest about how he was feeling.
“The main goal is to play the full clay season calendar,” Alcaraz said. “So let’s see how it’s going to be. It was the goal last year as well, and, unfortunately, I couldn’t because of an injury.
MORE: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner Honor Each Other During Championship Speeches in Monte-Carlo
“So we’re touching wood and praying that nothing is going to happen to my body. So I’m going to hear my body much better than last year for sure.”
He added that he is willing to be cautious and skip a tournament if he feels he needs to rest. “If I’m going to skip one, I will skip one tournament,” the world No. 2 stated. “If my body stays healthy, I’m going to do whatever it takes to be healthy and take care of my body. And if I don’t have any problems, I will play everything on clay. But what I can tell right now is I will heal my body much better than last year for sure.”
In the heavy-hitting Monte-Carlo final, which came down to a razor-thin tiebreaker, Sinner outlasted Alcaraz 7-6(5), 6-3 to claim the championship trophy. Now, Alcaraz is heading straight to Spain for the Barcelona Open as the top seed, where he will look to bounce back without his biggest rival in the draw. Meanwhile, Sinner will skip Barcelona and, probably, Madrid to recover, and we will have to wait longer for another Sincaraz final.
