"Hopefully Carlos Alcaraz's going to have recovered": Alex Corretja raises concerns about Spaniard harboring 'doubts' at French Open due to arm injury

Former Spanish tennis player, Alex Corretja recently expressed his concerns about Carlos Alcaraz's confidence in his abilities at the 2024 French Open, citing his recent arm injury as a potential obstacle. The World No.3 was forced to withdraw from several European clay court tournaments due to this injury.

Alcaraz was having a good 2024 season having, won the Indian Wells Masters, reaching the semifinals at the Argentina Open, as well having quarterfinal runs at the Australian Open, Miami Open, and Madrid Open. However, most of his European clay court season was plagued by a right forearm injury.

The Spaniard was forced to withdraw from the Monte-Carlo Masters, Barcelona Open, and the Italian Open due to the injury. Despite this, he competed at the Madrid Open, where he was the two-time defending champion, with his right arm fully strapped.

Speaking with Eurosport ahead of the 2024 French Open, Alex Corretja discussed Carlos Alcaraz's chances at Roland Garros. He stated that he had observed that World No.3's forehand was not performing at its best due to the injury, but he expressed his hope that Alcaraz would regain full strength in time for the French Open.

"I saw him live in Madrid and once he gets in the rhythm, he's very dangerous. His forehand is working well, but maybe he wasn't hitting it as hard as before. We will see if at Roland-Garros, he is going to be feeling the ball a little bit more or he's going start little by little, in crescendo, to see if he can get a little bit of confidence using his arm," Corretja said.

Corretja acknowledged that injuries can create doubts for players when hitting the ball in the affected area. However, he revealed that he is optimistic that Carlos Alcaraz will recover fully and be ready to compete at the French Open.

"When you have these kind of injuries, sometimes you have some doubts when you hit the ball where it's been hurting. So hopefully he's going to have recovered, yes," he added.

"Carlos Alcaraz will need to see how he handles the whole situation because he didn't play too many matches" - Alex Corretja on the Spaniard competing at French Open 2024

Carlos Alcaraz at Mutua Madrid Open 2024

In the aforementioned interview, Alex Corretja stated that it is "spectacular" to have Carlos Alcaraz in a tournament's draw as he brings a positive impact to both the tournament and the tennis world.

"We're waiting for his news to see if he's capable to play at Roland Garros, but definitely we need him. We want him. It's very spectacular to have Carlos in the draw and everything he brings to the tennis world and to the draw," Corretja said.

Corretja also mentioned that Alcaraz will need to assess his performance at Roland Garros, as he has not had many matches leading up to the French Open.

"I think and I hope he's gonna be ready, but he will need to see how he handles the whole situation because he didn't play too many matches. We know that he's been working hard, especially physically. He's been testing his forehand in the last few days to see if he's gonna be able to be 100%," he added.

Last year, Carlos Alcaraz made it to the semifinals at the French Open before falling to eventual champion Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-5, 1-6, 1-6.