"This is where Carlos Alcaraz comes to play" - Spaniard primed to win maiden French Open title despite arm injury, believes tennis journalist

Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim has backed Carlos Alcaraz to win his maiden French Open title this year. The World No. 3 is heading into Roland Garros after recovering from a right arm injury that forced him to withdraw from two prestigious ATP Masters 1000 events: Monte-Carlo Masters and the Italian Open.

Alcaraz's best finish at the Claycourt Major came in 2023, when he reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. The Spaniard and the Serb initially served up a thrilling contest, winning a set each.

However, in the third and fourth sets, Alcaraz experienced incessant cramping, which tremendously impacted his performance. Ultimately, the struggling Spaniard was blown away by Djokovic, who went on to defeat Casper Ruud in the final to clinch his 23rd Grand Slam title.

Recently, tennis journalist Jon Wertheim assessed the men's draw at Roland Garros this year during an appearance on Tennis Channel. According to Wertheim, Alcaraz will clash against Djokovic again, but this time, the Spaniard will emerge triumphant.

"This is where he (Alcaraz) comes to play. Lot of time to make his way into the tournament. I think Novak makes a deep run but I think we'll get a repeat of that great match last year, but this time I feel Alcaraz wins his first title at Roland Garros," Wertheim told Tennis Channel.

"We had to learn from that situation and I did" - Carlos Alcaraz's recent reflection on 2023 French Open loss to Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic (L) and Carlos Alcaraz (center) interacting during their 2023 French Open semifinal

Recently, Carlos Alcaraz looked back on his loss to Djokovic at Roland Garros last year in an interview with Marca. The two-time Grand Slam winner described the cramping he experienced as one of the most negative moments he has had to contend with so far in his career.

"I wouldn't say it was my worst moment, but it was one of the worst, without a doubt. I saw myself at a very high level of tennis. I believed that I had a chance to win that match and win Roland Garros," Alcaraz said.

The Spaniard is slated to begin his 2024 French Open campaign against J.J. Wolf on the first day of main draw matches (Sunday, May 26). The match will mark the first time that the pair has clashed on the ATP Tour. The winner of the match will face either Jack Draper or qualifier Jesper De Jong.