Spain’s young tennis star Carlos Alcaraz has begun his preparation for the French Open 2024.
The 19-year-old is often regarded as one of the most highly-rated players currently playing in the men’s singles category, alongside Italy’s Jannik Sinner.
In a video that appeared on the social media platform X — previously known as Twitter — Alcaraz can be seen cleaning his lines on the clay court as he is watched by his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
The former world number one will be hoping for a much-improved show at the Roland Garros this time around. Last year, he was knocked out in the semifinal after losing to the current world number one Serbia’s Novak Djokovic with a score of 3-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.
That defeat last year did not derail Alcaraz’s march towards another Grand Slam as just a month later, he went on to lift the Wimbledon title after beating Djokovic in the final in a five-set thriller with a score of 1–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–1, 3–6, 6–4.
From there on, not much went right for Alcaraz. He first lost in the semifinal of the US Open to the current world number three Russia’s Daniil Medvedev with a score of 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
In the first Grand Slam of the year — Australian Open — Alcaraz had another disappointing outing as he lost to Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinal with a score of 6-1, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4.
Carlos Alcaraz cleans his own lines on the red clay.
Juan Carlos watching very closely to make sure he’s using the proper technique 😂 pic.twitter.com/b4vFg6zlWp
