According to Eric Hubbs of Barstool Sports, Spanish tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz is better placed to win the French Open 2023 than veteran Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz has carried his momentum from 2022 into this year and will go into the Clay Slam as the top seed after a successful title defense in Barcelona and Madrid. The 20-year-old added four titles to his tally this year, including two ATP Masters 1000 titles at Indian Wells and Madrid.
Meanwhile, the 22-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic has struggled with an elbow injury throughout the 2023 clay season. The 36-year-old will head into the French Open without a single title on clay.
American tennis journalist Eric Hubbs picked Alcaraz over Djokovic as his favorite for the 2023 French Open, calling the young Spaniard “an absolute machine.” In a conversation with Mitch Michals on the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast, Hubbs stated that there was a doubt about Djokovic, as he has struggled with the elbow.
“There’s a question on Novak man like, what is his situation? His elbow is all out of sorts. He’s had elbow issues in the past,” said Hubbs.
“So my pick is Carlos because he’s an absolute machine, and if you pick against him, you’re just not gonna have a good time. Maybe you end up being right by picking against Carlos, but it’s not fun,” the American added.
Eric Hubbs also stated that it was easy to root for Carlos Alcaraz as no one else is like him in tennis right now. He also desired to see the World No. 1 rack up the Grand Slam titles and go up the list.
“You’d rather root for Carlos when he’s doing his stuff, even when he seems down and out,” laughed Hubbs. “And then he switches momentum, there’s nothing like it right now in tennis. So he’s an easy guy to root for. I want him to win the French, start racking up those slams, and go up that list because we’re stuck at one. But let’s get higher.”
Carlos Alcaraz has stated that Novak Djokovic cannot be considered out of contention for the title in Paris, owing to the Serb’s ability to bounce back from defeats.
The 20-year-old put himself among the favorites to lift the clay title, however, admitted that despite his struggles, the Serb is a serious title contender at the French Open.
“Djokovic has been at the top for more than 15 years, and his ability to put defeats aside and bring out his best version is incredible. He will surely arrive in Paris with a lot of energy,” said the World No. 1.
The Spaniard heads into the clay slam as the top seed, with two titles on clay and a win-loss record of 30-3 this season. Meanwhile, Djokovic heads into the slam without a title on clay and a win-loss record of 20-4.
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