via Imago

Novak Djokovic got an inch closer to his 23rd Grand Slam title by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the SF of the 2023 French Open by 6-3,5-7,6-1,6-1. The 20-year-old Spaniard struggled a bit with cramps in his right calf in that match. But the Serb played some extraordinary tennis till the end to seal the deal against the young Spaniard. However, for the Aussie tennis legend, Paul McNamee, it was “almost a miracle” that Alcaraz lost that match on clay courts against Novak Djokovic!

The 69-year-old tennis legend spoke about how good Carlos Alcaraz is on the clay during a recent episode of ‘The Sit-Down‘ with Paul McNamee on The AO Show. He said, “A clay court is a chess board. So the Grandmasters are Rafael Nadal and Bjorn Borg. Next in line will be Carlos Alcaraz. I mean how he…It was almost a miracle he didn’t win the French (Open) last year. And he will win it this year. I mean unless something amazing happens.“

McNamee further went on to add, “He is that good. This guy is the real deal. He’s got it all and he could win 10 Roland Garroses. I mean we’re not saying 14 like Rafa, but he’s for me, he’s far and away the best player on clay.” Paul McNamee’s “best player on clay” had earlier missed two clay court tournaments this year at Monte Carlo and Barcelona. But he came back strongly in Madrid, Alcaraz recently secured his 13th consecutive win at the Mutua Madrid Open. He’s now looking forward to clinching his third consecutive title in Madrid.

Although he’s happy with his recent win over his Brazilian opponent, Thiago Seyboth Wild in his previous match, he’s still a bit concerned with his forearm. It’ll be interesting to see if how far he goes this time in Madrid. Alcaraz defeated Seyboth Wild by 6-3,6-3 and here’s what he had to say after the match.

“I‘m not hitting my forehand on my 100%” – Carlos Alcaraz gives an update on his current fitness level

Shortly after finishing the 76-minute match, Carlos Alcaraz gave an interview where he stated, “I think I played at a really good level.“ He further went on to add, “Coming into this match I was nervous a little bit because I didn’t know how my forearm was going to be. Thiago has big shots. He is really strong. I am really happy with the performance. It was difficult a little bit at the end, at 5-0 and then serving at 5-3. I am really happy to get it at the end.” He is happy that he managed to finish the match without any pain, but he’s still a little worried about that.

Carlos Alcaraz said, “I’m not hitting my forehand on my 100%, or in the way that I’m used to hitting before feeling something in the forearm.” He is now just focusing on hitting the forehand as much as he can and going in front while hitting it. Alcaraz’s lethal forehand is one of his biggest weapons in the game. Can he fully recover before Roland Garros and make Paul McNamee pat himself for his extraordinary prediction skills?