Carlos Alcaraz was filmed accompanying a disabled tennis player as he prepared for the start of the French Open.
Carlos Alcaraz went to the practice courts ahead of the French Open to play a rally with a disabled tennis player. And social media footage demonstrates how much the two men relished their fight. Despite suffering from an arm injury in recent weeks, Alcaraz remains one of the favourites to win this year’s French Open, where he will face a qualifier to start.
Alcaraz has had a quiet few months after being forced to skip the Italian Open as well as clay-court tournaments in Barcelona and Monte Carlo owing to an arm injury.
When he finally got to play at the Madrid Open in April, he was knocked out in the quarterfinals by eventual victor Andrey Rublev. In Australia, the first Grand Slam of the year saw Alexander Zverev exit in the final eight.
But Alcaraz appears to be ready to go ahead of Roland Garros, which begins on Sunday. He also warmed up for the tournament by practicing with French tennis player Arthur Delaye.
The two men fought in front of the assembled crowd, while a drone soared overhead to capture the action. And Delaye shared a video of the demonstration with X, writing, “Thank you, Carlos Alcaraz. Despite my disabilities and cerebral palsy, @carlosalcaraz provided an excellent practice session.
“I dreamed of this moment for a long time, and it finally occurred, so thank you, @babolat. Thank you so much, Carlos, for your generosity, smile, and kindness. #rolandgarros.”
Alcaraz advanced to the semi-finals of the French Open last year before losing to Novak Djokovic, who went on to win the championship. The Spaniard made it to the last eight in 2022, but was defeated in four sets by Zverev.
THANK YOU CARLOS ALCARAZ🎾
Amazing practice despite my disability and cerebral palsy with @carlosalcaraz
I dreamt of this moment for a long time and it finally happened so thx @babolat
Thank you so much Carlos for your generosity, smile and your kindness #rolandgarros 🧡💪🏼🎾 pic.twitter.com/BVEpZHwpgU— Arthur Delaye 🇫🇷🎾 (@ArthurDelaye) May 23, 2024
Former French Open finalist Alex Corretja has confirmed that tennis fans should expect to see Alcaraz in good shape in the French capital this time around, telling Eurosport: “He’s been working hard, especially physically. He’s been practicing his forehand in the previous few days to see if he’ll be able to play at his full potential.
“We’re waiting for his news to see if he’s ready to play at Roland Garros, but we absolutely need him. We want him. It’s fantastic to have Carlos in the draw, and we appreciate everything he offers to the tennis community and the draw.
“I believe and hope he will be prepared, but he will have to see how he handles the scenario because he hasn’t played many matches. I saw him live in Madrid, and once he gets into the groove, he’s quite deadly. His forehand is operating great, but he may not be hitting it as hard as before.