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Carlos Alcaraz served up some surprising comments after his defeat against Jack Draper at Indian Wells in March and it seems he learned from that experience as he got his revenge on the Brit to secure a 6-4, 6-4 win to reach the semi-finals of the Italian Open in Rome.

Alcaraz rallied from 2-4 to win the first set Campo Centrale and let slip an early break lead in the second, but he roared back to beat Draper on a day when the Brit was not at his best physically.

The win allowed Alcaraz to extend his winning record against Draper to 4-2, as he suggested his change of mindset was crucial to the win.

Alcaraz suggested he didn’t sleep before his last match against Draper and admitted he was more worried about his opponent’s game than his own in that match, but he appeared to have a different approach in their latest contest.

“The most important thing I did today was not thinking about the results at all, if I was up or if I was down,” said Alcaraz.

“I just tried to do the things that make me happy, playing aggressive, making drop shots to the net, things I like to do on the court. That made the difference today.

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“I played with such high rhythm in the whole match, I didn’t let him dominate or stay long in the rallies. It was a really good weapon for me.

“I’m just playing great tennis on clay. I started the clay season really well. I got injured after Barcelona, but I’m happy to feel in a good rhythm playing good tennis again on clay. This match gave me a lot of confidence.”

While Alcaraz deserved his victory, it was clear that Draper was giving him real concerns once again as they met on a clay court for the first time.

French Open champion Alcaraz is a fearsome opponent for most of his rivals on this surface, but Draper can take a lot of confidence from the challenge he put up to the young Spaniard as their growing rivalry had another chapter added.

“It was an interesting match that ebbed and flowed without either team playing well at the same time. There was flashes of brilliance from both players,” former British No 1 Laura Robson told Sky Sports Tennis.

“Jack got a good start but lose a bit of intensity with his footwork. They tried to figure each other out but, in the big moments, it just felt like Carlos was the fresher.

“It was very close, the scoreline doesn’t tell the full story of the match, but it was a match where Jack will feel he maybe could have edged the key moments.”

The win for Alcaraz ensured he will rise to No 2 in the ATP Rankings next week and that could be significant as it would mean he avoids a meeting with Jannik Sinner prior to the final at the French Open, which gets underway later this month.

The defeat for Draper left him just behind Taylor Fritz in the battle for the No 4 spot in the ATP Rankings, with the Brit likely to overtake his American rival if he takes his current form onto the clay courts at Roland Garros.

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Carlos Alcaraz earned an impressive victory against an in-form Jack Draper in the 2025 Italian Open quarter-finals — and it could have big implications.

The four-time major champion defeated world No 5 Draper 6-4, 6-4 on Centre Court at the Foro Italico.

Alcaraz came back from 2-4 down in the opening set and saved six of the eight break points he faced against the 23-year-old Brit.

The Spaniard avenged his painful three-set semi-final loss to Draper in Indian Wells in March — and he now leads the head-to-head series 4-2.

By reaching his maiden semi-final in Rome, Alcaraz has ensured he will reclaim the world No 2 position from Alexander Zverev after the tournament.

The 21-year-old has a 955 point lead over Zverev — who is the reigning Italian Open champion — in the Live ATP Rankings.

Alcaraz’s imminent return to second in the rankings is significant as it means he is guaranteed to be the No 2 seed at the French Open.

Therefore, Alcaraz will not face world No 1 Jannik Sinner before the final at Roland Garros, which could improve his chances as he looks to defend his crown in Paris.

Speaking to the media after beating Draper, Alcaraz gave his reaction to securing a top two seeding for the clay-court Grand Slam.

“I think it’s great being second seed in Roland Garros, knowing that I’m going to not see Jannik before the final, if I reach it, I think it’s great,” he said.

“It’s something that I didn’t think about it, honestly. Before coming here, the No 1, it wasn’t a goal. Knowing that, it’s a great thing.”

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Alcaraz added: “I think the most important thing that I did today was not thinking about the shots at all.

“Not thinking about the fact that I was down, just trying to do the things that make me happy. On court, I just tried to be aggressive, play good shots, drop shots, go to the net. That’s what I like to do on the court, and I think that made the difference today.

“I played such a high rhythm during the whole match that I didn’t let him dominate or stay long in the rallies. I think that was a really good win today for me, and I’m just really proud about the way I approached the match.

“I just feel that I play great tennis on clay. I started the clay season really well. Obviously, it was sad that I got injured after Barcelona, but it’s always difficult to be in shape for the whole swing.

“I’m just excited to keep it going and try to compete as well as I can. I’m just happy to feel the good rhythm, feel the good tennis again here in Rome, and obviously this match has given me a lot of confidence.”

Alcaraz will face either Zverev or Lorenzo Musetti in the last four at the Masters 1000 tournament.

Draper had the chance to climb to a new career-high ranking of world No 4 by beating Alcaraz, which would have seen him clinch a top four seeding spot at the French Open.

The world No 5 has narrowly missed out, though, as he remains just 15 points adrift of fourth-ranked Taylor Fritz.

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz joins Rafael Nadal among youngest players to reach all nine Masters 1000 quarter-finals

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Coco Gauff overcame her young rival Mirra Andreeva in straight sets to progress to the semi-finals of the 2025 Italian Open.

The American clinched a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory over seventh-ranked Andreeva in the last eight at the Foro Italico.

The world No 3 now holds a 4-0 record against Andreeva, and she has won seven consecutive sets against the 18-year-old Russian.

In her on-court interview, Gauff said: “I’m feeling really good — and I feel I have a lot to improve on, too.

“When you’re winning matches and you still feel like you have a whole ceiling to reach, it just makes you feel good.

“I’ve lost in the semis here a few times, so I’m hoping to get through to the final stage. At the end, my defence, it was tough.

“We were both tight in the tiebreaker, it was whoever could make the last ball. Today some points weren’t my best, but still managed to be successful.”

At the age of 21 years and 54 days, Gauff has become the fifth youngest woman to reach three semi-finals at the Italian Open in the Open Era, having also made the last four in 2021 and 2024.

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Monica Seles is the youngest player to accomplish the feat, having reached her third Rome semi-final at the age of 18 years and 168 days.

Martina Hingis is the next youngest to achieve it (18 years and 231 days), while Gabriela Sabatini (19 years and 3 days) and Chris Evert (20 years and 158 days) rank third and fourth.

Gauff is through to her 10th WTA 1000 semi-final, and there are only four players who have reached more before the age of 22. Former world No 1 Hingis featured in a staggering 33 WTA 1000 (Tier I) semi-finals before her 22nd birthday.

Most WTA 1000 level semi-finals reached before turning 22

1. Martina Hingis – 33

2. Maria Sharapova – 15

=3. Venus Williams – 11

=3. Serena Williams – 11

5. Coco Gauff – 10

Gauff will face either world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka or eighth seed Zheng Qinwen in the last four in Rome.

Asked who she would prefer to play, Gauff said: “I don’t have a preference, to be honest. They’re both tough players. It’s going to be a tough match
regardless of who I play.

“Obviously I would maybe like to play Aryna because I just played her in Madrid, just to get some revenge (smiling). Obviously Qinwen is tough to play. I have no preference. It’s going to be a tough, hard match either way.”

The 2023 US Open champion added: “I’m really confident on clay. I think it’s a surface that works well for my game.

“I would love to get a big title on clay just because I do love it. Yeah, I’m having a lot of confidence, but hoping to go even further.”

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu receives major boost as she makes key Wimbledon coach decision

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Emma Raducanu has been handed a big coaching boost for this year’s Wimbledon Championships, although she is unlikely to link up with British icon Andy Murray.

The news of Murray’s split with Novak Djokovic on Tuesday sparked suggestions that the three-time major champion could coach Raducanu next.

Murray revealed he would like to work with Raducanu when discussing the possibility of coaching in 2022.

However, a Wimbledon collaboration between the two British stars has all but been ruled out — at least for this year.

This is because Raducanu is set to continue working with Murray’s former coach Mark Petchey, according to The Telegraph.

Petchey, a former British No 1 who works as a tennis commentator, has reportedly cleared his schedule to coach Raducanu for the grass-court season, including Wimbledon.

Raducanu first called on Petchey at the Miami Open after a difficult start to the season, and the partnership has proven fruitful so far.

The Brit holds an impressive 8-3 record since appointing the former world No 80, having reached the quarter-finals in Miami, the second round in Madrid and the last 16 in Rome. The 22-year-old had won just three of her nine matches in 2025 prior to Miami.

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Raducanu gave insight into Petchey’s coaching approach ahead of her appearance in Rome.

“He’s not a super technical coach, there are certain tweaks, as always, but that is something I am going away from,” she told Sky Sports.

“I have been very technical in the past, there has been a time and a place for that because I needed to make improvements.

“But from now on, it’s more about doing the right things, taking the ball on more, and just repetition of certain drills and patterns, which he is very good at setting up.”

After winning three matches to reach to the fourth round at the Italian Open, Raducanu’s run ended with a heavy 1-6, 2-6 loss to Coco Gauff.

Following the defeat, Raducanu said: “I would love to just keep improving, keep playing. I think that’s a positive for me.

“I don’t want to go and hide in a hole somewhere, I want to get back out there, so that’s good.

“We’ll see how it goes in the next week before the French, if I get into Strasbourg. But, for now, I’ve played a good 12 days on the trot, so I’m looking forward to a day off or so and then getting back to it.”

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu has one big concern after thumping Coco Gauff defeat in Rome

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Novak Djokovic has added an extra tournament to his schedule ahead of the French Open, but respected coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes the Serbian great may have made a mistake with his initial decisions in the European clay court season.

Djokovic’s defeat against Alejandro Tabilo in Monte Carlo and his loss against Matteo Arnaldi in his first match at the Madrid Open suggested the 24-time Grand Slam champion was a long way from the form he needs to be in to challenge for the title at the French Open.

The Serbian legend pulled out of this week’s Italian Open as he opted to take a break from tennis, but he has entered the lower-ranking ATP 250 tournament in Geneva next week as he looks to fine-tune his game ahead of the second Grand Slam of the season in Paris.

Now Mouratoglou, who is the coach of four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and former coach of Serena Williams, has suggested Djokovic was wrong to play in Monte Carlo and Madrid, as his motivation levels were clearly lacking for those tournaments.

“I was very surprised watching Novak compete in Monte Carlo and Madrid. Not by the level, we all know what he’s capable of. But by the attitude,” Mouratoglou wrote on LinkedIn.

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“He just didn’t look like he wanted to win. He didn’t even look like he cared to win.

“Of course, he can play much better, he’s Novak Djokovic, but he didn’t look physically ready or mentally engaged. And for a player like him, if the motivation isn’t there, there’s really no point in being on the court. I’ve been saying this for a long time now: motivation is everything for Novak.

“He doesn’t need to play a full clay season. But some matches, yes, with the right mindset and clear intention to win. Because nothing replaces match play. You don’t just show up at a Grand Slam and expect everything to fall into place magically.

“His decision to play Geneva now makes sense. He wants to feel that winning rhythm again, even just a little, before stepping into Paris. The big question is: will it be enough?”

Mouratoglou’s pessimism over Djokovic’s French Open hopes is contrasted by his belief that the soon-to-be 38-year-old is now undisputedly the greatest tennis player of all-time.

Djokovic is set to finish his career with more Grand Slam titles than any male player, with Mouratoglou suggesting the debate over who should be recognised as the greatest player of all-time is over.

“I remember the first time when Novak came onto the tour and Rafa and Roger were winning everything,” Mouratoglou told Tennis365.

“All the other guys were thinking these two are unbeatable and then this young guy from Serbia comes onto the screen and he is about to play Roger in one of the first rounds of the Grand Slam.

“He was getting interviewed before the match and Novak said ‘I’m going to beat him’.

“Straight away, the reaction to these comments was really negative and people were asking who was this guy who thinks he can beat the great Federer.

“Then another journalist said to Djokovic that he sounded a bit cocky and I remember his response. He was polite and said: ‘I’m not cocky, I’m just confident in my abilities’.

“Well, he went on to prove it. Time and again. He became world No 1, he beat both Roger and Rafa time and again and ended up with the best record of the three.

“It doesn’t please people when you say he is the best because the other two are more liked than Novak, but this is undeniable now. He is the greatest of all time.

“When you look at Novak’s game and compare it to Roger and Rafa, you say how can this guy with this game have a better record than the other two, but it is because he is the best of all time mentally.

“You can’t teach confidence like he had. You just have it and this is a big topic in my book. It is not a question of teaching confidence, but you can do things to build it in a person.

“It can’t come from someone else. No one can give you the confidence and it doesn’t come by chance. It’s something you earn by doing the right things every day.

“You look at what he is doing every day in his life and it gives Novak so much confidence. He builds his life around being the best he can be and he is the only one doing this.”

Mouratoglou’s new book Champion Mindset is now available, as he reflects on his own battle with self-doubt and confidence issues and how he turned his life around.

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Carlos Alcaraz has given an update on his physical condition after coming through his first serious test since returning from injury.

The four-time Grand Slam champion overcame Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in the fourth round of the 2025 Italian Open.

The hard-fought contest, which lasted two hours and 28 minutes, required a step up in physical output compared to Alcaraz’s first two matches in Rome.

Alcaraz downed Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-3 in his opener before seeing off Laslo Djere 7-6(2), 6-2 in the second round.

The world No 3’s participation in the Italian capital had been in doubt after he was forced to pull out of the Madrid Masters due to injury.

The Spaniard sustained an adductor muscle injury in his Barcelona Open final defeat to Holger Rune and also revealed he was dealing with a hamstring a problem when he announced his Madrid withdrawal.

Alcaraz has worn a black brace on his upper right leg during his matches at the Italian Open.

Following his victory over Khachanov at the Foro Italico, Alcaraz spoke about the physical demands of facing the Russian.

“It feels amazing to get the win at the end against a really big and really tough guy like Khachanov,” the 22-year-old told Tennis TV.

“Physically I struggled a bit. Not any pain on any part of the body, but I was just tired. The match was really tough. I had to run a lot, so I’m just really proud of the way I fought for every ball.

“At a break up in the second set, from then to the end of the second set, I probably lost focus a little bit.

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“He started to play great, but I was really happy to forget it and come into the third set as good as I could. I just fought, and I’m really happy about that.”

Speaking to reporters in Rome, Alcaraz added: “I had to run a lot. I had to fight every ball. Khachanov level in the match, it is insane. It is really, really high. He push you to the limit in every point.

“To be present… I have to be present. I had to wait for my chances. That made me run a lot. I had to fight a lot.”

On playing the early match, Alcaraz said: “I’m not used to playing at 11 am. Yeah, honestly I don’t want to wake up early, but today I had to.

“Anyway, I had to find the positive things that I finish early. A lot of time to recover, a lot of times to do other things here in Rome.

“But yeah, I had to be really focused in the beginning because the early starts sometimes is difficult to start the match. But I think I did it pretty well. Hope not playing too many matches first on, but if I have to, I will be ready.”

READ NEXT: Meet the man behind Carlos Alcaraz – who is Albert Molina?

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The Coco Gauff and Alex Eala doubles partnership marched on at the Italian Open as the former revealed how they ended up playing together in Rome.

Gauff is a former women’s doubles world No 1 as she won the 2024 French Open alongside Katerina Siniakova while she also finished runner-up at Roland Garros in 2022 when she partnered Jessica Pegula and at the 2021 US Open with Caty McNally.

The 21-year-old enjoyed a lengthy and successful stint as Pegula’s partner, but that partnership ended last year and Gauff has played with several different WTA stars since then.

Eala, meanwhile, is still new on the scene as the 19-year-old hasn’t played too many top-level doubles matches, but she does have success in the format as she won the 2020 Australian Open girls’ doubles and the 2021 French Open girls’ doubles.

And the two exciting talents on the WTA Tour decided to team up at the WTA 1000 event in the Italian capital.

They started with a straight set win over Alexandra Panova and Fanny Stoller in the first round and followed it up with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Italian wildcards Tyra Grant and Lisa Pigato.

But who initiated the partnership?

“She DM’d me on Instagram. She slid in my DMs and asked me to play. I was like, ‘Sure, why not?’”, Gauff said of Eala.

“We really didn’t know each other, honestly, before Madrid. I said hi to her for the first time in Madrid or maybe Miami, we may have briefly said hello. I figured she would be nice so I was just hoping she would be, you know?

“Obviously, she’s such a nice person. When there’s people finally my age on tour, I’m glad to interact.

“For me, it was a good opportunity to play doubles but also have a relaxed vibe with another player. I’m super happy to play with her, and obviously she’s a killer in doubles: two junior Slams and probably some future ones too.”

The Gauff-Eala team will next face the formidable seeds Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini for a place in the semi-final.

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2023 US Open winner Gauff was also asked about Eala’s breakthrough this year.

The teenager caused several upsets at the Miami Open when she beat three Grand Slam winners in Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek en route to reaching the semi-final.

With that run, she became the highest-ranked Filipina in WTA Tour history as she surged into the top 80.

“She seems to be handling it super well. There’s ups and downs in the sport, but you realise that the media is there to kind of paint that story and make it more interesting, but that shouldn’t be added pressure or anything like that,” the American said.

“She seems chill. She seems like she’s working hard, so I don’t have any advice for her just because she seems relaxed. The only thing I did tell her was that doubles helped me a lot in that space, having some time on court where it’s a little less stressful. So, I encouraged her to play when she could.”

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Carlos Alcaraz accomplished some stellar feats as he earned a hard-fought win over Karen Khachanov to progress to the quarter-finals at the 2025 Italian Open.

The world No 3 defeated 24th-ranked Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in the last 16 of the Masters 1000 event in Rome.

Alcaraz won five straight games after falling 1-3 down in the opening set, but he saw a 3-2, break advantage slip away in the second as Khachanov staged a turnaround of his own.

In the decider, Alcaraz’s 4-1 lead disappeared as Khachanov battled back to 4-4, but the Spanish star delivered the decisive blow when the Russian serve to stay in the match at 5-6.

By reaching the last eight at the Italian Open for the first time, Alcaraz has now made the quarter-finals at all nine Masters 1000 tournaments.

At the age of 22 years and 13 days, Alcaraz is the second youngest player to feature in the last eight of every Masters event on the ATP calendar since the category was introduced in 1990.

Rafael Nadal is the only man to achieve this at a younger age, having reached his ninth different Masters quarter-final when he was 21 years and 154 days old.

Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Marcelo Rios also progressed to the last eight at every Masters tournament before turning 23.

Youngest players to reach the quarter-finals at every Masters 100o tournament

Rafael Nadal – 21 years and 154 days
Carlos Alcaraz – 22 years and 13 days
Novak Djokovic – 22 years and 177 days
Roger Federer – 22 years and 225 days
Marcelo Rios – 22 years and 318 days

Alcaraz’s win against Khachanov was his 75th Masters 1000 victory in his 98th match at this level of event.

Only Nadal (91) and Stefan Edberg (97) have reached the 75-win milestone in fewer Masters matches.

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Alcaraz will face world No 5 Jack Draper in the quarter-finals in Rome after the 23-year-old Brit downed Corentin Moutet 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the fourth round.

The four-time major winner leads the head-to-head 3-2, with Draper having won their last encounter in the Indian Wells semi-finals in March.

“Jack is playing great,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “The way he’s playing is really high. I’ve been watching his matches. His results lately are huge. I have to be ready for that. I think it’ll be a great battle.

“My record in quarter-finals is pretty good. But every match is different. I have to show my best tennis if I want to beat him.

“Let’s see. Last time I played him, I lost. I have to take the good things about that match and the bad things and I have to learn about that. Let’s see tomorrow.”

READ NEXT: The 6 active men to reach the QFs at the four Grand Slams and nine ATP Masters events as Alcaraz secures feat

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Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have ended their coaching partnership by mutual agreement ahead of the 2025 French Open.

The tennis world was left shocked in November when Djokovic announced he had hired Murray as his new coach.

The two former rivals worked together for the first time during the off-season and they joined forces at four tournaments this year, with the collaboration bringing mixed results.

In his first tournament with Murray in his box, Djokovic reached the Australian Open semi-finals having beaten Carlos Alcaraz in the last eight, before a hamstring injury forced him to retire against Alexander Zverev.

Djokovic also made a run to the final at the Miami Open with five dominant straight-set wins before he lost to Jakub Mensik.

The 37-year-old lost his opening match at the other two events: in Indian Wells and Madrid.

The Serbian pulled out of the Italian Open after his loss to Matteo Arnaldi in Madrid extended his losing streak to three matches.

It had been expected that Djokovic and Murray would continue their partnership at the French Open and Wimbledon, but they both confirmed they had parted ways on Tuesday.

In a post on social media, Djokovic said: “Thank you, coach Andy, for all the hard work, fun and support over last six months on and off the court. I really enjoyed deepening our friendship together.”

“Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity to work together and thanks to his team for all their hard work over the past six months.

“I wish Novak all the best for the rest of the season.”

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Djokovic and Murray have not revealed the reason for the end of their partnership, with the timing leaving some fans surprised.

Speaking on the Sporting Misadventures podcast in February, Murray opened up on the experience of coaching Djokovic at the Australian Open.

“It wasn’t so much ‘this is what you did wrong’, it was more like ‘this is what you do right’,” the former world No 1 explained. “(It was) ‘when I was playing against you, you were doing this, it was so hard to play against for these reasons’.

“I was more like trying to emphasise the positives of when he’s playing well, this is what it looks like and this is what it feels like for the player down the other end.

“As a player, you never know the speed of your own shot, the speed of your ball, what impact it’s having on the guy down the other end, what are they feeling.

“If I [had been] able to hear from Novak or [Roger] Federer or [Rafael] Nadal when I was playing against them, ‘oh, I hate it when you do this to me or when you hit this shot’, that would have been a huge, huge help to me to know that.”

Djokovic will compete at the Geneva Open in the week before the French Open after accepting a wildcard for the ATP 250 tournament following his Rome withdrawal.

It is unclear whether the 24-time Grand Slam champion will add a new coach to his team ahead of Roland Garros, which will begin on May 25.

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Novak Djokovic is preparing to return to action after a disastrous start to his clay court season and the latest footage of his practice session has set a few alarm bells ringing.

Djokovic’s defeat against Alejandro Tabilo in Monte Carlo and his loss against Matteo Arnaldi in his first match at the Madrid Open suggested the 24-time Grand Slam champion was a long way from the form he needs to be in to challenge for the title at the French Open.

The Serbian legend pulled out of this week’s Italian Open as he opted to take a break from tennis, but he has entered the lower ranking ATP 250 tournament in Geneva next week as he looks to fine tune his game ahead of the second Grand Slam of the season in Paris.

Now footage has emerged of Djokovic’s practice ahead of his next tournament, as he again appeared to be struggling to find his feet on clay courts.

Djokovic has looked off-balance in his defeats against Tabilo and Arnaldi and he also looked unsteady in his latest practice session.

Today in Belgrade, Novak Djokovic practising on thin clay. (As Rome set the new standard, a HC-like clay to benefit doping prince, I bet RG will follow it).
Looks like he still hasn’t found his rhythm on movements and sometimes off balance pic.twitter.com/4cXxOM3WH6

— Novak Analysis (@NovakAnalysis) May 11, 2025

Djokovic will be hoping to get some matches under his belt ahead of the French Open, as he didn’t try to hide his disdain for his level of performance after the defeat against Arnaldi in Madrid.

“Kind of new reality for me, I have to say,” said Djokovic after the defeat against Arnaldi.

“You know, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament. It’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis, so it’s kind of a challenge for me mentally to really face this kind of sensation on the court, going out early now regularly in the tournaments.

“I guess, the circle of life and the career, eventually it was going to happen. Now I’m trying to, you know, use this as a driving force for the future. Obviously, Grand Slams, I was saying many times, are the most important tournaments for me.

“Which doesn’t mean that I don’t want to win here, of course I wanted to, but Grand Slams are where I really want to play the best tennis. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do that in Roland Garros, but I’ll do my best.”

Former world No 1 Andy Roddick suggested critics of Djokovic should be wary of writing off the player who will toast his 38th birthday later this month.

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“His year is littered with first-round losses. It’s like I can’t just show up at tournaments and be in the semis. It’s not something that is the norm for me anymore, but he doesn’t have to,” said Roddick on his Served podcast.

“For me, it’s just a matter of can he get off the mark? What is his start? If it’s a 100m dash, I don’t know if he can kick and make up ground once he’s behind now.

“But if he gets a couple of matches in, he is in the semis of Australia and might have been considered co-favourite.

“We have very short memories. All we remember right now is [Matteo] Arnaldi. But he beat [Carlos] Alcaraz, and he was playing [Alexander] Zverev, and people are saying if he’s healthy, he is the favourite.

“He can reset that expectation so quickly. If he looks great in his first two rounds at Roland Garros, we are throwing him right back up to the top of the favourites list. He can reset quicker than anyone.”

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