Sawt Falasteen - Alcaraz '100 percent ready' for return to action in Rome

The four-time Grand Slam winner was forced to miss the Madrid Open after he picked up a thigh issue during his Barcelona Open final defeat in April.

"I'm in a good shape. I'm 100 percent ready to start the tournament. So I just can't wait for tomorrow," Alcaraz said ahead of his opening match in the Italian capital against Serbia's Dusan Lajovic.

"I'm really happy to be here in Rome. (It) is the second time that I'm going to play here, so I'm excited."

Alcaraz, 22, missed out on the Italian Open last year due to injury and has only once taken to the courts of the Foro Italico, with his 2023 appearance being cut short at the round of 32 stage by Hungarian Fabian Marozsan.

"Last year was even more difficult," said Alcaraz of his injury-hit clay-court season in 2024, which nonetheless culminated in the Spaniard lifting the trophy at Roland Garros.

"Here (2025), I couldn't play Madrid. But I could play really good tournaments, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, good matches. Right now, yeah, I stop a little bit (Madrid). I just try to recover from the injury, which I wasn't worried (about) at all.

"Right now I have confidence. The practices have been well... Obviously I would say the first round in every tournament is never easy, you have to get used to the conditions, the tournament, the court, everything."

"I think my level is in a good spot," he added.

The headlines at the Rome event have been dominated by the return from a three-month doping suspension of Italy's Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz shared that he was happy to see his rival back in action again and would relish taking on the world number one for the crown in Rome.

"It is great for me, for tennis, for the fans to have him again around," Alcaraz said. "We are in different sides of the draw, hopefully I'm going to meet him (in) the final."

N.Shalabi--SF-PST