The rise of 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz has been the defining story of the past two months with his success having a huge effect on the face of men’s tennis. Most recently he announced himself in Madrid when he played with a sore ankle but still saw off three top-five players. Despite his absence from the Italian Open, his success looms over the tournament with top players discussing his outstanding 2022 campaign to date. His most difficult opponents have praised his game, with Novak Djokovic, the world No 1, calling him ‘the best in the world’ and No 5-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas admitting the teenager ‘inspires him’.