Buenos Aires, 13 February 2024 (dpa/MIA) - World number two Carlos Alcaraz said Monday that if he had to choose, he would rather win Olympic gold this year than the French Open according to the Clay tennis news site ahead of his appearance at the IEB+ Argentina Open ATP tournament in Buenos Aires.

"For me it's a dream to take the gold to my country, to Spain. And gold is one of the greatest things in sport in general," said Alcaraz.

However, he said he would like to "win both, I’m not going to lie."

The Olympic tennis tournament will take place on the same clay courts as the French Open, which Alcaraz has yet to win. The two-time Grand Slam champion has not yet taken part in the Olympic Games.

Alcaraz currently sees Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner and world number one Novak Djokovic as his biggest rivals. They have to be beaten, said Alcaraz, who ranks himself and Germany's top player Alexander Zverev one level lower.

Zverev defeated Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January.

The current world number two has won two of the four Grand Slams so far, the US Open in 2022 and Wimbledon in 2023.

In Buenos Aires, where German tennis pro Daniel Altmaier lost in the first round on Monday, Alcaraz is once again the favourite as the defending champion. On Wednesday, he will face Juan Pablo Varillas of Peru or Argentina's Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the second round.

Photo: EPA