-
Tom Hamilton, Senior Writer
PARIS — No danger “The Real March“Back to hibernation at the French Open.
The Spanish national anthem was played after each of Rafael Nadal’s 14 singles wins, and the rang came out again in the cool evening air of Paris on Saturday, after Carlos Alcaraz’s epic five-set victory over Alexander Zverev. This is Alcaraz’s third Grand Slam title, after winning the US Open crown in 2022 and Wimbledon last year.
Having come of age on the Spanish clay courts, Alcaraz is seen as the most obvious heir to Nadal’s throne. In lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires, he joined an elite club, becoming the seventh man to win the Grand Slam on all three surfaces. But the scary thing? He is the youngest, at 21, to get it.
“He’s better than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic at 21,” said analyst John McEnroe.
McEnroe made the statement before the final began on Court Philippe-Chatrier, and what followed over the next 4 hours, 19 minutes was an exhibition of endurance, multiple shots and soul-searching. Zverev kept pushing around Alcaraz, but in the end Alcaraz won 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. Six-time French Open champion Bjorn Borg presented the trophy to Alcaraz, and the baton was passed on to a new generation.
“Winning a Grand Slam is always special,” Alcaraz said after the match. “Winning for the first time in every Grand Slam is always super special. But at Roland Garros, knowing all the Spanish players who have won this tournament and being able to put their name on the amazing list is something to believe. Something that I dream(ed) about … since I’ve been playing tennis since I was 5, 6 years old.”
When Alcaraz was young, he used to run home from school and ask his parents to turn on the TV so he could watch Nadal at Roland Garros. His parents were there to witness Alcaraz lift the trophy, a trip to come, standing in the same place as his hero on 14 previous occasions. Nadal watched from afar, and offered his praise.
“Congratulations Carlos for this big win!!!! Big!!!! So happy for the success!!! Vamos!” Nadal posted in Spanish on X.
Congratulations @carlosalcaraz por esta immensa victoria!!!! Great!!!! Muy contento por tus éxitos!!! 🇪🇸 #Wamos https://t.co/bIBbJhyh4B
– Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 9, 2024
ALCARAZ is used for hours of study in hours of recording from the great. He watches Djokovic on hard courts, Federer and Andy Murray on grass courts and Nadal on clay. They have the benefit of growing up to be able to learn from that generation, inspiring and motivating in equal measure.
“I always want to be one of the best players in the world,” he said after winning the semifinal. “If I want to be one of the best players in the world, I have to be a good player on every surface, like Roger, Novak, Rafa, Murray. The best players in the world have succeeded on every surface.”
One day, the next generation will learn them. Those who are still jealous of his talent.
“He is a very complete tennis player at his age, with some weaknesses,” Nadal said of Alcaraz earlier this year. “At his age I had a worse serve, a worse volley, a worse backhand. I had a lot of things worse than him at his age.”
Ever since Alcaraz entered the scene, big things were expected. He has an amazing skill set, which means he can challenge on several surfaces. His first entry at Roland Garros was back in 2020, but he lost in the qualifying round to Aleksandar Vukic. A year later, he made it to the third round, but lost in three sets against Jan-Lennard Struff.
In 2022, he was ousted by Zverev in the quarterfinals. But three months later, Alcaraz won his first Grand Slam in New York. At the 2023 French Open, Djokovic dispatched him in the semifinals in four sets, Alcaraz suffering from cramps. But then he won Wimbledon a month after that, in only his fourth tournament on grass.
In 2024, they took the collective lessons from each experience and combined them all to build this incredible race. Alcaraz came into this tournament with injury concerns. A troublesome right arm injury saw him miss his clay-court swing. When he arrived in Paris, he wore a protective sleeve on his arm; His forehand, by his own admission, is not quite operating at 100%. But that’s self-belief, he’s building fitness and confidence through playing in the main round.
He beat JJ Wolf in the first round and then needed four sets to get past qualifier Jesper De Jong in the second round. It was after this test that he said he felt comfortable unleashing the full whip of the forehand. Sebastian Korda, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas were all dispatched in straight sets, but then came the blockbuster matchup with the incumbent world No. 1 Jannik Dosa in the semifinals.
Sinner and Alcaraz had cramps. Alcaraz did his best to protect this from Dosa, and he came in five sets. He learned from the Djokovic match how to deal with it.
“I will say that I am stronger mentally (than 2023). I know how to overcome this situation,” said Alcaraz. “I knew the cramp would go away if I stayed in there. I knew I had to make (shorter) points.”
At the time of the press conference, Alcaraz was checking his phone. He will be looking to become the youngest player to reach a Grand Slam final on all three surfaces. He smiled at the recollection, saying, “Breaking a new record was great.”
It has always been so Alcaraz’s goal is to be dominant on all three surfaces, but he still needs that elusive trophy to secure his place among the great pantheon. To do this, he must defeat Zverev.
Zverev played the best tennis of his career. He knows this place well, having reached the semifinals of the French Open for the past four years. He is desperate to win that first Grand Slam title, after falling at the final stage of the 2020 US Open.
It was a final decided by a small margin – sometimes one can find another level in the final set.
Alcaraz started the better of the two, taking the first set 6-3. He then broke up in the second, but the game collapsed, as Zverev pounced on his mistakes to win five games in a row to take the set 6-2. Alcaraz later said he tried to hide his nervousness from Zverev.
But the same pattern happened again in the third set, as Alcaraz served out the set at 5-2, only to lose 7-5. Alcaraz looked agitated and irritated. But all while he was thinking about the exit: He stood further back in Zverev’s serve and willing Zverev out-hit and waited for the counter, and as the opportunity started to present itself, Alcaraz pounced on them.
Alcaraz was often treated by physiotherapists on his left leg, but he turned the match around, took the fourth set 6-1, and in the fifth, he was the winner. The highlight reel will include numerous forehands down the line — the kind where he sticks out the eye of a needle to find the narrowest gap in Zverev’s defense — and a backhand lob at the start of the fourth set that just kissed the line.
But the best shot of all? Perhaps his best flick of a crosscourt backhand to help make it 5-2 in the fifth round, which got everyone on the court and got on the road.
YOU DON’T KNOW ME?!#RolandGarros @carlosalcaraz pic.twitter.com/PNbDGJwQtt
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 9, 2024
A game and a few minutes later, Alcaraz flat on the back on the clay, filled with relief, exhaustion and exhilaration in winning the French Open. He has an uncanny ability to close out matches when his back hits the wall: He is now 11-1 in matches that have gone to the fifth set.
“I knew when I played the fifth set, you have to give everything, you have to give your heart,” Alcaraz said after the match. “At the moment, where the top players give the best tennis. I want to be one of the best tennis players in the world, so I have to give extra in that moment and show my opponent that I am fresh, like me. I play in the game first of the match.”
He will celebrate by getting a tattoo dated today to sit alongside his other Grand Slam victories on September 11, 2022, and July 16, 2023.
Alcaraz now joins his heroes Nadal, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya and Albert Costa to win here. He was young enough to have him as a point of reference when he was young, an idol for a long time, but now he has a coach Ferrero, and Alcaraz is mentioned in the same breath that he dreams of.
It took a while for the French Open to adopt its new son as its own. The song “Ole!” only broke when Alcaraz prepared to serve for the champion. Nadal had to earn his love, and now he is immortalized here with a statue.
Alcaraz has now joined the list of great players who have won this tournament. But they’re just getting started, and if they keep growing their game this way, the Spanish song will be a mainstay here for years to come.
“I just want to keep going, and let’s see how many Grand Slams I’ll win at the end of my career,” Alcaraz said. “I hope to reach (the record) 24, but for now I will be happy with the third, and let’s see ahead.”
