Despite tossing and turning in his sleep and the odd nightmare, Carlos Alcaraz eventually turned his childhood dream into a reality and became French Open champion.
The talented 21-year-old defeated Alexander Zverev in an action-packed five-set victory 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 and will commemorate the occasion by getting an Eiffel Tower tattoo with the date Sunday.
This joins his strawberry tattoo from last year’s Wimbledon and his 2022 US Open victory tattoo, which is just getting the date inscribed. While Alcaraz is the youngest player to win Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces, Zverev’s major tournament hopes continue.
This was the first Roland Garros final since 2004 without Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. While those three made the title look easy, Alcaraz and Zverev made it look fiendishly difficult at times.
Alcaraz was seeking his place in the Spanish tennis pedigree that runs through Roland Garros, from Nadal to Sergi Bruguera to Carlos Moya to Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz’s coach and mentor.
Carlos Alcaraz defeated Alexander Zverev to win his first French Open title.
Zverev was leading by one set at one point but Alcaraz showed great spirit to fight back.
After the win, Alcaraz collapsed to the clay court like his idol, Rafael Nadal.
“I can’t believe I can put my name on this incredible list,” he said. “I’ve dreamed of getting to this position since I was five or six years old, when I started playing tennis.”
But that dream has seemed like a burden at times over the past two weeks, as Alcaraz struggled with stress cramps in the semifinals and has been erratic, including two stunning losses in the match: from 2-1 to 2-6 in the second set and from 5-2 to 5-7 in the third.
But Alcaraz was in top form in the fifth set despite being in a tight spot, winning 11 of the 12 five-set matches he has played so far.
“I know when I go into the fifth set I have to give it my all and give it my all,” he said. “I have to show my opponent I’m fresh as if it were the first game of the match.”
He would go on to play a much better game than this, but the way he stuck to his free-spirited attacking style was hugely admirable and ultimately decisive.
He committed 56 unforced errors, but his 52 winners, many of them breathtaking, easily surpassed Zverev’s 38.
“I’m just trying to play the way I am, play aggressive, go to the net, knock down shots, take big shots,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if I lose or miss, because it feels a lot better when I’m on the offensive than if I’m on the defensive and end up losing.”
Zverev would be plagued by a one-line call in the fifth set, when Alcaraz was leading 2-1 but had no break points and his second serve was ruled wide. Umpire Renaud Lichtenstein checked the mark on the clay and ruled it in.
Alcaraz endured some tough moments but still managed to beat Zverev.
Zverev managed to stay the course but seemed to rely on his opponent’s mistakes.
Alcaraz didn’t look back, but Hawk-Eye said the ball missed him by a hair. Some believe the marks are more accurate on clay, but either way, the automatic line calls are due to be implemented next year — a year too late from Zverev’s point of view. “Whether you’re down 3-1 in the fifth set or you’re back at 2-2, that’s the difference,” Zverev said.
“It’s frustrating but it can’t be helped. Umpires are human and they make mistakes. But of course in a situation like this you hope they don’t make any mistakes.”
Unfortunately for Zverev, the 27-year-old lost the match because he waited too long for Alcaraz to make a mistake rather than addressing the problem himself.
At 6-foot-6 and with a 140 mph serve, he looks like the kind of player who could blow opponents off the court.
Instead, he slows down the speed of his first serve a little to ensure he hits it at a high percentage, then serves powerfully from the back of the court.
Zverev took advantage of two poor performances by Alcaraz, but to win a Grand Slam (this would be his second final after the 2020 U.S. Open), he may need to reach out and grab it.
The German defendant has been operating under suspicion for the past two weeks as his trial in Berlin for assaulting the mother of his daughter began and ended in a settlement on Friday.
French player Alize Cornet spoke for many in a pre-match television interview, saying: “I’ve been a fan of Carlos since his debut, so I really want him to win. I’m not a big fan of Zverev, but there are many other reasons.”
Alcaraz fought hard to win his third career Grand Slam title.
Zverev was frustrated at the end of a match that had cost him so much.
Alcaraz had a tense start to his semifinal against Jannik Sinner, but it was Zverev who lost his cool, committing two consecutive double faults and quickly switching rackets, appearing unhappy with his grip.
Alcaraz’s game plan was perfect from the start: He attacked Zverev’s weak forehand and neutralized his dangerous backhand with a constant stream of variation: topspin, slice, short, deep, wide, narrow. Alcaraz never threw the same ball to Zverev twice.
After winning the first set, it seemed Alcaraz just needed to keep going, but he got in the flow and allowed Zverev to gain the advantage. The entire match was eventful and strikingly similar to Alcaraz’s win over Sinner in the semi-finals.
Just like against the Italian, he changed the course of the match by playing higher at the net and taking away Zverev’s speed before breaking him down.
It all seemed so far away when Alcaraz withdrew from the Rome Masters with an arm injury just two weeks before Roland Garros.
When asked which of his three Grand Slam victories he was most proud of, he replied: “Probably this one, because I’ve done everything in the last month to prepare. It’s been really hard.”
Alcaraz now goes into Wimbledon as the favorite to defend his title.
Both John McEnroe and Boris Becker feel that at this age he is a better player than Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, and is clearly far from his prime.
The young Spaniard has some strong rivals, including Zverev, but when his genius reaches its final form, he is expected to be nearly unbeatable.