Much of this year’s clay-court season had been a miserable experience for Carlos Alcaraz. He was sidelined from three of his four planned tournaments with a forearm injury and hampered in the one event he did play. His fitness struggles raised further questions about whether his body can withstand the pressure his all-action playing style imposes on it and he arrived at Roland Garros without much match practice or rhythm.
It takes a special talent to enter a major tournament with such disjointed preparation yet still be prepared to overcome every obstacle and find a way through the other side. After five messy but increasingly dramatic sets, the Spaniard kept his head even after an inexplicable third-set collapse and he recovered to defeat Alexander Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 as he won his first French Open title.
By triumphing in Paris, Alcaraz has now mastered every surface at 21 years old, winning on the hard courts of the US Open in 2022, the lawns of Wimbledon in 2023 and now on the red clay of Roland Garros. He is the youngest man in history to win a major on all surfaces, a record previously held by Rafael Nadal at 22 years old and a feat that has only been achieved by seven players. Now a three-time grand slam champion, he moves level with Arthur Ashe, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Gustavo Kuerten.
This tournament will also be remembered for Zverev being in the midst of a public trial in Berlin for allegedly physically assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Brenda Patea, who is the mother of their child, Mayla.
The trial opened in Berlin on Friday 31 May, where the court was told that Zverev was accused of pushing and strangling Patea “after a heated argument” at a Berlin flat in May 2020. He denied the allegations. A week later, on the morning of his semi-final against Casper Ruud, the lawyers of Zverev and Patea agreed to an out-of-court settlement. The court officially declared no verdict, with no ruling on the allegations and no admission of guilt from Zverev.
After a slow start from both players, Alcaraz, the third seed, took control. He dictated the vast majority of rallies with his forehand and he made use of his all-court game in the swirling wind by peppering Zverev with drop shots and closing down the net. Alcaraz’s level dropped at the beginning of the second set, though, and as he struggled to find his timing, Zverev’s improved serving and consistency were rewarded with a break. After breaking for 2-2, the German began to strike his forehand with freedom and he rolled through the set.
Just as Alcaraz seemed to have found his rhythm again, striking the ball excellently to build a 5-2 third-set lead, the wheels spectacularly fell off. While serving at 5-3, Alcaraz resorted to nervy, reckless net-rushing. Once again, Zverev was far more consistent and composed, and he easily picked Alcaraz off at the net to retrieve the break. As the Spaniard flailed, Zverev’s serve and steadiness marked the difference between them as he rolled through five consecutive games to establish a two-sets-to-one lead.
To his credit, Alcaraz immediately shrugged off that dire end to the third set, responding with an excellent return game to break serve in the opening game. As he rolled through the fourth set, this time it was Zverev’s level that dropped drastically. Having already requested pickle juice to address potential cramping, Alcaraz received a medical timeout at 4-1 in the set for his left leg. After the break, he maintained his momentum and forced a decider.
As they stepped up for the final set, tension radiated from both sides of the court. It was Zverev who succumbed to the moment. While he handed over his service game at 1-1 with four dire errors, in the very next game Alcaraz plotted an incredible recovery from 0-40 down, closing out the hold with a spectacular backhand drop-shot winner.
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Those two games represented a significant difference between Alcaraz, with his two grand slam titles before this match, and Zverev who at 27 has been chasing his first major win for half a decade. Having taken the momentum, Alcaraz refused to let up as he brilliantly closed out another win.
With a third major title in as many years, Alcaraz will leave Paris having further elevated his status in the sport. He continues to establish himself as a winner, no matter his struggles, injuries and sometimes even his own self-sabotage within matches. Once again he has proved that along with his obvious talent, he can hold his nerve to close out the biggest moments. As he continues to mature, he will only continue to improve.
