There was tossing and turning and the occasional nightmare, but Carlos Alcaraz finally made his childhood dream come true by winning the French Open.
The brilliant 21-year-old defeated Alexander Zverev in five undulating and pulsating sets to take his place in the proud line of Spaniards who won this title.
He is a US Open and Wimbledon champion, but this is the one he longed for most. Alcaraz becomes the youngest man ever to win a Grand Slam on three different surfaces, while Zverev’s wait for a first major title continues.
This was the first Roland Garros final without Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic since 2004. And while Nadal has made it look absurdly easy to win this tournament, these two made it look excruciatingly difficult at times.
Alcaraz’s form has been inconsistent throughout the tournament and he had two shocking spells in this match, going from 2-1 to 2-6 in the second set and from 5-2 to 5-7 in the third.
Carlos Alcaraz won the French Open for the first time when he defeated Alexander Zverev
Zverev had a lead at one point, but Alcaraz showed impressive spirit to bounce back
After the victory, Alcaraz collapsed on the clay à la Rafael Nadal, whom he idolized
Zverev stayed well on target and took full advantage of Alcaraz’s dips in form, but despite his 6ft 6in frame and 140mph serve, it still feels like the German’s game is built around the missing opponents, rather than of him grabbing the nettle himself.
Alcaraz is the opposite and it felt like the guy who took the bigger risks and played the more inventive, spectacular shots won this title. His 55 unforced errors show he was far from perfect, but 52 winners – many of them breathtaking – easily surpassed Zverev’s 38.
Alcaraz started his blockbuster semi-final against Jannik Sinner terribly nervous, but looked much calmer here.
It was Zverev who came out cold, starting with two double faults in a row and a quick racket change – he didn’t seem happy with the grip.
Alcaraz only managed two breaks in Zverev’s serve in his four-set defeat in Australia this year; here he had two in the first five games.
Alcaraz was quite brilliant in the first set. Zverev is a player who loves rhythm and Alcaraz didn’t give him anything: topspin, slice, short, deep, wide, narrow – Zverev never got the same ball twice in a row. He was forced to constantly change his position in the court, always unsure whether to retreat or advance.
After winning the first set, it felt like Alcaraz just had to keep executing the game plan. But as is still his habit, he suffered a dip in form, which made it seem as if he was on autopilot. Zverev went into no-miss mode and took full advantage by breaking for 3-2.
When he ran down Alcaraz’s half-volley and slid it across the court in search of a winner, it was the first time he truly thrilled the crowd. We now had a game in hand.
Alcaraz had some difficult moments, but was still able to win over Zverev
Zverev managed to stay on course, but he still seems to be dependent on the absence of his opponents
Alcaraz made a few forehands and complained to the referee that there was not enough clay on the court – the same reason Djokovic gave on Monday for his slip and knee injury.
Zverev turned up the aggression, opening his shoulders on the forehand side and firing a winner down the line, showing Alcaraz he could no longer play on that wing with impunity.
In the third set it took until the sixth game before Zverev made an unnecessary mistake. But after that mistake, Alcaraz came alive with a clutch return and an exciting net play to break.
Alcaraz fended off three break points in the next game, but Zverev came again in the next service game and broke with a trio of measured passing shots.
At 5-5, Alcaraz played a messy match to break through and suddenly Zverev took the set after being 2-5 behind at 7-5.
It was difficult to keep up with these wild swings in Alcaraz’s form, and early in the second set he broke with a passing shot that swerved past Zverev and back into the track like an overtaking Formula 1 car.
There were two double faults from Zverev in his next service game and suddenly it was 4-0.
Zverev got one break back in the next game and then Alcaraz was given a medical timeout for treatment on his thigh, where he already had some ligaments. From there he wobbled rather than rocked across the line and the trainer returned to take another look at that thigh before the final set.
Alcaraz had to fight hard when he secured the third Grand Slam of his career
There was frustration for Zverev at the end of a match in which he had given so much
At 1-1, Zverev hit two ugly volleys, after which a double fault left the score 0-40 and then sent a backhand long. It was a shockingly lax way to concede a break in the fifth set of a Grand Slam final.
But Alcaraz returned his generosity in kind and we were back on level terms in a match that no one seemed to be able to fully comprehend.
Alcaraz in turn went down 0-40, but saved four break points to win an epic duel with brilliant shot work.
He went in pursuit of the title when his opponent served at 4-2, breaking with the help of a stunning one-handed backhand pass that shot past Zverev.
The double break insurance calmed any lingering nerves and Alcaraz served. He collapsed on the clay a la Nadal – the man he used to run home from school to watch win titles.
