There was tossing and turning and the odd nightmare, but Carlos Alcaraz eventually turned his childhood dream into reality and became French Open champion.
The brilliant 21-year-old beat Alexander Zverev in five undulating and pulsating sets, 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. He will commemorate the occasion with a tattoo of the Eiffel Tower, along with Sunday's date.
That will go with his Wimbledon strawberry tattoo from last year and the 2022 US Open title — he has just the date inked in for that one. Alcaraz is the youngest man to win a Grand Slam on three different surfaces, while Zverev’s major wait continues.
This was the first Roland Garros final without Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic since 2004. As easy as those three made it look to win these titles, Alcaraz and Zverev made it seem dreadfully difficult at times.
Alcaraz was trying to take his place in the bloodline of Spanish tennis which runs through Roland Garros — from Nadal to Sergi Bruguera, Carlos Moya to Alcaraz’s coach and mentor Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Carlos Alcaraz won the French Open for the first time as he overcame Alexander Zverev
Zverev was a set ahead at one stage but Alcaraz showed impressive spirit to bounce back
After winning, Alcaraz collapsed onto the clay a la Rafael Nadal, who he idolises
‘To be able to put my name on that amazing list is unbelievable,’ he said. ‘I dreamed about being in this position since I started playing tennis, since I was five, six years old.’
That dream has seemed a heavy burden to bear at times this fortnight, though. Alcaraz suffered from nervous cramps in his semi-final and has been prone to fluctuations of form — 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.
But when the chips were down, Alcaraz peaked in the fifth set and he has now won 11 of the 12 five-set matches he has played.
‘I know that when I’m playing a fifth set you have to give everything and you have to give your heart,’ he said. ‘I have to show the opponent that I am fresh, like we are playing the first game of the match.’
He will play far better matches than this, but the manner in which he stayed true to his freewheeling attacking game was hugely admirable and ultimately decisive.
He made 56 unforced errors, but his 52 winners — many of them breathtaking — comfortably outstripped Zverev’s 38.
‘I try to be aggressive, to play my style, go to the net, drop shots, hitting big shots,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t matter if I lose, it doesn’t matter if I miss it, because when I go for it, the feelings are much better than if I go defensive and lose it anyway.’
Zverev will be haunted by one line call in the fifth set. With Alcaraz 2-1 ahead but break point down, his second serve was called wide. Umpire Renaud Lichtenstein examined the mark on the clay and called it in.
Alcaraz endured some difficult moments but he was still able to prevail against Zverev
Zverev managed to stay the course but he still seems to be reliant on his opponents missing
Alcaraz never looked back, but according to Hawk-Eye the ball was just wide. There are some who consider a mark on the clay more accurate but, regardless, automatic line calling will be introduced here from 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 to 2-2, that’s a decisive difference,’ said Zverev.
‘It’s frustrating but it is what it is. Umpires make mistakes, they’re human, but, of course, in a situation like that, you wish there wouldn’t be mistakes.’
It was wretched luck for Zverev, but the 27-year-old lost this match because he was too often waiting for Alcaraz to miss, rather than grasping the nettle himself.
With his 6ft 6in frame and 140mph serve, he looks like a player who should be blowing opponents off the court.
Instead, he takes some pace off his first serve to ensure he lands a higher percentage and then grinds away from the back of the court.
Zverev took efficient advantage of Alcaraz’s two lapses in form but for him to win a Grand Slam — this was his second final after the 2020 US Open — he may have to reach out and seize it.
The German has operated under a cloud this fortnight as his trial for assaulting the mother of his daughter began in Berlin and ended on Friday after a settlement.
French player Alize Cornet expressed the views of many when she said in a television interview before the match: ‘My heart wants Carlos to win because I’m a fan of his since he started out and less of a Zverev fan for many more reasons.’
Alcaraz had to fight hard as he managed to secure 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
Alcaraz was riddled with nerves at the start of his semi-final against Jannik Sinner, but it was Zverev who came out cold here, beginning with two double faults in a row and a swift change of racket — he seemed unhappy with the grip.
Alcaraz’s gameplan looked on point from the start. He attacked Zverev’s weaker forehand and neutralised his dangerous backhand with constant variety. Top spin, slice, short, deep, wide, narrow — Alcaraz never gave Zverev the same ball twice.
Having won the first set it felt like all Alcaraz had to do was continue to execute, but he drifted and allowed Zverev to take the ascendancy. The whole match, with its ebbs and flows, was strikingly similar to Alcaraz’s semi-final victory over Sinner.
Just as he did against the Italian, he turned the contest around by playing with more height over the net, denying Zverev pace to work with and then picking him off.
It all seemed a long way away when Alcaraz pulled out of the Rome Masters with an arm injury just a couple of weeks before Roland Garros.
Asked which of his three Grand Slam titles has made him the most proud, he replied: ‘Probably this one, because of everything I have done in the last month just to be ready. It has been really difficult.’
Alcaraz now moves on to Wimbledon as the clear favourite to defend his title.
John McEnroe and Boris Becker both feel he is a better player at this age than Federer, Nadal or Djokovic were and he is clearly nowhere close to his peak.
The young Spaniard has several close challengers, Zverev included. But one suspects that once his genius reaches its final form, he will be close to unstoppable.
