CARLOS ALCARAZ overcame painful cramp in his legs as he fulfilled a childhood dream to become King of Clay at the French Open.
As 14-time champion Rafael Nadal edges closer to retirement, the Parisians now have a new Spanish hero to worship on the red stuff of Court Philippe-Chatrier.
GettyCarlos Alcaraz is the French Open champion for the first time[/caption]
GettyAlcaraz got his hands on the famous trophy in Paris[/caption]
ReutersAlexander Zverev was left in tears after losing another Grand Slam final from a set away[/caption]
Alcaraz – who used to race home from school to watch Roland Garros on the TV – joined a long list of fellow countrymen to lift this title thanks to a 6-3 2-6 5-7 6-1 6-2 triumph over Alexander Zverev.
It was a sinew-straining four-hour-nineteen-minute performance from the former world No1, who needed treatment on his thigh muscles as the five-set endurance test took its toll.
Whatever else he may achieve in his career, Alcaraz can sleep easy at night knowing he has accomplished a lifelong ambition.
And at the age of 21, he has become the youngest man to win major championships on all three different surfaces – hard, grass and now clay.
This was the first final since 2004 in which none of Nadal, Novak Djokovic nor Roger Federer – the Big Three of this Golden Era – had been involved.
A new name was going to be engraved on the Coupe des Mousquetaires – translated in English as The Musketeers’ Trophy – but proceedings did not exactly start in swashbuckling fashion.
This final took place two days after Zverev’s domestic abuse trial in Berlin was discontinued after a settlement was reached between him and his former partner following a lengthy legal battle.
Nerves got the better of both men as they were broken in their first service games – Zverev opened up with TWO double faults and then Alcaraz was missing his spots, too.
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In his previous major final appearance, Zverev, 27, bottled it when he was close to the finish line.
Unforgivably, he let slip a two-sets lead in the finale of the Covid-hit 2020 US Open and ended up losing in five sets to Austrian Dominic Thiem – a result that left him in tears in New York.
As well as he had performed this fortnight in Paris, Zverev’s temperament in the big moments would be thoroughly examined.
The majority of the crowd support was for Alcaraz as French fans switched allegiances from their long-time hero Nadal to this dashing young Iberian.
Alcaraz, still wearing a protective sleeve on his right arm, broke the mighty Zverev serve to love in game five.
And then he claimed the first set after 46 minutes with another break in game nine that was achieved thanks to his booming forehand.
In set two, lanky Zverev was far more aggressive with his groundstrokes and stepped it up as Alcaraz’s level dropped considerably.
The Wimbledon champion conceded two pivotal breaks of serve, one was a forehand malfunction – he shanked the ball into row Z – and then embarrassingly produced a double fault.
In the third set, Zverev was the better player and showcased his power, in particular one shot where he literally took the racquet out of the hand of the outstretched Alcaraz.
Despite being booed by the crowd for chucking away a ball on his second set point, the reigning Olympic singles champion took his chance to move 2-1 up in sets.
Quality might have been missing from this occasion – overall there were 15 breaks of serve and 12 double faults – but this was becoming an intriguing chess match on clay.
And Alcaraz emphatically took the contest to a decider with a dominant fourth-set display.
This was despite requiring a medical timeout which saw a physio vigorously rub his left thigh, a reminder that he had felt cramp in his semi-final win over Jannik Sinner.
This was the second five-set final in 20 years and you wondered how much fatigue would play its part, especially as Zverev played for a record 19 hours 27 minutes coming into the contest.
Alcaraz broke Zverev in game three and then came from 0-40 down and survived four break points – including one where an overrule from the umpire gave him a reprieve from a double fault – to increase his lead to 3-1.
Zverev’s hopes of becoming the third German man to win a Slam in the Open Era were crushed by Alcaraz, who collects a cheque for more than £2milllion.
Essentially the game was up when Alcaraz produced an extraordinary one-handed backhand winner on the slide to get the insurance break and move 5-2 ahead.
And just like against Djokovic at Wimbledon 11 months ago, Alcaraz showed confidence and composure well beyond his tender years to close it out in style – before collapsing on his back Nadal-style into the red clay.
GettyA new, first-time French Open winner was guaranteed[/caption]
EPAZverev changed his racquet after double faulting on the first two points of the match[/caption]
GettyAlcaraz enjoyed letting rip with his epic forehand[/caption]
EPAThe Spaniard also showed his superb touch at the net[/caption]
GettyZverev’s backhand is one of his biggest strengths and he used it to turn the match around[/caption]
GettyAlexander Zverev complained as he let his lead slip[/caption]
APHe got into an argument with the umpire over a tight line call in the fifth set[/caption]
GettyAlcaraz entertained the crowd as he wrestled back control[/caption]
GettyThe Spaniard served out for victory in composed, confident fashion[/caption]
GettyThere was a hug at the end of the five-set tussle[/caption]
ReutersBjorn Borg presented the trophies to the finalists[/caption]