(AFP) Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz won the French Open for the first time in his career, where his countryman Rafa Nadal became a legend, by defeating German Alexander Zverev in the final Sunday in a five-set comeback, 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.
This victory will vault him in the next ATP ranking to No. 2, only surpassed by Italian Jannik Sinner and overtaking Serbian Novak Djokovic, champion last year on the clay court in Paris who withdrew due to an injury in this tournament.
At 21 years old, Alcaraz already has three Grand Slam titles, having previously been crowned on hard court at the United States Open in 2022 and on grass at Wimbledon in 2023.
He is the youngest player to win three majors on different surfaces, all evidence of his versatility.
But above all, he managed to make his mark in the tournament where Spanish tennis players have traditionally achieved their greatest feats. It is the 27th title for a Spanish tennis player in the individual draws at the French Open and the 23rd in the men's category.
Alcaraz thus puts his name alongside those of Spanish tennis legends such as Rafa Nadal (with a record 14 titles), Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (3) and Manuel Santana (2). He also joins Juan Carlos Ferrero, his coach, who in 2003 was the last Spaniard to win the men's category at the Philippe Chatrier before the “Nadal era.”
The season on clay ends for Alcaraz in the best way despite the fact that during it he had barely been able to play due to an injury to his right forearm, where he wore a special wrap in his seven matches ahead of the title in the French capital.
It was the second Grand Slam final that Zverev reached and the second that has resulted in defeat, after the 2020 United States Open against Austrian Dominic Thiem.
Germany still has no men's titles at Roland Garros in the open era, where the only ones the country achieved were Steffi Graf's six in the women's competition.
The last German Grand Slam title in the men's category dates back to the one achieved by Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open.
