Alcaraz walks in footsteps of legends at French Open

He becomes youngest player in history to win three grand slams on all surfaces after defeating Zverev in five-set epic

- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

Even as Carlos Alcaraz walked onto Court Philippe-Chatrier as a two-time grand slam champion, the 21-year-old felt the pressure of a childhood dream that was suddenly within reach in his first French Open final. Every June, back when he was a boy in Murcia, Alcaraz raced home from school to watch Rafael Nadal win title after title at Roland Garros, following the footsteps of Spanish champions such as his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, as well as Carlos Moya and Albert Costa.

Now, as the young Alcaraz’s ascension continues, he is walking in the footsteps of legends after joining that illustrious list of Spanish winners in Paris. In a thrilling, end-to-end final, Alcaraz battled from two sets to one down to defeat the fourth seed Alexander Zverev, 6-3 2-6 5-7 6-1 6-2, in four hours and 19 minutes. Zverev sensed his first grand slam was close and assumed control at several stages of a breathless battle but no one manages to escape quite like Alcaraz. No one defies defeat quite like he does, either.

Against the German’s thumping serve and restored belief, Alcaraz was down but never beaten: just as he did in his semifinal victory over Jannik Sinner, he hauled himself from behind to win the fourth and fifth. He improved his staggering five-set record to played 13, won 12, all while battling cramp on his right thigh. Closing in on a first grand slam title, Zverev left Alcaraz a narrow window: Alcaraz found it with a sublime forehand winner that curled brilliantly onto the line. The final turned from there.