Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz recovered from a puzzling third set collapse, one set away from a painful defeat. The 21-year-old composed himself once more and produced expert shot-making painting the lines in clutch moments to eventually outlast Olympic gold medallist Alexander Zverev in a four-hour battle of attrition between two first-time French Open finalists.
Foreshadowing: Alcaraz off to a quick start, Zverev passive
Alcaraz [3] bt. Zverev [4] 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2
- Dramatic five-set win means Carlos Alcaraz (21y, 34d) becomes the first male player in the Open era to win their first three Major titles on three different surfaces (US Open 2022, Wimbledon 2023, Roland Garros 2024)
- Zverev praises his friend: “You’ve had an amazing career, already a Hall of Famer and achieved so much, an incredible player and this isn’t the last time you’ll win this title. To my team, we were close after a long journey to get here… hopefully we can hold it together, I’ll be back next year.”
- Alcaraz acknowledges the German’s long road back to a Major final, four years after his first: “I know the work you’ve put in to be in the final, it’s been an unbelievable journey and I’m pretty sure tennis will give you the opportunity to win Slams and this tournament very soon, keep going.”
NERVES come with the territory, this a first-time French Open final for both, but the first five service games – 21 minutes long – felt a fitting preview of what was to come.
Carlos Alcaraz, favoured here against a big-serving Olympic champion down the other end, knew he couldn’t afford to take his foot off the accelerator.
Alexander Zverev narrowly led the H2H record 5-4 and having twice bested him in their only best-of-five meetings, would pounce on any chinks in the armour as 2021 US Open titlist Daniil Medvedev did brilliantly in Flushing Meadows last season.
The Spaniard boasts more weapons, whether that be crushing forehands into the open court or backhand drop volleys cutely creeping over the net, while Zverev had to roll with the punches and keep Alcaraz within arm’s length before pressure would mount on the younger man’s racquet. It wasn’t immediate, but was startling at times.
Before then though and 21 minutes after trailing 3-2, the 2020 US Open runner-up sprayed another unforced error (his 10th) long to give Alcaraz a first set point. The Murcia-born star sealed it with a crosscourt forehand winner as Zverev’s passivity was unmistakable, trudging over to his chair after being effortlessly stifled early.
He had almost double Alcaraz’s first serve points (23 to 13) and didn’t add much variety for the 21-year-old to consider when parked far behind the baseline returning serve. Whether serve-and-volley, incorporating slice and spin, or floating some junk balls his way, the German needed to change something and upset any rhythm.
A trio of break points came and went unrewarded in set two’s opening game after the above sequence, a combo of some hesitant Alcaraz choices and clearer execution down the other end, and suddenly you started to wonder whether that would be the story of this match. Zverev having promising chances but failing to take them.
He chuntered at his player box, not for the first time, after recording his 12th unforced error of the match before netting a forehand and shanking a high-spin ball wide during the next service game. Finally though, the 27-year-old’s serve got him out of trouble to secure an important hold and shift pressure back at Alcaraz’s feet briefly.
Soon enough the cracks began to show and Zverev took full advantage, hitting harder while maintaining better ball-striking consistency to break at the fifth time of asking – then consolidate it – as the set quickly evaded the world no. 3’s grasp.
Some fun rallies and highlight reel shots were banked in the collection for both, the fourth seed suddenly had the wind in his sails and sealed a 6-2 set as Alcaraz’s errors continued to pile up without warning.
The Spaniard’s body language didn’t look encouraging, neither did that of coach Juan Carlos Ferrero as the youngster served untimely double-faults with more errors flying off his racquet. Tension overshadowed his free-flowing game, shaking out the wrist between points and lacking the same conviction from an hour earlier.
Then after a solid hold of serve, he produced an aggressive return game at 3-2 in the third to create triple break point and just like that, the smile was back. 4-2 up, fist clenched while Zverev looked longingly once more, the tide turned his way again.
If there was any doubt, the subsequent game silenced it for a little while.
Zverev finds his footing, eventually
Zverev skilfully created a trio of break points from 30-0 down, but Alcaraz had answers for each – a line-kissing sliced backhand, authoritative smash and drop-shot leading to a backhand pass – as the German bemoaned his lack of luck by contrast.
Alcaraz was soon serving to secure set three, 5-3 up, and again had to fend off adversity down 0-30. A backhand long, then ballooned forehand rally ball restored parity, before Zverev had another lifeline after the next point. Break point #4 of the set, a backhand return wrongfooted Alcaraz as he forayed forward and slipped.
That dramatic sequence of events typified the fact neither player had control nor was playing as well as they wanted to, Zverev the more consistent and his quicker service holds proved exactly that. 5-5 and Alcaraz naturally keen to get his nose back in-front on the scoreboard, but shanked forehands and indecisiveness cost him dearly.
A drop shot winner was sandwiched between those errors, though the Wimbledon champion was double break point down and Zverev watched him like a hawk as they returned to their seats after netting another backhand groundstroke mid-rally.
Alcaraz moaned about the patchy clay across the court and at 30-all, Zverev served a 205km/h ace out wide to create set point. Carlos skilfully slow-balled him, aware tension would be at its peak as an unforced error flashed wide of the baseline.
Zverev saved break point with a timely 213km/h first serve Alcaraz couldn’t return in the court and this time the 27-year-old held his nerve on a second set point opportunity to overtake the Spaniard. Five consecutive games banked, set three in the books and now just six games away from a first Major title. What was next?
Well, his serve was key to establishing that – averaging 76.3% first serve in the first three sets. 20 minutes down in the fourth, he had a lowly 42% and hit a pair of double-faults too as Alcaraz increased his level once again with beautifully-executed shots like these making the scoreboard margin widen with each passing minute:
The drama continued though, Alcaraz calling for the trainer before losing his serve rather handedly to lead 4-1. First his wrist, then left leg, were being assessed by the medical professionals before the topsy-turvy nature of this encounter continued as Zverev looked lethargic and Alcaraz saved three break points to force a decider.
Zverev picked precisely the wrong moment to produce his worst service game of the fortnight, Tim Henman declared on commentary, gift-wrapping Alcaraz an early break that nearly came back his way after a disputed double-fault was chalked off.
Zverev’s volley game was a weakness being readily exploited as Alcaraz mixed the defensively stupendous shots with the scintillating winners. He constructed a point clinically for his 50th winner of the match, a fiery forehand that belied an error-strewn final, before another highlight reel shot very few would try, let alone make.
Double break up, 5-2 ahead and serving for the championship, the job was soon complete after Zverev couldn’t return a forehand out wide and it trickled into the net as Alcaraz collapsed to the Parisian clay he’d been insulting earlier that afternoon.
He conceded afterwards he didn’t feel strong coming back from a series of troublesome injuries, doubt was natural as practice time wasn’t exactly high either, but again paid his dues to the team around him – headed by Carlos Ferrero – for keeping him even-keeled through it all, and winning ugly when not playing his best.
So spare a thought for Zverev. Back in a Major final four years after his first, on the surface and exact court his career trajectory took a turn for the worse two seasons ago, he played well and avoided defending champion Novak Djokovic and Medvedev this fortnight too. Alcaraz was flagging, and still, pipped him to the title.
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes via Eurosport broadcast
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