Heroic comeback from Alcaraz, historic new Roland Garros champion

Carlos Alcaraz He suffered several times to fulfill one of his most cherished dreams since he was a child, when he ran home from school to watch Roland Garros matches on television. He suffered a muscle injury in his right arm during the gravel tour, but with the persistence and support of his team he made it to Paris in time. He had a bad time against the Italian Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, he flirted with difficulty in another demanding final in German Alexander Zverev.

The Spaniard overcame all the changes to win his first Roland Garros, the third Grand Slam after the US Open 2022 and Wimbledon 2023. He made history at the age of 21, as the first under-22 player to win titles in all three Grand Slam surfaces. It was imposed 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1 and 6-2 in their second consecutive meeting that lasted more than four hours, at 4h.19′. As a witness Bjorn Borg, chosen to present the trophy. He saw how the Murcian bathed in the dirt, tired but very happy. Draws strength from where no one climbs into the box of his team, friends and family to melt in hugs.

Three out of three for Alcaraz in the ‘big’ finals. With grandfather’s three C’s (head, heart and co…) because he left everything he had. Only then was the reward possible.

The victory was worth having to return to a final where the injured Philippe Chatrier complained about the state of the clay. Novak Djokovic in the third set. And he had to undergo treatment three times between the fourth and fifth. The discomfort in the left thigh, where a protective bandage that he had been wearing since the beginning and hidden by his pants was discovered.

“It’s a clay Grand Slam and it looks like a hard court. There’s no dirt. It’s unbelievable, unbelievable,” Alcaraz told the chairperson, the French. Renaud Lichtenstein. “I can’t play like this,” he lamented to his team, to the coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.

A swing of emotions. The characteristic drama of a Grand Slam final matched by sporting. There is a lot of tension just starting with the first final in twenty years without any ‘Big 3’ (Nadal, Federer, Djokovic) in the French capital. In minutes of play Alexander Zverev He changed rackets after opening with two consecutive double faults.

Alcaraz endured everything. They had to deal with losing leads, 2-1 in the second set and 5-2 in the third, surrendering both in painful narrow 0-5 defeats. Success and failure. As soon as one of the players opens the door for another, the latter enters and takes his cut.

Respect for the opponent, importance of the situation and physical punishment. Alcaraz calls the physio, asks his people for bottles (probably one of the pickles he’s drinking now), afraid of being betrayed by cramps or a physical ailment.

Zverev has also had his moments of heartbreak. An intense battle in which Alcaraz showed his head in a quick fourth set (6-1). A springboard to resolution. He is a hero, because of class and conviction. A tragedy for the German, who had already lost in the final of 2020 US Open.

“Carlos, Carlos, Carlos,” roared the stands, buoyed by Alcaraz after saving four break points (17 of 23 in the match) to secure a 3-1 advantage that he still had to defend with his throat to avoid. the 3-3. and proceed to 4-2. He achieved his fifth victory in ten duels with the German, the most important. “Brave, Brave!”, “With height, with height (high ball),” cried Ferrero in the prelude to the final game.

A titanic Alcaraz, who regained world number 2 at the expense of Novak Djokovic and is getting a little closer to number 1, is the Italian. Jannik Sinner. He is the eighth Spaniard to raise a Musketeers Cup and pocketed 2,400,000 euros. Enjoy and in a few days, think about weed. Wimbledon awaits on July 1, and we’ll see if she defends the Queen’s crown first or not.

There was nothing left in the tank of the new Roland Garros champion, the youngest ever Rafael Nadal He started his streak at 19 in 2005.