(Paris) When Carlos Alcaraz was growing up in Spain – which wasn’t that long ago considering he’s only 21 – he would rush home from school and turn on the television to watch the French Open Tennis Championships.
Well before preparing to play the men’s singles final against Alexander Zverev on Sunday in Paris, Alcaraz watched plenty of matches involving Rafael Nadal, of course, as his compatriot was heading to a record 14 French Open titles .
“I wanted to put my name on the list of Spanish players who won this tournament. Not just Rafa,” said Alcaraz, who then cited champions such as Juan Carlos Ferrero (who is now his coach), Carlos Moya and Albert Costa, calling them “legends of our sport who won this tournament.”
He might just join them.
Alcaraz triumphed on hard court at the United States Open in 2022, then on the lawn of Wimbledon in 2023. Now he is only one victory away from brandishing a trophy on the red clay of Court Philippe- Chatrier, in the southwest of Paris. He would be the youngest man to hold a major championship title on all three surfaces; Currently, he is the youngest person to reach the final on all surfaces in Grand Slam tournaments.
Zverev, who is from Germany, is trying to win his first Grand Slam title. He was runner-up to Dominic Thiem at the 2020 U.S. Open, losing in five sets after holding a two-set lead to none.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready to win my first Grand Slam final. I wasn’t mature enough. Maybe I was still too much of a kid. I didn’t know what this occasion meant. And that’s why I lost,” Zverev said, reflecting on what happened in a nearly empty Arthur-Ashe Stadium during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m 27 now. So I am no longer a child. I’m already getting old. If not now, then when? »
The clash between Alcaraz (seeded number 3) and Zverev (seeded number 4) marks the first men’s singles final at the French Open since 2004 without the participation of Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer.
Alcaraz admires these men – collectively known as the “Big Three” of men’s tennis, each with a career Grand Slam and a combined total of 66 major titles – and wants to emulate them.
“I always wanted to be one of the best players in the world. If I want to be one of the best players in the world, I have to be a good player on all surfaces, like Roger, Novak, Rafa, [Andy] Murray. The best players in the world have succeeded on all surfaces,” Alcaraz emphasized.
“So I consider myself a player who adapts his style very well to each surface,” he continued. “I grew up playing on clay, but I feel more comfortable on a hard court, for example. »
Alcaraz, who defeated Jannik Sinner (2e seeded) in five rounds in the semi-finals on Friday, and Zverev, winner in four rounds against Casper Ruud (ranked 7e), are both clay court fans.
Zverev will take the court on a 12-game winning streak on this surface, including a title last month at the Italian Open and a victory over Nadal in the first round of the tournament.
He is also the only men’s player to have made it to at least the semi-finals at Roland Garros in each of the last four years.
“If you are in a Grand Slam final, you deserve it,” Zverev said. “It’s good for him and me. »