![Champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates with the trophy after winning against Germany's Alexander Zverev in the men's final of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris on Sunday.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5912x4434+369+0/resize/1100/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5f%2F35%2Facdd5638437c80205210a4249861%2Fap24161651718943.jpg)
Champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates with the trophy after winning against Germany's Alexander Zverev in the men's final of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris on Sunday.
Thibaut Camus/AP
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Thibaut Camus/AP
PARIS — Carlos Alcaraz started his comeback at Roland Garros with a 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 win over Alexander Zverev on Sunday as he began staging his comeback in the French Open final. Achieved his first championship and third Grand Slam. All in all, the kind of magical shot that the kid is making a regular part of his varied repertoire has arrived.
Alcaraz raised his right index finger above his head and said, “No. 1” sign, then shouts “Vamos!” and throws an uppercut.
No, he is not currently number one. Jannik Sinner, whom he beat in the semifinals, debuts at No. 1 on Monday. But Alcaraz has been there before, and while the “2” will be next to him, if his name is revealed next week, there will be little doubt that he is as good as it gets in men's tennis right now. And he accomplished more than anyone his age.
![Carlos Alcaraz's Wimbledon victory and a new era in tennis](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2023/07/17/gettyimages-1550214237_sq-e063a33dd85fe3f1025e17fa451dc4f9478a2fe5.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg)
Alcaraz, a 21-year-old from Spain, rushed home from school to watch his compatriot Rafael Nadal win back-to-back titles at Roland Garros (a record 14th time). Growing up, he surpassed Nadal to become the youngest player to win a major championship. On three surfaces. When Nadal did that he was about a year and a half older.
“Different tournament, different aura,” Alcaraz said when asked to differentiate between his three trophies. “But I would say I feel the same way. I mean, winning a Grand Slam is always special.”
The clay-court graduate joins the hardware with victories on hard courts at the 2022 U.S. Open and on grass at Wimbledon in 2023. He is 3-0 in slam finals.
“He already has an amazing career. You're already in the Hall of Fame. You have already achieved so much. And you are only 21 years old.” said Zverev, who also lost by two points in the 2020 US Open final. “Unbelievable player. “This won’t be the last time.”
Zverev, 27, from Germany, has been eliminated in the French Open semifinals in each of the past three years, including in 2022 after he tore ankle ligaments in the second set against Nadal. Starting on Friday, hours before Zverev's semifinal victory over Casper Ruud, the Berlin District Court announced that it had reached an out-of-court agreement ending the trial stemming from his ex-girlfriend's alleged assault during a 2020 altercation.
![Spain's tennis pipeline produced Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2023/05/31/gettyimages-1494855820_sq-6918aeea5851b60b3436d6574ae7cfc8b92530a5.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg)
Against Alcaraz on Sunday, Zverev surged to the lead by dropping the last five games of the third set before faltering. Alcaraz's level dropped during the period and he appeared distracted by complaints about the conditions of the clay, telling referee Renault Lichtenstein that it was “unbelievable”.
But Alcaraz reset and ran away with 12 of the last 15 games while being treated by a trainer when he came off the bench due to some pain and cramping in his left leg.
“I know that when I play the fifth set, I have to give it my all and give it my heart,” Alcaraz said. “I mean, it’s where the best players are playing their best tennis at that moment.”
3rd seed Alcaraz and 4th seed Zverev played in the French Open final for the first time. In fact, this was the first men's title match held at Roland Garros since 2004 without at least one of Nadal, Novak Djokovic, or Roger Federer.
Nadal, 38, has been limited by injuries over the past two seasons but lost to Zverev in the first round two weeks ago. Djokovic, 37, a three-time champion, withdrew ahead of the quarterfinals due to a knee injury that required surgery. Federer (42 years old) retired.
There was some anxiety at first. Zverev started with two double errors. I ended up replacing the racket after the second time, as if the equipment was the culprit. Alcaraz also lost serve right away.
Let's assume they won't spend the first 10 minutes in the Louvre. In fact, much of the match, which lasted 4 hours and 19 minutes, was choppy and full of unforced errors.
Alcaraz was at his best in the all-important final two sets.
“I lost focus and my legs no longer had the strength to serve. That's strange. I usually don't get tired. I don’t have cramps,” Zverev said. “The intensity is different against Carlos.”
Just as he did against Zverev, Alcaraz overturned a two-set deficit to 1-1 against Sinner, becoming the first player since Manolo Santana in 1961 to win the French Open in each of his last two matches. It is done.
Alcaraz showed off all his skills: drop shots, clever half-volleys, threatening forehands delivered aggressively and loud grunts. His 27 forehand winners were 20 more than Zverev's total.
One guy who arrived in Paris didn't do too bad, saying he had been afraid to hit his forehand all of May because of a forearm injury. He said on Sunday that he had “a lot of doubts” about participating in the French Open and was forced to limit his practice time. That's why he considers this win the proudest moment of his still early career.
In the 5th set, Zverev collapsed under continued pressure from Alcaraz and fell behind 2-1. The following games already showed the grit and boldness that are characteristic of Alcaraz's style.
Zverev, who argued for a line call on Alcaraz's second serve that later said the German was out, would have four break points, according to an unofficial video review. He failed to convert anything. Alcaraz did not allow this and ended the game with a drop shot.
The crowd cheered. Alcaraz shook his racket and put his left index finger to his ear. He broke again at 5-2, then gave it away and dropped on his back, caked his shirt into clay. Just like Nadal often did after a championship point.
Alcaraz first learned to play tennis on rusty surfaces, but said he prefers hard courts. Alcaraz said he had long dreamed of adding his name to the list of Spanish men who would win the event, including his coach and 2003 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero.
And the red and yellow Spanish flag, which had become an annual fixture at the court of Philippe Chatrier during the Nadal era, was there again on Sunday, this time for Alcaraz. difference? “Rapha! Rafa!” Now “Carlos!” “Karos!”