It was a historic win for the young Spaniard at Roland Garros, where at 21, he was the second-youngest champion at the clay-court major since 2000.
Alcaraz defeated Alexander Zverev in five sets in the final and is the seventh Spanish man to triumph.
It was an exceptional display of sport, and all who had Roland Garros tickets for the centre court were entertained to the fullest.
Alcaraz revealed he achieved a childhood dream by winning in the French capital.
“Winning a Grand Slam is always special. Winning your first in every Grand Slam is always super special. But in Roland Garros, knowing all the Spanish players who have won this tournament and being able to put my name on that amazing list is something unbelievable,” Alcaraz said.
“[It is] something that I dreamed about being in this position since I started playing tennis when I was five or six. So it’s a great, great feeling.”
A Start in 2022
Alcaraz won his maiden major at the US Open on a hard court in 2022 before he triumphed on the grass at Wimbledon last year. By winning Roland Garros on clay, he has become the youngest man to earn a major trophy on all three surfaces.
The No. 2 PIF ATP Live Rankings player was asked how he has acclimatised to all three surfaces so quickly in his career.
“I grew up playing on clay court, but most tournaments of the Tour are on hard court. So I had to practise more on the hard court, doing the preseason on the hard court. So I started to feel more comfortable moving, hitting my shots, and playing on hard court, but I think my game suits every surface very well because I practice it,” Alcaraz said.
“With drop shots, my volley, I wanted to develop my style of being aggressive all the time. I practise the defence and all that stuff, but my main goal is to be aggressive as much as possible. So I think it is pretty good on grass, or I have to do it on grass almost every time, but on all surfaces, I think it’s a pretty good thing.”
Alcaraz arrived in the French capital after missing the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome due to a right forearm injury. Despite playing with strapping in Paris, the 21-year-old looked largely comfortable throughout his seven matches.
Alcaraz is pleased that his work with his team, including coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, paid off.
“I said before the tournament that I consider myself a player who doesn’t need too many matches on my back just to get at 100 per cent. I had a good week in Paris, practising with good players. I felt well playing sets, moving, hitting my shots before the tournament began,” Alcaraz said. “Obviously, in every match that I have played, I have gotten better and better.
“All the work that I put in every day before coming here and every day here has been really good work with my team that helped me to get 100 per cent physically, mentally, and hitting good shots and putting a good level on the court. So I think that’s why I performed at my best at the end of the tournament.”
The Roland Garros final in 2024 showed all those with Roland Garros tickets that the next generation of tennis players, Alcaraz, Sinner, and Félix Auger-Aliassime, is here, and the sport is evolving.
However, the Spaniard’s fate changed when he made it to the Olympic final at Roland Garros two months later.
After defeating Novak Djokovic for the second time at Wimbledon, Alcaraz was on cloud 9, making 2024 his best year.
He had one more thing to tick off – an Olympic Gold. There was no better setting than the Roland Garros to complete the Gold heist.
In front of a familiar crowd with Roland Garros tickets, he was unfortunately second best as Djokovic emerged victorious.
But there’s still time for the youngster as this is his first Olympics. It is his last for Novak, and this was one missing piece for him to complete tennis.
Djokovic has now won every single silverware on offer as a tennis player.
Fans with Roland Garros tickets would fondly remember the rivalries between Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic at the French Open and hope that the Serbian would return next year to play another round.
Alcaraz Begins US Open Hunt
Carlos Alcaraz will begin his bid for a third straight grand slam success against a qualifier at the US Open, while top seed Jannik Sinner will face Mackenzie McDonald in the first round.
Alcaraz won his fourth major title at Wimbledon in July, dominating Novak Djokovic in the final. He had also triumphed at the 2022 US Open, Wimbledon in 2023, and the French Open earlier this year.
Should the Spaniard progress through his first-round match, he could take on Botic van de Zandschulp in round two and Britain’s Jack Draper in the third round.
Seeded third, Alcaraz could face world number one Sinner in the semi-finals, with the Italian starting his campaign against a home favourite in McDonald.
Sinner recently avoided a ban after twice testing positive for the banned substance clostebol, with an independent tribunal finding he was inadvertently given the steroid in an over-the-counter spray by his physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi.
On the other side of the men’s draw, Djokovic will start against a qualifier as he bids to finally surpass Margaret Court’s overall record of 24 grand slam titles.
Djokovic won his 24th major crown at the 2023 tournament at Flushing Meadows, beating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the final.
He has struggled to find top gear at this year’s grand slams, though he did claim his first Olympic gold medal by beating Alcaraz in the showpiece match at Roland-Garros.
One step closer
In the women’s draw, top seed Iga Swiatek will start against a qualifier, while Coco Gauff will open her title defence by taking on Varvara Gracheva. The third-seeded American potentially has a testing third-round date with Elina Svitolina on the cards.
Aryna Sabalenka will join Swiatek in facing a qualifier first, while 2021 US Open winner Emma Raducanu, who is set for her first Flushing Meadows appearance since 2022, faces a tricky draw.
She will take on Sofia Kenin, the United States 2020 Australian Open winner. The victor will face another American in round two, either Shelby Rogers or sixth seed Jessica Pegula.
The first round of the US Open begins on Monday. The women’s singles final is set for September 7, and the men’s showpiece match is one day later.