PARIS — Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz was made to sweat but clinched his first French Open title by beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-3 2-6 5-7 6-1 6-2 in the final.
The world number three has now won three Grand Slams, after his Wimbledon title last year and his US Open triumph in 2022, and he has a perfect record in major finals.
The 21-year-old also became the seventh man and the youngest to capture Grand Slam titles on clay, grass and hard courts.
“It has been incredible work,” said Alcaraz to his team at the trophy ceremony.
“The last month we were struggling a lot with the injury. Looking back to Madrid, I didn’t feel well. The next week there were a lot of doubts and then coming here and practising not too much. I am really grateful to have the team that I have and the people I have around.
“I know that everyone in my team is giving their heart just to make me improve as a player and a person. To grow up. So I am really grateful and I call you a team, but it is a family.”
With his victory, Alcaraz became the youngest man to win a Grand Slam on three different surfaces after his triumphs on hard courts at the 2022 US Open and grass at 2023 Wimbledon. He is now 11-1 in five-set matches, with his only loss coming against Matteo Berrettini at the 2022 Australian Open.
Although Alcaraz did not consistently produce the sort of brilliant, dazzling tennis that he has become renowned for against Zverev, he was clinical under pressure to overhaul the German and maintain his perfect record in Grand Slam finals.
“Look, he played fantastic. He played better than me the fourth and fifth set. It’s how it is,” Zverev said. “I felt like this Grand Slam final I did everything I could. At the US Open I kind of gave it away myself. It’s a bit different.”
Ultimately, it was the Spaniard who claimed the momentum in the fourth set and never relinquished it. Alcaraz is now 11-1 in five-set matches.
“We’re both physically strong, but he’s a beast. He’s an animal, for sure. The intensity he plays tennis at is different to other people. He can do so many different things,” Zverev said.
“I think he changed his tactic a lot in the fifth set, started to play a lot higher, a lot deeper for me to not create as much power. Especially with the shadows on the court, it was slower again. But he’s a fantastic player, and physically he’s fantastic,” Zverev added according to atptour.
“So I have to look at myself and I have to look at the team that I have and see what I can do to become the same level.”
Alcaraz earned four service breaks through the first three sets, with Zverev doing well to control play behind his big first serve. But the 21-year-old Spaniard broke serve five times in the final two sets to triumph after four hours and 19 minutes.
“I lost focus, and on my serve I didn’t get the power from my legs anymore, which is weird, because normally I do not get tired. I don’t cramp, I don’t get tired normally,” Zverev said.
“But again, against Carlos it’s a different intensity, so maybe that was the case a bit. Yeah, maybe I have to look at my preparation. Maybe I have to look at how I do things on a physical base as well.
“Of course, look, I felt from the tennis level I was playing decent and he was playing decent for three sets. Then I dropped a lot.”
Alcaraz shrugged off an early break and blazed through the first set, which he finished with a big forehand winner, but he allowed Zverev to turn the tide and level the match as his unforced errors crept up.
Having steadied himself, Alcaraz was serving for the third set at 5-3 before another dip allowed Zverev to take the lead in the contest, but the Spaniard raced through the next set despite a thigh issue and raised his game to prevail in the decider.
In the first men’s Roland Garros final not featuring any member of the Big Three – Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer – in two decades, Alcaraz and Zverev failed to impress, their lack of consistency making for a disappointing display.
Alcaraz often looked like he had got the upper hand, only to let it slip several times but he ultimately rose to the occasion against an increasingly frustrated Zverev.
The fourth seed has now lost both his Grand Slam finals, after losing the U.S. Open decider four years ago when he was two points away from victory against Dominic Thiem.
Alcaraz, who has suffered with bouts of nerves at Roland Garros, where his compatriot Nadal won a record 14 titles, kept his composure despite some blips.
On a sun-kissed court Philippe Chatrier, Alcaraz slapped a forehand winner down the line to snatch the early break, only for Zverev to level for 1-1.
Alcaraz broke to love then held to move 4-2 ahead before Zverev staved off a break point, but the Spaniard was a cut above and he bagged the set on his opponent’s serve with a crosscourt forehand winner.
Alcaraz needed more than 10 minutes to win the first game of the second set after six deuces.
The 21-year-old’s unforced error rate spiked and Zverev broke for 3-2 and, having put his frustration behind him, won three games in a row to level the contest.
Alcaraz broke in the third set but remained inconsistent and serving for the set, the Spaniard made yet another string of errors that allowed Zverev back in the game.
The German seized the opportunity to break twice to go 6-5 up and serve it out to take the lead in the contest.
In a see-saw encounter, Alcaraz took the early advantage in the fourth set, breaking for a 2-0 lead with an eye-catching passing shot and then again for 4-0 with a splendid drop shot.
Yet his level dropped again right after, allowing Zverev to pull a break back before Alcaraz called the trainer on to have his left thigh massaged.
The Spaniard still managed to wrap up the set to force a decider and a woeful third game by Zverev gave him the early break. Alcaraz then raised his level significantly to save four break points in the following game and increase his lead to 3-1.
