Alcaraz, 21, Does Role Model One Better

French Open winner becomes youngest man win a major title on all three surfaces
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 9, 2024 3:45 PM CDT
Alcaraz, 21, Does Role Model One Better
Carlos Alcaraz poses with his mother, Virginia Garfia Escandon, right; father, Carlos Alcaraz Gonzalez, top, and brother, Alvaro Alcaraz, after winning the French Open on Sunday.   (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

After an intense, five-set, come-from-behind victory Sunday in the finals of the French Open, Carlos Alcaraz addressed his parents. The Spaniard used to rush home from school to watch Rafael Nadal play at the tournament on TV. "Now," Alcaraz told his parents after going into the stands to hug them, "I am lifting this trophy in front of you." It's Alcaraz's third Grand Slam title and made the 21-year-old the youngest man to win major tennis championships on three surfaces; Nadal, also of Spain, was about 1½ years older when he accomplished the feat, the AP reports. He beat Alexander Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 in a 4 hour, 22 minute match, per CBS Sports.

"You're already a Hall of Famer and you already achieved so much," Zverev told the victor afterward. Zverev surged ahead by reeling off the last five games of the third set, then faltered. Alcaraz's play dipped during that stretch, and he appeared distracted by a complaint over the condition of the clay; he told the chair umpire it was "unbelievable." Alcaraz soon bounced back, taking 12 of the last 15 games. He should be ranked No. 2 in the world next week, per the AP. (More French Open stories.)

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