Who wanted this French Open men’s title most?
Of course, it was Novak Djokovic.
But what about the remarkable final for the ages on Sunday in Paris?
It may have been Jannik Sinner. And he actually may have been the best player, until things turned around.
ALCARAZ HAD HIS CHANCES TO FOLD
But Carlos Alcaraz wouldn’t let the title go.
The multi-talented Spaniard Could have gone down when he faced three match points in the fourth set. But he didn’t.
Alcaraz eventually hit the winner that decided this year’s French Open, and then dived to the red clay. That one shot was one of many almost unbelievable shots on one of the longest days in French Open history.
Running into the alley to hit a forehand down the line past Sinner for a winner was typical of the play most of this day. The only difference was Alcaraz immediately hit the clay this time. Not because he fell to the clay, but because he had won his second consecutive French Open championship.
TIME TO CELEBRATE THE SUCCESS
It was time for Carlos to celebrate with everyone in his army of relatives, coaches, friends and fans.
Has a new Rafa Nadal-like dominance taken over the red clay? That certainly looks like a possibility after Alcaraz won three consecutive sets at the end to secure a 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) victory that took much of the day, the longest French Open final in the Open era (5 hours and 29 minutes).
Alcaraz now owns five Grand Slam tournament titles at the age of 22. He’s now won two French Opens, two Wimbledons and one U.S. Open.
CARLOS COULD DO NO WRONG IN THE CLUTCH
Once Alcaraz saw a long match tiebreaker coming in the fifth set, he could do no wrong on the first seven points for a 7-0 lead. Then he won three of the last five points of the match tiebreaker to end the match.
Once he blew the three match points in the third set, Sinner played hard, but he never seemed to be the same player once Alcaraz took charge. It was all business for Sinner until he blew those three match points.
And, of course, Alcaraz was on fire when he gained Sinner’s full attention the rest of the way.
With another Wimbledon coming up soon, Alcaraz could be the player to beat in London, with Sinner and Djokovic hoping to have their own success.
It will be difficult to top the French Open’s last day.
James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award for print media. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.
