Destiny child Alcaraz treasures Nadal heritage
Carlos Alcaraz called it destiny as he completed a thrilling comeback to capture his fifth Grand Slam title at the French Open on Sunday, drawing level with his childhood idol Rafael Nadal's tally at the same age.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, long dubbed the heir to Nadal's clay court throne, fought back from two sets down for the first time in his career to lift the trophy in a match against world No 1 Jannik Sinner that he said had everything.
'The coincidence of winning my fifth Grand Slam at the same age as Rafa Nadal, I'm going to say that's destiny,' Alcaraz said of equalling Nadal's tally of five major titles at the same stage of their careers.
Nadal was one day younger when he beat Roger Federer in another final for the ages at Wimbledon in 2008 for his fifth Grand Slam title.
All class from Carlos Alcaraz who congratulats Jannik Sinner in his #RolandGarros victory speech 👏 pic.twitter.com/NxDoIvdcMT
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 8, 2025
'It is a stat that I'm going to keep for me forever, winning the fifth Grand Slam at the same time as Rafa, my idol, my inspiration. It's a huge honour,' said Alcaraz, who beat Italy's Sinner in the longest French Open final in the professional era.
In a final packed with momentum swings, blistering winners and jaw-dropping rallies, Alcaraz credited the Paris crowd for keeping him alive as he won 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(10-2).
'Without them, it would have been impossible to come back. At the start of the third set, everything was going his way. I had to delete those thoughts from my mind and fight.'
Alcaraz saved three match points but the moment he singled out from the match was when he was 6-5 down in the decider and struggling, turning the game in his favour to force a super tiebreak.
Carlos Alcaraz has his #RolandGarros moment 🏆👑 pic.twitter.com/voE00igLwu
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 8, 2025
'The match points were not great points. I saved match points, it's great but the points were not good.
'At 6-5 in the fifth at 15-30 or 30-all, advantage for me, 40-all. Those points I remember pretty clear, and honestly I still don't know how I did it.
'I mean, it was balls on the line, slicing the line. He was dominating that game. Honestly I still don't know how I saved that game.'
The win not only cements Alcaraz's status among the sport's elite but also reignites talk of a new generation of rivalries with Sinner having won three Grand Slam titles.
Five hours and 30 minutes later 😫
The moment Carlos Alcaraz won back-to-back #RolandGarros titles.
𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 👏
Tennis is in safe hands 🙌 pic.twitter.com/uRUHsbjo1x
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 8, 2025
'It's not going to be a turning point. I'm sure he's going to learn from this match, and he's going to come back stronger the next time we are going to face against each other,' Alcaraz said of the 23-year-old Italian.
'I'm pretty sure he's going to do his homework. I'm pretty sure I'm going to try to learn from this match as well how I can be better, how I can, you know, tactically make damage in his game.
'I'm not going to beat him forever. That's obvious. So I have to keep learning from the matches I played against him, and hopefully play more Grand Slam finals.'
Still, with a trophy in hand and history in his pocket, Alcaraz was already looking ahead.
'Every match that I'm playing against him is important honestly. This is the first match in a Grand Slam final. Hopefully not the last time,' he said.
'Because every time that we face against each other, we raise our level to the top.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

IOL News
6 hours ago
- IOL News
Wilco Louw one of three reasons Bulls can upset Leinster in URC final
Wilco Louw has been in outstanding form for the Bulls, and has been rewarded with a Springbok call-up. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix The Bulls are outright underdogs for Saturday's United Rugby Championship final against Leinster in Dublin (6pm SA time start) – but that doesn't mean that Jake White's team have no chance. In fact, here are three factors that are actually in the Bulls' favour to cause an almighty upset at Croke Park... 1 Andrea Piardi as the referee At first, you might think that Italian official Andrea Piardi's appointment as the final referee on Tuesday – his third title decider in a row – might work against the Bulls. The 32-year-old was the man in charge in last season's 21-16 victory for Glasgow Warriors at Loftus Versfeld – and Munster's win over the Stormers in Cape Town in 2023 – and White was unhappy with some of his decisions. 'It's twice in a row now where the referees (Piardi) let the away side win,' White said afterwards. 'In fact, it's three times – last year, Munster won in Cape Town, Glasgow won in Munster, we won in Leinster, and this referee let the away team win. So maybe, next year I'll ask when we play away, that I want him to try and ref us!' So, while match officials try to be objective, there is no doubt that the home crowd does have an influence in a match as big as a final. Normally the hosts would be on the right side of a few tight calls, but it seems it's the opposite with Piardi. White's words about last year's final defeat will surely be in the Italian's head, and he will be keen to ensure that it's a fair contest and that Leinster aren't getting any undue rewards. 2 Props with a point to prove Bulls props Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Wilco Louw have been sensational this season. Louw has been so good that most SA fans – perhaps even a few Stormers ones – voiced their displeasure with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu being chosen as the SA URC Player of the Season last week instead of the Bulls No 3. The giant tighthead has been a destructive presence in the scrums, and gets around the field as well with his carries and tackles to emerge as the clear front-runner to start for the Springboks in 2025. Wessels hasn't been far behind, with his powerful surges around the fringes and outstanding work-rate on defence complementing his scrummaging work and versatility to fill in at hooker. In contrast, Leinster are missing injured Irish tighthead stalwart Tadhg Furlong, while loosehead prop Andrew Porter infamously said two years ago that 'It's about getting that fifth star (Champions Cup titles) on the jersey. You don't see many URC or PRO14s or whatever you have on the jersey'. With Leinster having tripped up at the Champions Cup semi-final hurdle once more this season, how motivated will Porter be for the URC final? 3 Hunger for glory The Bulls' loss to Glasgow in front of a packed 50,000-plus crowd at Loftus Versfeld really hurt them. They had roared into a 13-0 first-half lead, only to watch their advantage being whittled away by Franco Smith's band of Warriors. Bok World Cup-winning mentor Jake White even questioned himself and his approach in the aftermath, noting that 'I myself lost a Super Rugby final against the Chiefs (with the Brumbies), lost a Rainbow Cup in Benetton, lost two URC finals...' Despite not having a dynamic Bok wing Kurt-Lee Arendse available this time – as well as losing injured star No 8 Cameron Hanekom in the semi-final – the Bulls are undoubtedly a more well-rounded side this season. They have produced some outstanding performances away from home, most notably beating Munster and Glasgow in Europe. So, a packed Croke Park won't be a daunting environment for this group of Bulls. They will also enjoy being the underdogs in Dublin, despite winning the 2022 and 2024 semi-finals against Leinster. If they can avoid the unnecessary yellow cards from the semi-final and put their best foot forward, they have every chance of emerging victorious on Saturday – at long last putting to bed the defeats in the 2022 and 2024 finals.


The South African
12 hours ago
- The South African
Orlando Pirates: Huge, fundamental changes coming!
Jose Riveiro will be a tough act to follow. Who will Orlando Pirates hire to succeed a wildly successful Spaniard? Rulani Mokwena's name is also on the shortlist, along with that of Pitso Mosimane. Riveiro's countryman Pablo Franco Martin is in the frame. Former Sundowns manager Rulani Mokwena has vacated his post as head coach of Wydad AC. The 38-year-old has been strongly linked with a return to Orlando Pirates, and Rulani isn't doing much to quell those rumours. He served as Josef Zinnbauer's assistant in the 2019-2020 campaign. 44-year-old Pablo Franco Martin is a serious candidate for the top coaching job at Pirates. The Madrid-born tactician has held several interesting roles. Those include Opposition Analyst for Real Madrid and Head Coaching posts for Tanzanian side Simba SC, AmaZulu, Kuwaiti outfit Qadsia SC and now Al-Faisaly in Saudi Arabia's second tier. Click for more on Martin Rulani Mokwena at the Athlone Stadium during Cape Town Spurs vs Mamelodi Sundowns. Image: IOL Nkosinathi Sibisi seems to be the leading candidate to take over the Pirates captaincy. The 29-year-old recently skippered Bafana Bafana in a friendly and is highly thought of within the camp. Whether or not he's a regular in the side when Thabiso Sesane returns is another matter. Sesane has sat out several months after undergoing surgery on a damaged tendon. When the 25-year-old is back to full fitness, he'll undoubtedly go back into the side. Click for the full list of candidates It's unlikely that wholesale changes will be made to a settled, predominantly young playing squad. However, there are a couple of key areas needing improvement. 24-year-old Marumo Gallants midfield general Masindi Nemtajela is seen as a natural successor to the impressive but ageing Makhehlene Makhaula. The all-action schemer claimed a goal, two assists and four yellow cards in 17 league outings last term. Who's your top pick to become the new Pirates boss? Let us know by leaving a comment below or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Also, subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.


The South African
13 hours ago
- The South African
Kaizer Chiefs transfers: Ighodaro, Mokwana, new left-back
Kaizer Chiefs have several potential deals simmering in the background. Here's a wrap of the latest rumours. Etiosa Ighodaro is an option in the striking department. Meanwhile, Chiefs want to sign a pair of SuperSport stars, including left-back Aphiwe Baliti. According to journalist Siya Gijana , Chiefs are taking a look at SuperSport United's Aphiwe Baliti. The 23-year-old played 15 league matches for Matsatsantsa last term and can also operate at right-back. ICYMI: Chiefs release three players, including two academy stars According to Soccer-Laduma , Russian side Baltika have stolen a march on Kaizer Chiefs and made a proposal to sign Etiosa Oghodaro. The 23-year-old Nigerian scored five times in the league last term for AmaZulu, on loan from Mamelodi Sundowns. The promising marksman is valued at R28.5 million by transfermarkt. Click for the story Bafana Bafana and Esperance winger Elias Mokwana wants to continue in North Africa, according to his agent. In 34 matches across domestic league, Champions League and cup competitions, Mokwana has scored six goals and supplied four assists this term. Latest on Mokwana Bafana Bafana winger Elias Mokwana Image via @ on X Is Elias Mokwana on your wish list? Let us know by leaving a comment below or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Also, subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.