Carlos Alcaraz pulls off historic comeback, lives on the edge at Roland Garros

Time of India

2 days ago

Carlos Alcaraz (AP Photo)
Spaniard Alcaraz pulled off winners from impossible positions in the
French Open
final, finding angles where most players would only see lines
The Times of India at Roland Garros:
Juan Carlos Ferrero walked the edge with Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final. After three hours and 43 minutes of play, facing three match points, the 45-year-old felt the moment as did the full house on Court Philippe Chatrier.
At 3-5, 0-40 in the fourth set a veil of silence descended on the arena as Alcaraz was getting ready to serve. The 22-year-old looked at Ferrero, his long-time coach. 'It was like he was saying, I'm still here,' Ferrero said, 'I'm not saying that I believed he would recover from 3-5, love-40, but with Carlos everything is possible.'
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The word Ferrero was looking for was 'attitude', which when translated to body language spelt 'vamos'.
Not long after Ferrero had exited the media room, the world No. 2 — who had scripted that awe-inspiring 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) win over the world No. 1 Jannik Sinner to claim his fifth Grand Slam title — was asked if he believed he was in the match when staring down the barrel.
Poll
What aspect of Alcaraz's performance impressed you the most in the French Open final?
His ability to save match points
His powerful winners
His mental toughness
His crowd interaction
'Absolutely,' Alcaraz said. 'The match was not finished, it's one point from losing the match. A lot of times people come back from match point down in the final of Grand Slams.
I wanted to be one of those players, who saved match points in a Grand Slam final and ended up winning.'
Some of Alcaraz's winners in the business end of the fifth set as he attempted to put the finishing touches to one of the greatest fightbacks in the sport were electric, it charged the crowd, and defined the exchange. The Spaniard had 70 in the match.
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The first Grand Slam men's championship match between two players born in the 2000s made history, turning into the longest Roland Garros final on record at five hours and 29 minutes, the second longest of Major finals after the 2012 Australian Open that lasted five-hours and 53-minutes.
Alcaraz had the spectators — nearly 15,000-strong on Chatrier, including celebrities from the entertainment industry and the world of sport, young fans and seasoned spectators — gasping, thumping their palms and jumping up on their feet and screaming 'Carlitos, Carlitos, Carlitos'. The chant is fast becoming a crowd favourite wherever he plays.
The Spaniard, who won his first Major crown at the 2022 US Open as a 19-year-old, has now won at least one Slam in four consecutive seasons.
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The world No. 2, who was propelled into the contest by the energy of the crowd in the early part of the match when Sinner looked to be running away with it, thanked fans by playing his best tennis on the home stretch, the 12th game of the fifth set and the match tie-break. He pulled off winners from impossible positions, finding angles where most players would only see lines.
'I had to go for it no matter what, no matter if I was down, no matter if it was the super tiebreak,' Alcaraz said of his decision to accelerate, which was exactly what the Italian failed to do when he had the match points.
'I thought it was time to go for it, not be afraid of mistakes. That's why I (played) my best tennis in crucial moments, at 6-5 in the fifth. I still don't know how I did it. I still don't know how I saved that game.
'
At 22 years and 34 days old, Alcaraz became the third-youngest man to win five Grand Slam titles in history. He trails Bjorn Borg (22 years, 5 days) and
Rafael Nadal
(22 years, 33 days).
'The coincidence of winning my fifth Grand Slam in the same age as Rafa Nadal, I'm going to say that's destiny,' Alcaraz said.
'It is a stat I'm going to keep with me forever, winning the fifth Grand Slam at the same time as Rafa, my idol, my inspiration is a huge honour.'
Alcaraz, who became the ninth man in the Open Era to come from two sets down in a Major final, has rallied twice before from difficult situations in Grand Slam finals.
'I prefer to win in three sets,' the champion said smiling. 'But when the situation is against you, you have to keep fighting. It is a Grand Slam final, it's no time to be tired, it's no time to give up. The real champions are made in those situations when you deal with that pressure.'
Alcaraz should know.