At 21, the Spanish tennis star is already setting new records. He wants to get a special tattoo for his French Open final triumph against Alexander Zverev
In a dark suit and with the Coupe des Mousquetaires in his hands, French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz presented himself at the scene of his great triumph. The young Spaniard smiled for the photographers in the stands of the Roland Garros tennis stadium on Monday. Alcaraz won his third title in his third Grand Slam final at the age of just 21 years and one month with a 6:3, 2:6, 5:7, 6:1, 6:2 victory over German tennis star Alexander Zverev.
When asked whether he could break Serbian Novak Djokovic’s record of 24 Grand Slam tournament wins in the future, Alcaraz replied with a grin: “I don’t know. I hope so.”
However, in the two weeks at Stade Roland Garros, he had experienced again how difficult it is to achieve such a triumph at one of the four most important tennis tournaments. “And Djoko has 24 of them – that’s incredible.” He doesn’t want to look at the exact number until the end of his career, “at the moment I’m enjoying this third title.”
Marca: “Alcaraz the new king of Roland Garros “
Also because it had been his childhood dream to win the French Open just like his great role model Rafael Nadal. “When my school finished, I would run home, turn on the TV and watch the matches.”
Alcaraz has now stepped out of the big shadow of clay court king Nadal. The Spanish press in particular was full of praise for the exceptional player. “Carlos Alcaraz survives an epic final and is crowned the new king of Roland Garros”, wrote “Marca”.
The victory in Paris probably makes him “most proud”, as he had to fight the hardest for it due to his elbow injury before the start of the tournament. The reward has already been decided: a tattoo on his left ankle, “with the Eiffel Tower and today’s date”, as Alcaraz revealed after his victory in the final on Sunday.
The 21-year-old is the youngest tennis pro to win a Grand Slam title on all three surfaces – clay, grass and hard court. He had previously also won the trophy at the US Open in 2022 and at Wimbledon in 2023. Although he grew up on clay courts, he also felt comfortable on hard courts early on, explained the all-rounder. His aggressive game is also “pretty good for grass”.
