Carlos Alcaraz Achieves Historic Fifth Grand Slam Victory at Roland Garros

Carlos Alcaraz Makes Tennis History

In a remarkable match, Carlos Alcaraz etched his name deeper into tennis lore by securing his fifth Grand Slam title at Roland Garros on June 8. This victory came after an extraordinary comeback against Jannik Sinner. With this win, the young Spanish player matched Rafael Nadal's record of five Grand Slam titles at the age of 22 years, 1 month, and 3 days, the same age Nadal was when he won his fifth major at Wimbledon in 2008.

Alcaraz Honors Rafael Nadal as His Role Model

Reflecting on his achievement, Alcaraz expressed that it felt like a moment of 'destiny' and showed great admiration for Nadal, whom he regards as an idol and a source of inspiration. He stated that this milestone is something he will cherish forever, taking pride in sharing it with the most successful champion of the French Open. Alcaraz remarked, 'The coincidence of winning my fifth Grand Slam at the same age as Rafael Nadal, I’m going to say that’s destiny.' He added, 'It’s a huge honor.'

Epic Five-Hour Match at Roland Garros

The final was a grueling contest lasting 5 hours and 29 minutes, where Alcaraz staged a comeback after being two sets down. Sinner had three championship points in the third set, but Alcaraz found another gear, ultimately winning the match with scores of 4–6, 6–7 (4), 6–4, 7–6 (3), 7–6 (10–2), marking one of the most thrilling finals in French Open history. Alcaraz commented, 'The match points were not great points. I saved match points, it’s great but the points were not good.'

Support from the Crowd and Key Moments

Alcaraz credited his comeback to the energy from the crowd at Roland Garros, especially during the critical moments of the final set. He noted that the pivotal moment came at 6-5 in the fifth set when Sinner appeared to have the upper hand. Alcaraz managed to withstand the pressure and pushed the game into a super tie-breaker, where he took charge to clinch a historic win. 'Without them, it would have been impossible to come back,' he stated. 'At the start of the third set, everything was going his way. I had to erase those thoughts and fight.'