In a match to remember, Carlos Alcaraz wrote his name further into tennis history after claiming his fifth Grand Slam at Roland Garros on Sunday, June 8, following an incredible comeback victory against Jannik Sinner. In this triumph, the young Spaniard equaled Rafael Nadal’s record of five Grand Slams at precisely 22 years, 1 month, and 3 days the same age with which Nadal beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2008 to win his fifth major.
Carlos Alcaraz Calls Rafael Nadal His Inspiration
Looking back at his accomplishment, Alcaraz declared that he felt it was a moment of “destiny” and showed immense respect for Nadal, hailing him as an idol and a lifelong inspiration. As mentioned by Reuters, Alcaraz termed the stat as one that he would carry with him forever, taking pride in having had such a milestone in common with the French Open’s most successful champion.
“The coincidence of winning my fifth Grand Slam at the same age as Rafael Nadal, I’m going to say that’s destiny,” Alcaraz said
“It is a stat that I’m going to keep for me forever, winning the fifth Grand Slam at the same time as Rafael, my idol, my inspiration. It’s a huge honour.”
A Comeback for the Ages: 5-Hour Battle At Roland Garros
The last itself was a titanic struggle lasting 5 hours and 29 minutes, where Alcaraz came back from being two sets behind and facing defeat. Sinner had three championship points in the third set, but Alcaraz shifted into overdrive, claiming the match 4–6, 6–7 (4), 6–4, 7–6 (3), 7–6 (10–2) in one of the most exciting French Open finals in recent history.
“The match points were not great points. I saved match points, it’s great but the points were not good,” said Alcaraz.
“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.”
Crowd Energy And Clutch Moments
Alcaraz attributed his turnaround to the crowd at Roland Garros, particularly in the tight moments of the final set. He mentioned that the turning point occurred at 6-5 in the fifth set, a moment when Sinner seemed to have everything in his favor. Alcaraz defied pressure to take the game into a super tie-breaker, where he took control to secure a historic victory.
“Without them, it would have been impossible to come back,” he said. “At the start of the third set, everything was going his way. I had to delete those thoughts from my mind and fight.”
