PARIS — There will be a new name on the men’s singles trophy at Roland Garros on Sunday when Carlos Alcaraz takes on Alexander Zverev in the 2024 French Open final.
Alcaraz has already won the US Open and Wimbledon, so a win on Sunday would complete a hat-trick of Grand Slams on each surface. For Zverev, this is his second Grand Slam final, after losing the US Open final to Dominic Thiem in 2020.
For a long time this trophy was in the grip of Rafael Nadal, as the Spaniard won the Coupe des Mousquetaires 14 times. Novak Djokovic has won it three times here, with Roger Federer winning it in 2009. But there is a new generation coming through, and for a long time, Alcaraz was the next man on clay.
He reached the quarterfinals here in 2022 — losing to Zverev — and then the semifinals last year, where he fell to Djokovic. Last year, his performance was hampered by severe cramps, but that’s something he’s learned to deal with. He entered the French Open with concerns about his right arm, an injury that caused him to miss some clay-court swings. In the opening rounds, by his own admission, he couldn’t use his forehand 100%, but as the rounds faltered, Alcaraz’s durability improved.
He saw off the likes of Sebastian Korda, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas on his journey to the quarter-finals, where he met world number one Jannik Sinner. Both players struggled in the semifinals, but after five sets, it was Alcaraz who advanced.
“You have to find joy in suffering, that’s the key,” he said after the win over Sinner.
For Zverev, his journey began with the toughest possible task: facing Nadal in the first round. He got through it in straight sets and then beat David Goffin but needed five sets to dispatch Talon Griksboer and Holger Röhn. But he was in ruthless form against Alex De Minaur in the quarter-finals and then crashed out in a tough draw with Casper Ruud in the semi-finals.
“Some of my worst and best memories are there [Philippe Chatrier] “I will do my best on Sunday,” Zverev said.
While Zverev was playing at Roland Garros, a trial was taking place in his native Germany, where his ex-girlfriend accused him of domestic violence. It was announced on Friday that Zverev had agreed to an out-of-court settlement with the woman.
“Alcohol enthusiast. Twitter ninja. Tv lover. Falls down a lot. Hipster-friendly coffee geek.”