Alcaraz dresses up for Christmas and wins Roland Garros with an impossible comeback

BarcelonaRoland Garros now has a new champion. Everything seemed set for a natural change of pace among Spaniards on Centre Court Philippe-Chatrier, with Carlos Alcaraz taking the Manacor native's place. And so it turned out, although at times it seemed Jannik Sinner would kick the ball out of the way. Alcaraz defended the title he won a year ago against Zverev in a beautiful final in which he even saved three match points. Just when everything seemed decided in Sinner's favor, the Murcian dressed up for Christmas with one of those comebacks that seems illogical. The trophy was already ready to be presented to the world number 1, who was hoping to become the first Italian to win in Paris since Adriano Panatta in 1976. He'll have to wait. Alcaraz rose from the ashes and, in a show of pride, won his fifth Grand Slam tournament at the same age Nadal had achieved it (4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6). He has yet to lose a Grand Slam final. He's won them all.

The final closed a tournament that had begun with a well-deserved tribute to Rafa Nadal a few weeks ago. The player from Manacor had unveiled a small plaque with his name and imprint on center court, a plaque that players see when they enter the field. As if it were a reminder of who has ruled the show the most times here, of who has best dominated the clay of the French capital. But time is cruel. Those who have enchanted in the past are relegated to the history books once they retire, as it's time to make room for the new generations. It's the triumph of life, which gives way to the young. And what a pair they are. Two players "who will be sick of winning" in the coming years, in the words of Novak Djokovic, defeated in three sets by Sinner in the semifinals. The Italian is 23, and the Murcian is 22. Two players who have revolutionized the circuit in recent years, and have managed to make crying over Federer, Nadal, and soon Djokovic leave less painful. The final pitted two youngsters who had yet to lose a Grand Slam final: Alcaraz had won all four he'd played, and Sinner, the three he'd made it to the top. One of the two was destined to lose for the first time.

Sinner arrived with some frightening numbers: he hadn't lost a single set in Paris. After a three-month doping ban, the South Tyrolean player had been paving the way for a return to the courts. And he was returning to a schedule dominated by clay. Sinner feels more comfortable on a fast court, as was evident in the Rome final a few weeks ago, when Alcaraz easily defeated him. But Sinner is cool and hard-working. He has no Mediterranean joy; he's a native of Tyrol, a German-speaking Italian. He seems closer to the Federer school. He studies his opponents, considers what to do, and plays confidently. He dominates the court, hits hard, and misses rarely. Alcaraz, however, is more explosive. He wins most of the spectacular points, running around the court and bursting the ball. From the start, the best winning points were the Murcian's trademark, but he also wasted too many break points off his serve. And Sinner won the first set 6-4, making few errors. Without being overly expressive and without losing focus.

Alcaraz lives with the pressure of knowing that everyone expects him to never lose. He himself admitted that sometimes he loses focus. More than once, he's needed to go partying in Ibiza or hidden away in Disneyland after a defeat because he feels the pressure. And he still doesn't feel like he has to be one of those who lives only for tennis. He arrived in Paris amid debates about his personality, with great players like Verdasco and Moyà saying they think he won't be able to follow in Navidad's footsteps if he doesn't try harder. And it's true that when he tried to pick up the pace in the second set, he started to fail. He tried to adjust the ball and it just wouldn't work. And I was watching how Sinner, increasingly more accurate, scored the 5-2. However, Alcaraz never gave up and held on to the match, reaching the tie-break with a saving service break. But Sinner hit back at him. tie break, dominating it with some ease to get to 2-0.

Carlos Alcaraz was playing without a safety net. break to stay alive. Although Sinner returned the break to make it 5-4 with a serve in his favor, it was the Murcian who took the third set, returning the blow with a white serve in Alcaraz, prolonging the final and making his fans dream of what Nadal used to do when he was losing everything. The Italian didn't seem affected by this and punished Alcaraz with his coolness. break that he was looking for.

But Alcaraz always reacts when he's against the ropes and with 5-3 in favor of Sinner, he saved three match points with 0-40 on serve. And then he would get the break which allowed him to go to the tie break, in which Sinner began to doubt. He couldn't quite get Alcaraz out of the match, who had more lives than a cat. When the Murcian won the fourth set, everyone knew there was no escape: he was going to be the champion, although Sinner continued to fight with character in the fifth set, coming back from 5-4 down to stay alive. But the wind was already blowing in favor of a player who would win in the tie-break With force (10-2). A man who plays with his heart, while Sinner strives for perfection. One wants to have everything calculated, while the other doesn't understand logic. In fact, he likes to go against logic to win games like this one.