Carlos Alcaraz on course to smash Nadal, Djokovic and Federer record with epic French Open title win
Carlos Alcaraz has now won three Grand Slam titles
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Carlos Alcaraz is on the verge of becoming the youngest-ever men's player to win the Career Grand Slam after coming back from 2-1 down against Alexander Zverev to win the French Open title.
Roland Garros has been dominated by the 'Big Three' since 2005 with Stan Wawrinka (2015) the only player not named Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic to win the claycourt slam.
But Djokovic's withdrawal from the tournament ahead of his quarter-final against Casper Ruud meant a new champion would be crowned at the French Open.
Alcaraz had been struggling for form on clay going into Roland Garros, but he found momentum at the major and impressive straight-set wins over Sebastian Korda, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas saw the Spaniard regain his best form.
Carlos Alcaraz has now won three Grand Slam titles
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He saved his best for the hotly-anticipated semi-final with No 2 seed Jannik Sinner as he came back from 2-1 down in sets to win another epic match between the two rivals.
That set up a mouthwatering final against the in-form Zverev, who was on a 12-match winning streak after lifting the Italian Open last month.
There was nothing to separate either of them in the opening two sets before Zverev took the all-important third set for a 2-1 lead.
Alcaraz was making a large number of unforced errors and appeared unhappy with the surface as he was heard complaining to the umpire.
But that appeared to spark the 21-year-old into life in the fourth set as he stepped on the gas and won 6-1 to set up a decider.
Alcaraz used that momentum from the fourth set to take the lead in the fifth with an early break of serve.
Zverev threatened to break back immediately with a tight call going in favour of Alcaraz before consolidating the break to take a 3-1 lead.
The German tennis star had more chances to break in the sixth game, but Alcaraz held firm before creating three huge break opportunities of his own in the seventh.
He needed just one to break to love, leaving him serving for the championship.
Rafael Nadal was 24 when he won the Career Grand Slam in 2010 at the US Open
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And the young Spaniard made no mistake on serve with Zverev unable to return a wicked cross-court forehand to seal his third major title.
Alcaraz is now just an Australian Open title away from completing the Career Grand Slam and has Rafael Nadal's record in his sights.
The 14-time Roland Garros champion is currently the youngest male tennis player to win the Career Grand Slam after doing so at age of 24 at the 2010 US Open.
Roger Federer was 27 years old when he completed the Career Grand Slam in 2009 at the French Open while both Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi were 29 when they reached the milestone.
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Alexander Zverev was on a 12-match winning streak
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Alcaraz will still be just 21 years old when next year's Australian Open takes place and he'll have two more years after that to break Nadal's record.
The Spaniard will not have an easy ride though on a surface he's struggled on so far in his young career.
He lost in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Australian Open to Zverev and he could only manage the third and second round in his two other previous appearances.
But time is on Alcaraz's side to clinch the major title Down Under and go one better than Nadal, Djokovic or Federer could do in becoming the youngest male player to win all for Grand Slams.
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