NEW DELHI:
Carlos Alcaraz
secured his place in the 2023
French Open final
after a gruelling five-set victory over
Jannik Sinner
. This achievement marks his first final appearance at
Roland Garros
, a tournament holding special significance for the young Spaniard.
Furthermore, his victory against Sinner secured his place in Grand Slam finals on all three surfaces – clay, grass (Wimbledon), and hard courts (US Open) – a feat achieved at a younger age than any other male player in
tennis
history.
Alcaraz has openly expressed his admiration for the tournament and its rich history, particularly the dominance of his compatriot,
Rafael Nadal
.
"Well, I have a special feeling to this tournament, because I remember when I finished school I'm running to my home just to put the TV on and watch the matches here in the French Open," said the youngster.
He views the
French Open
as an opportunity to etch his name alongside Spanish tennis legends like Nadal, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya, and Albert Costa, all previous champions at Roland Garros.
Beyond the allure of a maiden French Open title, Alcaraz harboured ambitions of becoming a versatile champion across all court surfaces, saying, "Well, I always wanted to be one of the best players in the world. If I want to be one of the best players in the world, I have to be a good player in every surface, like Roger (Federer) did, Novak (Djokovic), Rafa, (Andy) Murray".
Alcaraz believes his playing style is adaptable to different court surfaces as he added, "I think my game suits very well to the clay, to clay season, to the clay court, as well. So I just wanted to be a good player in every surface."
While acknowledging this historic achievement, Alcaraz remains focused on the immediate challenge ahead: the French Open final. "Honestly, before the final it's something that I really don't want to think about, but obviously that means that I'm playing good tennis on every surface, that is something that I really wanted to do when I started in the tour," said Alcaraz.
(Inputs from Reuters)
English (US) ·