From stress to serenity – how Swiatek won 'surreal' fifth major
French Open winner Iga Swiatek’s aura at Roland Garros is becoming so great that she is being dubbed the ‘Queen of Clay’ – and tipped for a career Grand Slam.
French Open winner Iga Swiatek’s aura at Roland Garros is becoming so great that she is being dubbed the ‘Queen of Clay’ – and tipped for a career Grand Slam.
Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic won the Roland Garros men’s doubles title on Saturday in just their second major as a team. The Salvadoran-Croatian duo defeated Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 7-5, 6-3 in the final after knocking out top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in Friday’s semis.
The 30-year-old Pavic completed the Golden Slam — winning all four majors along with Olympic gold — with the triumph. Pavic joines Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut as the only active men’s players to win all four doubles Grand Slams.
“It feels special,” the Croatian said during an emotional trophy speech. “I want to say a special thanks to Marcelo for bringing me here to the top. He knows how it’s done, a few years ago he won it. First time [at Roland Garros] obviously, so I feel very happy.”
Too sweet 🥰
What a win, what a moment 👏@rolandgarros | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/GEBPsGXsNR
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 8, 2024
Arevalo, 33, won his lone previous major crown two years ago in Paris alongside Jean-Julien Rojer.
“A lot of emotion,” added the Salvadoran. “I want to thank Mate for trusting me, for believing in me to fight together. Two crazy weeks, a lot of tough matches… We did it together, man. I’m really happy and the second title here feels special.”
[ATP APP]The Paris title is the third tour-level crown for the new duo this season after triumphs in Hong Kong and Geneva. Having first teamed up at the start of 2024, they improved to 27-10 as a team this fortnight. The champions lost just one set en route to the title, the opener against Granollers and Zeballos in the semis.
In the final, they converted on all three of their break points while saving six of seven break points against them, according to Infosys Stats. The victory moved Arevalo and Pavic up to second place in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, just 50 points behind Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden in first.
Bolelli and Vavassori, who fell to 0-3 against their final opponents this season, have reached the title round at both Grand Slams to start 2024. They are in fourth place in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Carlos Alcaraz aims to become another Spanish French Open winner when he faces Germany’s Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s men’s final.
The first thing Carlos Alcaraz did when leaving the court after more than four hours of tennis was spend 20 minutes on an exercise bike to start his recovery. The second, of course, was to look at his telephone and find mountains of messages congratulating him on his win against Jannik Sinner to progress to his first final at Roland Garros, and his third in a Grand Slam tournament.
When he stopped pedalling, the No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings spent some time switching between cold and hot baths before finally eating something to continue to reset his body after his demanding encounter with the Italian, whom he now leads 5-4 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
Alcaraz then appeared in the press conference room to answer journalists’ questions for almost half an hour, before doing TV interviews and heading to his hotel to rest and start thinking about the last step ahead of him.
“It was a very tough match, but I’m very happy to have come through it and to have learned from the situations I’ve faced so far,” the 21-year-old said. “They’re moments in which I didn’t do well mentally and they took their toll… Today, I changed that. I was positive all the time, I was strong mentally and I didn’t get down at any point. To me, I’m proud to know that I’m not making the same mistakes twice.”
Alcaraz did not directly say so, but his words hinted at a new direction; the semi-final match he lost to Novak Djokovic in 2023, where he was caught off guard by cramp after winning the second set as a result of the stress of the encounter. It is obvious that the Spaniard made a conscious effort to overcome a similar situation one year on from the episode against the Serbian, on the same court and at the same tournament.
“It wasn’t easy playing this match against Jannik,” Alcaraz admitted. “He demands a very high level mentally, physically and in terms of tennis throughout the entire match. Maintaining those three things for four hours is not at all easy. Even less so on clay.
“[There is] a lot of heat, long rallies, shots you have to put a lot of energy into… but in the end you have to deal with those situations and those kinds of moments. It’s what the match required; a change of tactics, of positions. [It was] back and forth, [you have to] work with the tiredness and the cramps of both players or the mental level. I’m very happy to be in the final.”
Alcaraz explained that he did not believe this was “an expected final” for him.
“Sunday will be a really tough match,” Alcaraz said. “I’ll have to fight for it and play very well if I want to win. Today was a great victory, but it wasn’t an expected final for me.”
[ATP APP]That final, in any case, will bring back memories for the Spaniard of a tournament that has been very special to him since he was a boy.
“Before I was a professional, I’d only come to Roland Garros once,” Alcaraz recalled. “I experienced this tournament when I was 11 or 12. I came to play an Under-11 or Under-12 tournament that they had on a court by the Eiffel Tower, and it was an amazing moment because I met so many players. I was there with Holger and a lot of other players.
“I would leave school and run home to plug the TV in and watch Roland Garros matches. It’s a very special tournament for me that I’ve been watching since I was little. And it’s a tournament where Spanish players have been very successful. We’re used to Rafa [Nadal], but there were other Spaniards before him that did big things. So I want to leave my mark, add my name to that list.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev have made a habit of meeting on the game’s biggest stages, but never has more been on the line than in Sunday’s Roland Garros final. The pair has contested nine previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings, with each of the past seven at either a Grand Slam, an ATP Masters 1000 or the Nitto ATP Finals.
The fourth-seeded Zverev is the underdog in the Paris final, but he leads the series 5-4, including recent wins last season in Turin and this year at the Australian Open. Alcaraz has won two of their three clay meetings, winning twice in Madrid but losing in the 2022 Roland Garros quarter-finals.
“We had very tough battles in the past,” Zverev said of the third-seeded Spaniard. “It’s going to be a difficult match. It is a Grand Slam final. If you’re in a Grand Slam final, you deserve to be there. That goes for both of us. I think both of is are expecting a tough battle.”
While both players will be competing in their first Roland Garros title match, both can draw upon a wealth of big-match experience. Alcaraz is 2-0 in major finals (2022 US Open, 2023 Wimbledon) and 5-1 in ATP Masters 1000 finals. Zverev, an Olympic gold medalist, is 2-0 in title matches at the Nitto ATP Finals (2018, 2021) and 6-5 in finals at the Masters 1000s — including a triumph in Rome last month.
“Sascha, he’s playing great tennis on clay,” Alcaraz said before the German’s four-set semi-final victory against Casper Ruud. “Big serve, big shots, really solid. It’s going to be a really interesting final.”
Zverev’s run to the final included an escape from a double break down in the fifth set against 26th seed Tallon Griekspoor in the third round, a comeback from two sets to one down against 13th seed Holger Rune in the fourth round and a fightback from one set down against two-time finalist Ruud in Friday’s semis. Alcaraz cruised into the semis with the loss of just one set, but twice battled back from a set down against Jannik Sinner in a five-set win on Friday.
“It was a really close match,” said the Spaniard, who overcame cramp against the incoming World No. 1. “I think [it was] a really high level of tennis, really high intensity of everything.”
[ATP APP]The victory showcased Alcaraz’s growth since physical issues derailed him in last season’s Roland Garros semi-finals against Novak Djokovic: “I’m stronger mentally. I knew how to deal with these situations,” he said of his effort against Sinner.
Zverev also overcame previous semi-final disappointment to reach the championship match. He had reached the last four in each of the past three years at Roland Garros, but suffered deflating losses on each occasion. In 2021, he fell in five sets to Stefanos Tsitsipas. In 2022, he suffered a gruesome ankle injury after pushing Rafael Nadal to the limit for two sets. Last year, he exited after losing a 6-0 third set to Ruud.
The 2022 injury, as well as his 2020 US Open final defeat — in which he could not cash in on a dominant start and a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem — stick out in the German’s mind.
“There was one of two ways to come back from two situations. The first was the 2020 final of the US Open and obviously the injury that I had two years ago,” he said. “You either come back stronger and you come back hungrier, you come back wanting to win more, which I feel like I did in 2021… Or you kind of go into yourself. You drop mentally a bit, as well. I’m happy that I was the sort of person that took the first path.”
Now with another chance at Grand Slam glory, Zverev will hope to ride his stellar serving and his rock-solid backhand to the title. After grinding out wins in slow conditions early in the tournament, Zverev won 86 per cent of his first-serve points in the semis, according to Infosys Stats. He hit 19 aces and faced just three break points across four sets.
While Alcaraz’s serve is not as lethal at the German’s, the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings has improved his delivery throughout his young career. The kick serve that was so effective against Sinner may inflict less damage on the 6-foot-6 Zverev, but Alcaraz may be more comfortable in the rallies against the German. In particular, Alcaraz’s heavy forehand, which has been jumping in the hotter Paris conditions, could pose problems when directed cross-court at Zverev’s forehand — a bellwether shot for the 27-year-old that has come and gone this fortnight.
Zverev has shown great patience all tournament, both within individual points and in marathon matches. Alcaraz has also displayed good shot tolerance, but has been more eager to attack early in rallies.
The youngest man to reach a Grand Slam final on all three surfaces at 21, the well-rounded Alcaraz will rely on his famous formula — brains, heart and courage — in a bid to join Spanish legends like Rafael Nadal and coach Juan Carlos Ferrero on the list of Roland Garros champions. Zverev is bidding to become the first German man to win the Paris crown in the Open Era.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev will meet on Sunday in the Roland Garros final.
Alcaraz is a two-time major champion, having triumphed at the US Open in 2022 and Wimbledon in 2023. Zverev is a two-time Nitto ATP Finals titlist pursuing his maiden Slam trophy.
[ATP APP]Who will lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires on Court Philippe-Chatrier? Make your selection below!
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
Britain’s Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid win the men’s wheelchair doubles final at the French Open for a fifth successive year.
Iga Swiatek achieves the rare feat of a third successive French Open title after a comprehensive win over Jasmine Paolini.
Last season, one of the most highly anticipated matches of the year was the Roland Garros semi-final clash between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. The Spaniard battled to take the second set and level the clash, but cramp prevented him from providing much resistance the rest of the way.
The 21-year-old said after defeating Jannik Sinner in a thrilling five-set semi-final Friday that he again suffered from cramp. But this time, the No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings rallied from two sets to one down to reach his first final at the clay-court major.
“The cramps in this match, it wasn’t as much here as last year. But, yeah, I’m going to say I’m stronger mentally. I knew how to deal with these situations,” Alcaraz said. “I knew that the cramps are going to [go] away if I stay there. I know everything what I have to do [in] the situation.
“But the cramping, I knew that I had to stay there. I knew that probably I had to make shorter the points. So I knew much better how to do it this year than last year.”
With his victory, Alcaraz became the youngest player to reach a major final on clay, hard and grass. He has already lifted the trophy on hard at the US Open and grass at Wimbledon.
“It’s something great. Breaking new records for me is great, great success for me,” Alcaraz said. “Honestly, before the final it’s something that I really don’t want to think about it, but obviously that means that, as I said, I’m playing good tennis on every surface. That is something that I really wanted to do when I started on the Tour.
“So it’s a great feeling, but right now, I don’t want to think about it.”
Alcaraz revealed that it is unlikely fans will see him spending too much time on the practice court tomorrow if he spends any time there at all.
“Tomorrow I’m going to walk around. I mean, I don’t know if I’m going to go to the court. I have to just be with my team and discuss about tomorrow,” Alcaraz said. “If I’m going to practise, if I’m not going to step here in the club. I’m probably go to somewhere just to have a walk. I don’t know.
“I remember in the US Open final or [at the] US Open, the last three rounds I didn’t practise the day before, so I just walked around and all that stuff, so probably I’m going to do the same.”
[ATP APP]The Spanish star will physically and mentally prepare for his championship match on Sunday against Alexander Zverev. Alcaraz is three sets away from claiming his third major trophy.
“I have a special feeling [with] this tournament, because I remember when I finished school I [would be] running to my home just to put the TV on and watch the matches here in the French Open,” Alcaraz recalled. “I watched a lot of matches. Of course Rafa Nadal dominating this tournament for, let’s say, 14, 15 years. It’s something unbelievable.
“I wanted to put my name on that list of the Spanish players who won this tournament. Not only Rafa. Ferrero, Moya, Costa, a lot of Spanish players, legends from our sport that won this tournament, I really want to put my name on that list, as well.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]After a disappointing loss to Alexander Zverev in the Roland Garros semi-finals, during which he was impaired by a stomach ailment, Casper Ruud explained that the issue began hindering him in the first set.
“It was a little bit unfortunate. I started well. Towards the middle, end of the first set, I started feeling some discomfort, an ache in my stomach. So I wasn’t able to keep the intensity and the energy level up. It was something that was bothering me, just kind of limiting me,” Ruud said. “It was a pity. It’s not something I think is very serious or going to last for a long time, but something that came up in the first set.”
Ruud did not delve into the details of exactly what was wrong, but he rued that it struck on such a pivotal day. He was trying to reach his third Roland Garros final.
“I don’t have the answers now, but I just [am] disappointed that it had to be today. Why couldn’t it be yesterday or day before when I had three days off?” Ruud wondered. “So it was a bit unlucky. I was really looking forward to the match. In a way I started well, but yeah, I wasn’t able to keep it up, unfortunately.”
The good news for the 25-year-old is that despite the ailment, he advanced to at least the semi-finals of the clay-court major for the third consecutive year (two finals) and leaves Paris in third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. Carlos Alcaraz could bump the Norwegian to fourth place by lifting the trophy on Sunday.
“I’m very pleased with how the season has been so far. In my game I’ve tried to make a few adjustments and improvements, and I think that they’ve come along pretty well,” Ruud said. “Still, there’s a long way to go where I feel like I’m 100 per cent satisfied, and I think that’s a good thing. I don’t feel like I’m complete yet as a player, very far from it. So I still have a lot of things to work on.
“But the season has been great, I would say, to sum it up. This result here in Paris is, in my eyes, a great result, and it was unfortunate and a pity today that it ended this way. But I consider it, let’s say, the first half of the year very good, and I’m looking forward to having some time off.”
[ATP APP]Ruud said that he will “probably watch the final” and that he believes it will be an “open one” between Alcaraz and Zverev. The Norwegian will then turn his attention to the grass-court season.
“I think it’s a very fun surface, and I have been joking a little bit about certain things before, but I think it’s a very fun surface to play on because it brings something completely different,” Ruud said. “It challenges me in a way that I think is good for my game in a way to be challenged.
“I’m really looking forward to Wimbledon. But yeah, next week I don’t think I will watch much tennis.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]