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Key events
*Zverev 3-6 Alcaraz At all 15, Alcaraz finds himself blocked at the net, somehow inducing a pickup up the middle that drops deep and offers no angle. However, the rebound should not have hit the net, but here we are; Alcaraz, however, hits a forehand for 30-all. No matter: Zverev already looks out of options so he tries to attack, the problem is that his forehand isn’t up to scratch, and when one goes long it’s set point… and a lovely shoulder-high crosscourt forehand and sideline break, delivers a set so one-sided you wonder how the momentum can be reversed. Alcaraz knows he has the measure of his man and there could easily be nothing left of Zverev’s forehand at the end of this match.
Zverev 3-5 Alcaraz* A great hit from Zverev at all 15… for all it’s worth, Alcaraz stretches into a luscious volley winner. A confident volley – backhand, jump, drop – then makes it 40-15 and after a fantastic rally from behind, it’s Zverev whose forehand catches the cord and flies wide. Alcaraz is really enjoying this while his opponent looks stressed.
“I’m glad Zverev reached the final, if only because he holds Nadal’s record of only being beaten at Roland Garros by players who have reached the final,” wrote Gregory Phillips. “He deserves this. Still, I hope Alcaraz wins here. Watching him in full flow is a joy, as it was with Nadal and Federer. I don’t have that feeling from the Zverev/Medvedev/Tsitsipas generation that was supposed to take over.”
No, I agree – they are good, but not good enough, like Dimitrov and others. And I also agree that the way Alcaraz plays and acts makes him compelling – although if Tsitsipas only had a two-handed backhand, we could say the same about him. The first time I saw him play in the futures I thought he was a superstar, but so far his game isn’t quite up to par with his hair or his English.
*Zverev 3-4 Alcaraz Again, Alcaraz makes it 0-15 and he quickly pulls Zverev for a drop that can’t be made and goes back over the net; he’s having fun now. But even as Zverev punishes a forehand down the line to halve the deficit, Alcaraz changes pace and height, sending a crazy backhand – so Zverev, perhaps feeling his ego pricked, returns in kind… only to keep the effort going you are. It’s up two points for the double break and Alcaraz does really well to stay in the contest, then when he has his man standing in the goal, he drops the pass that looks inevitable…and it happens again, Alcaraz makes his way to the main position, just to do the same. A great ace out then gives the advantage and another error then provides a colossal hold that keeps the set alive.
Zverev 2-4 Alcaraz* Zverev has arguably the best serve in the game and Alcaraz took it twice – without reaching his highest level or anything close to it. However, now he is losing, consolidating to 15, and his opponent is already struggling for ideas, lacking the creativity, flexibility and agility that is on the other side of the net.
*Zverev 2-3 Alcaraz Zverev went long after that at the net and although he did well to hold on for another long serve after a good return turned his momentum, Alcaraz’s pressure forced an unforced error and a big, flat forehand towards the corner found his opponent’s match; he ditches it and it’s a break for love! Forehand consistency is the main difference between these two, although in the joint announcements, Tim Henman noted that all three breaks came from the same side and Alcaraz will soon look to consolidate from there.
Zverev 2-2 Alcaraz* Now Zverev is playing with his serve, there is little pressure on Alcaraz, who makes it 30-0 only to find the forehand more than he can handle. But a big serve down the T facilitates an overhead that does just about enough, and when Zverev sends it wide with a very presentable return, he somehow works out an angle to send it cross-court down the lane for a delightful winner. Now we’re warming up.
*Zverev 2-1 Alcaraz Zverev is in it now, making it 40-0 in short order – the ace that gets him there is his 65th in two weeks – and when Alcaraz hits a backhand, he’s up for 15.
Zverev 1-1 Alcaraz* Hit forehand gives 0-15, double 0-30. But then Alcaraz lands a big backhand and when Zverev comes in, he doesn’t have the volleys to complete the takedown. No matter: a bad drop allows him to make it 15-40, Alcaraz saves the first break point when the return flies wide, but then he swings a backhand wide himself and the break back comes immediately.
*Zverev 0-1 Alcaraz (*denotes server) We mentioned earlier that Alcaraz has the form to start games slowly – perhaps that’s why he chooses to receive. And doubling… followed by another… makes this a decent decision. I said earlier that Zverev looked nervous and he stops to exchange rackets, because of course it can’t be his fault. Still, the ability to blame external factors and believe in yourself is quite useful when it comes to success in elite sport, and an ace followed by a service winner makes it 30-all. From there we get to deuce as Zverev misses a forehand down the line and a magnificent volley, a backhand on the stretch, a ball sent across the face of the net earns Alcaraz a break point. What a start to the match – Zverev’s serve attempt was no joke, by the way – but on a second attack serve, Alcaraz surged forward and finished the point with a beautiful inside-out forehand to the corner. What a start!
Zverev to serve and … plays.
“It’s a shame Sinner Alcaraz couldn’t be the final,” says Kerit Britland. “It’s a straight set win for Carlitos. Zverev has no weapons and suffers from the Gasquet complex … top 10 backhand, top 100 forehand. What’s your prediction?’
I’m going to Alcaraz in three or four, but if you insist, four. I agree that the matchup does not suit Zverev… and here are our players! Once the Chatrier is full.
Our players are tunnelled; Zverev looks tense.
Today in Paris is clear, but not sunny, so those drops might bounce a little lower. On Friday, Sinner countered them with lobs, but I’m not sure Zverev has the hands for it – but he will surely have come up with some strategy to deal with them.
So how can Zverev win? He’s been much better at hiding his forehand lately, but as discussed, Alcaraz’s forehand may have been designed to find it. So he will need to serve brilliantly – and he can – and given how many drops he will have to return, his volley should also be on point. He’s also gotten a lot better at handling overhead, but he’s still hesitant about anything that requires more dexterity, so he’ll need a great day in that aspect.
It’s worth noting that Alcaraz discovered the very mental side of things when he lost last year’s semi-final to Djokovic, lost the first set of last year’s Wimbledon final 6-1 and the first set of Friday’s semifinal 6-2. If Zverev gets off to a good start, he has a chance, but it’s rare to see an underdog come from behind and this match reeks of that aspect.
Hey! Tim Henman bought the aforementioned JP McEnroe a t-shirt from Roland Garros 84 – he lost the final to Ivan Lendl 2-0. No doubt Mac can return the favor when they get to SW19 with 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 Wimbledon gear.
Back to our match, our permanent coach Calve Beton have some thoughts: “There’s not much tactical analysis and there’s also a good chance that Zverev will limit it as it’s the final. Alcaraz will win if he doesn’t feel the pressure again, which I don’t think he will. He’s too good for Zverev – Zverev only beats him when he breaks down, like in Australia when I think he was injured and at RG 2022 when he kept missing mid-court forehands, which he never does.”
Already today: Coco Gauff and Katerina Siniakova won the women’s doubles, defeating Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini – remember her? – 7-6(5) 6-3.
Preamble
Salut tout le monde and bienvenue à Roland-Garros 2024 – le finale hommes!
2004 seems like a long time ago – partly because the world has changed a lot since then, but mainly because, uh… has it? Which makes it all the more mind-blowing that it was also the last time we had French Open Championship a final that did not include him, him or him – award yourself the award of your choice if you immediately thought yes of course Gastón Gaudio beat Guillermo Coria 8-6 in the fifth after losing the first two sets 0-6 3-6.
And another treat for you if you remember that next year it was Mariano Puerta – yes, that’s it on Mariano Puerta – loss to 19-year-old debutant Rafael Nadal. Now, though, we have an entirely different set of dynastic hopefuls – Alcaraz-The-Sinner felt like an epochal change – two of whom will self-destruct for our enjoyment this afternoon.
Alcaraz is one of the most compelling entertainers our sport has ever seen, a good-natured John McEnroe with joy and love oozing from every pore. But make no mistake: as much as we want to coddle him, he remains an absolute killer, his artistic imagination supported by the demonstrative brutality of a ninja forehand and the certainty that when he has to, he can.
Alexander Zverev, on the other hand, was fortunate to face “only” Dominic Thiem in his only other major final and won two sets… before losing in a fifth-set tiebreak. However, he has improved a lot since then, his first serve and backhand are two of the best shots in the game, and he retains incredible faith in his abilities despite a poor second serve and forehand.
Alcaraz, however, is particularly brilliant with the crosscourt forehand and inside-in forehand, shots ideal for attacking his opponent’s weak wing, and if he keeps his head he is likely to do so. But no player boasting weapons as damaging as Zverev’s can be dismissed, so it’s les yeux baissés for what could be the first of many classics.
Play: 14:30 local time, 13:30 BST
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