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2004 feels like a long time ago – partly because the world has changed a lot since then, but mainly because, er … it is? Which makes it all the more mind-boggling that it was also the last time we had a French Open final that didn’t include him, him or him – award yourself the reward 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.
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And a further treat is all yours if you can recall that the following year, it was Mariano Puerta – yes that’s the Mariano Puerta – losing to 19-year-old debutant Rafael Nadal. Now, though, we’ve an entirely different set of dynastic hopefuls – the Alcaraz-Sinner semi felt like epochal change – two of whom will annihilate themselves for our delectation this afternoon.
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Alcaraz is one of the most compelling entertainers our sport has ever seen, a good vibes John McEnroe with joy and love wafting from every pore. But make no mistake: much as we’d all love to cuddle him, he remains an absolute killer, his artist’s imagination backed up by the exhibition viciousness of a ninja’s forehand and and the certainty that when he needs to get it done, he can.
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Alexander Zverev, on the other hand, was lucky enough to face “only” Dominic Thiem in his only other major final and went up two sets … then lost in a fifth-set tiebreak. He’s improved a lot since then, though, his first serve and backhand two of the best shots in the game, and retains unbelievable belief in his ability despite a dicky second serve and forehand.
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Alcaraz, though, is particularly brilliant with his forehand cross-court and forehand inside-in, shots perfect for attacking his opponent’s weak wing, and if he keeps the head the likelihood is he gets it done. But no player boasting weapons as damaging as Zverev’s can be discounted, so it’s les yeux baissés for what could be the first of many classics.
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Play: 2.30pm local, 1.30pm BST
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Important Events
It’s worth noting that Alcaraz learned a lot mentally during his loss to Djokovic in last year’s semifinals. He lost the first set 6-1 in last year’s Wimbledon final and 6-2 in Friday’s semifinal. If Zverev starts well he has a chance, but it’s rare for him to come back from behind to win, and that aspect of the match was very much present.
oh! Tim Henman bought the aforementioned JP McEnroe a Roland Garros ’84 T-shirt, the match in which McEnroe lost to Ivan Lendl despite leading 2-0 in the final. McEnroe would no doubt return the favour by coming to SW19 with his Wimbledon gear from 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Let’s get back to the game. Resident coach Calv Betton Here are some thoughts: “There’s not much to analyse tactically and it’s a final so Zverev is likely to lose. Alcaraz could win if he’s not under pressure again but I don’t think so. He’s too strong for Zverev. Zverev can only beat him when he crumbles, like when I think he got injured in Australia or when he kept missing forehands in the middle of the court at RG2022, when he doesn’t usually make mistakes.”
Already today: Coco Gauff and Katerina Siniakova defeated Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini (remember them?) 7-6 (5), 6-3 to win the women’s doubles title.
preamble
Hello everyone and welcome to the final tournament of the 2024 French Open!
2004 feels like a long time ago. That’s partly because the world has changed so much since then, but mostly because, um… right? That was the French Open final. he, he or he – If you immediately think, “Of course,” give yourself a treat of your choice.Gastón Gaudio defeated Guillermo Coria 8-6 in the fifth set after losing the first two sets 0-6, 3-6.
And it gets even sweeter when you remember that Mariano Puerta won the tournament the following year. of Mariano Puerta – Lost to 19-year-old newcomer Rafael Nadal. But we now have a whole different set of dynasty prospects. The Alcaraz-Sinner semifinal felt like a groundbreaking change. Two of them will be wiped out for our entertainment this afternoon.
Alcaraz is one of the most engaging entertainers our sports world has ever seen, with a John McEnroe-like good vibe where joy and love waft from every pore, but don’t get me wrong: as much as we want to hug him, he’s an absolute killer, his artistic imagination backed by the ferocity of his exhibitions like a ninja forehand, and the confidence that he can do it when he needs to.
Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev had the good fortune of playing the “one and only” Dominic Thiem in his only major final, leading by two sets before losing in a fifth-set tiebreak. But he has improved a lot since then, his first serve and backhand are two of the best shots in tennis, and he retains incredible confidence in his abilities despite his poor second serve and forehand.
However, Alcaraz has a particularly good forehand crosscourt and forehand inside-in, perfect shots to attack his opponent’s weaker wing, and if he can keep the header he is likely to be successful. But a player boasting as devastating an arsenal as Zverev cannot be ignored, so this is the payoff from what could be the first of many great matches.
Kick-off time: 2:30pm local time, 1:30pm BST
