Carlos Alcaraz has opened up on how Rafael Nadal inspired him to battle back from two sets down and retain his French Open title. The young Spaniard produced the comeback of all comebacks to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Jannik Sinner spurned three championship points in the fourth set, which gave Alcaraz the momentum he needed to win.
It boiled down to a fifth-set tiebreak, with Alcaraz prevailing to secure a historic 4-6 6-7 6-4 7-6 7-6 triumph. It will almost certainly go down as the greatest French Open final in history, given the fine margins involved between the two best players in the world. It lasted five hours and 29 minutes, making it the second-longest Grand Slam finals in the Open era.
After collecting his trophy, Alcaraz revealed that he was inspired by the fighting spirit Nadal was renowned for at the peak of his powers.
He told France TV Sport: “When I was feeling worse, I had no more strength, I tried to think about Rafa, about all the comebacks he made.”
In a separate interview with Eurosport, Alcaraz explained that his grandfather’s advice was also ringing in his ears throughout the match.
“I played with my grandfather’s three Cs,” he said, referring to cabeza (head), corazon (heart) and cojones (balls). “My grandfather is proud. Cojones! After the match I played, I think I can say that.”
Expanding on his thoughts, Alcaraz added: “To put it to words was just happened is really difficult honestly. Two sets down against the No 1, with the level that he was playing.
“I just put my heart into it and tried to keep it going. Never gave up. I was just fighting. Point after point. In the end, it was all heart.”
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