PARIS: Carlos Alcaraz called it destiny as he completed a thrilling comeback to capture his fifth Grand Slam title at the French Open on Sunday, drawing level with his childhood idol Rafael Nadal’s tally at the same age.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, long dubbed the heir to Nadal’s claycourt throne, fought back from two sets down for the first time in his career to lift the trophy in a match against world number one Jannik Sinner that he said had everything.
“The coincidence of winning my fifth Grand Slam at the same age as Rafa Nadal, I'm going to say that's destiny," Alcaraz said of equalling Nadal’s tally of five major titles at the same stage of their careers.
Nadal was one day younger when he beat Roger Federer in another final for the ages at Wimbledon in 2008 for his fifth Grand Slam title.
"It is a stat that I'm going to keep for me forever, winning the fifth Grand Slam at the same time as Rafa, my idol, my inspiration. It's a huge honour," said Alcaraz, who beat Italy's Sinner in the longest French Open final in the professional era.
In a final packed with momentum swings, blistering winners, and jaw-dropping rallies, Alcaraz credited the Paris crowd for keeping him alive.
“Without them, it would have been impossible to come back,” he said. “At the start of the third set, everything was going his way. I had to delete those thoughts from my mind and fight.”
Alcaraz praised his rival Jannik Sinner after their burgeoning rivalry offered the Roland Garros crowd. Agencies
Players who came back from two sets down to win a French Open final:
n Carlos Alcaraz - 2025 vs Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7 (7)-6, 7-6 (10/2)
n Novak Djokovic - 2021 - vs Dannil Medvedev 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
n Gauston Gaudio - 2004 - vs Guillermo Coria 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6
n Andre Agassi - 1999 - vs Andrei Medvedev 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
n Ivan Lendl - 1984 - vs John McEnroe 3-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 7-5
n Bjorn Borg - 1974 - vs Manuel Orantes 2-6, 6-7(7), 6-0, 6-1, 6-1
List of records Alcaraz set on Sunday night:
1 - Alcaraz is the first man since Federer (7) to win his first five Grand Slam Finals.
3 - The Spaniard has become the third youngest man in history to reach the milestone of winning five Grand Slams, after Bjorn Borg (21), and Rafael Nadal (22).
3 - Alcaraz is now joint-third on the all-time list with Iga Swiatek for most Grand Slam finals won without losing. Only Roger Federer (7) and Monica Seles (6) have won more Slams before losing in a major final.
3 - He also is the third man, since 1990, to win multiple ATP Masters 1000 titles on clay and the French Open trophy in a single season, following Thomas Muster in 1995 and Nadal (2005-08, 2010, 2012-13, 2017-18).
3 - Moreover, he is also the third man in Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles final after having saved match points(s) after Gaston Gaudio (French Open 2004) and Novak Djokovic (Wimbledon 2019).
4- He is the fourth man in this century to clinch a Grand Slam singles title for four consecutive years after Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic.
8 - Alcaraz is the eighth man in Open Era to successfully defend his Roland Garros title.
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