The number two seeded German had no chance at 3:6,1:6. For Alcaraz it was the fourth title in 2022 – after Rio de Janeiro, the Masters 1000 victory in Miami and Barcelona.
The defeated Zverev was impressed by his opponent’s performance. “I’d like to congratulate Carlitos. You’re currently the best player in the world, even if you’re only five years old (ironic, NB) you beat us all,” said the German at the award ceremony. “It’s great for tennis to see that we have such a new superstar who’s going to win so many Grand Slams and be number one.”
The Spaniard, who only turned 19 on Thursday, had previously impressed in the final with irresistible attacking tennis. Olympic champion Zverev had nothing to oppose Alcaraz, who was already described by many as a “child prodigy”. He probably wouldn’t really have any problems with the term “child”, because Alcaraz recently said that he would prefer to be called “Carlitos” or “Charlie” for non-Spanish speakers. The reason for this is that he doesn’t want to feel like an adult. “Carlos seems very serious to me,” he said in Barcelona.
Major titles within reach
His game, on the other hand, is not that of a teenager, but that of a rising superstar. In the “Caja magica”, the magic box, Alcaraz performed magic on the pitch with unbelievable callousness and in turn disenchanted his more prominent opponents. Even his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero sat grinning in the Spaniard’s player box in the second set on Sunday, Alcaraz simply played too well.
As a reward for his efforts, Alcaraz is already in sixth place on Monday, with a strong upward trend. For the French Open in Paris, which begins in two weeks, he is at least a co-favorite alongside Nadal and Djokovic. After the performances shown recently, even his first major title would no longer be a surprise.
Source: Nachrichten
