Carlos Alcaraz lifts the Wimbledon 2024 title after beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the final.© AFP

Carlos Alcaraz not only swept past Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, the charismatic Spaniard’s fourth Grand Slam triumph confirmed a generational shift in men’s tennis. He has won three of the past five majors and has joined Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker and Mats Wilander as the only men to claim four majors at the age of 21 or under. That is an achievement that proved beyond even Djokovic, the retired Roger Federer and injury-plagued Rafael Nadal, the three men who collected 66 Grand Slams in a golden age that appeared to have reached its end with defeat for the 37-year-old Serb on Sunday.

Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero once predicted that his compatriot would win 30 Grand Slams.

He already has a comfortable head start.

Djokovic may have 24 Slams but after capturing his first at the 2008 Australian Open as a 20-year-old he had to wait three more years for his second.

Federer, who finished his career with 20 Slams, managed the 2003 Wimbledon title as a 21-year-old.

Alcaraz’s compatriot Nadal, the holder of 22 majors, had three at 21 — all at the French Open, in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Alcaraz’s Grand Slam collection currently comprises the 2022 US Open, the 2023 and 2024 Wimbledon titles and last month’s triumph at the French Open.

He is yet to lose a Slam final and is only the sixth man to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back.

His win in Paris last month made him the youngest man to claim majors on all three surfaces — clay, hard and grass — and before he turns 22 in May next year, he could move to six Slams.

Should he triumph for the first time in Australia he would depose Nadal as the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.

“I normally call Federer the greatest player of all time, and that has nothing to do with the statistics or the results,” Wilander told eurosport.com.

“It has to do with what he meant for the sport, the expectations that people had. Carlos Alcaraz is going through the same thing.”

Much has been made of the new rivalry of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the beanpole Italian who took Djokovic’s Australian Open title and his world number one ranking this year.

Sinner rivalry

However, Alcaraz, as well as being 21 months younger, has a better record at the Slams than Sinner, who won his maiden Slam in January.

Alcaraz enjoys a 5-4 head-to-head advantage over Sinner, including a five-set triumph in the semi-finals at Roland Garros this year.

“What he’s doing, having won the title at Roland Garros, flipping the switch to prepare on grass and reach the final, is scandalous,” said Ferrero.

Alcaraz, who hails from the small Murcian town of El Palmar in Spain’s south-east, hit the giant-killing jackpot at Madrid in 2022 when he became the only man to defeat both Nadal and Djokovic at the same clay-court event.

“Carlos’s intensity and speed is something you rarely see,” said Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach Toni Nadal.

“His game follows the same path as Rafa — he never gives up until the last ball and has that characteristic intensity.”

Nadal, who will play with Alcaraz in the doubles at the Paris Olympics, has acted as his mentor and pleaded with fans not to put pressure on his young compatriot by making bold comparisons.

‘Extraordinary’

“I forgot what I was like at 19,” said Nadal, now 38. 

“The only thing we can do is enjoy the career of an extraordinary player like Carlos.

“If he manages to win 25 Grand Slams, it will be fantastic for him and for our country. But let him enjoy his career.”

Despite Nadal’s reservations, making comparisons is unavoidable.

Nadal won the first of his 92 titles at Sopot at the age of 18 in 2004.

Alcaraz was also 18 when he captured his maiden ATP trophy at Umag in 2021.

Both men are fiercely protective of their private lives, enjoy passionate crowd support.

“I know that I am a very competitive kid. I compete whenever I play anything — golf, petanca,” said Alcaraz. “I don’t like to lose.”

Alcaraz’s raw potential as a teenager quickly attracted sponsors, with marquee brands such as Nike and Rolex rushing to sign up Nadal’s heir apparent.

His win on Sunday has taken his career earnings to $35 million already.

“If Alcaraz stays healthy then he’ll go down as one of the best to ever play the game, that’s for sure. Who’s going to stop him?” said Australian star Nick Kyrgios.

Rafael Nadal’s record-breaking French Open career came to its likely end on Monday when the 14-time champion slumped to a demoralising first round defeat against Alexander Zverev. Nadal, who turns 38 on June 3, went down 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 to world number four Zverev, suffering only his fourth loss in 116 matches at Roland Garros since his 2005 title-winning debut. It was the first time he had been defeated in Paris in the opening round and will again lead to questions over his long-term future in the sport.

“I don’t know if this is the last time I will be here, I am not 100% sure but if it is then I wanted to enjoy it,” said Nadal. “The feelings today are difficult to describe in words.”

Plagued by injuries, which had limited him to just four events since January last year, former world number one Nadal is now 275 in the rankings and was unseeded in Paris.

However, he insisted on the eve of the tournament that he was “100% keeping the door open” on his future in a sport which has brought him 22 Grand Slam titles.

In a repeat of the 2022 semi-final, which Nadal won when Zverev quit with ankle ligament damage, the Spaniard had his chances.

He was a break of serve up in the second and third sets, only to be pinned back on both occasions by his in-form 27-year-old opponent.

Chants of “Rafa, Rafa” had loudly echoed under the roof of Court Philippe Chatrier which was shut tight against the torrential rain sweeping across the grounds and bringing havoc to the schedule.

They subsided to silence when Nadal was broken to love in his opening service game and he was left to regret his inability to convert two break points in the fourth game.

Nadal saved two set points in the ninth game but surrendered the opener after 50 minutes when he buried a loose forehand into the net.

It was only the fourth opening set he had lost at Roland Garros.

Nadal broke for the first time in the match to lead 3-2 in the second set but couldn’t back up the advantage and handed the break back to three-time semi-finalist Zverev as he served for the set.

A tense tie-breaker followed which the German claimed, buoyed by stretching to 5/3 on the back of a gruelling 19-shot rally.

Nadal dug deep and with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek having watched from the packed stands, he broke and held for 2-0 in the third set.

However, Zverev again roared back to level at 2-2 before a besieged Nadal had to save four break points in a 13-minute fifth game to stay in contention.

The effort was too much and a composed Zverev was soon 4-3 up and the match was over when Nadal fired a forehand wide and long.

Rafael Nadal admits he will be facing “one of the toughest opponents possible” when he plays Alexander Zverev in the French Open first round on Monday. This year’s event was expected to be the 14-time champion’s farewell to Roland Garros, but he has since insisted he could not confirm “100 percent” it would be his last appearance. Nadal has only played four tournaments since January 2023 after suffering a hip injury and then a muscle tear. That left him unseeded for the draw and vulnerable to a difficult opening round at a tournament where he has only lost three of his 115 matches.

World number four Zverev arrives in Paris as one of the favourites for the title after winning the Rome Open earlier this month.

“Of course on paper it is not the best draw,” Nadal said ahead of the match on Court Philippe Chatrier.

“I play against one of the toughest opponents possible, and at the same time, he came here winning the last event and it’s a Masters 1000.

“It’s not a small one. So what can I do? That’s the draw. Just try to be ready for it.”

Nadal, who turns 38 in a week’s time, has shown flashes of his best form in the clay-court swing, but was thrashed 6-1, 6-3 by Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the second round of his last outing in Rome.

He boasts a 7-3 winning record over Zverev ahead of their first meeting since the 2022 French Open semi-finals, when the German left the court in a wheelchair near the end of the second set after injuring his ankle.

“I am not anxious. No, I am focused on trying to play well. That’s it,” said Nadal.

“Maybe I go there and I repeat the disaster of Rome. It’s a possibility, of course. I don’t want to hide that.

“But in my mind, is do something different and play much better and give myself a chance to play competitive.”

‘Didn’t want’ to play Nadal

Zverev did not play again in 2022 after that ankle injury but has climbed the rankings again in recent months.

The 27-year-old has long been touted as a future Grand Slam champion but remains without one of tennis’ four biggest titles.

Clay is his strongest surface, though, and he has reached the semi-finals in each of the last three years at Roland Garros.

The men’s draw looks far more open than usual, with doubts surrounding Nadal’s fitness and Novak Djokovic having endured a turbulent start to the year.

“I can guarantee you Novak didn’t want to play Rafa in the first round and (Carlos) Alcaraz didn’t want to play, Jannik (Sinner) didn’t want to play him,” admitted Zverev.

“I don’t want to play him in the first round, but it is how it is. He has been out injured. He hasn’t played a lot of tennis. His ranking is where it is. Of course it’s not ideal, but at the same time, you know, there is nothing you can do.

“Everybody now is excited for a tough battle and tough first round. I think he’s excited and I’m excited for it.”

French Open organisers were prepared to stage a tribute ceremony to Nadal to honour his career but the Spaniard was reluctant to endorse such a celebration.

“We were ready to press the button on it,” admitted tournament director Amelie Mauresmo.

“But it’s Rafa who manages his timing, we follow what he wants. We wouldn’t want to put him in an uncomfortable position.”

Also on Monday, women’s world number one Iga Swiatek starts her bid for a fourth French Open crown against home player Leolia Jeanjean.

Victory for the top seed will give her a second round clash with fellow four-time Grand Slam title winner Naomi Osaka.

Men’s Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner, former Roland Garros runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas and women’s US Open title-holder Coco Gauff all get their campaigns under way on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

World number one Iga Swiatek said she’ll be “rooting” for Rafael Nadal at the French Open but insisted it was fair the 14-time champion had not been seeded. Nadal, ranked a lowly 276 in the world after injury restricted him to just four tournaments since January last year, will face world number four Alexander Zverev in the first round of his farewell appearance. With an astonishing record of just three losses in 115 matches at Roland Garros since his 2005 debut, there were suggestions that officials should have the discretion to seed former champions.

“No, I think it would create a huge mess in the draws,” said defending women’s champion Swiatek.

“For example, in the women’s draw you have so many past Grand Slam champions, one of them would be seeded, one of them not because they won Wimbledon and not Roland Garros or they won Australian Open, not Roland Garros.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. It’s better to keep it that way, especially because you get seeded because of your past results. By ‘past’ I mean few months before.”

Nadal is not the only unseeded Grand Slam champion at the French Open this year.

Stan Wawrinka, whose 2015 Paris title is one of his three majors, faces fellow three-time Grand Slam champion — and also unseeded — Andy Murray in the first round.

In the women’s tournament, former Grand Slam champions Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, Sofia Kenin, Bianca Andreescu and Sloane Stephens are also unseeded.

There have, however, been precedents — in 2018, Serena Williams was seeded at 25 for Wimbledon, where she was a seven-time champion, despite a world ranking of 183.

“For sure it’s a tough draw for Rafa, but I’m going to be kind of rooting for him,” added Swiatek. “Sorry, Alex. We’ll see.”

Rafael Nadal will face world number four Alexander Zverev in a blockbuster first round match at his farewell French Open while women’s champion Iga Swiatek and fellow four-time major winner Naomi Osaka are on a second round collision course. Defending men’s champion and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic will face French veteran Pierre Hugues-Herbert in his opener. Nadal, who has won Roland Garros on 14 occasions, is unseeded after injury saw his ranking plummet to 276. He and Zverev met in the semi-finals in 2022 when the German was forced to retire after suffering a serious ankle injury. Nadal, the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles, will turn 38 next week and this season will be his last on tour.

He holds a 7-3 winning head-to-head record against Germany’s Zverev with five of those victories coming on clay.

Zverev, 27, arrives in Paris on the back of lifting the Rome Open title last weekend.

“I’m going to play the French Open thinking that I can give my all, 100 per cent,” said Nadal after a second round exit in Rome last week.

As well as 14 titles in Paris, Nadal can boast a record of 112 wins and just three losses, two of which came against Djokovic who will be chasing a fourth French Open title.

Djokovic turned 37 on Wednesday and marked the occasion by winning the 1,100th match of his career in Geneva.

The Serb has yet to win a title in 2024 with runs to the semi-finals at the Australian Open and Monte Carlo Masters his best performances.

Following Thursday’s draw, Djokovic is seeded to face Zverev in the semi-finals.

World number two Jannik Sinner, who took Djokovic’s Australian Open title in January, faces Christopher Eubanks of the United States.

Third-seeded Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, a semi-finalist in Paris in 2023, plays a qualifier.

Sinner and Alcaraz are seeded to meet in the semi-finals but both men have been suffering from injuries which forced them to skip the Rome event.

Andy Murray, the 2016 runner-up, is also competing at the tournament for the final time.

The 37-year-old tackles 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka, 39, in a battle of grizzled Grand Slam veterans.

The pair have met 22 times in a two-decade rivalry with Murray boasting a 13-9 edge.

Three of those clashes have come at Roland Garros with Murray winning in the semi-finals in 2016 while the Swiss came out on top in the last-four in 2017 and first round in 2020.

In the women’s draw, top seed and world number one Swiatek will take on a qualifier with Osaka facing Lucia Bronzetti of Italy in their openers before a potential second round clash.

Swiatek is bidding to win a fifth major and fourth French Open title.

“It feels like home here,” said Swiatek who arrives at the tournament with clay-court titles in Madrid and Rome under her belt. 

Former world number one Osaka, now ranked 134, has never got past the third round in Paris. Bronzetti, the world number 48, has yet to win a main draw in two visits.

Osaka, 26, has endured a bittersweet relationship with the French Open.

In 2021, she was fined for opting out of mandatory media commitments before withdrawing from the competition after just one match insisting she was protecting her mental health.

Osaka missed the 2023 edition due to being pregnant before giving birth to a baby girl in July.

Swiatek, meanwhile, is bidding to become the first player to lift three successive women’s titles in Paris since Justine Henin in 2007.

World number two Aryna Sabalenka starts against 101-ranked Erika Andreeva of Russia.

Third seed and US Open champion Coco Gauff faces a qualifier in the first round and is seeded to face Swiatek in the semi-finals.

Double Australian Open champion Sabalenka is seeded to take on former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina in the last four.

Novak Djokovic on Tuesday said Rafael Nadal was his favourite to win the French Open, despite the record 14-time champion struggling for fitness in the twilight of his career. World number one Djokovic is tuning up at the Geneva Open this week before the second Grand Slam of the year begins in Paris. He said if Nadal was in the French Open draw, he could not be ruled out, despite his injury problems and growing competition from a younger generation. “This year is more open,” French Open defending champion Djokovic told reporters at the Parc des Eaux-Vives grounds in Geneva. “Casper Ruud is surely one of the five players who are candidates to win. You have Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas — all the players who won a major tournament on this surface this year.

“But when you talk about Roland-Garros and Nadal is there, he is always the biggest favourite for me.

“After everything he has done on the courts at Roland-Garros, it’s normal, respectfully to put him as the biggest favourite.

“Obviously it’s a little different with his level of play. But it’s Roland-Garros, and it’s Nadal.

“After that, maybe me, if I feel good, if I play well. At Roland-Garros, and all the Grand Slams, I am a bit of a different player.”

Djokovic, who turns 37 on Wednesday, took a wild card to play in Geneva in a bid to rescue an alarming dip in form ahead of his French Open title defence next week.

The 28-man Swiss clay court tournament serves as a final warm-up.

The record 24-time Grand Slam champion will arrive in Paris without a title in the season for the first time since 2018, unless he wins Geneva.

While time has caught up with 37-year-old Nadal, Djokovic said he was hungry to keep playing at the top.

“I’m searching for my highest possible level,” he said.

“It’s not an obligation. It’s truly my desire, my feeling, my passion, my love for tennis. That’s the most important. I’m seeking to stay connected with that feeling.”

Djokovic said he knew Geneva well as he has cousins in the Swiss city, though he has never played at the Geneva Tennis Club before.

“At this moment, there is no better practice for me than match play. So I feel like I need more matches,” he said.

“That’s the way for me to try to find the kind of form that I need for Roland-Garros.”

Djokovic was at the Stade de Geneve on Monday to witness Young Boys winning a 17th Swiss football championship with a 1-0 victory over hosts Servette — a team the Serb has a long-standing fondness for.

Djokovic said one of his cousins was set to marry a Servette player — French midfielder Timothe Cognat, according to Swiss media.

Djokovic’s best friend, and best man at his wedding, was defender Neven Markovic, who played for Servette from 2013 to 2015.

“That’s why I’m supporting the club,” Djokovic said, jovially adding that Markovic could perhaps best be categorised as a “very physical player”.

“I’m not a football expert — but he’s a crazy guy,” he said.