Champ wary of chasing records

Carlos Alcaraz has said that emulating Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic's successes seems "impossible" after winning his maiden French Open title on Sunday with a five-set victory over Germany's Alexander Zverev.

The 21-year-old came from two sets to one behind to win the match 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 and claim his third Grand Slam triumph.

Alcaraz's victory made him the youngest man to win Slam titles on clay, grass and hard courts.

With Roger Federer retired, Nadal expected to hang up his racket this year and Djokovic having a poor season by his high standards, Alcaraz could be primed to dominate the sport for years to come.

Although he is already making history, he has some way to go to match Nadal's record of 14 French Open titles or Djokovic's men's best total of 24 Grand Slams.

"Both things are out of the ordinary," he admitted.

"You have to be an alien to get it. What Rafa did with 14 is practically impossible.

"The 24 Grand Slams? I hope I can, but it is almost impossible.

"Before facing this final, he (coach Juan Carlos Ferrero) told me, you're going to fight for your third Grand Slam title, with everything you have been through, you know the difficult part of winning a Grand Slam, and Djokovic has 24.

"So it is unbelievable. Right now I can't think about it."

Alcaraz will next turn his attentions to the grass court season, and the defense of his Wimbledon title.

But, he already has one eye on returning to Roland Garros next month for the Paris Olympics, where he is expected to play alongside the 38-year-old Nadal in the doubles. The tennis tournament at the Olympics will take place from July 27 to Aug 4.

"When I come back here to the Olympics, I will have flashbacks. It will be very nice, my first Games, just 40 days after winning my first Roland Garros," he added.

"I really want to fight to give my country a medal. To be able to play doubles with my idol Rafa Nadal — let's fight! Coming back here is going to be a special feeling."

'Dream' come true

He is the eighth Spanish man to win the coveted Coupe des Mousquetaires.

"At Roland Garros, knowing all the Spanish players who have won this tournament, to be able to put my name on that amazing list is something unbelievable," Alcaraz told reporters.

"Being in this position is something that I have dreamed about since I started playing tennis, since I was five, six years old. So it's a great, great feeling."

Third-ranked Alcaraz has already won three major titles, five Masters 1000 tournaments and become the youngest ever world No 1, but said Sunday's triumph was his proudest moment so far.

He had struggled with a right arm injury in the build-up to the tournament, missing both the Monte Carlo Masters and the Rome Open, either side of a quarterfinal loss to Andrey Rublev in Madrid.

"Right now, lifting the Roland Garros trophy, knowing everything that I have been through in the last month, with the injuries and all that stuff, I don't know. It's probably this one," he said, when asked about proudest moment so far.

"I'm really proud of myself, because of everything that I have done in the last month just to be ready for this tournament."

AFP