At 21, Alcaraz has no more surfaces to conquer

Carlos Alcaraz is the youngest man in history to win a major on all surfaces, a record held previously by Rafael Nadal at 22 years old

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz kisses the trophy after beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the men’s singles final at the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris. Pic: Getty Images.

Much of the clay-court season this year had been a miserable ­experience for Carlos Alcaraz. He missed three of his four planned tournaments with a forearm injury and was ­hampered in the one event he did play. His fitness struggles raised ­further ­questions about whether his body can withstand the ­pressure his all‑action playing style imposes on it and he arrived at Roland ­Garros without much match practice or rhythm.

It takes a special talent to enter a major tournament with such disjointed preparation yet still be able to overcome every obstacle and find a way through to the other side. During five messy but increasingly dramatic sets the Spaniard kept his head, and he recovered from a loss of momentum in the third set to defeat ­Alexander Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 to win his first French Open title.