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Key events
Zverev to serve and … plays.
“It’s a shame Sinner Alcaraz couldn’t be the final,” says Kerit Britland. “It’s a straight set win for Carlitos. Zverev has no weapons and suffers from the Gasquet complex … top 10 backhand, top 100 forehand. What’s your prediction?’
I’m going to Alcaraz in three or four, but if you insist, four. I agree that the matchup does not suit Zverev… and here are our players! Once the Chatrier is full.
Our players are tunnelled; Zverev looks tense.
Today in Paris is clear, but not sunny, so those drops might bounce a little lower. On Friday, Sinner countered them with lobs, but I’m not sure Zverev has the hands for it – but he will surely have come up with some strategy to deal with them.
So how can Zverev win? He’s been much better at hiding his forehand lately, but as discussed, Alcaraz’s forehand may have been designed to find it. So he will need to serve brilliantly – and he can – and given how many drops he will have to return, his volley should also be on point. He’s also gotten a lot better at handling overhead, but he’s still hesitant about anything that requires more dexterity, so he’ll need a great day in that aspect.
It’s worth noting that Alcaraz discovered the very mental side of things when he lost last year’s semi-final to Djokovic, lost the first set of last year’s Wimbledon final 6-1 and the first set of Friday’s semifinal 6-2. If Zverev gets off to a good start, he has a chance, but it’s rare to see an underdog come from behind and this match reeks of that aspect.
Hey! Tim Henman bought the aforementioned JP McEnroe a t-shirt from Roland Garros 84 – he lost the final to Ivan Lendl 2-0. No doubt Mac can return the favor when they get to SW19 with 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 Wimbledon gear.
Back to our match, our permanent coach Calve Beton have some thoughts: “There’s not much tactical analysis and there’s also a good chance that Zverev will limit it as it’s the final. Alcaraz will win if he doesn’t feel the pressure again, which I don’t think he will. He’s too good for Zverev – Zverev only beats him when he breaks down, like in Australia when I think he was injured and at RG 2022 when he kept missing mid-court forehands, which he never does.”
Already today: Coco Gauff and Katerina Siniakova won the women’s doubles, defeating Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini – remember her? – 7-6(5) 6-3.
Preamble
Salut tout le monde and bienvenue à Roland-Garros 2024 – le finale hommes!
2004 seems like a long time ago – partly because the world has changed a lot since then, but mainly because, uh… has it? Which makes it all the more mind-blowing that it was also the last time we had French Open Championship a final that did not include him, him or him – award yourself the award of your choice if you immediately thought yes of course Gastón Gaudio beat Guillermo Coria 8-6 in the fifth after losing the first two sets 0-6 3-6.
And another treat for you if you remember that next year it was Mariano Puerta – yes, that’s it on Mariano Puerta – loss to 19-year-old debutant Rafael Nadal. Now, though, we have an entirely different set of dynastic hopefuls – Alcaraz-The-Sinner felt like an epochal change – two of whom will self-destruct for our enjoyment this afternoon.
Alcaraz is one of the most compelling entertainers our sport has ever seen, a good-natured John McEnroe with joy and love oozing from every pore. But make no mistake: as much as we want to coddle him, he remains an absolute killer, his artistic imagination supported by the demonstrative brutality of a ninja forehand and the certainty that when he has to, he can.
Alexander Zverev, on the other hand, was fortunate to face “only” Dominic Thiem in his only other major final and won two sets… before losing in a fifth-set tiebreak. However, he has improved a lot since then, his first serve and backhand are two of the best shots in the game, and he retains incredible faith in his abilities despite a poor second serve and forehand.
Alcaraz, however, is particularly brilliant with the crosscourt forehand and inside-in forehand, shots ideal for attacking his opponent’s weak wing, and if he keeps his head he is likely to do so. But no player boasting weapons as damaging as Zverev’s can be dismissed, so it’s les yeux baissés for what could be the first of many classics.
Play: 14:30 local time, 13:30 BST
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