Carlos Alcaraz v Alexander Zverev: French Open 2024 men’s singles final – live | French Open 2024

*Zverev 3-6 6-2 5-5 Alcaraz Zverev quickly makes 30-0, Alcaraz then sends a backhand return long, and a munter of an ace down the T makes a fifth love-hold of the match; we’re back on serve and I’ve not a clue how this is going to shake out.

Zverev 3-6 6-2 4-5 Alcaraz* The new balls should help Alcaraz, but after he’s a little cautious on a forehand to the corner, he can’t control his volley when sent a decent response. And when Zverev finds a fine backhand return, the pressure amps up infinite further degrees; I’ve not the slightest clue how these lads hold it down, given I’m shaking just typing about it. And the situation tells on Zverev, a poor shot followed by a dreadful shot handing Alcaraz 30-all … but Alcaraz then sends a backhand long, and must now face yet another break-back point! AND HAVE AN ABSOLUTE LOOK! A backhand cross has Alcaraz diving, having come to the net, and he can’t get near it! Zverev was given the first two points of that game, but after two awful shots spurned the gifts, he responded by unloading the suitcase and again the tactic worked for him! It’s just impossible to predict who’ll falter when! Sport is hard!

*Zverev 3-6 6-2 3-5 Alcaraz An ace opens the game, but Alcaraz then sends Zverev to the corner then, as he restores himself to the centre, directs the ball back whence it came for 15-all. A return to the ankles, though, makes 15-30, a return into the net 30-all … but from there, Zverev closes out, securing the hold with a drop and insisting Alcaraz do likewise if he wants the 2-1 advantage.

Zverev 3-6 6-2 2-5 Alcaraz* Up 30-0, Alcaraz loses out at the net, botches a backhand, and can’t handle a big forehand; just when you think this match has gone in one direction, it’s schlepped in the other, and Zverev now has a point for the break-back! But when Alcaraz slices a backhand, it skids off the baseline to make itself unreturnable; Zverez looks extremely forlorn. But a double then hands over advantage – this match is now fluctuating during points, games and sets – quickly extinguished with big serve and overhead. No matter: a forehand goes wide and plenty, raising a third opportunity for the immediate break-back … but another long, knackering, expletive brilliant rally ends when Zverev chases in after a drop, only to find himself vulnerable at the net and Alcaraz duly violences a winner that restores deuce. And from there, the Spaniard cleans up; he’s a game away from a 2-1 lead, while Zverev has done well not to call for the sick-bag.

*Zverev 3-6 6-2 2-4 Alcaraz A short return from Alcaraz sees Zverev slip as he chases in; that’s the first point against his serve in 15. Then, faced with a second serve, Alcaraz steps in, takes control of the rally with a dangerous forehand, and though he needs three more to close it out, he dematerialises them with such joyous confidence you’re sure he’s back in the match. And shonuff he quickly makes 0-40 – Zverev will be sick if he’s broken, having played so well – but he is, a backhand into the body doing the job! In all sports, the very best have timing, and Alcaraz’s ability to suddenly find his best tennis after struggling for almost an hour, reminds us of the essential difference between these two very fine players.

Zverev 3-6 6-2 2-3 Alcaraz* And now we’re back with pictures and everything, Alcaraz hitting a line to make 15-all then yanking Zverev in whamming a backhand pass down the line. A fine drop follows, but just as a much-needed straightforward hold looks on the cards, Zverev forces deuce after winning a net-exchange. And from there, Alcaraz secures the game, a clever overhead making advantage before another, of weapons-grade, sets up the forehand winner down the line. Alcaraz leaps about, noising up the crowd to noise up himself, and he’ll feel like he’s back in the contest. This is a fantastic match now.

*Zverev 3-6 6-2 2-2 Alcaraz Another easy hold for Zverev.

Zverev 3-6 6-2 1-2 Alcaraz* Now Alcaraz holds.

*Zverev 3-6 6-2 1-1 Alcaraz Alcaraz can’t find any consistency at the moment, good shots followed by bad, and he’s soon down 40-0, sticking in the last rally before slicing into the net. Zverev is dictating the rallies with weight of shot now; my computer switches itself off but he holds.

Zverev 3-6 6-2 0-1 Alcaraz* So what changed in that second set? Well, Alcaraz dropped a little – I wonder if he was having too much fun out there? – but also Zverev started going for things and in the process started to play better. As I type, he somehow sticks a backhand on to the line to make 15-all, so of course Alcaraz responds with an ace … only to follow it with a double and make things interesting at 40-30. A lovely wrongfooting drop, though, earns Alcaraz’s first game in six, removing the pressure from his own soul and stapling it to Zverev’s.

*Zverev 3-6 6-2 Alcaraz At 15-0, a ball leaps up on Alcaraz and he whines to his corner, then, can only get racket on a service-winner down the T. An ace follows, then a simple putaway at the net after another gibongous serve left no returning options, and that’s five games on the spin for Zverev, who levels the match at 1-1! This match is on a rolling boil, and against the odds it’s the German currently dominating!

Zverev 3-6 5-2 Alcaraz* At 0-15, both men annihilate the cover off it, then Zverev tries to paint a drop, Alcaraz-style … with predictable results. An ace then makes 40-15, but a forehand mashed down the line keeps things tense, then another breaks the sideline; rather than hide his forehand, Zverev has found it, and we’re once again at deuce! Not for long! Alcaraz flaps a tepid drop into the tape to cede advantage … but finishes a fine point with an overhead and we’re back at deuce. And what’s this? A mishit return works out well for Zverev, helping him make advantage, a double follows, and after a little sit-down he’ll serve for the second set at 5-2! Who saw ths coming when he forlornly forsook the first?

*Zverev 3-6 4-2 Alcaraz Alcaraz marches forward to hammer a forehand into the corner that Zverev can’t return; 0-15. But though a terrific volley, coming in behind serve, levels us up – that might be a tactic worth trying – consecutive forehands to the corner restore Alcaraz’s advantage. However Zverev is feeling alright out there, hitting big serves and better forehands – this is a good contest now – and we wind up at deuce, whereupon we enjoy the point of the match, a delicious leaping half-volley from Alcaraz appearing to have won it, only for Zverev to lank and skid in, sending a pick-up across the face of the net for a sensational winner. And from there, the German secures another monumental hold – from the evil end – and this is exceedingly intense.

Zverev 3-6 3-2 Alcaraz* Alcaraz spanks a smash into the top of the tape then goes long on the backhand, and suddenly Zverev’s hold for 3-6 1-1 looks very important indeed. A beautifully disguised drop does then make 15-30, but when Zverev brushes the tape with a forehand, Alcaraz’s riposte lands wide and hands over two break points. The first is saved when Zverev nets a backhand, a huge gust of wind as he returned having sent clay everywhere … but the second converted when a mishit forehand flies off somewhere towards Selhurst Park! Conditions must be tricky out there, and for the first time in a while, it feels like Zverev is in this match!

*Zverev 3-6 2-2 Alcaraz Zverev badly needs a comfy hold and he gets to 40-0 without having to hit a forehand; so far, he’s been broken to love but not held to love, a minor embarrassment he resolves here.

Zverev 3-6 1-2 Alcaraz* Zverev is really going for his shots now, big forehands helping him make 15-all. But a forehand return into the net – Alcaraz has got him with the serve out wide into the deuce court – means 30-15, then a gruelling rally ends with a booming forehand on to the line. Zverev points to the mark but I can see from north London that it’s in, and he appears to go long himself, a late call confirming it, but a check shows the ball was good. So they replay the point, a service-winner securing a strong hold, and Zverev consoles himself with a rant. He knows this is only going one way, and doesn’t seem to have any ideas as to how he might reverse the situation.

*Zverev 3-6 1-1 Alcaraz Now it’s Zverev inviting aggro in a game he should win comfortably, up 30-0 and 40-15 only to find himself at deuce without asking that much from his opponent. A monstrous serve out wide, though, brings advantage, then another, cleaned up with an overhead. That’s a massive hold for Zverev; it’s not too much to say that had he been broken there, the match would’ve felt close to over.

Zverev 3-6 0-1 Alcaraz* Alcaraz makes 15-0 then sends Zverev haring out wide before caressing a drop towards the other side and this is getting cruel; he’s a killer, like we said. But 40-0, three consecutive errors mean deuce, then an errant lob, with space on both sides for the pass, means he’s suddenly break point down and who saw that coming? Not Zverev, who gets a serve into the backhand only to stick his return into the net; the sobering effect of that first set won’t just disappear. And when he misses a backhand down the line having used the advantage of the breeze to open the channel, he looks despondent, but quickly restores deuce, again able to dominate the rally with greater weight of shot. A serve out wide, though, is far too good … but Alcaraz can’t convert, and then coming in behind his serve he allows the return to pass assuming it’s going wide, but it’s well in. So it’s back to the big serve-big forehand combo to save the second break point … only for a double to hand it back, and this feels like a crucial juncture. If Alcaraz holds, I’d not be surprised if he broke next game because the disappointment of failing to convert opportunities won’t just disappear for Zverev, who knows he’s got the advantage of conditions … and after the Russian goes wide, a frankly terrifying forehand winner, into the wind but supersonic, secures the game.

*Zverev 3-6 Alcaraz At 15-all, Alcaraz finds himself stranded at the net, somehow conjuring a pick-up down the middle that falls deep and offers no angle. Still, the riposte ought not to have hit the net but here we are; Alcaraz, though, then nets a forehand for 30-all. No matter: Zverev already looks devoid of options so tries to attack, problem being his forehand isn’t up to the task, and when one goes long it’s set-point … and a lovely shoulder-high forehand, cross-court and breaking the sideline, secures a set so one-sided you wonder how momentum can be reversed. Alcaraz knows he’s got the measure of his man, and there might easily be nothing left of Zverev’s forehand at the end of this match.

Zverev 3-5 Alcaraz* A terrific get from Zverev at 15-all … for all the good it does him, Alcaraz stretching into a luscious volley-winner. A confident swing-volley –backpeddling, leaping, falling away – then makes 40-15, and after a fantastic rally from the back, it’s Zverev whose forehand catches the cord and flies wide. Alcaraz is absolutely loving this, whereas his opponent looks stressed.

“I’m glad Zverev made the final if only because it preserves Nadal’s record of being beaten at Roland Garros only by players who went on to make the final,” writes Gregory Phillips. “He deserves that. Hoping Alcaraz wins here, though. Watching him in full flow is joyful, same as it was with Nadal and Federer. I haven’t got that feeling from the Zverev/Medvedev/Tsitsipas generation that was supposed to take over.”

No I agree – they’re good but not good enough, just as Dimitrov et al weren’t able to assert themselves. And I also agree that the way Alcaraz plays and acts makes him compelling – though if Tsitsipas only had a double-handed backhand, we might say similar about him. The first time I saw him play in Futures event, I thought he was a superstar, but so far his game isn’t quite at the level of his hair or his English.

*Zverev 3-4 Alcaraz Again, Alcaraz makes 0-15, and he quickly yanks Zverev in for a drop he can’t get up and back over the net; he’s enjoying himself now. But though Zverev punishes a forehand down the line to halve the deficit, Alcaraz varies pace and height, sending a loopy one from the back – so Zverev, perhaps feeling his ego pricked, responds in kind … only to send his effort long. That raises two points for the double-break and Alcaraz does really well to stay in the rally then, when he has his man marooned at the net, dumps the pass that looks inevitable … and similar happens again, Alcaraz working his way into prime position, only to do similar. A tremendous ace out wide then makes advantage, and another error then secures a colossal hold which keeps the set alive.

Zverev 2-4 Alcaraz* Zverev has perhaps the best serve in the game and Alcaraz has taken it twice – without hitting his top level or anything close to it. He’s loose now, though, consolidating to 15, and his opponent is already struggling for ideas, lacking the creativity, versatility and agility that’s across the other side of the net.

*Zverev 2-3 Alcaraz Zverev goes long then into the net, and though he does well to stick in another long rally after a fine return reverses the momentum of it, Alcaraz’s pressure forces the unforced error, and a big, flat forehand to the corner finds his opponent’s equivalent; he dumps it, and that’s a break to love! The consistency on the forehand side is the major difference between these two, though in co-comms, Tim Henman notes that all three breaks have come from the same side, and Alcaraz will shortly attempt to consolidate from there.

Zverev 2-2 Alcaraz* Now Zverev has his serve going, there’s a bit of pressure on Alcaraz, who makes 30-0 only to find a forehand more than he can handle. But a big serve down the T facilitates an overhead that does just about enough, and when Zverev sends him wide with a very presentable return, he somehow invents an angle to send it skimming cross-court along the tape for a delightful winner. We’re warming up now.

*Zverev 2-1 Alcaraz Zverev is into it now, making 40-0 in short order – the ace that takes him there is his 65th of the fortnight – and when Alcaraz nets a backhand, he holds to 15.

Zverev 1-1 Alcaraz* A shanked forehand gives up 0-15, a double 0-30. But then Alcaraz handles some big hotting from the back and when Zverev comes in, he doesn’t have the volleying chops to execute the the putaway. No matter: a poor drop allows him to make 15-40, Alcaraz saving the first break point when a return flies wide, but he then swats a backhand wide himself, and there’s the immediate break back.

*Zverev 0-1 Alcaraz (*denotes server) We mentioned earlier that Alcaraz has form for starting matches slowly – perhaps that’s why he opts to receive. And a double … followed by another … makes that a decent decision. I said earlier Zverev looked nervous, and he pauses to swap rackets because of course it couldn’t possibly be his fault. Still, the ability to blame extraneous factors and believe yourself is pretty helpful when it comes to succeeding in elite sport and an ace followed by a service-winner make 30-all. From there, we wind up at deuce when Zverev misses a forehand down the line, and a gorgeous volley, backhand on the stretch, ball sent across the face of the net, earns Alcaraz break point. What a start to the match this is – Zverev’s attempted pass, by the way, was no joke – but given a second serve to attack, Alcaraz storms forward and ends the point with a beautiful inside-out forehand to the corner. What a start!

Zverev to serve, and … play.

“Sad that Sinner Alcaraz couldn’t be the final,” says Kerrith Britland. “This one is a straight set victory for Carlitos. Zverev doesn’t have the weapons and suffers from the Gasquet complex … top-10 backhand, top-100 forehand. What’s your prediction?”

I’m going Alcaraz in three or four but if you’re pushing me, four. I agree that the match-up doesn’t suit Zverev … and here come our players! For once, Chatrier is full.

Our players are tunnelled; Zverev looks tense.

It’s bright but not sunny in Paris today, 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 that – but he’ll surely have come up with some kind of strategy to handle them.

So how can Zverev win? He’s got much better at hiding his forehand in recent times, but as discussed, Alcaraz’s forehand could’ve been designed to find it. So he’ll have to serve brilliantly – and he can – and given how many drops he’ll have to retrieve, his volleying must also be on-point. He’s also got much better at putting away overheads, but is still iffy with anything requiring greater dexterity, so will need a great day in that aspect.

It’s worth noting that Alcaraz found the mental side of things a lot when losing last year’s semi to Djokovic, lost the first set of last year’s Wimbledon final 6-1 and the first set of Friday’s semi 6-2. If Zverev starts well, he’s got a chance, but it’s rare to see an underdog win from behind and this match-up reeks of that aspect.

Wow! Tim Henman has bought the aforementioned JP McEnroe a Roland Garros 84 t-shirt – he lost the final to Ivan Lendl from 2-0 up. No doubt Mac can return the favour when they get to SW19 with Wimbledon 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 gear.

Back to our match, our resident coach Calv Betton has some thoughts: “There’s not much tactically to analyse and there’s also a good chance Zverev bottles it with it being the final. Alcaraz will win if he doesn’t feel the pressure again, which I don’t think he will. He’s way too good for Zverev – Zverev only beats him when he goes to pieces as 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 have won the women’s doubles, beating Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini – remember her? – 7-6(5) 6-3.

Salut tout le monde and bienvenue à Roland-Garros 2024 – le finale hommes!

2004 feels like a long time ago – partly because the world has changed a lot since then, but mainly because, er … it is? Which makes it all the more mind-boggling that it was also the last time we had a French Open final that didn’t include him, him or him – award yourself the reward 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 a further treat is all yours if you can recall that the following year, it was Mariano Puerta – yes that’s the Mariano Puerta – losing to 19-year-old debutant Rafael Nadal. Now, though, we’ve an entirely different set of dynastic hopefuls – the Alcaraz-Sinner semi felt like epochal change – two of whom will annihilate themselves for our delectation this afternoon.

Alcaraz is one of the most compelling entertainers our sport has ever seen, a good vibes John McEnroe with joy and love wafting from every pore. But make no mistake: much as we’d all love to cuddle him, he remains an absolute killer, his artist’s imagination backed up by the exhibition viciousness of a ninja’s forehand and and the certainty that when he needs to get it done, he can.

Alexander Zverev, on the other hand, was lucky enough to face “only” Dominic Thiem in his only other major final and went up two sets … then lost in a fifth-set tiebreak. He’s improved a lot since then, though, his first serve and backhand two of the best shots in the game, and retains unbelievable belief in his ability despite a dicky second serve and forehand.

Alcaraz, though, is particularly brilliant with his forehand cross-court and forehand inside-in, shots perfect for attacking his opponent’s weak wing, and if he keeps the head the likelihood is he gets it done. But no player boasting weapons as damaging as Zverev’s can be discounted, so it’s les yeux baissés for what could be the first of many classics.

Play: 2.30pm local, 1.30pm BST