Carlos Alcaraz may have announced his withdrawal from the Toronto Open, but this has not stopped him from reflecting on a memorable French Open final victory.
The Spaniard, who lost the Wimbledon final to Jannik Sinner, cited ‘small muscle issues’ as the reason for his withdrawal in a post on X [Twitter].
Despite his withdrawal, Alcaraz has enjoyed a stunning campaign, amassing the most points of any player on the ATP Tour and already qualifying for the ATP Tour Finals in November.
Losing Wimbledon was a low point for the 22-year-old. However, he managed to produce some unbelievable tennis to reach that stage and ran into an opponent bent on revenge for his French Open final loss.
In a recent interview with Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport, Alcaraz discussed the final, identifying the ‘key’ to his victory.
Carlos Alcaraz believed he could win the French Open final ‘even in the most difficult moments’
Alcaraz, who was three match points down in the fourth set, says that he still doesn’t know how he managed to turn around that particular game.
The Spaniard went on to claim victory in a historic final, winning 4–6 6–7 6–4 7–6 7–6. The match was the longest final in French Open history.
Alcaraz said: “I often think about it and I still don’t know how I managed to overturn that game.
“The truth is that in sports, but not only in sports, you have to keep believing in it, to believe it all the way.
“Tennis is a long and challenging road, and you are completely alone with your thoughts. So the key, in the Roland Garros final against Jannik, was that: to think that you could win the match, even in the most difficult moments, without letting yourself be brought down”.
The final will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the best in history, alongside Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer’s Wimbledon final in 2008 and the 2011 Australian Open final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Patrick Mouratoglou – Serena Williams’ former coach – said on X [Twitter] after the final: “Without any doubt, best Roland Garros final in the history.“
Carlos Alcaraz will lose no ranking points despite withdrawing from the Toronto Open
Some may have expected Carlos Alcaraz’s ranking to take a hit after pulling out of the Toronto Open. However, his ranking points will stay exactly the same.
This is because Alcaraz did not compete at last year’s tournament, which was held in Montreal.
However, his absence does mean that other players who may not have competed in last year’s event could make up ground on the Spaniard.
It remains to be seen whether Alcaraz will compete at the Cincinnati Open in August; the Masters 1000 event after Toronto. One notable name, Jack Draper, has already pulled out due to injury.
