Andy Roddick discussed what he thought was a ‘weird’ French Open final between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.
The players produced an entertaining five set duel in the sunshine on court Philippe Chatrier with the prize of winning the clay court major for the first time on the line.
It was a rollercoaster of a match in which neither player was able to sustain their best level throughout the contest.
But Alcaraz produced when it mattered most as he overturned a two sets to one deficit to outlast the German 6-3 2-6 5-7 6-1 6-2 in four hours and minutes.
This made the Spaniard the first player in the open era to win his first three Grand Slams titles on as many surfaces.
Andy Roddick assesses “weird” Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev French Open final
The tennis world was transfixed on the French Open championship match on Sunday to see if Alcaraz would add to his growing résumé or if Zverev would finally join the elite club of tennis Grand Slam champions.
At times it was clear to see the players were feeling the nerves especially through the first three sets. Alcaraz dominated the opening frame while Zverev cruised to set two.
Alcaraz then failed to serve for set three while leading 5-3 and lost four successive games to fall behind. He then only lost three more games for the rest of the match as he went on to claim the title.
While assessing the inconsistency of both players, Roddick pointed to the conditions having a significant impact on their performance. “The reason this match was so weird – it was high quality and then scratchy – is that wind matters,” the 2003 US Open champion said on his ‘Served’ podcast.
“We can’t see and feel the wind when we are watching but it was disgusting out there. The difference between when you’re playing 10 miles an hour downwind vs into the wind is unreal.
“The adjustment these guys were making against the wind, Carlos was coming in more, taking more risks, not wanting to get into a rally. The same with Zverev. You see these guys not getting fooled the same way multiple times.”
What is Carlos Alcaraz’s record at Grand Slams?
At such a young age, Alcaraz already boasts an impressive record at Grand Slams. He is undefeated in major finals which began by beating Casper Ruud in four sets to win the 2022 US Open.
In 2023 and perhaps the most surprising victory of his career so far, he ended Novak Djokovic’s 10-year unbeaten run on Wimbledon‘s centre court by edging the final in five sets to triumph at the All-England Club.
In 2024 he outlasted Zverev in another five set match to win the French Open. In fact, Alcaraz has lost just one set five set match at Grand Slams.
This came against Matteo Berrettini at the 2022 Australian Open, which is the only major Alcaraz has yet to win.
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