As Carlos Alcaraz celebrated a historic achievement at Roland Garros on Sunday, it is a fair bet that a decent rest was on his mind after a marathon weekend on clay to complete a dramatic fortnight in Paris.
The 21-year-old became the youngest man to win a major on three different surfaces after edging Alexander Zverev 6-3 2-6 5-7 6-1 6-2 in 4hr 15min in a compelling French Open final.
He adds the clay court crown to his triumph at the US Open in 2022 and his victory at Wimbledon last year, but one senses this is the most special to him given his heritage.
If Wimbledon is the trophy every Australian aspires to win, the Musketeers Cup at Roland Garros is the mecca for men raised on the red clay courts throughout Europe.
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“Winning a Grand Slam is always special. Winning your first in every Grand Slam is always super special,” he said.
“But at Roland Garros, knowing all the Spanish players who have won this tournament, to be able to put my name on that amazing list is something unbelievable.
“(It is) something that I have dreamed about, being in this position since I started playing tennis, since I was five, six years old. So it’s a great, great feeling.”
Not only is the Spaniard capable of the spectacular, he is also blessed with stamina, for his triumph over Zverev followed a five set victory over new world No.1 Jannik Sinner on Friday.
He became the first player in the Open era to win his final two matches en route to the Roland Garros crown in five sets, with Australian legend Rod Laver in 1962 the last player to achieve the feat.
Carlos joins all-time greats after stunning four-hour French Open comeback
To succeed relatively underdone – Alcaraz travelled to Paris under a cloud given the injury to his forearm and finished the major with his thigh heavily strapped – adds to his achievement.
The Prince of Murcia arrived at Roland Garros fearing he would be unable to hit his thunderstruck forehand with his usual zip.
Listening to the volume of his grunt throughout his seven victories suggests he rarely went full bore on the forehand, for Alcaraz was scarcely making ear-splitting screams when striking the shot, even in the final.
“As I said before the tournament, I consider myself a player who doesn’t need too many matches on my back just to get at 100 per cent,” he said.
“I had a really good week here in Paris, practising with good players. I felt really well playing sets, moving, hitting my shots before the tournament began. Obviously every match that I have played, I was getting better and better.
“All the work that I put in every day … before coming here, every day here has been really good work with my team that helps me to get 100 per cent physically (and) mentally.
“Of course, I believed in myself in every round, every day, until the last ball of today’s match.”
Such is the nature of tennis, there is little rest for players as wildly successful as Alcaraz, who will ink a new tattoo onto his body to match those from his two previous major triumphs.
The Spaniard, who will rise to No.2 when the rankings become official later on Monday, is slated to appear at the Queen’s Club to defend his title there before his Wimbledon defence.
Having set a new record, the question turns to what lies ahead for Alcaraz. Defending a grand slam title for the first time is the immediate goal at the All England Club next month.
Following that, he will return to Roland Garros to represent Spain in his first Olympics and he appeals as a leading gold medal contender, and not only in singles.
In what shapes as a dream pairing, Alcaraz is also slated to partner his idol Rafael Nadal, a 14-time champion at Roland Garros.
The question of completing a career grand slam in Melbourne at the Australian Open is also on the cards.
Alcaraz was beaten by Zverev in January in a quarterfinal in four sets but has the credentials to succeed on hard courts.
He effectively has three more Australian Opens to set a new record for being the youngest man in the Open era to complete the career Grand Slam.
Nadal was 24 when he completed a career set of majors at the US Open in 2010. Federer was 27 when he finally broke through in Paris in his fourth French Open finals appearance.
Djokovic is now the standard bearer with 24 major titles but was 29 when he won for the first time at Roland Garros. Andre Agassi was also 29 when he broke through in Paris.
Laver was 24 when he completed a career and calendar Grand Slam, though his initial breakthrough was in the amateur era.
Fellow Australian Roy Emerson, Don Budge and Fred Perry are the other players to win all four grand slam titles, with their successes coming in the amateur era.
Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, who won the French Open in 2003, was quizzed by Spanish reporters after his success on Sunday about the Australian Open.
“It’s a joke. Are we already asking for another (record)?” he told Clay Magazine.
“Well, we’ll ask for that one too. (But) I think we have to keep improving. Obviously the grand slams are a goal. I think where Carlos goes, well, he’s already labelled as a favourite.
“We have to get that ease so that the favouritism does not weigh and play (on) his tennis, which is wonderful.”
Further afield is the No.24 set by Djokovic. It was once considered unfathomable that Pete Sampras’s record of 14 grand slam titles would be surpassed. Then the Big Three came along.
It still seems unthinkable that Alcaraz could win another 21 grand slam titles to challenge Djokovic, who watched the final on television while recuperating from knee surgery.
Even Alcaraz believes the goal is improbable, but he said he is up for the challenge.
“I talked to Juan Carlos … before facing this final (and) he told me, ‘You’re going to fight for your third Grand Slam title, with everything you have been through, and you know the difficult part of winning a grand slam,’” he said.
“Djoko has 24. So it is unbelievable. Right now I can’t think about it. I just want to keep going, and let’s see how many grand slams I’m going to take at the end of my career.
“Hopefully (I will) reach the 24, but right now I’m going to enjoy my third one, and let’s see in the future.”