After a day at school, a young Carlos Alcaraz would run home – desperate to watch his hero Rafael Nadal in action.
Now, just as 14-time French Open champion Nadal did, 21-year-old Alcaraz has a chance to create his own tournament legacy.
The Spaniard has already won two of the sport’s four biggest events – the 2022 US Open and Wimbledon last year – and takes on Germany’s Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s Roland Garros final.
Alcaraz’s five-set semi-final victory over incoming world number one Jannik Sinner made him the youngest man to reach Grand Slam finals on all three surfaces: hard court, grass and now the Paris clay.
A win on Sunday would add his name to a long list of Spanish French Open champions, which, as well as Nadal, also includes his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, Albert Costa, Carlos Moya and Sergi Bruguera, who have all triumphed in the past 30 years.
“I have a special feeling about this tournament,” said Alcaraz. “I remember when I finished school, running home just to put the TV on and watch the matches here in the French Open.
“I watched a lot of matches – of course Nadal dominating this tournament for, let’s say, 14, 15 years. It’s something unbelievable and I wanted to put my name on that list of the Spanish players who won this tournament.”
The match against Zverev takes place from 13:30 BST on Sunday, with commentary available on 5 Live Sport and the BBC Sport website and app.
First Slam title would ‘mean world’ to Zverev
Standing in Alcaraz’s way is 27-year-old Zverev, a player that began this year’s campaign with a straight-set victory over Nadal – who might have been playing his last match at Roland Garros.
Zverev has not won a Grand Slam, but came close to doing so at the 2020 US Open final when he was two sets ahead and then two points away from victory when serving for the tournament at 5-3 ahead in the final set.
However, Austria’s Dominic Thiem ultimately took the title following a fifth set tie-break in an epic four-hour final.
Zverev has reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros in each of the past four years, although he suffered a serious ankle injury during the second set of his 2022 match with Nadal, with the German leaving the court in a wheelchair.
He has also lost in the final four in five sets to Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2021 and in three sets to Norway’s Casper Ruud in 2023, but saw off Ruud this year to reach his first final.
“Going from basically the US Open final where I was two points away, to being rolled off in a wheelchair here two years ago – it’s all part of my journey,” said Zverev.
“I’m in the final. I haven’t won yet. I just want to play my best tennis and give myself the best chance. If I’m able to do that and if I am able to lift that trophy, it will mean the world to me.”
The Tiergarten District Court in Berlin said: “There has been a settlement between the defendant and the complainant. The decision is not a verdict and it is not a decision about guilt or innocence.
“One decisive factor for the court decision was the witness has expressed her wish to end the trial. The defendant agreed to the termination of the case.”