We have reached the final weekend of the 2024 French Open as two men and two women remain, looking to capture the second slam of the season and the glory that comes with it. Iga Swiatek looks to defend her back-to-back Roland Garros on Saturday, but in this article, we at LWOT will give our roundtable predictions of the men’s final, No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz vs No. 4 Alexander Zverev. Predicting the final are contributors Shane Black, Yesh Ginsburg, Damian Kust, Tope Oke, Jordan Reynolds, and Ateet Shrivastava. Who do you think will raise the title in Paris?
French Open Final Prediction
Carlos Alcaraz vs Alexander Zverev
Shane:
Alexander Zverev loves the French Open. The German is 21-3 over the previous four iterations of this event. His serving performance in his semifinal win over Ruud was out of this world and could be a difference in what should be a tightly contested final. Carlos Alcaraz, still only 21 years old, continues to rewrite the tennis record books. The Spaniard overcame some early sloppy play to take down Sinner in the semis, a win that should give him a lot of confidence heading into Sunday. I expect this match to deliver. If Zverev can calm his nerves and continue to knock in first serves at a high clip, I see him raising his first slam title.
Prediction: Zverev in 5
Yesh:
The last time Zverev was in a Grand Slam final, he royally choked it away. Will that happen again? Will he even get the opportunity? He has been tested far less than Alcaraz this tournament, but his game on clay also isn’t quite as good. Assuming Alcaraz has his usual full court coverage, he should have the advantage.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 5
Damian:
It’s clear who the favorite is, but things might not be so obvious. Alcaraz has already fallen for the traps of this matchup twice at slams and if Zverev is serving as excellent on Sunday as in Australia, it won’t be easy. The excellent defending of the German can also force errors out of Alcaraz, who might have to get creative about it if he’s still not comfortable going all-out on the forehand (it was a little up and down vs Sinner). I’ll still go Alcaraz, but he needs to be much smarter here than in January when he just kept trying to blast through the court at the Zverev backhand, his stronger shot by a country mile.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 4
Tope:
Arguably the two best players in Paris have earned their place in what promises to be a final for the ages. I can’t find the right words to describe their superlative semifinal performances but I felt Zverev was destined to win this after he came back from the dead against Tallon Griekspoor in the fourth round. I’ll back him to win his first slam.
Prediction: Zverev in 5
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Jordan:
Zverev will be happy he got through his last two rounds quickly after playing two five-set battles before that. Alcaraz was taken to five sets against Jannik Sinner, but he won three five-set matches in a row during his run to the US Open title in 2022, meaning fatigue is unlikely to be an issue for him. Zverev has been a tough matchup for him in the past, but I think the Spaniard will get the job done in the final. Although Zverev’s defence throughout the tournament has been very impressive, I trust Alcaraz to hit through the German’s rearguard on clay. Zverev needs to serve excellently to have a chance, as he did during his victory against Alcaraz at this year’s Australian Open.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3
Ateet:
Carlos Alcaraz was brilliant in the last two sets against Sinner to win the match. He pulled out the magical shots when it mattered in the tough moments. He has never lost a Grand Slam final and will go into this match as the favourite. Alexander Zverev was perfect after the first set against Ruud and completely dominated the match. Zverev has troubled Alcaraz, but the Spaniard will be more ready now. This should be a great match with both players giving their all. Zverev won’t get a better opportunity to win a slam and I expect him to do it.
Prediction: Zverev in 5
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports