Roland-Garros 2024 concluded on Sunday, June 9, to the sound of the “Marcha Real,” the Spanish national anthem. While the melody has often resonated near Porte d’Auteuil to celebrate the successes of a certain Nadal, this time it was dedicated to Carlos Alcaraz. Among the women, it was the Polish player Iga Świątek who triumphed on the court, claiming her fourth Parisian title. Let’s look back at these two rising stars of tennis.
It was a new Roland-Garros that concluded on Sunday, June 9, thus crowning Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Świątek. While many seem to draw nuanced conclusions from this 2024 edition—between empty seats, matches at untimely hours, or evening sessions reserved for men—it at least confirmed the bright trajectory of the new generation and the two winners.
Alcaraz, the prodigy
Grand champion of the 2024 edition of Roland-Garros, Carlos Alcaraz has just confirmed his title as Nadal’s heir apparent.
At just 21 years old, he boasts a lightning-fast track record: fourteen titles, including three Grand Slam tournaments (the 2022 US Open, 2023 Wimbledon, and 2024 Roland-Garros) and five Masters 1000s (Miami in 2022, Indian Wells in 2023 and 2024, and Madrid in 2022 and 2023). In 2022, he impressed by defeating Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the Madrid Masters 1000, becoming the first player to beat the two members of the Big Three (Roger Federer being the third) in a clay-court tournament, as well as the youngest player since Rafael Nadal in 2005 to beat a world number one player on this surface.
His first triumph on the Philippe-Chatrier court marks a new chapter for the young man from El Palmar. But while Alcaraz shone throughout the tournament at Porte d’Auteuil, his final against the German Alexander Zverev kept spectators on the edge of their seats for a long time. Stronger than the Spaniard, Zverev gave him a hard time, turning their exchanges into a real mental game. Over the course of 4 hours and 19 minutes of play, Alcaraz managed to come back from two sets to one down, eventually emerging victorious in five sets (6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2).
🇪🇸 CARLOS ALCARAZ WINS AT ROLAND-GARROS!!!#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/0fk1SqSPwl
— Prime Video Sport France (@PVSportFR) June 9, 2024
Iga Świątek, the eviscerator
At 23, Iga Świątek seems unstoppable. By claiming her fourth Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros, she is now at the top of the women’s world tennis rankings, where she now leads the American Coco Gauff.
A professional since 2018, the young woman already holds twenty-two singles titles on the WTA tour. She made history on October 10, 2020 by becoming the first Polish player (male or female) to win a Grand Slam tournament by defeating Sofia Kenin in the Roland-Garros final.
The Parisian tournament thus stands out as her favorite ground where she triumphed four times. However, she was almost knocked out of the 2024 edition as early as the 2nd round. During a nearly 3-hour struggle, Świątek fought hard to withstand the surprising Japanese player Naomi Osaka, whom she managed to eliminate (7-6 (7/1), 1-6, 7-5). While this exchange unsettled her, it was only a stumble for the one who was nicknamed “Eviswiatek” – the one who eviscerates all her opponents – in her youth. She conceded only 17 games during her last five matches. Anastasia Potapova was humiliated in the 8th round (6-0, 6-0) in forty minutes. The same happened during the quarters with Marketa Vondrousova (6-0, 6-2), Roland-Garros finalist in 2019. Or during the match against Coco Gauff (6-2, 6-4) in the semis.
In the final against the Italian Jasmine Paolini, the world No. 1 once again proved very efficient: in 1h08, she won 6-2, 6-1, remaining impassive against her opponent.
😍 Iga Świątek wins Roland-Garros on this match point! #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/FgdBR39aUV
— Prime Video Sport France (@PVSportFR) June 8, 2024
Also holding a trophy at the 2022 US Open, Iga Świątek seems to be following in the footsteps of her idol Rafael Nadal, who, at the same age, also had four victories at Roland-Garros.
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Featured Photo: © Press
