The new king of France is Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal's heir

Roland Garros final, triumphing in five sets. Rafael Nadal's successor won his first French Open title and his third Grand Slam, becoming the youngest player to win all three surfaces at major tournaments.

Alcaraz made history in Paris. The 21-year-old battled through cramps to come back from 2-1 down in the first set to win 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 in four hours and 19 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Adding the Roland Garros crown to his Wimbledon title against Novak Djokovic last year and the 2022 US Open, Alcaraz and the world number one, Italian Jannik Sinner, represent the renewal of the Big Three (a nickname for perhaps the greatest generation of players, including Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Nadal).

Now the Spaniard has the chance to break all records at next year's Australian Open in January 2025. If he wins at Melbourne Park, he will become the youngest man ever to win all four Grand Slam titles.

Inheriting the mantle of the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, Alcaraz combines a modern game with the patience of the old as he takes over from the King of the World, who is gradually hanging up his racket due to physical limitations and at the age of 38.

Carlos Alcaraz celebrates beating Alexander Zverev during the Men's Singles Final at Roland Garros 2024. GETTY IMAGES

"I have special feelings for this tournament. After school, I used to rush home to turn on the television and watch all the matches. I've seen a lot of them, Rafa's of course. And now I want to add my name to the list of Spaniards who have won it," said the young Alcaraz after a tough semi-final against Italy's Sinner.

In the first French Open final without Nadal, Djokovic or Federer since 2004, when Gaston Gaudio won Guillermo Coria, Alcaraz and Zverev played a match with heart on their sleeves. Fourth seed Zverev, who settled a domestic violence case in Germany two days ago, still has to wait for his Grand Slam crown. Alcaraz, six years younger than the Hamburg-born player, is a three-time champion.

The German lost his only previous Grand Slam final in five sets when he blew a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open. Zverev had high hopes, but Alcaraz proved too strong at key moments to level the match at 5-5.

Carlos Alcaraz hugs Alexander Zverev after the Men's Singles Final match of the 2024 French Open on 09 June 2024. GETTY IMAGES

Alcaraz was agile and creative, overcoming physical and mental obstacles with great determination. His coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, repeated the same phrase several times ("You don't think when you're angry!") and the Murcia-born player calmed down to overturn a 1-2 set deficit.

His worn-out physique raised alarms, reminiscent of a year ago when he lost to Djokovic in the semi-finals due to nervous cramps. This time he was undeterred and produced some quality tennis, despite Zverev's previous success in five-set matches at Roland Garros.

After dropping the third game of the fifth set to Alcaraz, everything looked set for a quick finish, but Alcaraz stumbled and fell 0-40 in the next game. He appeared to have double-faulted on the second break point, but the chair umpire overturned the call despite Zverev's protests before replays showed it was out.

Alcaraz showed great mental strength to hold his serve at a crucial moment in the match. Zverev was double-break down in the seventh game when Alcaraz delighted the crowd with an extravagant winner, before smashing a backhand down the line.

Carlos Alcaraz plays a forehand against Alexander Zverev in French Open at Roland Garros on June 2024 in Paris. GETTY IMAGES

"The lesson I took away from this Roland Garros is that mental strength wins matches. You don't have to play brilliantly, you don't have to play your best tennis. A lot is won mentally. If you're mentally weak, even if you play the best tennis of your life, it's difficult to win a Grand Slam," said Alcaraz after his coronation.

The young Alcaraz continues to break records. In September 2022, by winning the US Open, he had already become the youngest at 19 years old to reach the number one ranking.

The coronation in Paris, which saw him move up to number two, relegating Djokovic to third, made the "Wonder Boy" the youngest player (21 years and 35 days) to win Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces. He joins Federer, Borg, Jimmy Connors, Stefan Edberg, Gustavo Kuerten and Stan Wawrinka as one of only seven players to win their first three Grand Slam finals.

"The last few months have been pretty tough with the injury (in my right forearm) and I wasn't feeling well. The weeks leading up to the Madrid tournament were full of uncertainty as I arrived in Paris without much training," recalled Alcaraz, who still holds the Musketeers' Cup and ended Zverev's run of twelve consecutive wins (six in Paris and six at the Rome Masters 1000).

Carlos Alcaraz reacts with the winners trophy alongside members of his team at Roland Garros on June 2024. GETTY IMAGES

"This is something I've been dreaming of since I was a kid. It's what I've been working for since day one. It's an honour to have my name on this trophy," said Alcaraz, who is the eighth Spaniard to win at the Bois de Boulogne, joining Nadal (14), Sergi Bruguera (2), Manolo Santana (2), Ferrero (1), Andres Gimeno (1), Carlos Moya (1) and Albert Costa (1).

What a twist of fate for the young Alcaraz: In the final, he beat the same player who had eliminated Nadal in the first round. For almost two decades, the French (and the world) had become accustomed to seeing a Spaniard lift the trophy on Court Philippe Chatrier.

This time it happened again, but with a different protagonist: Carlos Alcaraz, just 21 years old, the successor, who will return to Paris to compete in the Olympics on 27 July as the favourite in the singles and also in the doubles, with none other than Nadal as his partner, fusing history and the present in the quest for eternal Spanish glory.