Carlos Alcaraz defeated Alexander Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7. 6-1, 6-2 to win his first French Open title and third Grand Slam, including the 2022 U.S. Open and 2023 Wimbledon.
The win was worth $2.6 million in prize money for Spain’s Alcaraz, while Germany’s Zverev earned $1.3 million. It was Zverev’s second Grand Slam final after his 2020 U.S. Open appearance, but he still seeks his first title.
The final marked the second straight comeback for Alcaraz, who was also down two sets to one in his semifinal match against Janik Sinner but rallied to secure a spot in the final. The 21- (Alcaraz) and 22-year-old (Sinner) appear poised to fill the gap of tennis’ Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, who captured 66 Grand Slam titles between 2004 and 2023, while the rest of the tennis world won 14.
Alcaraz and Sinner have won three of the last four Slams, and Sinner will replace Djokovic this week as the world’s top-ranked player. Sinner will be the 29th player to be No. 1 since the rankings were introduced in 1973—Djokovic holds the record at No. 1 at 428 total weeks during his career. In 2022, Alcaraz became the youngest man to be No. 1 at 19 years and four months.
Alcaraz’s win adds to the legacy of Spanish players at Roland Garros with 21 titles for the country during the Open Era, including 17 of the past 23, with Nadal’s 14 the main contributor; Sweden is next with nine. Alcaraz moves to ninth on the all-time career prize money list at $31.5 million with his French Open payday.
On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek cemented her spot as the world’s most dominant tennis player, as she rolled through the women’s draw. She crushed Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-1 at Roland Garros on Saturday for her third straight French Open title and fourth overall—she also won the 2022 U.S. Open.
Swiatek faced a match point in her nearly three-hour, second-round match against Naomi Osaka, but lost only 20 games in her other six matches en route to the title. Swiatek turned 23 last month, and her 106 weeks ranked No. 1 in the world already ranks ninth all time. She also earned $2.6 million for her win, which pushed her career prize money to $31.5 million, the ninth highest ever.
Zverev was competing two days after the world’s fourth-ranked player settled his domestic abuse case in Germany that was tied to his ex-girlfriend and mother of his child. The agreement called for Zverev to pay €200,000 ($216,000) and not admit any guilt. The money is split between the state treasury and non-profit organizations.
Domestic abuse allegations against Zverev emerged in 2021 in an expose published by Slate, based on details from another ex-girlfriend. Zverev has denied the claims in both cases, but the cloud over him has hindered his ability to cash in with sponsors.
Alcaraz and Djokovic were the only tennis players who cracked Sportico’s 2023 list of the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes. Alcaraz ranked No. 56 with $42.2 million, including $15.2 million in prize money and an estimated $27 million off the court from appearance fees and endorsements. Alcaraz commands seven figures for appearances or an exhibition, and his sponsors include Nike, LVMH, BMW, Rolex, Babolat, Calvin Klein and ISDIN sunscreen.
