Rafael Nadal Congratulates Carlos Alcaraz on His First French Open Title

June 9, 2024 Jimm Sallivan

Carlos Alcaraz won his first French Open title on Sunday, taking down Alexander Zverev in a five-set thriller 6–3, 2–6, 5–7, 6–1, 6–2.

At 21 years old, Alcaraz became the youngest men’s player to win a Grand Slam title on all three surfaces: hard court, clay and grass. He’s also the first Spaniard to win the French Open since 14-time champion Rafael Nadal last won at Roland Garros in 2022.

As Nadal could possibly retire at the end of the 2024 season, many fans see Alcaraz as one of the next great men’s tennis players. So, it was fitting that Nadal wrote a congratulatory message on X, formerly known as Twitter, shortly after Alcaraz played his winning point Sunday.

“Congratulations @carlosalcaraz for this immense victory!!!! Big!!!! Very happy for your successes!!! #Vamos,” Nadal wrote.

Enhorabuena @carlosalcaraz por esta inmensa victoria!!!! Grande!!!! Muy contento por tus éxitos !!! 🇪🇸 #Vamos https://t.co/bIBbJhyh4B

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 9, 2024

Nadal lost in the first round to Zverev, which was only the fourth French Open loss of his career. Nadal holds the record for the most major titles won at a single tournament with 14 at Roland Garros. He was just 19 years old when he won his first French Open title in 2005.

Alcaraz will play at the next major event, Wimbledon, starting July 1 as the tournament’s reigning champion . He has now won three major titles in his young career.

3 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Carlos Alcaraz Announces Withdrawal From Italian Open Due to Arm Injury

World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz on Friday announced his withdrawal from the upcoming Italian Open, which begins on May 6 in Rome, in a post onto his account on X, formerly Twitter.

Alcaraz, whose bid to win a third straight Madrid Open fell short after a three-set loss to Andrey Rublev on Wednesday, revealed that he experienced "some discomfort" in his right forearm.

"I felt some pain after playing in Madrid, some discomfort in my arm. Today I did some tests and I have a muscle edema in my pronator teres, a consequence of my recent injury. Unfortunately I will not be able to play in Rome. I need to rest so I can recover and play 100% pain free. I am very sorry, I will see you next year @InteBNLdItalia," Alcaraz wrote.

Alcaraz first sustained the arm injury during a training session in Monaco prior to the start of the clay court season. The Spaniard was then forced to miss both the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open, but managed to tough out the injury in the Madrid Open, wearing a compression sleeve on his right arm.

It's unclear if Alcaraz will be healthy enough to play in the ATP Tour's second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open, which begins on May 20.

Alcaraz, 20, holds a 15-4 record and has won one singles title (Indian Wells) thus far in 2024.

3 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Carlos Alcaraz Prediction, Odds and Pick for French Open Quarterfinal

Two top 10 foes meet at Roland-Garros in the French Open quarterfinals on Tuesday evening.

World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz has owned his career series against No. 9 Stefanos Tsitsipas, winning all five matches against his Greek opponent in his career. Can the Spanish phenom continue his excellence on clay in hopes of pushing closer to winning his first French Open title?

Here are the odds and our best bet for the Tuesday quarterfinal matchup:

Spread

Moneyline

Total: 36.5 (Over -112/Under -118)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Both players have been lightly tested during this Grand Slam tournament, but it’s tough to look past the historical results and see that Alcaraz is a justified favorite, winning all five matches, including last year in this same situation.

In the 2023 French Open, Alcaraz beat Tsitsipas 3-0 (6-2, 6-1, 7-6) to advance to the semifinals. While Alcaraz has dealt with some injury issues this year in the lead-up to Roland-Garros, there is still a gap between the two and I believe the Spaniard is well-equipped to handle his opponent.

Alcaraz has made his first serve at 67% or higher in all four matches thus far, making it hard for any opponent to generate much traction while returning and hoping to get breakpoints. Further, given Alcaraz’s ability on clay to return, he has broken 35% of opponent's games in 86 non-French Open clay matches in his career, I trust him to cash in on more opportunities throughout the match.

Tsitsipas hasn’t proven to be able to compete with Alcaraz in the past, and while fitness concerns were an issue at the start of the tournament, I’m confident that the former No. 1 in the world can win in straight sets to get to the semis.

PICK: Alcaraz 3-0 (+145)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

13 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Rafael Nadal to Miss Wimbledon, Will Focus on Paris Olympics

Rafael Nadal announced on Thursday that he will miss 2024 Wimbledon to instead focus on preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

This news is huge as it could've been Nadal's final Wimbledon. He's a two-time Wimbledon champion, winning the tournament in 2008 and 2010. Although he hasn't officially made a retirement decision public, he's hinted over the last year that this year could be his final year on the tour.

His decision to miss Wimbledon boiled down to him wanting to solely train on clay courts for the Olympics, in which he will partner up with fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in doubles. He doesn't want to shift his training and play on grass courts in between.

"With this goal, we believe that the best for my body is not to change surface and keep playing on clay until then. It’s for this reason that I will miss playing at the Championships this year at Wimbledon," Nadal wrote on social media. "I am saddened not to be able to live this year the great atmosphere of that amazing event that will always be in my heart, and be with all the British fans that always gave me great support. I will miss you all."

With this goal, we believe that the best for my body is not to change surface and keep playing on clay until then. It’s for this reason that I will miss playing at the Championships this year at Wimbledon. I am saddened not to be able to live this year the great atmosphere of…
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 13, 2024

The 38-year-old has missed quite a bit of the season already because of abdominal injuries. He missed nearly the entire 2023 season because of a hip injury, meaning he also was absent for the 2023 Wimbledon tournament.

Nadal wrote that he will play in the Nordea Open in mid-July, which is played in Bastad, Sweden. It is a clay court tournament.

US Sports News

Rafael Nadal Congratulates Carlos Alcaraz on His First French Open Title

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Jimm Sallivan