He overcame 14-time winner Alexander Zverev in the opening round of the French Open men's singles championship before taking on Carlos Alcaraz, a new generation of Spanish champions. The 21-year-old, who has previously won the US Open and Wimbledon, is still recovering from an injury. Saverev passed him in the lead after two sets, but he overcame hardship to win the French Open and earn his third Grand Slam victory. Acarras was a year younger than his predecessors when he won the US Open for the first time two years ago, having won the French Open at the age of 20.
The French Open is the most resilient of the four Grand Slams in tennis, and 14-time winner Nadu is the perfect example of Philippe Chatrier's adage that "Victory belongs to the most tenacious" at Roland Garros. The "King of the French Open" was beset by ailments last year, missing his debut match. However, this year he bounced back, only to lose the event after drawing the highly skilled Saverev in the opening round.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Acaraz, who is also from Spain, is one of the two finalists with a more versatile style of play. Saverev lost to Dominic in the French Open this year despite maintaining his strong play.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Acaraz, who is also from Spain, is one of the two finalists with a more versatile style of play. Saverev lost to Dominic in the French Open this year despite maintaining his strong play.
Acarras thought the Spanish player was gone when he miraculously won a set 6:1 to tie the match. The grappling prowess of Acarras and Saverev was actually comparable, and the two teams had to battle until the fifth set. Acarras had a 5:2 lead in the third set, but Saverev won 7:5 in five straight games, and the number of sets was 2:1 ahead.
The Spanish national anthem was once again played at the French Open main stadium after both teams held their serves. Aycarras led 4-2 and then broke to win another set 6-2. The match lasted 4 hours and 19 minutes.
"Victory belongs to the tenaciest" is a French Open proverb that was not only true for Aykaras, who had a left leg injury during the match, but also true for Saverev, who lost the match and deserves praise. At the age of three, he received the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, which was his first personal setback. Throughout the tournament, he was required to monitor his blood sugar, sip fluids occasionally, and administer insulin as necessary. His tennis career was unaffected by the sickness; in fact, he went on to become the world's top junior player, transitioned to professional play in 2013, and only became the world's top senior men's singles player four years later, at the age of 20.
Considered a rising talent who has long been viewed as a formidable rival to Nadu, Zugao, and Fedana, Saverev has struggled to establish himself at the Grand Slam. In 2020, his ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova accused him of domestic violence; the Professional Tennis Federation (ATP) conducted a 15-month investigation due to a lack of evidence, and in January 2023, the organization declared that it would not penalize him. However, in July of that same year, leaked court records revealed that he was once again embroiled in a domestic violence scandal, this time with the involvement of another ex-girlfriend, Brenda Patea.
The court fined him 450,000 euros, but he appealed. As a result, the trial was eventually postponed until an out-of-court settlement occurred, reducing the fine to 200,000 euros and discharging him.
The game-focused Saverev has been on a roll this year, having reached the Australian Open semifinals and lost to Acaras in the French Open final after almost a year of lawsuits.