Carlos Alcaraz was 'short and skinny' as old coach relives star's first French Open visit
Carlos Alcaraz will be bidding to lift the French Open trophy on Sunday.
Carlos Alcaraz will have the chance to win his first French Open title on Sunday. The 21-year-old already owns two Grand Slam trophies but has never been this far at Roland Garros.
It’s a special place for the Spaniard, who got his first taste of the tournament in 2015 at a junior event. Ahead of the final, Alcaraz’s childhood coach has relived their first trip to Paris.
Back then, 12-year-old Alcaraz was a “short and skinny” boy who showed a lot of promise. And nine years on, he could lift the Musketeers’ Cup.
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A sweet photo of a young Alcaraz has been circulating on social media since the world No. 3 defeated Jannik Sinner to book his spot in the French Open final. It shows Alcaraz sitting on the lawn by the Eiffel Tower watching a match on a big screen.
His former coach Carlos Santos has now shared the story behind the photo, when Alcaraz was invited to a junior tournament organised by Longines, played near the Eiffel Tower. “There was a representative from each country. There was [Holger] Rune, for example,” Santos told AS.
Alcaraz didn’t make it all the way in the junior tournament but he got to experience his first French Open as a spectator, also brushing shoulders with the players. His old coach continued: “They spent a few days together and at the end there was a tournament.
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“It was played on a beautiful court under the Eiffel Tower. He lost in the semi-finals, in the third set tie-break. Afterwards, they took us to the Philippe-Chatrier to watch a match and to the players' dining room. It was a good week, tennis players and coaches lived together, we took a walk along the Seine. A wonderful experience for Carlitos and me.”
Aged 12 at the time, Alcaraz declared that he wanted to win the French Open and Wimbledon. He has already tasted glory at SW19 and could now achieve his dream when he faces Alexander Zverev in the championship match.
While the 21-year-old is known for his powerful game style, he wasn’t the strong player fans now know him as when he first went to Roland Garros in 2015. Although he always knew Alcaraz had something special, Santos explained that he was too small and skinny to play as aggressively as he does now.
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The Murcian coach continued: “There is nothing he has now that he didn't do at that time, except his serve, which has improved him a lot, because he has more strength and is taller. Before he was a short, pale boy, very skinny and very skilled. But he is a reflection of what he was, he attracted a lot of attention everywhere we went. Being the smallest, he won in higher categories.”
And the Longines juniors trip isn’t Alcaraz’s only childhood memory of the French Open. After reaching the final he said: “I have a special feeling to this tournament, because I remember when I finish school I'm running to my home just to put the TV on and watch the matches here in the French Open.”
