In the lead-up to his first French Open final, a poignant photograph resurfaced showing a 12-year-old Carlos Alcaraz sitting in front of the Eiffel Tower, intently watching the tournament on a big screen. Now, at 21, Alcaraz has fulfilled his childhood dream by winning the Grand Slam title many believed was his destiny. Following his five-set victory over Germany’s Alexander Zverev on Sunday, Alcaraz announced plans to get a tattoo of the iconic landmark as a permanent reminder of his achievement.
“It will be on the left ankle – the Eiffel Tower and today’s date,” Alcaraz said. “I have to find time but I will do it for sure.”
The excitement on young Alcaraz’s face as he sat on the Champ-de-Mars grass with his childhood coach, Carlos Santos, underscored his early passion for the sport. Another photo from that 2015 trip captures the starry-eyed duo on Court Philippe Chatrier, highlighting the significance of this moment in his journey.
Growing up in Murcia, Spain, Alcaraz was no stranger to clay courts. He would often rush home from school to watch Roland Garros, dreaming of one day playing and winning on those same courts. “Winning a Grand Slam is always special, but here in Roland Garros, knowing all the Spanish players who have won here, to put my name on that list is unbelievable,” Alcaraz remarked. “I dreamt of being in this position since I started playing tennis when I was five or six years old.”
Last year, nerves got the better of Alcaraz in the semi-finals against the legendary Novak Djokovic. This year, he had to overcome those nerves once again, especially in the semi-final against incoming world number one Jannik Sinner. During the final match with Zverev, Alcaraz appeared tense and unconvincing at times. However, he demonstrated ‘cabeza, corazon, cojones’—head, heart, and courage—advice famously given by his grandfather and the inspiration for a tattoo on his wrist, to pull through.
Reflecting on Alcaraz’s journey, former British number one Greg Rusedski told BBC Sport, “The interesting thing is we all thought he would win the French Open as his first major. Last year against Djokovic he got super tight, cramping, and got nervous. It happened against Sinner as well. It felt like his destiny to win this event and now he’s found a way to win it, the sky is the limit.”
As Alcaraz prepares to immortalize his victory with an Eiffel Tower tattoo, his journey from a starry-eyed child in Paris to a Grand Slam champion serves as a powerful testament to dreams realized through dedication and resilience.
