Carlos Alcaraz says it was his 'destiny' to follow Rafael Nadal as spooky stat emerges after latest French Open triumph

Carlos Alcaraz has been compared to his compatriot Rafael Nadal for most of his career, and now the two Spaniards have another striking similarity They both won their fifth Grand Slam by the age of 22 after Alcaraz secured a thrilling 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(2) victory over Italian rival Jannik Sinner in Sunday's French Open final. Nadal achieved the same feat by winning Wimbledon in 2008.

Highlights: Alcaraz overpowers Sinner in classic Roland-Garros final

Video credit: TNT Sports

Carlos Alcaraz believes it was destiny that he should win his fifth Grand Slam at the same age as his idol Rafael Nadal.

The Spaniard defeated Jannik Sinner 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(2) in a thriller at Roland Garros to take his Grand Slam tally up to five at the age of 22 years and 34 days old.

That's just a day older than Nadal was when he achieved the same feat by winning Wimbledon in 2008.

Roland-Garros

Sabalenka regrets 'completely unprofessional' comments after French Open loss

17/06/2025 at 08:11

Alcaraz now has two French Open titles, two Wimbledon crowns and the 2022 US Open to his name, and he admits it is a huge honour to follow in his idol's footsteps.

"Well, I mean, I have to realise that I've done it [won a fifth Grand Slam]. I think that's the first step," he said.

"Honestly the coincidence of winning my fifth Grand Slam in the same age as Rafa Nadal, I'm going to say that's the destiny, I guess.

"I mean, it is a stat that I'm going to keep for me forever, winning the fifth Grand Slam at the same time as Rafa, my idol, my inspiration.

"It's a huge honour honestly. Hopefully it's not going to stop like this."

Alcaraz battled back from two sets down to come out on top in a classic in Paris.

The victory means he has now beaten his Italian rival in all of their last five encounters. However, the Spaniard insists that Sinner will get the better of him again one day.

"I'm sure he's going to learn from this match, and he's going to come back stronger the next time we are going to face against each other," he added. "I'm pretty sure he's going to make his homework.