Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his three-hour, 21-minute final victory against Jannik Sinner in Beijing.

Carlos Alcaraz: ‘I went for it all the time’ | ATP Tour

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Alcaraz: ‘I went for it all the time’

The 21-year-old wins fourth title of 2024 in epic Beijing final

October 02, 2024

Shi Tang/Getty Images

Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his three-hour, 21-minute final victory against Jannik Sinner in Beijing.
By ATP Staff

If the rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner was a book, it would be a thrilling page-turner that readers could not put down. The latest chapter, Alcaraz’s narrow victory against Sinner in an epic China Open final, delivered the highly-anticipated amount of enthrallment.

Back and forth with twists and turns mixed throughout, the ATP 500 final was edge-of-your-seat tennis for all three hours and 21 minutes, the longest match in tournament history. Alcaraz believes that matches like Wednesday’s final bring an excitement that will attract new fans to the sport.

“I think for the people who don’t watch tennis, probably thanks to these kind of matches, [they] start to watch tennis or even practise it. I think it is pretty good,” Alcaraz said. “When Jannik and I face each other, playing against each other, I think it’s a really good thing for tennis because we always show a really intense match, really close match, great points, great rallies.”



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By winning his fourth title of the season, Alcaraz continued his perfect year against the World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The Spaniard fell to Sinner a year ago in the Beijing semi-finals and has since won their three meetings in 2024: Indian Wells, Roland Garros and Beijing. Alcaraz now leads Sinner 6-4 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“I try to enjoy as much as I can playing against him, but it’s not easy. I’m really happy. I mean, when you’re able to beat one of the best, if not the best, tennis player in the world, obviously it seems like you’re doing the right things, you’re doing the right work,” Alcaraz said.

“I’m proud of myself with everything I’ve done the last month, working really hard physically, on the court as well. It has been an intense month. But I’m really happy to end it with the trophy here in Beijing, with a really incredible match.”

The 21-year-old’s 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) triumph against Sinner displayed everything fans love about both players. There was monstrous firepower from the baseline and superb shotmaking combined with court coverage that showcased their speed and agility.

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It was also a testament to both players’ mental resilience. Alcaraz let slip a 5-2 lead in the opening set, which he eventually lost. The Spaniard held a break advantage in the decider, but was eventually pushed to a final-set tie-break.

“It was a really close match. I mean, Jannik could win in straight sets. I could win in two sets. I had my chances in the first set. Didn’t take it,” Alcaraz said. “I’m really happy with the way that I managed that moment. I lost the first set with a lot of opportunities, didn’t make it. Coming up in the second set, I tried to clear my mind a little bit and just tried to keep going, playing the good tennis that I was doing the first set.

“I think both of us showed a really high level of tennis. High level mentally, physically, until the last ball. Running from side to side, showing really good rallies, really good points in the tie-break of the third. I’m really happy to be able to get that win at the end.”

Alcaraz had his back against the wall in the final-set tie-break. Sinner had claimed 18 of his previous 19 tie-breaks, including one in the first set of the final, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The Italian struck two forehand winners on the first two points and then opened up a 3/0 lead.

But Alcaraz stormed back, tallying seven consecutive points to capture his 16th tour-level title.

“I just tried to keep going, tried not to think about anything else but the next point,” Alcaraz said. “I tried to play the same way I was playing. If I miss it, I miss it. I wanted to think that I went for it all the time. I say that’s all that matters.”

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Alcaraz became the first player to win an ATP 500 crown on all three surfaces (hard, clay and grass) in series history (since 2009). His eight-match win streak is a welcomed sight after suffering a shocking second-round upset at the US Open.

Alcaraz, who captured his 200th tour-level win in the Beijing second round, is up to second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin following his title run.

“It was a really special win for me, lifting this trophy in front of my team, part of my family. It was a great moment for me. I guess [Juan Carlos Ferrero] got emotional at the end because we all know what we went through the last month or the last two months. It was a really difficult moment on the court, off the court,” Alcaraz said.

“As I said in the speech, thanks to [my team], I started to get the joy back playing the matches, practising, I got motivated again. I really wanted to travel, to play tournaments again. Probably after the American swing, I was a little bit down, I didn’t want to touch a racquet for a while. I didn’t want to travel, let’s say.

“After that, we talked a lot during those days, knowing that I have to be back practising, be stronger physically, be stronger mentally just to overcome those problems, let’s say. The last month we’ve been working really, really hard on the court, off the court, just to be able to feel this moment again.”


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Italy's Jannik Sinner hits a return to Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during the men's singles final at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 2, 2024. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP) (Photo by GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)

Carlos Alcaraz defeats world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in epic China Open final

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CNN
 — 

The men’s final of this year’s China Open was billed as a battle between two titans and it definitely didn’t disappoint.

After three grueling sets, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz emerged victorious over world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, winning 6-7 6-4 7-6 to claim his 16th ATP Tour title.

The pair produced some incredible rallies throughout the pulsating match, further underlining why they are arguably the two best players in the world right now.

Despite now beating Sinner in all three of their games this season, world No. 3 Alacaraz was full of praise for the Italian.

“It was a really close match,” the 21-year-old said after the win.

“Jannik, once again, he showed that he’s the best player in the world, at least for me. The level that he’s playing, it’s unbelievable. It’s a really high quality of tennis. Of shots, physically, mentally, he’s a beast.”

Both men shared all four grand slam titles this year – Sinner winning the Australian Open and US Open, while Alcaraz won Wimbledon and the French Open.

But it was the latter who started the better of the two on Wednesday, racing into an early lead in the first set. Sinner, however, started to find his rhythm and survived three set points to edge a first-set tiebreak.

The Italian, who had been on a 15-match winning streak, then continued to pile pressure on his opponent in the second set. Alcaraz survived multiple break points to stay in touching distance, eventually levelling the score to take the contest to a decider.

Alacaraz appeared to have the momentum in the third set, establishing a healthy 3-1 lead, but Sinner wouldn’t fade away and bit back again, forcing a deciding tiebreak which he initially led 3-0.

But a pumped-up Alcaraz then won seven consecutive points to take the title after three hours and 21 minutes of action – the longest match in the history of the tournament.

“I’m really happy that in the third set, even though he broke my serve again and we were really close, I gave myself the chance to keep going, playing aggressively and at the end I’m really happy that I made it,” Alcaraz said after one of the most exciting matches of the year.

With the win, he becomes the first player to win ATP 500 titles on all three surfaces since the series was launched in 2009.

For Sinner, the defeat comes during a challenging period away from the tennis court.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recently said it had lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after an independent tribunal found Sinner wasn’t at fault for twice testing positive for a banned substance in March 2024.

The 23-year-old has so far avoided suspension from competition since the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced in August that he wasn’t at fault despite testing positive for Clostebol, an anabolic steroid. Two samples collected eight days apart at Indian Wells in March showed low levels of the drug.

In a statement posted on social media in August, Sinner said the positive tests stemmed from “inadvertent contamination of Clostebol” through treatment from his physiotherapist.


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Image: Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 U.S. Open.

Carlos Alcaraz loses to Botic van de Zandschulp in U.S. Open, ending 15-match Grand Slam win streak

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Carlos Alcaraz’s 15-match Grand Slam unbeaten run ended at the U.S. Open with a sloppy 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 loss to 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round on Thursday night.

Alcaraz won the French Open in June and Wimbledon in July to raise his career total to four major championships, including taking the title at Flushing Meadows in 2022, and was the pre-tournament favorite to leave with the trophy again.

Carlos Alcaraz waves to the crowd after losing to Botic van De Zandschulp at the U.S. Open on Thursday.Matthew Stockman / Getty Images

But he never found his footing against van de Zandschulp, a 28-year-old from the Netherlands. Alcaraz was way off, repeatedly missing the sorts of shots he usually makes routinely. After double-faulting to fall behind two sets to none — a deficit he’s never overcome — the No. 3-seeded Alcaraz slung his equipment bag over this shoulder and trudged toward the locker room.

Glancing in the direction of his coach, 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz pointed his right index finger at his temple, then wagged that finger, as if to say, “I’m not thinking straight.”

He might have been excused for being confused by what was transpiring under the closed retractable roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium on a chilly evening.

The 21-year-old from Spain came in with a 16-2 record at the U.S. Open, where he never had been eliminated before the quarterfinals in three previous appearances. This also was Alcaraz’s earliest loss at any major tournament since bowing out in the second round of Wimbledon in 2021 as a teenager; he’s never lost in the first round at a Slam event.

The opening set Thursday was unbelievably lopsided. With van de Zandschulp’s powerful forehands and serves at up to 132 mph finding their marks, Alcaraz never seemed to get comfortable — even if he had won their past two matchups.

Alcaraz did not produce a single winner in that set and was nearly doubled up in total points, 24-13. The second set was a bit better for him, but not enough so, and a double-fault gift-wrapped a service break that put van de Zandschulp up 6-5. When Alcaraz pushed a forehand wide to end the next game, van de Zandschulp finished off a hold at love that gave him the initial two sets after 1 1/2 hours of action.

It didn’t take long for Alcaraz to fall behind by a break in the third, too, at 3-2, but he made a stand immediately — well, with some help, because van de Zandschulp’s double-fault ceded a break that made it 3-all. Alcaraz then held at love and smiled as he strutted to the changeover.

That smile was quickly gone, though, because Alcaraz’s mistakes kept arriving, and van de Zandschulp never folded.


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Carlos Alcaraz naufraga en la 2da ronda del US Open al caer sets corridos ante van de Zandschulp – Telemundo Area de la Bahía 48

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NUEVA YORK (AP) — La racha de 15 victorias de Carlos Alcaraz en los Grand Slams quedó desbaratada la noche del jueves con una deslucida derrota 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 ante Botic van de Zandschulp, el número 74 del mundo, en la segunda ronda del Abierto de Estados Unidos.

El verano de Alcaraz había sido fulgurante: consagraciones en el Abierto de Francia y luego Wimbledon en julio, más una medalla de plata en los Juegos Olímpicos de París.

Con 21 años, el español ya había acumulado cuatro títulos de las grandes citas. Tras haberse coronado en Nueva York en 2022, era el gran favorito para añadir otro trofeo a su colección.

Pero no nunca pudo carburar ante van de Zandschulp, un neerlandés de 28 años.

“Ha sido una gran noche para mí”, dijo van de Zandschulp. “He defendido bien… si quieres ganar a uno de estos jugadores, tienes que mantener la calma”.

Alcaraz estuvo años luz de su mejor versión, cometiendo errores de todo tipo.

Después de una doble falta para quedar dos sets abajo, un déficit que nunca ha podido revertir, el tercer cabeza de serie cargó su raquetero y se encaminó al vestuario confundido ante la situación.


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Novak Djokovic beats Carlos Alcaraz for first Olympic gold

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PARIS — For all of his Grand Slam championships and other titles, for all of his time at No. 1, Novak Djokovic really, really wanted an Olympic gold medal for Serbia, the last significant accomplishment missing from his glittering résumé.

He finally got one at age 37 on Sunday, beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in an enthralling and evenly matched men’s tennis singles final at the 2024 Games.

In a sense, it doesn’t matter one bit how long it took, of course. Djokovic is now an Olympic champion and forever will be. And in another sense, the years of waiting, the stumbles along the journey, made him appreciate this triumph as much as — no, make that more than — every other, which is why his hands trembled when he knelt on Court Philippe Chatrier’s red clay at the end as his tears flowed.

“When I take everything into consideration, this probably is the biggest sporting success I ever had in my career,” said Djokovic, who didn’t drop a set in Paris and is the oldest man to win the Summer Games tennis title since 1908. “This kind of supersedes everything that I imagined, that I hoped that I could experience, that I could feel.”

With margins so thin that any mistake felt as if it could tilt things, Djokovic was at his best when the stakes were highest, dominating each of the two tiebreakers against Alcaraz, who beat him in the Wimbledon final three weeks ago.

“In the close moments, in the difficult situations, in the tiebreaks, he played an impressive game,” said Alcaraz, the 21-year-old from Spain who sobbed, too, after falling short of becoming the youngest male singles gold medalist. “That’s why I saw that he’s hungry for the gold medal. He was going to go for it.”

Djokovic already owns a men’s-record 24 Grand Slam trophies and the most weeks spent atop the rankings by any man or woman. He also already owned an Olympics medal, from 2008, but it was a bronze — and he made it clear that simply wasn’t sufficient. He kept talking over the past week, but also the past months, about what a priority the gold was for him, and Alcaraz said Sunday he kept hearing about it.

Before he faced Paris bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti of Italy on Friday, Djokovic had been 0-3 in Olympic semifinals, losing to the gold winner each time: Rafael Nadal at Beijing in 2008, Andy Murray at London in 2012, and Alexander Zverev in Tokyo three years ago.

This time, Djokovic said, “I was ready.”

In Paris, wearing a gray sleeve over the right knee that required surgery for a torn meniscus two months ago, Djokovic faced Nadal in the second round and eliminated his longtime rival in straight sets.

The 2-hour, 50-minute final featured one of the best to ever do it, in Djokovic — and the “highest mountain to climb at the moment,” in Alcaraz, as Djokovic put it.

There was superb ball-striking, deft drop shots and tremendous sprinting, sliding, stretching defense. The No. 1-seeded Djokovic saved eight break points, while No. 2 Alcaraz saved six. Pressure? Ha. What pressure?

“We both played at a very high level,” Djokovic said. “We really went toe-to-toe.”

The only shame, perhaps, for the fans — and naturally, Alcaraz — was that the Olympics uses a best-of-three-set format, instead of the best-of-five at Grand Slam tournaments. Those in the stands became part of the show, breaking out into choruses of “No-le! No-le!” or “Car-los! Car-los!” that often overlapped, creating an operatic fugue. As Alcaraz attempted to mount a comeback, his supporters chanted “Si, se puede!” (essentially, “Yes, you can!”).

Yet the place was as quiet as a theater between points; play was delayed briefly when a young child’s crying pierced the air that was thick with anticipation.

The first set alone lasted more than 1½ hours, full of epic shots and epic games. One game lasted 18 points spread over more than a dozen mesmerizing minutes on the way to that tiebreaker, when Djokovic grabbed the last four points, then turned to face his guest box — which included his tennis team and his wife and their two children — with a fist held high.

In the second tiebreaker, after Djokovic laced a cross-court forehand winner on the run to cap a 10-shot point for a 3-2 lead, he waved his arms to encourage the folks standing and screaming. Soon, thanks to one last forehand winner, he had earned that prize he wanted, at long last.

When the Serbian national anthem finished ringing out, Djokovic reached for his gold and brought it to his lips for a kiss.

Was he worried that moment would never arrive?

“There are always doubts. Absolutely, I had doubts,” Djokovic said. “But the belief and the conviction that I can make, it is stronger than my doubts. It always has been. I knew that it’s going to happen. It was just a matter of when it’s going to happen.”


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Novak Djokovic smiles and celebrates winning on the tennis court

Novak Djokovic defeats Carlos Alcaraz for first Olympic gold medal

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Even the characteristically tough Novak Djokovic couldn’t help but shed a tear at the end of the men’s singles final.

The Serbian tennis legend had won all four Grand Slam titles and practically every honor there is in the sport, but the Olympic gold medal was escaping him. He had tried five times to win the gold, failing each time.

That finally changed Sunday.

At the Roland-Garros stadium where he had injured his knee only months earlier, and across the net from the face of tennis’s new guard — 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz — who had defeated him at Wimbledon this summer, the 37-year-old veteran finally struck gold.

Alcaraz did not make it easy for Djokovic, however. The two sets played had to go into a tiebreaker, which was neck and neck the entire way. During the first set, there were 13 unsuccessful break points. The match lasted nearly three hours, an eternity for earning the best two sets out of three.

The crowd was extremely rowdy, with both players visibly frustrated by screams and shouts, and officials repeatedly asked spectators to be quiet.

But Djokovic came out on top, defeating Alcaraz 7(7)-6(3), 7(7)-6(2).

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts to beating Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in their men’s singles final tennis match at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.Miguel Medina / AFP – Getty Images

After the match, Djokovic collapsed on the ground. He was shaking and crying, with a towel over his head. He jumped into the crowd to embrace his family. Finally, he was golden.

“I’m overwhelmed with everything I’m feeling right now,” Djokovic said. “Millions of different emotions, of course.”

Djokovic is the oldest player to win the Olympic singles tournament since Great Britain’s Josiah Ritchie in 1908.

“Of course I’ve won everything there is to win probably in my individual career, but winning the Davis Cup, and particularly a golden medal for an Olympic Games for Serbia at the age of 37, is unprecedented,” he said.

With the medal and his four major Grand Slam titles, Djokovic becomes only the fifth player in history to complete the “Golden Slam,” joining Steffi Graf, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi and Serena Williams.

Djokovic was only 9 when Agassi became the first to complete the Golden Slam. Since then, Djokovic has won 24 Grand Slam titles in his career — the most of any man in history.

Whether Djokovic will pass the baton to the new guard and the likes of Alcaraz isn’t certain, but this win solidifies him in the company of tennis legends.

“I’m telling myself always that I am enough, because I can be very self-critical,” Djokovic said. “That’s probably one of the biggest internal battles that I keep on fighting with myself, that I don’t feel that I’ve done enough — that I have been enough in my life on the court and off the court.”

While Djokovic’s quest for gold is finally complete, Alcaraz’s silver heralds what’s to come for tennis’ next superstar.

The 21-year-old is the youngest man to win a medal in the Olympic singles tournament since Djokovic, who won bronze in 2008.

“I am a little bit disappointed but I’m going to leave the court with my head high,” Alcaraz said. “I gave everything that I had. Fighting for Spain was everything for me. I’m proud of the way I played today.”

Alcaraz said losing how he did was “painful,” but that Djokovic played “great” and “deserved this.”

“In the difficult moments, he increased his level,” Alcaraz said. “He was unbelievable.”

On the rightmost side of the podium, Italian Lorenzo Musetti earned bronze, Italy’s first medal in tennis since the 1924 Paris Olympics — and the country’s second-ever medal for tennis.

For Djokovic, this marks the first tournament he has won in 2024 — and a rematch of Wimbledon, when he lost the slam to Alcaraz.

“It’s a big lesson for me,” he said. “I’m super grateful for the blessing to win a historic gold medal for my country to complete the Golden Slam and to complete all the records.”


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Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz live updates: Djokovic wins Paris Olympics 2024 tennis final to complete Golden Slam

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In winning today’s match, Djokovic has won the second medal of Paris 2024 for Serbia, both of them gold after Zorana Arunovic and Damir Mikec won as a pair in the shooting.

“Most of all, it’s my country. The pride to play for Serbia,” he told Eurosport. “I know Carlos and Rafa (Nadal) love to play for Spain, Andy (Murray) loves to play for Britain, Roger (Federer) for Switzerland, you saw the reaction of all these guys when they win. It’s something special.

“This is my fifth Olympic Games. Three out of four Olympic Games I played semifinals and never managed to overcome that hurdle for some reason. When I entered the court for the semifinal against (Lorenzo) Musetti, I was thinking about it.

“That’s why today, before the match, I did not feel as nervous as I would normally feel because I secured a medal. But, of course, I was going to go for gold.”


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Djokovic beats Alcaraz to win gold at 2024 Olympics – NBC10 Philadelphia

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Novak Djokovic has earned one of the most prestigious honors a tennis player can achieve: a career golden slam. 

The 37-year-old Serbian took down Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz 7-6, 7-6 on Sunday to win his first ever gold medal at the Olympics.

Djokovic is among exclusive company with Steffi Graff (1988), Andre Agassi (1999), Rafael Nadal (2010) and Serena Williams (2012) to achieve the career golden slam. The honor is earned when a player wins all four Grand Slams and an Olympic gold in singles.

Tennis fans could truly see how much Sunday’s match meant to the 24-time Grand Slam champion as he clearly displayed his best tennis of 2024. He sealed the victory with a forehand winner and dropped to the Roland-Garros clay in tears.

Djokovic has one other medal to his name. He earned a bronze medal in men’s singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In the last tennis match of the Games, Italy’s Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani will take on AIN’s Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider for gold in women’s doubles. 


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