Novak Djokovic sends message to Carlos Alcaraz after the Spaniard’s French Open victory

Novak Djokovic was among a host of sporting stars to pay tribute to Carlos Alcaraz after the Spaniard won his maiden French Open title.

Alcaraz defeated Alexander Zverev in an entertaining five-set battle in the 2024 Roland Garros final on Sunday to secure his third Grand Slam title.

The 21-year-old preserved his unbeaten record in Major championship matches and improved his overall final record to a superb 14-4.

The world No 2 has become the youngest player to win Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces, following his triumphs at the US Open in 2022 an Wimbledon in 2023.

The 7 youngest players to win the Surface Slam as Carlos Alcaraz surges to No 1

Djokovic congratulated Alcaraz on his achievement of completing a ‘Surface Slam’ in a comment on the Spaniard’s Instagram post after his Roland Garros win.

“Congratulations Carlos. A Slam on each surface. Incredible job,” wrote the 37-year-old Serbian.

Coco Gauff, Stan Wawrinka, Juan Martin del Potro, Bianca Andreescu, Fabio Fognini were among other current and former tennis players to congratulate Alcaraz on Instagram. Brazilian football superstar Neymar also applauded the Spaniard’s achievement.

Alcaraz’s legendary compatriot Rafael Nadal, a 14-time Roland Garros champion, also praised the 21-year-old in a post on X.

Nadal wrote: “Congratulations @carlosalcaraz for this immense victory!!!! Big!!!! Very happy for your successes (translated from Spanish)!!!”

Alcaraz is next set to compete at the Queen’s Club Championships, where he is the defending champion.

Djokovic reached the quarter-finals at the French Open, but was forced to pull out due to a meniscus tear suffered in his fourth round win against Francisco Cerundolo. The Serbian has since undergone surgery on his right knee.

The tennis legend’s withdrawal ended his title defence in Paris and also saw him lose the ATP world No 1 ranking to Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz and Djokovic are yet to meet this year, but the duo played four times last year as their rivalry developed into a fascinating contest between stars at very different stages of their careers. Djokovic holds a 3-2 edge, having won three of the pair’s encounters in 2023.

The Serbian defeated Alcaraz in the semi-finals at last year’s French Open, in an epic Cincinnati final and in the last four at the ATP Finals. The Spaniard overcame the 24-time Grand Slam champion in a thrilling five-set Wimbledon final.

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