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Sinner, 48 years on

By winning the Australian Open on Sunday 28 January, Jannik Sinner (22) broke a 48-year drought without a Grand Slam victory for Italy.

Wimbledon. King Carlitos", "Sir Carlos": the Spanish press praise Alcaraz

A prophet in his own country and admired abroad, Carlos Alcaraz has been hailed by the entire European sports press following his triumph over Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final on Sunday 16 July.

Second title for Carlos Alcaraz. On Sunday, after a Dantesque match against the most successful Grand Slam player in history, Novak Djokovic, the 20-year-old Spaniard won the second Major of his career after the US Open in 2022. Many in the media have associated his coronation with that of Juan Carlos I, King of Spain between 1975 and 2014.

Second crown for Carlos Alcaraz. This Sunday, after a Dantesque match against the most successful Grand Slam champion in historyNovak Djokovic, the 20-year-old Spaniard, has won the second Major of his career after the US Open in 2022. Many in the media have associated his triumph with that of Juan Carlos I, King of Spain between 1975 and 2014.

King in his own country

In France, as in Spain, royal references flooded into the sports media. Asas L'Équipe referred to King Juan Carlos with "El Rey Carlitos" and "Le Roi Carlos" for the French newspaper.

Always in this comparison with the king, Marca played with the English anthem "God save the king" to give the Spanish title "Dios salve al nuevo rey" (God save the new king).

In the same style, Mundo Deportivo wanted to highlight Carlos Alcaraz's new title by adding the noble prefix "Sir".

In Italy too, the Corriere dello Sport is having fun with 'AlcaRe', 'Re' meaning king in Italian.

Generational change

Other media were more interested in highlighting the change of dynasty. El Pais headline "Alcaraz dethrones Djokovic", while El Mundo is heralding the start of a new sporting era. "Wimbledon inaugurates the Alcaraz era" at the end of "an unforgettable battle of generational change".

When you think of Alcaraz ushering in a new era in Spanish tennis, it is impossible not to think of Rafael Nadal. A lifelong supporter of Real Madrid, the ties that bind Nadal and the Casa Blanca are well known. On Sunday, Real took to Twitter to praise the performance of Alcaraz, who is also a fan of the Madrid club.

Text by Ouest-France / Marin BOBOT.

French Open: Djokovic in the race for the GOAT

By winning the French Open for the third time on Sunday, Novak Djokovic became the only person to hold the record of 23 Grand Slam titles. Although he will probably never be as adored as Roger Federer or as admired as Nadal, the numbers make him the likely GOAT (greatest player of all time).

23: the record number of Grand Slam titles

In detail, he has won the Australian Open ten times (record), Wimbledon seven times (Federer has the record with 8 titles), the US Open three times (Federer, Sampras and Connors have the record with 5) and the French Open 3 times (Nadal holds the appalling record of 14 titles). But in 2022, his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid prevented him from playing in Melbourne and New York.

Djokovic thus equalled Serena Williams and now only Margaret Court is ahead with the absolute record (24) for men and women combined.

The 2019 and 2020 editions of the US Open, for which he was favourite, had already eluded him because of a withdrawal and then a disqualification. In 2021, overwhelmed by the challenge of winning the Grand Slam, he was beaten in the final at Flushing Meadows by Daniil Medvedev.

Since Djokovic won his first major in 2008 (Australia), Nadal has won 19 and Federer 8.

He is the only player in history to have won each of the four Grand Slam tournaments at least three times. Roy Emerson, Rod Laver and Rafael Nadal have each won at least twice, while Roger Federer has only won the French Open once. On the women's side, Margaret Court, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams have also won each Major at least three times.

He is also one of only three players in history to have won the Grand Slam in both years (2015-2016), along with Donald Budge and Rod Laver.

And with four Wimbledon titles in a row, he has equalled Pete Sampras' record, but remains one behind Björn Borg and Roger Federer (5). The same is true in terms of consecutive matches won on the London turf: Djokovic has reached the 28-match mark, but Sampras (31), Federer (40) and Borg (41) are ahead.

. 388 (record): the number of weeks spent as world No.1. Ranked third in the world at Roland Garros, he begins his 388th week at the top of the rankings on Monday.

. 34 (record): the number of Grand Slam finals played, ahead of Federer (31) and Nadal (30). Like Chris Evert in the women's game, but better than Serena Williams (33).

. 10 (record): the number of finals played - and all won - at the Australian Open. He also has 8 at Wimbledon, where only Federer has done better (12). Nadal has played 14 finals at Roland Garros and won them all.

. 89 (record): the number of matches won at the Australian Open. He also has 86 at Wimbledon, where the record is held by Federer (105). Nadal holds the record for most victories in a single Major with 112 at Roland Garros, where he is second with 92.

. 348: The number of Grand Slam matches won. Federer is ahead (369).

. 94: the number of tournaments won on the main circuit. 103 for Federer, 92 for Nadal, but the record is held by Jimmy Connors (109).

. 1058: the number of matches won on the circuit, still far behind Connors' record (1274). Three other players have surpassed the 1,000-win mark: Federer (1,251), Lendl (1,068) and Nadal (1,068).

. 7 (record): the number of years he has been world No.1, one better than his idol Pete Sampras. Federer and Rafael have 5.

. 27-23 and 30-29: The win-loss record against Federer and Nadal.

Djokovic has a positive win-loss record against his two main opponents Federer (27 wins to 23 losses) and Nadal (30 to 29).

. 38 (record): the number of Masters 1000 titles

Djokovic is also the only player to have won all nine tournaments in this category, just below the Majors, and on more than one occasion.

. 6 (record): the number of Masters at the end of the year.

He equalled Federer's record last November in Turin in this closing tournament, which each year brings together the eight best players of the season.

. 36 years and 20 days: he becomes the oldest player to win the French Open, ahead of Nadal who was 36 years and 2 days old last year. The oldest Grand Slam winner is Ken Rosewall, who was 37 years and two months old at the 1972 Australian Open.

Text by TV5 Monde AFP

Rafael Nadal beats Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final

The Spaniard won his 21st Grand Slam tournament, one more than Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

TENNIS - Has he become the famous "GOAT", the greatest tennis player of all time? In any case, it will be increasingly difficult to deny Rafael Nadal this symbolic title. Because on Sunday 30 January, the Spaniard wrote a new page in his legend and in that of the sport.

Trailing two sets to nil, the current world number 6 finally toppled Daniil Medvedev to win in five sets and over five hours (2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5) in the final of the Australian Open.

This second title in Melbourne (he won the first in 2009) is not just another victory for Rafa. Above all, at 35, it is his 21st Grand Slam title. That's no mean feat, as it's one more than Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, both of whom rival him for the famous nickname of GOAT. Both reacted to their rival's victory. On Instagram, the Swiss praised the "incredible work ethic, commitment and fighting spirit" of his "friend", while on Twitter the Serb hailed his rival's "impressive fighting spirit".

Impossible is not Nadal

Having arrived in Australia after several months' absence through injury, Rafael Nadal also contracted Covid just before his departure for Melbourne. This relieved him of the pressure that had gripped Djokovic in the final of the US Open last September, when he had the chance to win the Grand Slam.

After two easy opening rounds, the Mallorca native gradually came into his own in the tournament. But we were still wondering how he would react in long five-set matches. He provided the first clue in the quarter-finals, getting the better of Denis Shapovalov. However, in this final, when he was 2-0 down and had three break points to save in the 3rd set, it was hard to imagine him reversing the situation.

But impossible is definitely not in his vocabulary. And in a breathtaking end to the match, Rafael Nadal concluded on his first match point to become the greatest (at least in the Grand Slam).

Text by Alexandre Boudet huffingtonpost.fr