Sometimes dreams do come true, thought Carlos Alcaraz as he lay down on the clay of Philippe Chatrier, the main court of Bois de Boulogne, overwhelmed with emotion after clinching another epic victory at Roland Garros, following almost four and a half hours of battling against Germany's Alexander Zverev.

The youngest player to win Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces—grass, hard court, and now clay—Alcaraz wasted no time in rushing to his team's box, eager to share yet another great success in his career with his family and those who work with him daily, fine-tuning a tennis player who seems destined to carve out a significant place in history.

Carlos I, presented the Roland Garros trophy to the Spanish player from El Palmar, who at 21 years old has already amassed three major titles and moved up to second place in the world rankings, only behind Italy's Jannik Sinner, whom he defeated in another legendary semi-final clash in Paris.

The eighth Spanish player to conquer the men's tournament at Roland Garros has fulfilled one of his many dreams. The boy who "used to run home from school to watch the Roland Garros matches to see Rafa Nadal and others who won it," now holds the Musketeers' Cup in his arms. "I wanted to add my name to the list of Spaniards who have won this tournament," insisted the Murcian, who has now left his mark, his name, on the Paris clay and in the tournament's record book.

Meanwhile, Sinner, the breakout star of 2024, exited the tournament as world number one but frustrated by a defeat in a major event, missing out on one of the most coveted crowns for any tennis player. Alcaraz leaves Roland Garros ranked second in the world and with the trophy.

It was a triumph of faith and talent achieved by Carlos Alcaraz in 2024, on the cusp of Wimbledon, which he won in 2023, and with the Olympics in Paris, on this same clay, on the horizon. The rise of the player from El Palmar, unmatched and precocious, has dashed the hopes of a generation that never quite broke through.

At 21 years old, Alcaraz has navigated through 2024 with only four match losses and fourteen titles to his name. He has added Roland Garros to his success at the Masters 1,000 in Indian Wells. This is no small feat in a year plagued by injuries. The Musketeers' Cup and Indian Wells for a young man who had to stop playing after Madrid, at the Caja Mágica, due to a right forearm injury, which he can't hide due to the white sleeve he wears.

Two finals this year and two victories. Three Grand Slam finals and three trophies. A perfect record for Alcaraz, who shines in his career as he reclaimed, two years later, the dominance of Spanish tennis in Paris. Novak Djokovic interrupted Nadal's streak in 2021 and 2023. Alcaraz now takes on the challenge.