“I’ve been chasing this moment for a long time”: why his first Paris final means so much to Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz had never gone past the quarter-finals at the Rolex Paris Masters, a tournament of painful early exits for him. After reaching his first final here, he explained how much he wanted it, and why the mind made the difference this week.
Carlos Alcaraz at the Rolex Paris Masters 2026 | © PsNewz
Three days ago, the weird stat still applied: Carlos Alcaraz had never gone past the quarter-finals at the Rolex Paris Masters. On Sunday, after beating Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4, he plays his first final in the French capital, and he made it clear how much he wanted it.
“It means a lot, to be honest,” Alcaraz said. “This is a week that I’ve been struggling with my whole career, not playing my best tennis, not feeling in my best shape. Making the final is always great. I’ve been chasing this moment for a long time.”
“I’ve been losing a lot of matches here, first rounds, and I’m not used to losing in the first rounds,” he added. “Really painful losses. So I’m just really happy.”
He said the same in Spanish. “The furthest I had gone was the quarter-finals, without feeling at my level any year I came,” Alcaraz said. “This year is a really nice opportunity.”
Before this week, his record in Paris stood at 5-5. On his debut in 2021, ranked No. 35, he beat Jannik Sinner before losing to Hugo Gaston in the third round. A year later, as world No. 1, he retired against Holger Rune in the quarter-finals. Then came three early exits: in his opening match against Roman Safiullin in 2023, in the third round against Ugo Humbert in 2024 and in his opening match against Cameron Norrie in 2025. This year, he has beaten Alex Michelsen, received a walkover from Matteo Berrettini, then beaten Taylor Fritz and Ruud.
Carlos Alcaraz at the Rolex Paris Masters, round reached by year
| 1R | 2R | 3R | QF | SF | F | W | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | l. Gaston 4-6, 6-7 | |||||||
| 2022 | ret. v Rune 3-6, 6-6 | |||||||
| 2023 | l. Safiullin 3-6, 4-6 | |||||||
| 2024 | l. Humbert 1-6, 6-3, 5-7 | |||||||
| 2025 | l. Norrie 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 | |||||||
| 2026 | v Shelton, Sunday |
Each square is one round, from the first round (1R) to the title (W). From 2022 on, Alcaraz had a first-round bye. Source: ATP.
Alcaraz: “Mentally, it’s one of the main reasons”
On Friday, after saving two match points against Taylor Fritz, Alcaraz said he had to figure out why he played so nervous. Against Ruud, he did not face a single break point, and he credits his state of mind.
“I’ve been playing great tennis this week, but mostly it’s the way that I’ve been mentally,” he said. “I’m going to say it once again, and I realised it even more this week: the mental side is one of the main reasons that makes you play at your best.”
He wants to keep that mindset for the final against Ben Shelton. “Tomorrow, I’m going to step on the court and try to enjoy every second out there,” he said. “It’s going to be a really nice day for me.”
