The ‘King of Clay’ was ready to send his message to the ‘Prince of Paris.’

But by beating his compatriot’s conquerer, Alcaraz joined not only Nadal, but five other Spanish men, in winning Roland Garros in the Open Era, and is the youngest man to win Grand Slam titles on all surfaces to boot. In another full-circle moment, Alcaraz’s victory came 21 years after his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, won Roland Garros in 2003, a month after Alcaraz was born.

“Every Slam has different things, but this one, it’s very special for all the Spanish players, Spanish people,” Alcaraz said afterwards. “We’ve watched not only Rafa Nadal, but a lot of great Spanish players won this tournament.

“For me, it’s really special to lift the trophy, because when I finished school, I’d run home to put the TV on to watch Rafa, to watch this tournament, to watch all the matches. For me, it’s unbelievable to be able to life this trophy today.

“I have to say thank you to all the Spanish people who support me today, during the whole tournament. It’s great to have Rafa … who won 14 times here, to say congratulations to you. He’s my idol since I started playing tennis, so it’s something great. But all the Spanish people, it’s been unbelievable support, and this trophy is for them as well.”