Who will be the new champion of the 2024 French Open? Both Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev are just three sets away from winning their first Grand Slam title at the Parisian clay. The 21-year-old Spaniard has long been touted as the natural successor to the ‘King of Clay‘. However, two of his Grand Slam triumphs came at the non-clay court surfaces. But after reaching the finals of the 2024 French Open, he has now become the youngest man to reach a Grand Slam final on all three surfaces. While his opponent, Zverev has reached four straight French Open SF, this is his first final appearance here. Despite his consistency in Paris, Andy Roddick gives a slight edge to Alcaraz. But why?

Carlos Alcaraz’s kick serve proved to be his major weapon to topple the 6ft 2 inches Jannik Sinner. But will it be the same effective against the 6ft 6 inches German tennis star? American tennis legend, Andy Roddick said, “He’s getting it into a better position more consistently. The kick serve completely changed the dynamic of that match where he was kicking center way out wide and then able to create space in the court when Rafa was prime.“

Roddick went on to add, “He could make the courts so much wider, right? You had to cover three more steps on both sides. Alcaraz was able to do that against Sinner today, I think he will be able to do that against Zverev.” Carlos Alcaraz hit eight aces against Jannik Sinner in the SF. He won 66% of his first serve and 53% of his second serve in that match. It’ll be interesting to see how well he approaches this game against the world number four. 

Alexander Zverev has showcased great resilience and patience in the tournament so far, while Carlitos has been a full entertainer this year in Paris. Even in his previous match, the Spaniard has played some mind-blowing shots to outclass the Italian. Although Zverev currently leads the H2H with Alcaraz by a 5-4 margin. But Andy Roddick has always been a huge fan of the Spaniard!

Andy Roddick believes Carlos Alcaraz is going to win “a lot of French Open titles”

Just a few days ago, Roddick looked mesmerized by Carlos Alcaraz’s “phenomenal” run in Paris. He heaped praise on the Spaniard saying as the weather gets better, Carlos Alcaraz also gets better with his game. But did you know Andy Roddick had already predicted Carlos Alcaraz’s future in Paris much before the finals on Sunday (June 9)?

He strongly believes that Alcaraz has all the potential to match his idol, Rafael Nadal’s heroics at the French Open. “I love what Carlos does on clay. I think he’s [Carlos Alcaraz] going to win a lot of French Open titles. We’ll see if that starts this year or not, but I certainly like that transition for him,” Andy Roddick said in a previous conversation.

Carlos Alcaraz is currently all set to put his name in the history of the tournament, while Alexander Zverev will be looking forward to becoming the first German to win the French Open title in the Open Era. Who’s your pick in this match?