On the eve of his first French Open final, a photo resurfaced of 12-year-old Carlos Alcaraz sitting in front of the Eiffel Tower watching the tournament on a big screen.
Now Alcaraz plans to get a tattoo with an image of the iconic landmark as a permanent reminder of his victory in the tournament he loved as a child.
The 21-year-old Spaniard claimed the Grand Slam title many thought he was destined to lift with a five-set win over Germany’s Alexander Zverev on Sunday.
“It will be on the left ankle – the Eiffel Tower and today’s date,” Alcaraz said.
“I have to find time but I will definitely do it.”
The joy in Alcaraz’s youthful smile as he sat on the Champ-de-Mars grass with childhood coach Carlos Santos showed what it meant to be there.
There’s another photo of this starry-eyed couple at Philippe Chatrier Square during the same trip in 2015.
Alcaraz grew up playing on clay courts and used to run home from school to watch Roland Garros.
“Winning a Grand Slam is always special, but here at Roland Garros, knowing all the Spanish players who have won here, to have my name on that list is unbelievable,” said Alcaraz.
“I’ve dreamed of being in this position since I started playing tennis and I was five or six years old.”
