“We’re lucky to play here in Paris twice a year,” Alcaraz said. “Unfortunately I missed one and earlier in the week before I came here I couldn’t wait to step foot in front of you all. It’s a real pleasure for me every time I come here and feel the love.”
“That energy, that love that I get every time I appear here on the court, I will keep forever,” he added. “One of my ways this week was because of you. I am truly grateful to see you all twice a year. I hope I won’t miss coming here to Paris again to play in front of you.”
In front of the crowd, he thanked his team and his parents, who were present in the stands and perhaps happier than him at the trophy presentation. “It’s something we’ve been chasing for a really long time,” he said of the title. “I had really painful losses here, but we never give up. We’re trying again, and that’s thanks to the work we’ve been doing lately as a team, always moving forward, step by step.”
He also paid tribute to his opponent Ben Shelton. “You’re great on and off the court, 10 out of 10 as a person,” he told Shelton. “You always come back stronger after defeat.”