{"id":54515,"date":"2025-06-09T03:06:01","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T03:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=54515"},"modified":"2025-06-09T03:06:01","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T03:06:01","slug":"rafael-nadal-first-among-big-3-to-send-message-to-carlos-alcaraz-and-jannik-sinner-after-french-open-final-blockbuster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=54515","title":{"rendered":"Rafael Nadal first among Big-3 to send message to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner after French Open final blockbuster"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rafael Nadal never misses an opportunity to support the next generation of tennis stars, and today was no different. He congratulated Carlos Alcaraz on his incredible French Open win, becoming the first of the ‘Big 3’ to do so.<\/p>\n

For Alcaraz, today was nothing short of a fairytale. Although he was favored to beat Jannik Sinner on clay, things didn\u2019t start in his favor as he dropped the first two sets. But in true champion style, he mounted an incredible comeback, winning the next three sets to successfully defend his title with a final score of 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(2).<\/p>\n

The Spaniard was flooded with congratulatory messages after his win, but perhaps the most special came from his childhood idol and compatriot, Nadal. The 22-time Grand Slam champion took to X (formerly Twitter) to share heartfelt messages for both Alcaraz and Sinner.<\/p>\n

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lca”What an incredible ending to @rolandgarros! Congratulations @carlosalcaraz! Congrats also @janniksin for the great battle,\u201d he wrote.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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