Carlos Alcaraz ended his week in Paris the way he had lived it. After beating Ben Shelton 7-6 (5), 7-5 to win the Rolex Paris Masters on Sunday, the Spaniard turned to the crowd during the trophy ceremony, in keeping with the declarations of love he had made to the Paris public over the last three days.

He was visibly very moved to be back in Paris, after a wrist injury forced him to miss Roland-Garros this year, a tournament he has won twice, in the continuity of his quotes after the quarter final against Taylor Fritz where he saved two match points.

“We are lucky to play twice per year here in Paris,” Alcaraz said. “Unfortunately, I missed one time, and at the beginning of the week, before coming here, I couldn’t wait to step on the court here in front of all of you. It’s been a real pleasure for me every time that I come here and feel the love.”

“I’m going to keep that energy, that love that I receive every time I’m on the court here, forever,” he added. “One of the ways I got through this week was thanks to you. I’m really grateful to see you all every year, twice. Hopefully I’m not going to miss any more times coming here to Paris to play in front of you.”

Before the crowd, he thanked his team and his parents, present in the stands and maybe happier than him during the trophy ceremony. “It is something that 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 try again, and it’s because of the work we’ve been doing lately all together as a team, always going forward, step by step.”

He also paid tribute to his opponent, Ben Shelton. “You’re amazing on the court and off the court, 10 out of 10 as a person,” he told Shelton. “After a defeat, you always bounce back even stronger.”