‘I barely sat down': Reactions to Carlos Alcaraz's epic, rollercoaster French Open win

New York Times

5 hours ago

It was arguably the most exciting contest in sports this year and one of the greatest tennis finals in years. Sunday's French Open men's final was a thrilling clash between two of the sport's brightest stars — Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz — and it more than lived up to the hype.
Alcaraz, seemingly down for the count, roared back from a two-set deficit to defeat Sinner 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in an instant classic. He even fought off three match points in the fourth set to set up a tiebreak. He won that, then won another tiebreak in the fifth set to complete the epic comeback.
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It was a rollercoaster of a match, and the live betting odds reflected that as well. Entering the tournament, Alcaraz had +105 odds to win the title, but after he dropped the first two sets on Sunday, those odds skyrocketed to +5000 live at BetMGM.
The match was a stress test for bettors, certainly, but really for anyone watching. Alcaraz's eventual victory left many celebrating, including Nike:
Head. Heart. History. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ucSkkKeVxw
— Nike (@Nike) June 8, 2025
But mostly, the moment just left observers with mouths agape and jaws on the floor, including athletes, fans and staff members of The Athletic. The following is a collection of thoughts on what it was like to witness history.
Since Jannik Sinner returned to tennis from a three-month doping suspension, he has been handing out thrashings like Halloween candy.
At the Italian Open in Rome, he beat two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud 6-0, 6-1 in barely an hour. Ruud posted on Instagram, under which America's Taylor Fritz commented: 'You almost had him.'
That started a trend among Sinner's victims. A fan posted the line under Jiři Lehečka's post from the French Open. Lehečka took almost an hour to win a game against Sinner.
Then Sinner beat Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals in another beatdown. Bublik posted 'I almost got him guys' under his post reflecting on the tournament.
So it was only fitting that he congratulate the guy who finally, truly, did get him. — James Hansen, Senior Editor, Tennis
The first major slam final I remember watching as a kid was Roger Federer's 2003 maiden Wimbledon title, when he defeated Mark Philippoussis in straight sets. I haven't missed a singles slam final since (men or women). I've had the opportunity to watch many of them with my parents.
So I've been spoiled growing up in the era of the Big Three and the dominance of the Williams Sisters. I watched with my parents the epic 2008 Wimbledon final where Rafael Nadal was finally victorious over Federer. I got up early to watch the 2012 Australian Open men's final featuring Rafa and Novak Djokovic, which ended up being the longest slam final ever. My parents and I celebrated with joy in the wee hours of the morning as Roger beat Rafa Down Under in the 2017 Australian Open final. Or agonized when Djokovic saved two championship points in the 2019 Wimbledon final to beat Federer.
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Which brings us to today. Fortune would have it that I would watch this Alcaraz-Sinner Roland Garros final with my parents. I said to them that they shouldn't be surprised if this match was a long one. Little did I think it would be the second-longest final in slam history with all of its twists and turns.
Safe to say I barely sat down for large portions of this match. I screamed, clapped and cheered in front of my TV. Even the dog was barking with joy.
It's these moments that make sports so enjoyable to witness. It's even better to share in the joy and passion of these matches with my parents, two huge tennis fans. Alcaraz may have won Roland Garros, but tennis was victorious today. An unforgettable moment for the sport. — Lukas Weese, Live Reporter
I admit I got a late start to the final today, tuning in just before Sinner won the second set. I wasn't surprised after seeing him take care of Novak Djokovic in three sets in the semis, and I was mildly disappointed that this match looked like it would turn out the same way. Thankfully, I was completely wrong.
The triple-match-point game in the fourth set has got to go down as one of the most legendary single games I have seen personally. For Alcaraz to do that in a final against Sinner, who's a machine, blows my mind. It didn't really feel like a pressure situation; it felt like defeat, and then suddenly everything shifted. The scene around the stadium when he finally won that game — the elation and utter confusion in the stands, Sinner's mom's head in her hands, was one of those moments you realize you might be watching something very special happening.
Alcaraz's drop shots in the fifth left me speechless and shaking my head, with my son asking me what's wrong. Sinner then returning and beating him on some of them made me stand up off my couch and yell a few expletives on multiple occasions. Not my finest hour, but I couldn't help it.
It was an unbelievable game by both players and I am thrilled to be able to watch these two for years to come. — Matt Schad, Senior Product Designer
Anytime Alcaraz and Sinner are set to match up, you know you're in for a show. Most meetings have been excellent, but I've been waiting for something to match the intensity and hype of that five-set showdown in the U.S. Open quarterfinals back in 2022. No time like their first Grand Slam final meeting, right?
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When the first game of the match took 12 minutes, it seemed like this could be the match that finally cleared that bar — until Sinner broke to take the first set, and started pushing more in the second. He's just been crushing the ball all tournament long, and to see him do that against this opponent was all the more impressive. But as elite as he's become, you remember who is on the other side of the court and what he does with this back against the wall.
I was waiting for this level of drama to amp things up, and that's literally all it was from the third set on. I was on the edge of my seat watching Alcaraz fight off championship points in the third, and I don't think I moved from there until that final tiebreak. I must have woken up my dog up a dozen times in the fourth, especially when Alcaraz broke to make it 5-5. Once he forced a fifth, you knew you were in for a classic. As much as I liked Alcaraz's chances from there (considering his record on clay/in four-plus hour matches), I thought Sinner was going to end it when he broke to make it 6-5. The gutsy play to tie it back up and force a tiebreak was the cherry on top of an incredible match. You could not have asked for more.
This was the match of the year, and maybe the best men's final since Djokovic-Federer at Wimbledon in 2019. It's the kind of match fans crave (and the reason some of us turn our schedules upside down to watch these tournaments), and one that casual viewers can get lost in. It's hard to compete with the Big Three, but it's been so exciting to watch the New Two come up the ranks and cement themselves as the best in the world. — Shayna Goldman, NHL writer
Of note, Alcaraz won his fifth major at the same age Nadal was when he won his fifth major. Nadal was one of several tennis players to share their thoughts on what they clearly knew was a special moment.
Difícil de creer. 😳 pic.twitter.com/PCEjiJ4cSz
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) June 8, 2025
¡Qué final de @rolandgarros tan increíble! 🔥
¡Enhorabuena @carlosalcaraz! 🏆💪🏼
Congrats also @janniksin for the great battle 👏🏻
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 8, 2025
GIVE THE TROPHY TO BOTH OF THEM….👍👏
— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) June 8, 2025
One of the best 5th sets ever alongsideFederer vs Nadal '08 Wimbledon +Djok vs Nadal AO 2012? Unbelievable level
— Marin Cilic (@cilic_marin) June 8, 2025
And we thought it couldn't get any better than Fedal 😦 Scary tennis #RolandGarros2025
— Katie Boulter (@katiecboulter) June 8, 2025
The level of this whole match was insanity!!!!! What a day to be a fan of this beautiful sport 🙌🙌🙌 ❤️❤️❤️
— alex de minaur (@alexdeminaur) June 8, 2025
Athletes in other sports, celebrities and journalists were also among those to note the specialness of the day. Spain's soccer team was even spotted watching the match in the moments leading up to their National League final against Portugal. But they weren't the only ones entranced. Here is a collection of reactions.
The Spanish national team were watching Carlos Alcaraz win his second Roland-Garros title on a phone before before taking on Portugal in the Nations League final 👀
Priorities. 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/iOpnnru7Ep
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) June 8, 2025
Qué oda al tenis! Enhorabuena tanto a @carlosalcaraz como a @janniksin por la final que nos han regalado a los amantes de este deporte 👏🏼👏🏼
Y GRACIAS a Carlitos por lo que nos has hecho vibrar esta tarde. Nos has enseñado de nuevo por qué nunca nunca nos debemos rendir. Disfruta… pic.twitter.com/JYtH9DXHdN
— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) June 8, 2025
A post shared by George Russell (@georgerussell63)
I LOVE watching greatness!!! Tip of the cap to @carlosalcaraz @janniksin on an incredible #frenchopen2025!!!! To play at that level for over 5 hours is amazing… Thanks for letting us watch!! #WeAreEntertained
— Kurt Warner (@kurt13warner) June 8, 2025
Imagine playing six hours of nonstop tennis at the highest level possible in front of the world and then jumping into the stands to hug your hermanos
— Pablo Torre 🕳️ (@PabloTorre) June 8, 2025