5 things we learned from the 2025 French Open following two epic finals
Do believe the hype
Carlos Alcaraz (right) and runner-up Jannik Sinner look set for an enduring rivalry (Lindsey Wasson/AP)
The dawn of a new era in men's tennis finally arrived, and in some style. Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have dominated the sport for two years but, like a pair of heavyweight boxers ducking one another, they had never met in a grand slam final. Roland Garros set the stage and the best players on the planet delivered a stone-cold classic, with Alcaraz saving three championship points before winning the longest final in French Open history, a five-set, five-hour 29-minute epic. It was the first major final between two men born in this century and on this evidence, there will be plenty more. Just one thing. Lose the rugby shirts, guys.
Coco's star shines
Coco Gauff dazzled as the women's champion (Thomas Padilla/AP)
It is hard to believe Gauff is still only 21, having burst on to the scene six years ago at Wimbledon. The charismatic American's victory over Aryna Sabalenka for a second grand slam title showed such maturity, as did her comments afterwards about trying to be a beacon of hope for 'Americans who look like me' amid a period of political turmoil in her homeland. She became the first American idol of Roland Garros since Serena Williams a decade earlier and has time on her side to collect many more titles.
Aryna angry again
Aryna Sabalenka lost a second-straight grand slam final (Lindsey Wasson/AP)
Sabalenka remains the best player on the planet – the runaway world number one – and will head to Wimbledon as a big favourite for the title. The Belarusian has made huge strides to exorcise the demons that used to dog her in big matches and has three grand slam titles to show for it. But she has lost the last two major finals, including a surprise defeat to Madison Keys in Australia, and the mental fragility seemed to return against Gauff with 70 unforced errors telling their own story. A reset is required if the 27-year-old is to add a Wimbledon crown to her US and Australian Open titles.
Novak's Aussie farewell?
Novak Djokovic admitted he may have played his last match at Roland Garros after going down in three tight sets to Sinner in the semi-finals. He proved once again he can still mix it with the elite, especially after a superb four-set dismantling of Alexander Zverev in the last eight. But at 38, he knows he is running out of time. Will he hold his retirement party at next January's Australian Open, a tournament he has won 10 times and which he feels is his best chance to land that elusive record 25th grand slam title?
The Brits are all right
Jack Draper reached the fourth round (Jon Buckle/PA)
Jack Draper led the British challenge and, as predicted, got the furthest. Yet he was probably the biggest disappointment. Seeded fifth and drawn to meet Sinner in the quarter-finals, he fell in the fourth round to world number 62 Alexander Bublik. Still, he got his first Roland Garros wins under his belt, as did Jacob Fearnley, Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal, while Cameron Norrie enjoyed a much-needed run to the third round following a tough 18 months. Then there was Hannah Klugman, at 16 a first British junior finalist in almost 50 years. It was all a vast improvement on last year's first-round wipe-out.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Truth behind popular energy drink that is 'flagged as cocaine' in drug tests
A viral claim suggesting that Celsius energy drinks can cause false positives for cocaine in drug tests has sparked widespread confusion. The controversy began when a Detroit Tigers sports reporter tweeted on June 8 that Major League Baseball (MLB) teams are advising players to avoid the popular drink. 'Celsius has an ingredient known to flag as cocaine in MLB drug testing, and although it's not officially banned, it's strongly discouraged,' they wrote in a now-deleted post. The post quickly spread across social media, likely due to how popular Celsius has become in the US. It is third-largest energy drink company in the nation. But the drug testing body from MLB has since come out to say the claims are not true. The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) said: 'We are not aware of any specific ingredient in Celsius that would cause a positive drug test result, nor have we communicated such concerns to any MLB club or player.' Still, it comes as a time when Americans are becoming increasingly concerned about ingredients in their food and drink. Celsius drinks contain about 1,810 mg of taurine, far exceeding the typical daily intake of 40–400 mg. Taurine may promote the growth of bacteria linked to colorectal cancer, which are often more abundant in affected individuals' guts But there is no scientific evidence supporting the notion that Celsius ingredients could be read as cocaine in a drug test. Drug tests for cocaine detect a specific metabolite called benzoylecgonine, a substance not found in Celsius or any of its listed ingredients. Celsius contains common energy drink ingredients like caffeine, green tea extract, and guarana seed extract, as well as artificial sweeteners. These are not classified as banned substances, and there is no scientific evidence that they can trigger a false positive for cocaine. Celsius, however, is not on the list of certified energy drinks for professional athletes. Products like C4 and Red Bull do carry the NSF certification and are commonly recommended to athletes for added assurance. Obtaining NSF Certified for Sport status involves rigorous testing, including lot-by-lot analysis for banned substances, label accuracy, and manufacturing audits. Celsius may not pursue this certification due to the significant cost, time, and effort required, especially if their target market includes non-athlete consumers who don't prioritize NSF certification. has reached out to Celsius for comment but has not received a response. However, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has not banned Celsius specifically, but it does enforce strict limits on caffeine intake for student-athletes. 'Some collegiate athletes may have questions about whether one ingredient in CELSIUS products – caffeine derived from guarana extract – raises any issues under NCAA rules,' Celsius stated on its website. It states that a urine caffeine concentration above 15 micrograms per milliliter will trigger a positive result, typically the equivalent of consuming 500 mg of caffeine within a few hours of competition. A single can of Celsius contains 200 to 270 mg of caffeine, meaning two cans consumed in a short time frame could easily exceed the NCAA threshold. These limits are in place to reduce health risks from excessive stimulant use, including jitteriness, rapid heart rate, and dehydration. Celsius energy drinks contain guarana, taurine, and L-carnitine, none of which are banned by the NCAA or US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). However, guarana is a concentrated source of caffeine, and excessive consumption could push athletes over the NCAA's caffeine threshold. A 12-oz can of Celsius typically contains about two eight-ounce cups of coffee. The FDA recommends healthy adults limit caffeine to 400 mg daily (roughly two cans of Celsius), but individual sensitivity varies. For some, even one can may cause jitters or other effects. Caffeine's half-life of three to five hours means repeated consumption can lead to accumulation. Celsius has faced a class-action lawsuit over alleged misbranding, such as misleading claims about preservatives.
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Emma Raducanu makes short work of opening win at Queen's
The 22-year-old, who secured a first doubles victory with partner Katie Boulter on Monday, revealed before the tournament – the first time Queen's has hosted women's tennis in 52 years – that she was still managing ongoing back issues, playing down expectations for this WTA 500 event, boasting a £1million prize pot. But wild card Raducanu was in fine form on Tuesday afternoon on centre court – the day before inaugurated as the Andy Murray Arena – where she dispatched Bucsa in just one hour and four minutes, much to the delight of the home crowd who were behind the 2021 US Open champion the whole way. Emma Raducanu was 'locked in' during a comprehensive straight sets win (John Walton/PA) 'I must say I was quite locked in today,' Raducanu said on court. 'I'm very pleased with my performance. I was a little bit nervous for sure at the beginning, it's my first time playing on this court at Queen's in London, and the support is incredible. 'I'm still trying to find my groove on this surface, there are certain shots that I feel like I am a little bit late on, so I'm working on that. 'I knew today was going to be a very difficult match. I actually lost to Cristina earlier on in the year, so I was really trying to fight and make sure that didn't happen again. 'I was really trying to fight and get myself into the second round, because I just want to stay here playing at Queen's as many matches as I possibly can.' This was Raducanu's first appearance on the west London venue's marquee stage after making her Queen's debut on the smaller Court One on Monday with British number one Boulter. Katie Boulter finally saw off Ajla Tomljanovic (John Walton/PA) The latter also punched her ticket to the second round but in much grittier fashion, battling to a 7-6 (4) 1-6 6-4 victory over Australian qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic. 'When I walked out it actually surpassed what I thought it would feel like when I kind of imagined it,' said Boulter, adding: 'I think it's very easy to get caught up in just trying to get your first grass court match, also coming to such an historic venue as well, which holds a lot of purpose and a lot of familiar feelings when I've come here before.' Earlier, Heather Watson set up a second-round meeting with fourth seed and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina after upsetting world number 27 Yulia Putintseva, 107 places above her in the rankings, 6-4 6-3. Former British number one Watson won all four of her break points to see off her Kazakh opponent in an hour and 22 minutes. Tuesday's results ensured four Britons qualified for the round of 16 after Sonay Kartal set up a meeting with American eighth seed Amanda Anisimova by beating Daria Kasatkina 6-1 3-6 6-3 on Monday. It was not to be for British wildcard Fran Jones, however, who was defeated in straight 6-2 6-4 sets by American McCartney Kessler, while the other all-British pair in the doubles draw, Kartel and Jodie Burrage, were knocked out in a nervy 7-6 (8) 7-6 (1) defeat to Lyudmyla Kichenok and Erin Routliffe.
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Emma Raducanu makes short work of opening win at Queen's
But wild card Raducanu was in fine form on Tuesday afternoon on centre court – the day before inaugurated as the Andy Murray Arena – where she dispatched Bucsa in just one hour and four minutes, much to the delight of the home crowd who were behind the 2021 US Open champion the whole way. Emma Raducanu was 'locked in' during a comprehensive straight sets win (John Walton/PA) 'I must say I was quite locked in today,' Raducanu said on court. 'I'm very pleased with my performance. I was a little bit nervous for sure at the beginning, it's my first time playing on this court at Queen's in London, and the support is incredible. 'I'm still trying to find my groove on this surface, there are certain shots that I feel like I am a little bit late on, so I'm working on that. 'I knew today was going to be a very difficult match. I actually lost to Cristina earlier on in the year, so I was really trying to fight and make sure that didn't happen again. 'I was really trying to fight and get myself into the second round, because I just want to stay here playing at Queen's as many matches as I possibly can.' This was Raducanu's first appearance on the west London venue's marquee stage after making her Queen's debut on the smaller Court One on Monday with British number one Boulter. Katie Boulter finally saw off Ajla Tomljanovic (John Walton/PA) The latter also punched her ticket to the second round but in much grittier fashion, battling to a 7-6 (4) 1-6 6-4 victory over Australian qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic. 'When I walked out it actually surpassed what I thought it would feel like when I kind of imagined it,' said Boulter, adding: 'I think it's very easy to get caught up in just trying to get your first grass court match, also coming to such an historic venue as well, which holds a lot of purpose and a lot of familiar feelings when I've come here before.' Earlier, Heather Watson set up a second-round meeting with fourth seed and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina after upsetting world number 27 Yulia Putintseva, 107 places above her in the rankings, 6-4 6-3. Former British number one Watson won all four of her break points to see off her Kazakh opponent in an hour and 22 minutes. Tuesday's results ensured four Britons qualified for the round of 16 after Sonay Kartal set up a meeting with American eighth seed Amanda Anisimova by beating Daria Kasatkina 6-1 3-6 6-3 on Monday. It was not to be for British wildcard Fran Jones, however, who was defeated in straight 6-2 6-4 sets by American McCartney Kessler, while the other all-British pair in the doubles draw, Kartel and Jodie Burrage, were knocked out in a nervy 7-6 (8) 7-6 (1) defeat to Lyudmyla Kichenok and Erin Routliffe.
