Tennis-Alcaraz and Sinner French Open final scaled new heights, agree former champions
PARIS, - Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner took tennis to a level above that reached by even the sport's golden generation during their spellbinding French Open final on Sunday, according to a host of former Roland Garros champions.
Spaniard Alcaraz, 22, saved three successive match points as he hit back from two sets down to win 4-6 6-7 6-4 7-6 7-6 in front of a mesmerised Paris crowd.
At five hours and 29 minutes it was the longest final at Roland Garros, smashing the previous record set by Sweden's Mats Wilander when he beat Guillermo Vilas in 1982.
"The level at the end was absolutely ridiculous," Wilander, analysing the final for broadcaster TNT, said. "I cannot believe we will have this rivalry. They have taken our sport to another level. I never thought I'd say that after the big three Roger , Rafa and Novak - but its actually faster than ever and a level that is hard to believe."
Between them the players struck 123 winners and the quality was unrelenting as the final swayed one way and then another as they went toe-to-toe.
The final points tally was 193-192 in Sinner's favour but he fell agonisingly short of becoming the first Italian man to win the claycourt title since Adriano Panatta in 1976.
"I've seen Federer and Nadal and they played a couple of good finals but nothing comes close to this," Wilander said.
"I thought 'this is not possible' they're playing at a pace that is not human. These are two of the best athletes the human race can put forward and they happen to be tennis players. I'm not speechless often but what a wonderful day."
It was the first Grand Slam final meeting between the two Gen X trailblazers who have now scooped seven out of the last eight Grand Slam titles and with Sinner only 23, they look set to create a rivalry as compelling as those between Nadal, Federer and Djokovic.
"The first final between these two. Celestial tennis from Alcaraz in that final tie breaker," said another former French Open champion Jim Courier, who commentated on the match for TNT.
"There are days that tennis players don't forget."
Seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe said both would have beaten record 14-time French Open champion and claycourt king Nadal at his peak.
"You would make a serious argument with both guys that they would be favoured to beat Nadal, at his best," the American said. "These two guys right now, it's like when you watch the NBA and you say nobody could be better than Michael Jordan. The tennis level right now is higher than I've ever seen."
Former Roland Garros winner Andre Agassi also sounded an ominous warning for anyone hoping to dethrone Alcaraz at Wimbledon where this year he will seek a hat-trick of titles.
"Alcaraz's best surface to me, shockingly would be between here and Wimbledon. I'd actually say grass might be his best surface," the American, who presented the trophy, said.
"I mean, you gotta remember this guy has defence and speed like Novak, if not more. He has feel like Federer, you could argue at times if not more. He has RPMs in pace like Rafa. You could argue maybe even more."
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Hindustan Times
28 minutes ago
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The dominance of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic was so overwhelming that anyone even half as good risked being seen as a disappointment. Could the next anointed flagbearer create those moments of magic that tied billions to their TV sets and filled stadiums, year after year?advertisement The late 2010s were a nervous time for tennis's top brass. Federer's magic was fading; Nadal's fiery fight was nearing its twilight; and Djokovic, though still winning, was entering his 30s without his legendary rivals meeting him on the biggest stages as frequently as 2021, Djokovic delivered a cheeky yet pointed jab at the buzz around the Next Gen in men's singles tennis.'The Next Gen young people? Me, Rafa, and Roger are reinventing the Next Gen,' he said after capturing both the Australian and French Open titles that wasn't arrogance. It was a stark critique of the emerging stars who hadn't yet risen to the pressure of carrying the sport's momentum. Up until then, only Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka had broken through with multiple Grand Slam titles outside the Big Three since 2010. It wasn't until 2020 that Dominic Thiem became the first man born in the 1990s to claim a Slam, winning the US reality was, to say the least, unsettling. Even as whispers grew louder about a Spanish wunderkind doing extraordinary things with the calm assurance of a future great. Around the same time, the world's gaze shifted toward a lanky teenager from Italy who announced himself by winning the Next Gen ATP Finals at just 18, showcasing ice in his veins and fire in his WATERSHED SEASONThen came 2024, a watershed year. For the first time since 2003, not one member of the Big Three lifted a Grand Slam trophy. Alcaraz and Sinner had stepped into the spotlight, splitting all four majors between them and becoming the new faces of men's tennis. By year's end, Sinner was World No. 1. Alcaraz, No. and rankings alone do not forge legends. To truly declare themselves the heirs of greatness, they needed a night like Sunday in Paris, a clash drenched in sweat, spirit, and the electric charge of destiny. Just their first Grand Slam final meeting felt like a blaze that sparked a new THE BAR HIGH: SINNER AND ALCARAZ Their first Grand Slam final meeting was an all-time blockbuster (Reuters Photo) On Sunday night in Paris, time paused for five hours and 29 minutes—long enough for two young warriors to go toe-to-toe and ensure tennis will carry forward the spirit of the golden era, with battles fought like there's no started like a man in control of time itself—his strokes crisp, his decisions unhurried. The World No. 1 glided through the first two sets with the composure of someone who'd been here before, even though he hadn't. It was his first French Open final, and he had returned from a three-month doping ban only last month, playing just one tune-up event in the lead-up to Roland-Garros. At one point on Sunday, it appeared as if he would dethrone the new King of Clay without dropping a set in the entire corner he painted, every angle he found, drew gasps from the crowd that seemed too stunned to take clay has memory. And Alcaraz, raised on its grit and ghosts, began to rise. Slowly, then suddenly. He broke in the third, survived in the fourth, and by the time the fifth set arrived, he was at his YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS #RolandGarros Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 8, 2025The Spaniard's forehands began to spit fire, his drop shots drew Sinner into the dirt, and the match turned into a grind only the strongest could points grew longer. The shots sharper. The tension louder. At 5–4, with Alcaraz serving for it all, Sinner lunged for a drop shot like a man refusing to surrender his fate. He broke back. The battle twisted then, the tie-break. 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