Latest news with #RolandGarros
India Today
22 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Jannik Sinner explains why his father had to skip French Open final vs Carlos Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner revealed that his father was at work and had to miss the French Open final on Sunday, June 8. Sinner's father, Johann, works as a chef at a restaurant in a ski lodge in the Dolomites and had to miss the 5-hour and 29-minute classic between Sinner and Alcaraz, with the Spaniard winning the title with a stunning comeback. advertisementSpeaking at the press conference, the Italian said that his family and close friends would help him heal from the loss and claimed they would be happy to have him back home. Sinner said that success doesn't change anything in his family and they're simple people. Also Read: Alcaraz vs Sinner: A Roland Garros epic promising a golden post-Big Three era Sinner said that his dad may have watched the game on TV if he had finished his work. "Yeah, I mean, my family, the people who know me, now they are helping me.""It's (about) giving at times, and sometimes you take something. And now it's my time to take something from the close people I have. They would for sure be happy that I come back home (and be) with my family, with everyone. We are just a very simple family. My dad was not here because he was working today. Nothing of our success changes in the family."advertisement"It was nice to see my mom here. And I guess my dad, he was watching on TV—if he finished work. It's okay," said Sinner. 'Cannot keep crying'Sinner was two sets up and had three championship points in the third set before letting the advantage slip against Alcaraz in the French Open final. The Italian said that before his career started, he never thought he would find himself in a spot where he was playing the longest French Open final in history. The Italian said that while the result hurts, he cannot keep on crying about it and will have to move on. "As I always said before my career started, I never would have thought to find myself in this position. (It) was not even a dream, because it was so far and I was not thinking about this. Now I find myself here, playing the longest match in history of Roland Garros in a final. It hurts, yes, but in other way you cannot keep going crying... So, it happens," said Sinner. The World No.1 will now shift his focus towards Wimbledon. Must Watch
India Today
22 minutes ago
- Sport
- India Today
5 Grand Slams at 22 years, 1 month, 3 days, just like Nadal: Alcaraz calls it destiny
Carlos Alcaraz called it destiny as he went level with Rafael Nadal's tally of grand slam wins by beating Jannik Sinner in a thrilling French Open final on Sunday, June 8. Alcaraz won his fifth grand slam on Sunday after coming back to beat Sinner in a titanic battle and equalled the tally of his idol Nadal at the age of 22 days, 1 month and 3 days. Nadal beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2008 to win his fifth grand slam at the same after the win, Alcaraz said, as quoted by Reuters, that it was a stat he would keep with him forever. The young Spaniard hailed his legendary compatriot as his idol and inspiration before saying it is a huge honour for him to share a record with the record-time French Open winner.'The coincidence of winning my fifth Grand Slam at the same age as Rafa Nadal, I'm going to say that's destiny," Alcaraz said of equalling Nadal's tally of five major titles at the same stage of their careers. "It is a stat that I'm going to keep for me forever, winning the fifth Grand Slam at the same time as Rafa, my idol, my inspiration. It's a huge honour."Alcaraz was two sets down in the final and conceded three championship points to Sinner in the third set before making a stunning comeback to win the final 4–6, 6–7 (4), 6-4, 7–6 (3), 7–6 (10-2) in a match that went on for 5 hours and 29 minutes. The Spaniard credited the crowd at Roland Garros for his win on the them, it would have been impossible to come back,' he said. 'At the start of the third set, everything was going his way. I had to delete those thoughts from my mind and fight.''I don't know how I saved that game'Speaking about the turning point in the match for him, Alcaraz said that it was when he was 6-5 in the fifth set with everything going Sinner's way at that time and still force the match into a super match points were not great points. I saved match points, it's great but the points were not good," said Alcaraz."At 6-5 in the fifth at 15-30 or 30-all, advantage for me, 40-all. Those points I remember pretty clear, and honestly I still don't know how I did it."I mean, it was balls on the line, slicing the line. He was dominating that game. Honestly I still don't know how I saved that game."Alcaraz will now turn his attention to defending his crown at Watch
Japan Times
22 minutes ago
- Sport
- Japan Times
'Prince of Clay' Carlos Alcaraz stages epic rally to retain French Open crown
Carlos Alcaraz battled back from the brink of his first loss in a Grand Slam final to outlast Jannik Sinner in a French Open title clash for the ages on Sunday, keep his crown and cement his status as the Prince of Clay in the post-Rafael Nadal era at Roland Garros. In a scintillating showdown between the torchbearers of a new generation, the 22-year-old saved three match points in the fourth set to win 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (10-2) and continue his dominance over Sinner with his fifth straight victory and end the Italian's 20-match winning run in the Grand Slams. Alcaraz showed his steely determination to win the epic in 5 hours, 29 minutes — the longest final at Roland Garros — and soaked up the roaring ovation from a thoroughly entertained Parisian crowd that was used to seeing Nadal, a 14-time champion, triumph at the event. "I'm just really happy to be able to make history with you in this tournament," Alcaraz told Sinner after collecting the Musketeers' Cup. "I'm sure you're going to be champion not once, but many times. It's a privilege to share the court with you in every tournament, making history with you." The victory made Alcaraz only the second man since tennis turned professional in 1968 to win his first five Grand Slam singles finals after Swiss great Roger Federer, but Alcaraz was more enthralled by an achievement he shared with fellow Spaniard and 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal. "The coincidence of winning my fifth Grand Slam at the same age as Nadal, that's destiny," Alcaraz told reporters. "It's a stat I'm going to keep forever ... It's a huge honor. Hopefully it's not going to stop like this." Alcaraz and Sinner, who have won seven out of the last eight Grand Slams to stamp their authority on the men's game, were locked in a fierce battle full of dramatic momentum shifts in the first Grand Slam final between two men born in the 2000s. Sunday's thriller was the second-longest Grand Slam final of the Open Era and marked only the third time since 1968 that a player saved a match point en route to victory in a Grand Slam final. Alcaraz matched Argentine Gaston Gaudio's 2004 French Open feat and Serbian Novak Djokovic's Wimbledon comeback in 2019. Playing in his first Grand Slam after serving a three-month ban after a doping case, the top-seeded Sinner held serve in a tense five-deuce opening game that lasted 12 minutes. However, the 23-year-old was broken in the fifth game when he fired a forehand wide, before hitting back from 3-2 down and going on to snatch an intense opening set following an unforced error by Alcaraz. Relentless pressure from the baseline allowed Sinner to go a break up early in the second set, and the top seed began to apply the squeeze on Alcaraz, who was on the ropes trailing 4-1 on a sunbathed Court Philippe Chatrier. An aggressive Alcaraz came out fighting and drew loud cheers when he drew level after 10 games and then forced a tiebreak, but Sinner edged ahead with a blistering forehand winner and doubled his lead after the clock ticked past two hours. Alcaraz, who had never come back from two sets down before, battled hard in hopes of avoiding heartbreak in a major final and pulled a set back before saving three match points at 5-3 down in the fourth, later restoring parity following the tiebreak. He traded breaks in a high-quality decider and prevailed in the super tiebreak to become the third man this century to capture back-to-back French Open titles after Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten. "He was born to play these kind of moments," Alcaraz's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero said. "Every time we were in these situations, even when he was younger in the challengers ... he always went for it." Sinner was left to digest how he let a golden chance to win the clay-court season's blue ribbon event slip away following hard court triumphs at the U.S. Open and Australian Open. Alcaraz fell to the red dirt before Sinner went over to his side of the court to congratulate him, and the Spaniard then ran to the heaving stands to hug his team and celebrate. "CARLOS II, PRINCE OF CLAY," the French Open posted on X. Sinner had a contemplative look, sitting on his bench as his rival rejoiced, and was gracious in defeat when he congratulated him during the trophy ceremony. "We tried our best today, we gave everything ... an amazing tournament even though it's very difficult now," Sinner said. "It's a big privilege for me to play here ... I won't sleep very well tonight but it's okay."
Indian Express
32 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Carlos Alcaraz beats Jannik Sinner in an all-Time great final: Why this French Open final is momentous for men's tennis
The greatest credit one can give to the Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner marathon at the French Open final on Sunday is that it simultaneously made us nostalgic about the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal-Novak Djokovic era of Grand Slam finales while reaffirming the tennis world that the future of the sport is in safe hands. Former player Andy Roddick nailed it when he said: 'Easily one of the greatest matches of all time. Anyone who doesn't think so is living in their own nostalgia,' he said on his YouTube Channel. 'It's absurd the level these two have taken to. Like the big three before them, they are pushing the game to heights I don't think we have seen before.' It has been evident for some time now that Alcaraz vs Sinner is the rivalry that will define this era of men's tennis. But until Sunday at Roland Garros, the two rising superstars hadn't met in a Grand Slam final. And what's more, neither had lost a Major final they had played in with Alcaraz 4/4 and Sinner 3/3. Sinner hadn't won a match that lasted beyond 4 hours. Alcaraz hadn't won a Major match after going down by two sets. Something had to give. And they gave the world a final to remember. For a sport that had been lucky to witness three greats slug it out for years, a defining moment for the new generation arrived in some style. FRENCH OPEN 2025 FINAL: SINNER VS ALCARAZ HIGHLIGHTS Establishing the elite status of this rivalry, they put on a gladiatorial show that last for 5 hours and 29 minutes, the longest ever final in French Open history. And in the end, Alcaraz completed his great escape after looking down and out for so long. Sinner will take time to recover from this jolt, but when the dust settles, both of them would realise they gave tennis one of the greatest finals of all time. It got current and former players buzzing on social media. Former French Open champion Stan Wawrinka gushed, with the help of some emojis, 'Insane Level.' Alex de Minaur was generous with his use of exclamation points. 'The level of this whole match was insanity!!!!! What a day to be a fan of this beautiful sport,' the Aussie star posted. 'What an incredible ending to @rolandgarros,' said Rafa Nadal, whose footprint at Court Philippe-Chatrier bore metaphorical witness to the grandstand finish. But perhaps the most poignant post came from John Millman, the Aussie who, at 2020 Australian Open, took Roger Federer to a deciding fifth tiebreak where he came up just short of a monumental upset. 'How is it even possible that we are watching this type of tennis again, so soon after the greatest ever three battled?' Today's roller-coaster final is our Extraordinary Moment by @HaierOfficial 🎢#RolandGarros — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 8, 2025 Tennis had been incredibly blessed for the careers of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic to overlap to such a significant amount, that following that up was always going to be tough. It didn't happen right away, even though Djokovic is still very much mixing it up with the elite. There was a lost generation of potential superstars that included/includes the likes of Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. But with Sinner and Alcaraz, the expectations have been sky-high for a while now. They had already given us some classics like the US Open 2022 quarterfinal and the French Open 2024 semifinal. But the Big Three, and even Andy Murray included, was revered for their Sunday clashes. The title deciders. The 2008 Wimbledon final between Federer and Nadal. The 2012 Australian Open final between Nadal and Djokovic. The 2017 Australian Open final between Federer and Nadal. The 2019 Wimbledon final between Federer and Djokovic. Those are the matches that defined their era. And so there was a lot riding on the first-ever Grand Slam final meeting between Alcaraz and Sinner, which had been on the cards for a while. Boy, did it deliver. After a shaky first act, when both players started off the match making more errors than usual, the match began to peak in quality, reaching superhuman levels as the evening progressed. Sinner's refusal to give up when he scurried forward to retrieve a drop shot at 4-5 down in the fifth when Alcaraz was serving for the set was a case of finding a nitrogen boost while running on reserve fuel. Alcaraz's volley early in the fifth set tiebreak, when he played a drop shot and followed it up by taking the ball on the full while adjusting his feet, to hit a clean winner. Those were instances when the match transcended from sport to art. In the end, it was a shame there had to be a loser. But the sport, as the cliche goes, won. Vinayakk Mohanarangan is Senior Assistant Editor and is based in New Delhi. ... Read More
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First Post
39 minutes ago
- Sport
- First Post
Carlos Alcaraz stuns Jannik Sinner in epic French Open final, saves 3 match points to win fifth Grand Slam
Carlos Alcaraz pulled off a historic comeback in the French Open 2025 final, rallying from two sets down to defeat Jannik Sinner in a five-set thriller lasting 5 hours and 29 minutes. The 22-year-old clinched his fifth Grand Slam title in dramatic fashion at Roland Garros. read more PARIS: Bad starts in Grand Slam finals are nothing new for Carlos Alcaraz, and each time it's happened he has won the tournament anyway. But not in such dramatic style as Sunday's French Open final, when the Spaniard rallied from two sets down and saved three match points to beat top-ranked Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) for his fifth major title in as many finals. It was Alcaraz's second straight French Open title with a comeback, after trailing 2-1 in sets to Alexander Zverev in last year's final, and a third major title from behind, following his five-set win against Novak Djokovic in the 2023 Wimbledon final. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'When the situations are against you, then you have to keep fighting. It's a Grand Slam final, it's no time to be tired, no time to give up,' Alcaraz said. 'Do I enjoy that? The real champions are made in those situations." In producing one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the clay-court tournament on Sunday, he emulated Djokovic's feat from the 2021 final at Roland-Garros — when the now 24-time major winner fought back from two sets down to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas. 'Today it was all about the belief in myself,' Alcaraz said. He became just the ninth player to rally from two sets down and win a Grand Slam final in the Open Era, which began in 1968. The first was Bjorn Borg in 1974 against Manuel Orantes at the French Open, where Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi achieved the same feat. Rafael Nadal also did so, at the Australian Open, and Sinner too. It was the first time that Sinner had lost a Grand Slam final, but the fifth time in succession he has now lost to Alcaraz, who clinched the 20th title of his career at the age of 22. It was also the longest-ever French Open final — 5 hours, 29 minutes — in the Open Era. It was so tight that Sinner won 193 points, Alcaraz 192. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It might not have been close to those numbers. For after 3 hours, 43 minutes, Sinner had his first match point. But with just over five hours since the match began, Alcaraz served for the title at 5-4 up. The drama was still not over. Sinner made a remarkable retrieve from yet another superb Alcaraz drop shot. At the very limit he could stretch to, Sinner glided the ball over the net, with the ball landing with the softness of an autumn leaf and out of Alcaraz's reach to make it 15-40. When Sinner won the game to make it 5-5, it was his turn to milk the applause and he was two points away from victory in the 12th game, with Alcaraz on serve and at 15-30 and at deuce. But Alcaraz made a staggering cross-court backhand to make it 6-6 and force a tiebreaker, with the crowd going wild when Alcaraz's cross-court winner made it 4-0. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Just amazing the support you have given me today,' Alcaraz said. 'During the whole tournament.' Alcaraz won the match with a superb forehand pass down the line, fell onto his back to celebrate, then rushed over to dance and hug the team members in his box. 'I'm very happy for you, and you deserve it, so congrats,' the 23-year-old Sinner told Alcaraz. 'It's an amazing trophy, so I won't sleep tonight very well, but it's okay." Sinner may have nightmares about the ninth game of the fourth set. Serving to stay in the match at 5-3 down, Alcaraz trailed 0-40 to give Sinner three match points. On the second match point, and with Alcaraz on second serve, he hit a hurried backhand which landed just out. He then hit a forehand into the net for another unforced error, making it deuce. The crowd chanted 'Carlos, Carlos,' and roared when Alcaraz hit an ace, then gave him a standing ovation when his audacious forehand down the line went in — to win that game — and again when he broke Sinner's serve to level at 5-5. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'That's what the real champions have done in their whole careers. Not being afraid,' Alcaraz said. 'That's why I had my best tennis in crucial moments.' Despite having just lost a chance to win another major, Sinner showed great sportsmanship to give Alcaraz the point for a 30-0 lead in the 11th game. Alcaraz's forehand landed at the back of the court and, as the chair umpire prepared to come down and inspect the mark, Sinner told her to go back because he saw the ball was in. The crowd applauded him politely, but the noise level erupted when Alcaraz won the fourth-set tiebreaker to level the match. By now, the fans had what they wanted — an Alcaraz comeback — and fans showed their unbridled delight when he won points with astounding drop shots from deep or leapt to bang cross-court forehand winners. Alcaraz hit 70 winners, compared to 53 for Sinner, who might have been feeling like it was a case of déjà vu. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Alcaraz beat Sinner in the French Open semifinals last year, coming back from 2-1 down in sets. He beat Sinner last month in the Italian Open final — the tournament where Sinner returned from his doping ban. Alcaraz now owns a 22-1 record on clay this year. On a warm day with a light breeze caressing Court Philippe-Chatrier, big names turned out. Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman, movie director Spike Lee, singer Pharrell Williams, Formula 1 driver George Russell and world rugby star Antoine Dupont watched what promised to be a tight contest. Sinner seemed on the way to victory, but No. 2-ranked Alcaraz fought back. After clinching the third set with a volley at the net, he stood in the middle of the court, shaking his fist in celebration. One of the greatest finals in French Open history was just getting started.
