Was Carlos Alcaraz’s incredible comeback against the world number one, Jannik Sinner, in that epic 5 hours and 29 minutes long French Open final, one of the greatest matches in the history of the sport? From astonishing athleticism, spell-binding shot-making to showcasing incredible resilience throughout the match, the drama was at its peak in front of 15,000 fans at Court Philippe-Chatrier. Speaking about this epic battle, the 14-time Roland Garros champion gave a nod, saying, “It was a match for the ages.” American legend, John McEnroe said, “I’ve been doing this 30 years sitting up, lucky enough to be here. That’s one of the all-timers easily.” Mats Wilander, who won the previous longest French Open final, claimed that although Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played a couple of good finals, he still believes nothing comes closer to this match. Even Katie Boulter felt ‘Sincaraz’ rivalry had superseded the ‘Fedal’. But what does Carlos Alcaraz have to say about this epic final?
Previously, Carlos Alcaraz had never won a major after coming back from two sets down. On the other hand, Jannik Sinner hadn’t lost from two sets up since the 2022 Wimbledon QF (against Novak Djokovic). After his 4-6,6(4)-7,6-4,7-6(3),7-6(2) win against the Italian, Alcaraz became not only secured his fifth major title, but also became the third man in the Open Era to save at least one championship point en rout to a Grand Slam title. Emotions were high, and so was the intensity. After this match, Alcaraz thanked his friends, family members and his team for their incredible support throughout this journey.
With that win, he also became the third-youngest man in history to reach the five-major milestone (after Bjorn Borg and his “idol” Rafael Nadal). Speaking about this epic battle in a recent press conference, Alcaraz revealed whether he was a bit surprised by what he achieved on that day or not. “Sometimes, yeah, I mean I still you know..the phone, the media, you know everywhere is showing that a lot of video from that match, from that moment…match point down and I still watch it sometimes and I still don’t believe that I came back from that moment. So, sometimes it’s difficult to realize that I’m in this position and I won the French Open…watching the video from 40-0 in that moment…”
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have now combined to win each of the last six major titles. Pure domination! What level did he think he had reached in this epic final against the world number one, though? In an interview with Tennis TV, the Spaniard admitted, “Honestly, I think I can’t reach a better level than that. I think the level of that final..I think both of us were really high. But honestly, talking about myself, I’m gonna say that’s the best match that I’ve ever played. So, that’s the level I played! (laughs).”
“The best match that I’ve ever played” @carlosalcaraz on *that* final… pic.twitter.com/EOJli7YZwo
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 15, 2025
Several tennis experts, including Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs, hailed this as “possibly the greatest match” that she has ever seen, but what does Alcaraz have to say on this? “If people put our match in that [bracket], it’s a huge honour for me,” said Carlos Alcaraz. So, he preferred to “let the people decide” on this. But what was his opponent, Jannik Sinner’s, reaction to this heartbreaking defeat?
“Had already a few sleepless nights” – Jannik Sinner’s honest revelation about his disappointing defeat against Carlos Alcaraz
With this win, Carlos Alcaraz has now taken his H2H record to 8-4 against Sinner. The Italian had previously won each of his three matches at the Grand Slam final, so facing defeat for the very first time, even after getting his one hand on the title, was truly heartbreaking. After the match, his disappointment was clearly portrayed when he said, “It’s easier to play than talk now.” However, later on in an interview, Jannik Sinner stated, “This hurts, yes. But in the other way, you cannot keep going crying – it happens.”
Now, the defending champion is all set to start his campaign at the Terra Wortmann Open against Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann, but before starting this campaign on the grass courts, Jannik Sinner was yet again spotted talking a look back at his not-so-fond memories from terre battue. He believes there is a negative and a positive side to that epic battle. Despite that disappointment, Sinner is happy with his level at Roland Garros.
However, talking about this setback against Carlos Alcaraz, and what lies ahead of him, Sinner said, “I think that for me to play another tournament is positive, because every match is a new beginning, and I must be mentally ready to give my all on the court. Therefore, it is great I can be here in Halle. But yes, I had already a few sleepless nights, but I think every day it gets better.”
With the grass court season already up and running, Carlos Alcaraz is the defending champion at Wimbledon. Do you think Sinner can take his revenge on Carlitos on the grass court major?
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