AFTER FIVE HOURS and 29 gripping, thrilling minutes, Carlos Alcaraz struck a down-the-line forehand winner and then collapsed onto the court, covering his face with his hands.
Moments later, he rose and quickly moved to embrace Jannik Sinner, their brief hug clearly showing mutual respect and admiration.
Alcaraz emerged victorious in Sunday`s French Open final, achieving one of the sport`s most improbable comebacks. He saved three championship points in the fourth set while trailing 5-3, ultimately winning 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2). The match was the second-longest major final in the Open Era, the longest ever at Roland Garros, and the first there to reach a fifth-set tiebreak. Although Alcaraz claimed the title, both players left an indelible mark.
“I`ve been doing this for 30 years, lucky enough to be here — that`s one of the all-timers, easily,” declared a visibly stunned John McEnroe during the broadcast after the match concluded.
For two decades, three titans – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer – reigned over men`s tennis, amassing a combined 66 major titles. However, the landscape has shifted recently. Federer retired in 2022, and Nadal followed suit last season. The 38-year-old Djokovic is still active, reaching the Roland Garros semifinals this year, but he has hinted that his illustrious career is inevitably nearing its close.
Many speculated who would step up to fill the void left by the “Big Three,” and various players attempted to stake their claim. No one from the subsequent generation, those born in the 1990s, managed to consistently prove they belonged at that elite level. But 23-year-old Sinner and 22-year-old Alcaraz have rapidly established themselves as the clear successors.
Sunday`s encounter marked the first major final between the two, and Sinner`s first loss in a Slam championship match, leaving no room for debate. Together, this duo has captured the last six major titles, and the era of the new “Big Two” has officially arrived. This rivalry appears destined to dominate the sport for the next decade, possibly beyond.
“Honestly, every match I play against him is important,” Alcaraz commented after the final. “This is the first match in a Grand Slam final. Hopefully not the last time. Because, as I`ve said many times, every time we face each other, we elevate our level to the peak.”
THE RIVALRY HAD been brewing since Alcaraz`s very first professional tennis match.
This isn`t hyperbole. Playing as a wild card at a Challenger event in Spain, a 15-year-old Alcaraz faced a 17-year-old Sinner, who also had a wild card entry. The match lasted three sets and nearly two hours, with Alcaraz narrowly securing the win.
The handful of fans present for that early meeting could discern the players` potential, but it took a few more years for both men to truly make their mark on the ATP Tour.
Increasingly, each encounter between them became a must-watch event. Sinner, the strategic tactician with unparalleled and distinctive groundstrokes, and Alcaraz, the versatile, athletic, crowd-pleasing entertainer, created an electrifying combination and delivered sheer entertainment.
Their first ATP Tour match was a 7-6 (1), 7-5 victory for Alcaraz in the round of 32 at the Paris Masters in 2021. They met again about eight months later in the fourth round at Wimbledon, where Sinner won in four sets. Weeks afterward, they battled yet again, this time for the first title, at the Croatia Open. The match once more went the distance, with Sinner ultimately rallying to win after losing the first set in a tiebreak.
However, it was their next clash that cemented their status as one of the next great rivalries to follow. Playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium in the quarterfinals of the 2022 US Open, with both aiming for their first major semifinal, the significance of the moment was not lost on either. They fought deep into the early morning hours, exchanging one unbelievable display of athleticism after another. There were seemingly endless rallies, delicate drop shots, and highlight reels galore. After five hours and 15 minutes, Alcaraz edged out a 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-7 (0), 7-5, 6-3 victory just before 3 a.m., marking the latest finish in tournament history.
The legend was officially born.
“A privilege to call a magnificent 5:15 marathon as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner pushed their limits and each other,” tweeted Chris Fowler, who commentated the match for ESPN, after its conclusion. “Instant Classic. A transformative tennis event. The future is now.”
Former world No. 27 Laura Robson added on X: “Sign me up for the next 10 years of Sinner vs Alcaraz matches. This has been a delight.”
Alcaraz`s career and profile accelerated dramatically after the US Open win, as he clinched the title and ascended to the world No. 1 ranking for the first time. Sinner`s rise to the top was more gradual, but he consistently progressed.
Sinner reached his first Slam semifinal the following year at Wimbledon. Alcaraz won that title, and his superstardom soared even higher. Alcaraz claimed six titles in 2023, including the one at the All England Club. Sinner secured four trophies, most notably his first Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open. In their three encounters that season, all in semifinals, Sinner won twice.
“Every time we play against each other, I feel like we both try to push each other to the limit,” Sinner said before their final meeting of that season. “We hate losing, especially against each other. We have a very good relationship off court — we are good friends — but on court, inside you feel a little bit nervous.”
But in 2024, their joint domination of the tour truly took effect. Sinner won his first major title at the Australian Open to kick off the year. Alcaraz won the French Open — defeating Sinner in the semifinals — and defended his Wimbledon title just weeks later. Sinner claimed the World No. 1 ranking in June and, despite repeatedly facing questions about two failed drug tests, sealed their combined major calendar sweep by winning the US Open title.
“Before, it was like Rafa, Roger, Novak,” said former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev after losing to Sinner in the US Open quarterfinals. “Now, [it] is Carlos and Jannik.”
SINNER BEGAN 2025 by successfully defending his title at the Australian Open, prompting Alexander Zverev, his opponent in the final, to declare him “the best player in the world by far” during the trophy ceremony. Even with a three-month suspension due to failed doping tests in 2024, no one has come close to challenging him for the world`s top ranking.
And no one has won more titles this season than Alcaraz, who secured two 1000-level clay-court titles leading up to the French Open, as well as the 500-level title in Rotterdam in February.
“Carlos is already a legend of this sport, even if he`s younger than me,” Lorenzo Musetti remarked after losing to Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo final in April. “He`s a record-breaker, and on court sometimes you feel, you know, his aura.”
Alcaraz defeated Sinner in the Italian Open championship match 7-6 (5), 6-1 last month, which was Sinner`s first tournament back.
Yet for all their collective brilliance and success, their growing rivalry lacked one key element that defined those of the Big Three: a showdown in a major final. Leading into the French Open, there was anticipation it could happen, and throughout the fortnight, the two appeared to be on a collision course with destiny.
On Friday, Alcaraz defeated Musetti to advance to the final, and Sinner then held off Djokovic in three sets. Sinner`s victory over Djokovic felt like a formal changing of the guard – the conclusive end of the Big Three era and the dawn of the new Big Two.
Even Djokovic, who had insisted they were years away from being compared to himself, Federer, and Nadal, couldn`t help but recognize the significance of their first meeting for a Slam title.
“They`re definitely great for tennis, both of them,” Djokovic stated Friday. “I think their rivalry is something that our sport needs, no doubt. The way they are playing and the way they are approaching tennis life, I think they are going to have very successful careers in the next whatever years, you know. I`m sure that we`re going to see them lifting the big trophies quite often.”
Amélie Mauresmo, a two-time major champion as a player and now the French Open tournament director, couldn`t conceal her excitement about their burgeoning rivalry and its impact on the sport Sunday before the final.
“We wonder how it`s possible after the era of the Big Three or the Big Four [including Andy Murray], but yes, we might imagine that these players will be there for a long time,” Mauresmo told the media. “They already have an extremely high level considering their age, and already some incredible wins for their age. Necessarily, we can imagine that they will be there for a long time with an underlying rivalry that will really get the tour going.”
Alcaraz entered Sunday`s match with momentum, a better résumé on clay, and a 7-4 head-to-head record. But Sinner, who hadn`t dropped a set en route to the final, hardly appeared to be an underdog at the match`s start. Sinner claimed the marathon first game in 12 minutes and seized control early. He won the first two sets and seemed to be rapidly closing in on his fourth Slam title.
But Alcaraz refused to fade away. With a dazzling demonstration of fight and firepower, he battled back to force a fourth set. He then fended off three match points in that set and clawed his way back to force a tiebreak, and subsequently a decider. However, Sinner also wouldn`t yield easily. Alcaraz held his own 5-3 lead in the fifth set before Sinner responded in kind, leveling the score.
Neither player showed many signs of fatigue even as the minutes stretched on – and on – with both moving effortlessly across the court and exchanging spectacular points. But in the tiebreak, it was all Alcaraz. He sprinted to a 7-0 lead and never looked back.
“I can`t think of a better Roland Garros final,” said McEnroe, a seven-time major champion. “After all the talk about where tennis goes from here, we lost Federer and Nadal — and Djokovic, what`s going to happen with him? — it seems we`re in pretty good hands with these two guys.”
Nadal, who congratulated both players, called it an “incredible ending” to the tournament and a “great battle” in a post on X after the match. The encounter was second only to Nadal`s 2012 loss to Djokovic at the Australian Open – a blockbuster lasting five hours and 53 minutes – as the longest ever in a major final.
Sinner retains the world No. 1 ranking, with Alcaraz now 2,030 points behind him – and an even larger deficit separating both from the rest of the field.
Alcaraz now holds five major titles, and Sinner has three. But it seems evident that more hardware and more memorable finals await both. And while the world buzzes about them and their future in the sport, they remain publicly humble about what lies ahead.
Before the final, Sinner was asked if he believed his rivalry with Alcaraz could eventually become the greatest in the sport`s history. Sinner wasn`t entirely convinced.
Not yet, anyway.
“Oh, it takes time. It takes time to compare us with the Big Three or Big Four, no?” Sinner commented. “I think only time can tell, to be honest. For sure, from my point of view, he`s a player who makes me a better player. He pushes me to the limit. … This could potentially be one of these [rivalries], but there are amazing players coming up. There can be so many different and other players join or one drops. You never know.”
