Why Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner is already a tennis legend

Víctor García

June 9, 2025

At the end of the match, given its epic nature, it almost seemed irrelevant that Carlos Alcaraz had been the winner. The historic battle he fought in the Roland Garros final against Jannik Sinner for 5 hours and 29 minutes (4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (10-2)) overshadowed the player who lifted the trophy. The French newspaper L’Equipe directly expressed this in a beautiful front page headline, “5H29 de legénde” (5H29 of legend), with a photo of both protagonists embracing. Without the cup.

This duel has lifted us out of the post-Big Three “depression” left by the retirement of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, and Novak Djokovic‘s warning after losing to Sinner in the semifinals: “This may have been my last match at Roland Garros.” Emotion and passion at the thought that there are two heirs to make us forget that times gone by were better because during parts of Sunday’s match, the shots they returned to each other had never been seen before. Of course, the door is open to anyone who wants to challenge these two giants…

Other epic Roland Garros finals

Sinner’s mental stability and mechanical movements versus Alcaraz’s human genius at certain moments. This idea was expressed by USA Today to sum up the sporting focus of the longest final in the history of Roland Garros, surpassing the previous record of 4 hours and 42 minutes set in 1982, when Mats Wilander defeated Guillermo Vilas in four sets (1-6, 7-6, 6-0, 6-4).

Incidentally, Alcaraz also features on the podium of the longest finals, having defeated Alexander Zverev in 4 hours and 19 minutes (6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2) in 2024. Other memorable matches include Ivan Lendl’s victory over Wilander in 1987 (4 hours and 17 minutes) and Novak Djokovic’s triumph over Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2021 (4 hours and 11 minutes). The 2025 final has raised the bar, marking a turning point in the history of the tournament.

A rivalry that redefines modern tennis

The clash between Alcaraz and Sinner is not new, but this final at Roland Garros has taken their rivalry to another level due to the setting and the agonizing way in which the perfection of a tennis match was decided. Both players, who have won the last six Grand Slam titles between them, had reached their particular peak in the epic clash at the 2022 US Open, where Alcaraz defeated Sinner after 5 hours and 15 minutes.

Perhaps this whole story is filled with heroism for Carlos Alcaraz when one remembers that in the fourth set Sinner had three match points and the opportunity to close out the tournament. In an example of values such as sacrifice, perseverance, believing in oneself, and everything that surrounds mental strength, the 22-year-old Spaniard sent a message of unwavering determination. For his part, Sinner, in the final set, when he seemed exhausted, found the strength to equalize the score and force a super tiebreak in which Alcaraz maintained his level and closed out the match with a series of winning shots that made it clear why he is already considered a legend in the making.

On par with the ‘two’ at Wimbledon

The 2025 Roland Garros final is already being compared to other iconic matches, such as the 2008 Wimbledon final between Nadal and Federer or the 1980 final between McEnroe and Borg. Although comparisons are inevitable, what sets this match apart is the consistent quality of play over more than five hours, with both players reaching a level rarely seen in the history of tennis.

At just 22 years old, Alcaraz and Sinner, 23, have already shown that if injuries don’t get in the way and mental stability reigns in their careers, they are destined to mark an era in tennis. The future of tennis is in good hands.