Alcaraz and Sinner: the consolidation of the new tennis era

Tennis is one of the sports that has produced—and will continue to produce—some of the greatest rivalries in the history of sport. Unforgettable were the clashes between Björn Borg and John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, and the legendary three-way rivalry among Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. On the women’s side, the fierce competition between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, or that between Steffi Graf and Monica Seles, also left a lasting legacy. Following those iconic duels, two new figures have now emerged, clearly marking the consolidation of a new era on the courts.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner starred in the most epic French Open final of all time, delivering a spectacle—lasting 5 hours and 29 minutes, the longest final in the tournament’s history—that only the two best players of the moment could provide. Both are names destined to appear in the list of legends of the sport. The final score was 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6 in favor of the Spaniard.

And that show wasn’t just about the level of play, it was also about the competitive spirit and relentless will to win they showed in every single point contested on the clay courts of the Philippe Chatrier.

Alcaraz and the three match balls saved

The Spanish tennis player, 22 years old, gave an example to the world: faced with one of the toughest moments—athletically speaking—that he will have to face in his career, he did not lower his head. Instead, he looked his rival in the eyes and achieved what seemed unthinkable. Because Alcaraz not only came from behind, he also averted defeat up to three times by saving three match balls, when the scoreboard pointed to a 6-4, 7-6, 4-6 and 5-3 (40-0) in favor of the Italian.

"It's the most exciting match I've ever played. Great moments, bad moments... I'm proud of how I managed everything. It's the first match I've come back from two sets down and it's the best possible occasion, a Grand Slam final. I had to fight and believe all the time. Everything Jannik did in the beginning was working for him; shots down the line, no mistakes. I tried to keep fighting and the encouragement from the crowd was very important. Without them I might not have been able to come back. In the key moments I think I have to go for it, to react without fear of failure. Everything was based on believing in myself, not doubting myself. That's why I showed my best tennis in the crucial moments and in difficult situations," Alcaraz said at the end of the French Open final.

But respect and praise must also be shown to Sinner. During the first two sets he was relentless: many of his strokes turned into spectacular points. But physical exhaustion eventually wore down the 23-year-old Italian. Mind you, you can't reproach him for not fighting for every point, as if his life depended on it.

"I'm happy to have performed that level of play, happy with my tournament, but obviously this defeat hurts. It was a very high-level match, that's for sure, so I'm happy to have participated. But the result is painful. It is in these moments that my family, the people who know me, really help me. Sometimes it is me who supports them and sometimes it is me who needs them. As I have always said, before the beginning of my career, I would never have thought that I would be in this position, it was not even a dream, it was so far away. And today I'm here, playing the longest final in the history of the French Open. So it hurts, but on the other hand, you can't cry forever about your luck," Sinner said.