Alcaraz' triumph: With an incredible comeback to win the French Open!

Alcaraz' triumph: With an incredible comeback to win the French Open!

The epic French Open final took place on June 8, 2025, pitting Carlos Alcaraz against Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz, who went into the match as defending champion, won after a dramatic five-set thriller with 4:6, 6:7 (4:7), 6:4, 7:6 (7:3) and 7:6 (10:2). The match lasted an incredible 5 hours and 29 minutes, making it the longest final in French Open history. Alcaraz, only 22 years old, turned around a 0-2 set deficit and dodged three match points in the fourth set before ultimately claiming victory. This was his sixth Grand Slam title and he has now won in each of his last five meetings against Sinner, underlining his dominance in this emerging rivalry.

Jannik Sinner, 23 years old, started strong and won the first two sets. But Alcaraz fought back by taking the third set and bravely defending himself against three match points in the fourth set as Sinner served at 6-5 with a chance of the title. The decisive fifth set was hard fought; Alcaraz managed a service break and was able to take the lead. Despite Sinner's equalizer at 5:5, Alcaraz clearly prevailed in the tiebreak of the last set and won 10:2.

Highlights and spectators

The attentive spectators in Court Philippe-Chatrier experienced a thrilling encounter. Celebrities such as Natalie Portman, Tony Parker and Andre Agassi took their seats in the stands and cheered on the players. The finals of the last few years show a clear pull towards Alcaraz and Sinner, as seven of the last eight Grand Slams have been won by one of them. What is particularly telling is that Sinner won past titles at the Australian Open 2025 and the US Open 2024 and was hoping for his third Grand Slam title, while Alcaraz was able to establish himself as one of the best players of the current era.

According to USA Today, this victory not only has a personal dimension for Alcaraz, but also rankings implications, as he has an impressive record against Sinner — he is currently 7-4, including 2-1 Clay courts.

The Grand Slam context

The term Grand Slam refers to winning all four important tennis tournaments within a calendar year and is considered the greatest success in tennis. Alcaraz has now won a total of six Grand Slam titles, giving him future legend status. In the history of tennis, only five players have achieved this Grand Slam, including greats like Rod Laver and Novak Đoković. The 2024 French Open saw over 3,360,000 fans attend the tournament and prize money rose to record levels. In 2024, prices totaled $254 million, an increase of $23 million from the previous year.

With this performance in the final, Alcaraz is not only thinking about his next title, but also contributing to an exciting era in tennis that will be marked by a competition between him and Sinner. The rivalry is seen as the beginning of a new, big chapter in tennis, which certainly promises many more exciting duels.