Latest news with #FrenchTennisOpen
Time of India
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Jannik Sinner says he's had 'a few sleepless nights' since losing to Carlos Alcaraz in French Open
Second placed Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts after the final match of the French Tennis Open against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has revealed that he has had trouble sleeping after he lost the French Open final to Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller. In the fourth set of the match, the Italian had three championship points, but he faltered and Alcaraz recovered to win the gruelling contest. Alcaraz won the match 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2) after five hours and 29 minutes — the longest men's final in Roland Garros history. 3 match points down, Alcaraz locked in and won the next 5 points. The rest is history 📚 #RolandGarros — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 10, 2025 "I've already had a few sleepless nights, but I think every day it gets better. My family stands behind me, and my friends. That is the most important thing for me. Tennis is important in my life, but nonetheless, family and friends are more important. I still think often about the match,' Sinner said in his pre-tournament press conference at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle. 'It happens. I don't know how it will look in the future. I think it is not the most important thing, but I still try to forget the negative aspects and see what I can do here [in Halle]." Sinner also said that playing table tennis has helped him keep his mind off the defeat. 'I spent a few days with friends and family having fun doing simple things, like playing ping pong. For me, it is important to find the time and the way to experience a bit of normality. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo I am lucky to be surrounded by people who care about me and love me very much.' Sinner, who opens his Halle title defence against a qualifier on Monday, 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 that I can be here in Halle. It always depends on how you manage to react and get out of it, and also on what you want or don't want to see. I can focus on the missed match points or on a match where I was mentally on the ball for five and a half hours.'
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner now take their terrific rivalry from the French Open to Wimbledon
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning the final match of the French Tennis Open against Italy's Jannik Sinner at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Second placed Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts after the final match of the French Tennis Open against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after winning the final match of the French Tennis Open against Italy's Jannik Sinner at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Spain's Carlos Alcaraz hugs Italy's Jannik Sinner after winning the final match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) Spain's Carlos Alcaraz hugs Italy's Jannik Sinner after winning the final match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning the final match of the French Tennis Open against Italy's Jannik Sinner at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Second placed Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts after the final match of the French Tennis Open against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after winning the final match of the French Tennis Open against Italy's Jannik Sinner at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Spain's Carlos Alcaraz hugs Italy's Jannik Sinner after winning the final match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) The takeaways from Carlos Alcaraz's fifth-set tiebreaker victory over Jannik Sinner in the riveting and record-breaking French Open men's final were multiple and significant. Let's start with this: Anyone worried about how men's tennis would survive in the post-Big Three era can rest easy. Alcaraz and Sinner produced 5 1/2 hours of evidence Sunday that the game is in good hands — and that their rivalry will be, and perhaps already is, a transcendent one. Advertisement Take it from no less an authority than Roger Federer. The retired owner of 20 Grand Slam titles, and rival of Rafael Nadal (22 majors) and Novak Djokovic (24), began a post on social media by declaring, '3 winners in Paris today,' then listed Alcaraz, Sinner and 'the beautiful fame of tennis. What a match!' No. 1 Sinner and No. 2 Alcaraz could renew their rivalry at Wimbledon This was the 12th Alcaraz-Sinner meeting, the first in a major final. 'Hopefully not the last time,' Alcaraz said. 'Every time that we face ... each other, we raise our level to the top.' It would be shocking if there weren't many more of these to come — perhaps as soon as at Wimbledon, where play begins on June 30 and No. 2-ranked Alcaraz is the two-time defending champion. Advertisement His comeback against No. 1 Sinner from two sets down, then three championship points down, to win 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) was unprecedented at Roland-Garros. It was unforgettable. Alcaraz's coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, described his guy's best trait this way: 'His strength is (to) keep believing all the time, until the last ball is gone.' Carlos Alcaraz has five Grand Slam titles at age 22 Alcaraz's five Grand Slam titles at 22 — that's the age at which Nadal, Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras also got to five; no one's done it younger — show how special he is. So does the Spaniard's 5-0 record in major finals, a career start surpassed among men only by Federer's 7-0. Sinner is pretty good, too. Tuesday marks a full year that he has been ranked No. 1. He has reached the finals of his last eight tournaments, a run last accomplished by Djokovic a decade ago. He has won three majors. He has won 47 of his last 50 matches. Advertisement Notably, all three of those losses came against — yes, you guessed it — Alcaraz. That hearkens back to the days when Federer would beat everyone other than Nadal. Sinner had claimed 31 Slam sets in a row right up until the moment he was up 2-0 against Alcaraz. What was unmistakable to anyone watching in-person at Court Philippe-Chatrier or following along from afar on TV is that Alcaraz vs. Sinner is a must-see. 'The level,' Alcaraz said, 'was insane.' Alcaraz and Sinner have won the last 6 Grand Slam titles Sinner's take? 'I'm happy to be part of this,' the 23-year-old Italian said. 'Would be even more happy if I would have ... the big trophy.' Advertisement As with any great rivalry — think Evert vs. Navratilova or Borg vs. McEnroe or Federer vs. Nadal, no first names needed — Alcaraz vs. Sinner provides a clash of excellence and a study in contrasts. Alcaraz displays emotion, pumping his fists, pointing to an ear to ask for more noise, yelling 'Vamos!' Sinner is rather contained. Sinner's long limbs get him to nearly every ball. Alcaraz's motor reaches speeds no one can equal. Sinner's ball-striking is pure. Alcaraz's drop shots are legendary. Both hammer groundstrokes that leave opponents exasperated and spectators gasping. Both can improve. Sinner has never won a match that lasted four hours. Alcaraz loses focus on occasion. Both are eager to improve. When Sinner returned from a three-month doping ban last month, he introduced a new, angled return stance. Alcaraz tweaked his serve and backhand technique. Advertisement Who knows what heights each can reach? They split the past six Slam trophies, and eight of the past 11. Roger Federer predicted big champions would come along again Federer saw this coming. During an interview with The Associated Press in December 2019, Federer predicted someone would win major after major the way he, Nadal and Djokovic did. Just didn't know there would be a Big Two doing it. 'It's going to happen, inevitably,' Federer said. 'And it's almost not going to be that hard, maybe ... because the players will have seen what we did. And they didn't see just one guy doing it, once every 30 years. They saw like three guys doing it, in the shortest period of time. ... Players are going to believe more." Advertisement ___ AP Sports Writer Jerome Pugmire in Paris contributed to this report. ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: More AP tennis:
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
French Open 2025: How Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner gave us a glimpse of the future
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz (right) and second placed Jannik Sinner of Italy pose with trophies after the final match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025 (Image via AP /Thibault Camus) In A Complete Unknown , folk singer Pete Seeger tells an audience: 'A few months back, my friend Woody Guthrie and I met a young man who dropped in out of nowhere and played us a song. In that moment, it felt like we got a glimpse of the future. ' That young man was Bob Dylan , who didn't just change folk music but transcended the traditional barriers of space, time, and language with his craft—to the point that he became the first songwriter to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. On June 8 in Paris, two young men, both born after Y2K, also gave us a glimpse of the future—a post-Federer-Nadal-Djokovic future of tennis. A COMPLETE UNKNOWN | Official Teaser | Searchlight Pictures But let's back up a little to 2003, when Andy Roddick won the US Open after beating Juan Carlos Ferrero (now immaculately ageing like fine wine in Carlos Alcaraz's corner). He thought he was on the verge of a big innings, the new Great American Hope after Messrs Sampras and Agassi. Except, a classy gentleman from Switzerland, a bullish young man from Spain, and a gluten-free cyborg from Serbia had other ideas. In fact, for the next two decades, only 11 other men bothered the record keepers at Wimbledon , Flushing Meadows, Roland Garros and Melbourne Park. But under the Parisian sun, on the burnt orange soil of Roland Garros, we saw a new kind of final play out. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pinga-Pinga e HBP? Tome isso 1x ao dia se tem mais de 40 anos Portal Saúde do Homem Clique aqui Undo One that didn't just hark back to a glorious past but portended a new kind of future. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, two men not old enough to rent cars in some countries, produced a match for the ages: 5 hours and 29 minutes of court sorcery, athletic defiance, and generational transition. The Five-Set Epic Alcaraz and Sinner have been on a collision course for a while. Both had perfect records in Slam finals: Alcaraz 4 out of 4, Sinner 3 out of 3. They had met in quarters and semis before, but never in a Grand Slam final. Neither had come back from two sets down. Neither had survived a match over four hours. Something had to give, and it did in Paris. The 2025 French Open final didn't start like an instant classic. In fact, it was slow, laborious and ponderous—more Breaking Bad pilot than Game of Thrones. Sinner broke Alcaraz early, playing with depth and discipline, pushing the Spaniard behind the baseline. His backhand down the line—his Excalibur—sliced through Alcaraz's defence. Set one, 6-3 Sinner. No nerves, no frills. In the philosopher Mick Jagger's words, every saint is always a sinner and Sinner was a saint for the first thirty minutes. Italy's Jannik Sinner plays a shot against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during their final match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Set two was tighter. Alcaraz's forehands grew heavier, but Sinner's ice held. At 4-4 in the tiebreak, Alcaraz blinked, Sinner's Iceman destroying Alcaraz's Maverick. 7–6(4) Sinner. Two sets to love. The coronation script was already being copy edited but much like a modern-day Tittivillus, Alcaraz decided to ruin the plot. In the third set, he slowed the tempo, mixed up his spins, and started pulling Sinner into angles that could be studied in geometry classes. He broke late and closed it 6–4. The first crack in Sinner's Iceman act. Set four was the turning point of the match—and maybe the rivalry. Sinner served at 5–4, holding three championship points. That's when Alcaraz became the sinner in chief, the Devil who believed that free will was more important than having a seat at the table of heaven. A disguised drop shot that made the audience gasp. A running forehand that hugged the tramline. A backhand pass that defied gravity and good manners. He saved all three. He broke. He held. And in the tiebreak? 7–6(3) Alcaraz. From two sets down, he'd levelled it. Now the match had teeth. By the fifth, it was pure survival. Both called trainers. Both cramped. Both dragged themselves across clay as if auditioning for a post-apocalyptic drama. The rallies slowed. The tension didn't. They traded breaks, traded roars, traded mythologies. At 6–6, it came down to the super tiebreak. A ten-point sprint to tennis immortality. Alcaraz didn't blink. Sinner did. 10–2. The match: 3–6, 6–7(4), 6–4, 7–6(3), 7–6(10–2). A comeback for the ages. The longest Roland Garros final. The first time Alcaraz had come back from two sets down. A Study in Contrast Italy's Jannik Sinner tosses his racket during the final match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) The match was a masterclass in contrast. Alcaraz plays like a flamethrower in a Picasso studio—wild, dazzling, unpredictable. His forehand isn't just fast—it's early, angled, and deadly. His drop shots? Something even the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic troika never had to deal with. Sinner, by contrast, is all discipline and depth. His forehand holds up admirably, but his backhand—flat, fast, and surgical—is the true menace. He takes Alcaraz's spin and redirects it like a prism redirecting light. Even his drop shots, though fewer, are devastating—more assassin than artist. Where Alcaraz paints murals, Sinner solves equations with a scalpel. One plays to the gallery; the other to the gods of geometry. It is style versus structure. Swagger versus silence. Alas one has to give but there's no reason this is the end. If anything, it's the beginning. A Legacy Continues There's a funny thing in sports called the Barrier Effect—or to name it after its progenitor, the Roger Bannister Effect. When Bannister ran the first sub-four-minute mile in 1954, the world thought it was impossible. And then, it wasn't. Once the barrier broke, others stormed through. Watching Sinner and Alcaraz, it feels like they are – in a similar way – summoning the geniuses of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, the men who had almost redefined the art of playing tennis. The French Open had begun with a touching tribute to Rafael Nadal, where his greatest rivals turned up to pay homage. While one can employ many a Kipling-like phrase to describe Nadal, the most fitting was the epic Nike commercial that condensed his never-say-die insouciant essence into a single McEnroe line: 'Is he going to play every point like that?' Te emocionará: el anuncio de Nike que repasa la carrera de Rafa Nadal desde los 16 años I MARCA That line, that ethos, hovered over Philippe-Chatrier like ancestral smoke, much like Kipling's 'If you can meet Triumph and Disaster and treat both Imposters the same' hovers over Centre Court at Wimbledon. And as the match wore on, you could see it in both men—the unwillingness to concede a single point, the refusal to blink, the sacred duty of competing to the brink. I mean, you gotta remember this guy (Alcaraz) has defence and speed like Novak, if not more. He has feel like Federer, you could argue at times if not more. He has RPMs in pace like Rafa. You could argue maybe even more. Andre Agassi (Career Grand Slam Winner) They had watched the greats. Now they are channelling them. Novak Djokovic once said he saw in Alcaraz a mix of himself, Federer and Nadal. John McEnroe called Sinner 'the most improved player on the planet.' On June 8, both men made the prophecy real. Like Seeger watching Dylan, we got a glimpse of the future. And it is going to be glorious. And even if it isn't like Rick and Ilsa in Casablanca: We will always have Paris.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boisson soars 296 places in rankings, Sinner keeps top spot despite French Open loss to Alcaraz
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts while playing Coco Gauff of the U.S. during the final match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Saturday, June 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Jessica Pegula of the U.S. plays a shot against France's Lois Boisson during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Italy's Jannik Sinner plays a shot against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during their final match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Coco Gauff of the U.S. reacts as she plays against France's Lois Boisson during their semifinal match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Spain's Carlos Alcaraz reacts during the final match of the French Tennis Open against Italy's Jannik Sinner at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) France's Lois Boisson serves against against Coco Gauff of the U.S. during their semifinal match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) France's Lois Boisson serves against against Coco Gauff of the U.S. during their semifinal match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts while playing Coco Gauff of the U.S. during the final match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Saturday, June 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Jessica Pegula of the U.S. plays a shot against France's Lois Boisson during their fourth round match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Italy's Jannik Sinner plays a shot against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during their final match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Coco Gauff of the U.S. reacts as she plays against France's Lois Boisson during their semifinal match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Spain's Carlos Alcaraz reacts during the final match of the French Tennis Open against Italy's Jannik Sinner at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) France's Lois Boisson serves against against Coco Gauff of the U.S. during their semifinal match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) PARIS (AP) — Loïs Boisson, the revelation of the French Open, has rocketed 296 places up the WTA rankings after her fairy-tale run at Roland-Garros. The Frenchwoman, who was 361st before making it to the semifinals at the clay-court Grand Slam last week, jumped to 65th in the latest edition of the rankings published Monday. Advertisement Coco Gauff defeated Boisson in the semifinals en route to her first French Open title. There was no change at the top of the rankings, with Aryna Sabalenka leading the pack ahead of Gauff and her fellow American Jessica Pegula. Sabalenka lost to Gauff in the Roland-Garros final. A wild-card entry in Paris, Boisson upset the third-seeded Pegula to reach the quarterfinals, then defeated sixth-ranked Mirra Andreeva before Gauff ended her unexpected run. After retaining his title on Sunday in the longest ever final at Roland-Garros against top-ranked Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz remained in second spot in the men's ATP rankings behind his Italian rival. Advertisement Despite the loss, Sinner increased his lead to 2,030 points because Alcaraz, as the defending champion, was unable to add any points. Sinner gained 500 points by reaching the final, having lost in the semifinals last year. Third-ranked Alexander Zverev dropped 900 points after his loss to Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. Djokovic moved up to fifth place behind fourth-ranked Jack Draper. ___ AP tennis:
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
French Open: Carlos Alcaraz channels his three C's to top Jannik Sinner in a Roland Garros classic; wins fifth major title
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz reacts after winning the final match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros against Italy's Jannik Sinner in Paris (Image via AP /Christophe Ena) New Delhi : Coming into the French Open final, the one question that had not been answered in the bubbling rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner was how would they hold up with a major title on the line. They had showcased their class progressionally in the Round of 16, the quarters and the semi-finals. On Sunday, they took that up multifold with a five-hour 29-minute classic that became the longest Roland Garros final in the Open Era. A running forehand down the line winner later, it was Alcaraz who kept his flawless record in major finals alive. The Spaniard came from two sets down to win 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 to stage a comeback for the history books. In what transpired as the second-longest Grand Slam final since 1968, when the Open Era began, Alcaraz saved three championship points while serving at 3-5 (0-40) in the fourth set. In the decider, Alcaraz led 5-3, got broken, and needed a super tie-break to become only the third man this century - after Gustavo Kuerten and Rafael Nadal - to defend the French Open title. He also became just the third man in the Open Era - after Gaston Gaudio and Novak Djokovic - to save a championship point enroute to a Grand Slam title. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Best Life Starts Today Maximus Learn More Undo Bombay Sport Exchange Ep. 6: Harish Thawani on cricket's TV market and the watershed moments The match of extremely small, razor thin margins had Sinner win 193 of the 385 total points while Alcaraz, who won his fifth Grand Slam title, had one less. "This was the most exciting match that I've played so far without a doubt," said Alcaraz. "I think the match had everything." "Today was all about believing in myself. Never doubted myself today and I tried to go for it," he said. "Real champions are made in those situations," he added. After two hours and 12 minutes, Sinner led the match by two sets and the points breakdown by nine (82-73). As the match progressed, ticking past the four-hour mark, another powerful stat emerged. Sinner had never won a match that went past four hours (0-5). At the other end, Alcaraz had never won after losing the first two sets (0-8). One of the two were primed to end that drought with blows from the back getting fiercer and touches at the net getting silkier. You could not put this past Alcaraz who has had bad starts in major finals before only to win the tournament anyway. He trailed Novak Djokovic in the 2023 Wimbledon final and Alexander Zverev here last year. And that streak continued in Paris on Sunday as the 22-year-old banked on the crowd and his typical never-say-die attitude to reel off four straight games in the third set to relegate Sinner to his first set dropped in the tournament. Virat Kohli's love for 'dhaba' food, priority for family & more | RCB bus driver shares stories Then, again, standing a point away from defeat, Alcaraz polished off five straight points to hold serve at 3-5 in the fourth set. He then broke Sinner's serve with the Italian attempting to clinch his third straight major title. The crowd vehemently supported Alcaraz as he bagged the tiebreak in the fourth set and forced a decisive fifth set. The Spaniard's racket, masquerading as a magic wand, started to produce astounding drop shots from deep with cross-court forehands landing in with plenty of zip and accuracy. In a match of unending twists, it was Sinner's turn to add some drama to the mix with Alcaraz broken at 5-4 when serving for the title. The World No. 1 picked three games in a row to overturn a 3-5 deficit into a 6-5 lead. Carlos Alcaraz has successfully defended his French Open crown with the win over Jannik Sinner in the final (Image via X) In the 10-point tiebreak that followed, Alcaraz showed the three C's that have been passed on from his grandfather - cabeza (head), corazon (heart) and cojones (balls). He didn't shy away from referring to all three in the aftermath. "To put it to words was just happened is really difficult honestly. Two sets down against the World No. 1, with the level that he was playing. I just put my heart into it and tried to keep it going. Never gave up. I was just fighting. Point after point. In the end it was all heart," he said on Eurosport. "I played with my grandfather's three Cs. My grandfather is proud. After the match I played, I think I can say that (cojones)," he added. Carlos Alcaraz after winning the French Open final (Image via X) Two weeks ago, it was Nadal who was feted on Court Philippe-Chatrier. For his 14 titles here and a jaw-dropping 112-4 win-loss record. Alcaraz was one of the thousands in attendance then, beaming, all smiles as his idol was celebrated. In a full circle moment, a fortnight later it was another Spaniard who was celebrated and feted for a trophy run. It was Alcaraz who stood atop the podium with the Coupe des Mousquetaires in tow. His trophy count in Paris may only read two, dwarfed by Nadal's superhuman tally, but the signs of a legend are there. At 22 years, 1 month and 3 days, Alcaraz has won his fifth Grand Slam title - the EXACT same age as Nadal when he achieved the same feat. Alcaraz vs Sinner or Federer vs Nadal? There have been only 12 matches in this Alcaraz vs Sinner rivalry with the Spaniard leading by 8-4 having polished off the last five matches. The duel between them is eerily similar to that of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's historic tussles. Federer, who had a positive head-to-head record against much of the tour during his prime, only struggled to fend off Nadal with their rivalry finishing off at 24-16 in favour of the Spaniard. Sinner can relate with that stat. Since 2024, his win-loss record stands at 91-8. Remove Alcaraz out of that equation and it gets refreshed to 91-3. The last time the 23-year-old had a win over Alcaraz was back in September 2023. Even if the rivalry looks skewed on paper, on court, where it all matters, the margins, like on Sunday, is just a point. And we're here for it - and Carlos agrees. "This is the first match in a Grand Slam final. Hopefully not the last time," said Alcaraz. "Because I mean, as I said many times, every time that we face against each other, we raise our level to the top."
