Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner Break a 14-Year Viewership Record After their Titanic Roland Garros Final

The first Grand Slam final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner had an average of 5.5 million viewers on French television.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner Break a 14-Year Viewership Record After their Titanic Roland Garros Final

Carlos Alcaraz (image via Roland Garros)

The 2025 Roland Garros final was record shattering on so many levels. Clocking 5 hours and 29 minutes, it was the longest Roland Garros men’s singles final, and the second longest Grand Slam final. It was the first time World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz met at a Grand Slam final, and the match exceeded everyone’s expectations. Both demonstrated an extremely high level of tennis, with Alcaraz eventually defending his Roland Garros title after a tough battle with a scoreline of 4-6, 6(4)-7 (7), 6-4, 7(7)-6(3), 7(10)-6(2).

Trailing at 5-3, Alcaraz made an unbelievable comeback by saving three championship points in the fourth set. The 22-year-old became the third man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam after saving championship points, after Gaston Gaudio overcame Guillermo Coria at the 2004 Roland Garros and Novak Djokovic overcame Roger Federer at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships. 

Alcaraz, for the first time won a best-of-five match in his career after dropping the first two sets, becoming just the ninth player to do so and win a Grand Slam final in the Open Era. Extending his 100% win record at Grand Slam finals, Alcaraz became the third-youngest man to win five Grand Slam titles in history. He is also the first player since Bjorn Borg to defend his Roland Garros and Wimbledon crown.

However, beyond these impressive records and statistics, the match also stood out in terms of viewership. Airing on France 2 and France 3, the first Grand Slam final between Alcaraz and Sinner, had an average of 5.5 million viewers with a staggering 9.5 million at peak, becoming the most watched Roland Garros final in France since 2011.

In terms of TV viewership in Spain, it was the most-watched of the day behind the UEFA Nations League final between Spain and Portugal. It was streamed on DMAX, a channel with less coverage, but it brought together 1,146,000 viewers, an 11.8% share. Along with the viewers from Eurosport 1, the total reached 2.2 million and a 22.8% share.

Carlos Alcaraz gets a heartbreak after Nations League final

While Carlos Alcaraz had a day to remember at the Roland Garros, the avid football fan was left a bit distraught at the end as Spain lost the UEFA Nations League final against Portugal on Sunday. Alcaraz was shown on video after his title defense, asking about the result of the Nations League final.

When the Spaniard was informed about the result, he was left visibly disappointed and started to talk to himself in a video that has since gone viral. Akin to Alcaraz, the Spanish football squad also followed the Roland Garros finals, a picture of them viewing the match on a phone also went viral. 

Spain Nations League 2025 Carlos Alcaraz Roland Garros French Open
Ahead of the Nations League final, Spanish footballers watched Carlos Alcaraz play the Roland Garros final (image via X)

After leading the final in Munich first through Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Oyarzabal, the European champions were pegged twice by Nuno Mendes and Cristiano Ronaldo as Portugal pushed the game into extra-time and then into penalties. In the shootout, Diogo Costa saved Alvaro Morata’s decisive spot-kick as Portugal converted all five of their penalties to take the title home.

Ronaldo, who had to be substituted in the 88th minute due to a muscle strain, ran onto the pitch to celebrate the victory before bursting into tears having clinched his third international trophy – a second Nations League and the Euro 2016 title, when he also ended the game on the bench due to injury. 

Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz Shows Incredible Sportsmanship During Tense French Open Final Against Jannik Sinner