Ex-WTA Pro Compares Carlos Alcaraz to ‘Butterfly’ While Explaining Why Spaniard Needs Arch-Rival Jannik Sinner

The match on Sunday between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner is now the longest French Open final in the history of tennis.

Ex-WTA Pro Compares Carlos Alcaraz to ‘Butterfly’ While Explaining Why Spaniard Needs Arch-Rival Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz (Image via Roland Garros/X)

When Jannik Sinner was serving his three-month doping ban, Carlos Alcaraz was struggling to play consistent tennis. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) handed Sinner the ban after the Australian Open.

He made his comeback at the Italian Open but the home favorite couldn’t beat Alcaraz. Before Rome, he skipped the Madrid Open, lost the Barcelona Open final to Holger Rune, and lifted his career’s first Monte Carlo Masters title.

But he entered the clay swing without capturing a Sunshine Double title for the first time since 2021. After clinching his first indoor hard-court title at the Rotterdam Open in February, the 22-year-old lost three consecutive tournaments without advancing to the finals.

He lost to Jiri Lehecka in the Qatar Open quarterfinals, to eventual winner Jack Draper in the semifinals at Indian Wells (he was the defending champion), and to veteran David Goffin in his opening round of the Miami Open.

Alcaraz had never tasted success after being down 2-0 but he broke the streak by beating Sinner in an epic French Open final. The now five-time Grand Slam champion, after defeating Sinner in Rome, had said that the competition from the Italian helps him stay focused. Former player from Germany, Petkovic, too is of the same opinion. On Substack, she wrote:

One thing has become abundantly clear: Carlos Alcaraz needs Jannik Sinner. Without him, Carlos’ beautifully original mind becomes a butterfly that wants to see a million flowers. With Jannik there, he laser-focuses on how to beat him. In the last two tie breaks, Carlos was the more consistent player. Actually, let’s take the final tie break out of it. That was tennis from a different planet.

Alcaraz extended his head-to-head lead over the 23-year-old to 8-4. He has now clinched five consecutive victories over Sinner. The French Open was Alcaraz’s fourth title of the season.

Sinner, though he has reached the finals of every tournament he has played this season so far, has only one title under his belt. In January, he beat Alexander Zverev to defend his Australian Open crown. This is the first time Sinner played a French Open final. Last year, Alcaraz ended his run in the semifinals and later beat Zverev to capture the clay-court Major for the first time in his career.

Andrea Petkovic calls Carlos Alcaraz a consistent player

Whenever Carlos Alcaraz fails to make deep runs or loses before reaching the final or winning titles for consecutive times, many from the tennis community call him an inconsistent player. En route to his final against Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz dropped four sets against four different opponents, including two unseeded ones.

Carlos Alcaraz Roland Garros French Open 2025
Carlos Alcaraz (image via Roland Garros)

In the final, he dropped the first two sets. Before the final, some advised the youngster to quickly finish his early round matches as this could help him spend less time on the court and therefore he would be able to save his energy. Andrea Petkovic has now given her take on this. She wrote on Substack:

Yes, Carlos loses a set here and there (I still think he just gets bored and likes the friction) but if we think back on the last 4 weeks of his tennis playing, we have to accept an astonishing truth: Some of the most important matches of the last 4 weeks have been won by Carlos because he was the more consistent player.

Both the players will now be focusing on the grass swing next. Sinner will be aiming to defend his Halle Open title next, while Alcaraz will be bidding to win the Queen’s Club Championships for the second time (won it in 2023). At Wimbledon, the Spaniard will be chasing his third consecutive title. Sinner has never made the final in the grass-court Major.

Also read: Andy Murray Lays Down the Fundamentals for Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to Achieve the Status of the ‘Big 3’