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

Carlos Alcaraz clinched his career's fifth Grand Slam title by beating Jannik Sinner for the eighth time in his career.

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

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

Carlos Alcaraz won hearts when, despite the tense French Open final, displayed incredible sportsmanship. He was up against his arch-rival Jannik Sinner and beat him after a thrilling five-setter, winning the match in five hours and 29 minutes.

Sinner won a tightly contested first set and during the first game of the following set at deuce, his serve landed near the line but the chair umpire ruled it out. Alacarz walked toward the baseline to examine the mark, concluding that it was in and the point later was given to Sinner.

Here’s the video:

After being down 2-0 and winning the third set, Alcaraz saved three championship points in the fourth set, before eventually winning it to force the decider which was extended to the 10-point tie-breaker. Alcaraz, with his win, became the third youngest man to clinch five Grand Slam titles following Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal.

He is now the eighth man in the Open Era to successfully defend the French Open crown. Alcaraz is also the third man in the Open Era to save at least one championship point en route to a Grand Slam win.

Mark Petchey says Jannik Sinner has paid the price for missing three months of tennis

After defending his Australian Open title, Jannik Sinner was forced to stay on the sidelines for three months because the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) reached a case resolution with him, withdrawing the appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). He made his comeback at the Italian Open and despite missing those months, he didn’t show any signs of rust.

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

The Italian made it to the final only to lose to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets. According to Emma Raducanu‘s coach Mark Petchey, his ban affected his performance in the French Open final against the now five-time Grand Slam champion. He told TNT Sports:

I think there is a lot of people who feel that he did not pay a price when he had his three months away from the game. He paid his price today. He has not played a lot of big matches in recent months and I think the emotional toll, as well as he did to turn things around and make a revival in the fifth set, was crucial for him against someone like Carlos Alcaraz.

Sinner has reached the finals of every tournament he has played this season. Since 2024, he lost eight matches, five of which he registered in matches with Alcaraz. The 22-year-old now holds an 8-4 head-to-head record over the three-time Grand Slam champion. On clay too, Alcaraz leads, with a 3-1 win-loss record over Sinner.

Mats Wilander gives his verdict on the French Open final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

The match between Alcaraz and Sinner has now become the longest final at Roland Garros. Before Sunday’s match, the longest French Open final in the Open Era was between Mats Wilander and Guillermo Vilas in 1982 and it lasted for four hours and 47 minutes. Following the match, the Swede lavished special praise on the two young rivals.

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (3)
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Univers Tennis)

I’ve seen (Roger) Federer and (Rafael) Nadal and they played a couple of good finals but nothing comes close to this to me. I thought, ‘This is not possible’. They’re playing at a pace that is not human.

Mats Wilander told TNT Sports

Both the players will now shift their attention to the grass swing. Alcaraz is the winner of three titles on the surface, while Sinner has only one under his belt.

At Wimbledon, Sinner was the semifinalist in 2023 and lost the quarterfinal last year. Alcaraz, on the other hand, will be starting his campaign at Wimbledon as the two-time defending champion (beat Novak Djokovic in both finals).

Also Read: PGA Tour Comparing Carlos Alcaraz to Tiger Woods After Winning French Open Doesn’t Sit Well with Golf Fans: “Don’t Try to Compare Anyone to the Goat”