Rafael Nadal Says First Three Sets of Jannik Sinner vs. Carlos Alcaraz Roland Garros Final Were ‘Not High-Quality Tennis’

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner in five sets to claim his second consecutive Roland Garros title in June.

Rafael Nadal Says First Three Sets of Jannik Sinner vs. Carlos Alcaraz Roland Garros Final Were ‘Not High-Quality Tennis’

Rafael Nadal (inset), Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz (via NYTimes)

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Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have risen to become the best players in the men’s circuit since the end of the Big 3 dominance on tour. Both have won the last seven Grand Slams on tour and either of them will leave New York with the US Open men’s singles title as they face each other in the final.

However, they stunned the tennis world at the French Open final in June, which lasted for five hours and 29 minutes. Sinner had won the first set after some lackluster display from Alcaraz. In the second round, the Spaniard showed an intent to fight, dragging the set to a tiebreak, but in the end lost it to the Italian star.

Sinner then let Alcaraz pick up the momentum in the third set, breaking the World No.1 in the tenth game to win the set. But in the fourth set, Sinner came alive again and was set to serve for the match before he squandered three match points, which led Alcaraz to turn the game around, winning the match 4-6, 6(4)-7, 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(2).

The match was the first time in Alcaraz’s career that he came from two sets down to win a tie at a Grand Slam event. It was also the longest final in the history of Roland Garros. But Sinner got his revenge at the Wimbledon final, a month later, beating the 22-year-old in four sets.

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal sat down for an interview with the New York Times and was asked about his take on the historical final. He revealed that Sinner and Alcaraz didn’t play high-quality tennis in the first three sets of the match. He also added that Alcaraz didn’t play at his best level and was lucky to have won the clash:

For me, the first three sets weren’t very high-quality tennis. It was a normal final. Then the fourth and fifth sets were a very high-level battle. From a player’s point of view, if I had to play against them, I would say that the fourth and fifth sets were super, super high-level tennis, very emotional, with a bit of everything. Before, in my opinion, Carlos wasn’t playing at his best. From my point of view, I think he made a bit of a tactical mistake. Jannik, of course, was unlucky on his match points, but when he had the opportunity to go for it, he didn’t play with the right determination.

Sinner and Alcaraz have met each other in the last three Grand Slam finals, including the US Open. Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 9-5 on tour and has won six of their last seven meetings on tour. The Spaniard has gone on to win the title in the last six tournaments in which he defeated Sinner.

Rafael Nadal believes Carlos Alcaraz still needs to improve on his game

Carlos Alcaraz is in his eighth consecutive tournament final, and it is the first time in his career that he has achieved the feat. At the US Open, he’s yet to drop a set, despite meeting the likes of Novak Djokovic and Jiri Lehecka. He has also claimed six tour-level titles this season, more than any player in the men’s circuit.

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

During the aforementioned interview, Rafael Nadal admitted that Alcaraz can still improve on some aspects of his game even though he’s currently the most in-form player in the ATP. The former World No.1 added that he needs to approach his matches more tactically:

I like it, it’s very funny to see Carlos play because he’s able to produce amazing things and at the same time, he’s able to have mistakes, and that’s human. From my point of view, Carlos can improve a little bit the tactical way to approach some matches. Sometimes it feels like he always plays for every big shot, and sometimes, he doesn’t need that much.

Alcaraz is known for playing with freedom on the court. His major strength isn’t in serves like most players on tour, but rather his variety of shots, which has made it difficult for opponents to analyze his style of play before and during matches.

Also Read: Aryna Sabalenka Reveals Mindset Shift to Overcome Tough Grand Slam Losses at the US Open