PARIS: After producing one of the greatest Grand Slam finals of all time, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner served an explicit reminder they are the two main forces set to reign in men’s tennis for years to come.
In the first French Open final in more than three decades between two players aged 23 or under, Alcaraz and Sinner delivered undoubtedly the most electrifying chapter in an increasingly captivating rivalry.
It was the first time the pair had met in a Grand Slam final and it didn’t disappoint, with twists and turns, high drama and outrageous shot-making from start to finish.
“This one was the most exciting match that I’ve played so far, without a doubt,” said Alcaraz after winning the longest final in Roland Garros history. “Today I think the match had everything.”
The five-hour, 29-minute epic indeed had it all, as Alcaraz saved three championship points in the fourth set to win 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(10-2) for his fifth Grand Slam title in as many finals.
That he reached the milestone at exactly the same age as Rafael Nadal — 22 years, one month and three days — was “destiny”, according to Alcaraz.
Playing his first Grand Slam after serving a three-month ban after a doping case, top seed Sinner held serve in a tense five-deuce opening game lasting 12 minutes.
However, the 23-year-old was broken in the fifth game when he fired a forehand wide, before hitting back from 2-3 and going on to snatch an intense opening set following an unforced error by Alcaraz.
Relentless pressure from the baseline allowed Sinner to go a break up early in the second set and the top seed began to apply the squeeze on Alcaraz, who was on the ropes trailing 1-4 on a sunbathed Court Philippe Chatrier.
An aggressive Alcaraz came out fighting and drew loud cheers when he drew level after 10 games and then forced a tiebreak but Sinner edged ahead with a blistering forehand winner and doubled his lead after the clock ticked past two hours.
Alcaraz, who had never come back from two sets down before, battled hard in the hope of avoiding heartbreak in a major final and pulled a set back before saving three match points at 3-5 down in the fourth, later restoring parity following the tiebreak.
He traded breaks in a high-quality decider but prevailed in the super tiebreak to become the third man to capture back-to-back Roland Garros titles this century after Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten.
‘TAKEN TENNIS TO ANOTHER LEVEL’
The spectacle in Paris lent more weight to the comparisons that had already been made between the sport’s new rivalry and those shared by Djokovic, Nadal and Federer.
Sinner said it was hard to compare different generations but appreciated being a part of it all.
“I think every rivalry is different,” said the Italian. “It’s good to see that we can produce also tennis like this, because I think it’s good for the whole movement of tennis.”
Federer and Nadal were among those to congratulate the finalists for an extraordinary performance.
“Three winners in Paris today: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and the beautiful game of tennis. What a match!” Federer wrote on social media. “What a great Roland Garros final,” added Nadal.
So gripping was the contest that Spain’s footballers huddled around a mobile phone to watch before their Nations League final loss on penalties to Portugal.
With Federer and Nadal retired, and Djokovic now 38, this removed any remaining doubt of the dawn of a new era and answered the question as to who will fill the void left by the ‘Big Three’.
“I cannot believe how lucky we are that we are going to have this rivalry as they have taken our sport to another level,” seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander told TNT Sports. “I never thought I would say that after the big three with Rafa, Roger and Novak but it is actually faster than ever, it is at a level (where) it is hard to believe they can do this.
