Yesterday’s French Open final was Jannik Sinner’s to lose, both before the match started and during.
After all, he was heading into the match in imperious form, with an undefeated record in Grand Slam tournaments stretching back almost a full year, and having made his return to tennis after a three-month absence with remarkable ease.
His position as the favourite was only strengthened when he raced into a two-set lead, leaving Carlos Alcaraz with the ultimate mountain to climb on the biggest stage.
The Spaniard has shown grit and fight throughout his career, but never on this level, forced to come from two sets to love down. However, it seemed like he was in the mood for rewriting history that afternoon.
In a final that ebbed and flowed, Alcaraz somehow came out on top, saving three Championship points in the process.
Paul Annacone, a former coach of Roger Federer’s, sought to analyse what he had just witnessed.
The moment the French Open final changed for Jannik Sinner
Speaking live on Tennis Channel immediately after Alcaraz had lifted the trophy, he first reacted to the notion that this was one of the greatest finals ever.
Annacone claimed: ‘Absolutely, I mean there was drama both ways and to see Sinner ways to recover after what happened in the fourth set, get down an early break in the fifth and find ways to get back into the match tiebreak that tells you about steely will.
‘And, it tells you how important it is to keep your composure. I mean anyone had reason to lose his composure, it was Sinner, and he didn’t, and he almost clawed his way to a victory.’
However, he then sought to pinpoint the exact turning point in the game, continuing: ‘Well, there’s a lot of them, because they went back and forth, but the biggest thing because Carlos ended up winning, was how things transpired when the match was just in the grasp of Sinner to take away the W. And it was amazing for him to save these match points at Love 40.
‘This first point is fine. There’s nothing wrong with this point. Good return, deep, and then this is a shot back. This is a nice rally, nice deep shot here. And there’s nothing wrong with this rally right here, Sinner on the full stretch and misses that by two inches. I don’t mind that at all.
‘And then the next shot is one of the things that you’ll almost never see Jannik Sinner do.
Second serve return, and that’s about 18 inches, 2 feet long. That’s all about the moment, that’s tough.
‘But the last one is really more the only one I have a problem with because when you’re falling backwards, like this next shot, you have to hit a lot of arc and weight on that ball. He tried to hit that ball flat and low. And once again, that is about the moment, and that is the moment Carlos Alcaraz said, “You know what? I got a shot.”’
John McEnroe delivered an instant reaction to the French Open final, left just as stunned as the rest of us.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner make history in 2025 French Open final
It’s fair to say that, in a final that will echo throughout generations, these two made history yesterday afternoon.
An all-out war between the two best players in the world, they have broken so many records with their passionate, relentless and magical respective performances.
Chief among them is the length of the event, with their 5 hour and 29 minute marathon now officially the longest final in French Open history, and the second-longest final in Grand Slam history in the Open Era.
Personal records fell too, with Alcaraz blemishing Jannik Sinner’s 100% win rate in major finals whilst retaining his own.
Few will forget this epic showdown in a hurry, and even if some do, it will likely retain its place in the history books for some time too.
