5 hours later Then, a thrilling few minutes after biting 29 claws, Carlos Alcaraz hit the winner of the Down the Line forehand, falling to the ground with his hand in his eyes.
Seconds later he stood up and immediately hugged Janik Thinner, watching the clear mutual admiration in their short embrace.
Alcaraz appeared the champions in Sunday’s French Open Finals, one of the most unlikely comebacks the sport has ever seen, saving three championship points in four sets, falling 5-3 with 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) wins. This was the second-longest major final in the open era, and the first in the tournament that advanced to the longest and fifth set tiebreak at Roland Garros. Alkaraz was the winner in the end, but both men left a lasting impression.
“I’ve been doing this for 30 years and I’m lucky enough to be here, and it’s one of the all-timers.
For 20 years, three greats, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, dominated the male tennis landscape, winning 66 major titles. However, there have been changes in recent years. Federer retired in 2022, and Nadal did the same last season. Djokovic, 38, remains and reaches the semi-finals of Roland Garros, but he hints that his career is approaching an inevitable end.
Many wonder who will step up to fill the big 3 blank once rule is over, and many players have done what they can to wager such claims. No one of the next generation born in the 1990s could consistently prove that they belong there. However, the sinners, 23 and Alkaraz (22), quickly established themselves as heirs.
Sunday’s clash marked the first major final between the two and the first defeat in the slam championship on the Sinner’s line, but now there is no debate. Together, the pair have won six major titles last year, and the new Big 2 era is officially here. This rivalry appears to be destined to dominate the sport for the next decade, perhaps beyond that.
“Every game I’m playing against him is honestly important,” Alkaraz said after the final. “This is our first match in the final of the Grand Slam, and I hope it’s not the last one. As I have said many times, we’re heading towards each other.
There’s a rivalry It has been made since Alcaraz’s first match as a professional tennis player.
That’s not an exaggeration. Alcaraz, 15, who played as a wild card in the Challenger event in Spain, took on the 17-year-old criminal who received the wild card. The match was nearly two hours with three sets and Alcaraz winning.
A small number of fans attending that meeting were able to see the potential of the players, but it would take a few more years before both men create their own names on the ATP tour.
More and more, each meeting between the two became a mistake event. Sinner, a strategic clinician with an unparalleled ground stroke, and Alcaraz, a multi-purpose, athletic, crowd-pleasing showman, created a combination of electricity and pure entertainment.
Their first match on the tour was a 7-6 (1), 7-5 victory by Alcaraz in the 32nd round at the 2021 Paris Masters Tournament. A few weeks later, they fought again, but at the Croatian Open, they first fought after winning the title to the Line. Again, the match went far, and the sinners eventually came together to claim victory after losing their first set in a tiebreak.
But it was their next encounter that strengthened their position as one of the next great rivalries. He played with Arthur Ashe in the quarterfinals of the 2022 US Open, and both were about to reach their first major semifinals, so that moment was not lost either. They fought well early in the morning, swapping one after another incredible athletic feats. There were moments worthy of endless rally, drop shots and highlights. Five hours and 15 minutes later, Alcaraz escaped just before 3am, 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-7 (0), 7-5 and 6-3. This was the latest finish in tournament history.
The legend was officially born.
“When Carlos Alcaraz and Janik Sinner pushed their limits, Chris Fowler, who called the ESPN match, called the “privilege of calling an epic 5:15 marathon,” posted on social media after that conclusion. “Instant classic. A transformative tennis event. The future is now.”
Added former World No. 27 Laura Robson to X: “Sign up for the next 10 years of Sinner vs Alcaraz match. This was a joy.”
Alcaraz’s career and profile became Hyperdrive after his victory, winning the US Open title and taking over the world’s No. 1 rankings for the first time. Thinner’s ascent to the summit was slower, but he continued to make steady progress.
Thinner reached his first slam semi-finals at Wimbledon the following year. Alkaraz won the title and his superstar reached even higher heights. Alcaraz won six titles in 2023. Thinner won four trophies. Most notably, he won his first trophy at the Masters 1000 level, which won the title at the Canadian Open. Thinner won two times in three meetings that season, all in semifinals.
“Every time we play against each other, it feels like we are both trying to push each other to the limit,” Thinner said ahead of the final meeting of the season. “We especially hate losing to each other. We have a very good relationship in court – we are good friends – but in court, you’re a bit tense inside.”
However, in 2024, the double domination of the tour was officially enacted. Thinner started the year, winning his first major title at the Australian Open. Alcaraz won the French Open, where he defeated the sinner in the semi-finals, defending the Wimbledon title a few weeks later. Thinner took over the No. 1 ranking in June and secured a joint major calendar sweep by securing the title at the US Open despite repeated challenges of a series of questions about drug testing with two disabilities.
“Previously, I was like Rafa, Roger and Novak,” former world No. 1 Danil Medvedev said after losing to a sinner in the US Open Quarter Final. “Now, (it’s) Carlos and Giannik.”
Sinner opened 2025 Successfully defending the title at the Australian Open, his opponent in the final, Alexander Zverev declared him “a much better player in the world” at the trophy ceremony. Even if there was a three-month suspension due to a failed doping test in 2024, no one would challenge him for the top rankings in the world.
And no one has won more titles this season than Alcaraz, who won two of the 1,000-level clay court titles before the 500-level title in Rotterdam in February.
“Carlos is already a legend of the sport, even if he’s younger than me,” Lorenzo Musetti said after losing to Alcalaz in the Monte Carlo final in April. “He’s a record breaker, and sometimes in court, you feel his aura.”
Alcaraz defeated Thinner in Italy’s Open Championship match 7-6 (5), 6-1 in the first tournament of Thinner last month.
But because of all their collective brilliance and success, one thing they lacked in their growing rivalry was what determined the Big Three: a showdown in the main final. There have been talks that it could happen if it led to France’s opening, and the two appeared to be on a collision course with Destiny throughout the two weeks.
On Friday, Alkaraz defeated Mumetti to make it to the final stage, with the sinner holding down Djokovic in three sets. Thinner’s victory seemed like a formal change in the guard – the end of the Big Three era and the beginning of a new Big Two.
Even Djokovic, who claimed to have been away from having the same conversation with Federer and Nadal for years, was forced to recognize the importance of the first meeting of the slam title.
“They are definitely great for tennis,” Djokovic said Friday. “I think their rivalry is definitely something our sport needs. The way they play and how they get closer to tennis life, I think they have a very successful career in the next year. You know.
Amelie Mauresmo, a two-time major champion as a player and now French open tournament director, was unable to hide his excitement about their competition growth and the impact of the sport on Sunday ahead of the final.
“I think it would be possible after the Big Three or Big Four (including Andy Murray) era, but yes, you might imagine these players being there for a long time,” Mauresmo said when speaking to the media. “They already have a very high level considering their age and already have some incredible victories for their age. Inevitably, you can imagine them being there for a long time with a fundamental rivalry that really makes the tour come true.”
What a match point 💥#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/ocjyqivult
– Roland Garros (@Roland Garros) June 8, 2025
Alkaraz took part in Sunday’s game. He had momentum on his side, better resumes of clay, a record of rates from the head of 7-4. However, the sinner who hadn’t dropped a set in the middle of the finals did not look like a weaker at the start of the match. Thinner won the first marathon match in 12 minutes and controlled early. He won the first two sets and seemed to close immediately with his fourth slam title.
However, Alkaraz refused to leave. With a stunning display of battle and firepower, he fought back to force four sets. He then returned to dodge three match points on that set and force a tiebreak. However, sinners do not disappear easily. Alcaraz held a 5-3 lead in the fifth set before Sinner responded kindly.
The two had few signs of fatigue despite a few minutes above – and Above – Both players easily move across the court and exchange points after point worthy of highlights. But in the tiebreak, it was all Alkaraz. He ran for a 7-0 lead but never looked back.
“I can’t imagine a better Roland Garros final,” seven-time major champion McEnroe said after the match. “After all the talk about where tennis is going from here, we lost Federer and Nadal. And Djokovic, what will happen to him?
Congratulations to both players, Nadal called the “incredible ending” and “a great battle” of the tournament in a post-match X post. This outing only followed Nadal’s defeat to Djokovic at the Australian Open – the 5 hours and 53 minutes of blockbuster was the longest ever in the major final.
Sinner is number one in the world, with Alcaraz currently 2,030 points behind, with an even bigger deficit separating from the rest of the pack.
Alcaraz has five major titles, while Sinner has three major titles. But it’s clear that more hardware and a more memorable final are waiting for both. And while the world is bustling about them and their future in sports, they still remain publicly humble about what will happen.
Prior to the final, the sinner was asked if he believed his rivalry with Alcaraz would ultimately be the biggest in the history of the sport. The sinner wasn’t very sure.
Anyway, it’s not yet.
“Oh, it takes time. Will it take time to compare us to the Big Three or Big Four?” the sinner said. “To be honest, you only know the time. Certainly, he is a player who makes me a better player. He pushes me to the limit. …This could potentially be one of these, but there can be some great players coming.