On Sunday, Carlos Alcaraz, at just 20 years old, became the youngest to win his fifth Grand Slam title. He beat Jannik Sinner in an exciting final at the 2025 French Open. The match was 5 hours and 29 minutes — the longest in U.S. Open history. In doing so, Alcaraz pulled one of the biggest comebacks in tennis history by coming back from two sets down to take the match!
For the record, at an age of only 22 years old, Alcaraz has other completed his career with 20 titles already. This victory further secures his status as one of the sport’s emerging superstars. Defending his French Open title, he faced a formidable opponent in Sinner, who had previously pushed him to the brink. We felt that the excitement of their contest deserved to be experienced by casual fans and tennis fans around the world.
The fixture continued to go away from Alcaraz early on, as he lost the first two sets 4-6, 6-7. He showed incredible fight, saving three match points and eventually reversing the momentum to his advantage. Then, in a defining moment, he dropped an insane cross-court backhand. This breathtaking backhand brought the third set to 6-6 and forced a tie-breaker, turning the momentum completely in his favor.
As the match reached its dramatic conclusion, it was Alcaraz who served for the title, up 5-4 in the fifth set. He ensured his success with a stunning forehand winner down the line to which Sinner had no answer. Following his monumental victory, Alcaraz rejoiced by collapsing onto his back. That was the true emotional prototype of this heavy lift of Tom’s victory.
“I’m just proud. I’m just really, really happy,” – Carlos Alcaraz
He put on a masterclass, some would even say better than his championship run at Roland-Garros the year prior. Along the way, he defeated Sinner there as well. Alcaraz matched Novak Djokovic’s remarkable 2021 final come-from-behind win to further cement his legacy among the game’s all-time greats.
Sinner, while disappointed, showed graciousness in defeat. No surprise, then, that after the match, he congratulated Alcaraz with genuinely magnanimous words.
“I’m very happy for you, and you deserve it, so congrats. It’s an amazing trophy, so I won’t sleep tonight very well, but it’s OK.” – Jannik Sinner
The final was understandable precision, agility, beauty and strength all at once. It spotlighted, and in many ways exacerbated, the cutthroat, competitive spirit underlying tennis. Both players displayed absolute brilliance and incredible heart throughout the 4+ hour classic. This hellacious war of attrition would go on to become one of the most memorable showdowns in Roland Garros history.
