Carlos Alcaraz earned lavish praise from six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker after his stunning French Open title defense. Becker labeled the Spaniard a “genius” for how he turned around the Roland Garros final against Jannik Sinner.
World No. 2 Alcaraz took on World No. 1 Sinner on the Court Philippe-Chatrier for the coveted 2025 French Open title. The Italian, who had not dropped a set on his way to the final, continued his dominance, winning the first two sets. However, Alcaraz entered a “seventh gear” to manage an extraordinary comeback and win the title.
Speaking during a recording of his podcast, Becker hailed the Spaniard, via eurosport:
“The variation, the power, the feel for the ball – I don’t know of any player in the history of tennis who has this combination,” Boris Becker said.
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Further, the 57-year-old called Carlos Alcaraz a "genius" and mentioned his ability to reach another level like no other player.
"He still has a seventh gear... For me, he's a genius," he added. "When he's challenged, tickled, motivated, he finds another level that no other player in the world has."
Alcaraz pulled off a stunning comeback to beat Sinner in the 2025 French Open final. He was down two sets and saved three championship points. The 22-year-old fought back to win 4‑6, 6‑7(4), 6‑4, 7‑6(3), 7‑6(10‑2). The match lasted 5 hours and 29 minutes, the longest Roland Garros final in history.
"Jannik Sinner needs a year to recover from this" - Boris Becker on Italian's loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final
During the same podcast, Boris Becker claimed that Jannik Sinner will need a year to recover from the comeback loss against Carlos Alcaraz in the 2025 French Open final.
"Sinner needs a year to recover from this. Until he's back on this court, at this tournament. Even if he plays well until then, this defeat will still be affecting him for another year," Becker said.
The World's top two will move to grass courts for the next month. Last year, Sinner won a title in Halle on grass by defeating fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz in the final before finishing as a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon. The Italian was beaten by Daniil Medvedev at the All England Club.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz was disappointed as the top seed in Queen's, losing to Jack Draper. However, he successfully defended his title at Wimbledon by defeating Novak Djokovic in the final.
