Less than a month after making his return from a doping ban, Jannik Sinner lost to Carlos Alcaraz in an incredible five-set thriller at the 2025 French Open on Sunday, which also turned out to be the longest final in Roland Garros history.
Sinner came into the final with a win over 24-time Grand Slam champ Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. He had also won the last two Majors — the 2024 US Open and the 2025 Australian Open. After the Australian Open, however, he was suspended for three months, the result of a positive test to Clostebol last year after accidental exposure.
On the other hand, Alcaraz had defeated the likes of Tommy Paul and Lorenzo Musetti at the tournament in the run-up to the final and was the defending champion at Roland Garros. Moreover, he was 4-0 against Sinner in their last four meetings, and was seen as the slight favorite ahead of the Italian.
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On Sunday, however, the nerves were very visible in Alcaraz, who could not consolidate on an early break of serve. In fact, the Spaniard worsened with time, losing a serve late to hand the opening set 6-4 to the World No. 1.
The second set was just as topsy-turvy, with Alcaraz blowing hot and cold against a Sinner who was looking at his usual solid best. Although things went to a tiebreaker, Alcaraz produced one too many errors and ended up losing the set 7-6(4) to go two-sets-to-none down.
The third set began with Alcaraz getting broken early, but the Spaniard bounced back with two breaks of serve to take a 4-1 lead in no time, producing his best tennis of the match yet. However, serving for the set at 5*-3, he got broken, but quickly broke Sinner in the next game to wrap up the set 6-4.
In the fourth set, both players were on serve until 3-3 before Sinner drew blood, breaking at 0-40 to take a 4-3 lead and move within touching distance of his maiden title in Paris. At 5-3*, serving to stay in the match, Alcaraz produced more magic and saved three match points.
On his own serve next, Sinner failed to wrap up the match, getting broken and then taking things to the tiebreaker. There, Alcaraz prevailed 7-6(3) to stun the World No. 1 and force a deciding set on Court Philippe-Chartrier.
In the fifth set, Carlos Alcaraz broke serve to start, racing to a 2-0 lead and then 3-1. However, he could not serve out the match, and ended up going level at 5-5. In the ensuing 10-point tiebreaker, Alcaraz went up 6-0 and then held on to take the set 7-6(2) to successfully defend his title in Paris.
Final scoreline: Carlos Alcaraz def. Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-4, 7-6(2)
Stats for Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz:
Total duration of French Open men's final: 5 hours and 26 minutes -- longest final in the history of the tournament. The previous record was the 1982 clash between Mats Wilander and Guillermo Vilas, which lasted 4 hours and 42 minutes.
What next for Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz after French Open final?
Despite his loss at the 2025 French Open, Jannik Sinner will remain World No. 1, with over 10,000 points to his name. Carlos Alcaraz will also remain World No. 2 after his title finish at Roland Garros, trailing the Italian by fewer than 2,000 points.
Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev is in the World No. 3 spot now, followed by Jack Draper at World No. 4 and Novak Djokovic at World No. 5. For all five of the biggest men's tennis players on the planet, the next major target will be Wimbledon, which is scheduled to start at the end of the month.
