Former world No 1 makes lavish ‘Big 4’ claim after Carlos Alcaraz’s epic win over Jannik Sinner
Has there ever been a better Grand Slam final than that?
It was the inevitable question after Carlos Alcaraz came from two sets down to beat his great rival Jannik Sinner in a spellbinding contest at Roland Garros.
At the age of 22, Alcaraz won his fifth Grand Slam final and the manner of this success surely makes it his greatest yet, as he won a five-hour 29-minute epic that was laced with a level of tennis that will ensure this final is remembered alongside the game’s ultimate battles.
The final scoreline confirmed Alcaraz beat Sinner 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2), but that only tells part of this story.
Sinner was brilliant and had three match points at the end of a high-quality fourth set, but Alcaraz somehow found a way to get over the winning line as the quality of the play barely dipped from first to last.
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We can get swept away by the emotion of watching a sporting occasion of this magnificence, with former world No 1 and three-time Roland Garros winner Mats Wilander suggesting this should be marked down as the greatest tennis match of all time.
“I’ve seen Federer and Nadal and they played a couple of good finals but nothing comes close to this to me,” Wilander told TNT Sports.
“I thought ‘this is not possible’ they’re playing at a pace that is not human.
“These are two of the best athletes the human race can put forwards and they happen to be tennis players. The pride and honour I feel having played this sport and hopefully inspired the generation after mine and the next one and we get to this point with these two warriors. I’m not speechless often but what a wonderful day.
“It was absolutely incredible. The expectations are really high when these guys face off, because they’ve played some incredible matches, starting with the 2022 US Open. Every match they play is brutally physical, it’s emotional and the tennis they’re playing is unbelievable.
“The level at the end was absolutely ridiculous. I cannot believe we will have this rivalry. They have taken our sport to another level. I never thought I’d say that after the big three – Roger, Rafa, and Novak – but it’s actually faster than ever and a level that is hard to believe they can do this.
“I feel really really sad for Jannik Sinner with the match points and he deserves to win it but he will have another chance. But it’s not over until it’s over and you have to win the last point of the match. In general, an unbelievable tournament and to have by far the best match of the tournament in the final is absolutely incredible to me.
Former world No 1 Jim Courier also gave his verdict, as he expressed his sympathy for the loser as his hopes of winning a third successive Grand Slam title ended in despair.
“The first one had to be the sweetest but how can anything compare to that,” said Courier, also speaking on TNT Sports.
“Spare a thought for Jannik Sinner – an amazing tournament but he couldn’t quite close the door. The first final between these two. Celestial tennis from Alcaraz in that final tie breaker.
“There are days that tennis players don’t forget. Not all of them are tennis related – the day you’re married, the day your children are born. But these finals are imprinted in your body. Win or lose, you never forget these moments and you are never more alive. That one brought life to all of us.
“For Sinner, hopefully he’ll be able to put this behind him and remember all the good things that happened to him in the tournament. And then Alcaraz played well and took it from him. [Sinner] missed a couple of makable shots but it was such a high level and there was so much to revel in.”
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