Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner clash branded ‘greatest match of all time’ by Grand Slam champion
The 2025 French Open final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has been called the ‘greatest match of all time’ by former Grand Slam champion Yannick Noah, with Alexander Zverev adding that tennis had ‘never seen anything like’ the clash.
It was Alcaraz who prevailed in a lung-busting 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) victory over the Italian, defending his title, and representing the longest French Open final in the tournament’s history.
The two went on to clash at the next two Grand Slam showpiece matches, splitting those respective meetings.
Zverev, the current world No 3, is competing alongside the Spaniard at the 2025 edition of the Laver Cup, with both seeking to boost Team Europe’s chances against some of their top rivals.
The German, in the pre-tournament press conference, added that the Parisian showpiece meeting was something that the sport had ‘never seen before.’
“I mean, look, the French Open final, yes, I think it was a tennis match that, in many ways, we have never seen before, just from the speed,” he said.
“The way tennis has been played, yes, we’ve had great champions in the last 15 years and great matches with Rafa, Roger, Novak.
“There were some tennis matches there that will be remembered for the rest of our lives, but the way tennis has been played in this French Open final, was something that we’ve never seen before.
“Not like good or bad. Just the style of tennis, in my opinion. It was great to see, great to watch. Yeah, those two guys, Carlos and Jannik, right now they’re ahead of everybody else.
“I think it’s our job from everybody else to catch up and to be on that level and try to compete with them.
“This year, nobody could do it. Hopefully, in my own perspective, we can be or we will be able to do it more next year.”
Sinner and Alcaraz have been simply dominant over the past 24 months, winning all of the eight most recent Grand Slams.
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Shortly after being praised by Zverev, Alcaraz was asked to provide his analysis of the match in which he saved three championship points.
“For me, I remember obviously the feeling that I had in that match that I was playing great until that match points down,” the Spaniard stated.
“I felt like it was about the tennis, that it is that score.
“I believed all the time that I was able to come back, that I was able to win that match, and I think that that’s the most important thing from my perspective.
“Just to believe all the time, not to give up, just to keep trying.
“Yeah, I thought in that match that I was going to win, and I think that that was the best thing that I could think in that moment.
“Apart from that, I tried to use the people, the good shots, the good points, the good rallies to my favour just to try to push me up in that moment.
“You know, after that, everything went great. Physically, it was really demanding, but I stayed there all the time until a really tight final of five sets.
“As I said, again, I think it was all about believing.”
Yannick Noah, who is replacing Bjorn Borg as the captain of Team Europe, was even stronger in his praise for the encounter: “That was probably the greatest match of all time. Yes, it was good for tennis, for sure.”
