ATP WTA GS Roland Garros 5/25 - 6/8 2025

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via rolandgarros.com

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Carlos Alcaraz retained his title after the longest ever French Open final. Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

Tumaini Carayol at Roland Garros
Sun 8 Jun 2025 15.30 EDT

As he faced up to the excruciating reality of trailing three championship points against the best player in the world, Carlos Alcaraz started his service preparation from the Court Philippe-Chatrier baseline with a deep, long breath. For most other players in the history of tennis, there was no reason to believe in any outcome other than defeat.

In his short time competing in the biggest matches of his sport, however, Alcaraz has made it clear that he is different to anyone who has ever come before him, both in the way he approaches his tennis and the unwavering belief that underpins his success. From the depths of hell, Alcaraz recovered and pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the sport in an otherworldly confrontation, spectacularly toppling the world No 1 Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) after five hours and 29 minutes to defend his French Open title in Paris.

Even before this moment, the greatest in his career so far, Alcaraz has built a reputation for maintaining his self-belief even when facing desperate deficits. He had already saved a significant match point against Sinner, pulling off an unforgettable recovery at 3am in their 2022 US Open quarter-final match en route to his first major title. His five-set escape against Novak Djokovic in the 2023 Wimbledon final was an instant classic. None of that compares to the madness that unfolded here in the final match of the tournament.

Still just 22, Alcaraz is the third-youngest man in history to win five grand slam titles, following in the footsteps of Björn Borg and Rafael Nadal. As the eighth man in the open era to successfully defend a Roland Garros title, he completes an incredible clay-court season where he has compiled a 19-0 record at big tournaments, winning Masters 1000 titles in Monte Carlo, Rome before this phenomenal victory in Paris. It only took the longest French Open final in the open era for him to achieve this.

After years of hype and expectation surrounding the rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner, this occasion signified their long-awaited first grand slam final as they have established themselves as the two leading players in the sport. At the beginning of a new era in men’s tennis, they have set the bar in the stratosphere.


Jannik Sinner is consoled by Andre Agassi, who won the French Open in 1999, after his painful defeat by Carlos Alcaraz. Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

Before the final, Sinner had been the best performer in the draw, rolling through all opponents to reach the semi-finals before overcoming the 24-time grand slam winner Novak Djokovic in three bruising sets. He was 47-2 against players since August, but Alcaraz was responsible for those two defeats.

Despite how hard Alcaraz tried, he could not halt Sinner’s momentum as the Italian established a two-set lead. Still, he kept on going. Throughout the third set, he repeatedly called on the crowd to carry him through. He retrieved the break and rolled to a 5-2 lead, his level rising and his mind clearing. As he closed out the set with a break for 6-4 to keep his hopes alive, Alcaraz cupped his ears to the crowd and let their adoration wash over him.

Sinner quickly reestablished control in the fourth set, marching to a 5-3 lead and reaching triple championship point on Alcaraz’s serve. One point from the end of his reign at Roland Garros, with seemingly the entire audience urging him on, the moment drew the Spaniard’s unwavering focus. He played every single shot with discipline and care, methodically eradicating the match points before slamming the door shut with a searing forehand winner. Then he met the moment with a supreme return game as Sinner’s first serve and legs faltered. In the blink of an eye, Alcaraz had swung the match from 3-5, 0-40, to 6-5. As Alcaraz walked back to his chair at the change of ends, he pumped his fists to the sky.

Despite Sinner pulling himself together to force a tie-break, Alcaraz refused to allow his opponent to regain any momentum. His strong serving set the tone early and he unleashed his forehand whenever the opportunity presented it. As the tie-break endured and the frenzied crowd spurred Alcaraz on, Sinner gradually lost both his head and his legs as Alcaraz forced a fifth set.

In just his second tournament back after his three month-doping ban, Sinner’s physical condition was always uncertain. By the start of the final set, he had faded physically and he immediately lost his serve. But he kept on going. Sinner made Alcaraz work for every service game and as Alcaraz stepped up to serve for the match himself, Sinner spectacularly broke back for 5-5.

With everything on the line after well over five hours on court, both men spent the final stages swinging as freely as they could, leaving nothing to doubt. Up 6-5 in the fifth, Sinner placed Alcaraz under relentless pressure in a lengthy deuce game, again moving to within two points of victory. But Alcaraz weathered the storm yet again, finding a backhand passing-shot winner to hold serve before marching through the championship tie-break to an astounding victory that further bolsters his status as one of the most special young talents this sport has ever seen.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/ ... MP=bsky_gu

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The Tennis Letter
‪@thetennisletter.bsky.social‬
Jannik Sinner on his loss to Carlos Alcaraz in Roland Garros final:

‘I’m happy to be part of this. But the final result hurts’

(via Roland Garros Press)

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‪The Tennis Letter‬
‪@thetennisletter.bsky.social‬
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Alcaraz says his Roland Garros final against Sinner is the best Grand Slam match of his career

Courier: “Where does this rank amongst all the matches you’ve played at the majors?”

Carlos: “I’m gonna put it first. I think it’s the best grand slam match I’ve played in my career.“

[dryrunguy]

Despite Sinner pulling himself together to force a tie-break...

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/ ... MP=bsky_gu

And I hope that game isn't forgotten. Triple championship point had disappeared. Sinner then got broke serving for the match. At 5-6 down in the 4th, he still managed to hold to force the tiebreak. I never would have had the fortitude to pull off that hold after what transpired before it. For so many players, it would have been over right then and there. I respect that a lot.

[ponchi101]

Agree. Most other players would have crumbled. And not only that. He got broken to start the set, and then was able to break back when Carlos was serving for the match.
Which, BTW. I wonder if there has been any other grand slam final in which both men served for the match, and both were broken. I believe that at least, one of the finals between Graf and Seles featured that. But I can't recall in the men's.

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The Tennis Letter‬
‪@thetennisletter.bsky.social‬
· 2h
Carlos Alcaraz locker room photoshoot with his Roland Garros trophy.



(via Roland Garros)

[Owendonovan]

I can't imagine how tired, physically and emotionally, I'd be after that, and you have to go party......

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Roland Garros III
What a time to be alive!
Andrea Petkovic
Jun 09, 2025

What’s done is done! Philippe Chatrier has been swept in concentric circles for good. The thighs have held up (except for Musetti’s), the lungs have not burst. The last piece of white bread with Bonne Maman strawberry jam has been eaten, the last drop of café au lait drunk. We made it through a fortnight of clay court tennis and we’re the better for it. I will admit that à cause de not being a professional tennis player anymore I have swapped the café au laits for tiny little glasses of Sancerre. That stopped, though, when I had to play some invitational doubles myself. Not for performance reasons, friends, no, you’re making me laugh, I stopped drinking Sancerre when I started to play because nowadays the tennis playing is accompanied by Advil and I don’t mix my drugs of choice.

Half Advil, half woman, I played, yes, but mostly I watched. And I marvelled at the best tennis players this planet has to offer right now. So many firsts were had:

Coco Gauff is the French Open 2025 champion!

Jannik Sinner threw a racquet for the first time in his life!

Carlos Alcaraz has added consistency to his repertoire!

Juan Carlos Ferrero yelled and was on his feet!

The longest Roland Garros final of all time was played!

I woke up this morning feeling hungover despite the fact that the only drink I had last night was hibiscus tea. Flashes of Jannik’s green shirt and Carlos’ rapidly growing black hair (I feel like it grew by several inches in that final alone) in front of my inner eye, seeing Jannik hustle for drop shots, replaying the most perfect tie break that was ever played in a fifth set by Carlos. Even the strongest of us warriors can be overwhelmed by 5 and half hours of tennis at the highest level. My brain was still processing it all hence the hangover feelings the morning thereafter.


80s hair from the morning after, a symbolic image of a tennis hangover

But let’s take it from the top.

On Saturday, Coco Gauff crowned herself champion at a Grand Slam tournament I thought she would win first in her career and one she will be a threat at for years and years to come. I’m glad I showed enough foresight to analyse her game a week ago already and you can find all of that here.

Two differing game styles collided in the women’s final with Aryna Sabalenka’s willingness to produce winners and Coco Gauff’s defensive skills and tennis IQ. To understand the difference between the players, one needs to understand the difference in mentality. Players with an aggressive mindset (like Aryna) value winners hit more than unforced errors gained. It’s almost as if a clean winner counts double the points in terms of how it feels to the player. Whereas an extracted unforced error from the opponent is brushed over like it never happened. For Coco and players of Coco’s mindset, on the other hand, an unforced error from the other side is just as much confirmation for doing things right as a down-the-line shot nobody can reach. If you think of the quarterfinal match between Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, for example, every mistake Zverev made was a confirmation of the strategy applied by Djokovic.

When I was young and lanky, not a great mover but already quite strong for a junior, I hit a lot more winners than my peers due to being ahead in my physical development. I had Aryna’s mindset and only winners felt like I did something right. When everyone else caught up to my strength and abilities to hit winners, I needed to shift my mindset and accept that applying a strategy that will force the opponent to miss was as good as hitting somebody off the court. It took years for me to understand that.

I don’t think it excuses Sabalenka’s statement after the final, when she said, she thought Gauff didn’t play that well that rather she just missed too much. But it helps explain the attitude a little bit.

For the longest time, I looked down on “pushers” until I understood, after some tough losses and sleepless nights, that the “pushers” I looked down on have understood the game I claim to love so much better, and it was time for me to learn.

Don’t be mistaken, though, Coco is everything BUT a pusher. Yes, she runs a lot of balls down, but the difference between a classic “pusher” and the champion (2-time champion!!) Coco Gauff is a stark one.

I lost to Coco in the semifinals of Linz when she won her first title. SHE WAS ONLY 15 YEARS OLD. Did I feel embarrassed? Not really. After all, this was very clearly a generational talent.


a generational talent

What casual tennis fans (and sometimes world number ones) don’t realise about Coco Gauff’s game is that it’s not only her court coverage that makes her so hard to play. It’s something entirely different and I would know because I lost to her when SHE WAS 15 YEARS OLD. LOL!

Her biggest strength is the fact that she recognises short balls quicker than anybody else and is up onto them within a fraction of a second. Even if she doesn’t hit a winner right off the bat, she takes time away from you, and over the course of a match puts the subliminal notion in your mind that you’re not allowed to drop anything short. You increase your baseline level pace, the risk goes up, the percentage of shot making goes down, and now the court has not only shrunk on the sides but also from front to back and you find yourself aiming at tiniest of margins with every single groundstroke you hit.

Look at it this way: The unforced errors hit by Coco’s opponents when she’s playing well are actually forced. Except, they are not forced by Coco’s previous shot (which is what usually goes into the forced error statistics) but they are forced by the entirety of her game and presence on the other side of the net and by choices she has made 20 minutes prior to the point of you netting a forehand.

The panic on Sabalenka’s face was caused by stress and stress is the body’s response to a challenging situation your system is not sure it can overcome. The smaller the court on the other side got, the higher the stress levels felt for Aryna. The match point was a summary of the match. Aryna missed a backhand wide, aiming for the ultimate precision in tennis: The line. The moment you start aiming for lines, time has already been up 10 minutes ago. And that’s how Coco wins matches and titles and trophies. First she steals your space, then she steals your time.

Congratulations to 2-time major champion Coco Gauff!

P.S. Loved the leather jacket!


major champion and fashion icon

P1/2

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P2/2

And then Sunday came and two young men from the often maligned Gen Z solved the problem of short attention span for the greater good of mankind. If only it were so easy!

What a match that was, what a time to be alive. 5 and half hours of pure shot making, of mental strength and perseverance, of belief and physical abilities and if I use one more sports platitude to describe this final I will fire myself from my own blog. Let’s leave the clichés behind and get into the depth of things.

When I asked Carlos’ coach and 2003 Roland Garros champion Juan Carlos Ferrero at the beginning of the year what they had worked on in the off-season, Juan Carlos - who smells amazing and should drop his perfume of choice ASAP - told me they were trying to make Carlos more consistent. An easy thing to see and say, and one of the hardest things to pull off.

How does one make a player that lives off his creativity more consistent without losing the edge of originality? That was the task team Alcaraz was faced with and what can I say, they managed to accomplish it. While people were asking themselves whether Carlos and his inconsistencies can defend their French Open title, I was sitting there asking myself: Where in the seven hells are they making out inconsistencies?

Yes, Carlos loses a set here and there (I still think he just gets bored and likes the friction) but if we think back of the last 4 weeks of his tennis playing, we have to accept an astonishing truth: Some of the most important matches of the last 4 weeks have been won by Carlos because he was the more consistent player.

Semifinal in Rome against Lorenzo Musetti: Alcaraz handles the wind better, wins the match.

Final in Rome against Jannik Sinner: Alcaraz saves set point, doesn’t miss a ball in the tie break, wins in two.

Last 16 Roland Garros against Ben Shelton: Carlos wins the first set tie break despite Ben being the more aggressive player. BUT Carlos made fewer unforced errors.

He has started to win matches because he remains calm and doesn’t miss. Clear pattern in mind, he reigns. Serve out wide, into the open corner. Drop shots only when inside the baseline. Net attacks when it serves the score. And some added magic too, of course.

One thing has become abundantly clear: Carlos Alcaraz needs Jannik Sinner. Without him, Carlos’ beautifully original mind becomes a butterfly that wants to see a million flowers. With Jannik there, he laser-focuses on how to beat him. In the last two tie breaks, Carlos was the more consistent player. Actually, let’s take the final tie break out of it. That was tennis from a different planet. All stars aligned, the consistent and the creative ones, and transported tennis from a game to an art form. I apologise for more platitudes.

Jannik, on the other hand, has put to rest the notion that he can’t last longer than four hours. He might’ve lost the match but whoever sprints to a drop shot at 4:5 and 15:30 in the fifth set after five hours and 15 minutes the way Jannik did yesterday and then breaks to go 5:5 does not deserve that reputation any longer.

When Pep Guardiola revolutionised football with his high pressing strategy, he probably did not have a tennis player in mind to perfect it. Every time I see Jannik Sinner play, I think of a football team coached by Pep Guardiola. While Pep didn’t invent that game style, he certainly modernised it and made it what it is today. In effect, a high pressing team “defends” so high up in the field that it virtually feels like they are still attacking while technically they are defending. Over the course of a football game, the team being pressed on will start to make mistakes and miss passes due to the fact that the team pressing is so high up in your side that it feels like it’s choking you. You can’t think when you can’t breathe.

Jannik Sinner has adapted this strategy to tennis and has casually perfected it. I don’t follow the Premier League in detail but from what I hear Pep could use some Jannik in his squad. Guess what makes the high pressing game plan infinitely harder to pull off?

→ CHAOS!

Call it creativity, call it originality, call it chaos. Carlos Carlitos Chaos is all these things and more because lately, in the sweet red curls of his adversary Janni Sinner, he has found consistency.

5-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz! Congratulations!


VAMOS!

Things that make me happy:

A few things have made me happy this week. The tradition for the winner to celebrate with the ball kids makes me happy every single time I see footage of it. The fact that Jannik Sinner is so humble but strangely vain about his hair when he takes his hat off makes me very happy. Carlos’ and Juan Carlos’ relationship makes me happy. I mentioned Coco Gauff’s leather jacket already. The moment of joy shared with her parents makes me happy. Leaving Advil behind makes me happy and swapping it back for Sancerre makes me the happiest. I also found this from my Australian Open post earlier this year (read the full version here) and it makes me happy:



Things that make me unhappy:

I stayed in a hotel in St.-Germain-des-Près this year. It was a smallish boutique hotel in a beautiful neighbourhood with a lovely bar. The kind where the clientele are elderly, well-dressed couples who go to the opera at night. One morning, however, an influencer inexplicably made their way to our oasis for breakfast and started taking photos of the buffet. They proceeded to block out everyone who tried to eat for the next 15 minutes. Congratulations, you now have photo of a baguette on your phone!

Another long post not even remotely capturing the magic of the last few days but at least we tried. As the week after a Slam can be an emotional letdown, my next newsletter will be a mailbag episode. Send me all the questions you ever wanted to ask and I will try to answer them all. Infinite Jest indeed. May your curls be extra bouncy (and red) this week!

Yours truly, Andrea

https://andreapetkovic.substack.com/p/roland-garros-iii