I was there: Carlos Alcaraz’s comeback in French Open final is still hard to comprehend
It was not until what appeared to be the dying moments of the French Open final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz that I realised it could be worth taking a photo of such a monumental occasion,This was, after all, the first grand slam final between the two players who seemed set to lead men’s tennis for many years to come,For three hours and 43 minutes Sinner had dominated Alcaraz and he earned three championship points while leading 5-3 in set four,Just before the Italian’s second championship point, I thrust up my phone and took a quick photo before my hand returned to my laptop, ready to file immediately an article that hailed his third consecutive major title and first triumph in Paris,Instead, it would take another hour and 46 minutes for a winner to be decided on Court Philippe-Chatrier in June.
What unfolded was one of the greatest comebacks and matches as Alcaraz returned from the abyss to produce an astounding 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) victory.Even now, six months removed from that day, it is difficult to fully comprehend those events in Paris.For hours Alcaraz had been outhit and outplayed by his biggest rival and the then world No 1 in a major final.His dire unforced errors to fall 0-40 down at 3-5 in set four seemed to seal his fate.No one in the stadium believed a comeback was possible.
No one except Alcaraz.First he dragged himself back to deuce, completely locking down his game, then he soared.By the time he closed out his service game for 4-5 with an outrageous running forehand winner, the energy inside the stadium had shifted and the crowd met the moment spectacularly.The stadium shook as most of the 15,000 present punctuated every successful point from Alcaraz with roars of encouragement and delight, to which the Spaniard responded by cupping his ears, pumping his fists and doing everything in his power to take advantage of their encouragement.Once the momentum had been wrestled back, it seemed as if he would not let go.
Alcaraz methodically worked his way through the fourth set, then broke serve at the beginning of the fifth and maintained his advantage until he led 5-3.Had he calmly closed out the match at his first opportunity, this would still have been a classic.The final 30 minutes, however, are what truly established this contest as one of the all-time greats.Sinner, having spent the fifth set hobbling around the court, his energy destroyed, suddenly found a second, third and fourth wind all at once.He retrieved the break and the level of play ascended into the stratosphere as, driven by desperation and adrenaline after five hours of battle, both players swung with total freedom.
Despite all that had already unfolded, the most memorable moment came in the form of the defensive slice Alcaraz struck deep in the fifth set as Sinner hunted his fourth championship point at 6-5, 30-30.No other player would have even put a racket on the ball, yet Alcaraz somehow turned that critical point around in one stroke.He ended lasering winners at will from every part of the court as he closed out his fifth grand slam title in a match tie-break to seal his biggest triumph.No matter how much more the 22-year-old achieves, this will surely be the defining moment of Alcaraz’s career.In the past he has been known to lose focus quickly in some matches, chasing highlight-reel winners and offering cheap unforced errors.
He can be a master self-saboteur.However, in the biggest moments of the most consequential matches, Alcaraz has an unprecedented ability to lock in and produce his very best, most fearless tennis under suffocating pressure.There is no deficit he can not overturn.What was it like to cover such an event? It was a delight and horror in equal parts.The thrill at being able to watch such an encounter up close is obvious, but those emotions are paired with the tension that comes with trying to instantly make sense of a result that makes no sense.
I ended up writing four reports: Sinner winning in four sets, Alcaraz winning in five, Sinner winning in five and then the final report.My brief panic after Alcaraz broke back for 5-5 was quelled only by the adrenaline that took over for me too.Most of all, it is a privilege to witness these moments.It was reasonable to conclude after the dominance of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer that it might take some time for the next legends to emerge.In their first grand slam final together, surrounded by so much hype and expectation, Alcaraz and Sinner showed the world that two such talents are already among us and the sport is now theirs.
This article is the second in a series from our correspondents on the most memorable moments of 2025.Next: how the Lionesses won Euro 2025
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