2 Responses to rg25alcaraz_sinner

1. Voo de Mar says:

   July 12, 2025 at 2:52 pm

   Points won by each set: | 34-41, 39-41, 32-28, 39-39, 48-44 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   17 % Alcaraz – 33 of 194
   20 % Sinner – 40 of 191

   # There are matches which are immortalised in collective consciousness, ingredients are few: the best players of a specific epoch, the final of a major, and very dramatic progress – the winner is close to lose the match in at least one set. The Roland Garros ’25 final met these three conditions, actually Alcaraz was close to lose the match in two successive sets which makes his effort even more memorable. Moreover it’s one of the longest matches in the French Open history, and the first Slam final in history when a super tie-break was required (once a classical tie-break in the 5th set before – the US Open ’20) – paradoxically it happened in an edition in which none match of this kind occurred before…. Both young players began their first mutual major final playing much below their potential. There was abundance of errors early on, Sinner fought off three break points in the opening game, but lost his serve at 2-all. He broke back immediately and another break in the 10th game gave him the set. Alcaraz had some issue with his right eye, he trailed *1:4 (deuce) in the 2nd set when significantly improved his level, yet the Italian was more stable at the end of the set again. Two sets lost after more than two hours of play against a player who didn’t drop a set in the fortnight, the vast majority of players in Alcaraz’s shoes would have resigned; not the Spaniard, the miracle kid. He improved in the 3rd set from 0:1* (0/30) to 4:1*, then led 5:2, he made some silly errors in two successive games, but got a break at 5:4 which pumped him up as he felt that the stadium – full of celebrities and former Slam champions – was generally on his side. Sinner “the machine man”, came back to his super solid tennis, and when he led 5:3* (40/0) in the 4th, everyone must have felt the end was near. Sinner’s mother was already starting to cry in the stands, impatiently waiting for celebration of the third straight major title for her son, who made:
   – FH error (8-stroke rally)
   – BH error (off 2nd serve)
   – FH error (6-stroke rally)
   …and the triple match point evaporated. Serving for the championship, Sinner seemed tense, he made a few simple errors, the same in the following game – Alcaraz improved from 3:5 to 6:5. Admittedly Sinner held to enter the tie-break, led in it 2:0, but Alcaraz went more for his shots having barely escaped the loss. He took the tie-break convincingly, and began the decider leading 2:0. They were holding until 5:4 when the Spaniard did the same what Sinner in the preceding set – he was unable to get any point with the help of his serve. One more twist, and Sinner improved from *3:5 to 6:5* (30/15) – made a forehand error on the 4th stroke in the rally. A third tie-break in this super dramatic contest was anti-climatic: Alcaraz raced to a 7:0* lead striking three winners in the process. Sinner finally snapped a streak of nine points lost in a row, but his casual backhand error gave the Spaniard the cushion of seven match points – he converted the first one producing a forehand passing-shot winner down the line, a moment later celebrating his title defence lying on the court… 5 hours 29 minutes – the longest French Open final in history by a significant margin, just the third case in the Open Era that the champion withstood a championship point in the final, yet the first time it happened in the fourth set. “I just want to say thank you for everything to my team and family;” said Alcaraz. “I have the privilege to be able to live great things with you. I was lucky to have a lot of people who came from Murcia, from home, to support me. It is just amazing support you gave me today, during the whole two weeks, [including] the people who weren’t able to come but are at home. Thank you very much and this trophy is yours as well, so thank you.” 21 years ago, when for the first time in the Open Era a championship point saved occurred in the final, the loser also led 2-0 in sets. Another French Open final which bears resemblance it’s the year 1984 when Lendl – similarly to Alcaraz – won three tough sets in a row having lost the first two. Lendl was 6-5-8 points away from losing the final in successive sets, Alcaraz 12-1-2.

   Alcaraz’s route to his 20th title (5th Slam):
   1 Giulio Zeppieri 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
   2 Fabian Marozsan 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
   3 Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
   4 Ben Shelton 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
   Q Tommy Paul 6-0, 6-1, 6-4
   S Lorenzo Musetti 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-0, 2-0 ret.
   W Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6[10/2] – 3 m.p.

   Serve & volley: Alcaraz 3/6, Sinner 3/3

   # Comparison of their two Slam matches with MPs saved:
   US Open 2023 (QF): Alcaraz d. Sinner 6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3… 5 hours 15 minutes… Total points: 199-183… 1 MP
   French Open 2025 (F): Alcaraz d. Sinner 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6… 5 hours 29 minutes… Total points: 192-193… 3 MPs
   

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   July 12, 2025 at 8:11 pm

   # Five greatest matches (finals) of the past sixty years in my subjective view:

   1080 Wimbledon: Borg d. J.McEnroe 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7, 8-6… 3 hours 53 minutes… Total points: 192-184
   1984 French Open: Lendl d. J.McEnroe 3-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 7-5… 4 hours 8 minutes… Total points: 158-154
   2008 Wimbledon: Nadal d. Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7… 4 hours 48 minutes… Total points: 209-204
   2012 Australian Open: Djokovic d. Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5…. 5 hours 53 minutes… Total points: 193-176
   2025 French Open: Alcaraz d. Sinner 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6… 5 hours 29 minutes… Total points: 192-193

   – Borg and McEnroe played their legendary final in the first year of the 80s, but technological-wise it was a match that defined the ‘long’ 70s (they both were using wooden racquets); the clash between Lendl & McEnroe is tough to compare with four other finals, but in my opinion it’s the most important major final of the 80s because in the aftermath Lendl became the decade’s best player, stealing that status from the beaten finalist; moreover it was a unique final in terms of wasted chances to win 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2 for the man who lost; in the Open Era only two finals have repeated that scenario (Aussie Open ’22 and French Open ’25)
   – Unfortunately in the 90s, Agassi and Sampras, the best two players of that decade, never played a five-set major final against each other. In 1995 which is the year of their mutual peak, they played two relatively tight 4-set finals (Aussie Open and US Open) – one of those final would have been remembered as one of the greatest matches if it had been a 5-set thriller.

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