There are moments in sports that become history. On Sunday in Paris, fans lived through one of those as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner delivered an unforgettable final at Roland-Garros. In a battle that lasted 5 hours and 29 minutes, the longest French Open final ever, Alcaraz edged past Sinner 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), and 7-6(2). The previous record at Roland-Garros had stood since 1982, when Mats Wilander beat Guillermo Vilas in 4 hours and 42 minutes. And across all four Grand Slams, only the 2012 Australian Open final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal was longer. That match had everything: drama, heart, and nerves of steel. Fans sat on the edge of their seats for hours, and this created a new record in itself.

For more than 20 years, men’s tennis was ruled by three giants: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. But with Federer and Nadal retired and Djokovic admitting he may have played his last French Open after losing to Sinner in the semis, the ‘Big Three’ chapter is nearly closed. And we were ushered into a new era.

Enter Alcaraz and Sinner. This was their first meeting in a Grand Slam final, but their rivalry has been building on the ATP Tour. The stakes were massive, and both players delivered. “Today there were few moments of the match that, I mean, the level was insane,” said the 22-year-old after his stunning comeback from three championship points down in the third set. He defended his French Open crown and stretched his Grand Slam final record to a perfect 5-0.

And fans were tuned in. The final drew the biggest French Open TV audience in France since the 2011 Nadal vs. Federer final. The average viewership was 5.5 million, with a peak of 9.3 million. Numbers like these show just how much people are buying into this new rivalry.

Speaking of 2011, that Nadal vs. Federer final still stands out. Nadal led their head-to-head 6-0 at Roland-Garros, five of those meetings being finals. But in 2011, Federer had come close.   He broke Nadal early, led 5-2, and had a set point. Nadal, though, flipped the script with seven straight games. Federer did take the third set, but the King of Clay ran away with the fourth to seal it.

Now, more than a decade later, Federer and Nadal passed the torch in their own classy way. Federer shared a picture of Alcaraz and Sinner on his Instagram story and wrote, “3 winners in Paris today. Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and the beautiful game of tennis. What a match!” Nadal added his voice too, posting, “What a great @rolandgarros final! Congratulations @carlosalcaraz! 🏆💪🏼 Congrats also @janniksin for the great battle.”

Jannik Sinner, though heartbroken after his loss, was proud to be compared to the legends.

Jannik Sinner “happy” to be part of history despite brutal French Open loss

Jannik Sinner’s rise has been nothing short of impressive. After serving a three-month doping suspension from February to May, he returned with fire. Since September 2023, he has played 121 matches and lost only 10. But here’s the twist: five of those losses came against one man: Carlos Alcaraz. In fact, the Italian world No. 1 has dropped just three of his last 50 matches, and all of them were to Alcaraz. The head-to-head now reads 8-4 in favor of the Spaniard.

This intense rivalry has caused fans to make comparisons to the Fedal era. What does Sinner have to say about being compared to the greats?

He said, “I think every rivalry is different. Back in the days, they played different tennis. Now it’s very physical, but you cannot compare. I was lucky enough to play against Novak and Rafa. Beating these guys, it takes a lot. I have the same feeling with Carlos and some other players. It’s very special. I’m happy to be part of this.”

This final also snapped Sinner’s 20-match winning streak at Grand Slams and halted his bid for a third straight major title. But if the past few slams are anything to go by, these two have already taken control. Seven of the last eight major titles belong to either Alcaraz or Sinner. The lone exception? Novak Djokovic’s 2023 US Open title.

As for Carlos Alcaraz, his summer isn’t slowing down. He’ll head to Wimbledon in just three weeks to defend another title. The baton has been passed.   Is there anyone left who can challenge them? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!