The French Open final was a true jaw-dropper. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner brought back the magic of tennis in their 12th encounter! This followed their last final at the Italian Open, where Carlos reigned as champion, taking Sinner down in one hour and 45 minutes with a straight sets win, 7-6(5), 6-1. With their head-to-head at 7-4, there was no doubt this match would be an edge-of-the-seat thriller. But now, they ended up recreating history as well.

On Sunday, Alcaraz defended his Roland Garros crown with the heart of a gladiator. He tapped into his warrior spirit to topple the unstoppable World No. 1 in the longest French Open men’s singles final ever—a five-set epic ending 4–6, 7–6(4), 4–6, 6–7(3), 7–6(10-2), with a Super tie-break and lasting 5 hours and 29 minutes. Can you guess which Grand Slam final lasted even longer?

According to Tennis Letter on X, the final match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at the 2012 Australian Open did! That match lasted 5 hours, 53 minutes. Both players pushed their bodies and minds to the absolute limit, trading brutal blows and breathtaking rallies until the early hours of the morning in Melbourne.

Djokovic ultimately triumphed 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5. Securing his third Australian Open title in a contest that left both champions visibly exhausted and requiring chairs during the trophy ceremony. That match remains the longest Grand Slam final in the Open Era!

On the other hand, Alcaraz hit yet another milestone. For the first time, he fought back from two sets down to accomplish what no one else had—beating Sinner in a Grand Slam final! The Spaniard had a history of never winning after being two sets down, but he certainly pulled through this time around. Guess he really meant it when he said that Sinner pushes him to be better!

His road to the final was impressive as well! He steamrolled Italy’s Giulio Zeppieri to start the French Open, then breezed past Fábián Marozsán and Damir Džumhur. In the fourth round, he outlasted Ben Shelton in a thriller, 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, then crushed Tommy Paul with a jaw-dropping 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 in the quarters. Facing Lorenzo Musetti in the semis, he rebounded after dropping the first set—only for Musetti to retire with a thigh injury, sending fans wild for the next round!

Now that he’s hit a new milestone of wining back to back French Open titles, Carlos receives a hearty message from the King of Clay himself!

Rafael praises Carlos Alcaraz for his powerful comeback

After his latest victory, congratulations poured in—especially from Rafa himself. “What an incredible @rolandgarros final! Congratulations @carlosalcaraz!” Rafael Nadal posted in Spanish on X, praising the Spanish star’s incredible display. That’s some high praise from the legend who was honored at this year’s French Open on May 25 for his record-breaking 14 Roland Garros titles—and who teamed up with Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s doubles event at the 2024 Olympics.

Talk about a full-circle moment! Here’s a wild stat: Rafa was 22 years, 1 month, and 3 days old when he won his fifth Grand Slam. Fast forward, and Carlos Alcaraz just clinched his second French Open title at the exact same age this Sunday—via tennis journalist Jose Morgado on X!

Nadal’s shout-out didn’t stop with Alcaraz. “Congrats also @janniksin for the great battle,” he added in English in the same post, giving props to Sinner for a fight well fought. With the tennis world now shifting to grass, all eyes are on Carlos—can he keep the magic going?

Carlos Alcaraz already boasts a jaw-dropping grass court record: 27 wins and just 4 losses, an 87.1% winning percentage. He’s the back-to-back Wimbledon champ, having toppled Djokovic in both the 2023 and 2024 finals. As defending champion, the pressure’s on—but if anyone can rise to the occasion, it’s him! What do you think—will he keep the crown? Drop your thoughts below!