Two all-time tennis greats, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, marveled at the next generation of champions after an epic showdown at Roland Garros on Sunday.
Following Carlos Alcaraz’s comeback victory over Jannik Sinner in the men’s 2025 French Open final, both Nadal and Federer went on Instagram to offer warm eulogies.
Carlos Alcaraz Wins Second Roland Garros and Fifth Grand Slam Total
Alcaraz took his second Roland Garros title after surviving top seed Sinner in an epic five-set contest, 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(2). The win stretched Alcaraz’s head-to-head against Sinner to 8-4. On the other side of the net came Sinner’s fairytale run, having defeated Novak Djokovic, Andrey Rublev, and Alexander Bublik in previous rounds to make it to the French Open final.
Federer, who called time on his career in 2022, put up a double tribute on his Instagram Story soon after the final ended. The 20-time Grand Slam title winner shared two pictures, one with Alcaraz and the other with Sinner, with the following caption:
“3 winners in Paris today: @carlitosalcarazz @janniksin & the beautiful game of tennis. What a match!”
Nadal, a 14-time Roland Garros title winner, resonated in the same spirit. The Spanish great posted a picture of Alcaraz and Sinner at the net post-match, captioning it: “What a great Roland Garros final! ¡Enhorabuena @carlitosalcarazz! Congrats also @janniksin for the great battle.”
Alcaraz’s 2025 French Open final victory, Federer’s loss in the 2019 Wimbledon final, and his loss in the 2011 US Open semifinals have eerie parallels. Alcaraz mounted an all-time comeback versus Sinner in the 2025 Roland Garros final. Two sets to one down and facing three championship points in the fourth set, he kept his nerve and went on to win in a fifth-set tiebreak.
This echoes Federer’s heartbreaking defeat to Djokovic in the 2019 Wimbledon final. The Swiss held two championship points on his own serve at 8-7, 40-15 in the fifth set before the Serb fought back to take the match in a final-set tiebreaker.
Federer’s 2011 US Open semifinal against Djokovic follows similar lines. Trailing two sets to zero and having two match points at 5-3 and 40-15 in the fifth set, Federer found himself unable to close out again. Djokovic saved the first with a risk-taking cross-court forehand return winner and went on to take the match 7-5 in the fifth.
Carlos Alcaraz Describes French Open 2025 Final vs. Jannik Sinner As “Unreal”
In his post-match press conference, Alcaraz praised the high-level final and acknowledged World No. 1 Sinner, who appeared poised to claim the title for most of the match.
“There were a few moments of the match where the level was insane. Being Jannik on the other side of the net playing such a great level, sometimes I felt like ‘What can I do?’ He was moving unbelievable. Hitting amazing shots. There were a few moments of the match that he couldn’t miss any ball. That level was really really high,” Alcaraz said.
“I thought sometimes about the people. I enjoyed some parts of the match. I enjoy to play such a high level against Jannik, having that battle. It was great. I thought the people were enjoying a little bit as well. For me, it was unreal sometimes,” he added.
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