Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner’s budding rivalry could be this generation’s Federer-Nadal

We watched Roger Federer retire two years ago at the Laver Cup and this year’s French Open began with the retirement ceremony of the great Rafael Nadal. Legendary rivalries make tennis great, and the conclusion of the fortnight in Paris may have given us the next great one.

In the longest French Open final (and second longest slam final!), Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Italy’s Jannik Sinner delivered an epic battle for the ages, lasting a record five and a half hours. It was their 12th meeting, and their first in a GS final, with the two best men’s tennis players in the world. It lived up to every inch of hype as a historic testament to the depth of their rivalry, with Alcaraz eventually winning his fifth major championship after five grueling sets, 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) on Sunday, June 8.

But it could easily have gone Sinner's way, who sat with three championship points in the fourth set. The cat-and-mouse game between the two was remarkable to behold, with each pushing the other in the tactical chess match of adaptation and counterpunch. At any moment, it could have gone either way and the suspense of such high stakes made for riveting entertainment. Despite ultimately losing the match, Sinner won 193 of the points. Alcaraz, 192. That’s how razor-thin the margins were.

“It is a privilege to share the court with you in every tournament," Alcaraz said to Sinner, during the trophy presentation, according to Reuters.

"I am just really, really happy to be able to make history with you in this tournament, in other tournaments; you are a huge inspiration to young kids and to me."

Epic French Open final sets stage for brilliant Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry

It really was anyone’s guess who would win, up until the last few points. Even when Sinner looked like he was dominating at the outset (with the first two sets), Alcaraz would rally to break right back to give himself a chance. When the Spaniard had an eye issue that required medical attention, it might have been easy to write off another player as Sinner took the momentum of the match. But just like that, Alcaraz found his groove again. Same with Sinner’s limping in the fifth set after a taxing exchange with his rival. Instead of calling for medical attention, the Italian powered through for a few limiting games and bounced back in the last set to give himself a chance as well.

The match was a grueling battle of wills between two powerhouses encompassing mental fortitude, breathtaking comebacks, finesse and raw power, culminating in a rare 10-point Champions tiebreak, which Alcaraz won miraculously. It wasn’t just me who was sitting there thinking I was watching one of the best finals I’d ever seen, with the TNT commentators calling it “one of the greatest.”

And that’s a what an epic rivalry looks like.

"For sure, from my point of view, he's a player who makes me a better player,” said Sinner about Alcaraz, before the final, according to Reuters. “He pushes me to the limit. We try to understand where we have to improve, for the next times I play against him.

"I believe that tennis or every sport needs rivalries. This could be potentially one of them, but there are amazing players coming up. There can be so many different and other players joining or one drops. You never know."

Alcaraz may hold the edge between the two, having won eight out of the 12 head-to-heads, but just looking at the numbers doesn’t tell the full story. Their matchups have always been hard-fought and close clashes. Clay also favors Alcaraz, and this is only Sinner’s second tournament since being out for three months due to a doping scandal, where he was given the benefit of the doubt. The 23-year-old has lost to Alcaraz in these last two finals, including the Rome Masters, Sinner’s first tournament after returning to the Tour. Considering the Italian’s return to form so quickly, he seems to have vindicated himself from his scandal.

Just like Federer and Nadal, they make each other better. As the French Open final match went on, the stakes became higher, with Alcaraz and Sinner both pushing the other to come up with better passing shots, drop shots, and margin-thin winners that just kissed the line. Rivalries is what makes great tennis, and that’s what we got on Sunday.

“I know for a fact that with Carlos breaking through earlier than Jannik did, it pushed Jannik to be more professional and to address his physicality,” said Sinner’s coach, Darren Cahill, via the ATP.

“I think also Jannik being out of the game for the past four or five months has pushed Carlos to find ways to become better.”

There is a friendly, mutual respect dynamic between the two that is also reminiscent of Federer and Nadal, unlike many of the past rivalries.

“I don’t know that Andre [Agassi] and Pete [Sampras] liked each other too much back in the day,” Cahill elaborated. “A little more animosity back then, but times were different back then as well.

“Now Carlos and Jannik aren’t going out to dinner together either, but they are mates. They’re in the locker room, they’re talking. I’m part of some of their conversations. I won’t repeat what they are because most of it focuses around what 23-year-olds and 21-year-olds talk about, but they have fun, and they enjoy each other’s company.”

If there was an answer to what the next great era of tennis will look like, Sunday’s French Open final between five-time slam champion Alcaraz and three-time slam winner Sinner is the solution. We have nothing to worry about: the next decade in men’s tennis promises to be as riveting as ever.