The World No. 2 and Spanish tennis star successfully defended his Roland Garros crown after defeating World No.1 in a thrilling Final at Court Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday, June 8.
Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner in a five-set thriller - 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 - in what became the longest French Open final, lasting 5 hours and 29 minutes. Alcaraz was two sets down before making a sensational comeback to win the last three sets to clinch his fifth Grand Slam title. The turning point of the match was when Alcaraz saved three championship points in the fourth set, showcasing his nerve of steel and a champion’s mindset, which eventually shifted the momentum of the match in his favour and kept his title defence alive.
With his fifth Grand Slam of his young career, Carlos Alcaraz went level with his idol and Spanish tennis legend in terms of winning Major titles at the age of 22.
Alcaraz calls achieving Nadal’s feat a ‘destiny’Speaking to the reporters at the press conference after defeating Jannik Sinner in the French Open 2025 Final, Carlos Alcaraz called it a ‘destiny’ after achieving five Grand Slam titles at the same age as Rafael Nadal, adding that he would keep that stat with him forever. He also hailed his compatriot as his idol and expressed his honour to share the record with a 14-time Roland Garros champion.
“The coincidence of winning my fifth Grand Slam at the same age as Rafa Nadal, I'm going to say that's destiny," Alcaraz said as quoted by Reuters.
“It is a stat that I'm going to keep for me forever, winning the fifth Grand Slam at the same time as Rafa, my idol, my inspiration. It's a huge honour," he added.
Rafael Nadal was 22 years, 1 month and 3 days when he clinched his fifth Grand Slam title by defeating Roger Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon Final, while Carlos Alcaraz matched that feat of Nadal with his epic victory over Jannik Sinner in the 2025 French Open Final.
Alcaraz’s turning point of the matchFurther speaking about his epic French Open final, Carlos Alcaraz highlighted that his turning point in the match came in the fifth set when he was 5-6 with everything going in Sinner’s way and still forced the match into a super tiebreaker by making it 6-6. Alcaraz himself did not know how he could save his match from slipping away.
“The match points were not great points. I saved match points, it's great, but the points were not good,” the 22-year-old.
"At 6-5 in the fifth at 15-30 or 30-all, advantage for me, 40-all. Those points I remember pretty clear, and honestly, I still don't know how I did it.
"I mean, it was balls on the line, slicing the line. He was dominating that game. Honestly, I still don't know how I saved that game," he added.
In the tiebreak, Carlos Alcaraz dominated Jannik Sinner as he won 10 points to 2, sealing the championship with a stunning forehand winner down the line.
Carlos Alcaraz maintains a 5-0 record in Grand Slam finalsMoreover, Alcaraz is yet to lose a Grand Slam final. Previously, the 22-year-old reached the finals of the French Open last year, Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024, and US Open in 2022, winning all of them — maintaining a perfect 5-0 record in Grand Slam finals — and further cementing his status as the heir to Nadal’s clay-court legacy and a dominant force in modern tennis.
With a perfect 5-0 record at Grand Slam finals, Carlos Alcaraz joined Swiss tennis star Roger Federer in an exclusive list. Alcaraz became the second player in the Open era to win the five Grand Slam finals on the trot, joining Roger Federer, who won the first seven titles between 2003 and 2006, showcasing rare dominance on tennis’s biggest stages.
Alcaraz will feature in Wimbledon, where he will aim to defend his title for the second time in a row and continue his remarkable Grand Slam run as the dominant force in men’s tennis.
