Jannik Sinner was beaten in the final of the French Open by Carlos Alcaraz, despite holding a two-set lead over the Spaniard.
John McEnroe called this the best French Open final ever. He’s probably got a point, given that the match lasted well over five hours and saw the best two players in men’s tennis produce a five-set classic for the ages.
In the years to come, this Sunday afternoon classic will still be talked about. Alcaraz prevailed in the end, but Sinner, who will need some time to get over this, earned a lot of admirers for the way in which he conducted himself.
The Italian player had three points to win the title in the fourth set. However, he couldn’t take them, and Alcaraz came roaring back to defend the Roland Garros crown, which he claimed for the first time in 2024.
Andy Roddick amazed by Jannik Sinner after French Open final defeat
Sinner will be hurting this morning. Not just in a physical sense after five hours on court, but also in a mental sense, with his brain likely frazzled after wasting so many championship points.
However, the beauty of sport is that there is always another tournament to look forward to, and Wimbledon is now right around the corner for Sinner.
After losing the final, Sinner was classy as ever towards Alcaraz and in the process, he’s earned some praise from Andy Roddick.
He said on the Served podcast: “Jannik might be the classiest person I have ever seen. He had a legit argument with the umpire in the fifth about a non-call, which means you are playing a point instead of looking at a second serve with no face or tone or anything else. He genuinely thanked everyone who worked on the match afterwards.
“I would not have done that. I am not a good enough person to do that. I would have made some snarky, stupid remark. It’s just really impressive.
“If you weren’t a fan before, I don’t know how you watch him do what he does and have anything negative to say about him.
“Carlos came back and took this match, Jannik, but I don’t think you let it go.”
Sinner will bounce back from Alcaraz loss
As the world number one, Sinner hasn’t suffered many setbacks in his short tennis career to date.
However, this represents the first real psychological blow, especially given that it will be Alcaraz who will be competing with him for the big titles across his career.
Sinner hasn’t become world number one by chance, though, and he will almost certainly dust himself down pretty quickly after this defeat.
With Wimbledon on the horizon, he needs to and it would be no surprise to see him claim a maiden SW19 title next month, given how he’s bounced back from setbacks in the past.
After yesterday’s final, tennis is in great hands, and it’s nice to see that Sinner is a gracious loser, given how he conducted himself towards Alcaraz after his defeat.
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