Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner produced one of the finest tennis matches of all time at the French Open.
The pair pushed each other to their limit and left the crowd in awe with their shotmaking and elite athleticism.
Many wondered who would take over at the top of the sport following the retirement of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and the end of Novak Djokovic’s dominance.
But Alcaraz and Sinner further proved that they ushered in a new era of men’s tennis, of which they are at the forefront.
Sam Querrey and Jack Sock discuss if Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz would beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros
The 2025 French Open commenced with Nadal receiving a fitting farewell, truly putting the seal on an all-time great career.
The tournament ended with his compatriot Alcaraz coming from two sets down to defeat Sinner and successfully defend the Roland Garros title.
The ATP’s number one and two produced one of the best matches of all time and maintained an impressively high level of tennis throughout their five-hour and 29 minute encounter.
This led to Jack Sock and Sam Querrey discussing on the Nothing Major Podcast whether Alcaraz or Sinner could defeat Nadal at the French Open in his prime, and they expressed different points of view.
“I don’t know. I think I like Alcaraz over Rafa. I hate to say that. Rafa never played anyone who hit the ball like Carlos,” Querrey said. “I’m not saying they are going to beat him, but I’m just saying if they played 10 times Rafa wins six.”
Sock disagreed and said: “Prime Rafa is winning in straight sets against both those guys. They are not hitting the ball like that against Rafa in his prime. He is hitting those heavy forehands. He is doing what Rafa does.
“They are not hitting the ball like that back against Rafa in his prime. They are playing a baseline game, they all strike the ball incredibly, but it’s all in the slot.
“Rafa is doing different things and hitting heavy forehands and grunting, they are not rocking balls back, they may do it a few times but they are not doing it every point in and out.”
Did Rafael Nadal play Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros?
Nadal played Alcaraz and Sinner three times each between 2020 and 2022.
Two of his contests against the Italian came at Roland Garros, first in the 2020 quarter-finals, which Nadal claimed 7-6(4) 6-4 6-1.
Nadal played Sinner at the French Open for a second time the following year, and once again Nadal emerged victorious in straight sets.
Nadal did not play Alcaraz in Paris, but they played twice on clay in their home country at the Madrid Open.
Their first encounter in Madrid was won by Nadal in 2021, before Alcaraz triumphed in three sets when the pair played there in 2022.
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