There aren’t many players like Carlos Alcaraz who can save three championship points, play a flawless tiebreaker, and smack a forehand passing shot winner to win a Grand Slam title. But Alcaraz is the kind of player to do just that.
In a five-hour and 30-minute thriller, he defeated Jannik Sinner 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (10-2) to win his fifth Grand Slam title, extend his winning record against Sinner, and do it all at the age of 22. The match was incredible, which leads us to wonder just how this match stacks up against some of the greatest tennis matches of all time.
This thriller had the rallies, drama, and energy of an all-time match. It’s certainly the match of the year so far, probably the best match of the decade, and I’d argue one of the best matches of all time.
Agree? Disagree? Have a great match you want to spotlight? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Alcaraz Defeats the Odds in 2025
Alcaraz’s thrilling win hits all the benchmarks you want to see in an all-time match. The match was a Grand Slam final, it featured a combined 123 winners from each player, and it’s the second-longest Grand Slam final of all time. Both players showed each other their strengths. Alcaraz was on fire with his movement, chasing down heavy shots from the Italian. He played careful and consistent tennis in the fourth set when facing championship points. After Alcaraz failed to close the fifth set out–while up 5-4–he showed no sign of nerves serving to stay in the match. His backhand cross-court winner to force a fifth-set tiebreaker might be one of the most clutch shots of all time. Meanwhile, Sinner’s cross-court shots were impressive and imposing for the entire match.
Then there’s the fifth-set tiebreaker. The tiebreaker could have been closer, but Alcaraz played a tactically sound ten points to win 10-2. The Spaniard had no fear going for his shots, starting off the tiebreak by ripping a forehand cross-court and then hitting another forehand stunner to get the early lead. Just a couple of points later, Alcaraz’s swinging volley winner sealed the momentum he needed. And that shot reminded me of another important shot in tennis history…
Nadal Stuns Federer in 2008
6-4 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-7 (8-10) 9-7
It was Rafael Nadal, down 6-7 in the fifth set, who hit a clutch forehand winner after an insane exchange against Roger Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final. The Swiss recovered a powerful Nadal overhead off the flick of his racket, and Nadal recovered with a huge winner in fading darkness. That shot meant Nadal held serve, and he put the pressure on Federer to serve in the dark.
Nadal eventually won that match 9-7 in the fifth set to win his first Wimbledon title, and that match has largely been argued as the greatest tennis match of all time. Federer hit 89 winners in the match to Nadal’s 60, and the match had to be played over a pair of brutal rain delays.
What made that match exciting? It was the rivals’ 18th meeting, and at that point, tennis fans longed to see the two play because of their fire-and-ice personalities. This is something similar to Alcaraz and Sinner.
One could definitely argue that the Alcaraz vs Sinner rivalry is still a bit too young. Sunday’s match was their 12th meeting, and the first time the pair played in a Grand Slam final. But there’s something eye-opening about the build-up to this match–a three-month Sinner doping ban, a 31-set win streak from Sinner, and neither player ever losing a Grand Slam final, all make this rivalry already historic.
Djokovic Takes Out Nadal in 2012 Battle
5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-5
The only Grand Slam final to go longer than the 2025 French Open final was a five-hour, 53-minute thriller in the 2012 Australian Open final. There, Novak Djokovic took out Nadal in an epic, with the match ending around 2 a.m. At that time, the match was just Nadal’s second loss in a Grand Slam match after winning the first set. There were a lot of unforced errors in the match, with Nadal notably hitting 71 unforced errors to 44 winners. This was not because neither player performed well; it was because of the taxing rallies and deep balls that each player fired at one another.
That final was physical, something resembling Alcaraz and Sinner’s French Open final.
Going Way Back to 1980
1-6 7-5 6-3 6-7 (16-18) 8-6
Speaking of a fire-and-ice tennis rivalry, that’s exactly what fans and the media said to describe the John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg rivalry. When the two met in the 1980 Wimbledon final, there were eyes on them from all over the world. McEnroe saved five championship points in an incredible fourth-set tiebreak, something that surpasses any tiebreak in the 2025 French Open final, or even a couple of the great tiebreaks in the 2008 Wimbledon final.
The clash of serving-and-volleying on the grass courts made the points short, but more intense, as both players had to play aggressive tennis and outwit one another. Borg did not lose serve in the fifth set, en route to a win over his rival.
The Longest Match Ever
6-4 3-6 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-3) 70-68
John Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut in the first round of the 2010 Wimbledon championships, a match placed on Court 18 that lasted three days. The match lasted over 11 hours, and neither player could break the other in a serving classic.
That match had the drama and intensity that an all-time match should have. But what made that match extra special was the mental toughness of both players, with neither player giving an inch when having to produce a clutch serving game in the fifth set. There weren’t too many thrilling rallies and shots, something that the 2025 French Open final did have. After tennis officials adopted a fifth-set match tiebreaker a few years ago, a thriller like this will never happen again.
Nadal’s Incredible Comeback in 2022
2-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4 7-5
Similar to the 2025 French Open final, this thriller saw twists and turns from both Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev in the 2022 Australian Open final. In the end, Nadal fought from two sets to none down, winning 7-5 in the fifth set. The comeback began early in the third set, after Nadal came from 0-40 down on his serve. Hours later, the Spaniard served for the championship up 5-4 in the fifth set, but gave points away in a shocking collapse. Ultimately, the fatigued Nadal played consistent tennis to break Medvedev’s momentum and rhythm.
This was one of the best comebacks in tennis history. I’d argue Alcaraz’s 2025 comeback is better because of the three championship points he saved, and the power he had to withstand from Sinner for such a long match. Many could argue Nadal’s 2022 comeback was better because of the Spaniard withstanding a consistent opponent while being 35 years old. Nadal had also just come back from a persistent foot injury.
Federer Defeats Roddick in 2009
5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14
The last match I wanted to spotlight was the 2009 Wimbledon final, a historic match that saw Roger Federer break the then-record of Pete Sampras’ 14 Grand Slam titles. In a win over Andy Roddick, the 30-game fifth set remains the longest fifth set in a Grand Slam final. There were a couple of crushing moments for Roddick late in the second-set tiebreak and at points deep into the fifth set, as he couldn’t produce some clutch shots under pressure. Otherwise, both Federer and Roddick played some of their best tennis.
Federer hit an insane 107 winners to just 38 unforced errors. Meanwhile, Roddick hit 74 winners to 33 unforced errors. Roddick’s final unforced error was a shanked forehand into the sky, which saw him lose yet another crushing Grand Slam final to the Swiss.
What Match was the Best?
Was the 2025 French Open men’s final the best of them all? It’s pretty rare to see a player save championship points and produce high-quality tennis for such a long match. It’s also rare to come back from two sets to none down, and it’s also challenging to break a player’s rhythm who had not dropped a set for the entire tournament. Sinner didn’t lose the match; Alcaraz won it by ripping his groundstrokes and showing fans just how much of a talent he is.
And finally, what made Sunday’s match possibly the best tennis match of all time was the level of tennis sustained for the entire match. The beginning of the 2022 Australian Open final was slow, as Nadal was sluggish and Medvedev was simply consistent. The 2008 Wimbledon final saw Federer struggle for the first two sets, and he couldn’t get much rhythm on his backhand early on. The 2010 Wimbledon long match never had a high level of groundstrokes and shotmaking. However, there were plenty of exciting rallies between Sinner and Alcaraz in the first two sets — it was just Sinner who executed on the short points and bullied Alcaraz with his power.
There are other thrilling tennis matches that could be spotlighted, so again, leave your suggestions in the comments.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images
