With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal now retired, Novak Djokovic remains the only active member of the Big Three after years of dominance. But according to World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, the sport’s new standard-bearers are Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner — and the duo has already achieved something the legendary trio never did.
The last eight Grand Slams have been split between Alcaraz and Sinner, highlighted by this year’s French Open final, a record-setting marathon that lasted five hours and 29 minutes — the longest championship match in tournament history.
Speaking before his Laver Cup debut, Zverev pointed to that showdown as proof of a new level of tennis. “I mean, look, the French Open final, yes, I think it was a tennis match that, in many ways, we have never seen before, just from the speed,” Zverev said.
“The way tennis has been played, yes, we’ve had great champions in the last 15 years and great matches with Rafa, Roger, Novak. There were some tennis matches there that will be remembered for the rest of our lives, but the way tennis has been played in this French Open final was something that we’ve never seen before,” he added.
The record length wasn’t the only storyline. Sinner came within a single point of his first French Open title, holding three championship points with a 2-1 set lead. But Alcaraz mounted a dramatic comeback, turning the match around to capture his fifth Grand Slam crown.
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Alcaraz on the French Open final
Speaking at a Team World press conference ahead of the Laver Cup, Carlos Alcaraz said self-belief was the key to turning around such a difficult situation in Paris.
“For me, I remember the feeling I had in that match — I was playing great until I faced match points,” Alcaraz said. “I felt like it was about the tennis, about the score. I believed the whole time that I could come back, that I could win that match, and I think that’s the most important thing from my perspective”.
The 2025 French Open final is already etched in the history books and will be remembered as one of the matches that ushered in the new era of Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner — just as Roger Federer claimed.
