Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the brightest stars of tennis’ new generation, will battle for the French Open title on Sunday in their first-ever Grand Slam final showdown.
At just 22 and 23 years old, Alcaraz and Sinner have claimed the last five major titles, signaling a shift in men’s tennis after two decades dominated by Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, aims to become only the third man this century—after Gustavo Kuerten and Nadal—to successfully defend his Roland Garros crown. Meanwhile, Sinner is chasing a third consecutive major victory, having won the 2023 US Open and this year’s Australian Open.
The world No. 1 Sinner has been in blistering form, dropping just seven matches in 2024—though four of those losses came against Alcaraz, including a grueling five-set defeat in last year’s French Open semifinals. The Spaniard leads their head-to-head 7-4, including a straight-sets win in the Italian Open final three weeks ago.
Alcaraz warned that Sinner would be even more dangerous in Paris with more match sharpness, and the Italian has lived up to that prediction, cruising through the tournament without dropping a set.
“He’s the best tennis player right now,” Alcaraz said. “He’s destroying every opponent.”
Though Alcaraz has faced tougher tests—winning only two of his six matches in straight sets—he benefited from a shortened semifinal after Lorenzo Musetti retired. The second seed believes Sunday’s historic final—the first Grand Slam men’s title match between two players born in the 2000s—will be unforgettable.
“It’s going to be a great Sunday for tennis fans,” Alcaraz said. “I love that battle, but most of the time, it’s about suffering because he pushes you to the limit.”
Sinner’s Unstoppable Run
Sinner, with an 18-1 record this season, has continued his dominance despite a doping controversy that sidelined him earlier this year. He tested positive for traces of a banned substance in 2023, which authorities ruled accidental due to contamination from a physiotherapist’s spray.
Now, the Italian is on a 20-match Grand Slam winning streak and stands one victory away from becoming the first Italian man since Adriano Panatta in 1976 to win the French Open.
He ended Djokovic’s bid for a 25th major in the semifinals, leaving the door open for a new era to take center stage.
“The stage doesn’t get any bigger—a Grand Slam final against Carlos is special,” Sinner said. “We’re both young, different, but talented.”
While comparisons to the legendary rivalries of Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer have already begun, Sinner believes it’s too soon for such talk.
“It takes time to compare us with the Big Three,” he said. “But tennis needs rivalries—and this could be one of them.”
With both players unbeaten in Grand Slam finals, one streak will end on Sunday in what promises to be a thrilling clash for the future of the sport.
