Alcaraz puts French Open title on line against scorching Sinner

PARIS: Carlos Alcaraz bids to defend his French Open title against Jannik Sinner as the two stars of a new generation face off in a Grand Slam final for the first time on Sunday.

The 22-year-old Alcaraz and Sinner, 23, have together scooped up the last five majors to usher in a new era in men’s tennis after two decades defined by the dominance of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz hopes to become the third man this century to retain the Coupe des Mousquetaires after Gustavo Kuerten and Nadal.

Sinner is chasing his third successive Grand Slam triumph – and fourth overall – after winning last year’s US Open and retaining his Australian Open crown in January.

The world number one has lost just seven matches since the start of 2024 but four of those defeats have come against Alcaraz, including a five-set reverse in last year’s Roland Garros semi-finals.

Alcaraz holds a 7-4 head-to-head edge over Sinner, winning the Italian Open final in Rome three weeks ago as the latter made his return to competition after a three-month doping ban.

The Spaniard warned after that final that Sinner would be an even greater threat in Paris with more matches under his belt, and so it has proved with the Italian yet to drop a set at the French Open.

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“He’s the best tennis player right now,” said Alcaraz. “I mean, he’s destroying every opponent.”

Alcaraz is battle-tested having won just two of his six matches in straight sets but had a shorter outing in the semi-finals than perhaps anticipated after Lorenzo Musetti was forced to retire.

Second seed Alcaraz has little doubt that Sunday’s showpiece – the first Grand Slam men’s final between two players born in the 2000s – will be one to remember.

“It’s going to be a really great Sunday for fans of tennis,” said Alcaraz, who knows he will need to be at his best to deny Sinner a maiden French Open trophy.

“I love that battle. But most of the time is just about suffering, because (he pushes) you to the limit.”

‘It doesn’t get any bigger’

Sinner is 18-1 this year and has picked up where he left off in Melbourne after a doping controversy which forced him off the courts for the Sunshine Swing in the US and the start of the clay-court season.

He twice tested positive for traces of the banned anabolic steroid clostebol in March last year, a contamination doping authorities accepted was accidental.

Sinner has always maintained the product entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing it to treat a cut.

He has looked in prime form in Paris, extending his winning streak in majors to 20 matches to reach a first Roland Garros final.

Adriano Panatta was the last Italian man to win the French Open in 1976.

Sinner dashed Djokovic’s hopes of a record-setting 25th Grand Slam on Friday with a fourth straight win over the 38-year-old Serbian, who admitted the loss may have been his final French Open match.

With the last remaining member of the old guard out of the picture, the stage is set for Alcaraz and Sinner to embark on the biggest clash so far in their already gripping rivalry.

Both are unbeaten in Grand Slam finals, but that will change come Sunday.

“The stage, it doesn’t get any bigger now. Grand Slam finals against Carlos, it’s a special moment for me and for him, too,” said Sinner.

“The tension you feel before the match and during the match is a little bit different in a way, because we are both very young, we are both different, but talented.”

Comparisons have already been made between the sport’s new rivalry and those shared by the big three of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, but Sinner said it was too early for such talk.

“It takes time to compare us with the big three,” said Sinner.

“I believe that tennis or every sport needs rivalries, no? This could be potentially one of these, but there are amazing players coming up.”