Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have taken tennis 'to another level' after Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic after French Open final

As the dust settled on the French Open and Carlos Alcaraz left Philippe Chatrier once again clutching the trophy, many were left wondering if they had witnessed the best-ever Roland-Garros final. It took everything Alcaraz had to defeat Jannik Sinner in five scintillating sets in the longest ever Grand Slam final on clay, in a display that wowed the fans and experts alike.

'One of the greatest matches' - Reaction to incredible final as Alcaraz edges out Sinner

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Carlos Alcaraz roared back from two sets down to defeat Jannik Sinner in five sets in the French Open final, defending his title in incredible fashion.

It might be the sixth straight major title won by either Alcaraz or Sinner, but it was the first time the duo had met in the final of a Grand Slam event.

With the world No. 1 taking on the world No. 2, expectations were high - and the match certainly did not disappoint.

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Sinner started the better, taking the first set with some ruthless play from the back of the court and pinpoint accurate serving, but Alcaraz was hanging with him and sent down plenty of fizzing winners of his own.

He kept believing despite losing the second set on a breaker, and even fought off Championship points in the fourth set to take it to a decider.

Alcaraz was broken when he tried to serve out the match in the fifth - but even that last twist did not destroy his belief, the Spaniard saving the best for last in a clinical Championship tie-break.

Alcaraz reacts to 'amazing' triumph over Sinner in legendary French Open final

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"Absolutely incredible, and expectations are really high when these two face off as they have had some incredible matches, starting with the 2022 US Open," explained former French Open champion Mats Wilander.

"And every match they play is brutally physical, it is emotional, the tennis they are playing is unbelievable and the fact that they can keep going for five-and-a-half-hours on a clay court at this level. The level at the end was absolutely ridiculous.

"I cannot believe how lucky we are that we are going to have this rivalry as they have taken our sport to another level. I never thought I would say that after the big three with Rafa [Nadal], Roger [Federer] and Novak [Djokovic] but it is actually faster than ever, it is at a level [where] it is hard to believe they can do this."

The match lasted five hours 29 minutes, the crowd gripped throughout and roaring their approval at every turn. It was the hottest ticket in town, with celebrities out in force, and they were treated to a final that many will consider the best ever in Paris.

"This is what tennis is about, it is never over until it is over, you cannot run the clock down, you have to win the last point to win the match and it didn’t happen for Sinner but just in general, an unbelievable tournament and we had by far the best match of the tournament in the final, it’s just incredible to me," added Wilander.

"I’ve seen Federer and Nadal, they played a couple of good finals but nothing comes close to this one to me. Because the anticipation was so high, especially from my side because I witnessed their matches and I always think that this is not possible, they are playing at a pace that is not human."

Watch memorable moment Alcaraz wins French Open after incredible Championship tie-break

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Tim Henman described watching the final as a "privilege," and it was hard to disagree - the quality of tennis was one thing, but the storylines the duo created made for the perfect backdrop of drama as the match see-sawed this way and that.

"Just an awesome, awesome display of tennis, athleticism. Carlos certainly didn’t invent tennis but he is perfecting it," said Mark Petchey.

"And when you frame it with the rivalry he has with Jannik, this is the first in a franchise - the big finals that these two have played, it just bodes so well for the future.

'Up there with best matches I've ever seen' - Henman reacts to remarkable final

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"[Alcaraz is] 22 years old and what he’s already achieved - I mean we could be talking about him breaking records that we think right now are untouchable."

"He can win this tournament many, many more times," added Wilander.

"But he can win the other three as well. So he is most probably a better player than Rafa was at 22 [years old] on the other surfaces. He's not maybe as dominant on clay but hey, he is getting there."

Tennis