We’ll Always Have Paris

10 Takeaways from a Predictably Unpredictable Roland Garros

By Richard Osborn

You’re not alone if you’re still gathering your composure after Sunday’s 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2) Carlos Alcaraz–Jannik Sinner insta-classic in Paris (a match that featured more ups and downs/twists and turns than a Kings Island coaster). CincinnatiOpen.com reflects on what we learned from the thrilling Roland Garros fortnight:

1) Rafa leaves an indelible footprint in the Terre Battue

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The tennis world didn’t really get a chance to honor Rafael Nadal in 2024 as the 22-time major singles titlist limped toward the finish of his playing career, not in a manner befitting of such a champion anyway. We finally had the opportunity to do so at Roland Garros, a tournament the Mallorcan has become synonymous with since capturing his first of a record 14 Coupe des Mousquetaires back in 2005. Fittingly, his three chief rivals were at his side during an emotional ceremony on Court Philippe-Chatrier: Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. “It’s a great message for the world, I think, that the toughest rivalries probably in the history of our sport are able to be good colleagues, to respect each other,” said Nadal, the 2013 Cincinnati Open titlist. “You don’t need to hate the opponent to try to beat him with all your forces. And that’s the message that I think we showed people, we showed the new generation, and in some way that’s our legacy.”

2) Gauff vs Sabalenka is fast becoming one of the sport’s most compelling rivalries

Playing for the coveted Coupe Suzanne Lenglen in Paris was a couple of familiar faces in Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, the last two Cincinnati Open champions. Gauff would snap a 5-5 head-to-head deadlock in a rivalry that has perhaps supplanted Sabalenka vs. Iga Swiatek as the best in the women’s game. Now 21, she became the youngest American to capture two Grand Slam singles titles since countrywoman Serena Williams in 2002. The matchup got even more spicy when, after her 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 defeat, the top-ranked Sabalenka suggested that, had Swiatek reached the title match, the four-time RG champ would have defeated Gauff. “I think she won the match not because she played incredible; just because I made all of those mistakes,” she said. “I don’t agree with that,” countered the No. 2-ranked Gauff, who also edged Sabalenka in taking her first Slam title at the US Open in 2023, and only weeks ago overwhelmed Swiatek in the Madrid semis, 6-1, 6-1. “I’m here sitting here.”

3) Carlitos has heart and then some

Even when he fell behind two-sets-to-love, even when he faced triple championship point in the fourth set, Carlos Alcaraz never gave up on himself in the title match against top-ranked Jannik Sinner. The 22-year-old Spaniard would rally to prevail, 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2), in five hours and 29 minutes — the longest final in the annals of the tournament, and the second-longest men’s Grand Slam final in the Open Era. “I had to fight all the time. I had to believe all the time in myself,” said Alcaraz, who captured his fifth major singles title at the age of 22 years, one month and three days — as fate would have it the EXACT age of Rafael Nadal when he won his fifth at Wimbledon in 2008. “You have to keep fighting. I mean, it’s a Grand Slam final. It’s no time to be tired. It’s no time to give up. It’s time to keep fighting. I think the real champions are made in those situations when you deal with that pressure.”

4) Sinner showed class in defeat

It couldn’t have been easy for reigning Cincinnati Open champion Jannik Sinner, who, unable to capitalize on any of his three championship points in the fourth set of his Roland Garros final against Carlos Alcaraz, found himself accepting the runner-up trophy. But the 23-year-old world No. 1, playing only his second event since his return from a three-month ban, showed nothing but class in defeat. “This one hurts,” the Italian confided. “It happens. We saw it in the past with other players, and today it happened to me. We’ll try to delete it somehow and take the positive and keep going.” It was fitting that the French fortnight should end with such an epic match — a 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2) classic that stretched over five-and-a-half hours. We kicked off Roland Garros with a celebration of its greatest champion, 14-time titlist Rafael Nadal, whose rivalry with his Big Three brethren took the sport to new heights. With Alcaraz and Sinner meeting for the first time in a major singles final, we got a glimpse of a new chapter; an otherworldly rivalry that should play out for years to come.  

5) We witnessed an American renaissance

So much for their purported aversion to red clay. Eight Americans reached the second round in Paris for the first time in 40 years. Eventual titlist Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Amanda Anisimova and Hailey Baptiste all punched through to the Round of 16. (Paul and Tiafoe would go on to become the first U.S. men to reach the quarterfinals since Andre Agassi in 2003. “Yeah, about time,” joked Pegula with a wry smile.) “We all know that this is a tournament that, historically, we don’t do well in, a surface we struggle on,” said Shelton, who at 22 became the fourth-youngest American man to reach the Round of 16 at all four majors behind Pete Sampras (20), Jim Courier (21) and Aaron Krickstein (21). “This has just been a tournament where we’re figuring things out. We’re excited about the opportunity.”

6) The red, white & blue resurgence didn’t come without a few blips

Taylor Fritz suffered his earliest loss at Roland Garros since 2018, a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 first-round defeat at the hands of Germany’s Daniel Altmaier. The No. 4 seed, a junior finalist in Paris a decade ago, came into the fortnight with high hopes, having posted a career-best Round of 16 finish last year. In the women’s draw, ninth seed Emma Navarro was stunned by Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the opening round in short order, 6-0, 6-1, while third seed Jessica Pegula fell victim to red-hot French wildcard Lois Boisson in the Round of 16, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. “I had a million chances and it just didn’t go my way,” said Pegula, a runner-up at the Cincinnati Open last year.

7) Nole found inspiration in Paris

There’s no denying it: 2025 has been a lackluster year for Novak Djokovic, who at 38 is unaccustomed to title droughts of any length. Still seeking his first trophy of the ’25 campaign, the 24-time Grand Slam champion had admittedly been searching for inspiration following the retirement of his greatest rivals in Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray. But the Serb seemed to rediscover that inner-drive at Stade Roland Garros, where he reached the record 51st major semifinal of his career on the back of a thrilling 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 dismissal of third-ranked Alexander Zverev. “Beating one of the best players in the world on the biggest stages is something that I definitely work for, and I still push myself on a daily basis at this age because of these kinds of matches and these kinds of experiences,” said Djokovic, a three-time Cincinnati Open champion. “It’s kind of a proven testament to myself and to others that I can still play on the highest level.”

8) We drank up Boisson’s run

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We love a good Cinderella story. We revel in those rare occasions when a virtual unknown comes out of nowhere to pull off a big-stakes upset, or makes an unforeseen run at the title. Like 123rd-ranked Lulu Sun surging into the Wimbledon quarters last year; or qualifier Learner Tien, all of 19, shocking Daniil Medvedev en route to the Round of 16 at the Australian Open in January. This time around, it was a 22-year-old Frenchwoman named Lois Boisson who captured our imagination as she introduced herself to the tennis world at large. A wildcard entrant ranked No. 361 and making her Grand Slam debut, Boisson scalped Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva in succession — her first-ever Top-10 wins — to reach the final four, the lowest-ranked major semifinalist in 40 years. “I have never had such an atmosphere,” said Boisson, who was uniformly backed by a boisterous Chatrier crowd. “It was amazing.” On Monday, she jumped 296 spots to No. 64 in the PIF WTA Rankings, the biggest single jump into the Top 100 this century.

9) There’s more to Mr. Bublik than a sneaky underhand serve

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Alexander Bublik is doing himself a disservice when he says he says he can’t compete with the world’s very best on their terms. As he proved in a marquee 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 dismantling of fifth seed Jack Draper in the Round of 16, the crafty Kazakh is more than capable hanging with the big boys when he puts his mind to it, utilizing an arsenal that includes well-timed drop shots, an underrated forehand, a penetrating serve, and oodles of unpredictability. “He didn’t allow me to play my tennis,” rued Draper after the setback. Bublik would deem the upset “the best day of my life”, but if the quirky 27-year-old can summon a little more self-belief and push himself a bit harder on the practice court, there might just be a few more of those ‘best days’ to come. “It’s finding the balance,” said Bublik, who last year reached a career-high No. 17 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “It’s doing necessarily what I have to do in order to be able to compete against the top of the game… I think I prioritize tennis and life in equal ways. For me it’s a 50-50 relationship.”

10) Lorenzo Musetti is on fire

Mark the 2025 clay-court campaign as the period Lorenzo Musetti really came into his own. The reigning Olympic bronze medalist, 23, played his way into his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final in Monte-Carlo (l. to Carlos Alcaraz, 3-6, 6-1, 6-0), then followed with consecutive semifinals in Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros. Now perched at a career-high No. 6, Musetti has added a retooled serve to his already considerable game. “He’s going to fight for finals and Grand Slams — I’m sure about it,” said Alcaraz, who advanced in Paris, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-0, 2-0, when Musetti retired due to a hamstring injury. “Many, many great, great results I’ve had this month,” Musetti reflected. “I feel in good shape, in the best period of my life.”

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