ATP Tour

Alcaraz on Roland Garros rally: ‘Real champions are made under pressure’

Carlos Alcaraz may prefer winning the easy way, but that does not stop him bringing his best when the going gets tough.

The Spaniard has long been known for his ability to raise his level at high-pressure moments. Yet there has perhaps been no better demonstration of it than the way he rallied from two sets down for the first time in his career to overcome Jannik Sinner in an all-time classic final Sunday at Roland Garros.

“I prefer to win in three sets honestly. I'm not going to lie,” said Alcaraz, who saved three championship points in the fourth set, with a chuckle in his post-match press conference. “But when the situations are against you, you have to fight and keep fighting. It is a Grand Slam final. It's no time to be tired. It's no time to give up. It's time to keep fighting, trying to find your moment, your good place again, and just go for it.

“I think the real champions are made in situations when you deal with that pressure, with those situations, in the best way possible. That's what the real champions have done in their whole careers. I'm just trying to feel comfortable in the situations with pressure and not be afraid of it.”

Alcaraz was reluctant to be drawn on comparisons between his 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2) triumph in Paris and other Grand Slam final classics like Bjorn Borg’s 1980 Wimbledon win against John McEnroe, or Rafael Nadal’s 2008 victory against Roger Federer, also at the grass major. However, he could still relate to the excitement surrounding the latest exhilarating chapter in his rivalry with Sinner.

“Honestly, if people put our match on that table, it's a huge honour for me,” said the five-time major champion. “I don't know if it is at the same level as those matches because those matches are the history of tennis and the history of the sport. So I let the people talk about it, if for them this match was almost the same.

“For me, watching from outside or realising what that match is in the history of tennis, I don't know if our match is on the same table as them. But I’m just happy to put our match and our names in the history of the Grand Slams, in the history of Roland Garros. I leave the discussion to the people.”

The pivotal point of Alcaraz’s win, and part of why it will not be soon forgotten, was the remarkable game on the Spaniard’s serve at 5-3 in the fourth set. With Sinner holding three championship points at 0/40, Alcaraz showed remarkably few nerves to escape the game.

“The match is not finished until he wins the last point,” said the No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “It's just one point away from losing the match, but a lot of times people came back from match point down in [the] final of a Grand Slam or even in other matches. I just wanted to be one of those players who saved match point in the Grand Slam final and ended up winning.

“I just believe all the time. I have never doubt about myself, even on those match points down. I thought, ‘Just one point at a time. Just one point and then after [another] point and then try to save that game and keep believing’. That's what I thought.”

WE ARE NOT DONE YET.

Alcaraz saves 3 championship points, phenomenal 🔥#rolandgarros #alcaraz pic.twitter.com/ApGMhHXu75

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 8, 2025

Sunday’s meeting was the first Grand Slam final in 12 Lexus ATP Head2Head clashes between Alcaraz and Sinner. For many fans, the five-hour, 29-minute Paris epic will no doubt whet the appetite for more major title matches between the two. Alcaraz is hopeful he can help fulfil those wishes, if not only because he feels such occasions help him produce his best play.

“Every match that I'm playing against him is important honestly,” said the Spaniard, when asked about his rivalry with Sinner. “This is the first match in a Grand Slam final. Hopefully not the last time. As I said many times, every time that we face against each other, we raise our level to the top.

“I think for the people and for the fans are important as well for our matches. If you want to win Grand Slams, you have to beat the best tennis players in the world. I think it feels much better when you face them in the final.”