Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou makes bold claim about Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner French Open final being superior to 'Big 3' era
Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou boldly claimed Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner's 2025 French Open final was superior to the level of the 'Big 3' era. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer have played some phenomenal finals in their time; now Sinner-Alcaraz's Roland Garros match has also found a place in one of the fiercest on-court battles of all time.
World No. 1 Sinner reached the French Open final this year without dropping a set. He continued his momentum by winning the first two sets in the championship match against World No. 2 Alcaraz. However, the Spaniard pulled off an unlikely comeback to win the game and defend his title.
Mouratoglou, who has coached the likes of Serena Williams and Simona Halep, shared a video on Instagram answering questions about the final. He was asked if the French Open final between Alcaraz and Sinner was 'superior' to the 'Big 3' era. The French coach responded:
"True. Tennis is evolving and those two guys bring tennis to a different level"
At the 2025 French Open, Alcaraz completed an astonishing comeback, defeating Sinner 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), and 7-6(10-2). He rallied from two sets down and saved three championship points in a 5-hour, 29-minute marathon, the longest final in Roland Garros history. Alcaraz became only the ninth man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam final after trailing by two sets.
"Jannik Sinner is not above everyone; I don’t think he’s above Carlos Alcaraz" - Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou
Speaking about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in a separate Instagram post from January 2025, Serena Williams' ex-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, said:
"Jannik is not above everyone; I don’t think he’s above Carlos... I think when Carlos is at his best there is a real match, and I’m not sure who is going to win."
He asserted that their matches are unpredictable and no one can ascertain a winner before they enter the court.
"Those two—[Jannik] and Carlos—are above everyone else," he added.
Later, however, Alcaraz refuted these claims. He disagreed with Mouratoglou and said that Sinner had proven his superiority due to his exceptional consistency on the tour.
22-year-old Alcaraz and 23-year-old Sinner have several years of rivalry for the top rank left in them. They will not have to wait long to set up another outstanding Grand Slam clash with Wimbledon fast approaching.