After witnessing the thrilling 2025 French Open final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, former World No. 1 Andy Roddick proclaimed that tennis players are superior athletes compared to those in any other sport. The championship match lasted an astonishing five hours and 29 minutes and set a record as the longest final ever played at the clay-court Major.
Alcaraz was the defending champion, and during the final against Sinner, he struggled initially, dropping the first two sets 4-6 and 6-7(4). However, he staged a comeback, winning the final three sets. He ultimately won the match 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2). This marked Alcaraz’s second title at Roland Garros and his fifth Grand Slam title overall.
Andy Roddick in Awe of Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner Playing Longest Ever French Open Final
In the aftermath of this match, Roddick shared his thoughts on the “Served with Andy Roddick” podcast, expressing his admiration for the intense battle between Alcaraz and Sinner. He then mentioned that tennis players are the “best athletes” in the world.
The former US Open champion also compared tennis to basketball, noting that NBA players typically compete for less than an hour in an arena with air conditioning, complete with timeouts and halftime breaks—luxuries that tennis players do not enjoy.
“I think tennis players are the best athletes in the world. Five hours and 40-something minutes on the biggest stages, you compare this to other sports – an NBA game is 48 minutes played in air conditioning, where you have teammates, halftime, and timeouts,” Roddick said.
Roddick remarked that watching Alcaraz and Sinner compete in the French Open final was a “complete examination of an athlete.”
“To say one thing doesn’t mean you’re throwing shade at someone else. I am celebrating and applauding one set of athletes. It’s the most complete examination of an athlete that I can think of,” he continued.
Reiterating his belief, Roddick asserted that tennis players are the “best athletes” in the world and that their extraordinary level of athleticism is “otherworldly.”
“You know, we used to get viewed as like, ‘Oh, you’re soft like Country Club Sport.’ I don’t know that that narrative exists. I don’t know how you can watch and not say the athleticism on display is otherworldly. I think tennis players are the best athletes in the world. The more I watch it, the more I think it. Tell me why I’m wrong,” Roddick added.
A mental, physical, and INDIVIDUAL sport- this is pure and complete athleticism 💪 pic.twitter.com/ut5G1Ge4x3
— Served with Andy Roddick (@Served_Podcast) June 9, 2025
Where Will Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner Play Next?
Following the conclusion of their campaigns at the 2025 French Open, Alcaraz and Sinner are set to begin their grass-court seasons. The Spaniard will compete at the 2025 Queen’s Club Championships, while the Italian will participate in the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle.
The Queen’s Club Championships will take place from Jun. 16 to Jun. 22, 2025, and the tournament matches will be played on the outdoor grass courts of the Queen’s Club in London, United Kingdom. In addition to Alcaraz, players like Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Holger Rune, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, and Grigor Dimitrov, among others, will compete at the ATP 500 grass court tournament.
Alcaraz’s best performance at the Queen’s Club Championships came in 2023 when he clinched the title. He was the top seed at the tournament and defeated players such as Arthur Rinderknech, Jiří Lehečka, Grigor Dimitrov, and Sebastian Korda to reach the final. In the championship match, he triumphed over De Minaur 6–4, 6–4, to claim his first title on grass.
Meanwhile, Sinner will kick off his grass court season at the 2025 Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, which is also scheduled from Jun. 16 to Jun. 22, 2025. This tournament will be held on the outdoor grass courts of the OWL Arena in Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Apart from Sinner, players such as Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Daniil Medvedev, among others, will take part in this ATP 500 event.
This year, Sinner will defend his title in Halle. In 2024, he triumphed over the likes of Tallon Griekspoor, Fábián Marozsán, Jan-Lennard Struff, and Zhang Zhizhen to reach the final, where he defeated Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(8), 7-6(2) to claim his first title on grass and his 14th career ATP Tour title overall.