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Carlos Alcaraz produced a masterclass to clinch the 2025 Italian Open title, outplaying arch-rival Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s final. The win not only gave him a significant boost ahead of Roland Garros but also sparked a wave of fan celebrations, with many hailing the Spaniard as the one who has “saved tennis.”
Alcaraz was initially in doubt for the Italian Open after suffering an injury scare during the Barcelona Open final and subsequently withdrawing from Madrid. However, he decided to compete in Rome and impressed with a strong run, defeating Dusan Lajovic, Laslo Djere, Karen Khachanov, Jack Draper, and Lorenzo Musetti to set up a much-anticipated final against home favorite Sinner, who was making his return to competition after a three-month doping suspension.
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Both players went toe-to-toe in a tightly contested first set, but it was the Spaniard who held his nerve to take it in a tiebreak. After that, Alcaraz shifted into another gear, dominating the second set with relentless aggression and precision. He gave Sinner no room to find his rhythm, snapping the Italian’s 26-match winning streak with a commanding 7-6(5), 6-1 victory.
Tennis players have now taken to X (formerly Twitter) to praise Carlos Alcaraz for "saving tennis.” It stemmed from their discomfort over Jannik Sinner's return, given his two positive tests for the banned substance Clostebol last year.
“The doper is beaten. Tennis is saved,” one fan wrote, adding a few syringe emojis.
"Thank you, Tennis was saved today,” another wrote.
One account posted:
“Tennis is saved.”
“Saved tennis…thanks Carlos,” one user commented.
Another tweeted:
"This isn’t just a big f*ck you to Jannik Sinner from Carlos Alcaraz. It’s also a big f*ck you to the ATP, ITF, WADA, Sinner’s team, fans who’ve justified the doping and Sinner’s racist fans. God bless Carlos Alcaraz.”
Jannik Sinner sends message to Carlos Alcaraz after Italian Open defeat
For Jannik Sinner, the loss at the Italian Open was a tough pill to swallow, especially with the match taking place on home soil and his parents present in the stands. Still, he held his head high and showed great sportsmanship, congratulating Carlos Alcaraz on a well-deserved victory.
Sinner said:
"Carlos, well done to you and your team. You will definitely be the favorite when we get to Paris. You are the strongest player on clay. Congratulations to you and good luck for the rest of the season."
"I’d like to thank my team. There have been a few months that weren’t easy. It’s been a great result just to be here in the final. We trained a lot. We can be proud of the results we achieved. We didn’t win the final but we are happy with this trophy," he added.
Sinner’s next stop is the French Open, which begins on May 25, where he will enter as the top seed. Alcaraz, the defending champion, will also be in action as the second seed.
