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Carlos Alcaraz explains what made the difference in his French Open win over Jannik Sinner

Originally posted on HITC | By Liam Llewellyn | Last updated Jul 23, 2025 8:43 AM ET

Even though Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the Toronto Open, he’s still looking back on his French Open final win with plenty of pride.

He told fans about his decision to skip the tournament due to ‘small muscle issues’ in a post on X [Twitter].

Despite missing Toronto, Alcaraz has still had an impressive season. He’s already locked in a spot at the ATP Tour Finals in November and leads the tour in points.

The Wimbledon loss was tough for him, but he played some brilliant tennis to get there and faced an opponent who was determined to make up for their previous defeat at Roland-Garros.

Carlos Alcaraz says he believed in French Open win ‘even in the most difficult moments’

Alcaraz, who was three match points down in the fourth set, says that he still doesn’t know how he managed to turn around that particular game.

The Spaniard went on to claim victory in a historic final, winning 4–6 6–7 6–4 7–6 7–6. The match was the longest final in French Open history.

Alcaraz said: “I often think about it and I still don’t know how I managed to overturn that game. The truth is that in sports, but not only in sports, you have to keep believing in it, to believe it all the way.”

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“Tennis is a long and challenging road, and you are completely alone with your thoughts. So the key, in the Roland Garros final against Jannik, was that: to think that you could win the match, even in the most difficult moments, without letting yourself be brought down”.

The final will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the best in history, alongside Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer’s Wimbledon final in 2008 and the 2011 Australian Open final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

Patrick Mouratoglou – Serena Williams’ former coach – said on X [Twitter] after the final: “Without any doubt, best Roland Garros final in history.“

Alcaraz’s ranking unaffected by Toronto Open withdrawal

Some may have expected Carlos Alcaraz’s ranking to take a hit after pulling out of the Toronto Open. However, his ranking points will stay exactly the same.

This is because Alcaraz did not compete at last year’s tournament, which was held in Montreal.

Photo by Tim Clayton/Getty Images

However, his absence does mean that other players who may not have competed in last year’s event could make up ground on the Spaniard.

It remains to be seen whether Alcaraz will compete at the Cincinnati Open in August; the Masters 1000 event after Toronto. One notable name, Jack Draper, has already pulled out due to injury.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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