"It was like he was playing Xbox": Andy Roddick and Jon Wertheim pick clear-cut Alcaraz-Sinner epic as Match of the Year
ATPTuesday, 25 November 2025 at 16:30
In a year overflowing with drama, breakthroughs, and shifting power dynamics across both tours, one match towered above the rest. As Andy Roddick and Jon Wertheim in Served’s year-end countdown, there was no suspense about the top spot: the 2025 French Open final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
What unfolded on the clay of Court Philippe-Chatrier was not simply a five-hour, five-set marathon. It was a showcase of supreme athleticism, iron will, sportsmanship, and the evolving mythology of two players who are redefining modern tennis.
A Parisian epic for the ages
“Everything you could ever want in a match,” Roddick said, recalling the first major final ever resolved by a match tiebreak on the men’s side. “An absolute force of mental anguish, athleticism, drama… and that’s before we even get to the sportsmanship.”
With Sinner up two sets and holding match points, the narrative seemed written. But Alcaraz’s instinct for survival—an ability Roddick likened to “going into the phone booth and turning into Superman”—tilted the match toward one of the most electric comebacks in Grand Slam history. The final tally: 5 hours, 29 minutes. The longest French Open final ever. And a complete absence of injury timeouts or physical letdowns.
“I don’t recall anyone limping around,” Wertheim noted. “It was such a physical match, but it wasn’t to the detriment of the tennis.”
The match tiebreak itself reached near-mythic status. “Some of the most insane stuff I’ve ever seen,” Wertheim said. “It was like he was playing Xbox.”
No choke narrative - just excellence
A feature of the match that fascinated the Served panel was the lack of blame or regret attached to Sinner’s loss. Fans and analysts—often quick to point out collapses—framed the match strictly in terms of extraordinary performance.
“Normally someone blows that lead and people say, ‘He choked,’” Roddick said. “Not here. The quality of tennis was so high. Sinner didn’t give it away. Alcaraz had to become something else.”
Wertheim agreed, pointing out that Sinner gave no indication of collapsing under pressure. “As fans, you take your cues from the athletes,” he said. “There was never a sense that Sinner walked off saying, ‘I choked this.’ He was locked in, he enjoyed the battle.”
That composure was validated five weeks later when Sinner won the next major at Wimbledon, adding depth and intergenerational resonance to the rivalry.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz just five weeks on at Wimbledon.
Alcaraz, Sinner, and the myth-making of rivals
Roddick offered a vivid anecdote to frame the difference between most players and true greats. Recalling a Madison Square Garden exhibition late in his career, he remembered Roger Federer—fresh off a flight from Dubai—saving several match points in a match that offered zero real stakes.
“He has all the gifts in the world,” Roddick said. “And he’s in survival mode for an exhibition. It’s absurd.”
That, Roddick argued, is what we now see in Alcaraz and Sinner: two players who can be pushed to uncomfortable places and still find brilliance. Sinner winning Wimbledon on his least natural surface.
Alcaraz surviving early-round threats at majors—including a five-set scrap with a resurgent Fabio Fognini.
Both players repeatedly forced to reinvent themselves mid-match.
“These are the elements of myth,” Roddick said. “The greats are the ones who adapt.”
Honourable Mentions: Matches that rounded out 2025
While the French Open final was the clear number one, the panel also highlighted several standout clashes across the tours:
- Lorenzo Sonego vs. Daniil Medvedev — Australian Open Early-round chaos, physical brutality, and a young player keeping composure against a decade-long staple of the top 10.
- Iga Swiatek vs. Elena Rybakina — Roland-Garros, Fourth Round “A phenomenal match,” Roddick said. One he believed might have catalyzed Swiatek’s season.
- Aryna Sabalenka vs. Jessica Pegula — US Open Semifinal Power, grit, and razor-thin margins.
- Carlos Alcaraz vs. Fabio Fognini — Wimbledon, First Round A late-career Fognini cameo that nearly derailed the Wimbledon favorite.
- Taylor Townsend vs. Barbora Krejcikova — US Open One of the best high-tension, high-shotmaking matches of the tournament, with Krejčíková saving multiple match points.
And finally, the US Open final between Alcaraz and Sinner—almost a mirror image of Roland-Garros, but with Alcaraz taking control in the later stages, producing the best serving performance Wertheim said he’d ever seen from him.
A rivalry we couldn’t script better
“I don’t know that we could have chosen the elements of this rivalry for 2025 and had them go any better,” Wertheim said. The year gave fans a Wimbledon final, a French Open epic, a US Open showdown, and three months of nonstop jockeying for the No. 1 ranking.
It was not just about titles—it was about narrative arcs, stylistic contrasts, and mutual elevation. The kind of rivalry that draws in casual fans and makes lifers giddy.
The best reality show on earth
Roddick closed the discussion with a reflection on what makes tennis uniquely compelling. “It starts with the players,” he said. “The person in the arena, taking shots. Sports is the best reality show on earth—and in my biased opinion, tennis players are the best athletes in the world. They did not disappoint in 2025.”
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