‘The level is higher than I’ve ever seen’ said an awestruck John McEnroe.
Mats Wilander added: ‘I’ve seen Federer and Nadal and they played a couple of good finals but nothing comes close to this to me.’
As the tennis world anoints Carlos Alcaraz’s extraordinary French Open final victory over Jannik Sinner as one of the best matches of all time, Mail Sport takes on the task of ranking it among Big Four battles and classics of the past.
So here goes, my top 10 men’s Grand Slam matches ever:
Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner in an instant classic that lasted five hours, 29 minutes
Alcaraz has now won all five of his Grand Slam finals and back-to-back French Opens
Sinner was left shellshocked after spurning a two-seat lead and three championship points
10. 2015 Roland Garros final
Stan Wawrinka beat Novak Djokovic 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4
The only match on this list not to last five sets, and that is down to Wawrinka and the greatest individual performance of all time.
Djokovic was at the peak of his dominance, beating Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals and closing in on his first French Open title and the career Grand Slam.
By the end of the year he had won 93 per cent of his matches and the other three majors. He even won the first set in Paris but Wawrinka came at him with a jaw-dropping display of shotmaking and physical resilience.
Stan Wawrinka produced the greatest individual performance of all time to beat Novak Djokovic at his peak
This match also produced one of the most iconic tennis items of clothing: Wawrinka’s hideous red and white check shorts
No one has ever struck a single-handed backhand like Wawrinka that day, the highlight being a tracer missile threaded through a 12-inch gap between the net post and an IBM advertising box.
This match also produced one of the most iconic tennis items of clothing: Wawrinka’s hideous red and white check shorts. They are now framed on the wall of his coach Magnus Norman’s house.
9. 2023 Wimbledon final
Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
If Roger Federer’s victory over Pete Sampras in 2001 marked the beginning of a new era, 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz’s upset of Djokovic signalled its end.
Djokovic was seeking his eighth Wimbledon title and the Spaniard looked overwhelmed by the moment in the first set.
But he edged his way back in and produced a breathtaking display of instinctive grass-court brilliance.
The lunging backhand drop volley he hit in the final game is a shot I will never forget.
If Roger Federer’s victory over Pete Sampras in 2001 marked the beginning of a new era, 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz’s upset of Djokovic signalled its end
Alcaraz edged his way back in and produced a breathtaking display of instinctive grass-court brilliance
8. 2001 Wimbledon fourth round
Roger Federer beat Pete Sampras 7-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-7, 7-5
The birth of an icon, and the only match on this list which is not a final.
Sampras had won seven Wimbledon titles, losing there only once since 1993. He had 13 Grand Slam titles, more than any man in history.
Federer was a promising but raw talent, making his Centre Court debut. Most Wimbledon fans will not have known who this ponytailed Swiss was – they sure knew who he was after five sets of serve-volley, grass-court brilliance from both men.
A cross-generational marking post, this spelled the end of Sampras’ reign and the birth of an era which would culminate in three men surging past the American’s Grand Slam total.
Roger Federer was a promising but raw talent, making his Centre Court debut. Most Wimbledon fans will not have known who this ponytailed Swiss was
A cross-generational marking post, this spelled the end of Pete Sampras’ reign and the birth of an era
7. 2017 Australian Open final
Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3
Most of the finals on this list were highly anticipated clashes – this was a wonderful surprise. Andy Murray was the dominant force and world No 1, Djokovic a six-time champion Down Under.
Federer had not won a Slam for five years and this was his first major after five months out with knee pain. Nadal had failed to reach a single Grand Slam quarter-final in 2016.
It felt like the Federer-Nadal era was over. But after Murray and Djokovic fell to shock early defeats, these two old friends swept aside the younger generation and met for the last time in a Slam final. Nadal led by a break in the final set but Federer reeled him in.
‘I don’t think either of us believed we’d be in the finals,’ Federer said to Nadal. ‘I’m happy for you. I would have been happy to lose, to be honest. The comeback was as perfect as it was.’
Federer had not won a Slam for five years and this was his first major after five months out with knee pain
It felt like the Federer-Nadal era was over. But after Murray and Djokovic fell to early defeats, these two swept aside the younger generation and met for the last time in a Slam final
6. 2019 Wimbledon final
Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer 7–6, 1–6, 7–6, 4–6, 13–12
At four hours and 57 minutes, the longest Wimbledon final in history and, for millions of tennis fans, the most heartbreaking.
Federer was 37 years old, trying to become the oldest man since Ken Rosewall to win a Grand Slam title, trying to win a record eighth Wimbledon title.
Djokovic was a strong favourite but Federer produced a performance of utter genius, dominating the match throughout and winning 14 more points than his opponent. At 8-7, 40-15 in the fifth set he had two championship points on serve but Djokovic saved them both, then won a tiebreak at 12 games all.
Federer had dominated Djokovic in every statistic except for unforced errors: across three tiebreaks, the Serb made zero. The greatest display of clutch tennis in history and the most unlikely victory.
We all knew Federer would never have another chance to win a Slam.
At four hours and 57 minutes, this is the longest Wimbledon final in history
Djokovic produced the greatest display of clutch tennis in history and the most unlikely victory
We all knew Federer would never have another chance to win a Slam
5. 2009 Wimbledon final
Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick 5–7, 7–6, 7–6, 3–6, 16–14
One of the most tense finals of all time, as Roddick – by far the second-best grass player of the decade – fought to overcome his nemesis.
This was the third time these two had met in the All England Club final, Federer winning the others comfortably. But this time Roddick produced one of the great serving displays.
In the final set he held serve to stay in the match nine times but finally, after four hours and 17 minutes, he was broken for the first time and Federer overtook Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles.
Andy Roddick produced one of the great serving displays. In the final set he held serve nine times to stay in the match
But finally, after four hours and 17 minutes, he was broken for the first time and Federer overtook Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles
4. 2012 Australian Open final
Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7, 7–5
The only Grand Slam final in history longer than Alcaraz v Sinner, at five hours and 53 minutes the match finished at 1.37am.
Both men struck more unforced errors than winners but that was not due to a lack of quality – there was simply no way through.
The physicality felt almost dangerous; viewers worried for the players’ health as the two greatest baseliners of all time bludgeoned back and forth. After one 31-shot rally, Djokovic collapsed on the court and Nadal staggered to his towel, barely staying upright himself.
As the sponsors droned on post-match the two players struggled to stand, so in a Grand Slam first chairs were found.
The only Grand Slam final in history longer than Alcaraz v Sinner, at five hours and 53 minutes the match finished at 1.37am
The physicality felt almost dangerous; viewers worried for the players’ health as the two greatest baseliners of all time bludgeoned back and forth
3. 2025 Roland Garros final
Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6
Alcaraz’s comeback from 3-5, 0-40 will never be forgotten, but a cramping Sinner’s recovery from being broken in the first game of the fifth was somehow just as impressive.
From 5-4 in the fifth set when Alcaraz served for the match, what followed was the greatest half-hour of tennis in history.
Simply jaw-dropping. In terms of pure drama, quality and shotmaking at the death, this match stands alone.
The two ahead of this in the rankings take their place due to historical significance but what is so exciting about this match is the expectation it will preface a decade-long rivalry when these two take the sport to a level never seen before.
In terms of pure drama, quality and shotmaking at the death, this match stands alone
What is so exciting about this match is the expectation that it will preface a decade-long rivalry when these two take the sport to a level never seen before
2. 1980 Wimbledon final
Bjorn Borg beat John McEnroe 1–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–7, 8–6
The only match on this list to be dramatized, in the 2017 film Borg vs McEnroe. Borg served for the title in the fourth set but McEnroe saved two match points to set up the greatest tiebreak of all time, a 20-minute, 34-point epic brilliantly dubbed ‘the Battle of 1816’ by American broadcaster Bud Collins.
This match was a cultural artefact. Borg had brought tennis to a new level of cool, of high-end glamour, while McEnroe had, equally unwittingly, struck a chord with an anti-authority Gen X looking to rebel against the old world of their parents.
McEnroe saved two match points to set up the greatest tiebreak of all time, a 20-minute, 34-point epic brilliantly dubbed ‘the Battle of 1816’ by American broadcaster Bud Collins
This match was a cultural artefact. Borg had brought tennis to a new level of cool, of high-end glamour
The result was extraordinary, a match which still stands up as a brilliant spectacle 45 years later
In tennis terms, this was the peak of what was a relatively fleeting moment in history, between the pre-Open era of serve-volley and the modern baseline/all-court style. Here the best baseliner in the world, Borg, battled the best volleyer.
The result was extraordinary, a match which still stands up as a brilliant spectacle 45 years later.
1. 2008 Wimbledon final
Nadal beat Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7, 6–7, 9–7
The triumph at twilight. A match which carries immense cultural significance
The match launched a rivalry which would draw unprecedented global attention on to tennis and define the next 10 years of the sport
Over seven hours, including two rain delays which added to the tension, Nadal took Federer down
Where this match stands alone is sustained quality. From a 14-shot opening rally to the final point, both men produced close to their best tennis throughout
The triumph at twilight. A match which carries immense cultural significance, launching a rivalry which would draw unprecedented global attention on to tennis and define the next 10 years of the sport.
Nadal was 22 years old and had already crushed Federer multiple times on clay. But this was Federer’s home court, he had won 65 matches in a row on grass including beating Nadal in the previous two finals. Over seven hours, including two rain delays which added to the tension, Nadal took him down.
Where this match stands alone is sustained quality. From a 14-shot opening rally to the final point, both men produced close to their best tennis throughout.
It also features one of the greatest shots of all time, a stunning backhand pass by Federer to save match point en route to forcing a fifth set.
