"One of the toughest matches" - Carlos Alcaraz gives Jannik Sinner his flowers after beating Italian in tense French Open SF

Carlos Alcaraz acknowledged that his tense and gruelling 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Jannik Sinner in the semifinal of the 2024 French Open on Friday, June 7 was one of the toughest matches he has ever played.

Turning the clock back a couple of years, Alcaraz referred to the marathon 2022 US Open quarterfinal against the Italian as the toughest ever during his on-court interview following the magnificent win.

The Spaniard who prevailed in the see-sawing contest that witnessed the momentum shift both ways, expressed a desire to play more such matches against Sinner.

When asked by Alex Corretja if Friday's semifinal ranked among the toughest in his career, the 21-year-old replied in the affirmative after recalling his New York Major classic against Jannik Sinner.

"Probably, probably. The toughest match that I played in my short career has been against Jannik, at the US Open 2022," Alcaraz said with a smile.

The two-time Grand Slam champion heaped praise on Sinner and his team for the war that he fought during this 2024 French Open campaign.

"The great player that Jannik is, the team that he has as well. The great war he fought every day. I hope to play many more matches like this one against Jannik, but yes, this has been one of the toughest matches that I played for sure," Alcaraz said.

Carlos Alcaraz, who appeared out of sorts in the opening set, clawed his way back in the second, but Sinner fought his way back to win the third. The third seed then wrapped up the fourth set and held his nerve in the decider to remain in the hunt for a maiden French Open title.

Carlos Alcaraz becomes the youngest player to reach a Grand Slam final on all three surfaces

Alcaraz and Sinner played out a classic at the 2024 French Open semifinal

Following a spectacular hard-fought win against Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the 2024 French Open, Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest player to reach a Grand Slam final on all three surfaces.

Alcaraz was widely expected to go the distance in the 2022 French Open given his proficiency on clay following wins in Barcelona and Madrid but fell to Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals.

The Spaniard, however, made amends by reigning supreme on the hard courts of the US Open the same year to become the youngest World No. 1 in history.

Alcaraz, whose grasscourt credentials were in doubt ahead of his 2023 Queen's Club Championships win, went on to triumph at Wimbledon, which followed.

The World No. 3 is now the youngest to have made it to the title bout of Grand Slams on all three surfaces. Andre Agassi, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, and Jim Courier achieved the same feat when they crossed the age of 22.