The 2025 French Open may go down as the official starting point for a new era of men's tennis. It will be the first meeting in a grand slam final between the sport's two ascendent stars: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic was bidding for a record-extending 38th Grand Slam final, and eighth in Paris, where he was won three times. But he spent much of the semifinal camped behind the baseline, sliding at full stretch and grunting loudly while Sinner sent him scurrying left and right like a windscreen wiper.