By Dave Worsley *
Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff with their French Open trophies. Photo: AFP
Analysis: There have been two superb finals to complete the French Open at Roland Garros in 2025 and two worthy winners in Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz at 21 and 22 years-old respectively.
So what does it mean for the sport as tennis tries to move into the future and grow its audience?
Gauff is particularly marketable and joins Australian Open winner Madison Keys as the second American to win a Slam this year.
A winner of the US Open title two years ago Gauff can take the sport to new heights. She is polite, but also a competitor of the highest order and seems to have worked out her forehand and how to make it a weapon rather than a weakness.
She took the game to Aryna Sabalenka from the start of the match with the Belarusian making a huge 70 unforced errors which is a bit of a misnomer as the mistakes were forced upon Sabalenka by Gauff's good hitting and placement.
Coco Gauff in action at the French Open. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Sabalenka will no doubt win more Grand Slams in the future, but she may have to adjust her game slightly as her power doesn't intimidate Gauff or Keys or when fit, Barbora Krejcikova.
What has now been created is a rivalry between Gauff and Sabalenka with Iga Swiatek added in as well which bodes well for the future - the emotional rollercoaster of Sabalenka from Belarus in Eastern Europe against the American, Gauff. Only an action movie of the late 1980s could have written it better.
The men's final in Paris went the full distance and beyond 4-6, 6-7(7)6-4 7-6(3),7-6(2) in five hours 29 minutes for second seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz over top seed Jannik Sinner who has come back from a disputed doping ban.
Carlos Alcaraz poses with the ball boys and ball girls after his triumph today. Photo: AFP / Thibaud Moritz
It was Alcaraz's fifth Grand Slam at 22 years old, equal to countryman Rafael Nadal. Among the plethora of statistics is the fact Alcaraz and Sinner have won all of the last six Grand Slam titles between them - Sinner has notched up two Australian Opens and one US Open, Alcaraz two French Opens and one Wimbledon.
These two players should dominate men's tennis for the next few years with no one else coming close to their consistency or power. They have dismantled other players' games and are able to raise their playing level during a match, something only the best can do.
Italian Sinner may not have the charisma of past winners, but he has a boyish charm which is likeable whereas Alcaraz just seems to love life and love tennis, an admirable trait and something which can lead the sport into the future.
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz Photo: AFP / Thibaud Moritz
Elder statesman role
It's important to note the possible final appearance of Novak Djokovic at the tournament. He played some fantastic tennis along the way before having a fierce battle against Sinner in the semifinals.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action during the French Open. Photo: ALAIN JOCARD
Public sentiment has moved from Djokovic almost being the villain when Roger Federer and Rafal Nadal were around to now holding the title of elder statesman and respected as he defies the odds and his age.
Two American men made the quarterfinals in the feisty Frances Tiafoe and chilled Tommy Paul - the first male players from the United States to progress that far since Andre Agassi in 2003. Italian Lorenzo Musetti played with flair to reach the semifinals and could be a challenger to Sinner and Alcaraz.
In the women's draw the star showing aside from the finalists was clearly French 22-year-old Lois Boisson who entered the tournament at 361 in the world as a wildcard and comes out as a top 70 player after displaying huge racquet speed on her forehand and causing havoc in the draw.
* Journalist Dave Worsley has been covering tennis for many years and is an RNZ contributor.
