What Juan Carlos Ferrero warned Carlos Alcaraz about Jannik Sinner ahead of the French Open final starting
Juan Carlos Ferrero’s Warning to Carlos Alcaraz About Jannik Sinner Before French Open 2025 Final
Ahead of the French Open 2025 men’s final on June 8, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Alcaraz’s coach since 2019, warned his 22-year-old protégé about the grueling challenge posed by world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. In a press conference reported by The Tennis Gazette, Ferrero emphasized the marathon nature of their encounters, stating, “We take the experience from other matches against Jannik. We know that to beat him in five sets is going to be close to four or five hours. It is one of the things that I have said to him, that it is going to be a battle and even more on clay, because you guys have a bit more time to play the rallies.”[](https://www.thetennisgazette.com/news/what-juan-carlos-ferrero-warned-carlos-alcaraz-about-jannik-sinner-ahead-of-the-french-open-final-starting/)
Ferrero stressed the need for tactical and mental preparation, noting, “We tried to prepare tactically and mentally the match, but of course I was talking to him that after three hours and a half the match could be physical. Also mental but very physical and in the end I think it was like this.” He highlighted Sinner’s completeness as a player, whose relentless baseline game and 54% first-serve success rate in the final demanded endurance, per BBC Sport. Ferrero’s caution proved prescient, as the match became the longest Roland Garros final ever at five hours and 29 minutes, with Alcaraz saving three championship points to win 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(2), per The Athletic.[](https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/articles/c0eqjpzq972o)[](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6411510/2025/06/08/alcaraz-sinner-french-open-final-tennis-result-analysis/)
Ferrero also drew on their 8-4 head-to-head advantage, including Alcaraz’s recent clay wins in Rome 2025 and the 2024 French Open semi-finals, to instill confidence, per The Tennis Gazette. His warning underscored the need for Alcaraz to stay resilient, a mindset that fueled his historic comeback, as he later said, “I never doubted myself,” per ESPN.
