Best of 2025
Alcaraz and Sinner’s French Open classic among best Grand Slam events of 2025
The victories of Djokovic and Phils are also on the list
December 2, 2025
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner battled out in the French Open final that lasted 5 hours and 29 minutes.
Grant Thompson
To mark the end of another exciting season, ATPTour.com presents our annual “Best of” series, which will reflect the most interesting rivalries, games, comebacks, upsets and more. Today we highlight five exciting ATP Tour matches this season (excluding Grand Slams).
The sport’s purest drama comes alive at this year’s major events, with big-name stars taking the spotlight under the pressure of five-set matches. Across the four Grand Slams, fans have enjoyed several outstanding epics. ATPTour.com has selected five major thrillers from 2025 as the “Best Grand Slam Tournaments.”
5) Wimbledon R4, Norrie d. Jarry 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-7(7), 6-7(5), 6-3
Cameron Noory’s reaction said it all. Norrie fell to the ground, then lay on his back, gasping for air as match point was sealed in a 15-goal encounter in which the home side’s hopes relied largely on defence. It’s the look of a man who’s just had everything thrown at him and then some. In fact, Nicolas Jarry did just that for most of his four-hour, 27-minute fourth-round match at Wimbledon.
Norrie watched as Jarry hit a string of 103 winners, but the southpaw remained calm and deftly kept pace with the Chilean before countering with thunderous winners of his own. Norrie conceded a match point in the third-set tie-break, but Jarry managed to seal the victory and soon found himself level after winning the fourth-set tie-break. However, Jarry’s hopes of a two-set comeback were dashed as the roof above Court 1 closed and Norrie channeled the raucous atmosphere.
“Honestly, I don’t know how I did it,” Norrie said. “Nico played better than me in both tiebreaks [that he won]. I have to keep fighting. I forgot to give my coach a birthday present today, so I had to win for him! “
With the five-set victory, Norrie became the fourth British player in the Open era to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals on multiple occasions, joining two-time champion Andy Murray, Tim Henman and Roger Taylor.
Photo credit: Glyn Kirk/AFP, Getty Images
4) US Open R1, Bonzi d. Medvedev 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(5), 0-6, 6-4
The word “unprecedented” may be overused in sports, but for the U.S. Open first-round match between Benjamin Bonzi and Daniil Medvedev, it might be just the right word.
In the third set, Bonzi stepped forward to get the match point at 5-4, 40/30, and almost got an upset easily, but an unexpected interruption triggered a dramatic scene.
When Bonzi missed a serve on match point, a photographer ran onto the court, prompting referee Greg Allensworth to award another to the Frenchman. Medvedev walked to the referee’s chair in protest and fans seized on the dramatic incident to make as much noise as possible, causing the game to be delayed for five minutes. The constant roar creates a “city that never sleeps” type atmosphere. Medvedev tied the score at 5-5 and Louis Armstrong Stadium erupted again.
A nervous Bonzi looked heartbroken after failing to win a game in the fourth set. Medvedev held a break lead twice early in the deciding set before conceding five break points at 3-3. Bonzi rallied amid the chaos and once again defeated Medvedev in an upset, and the Frenchman also defeated Medvedev in the first round of Wimbledon. “I give my all to the court,” Bonzi said. “I was really proud of myself, the scene, the match point in the third game. It was a little crazy. To me, it was like my best win ever.”
Frustrated by his 1-4 record in the majors this season, Medvedev shook hands with Bonzi before throwing six rackets from his bag to fans on the sideline, marking the end of a disappointing year at the majors.
Photo credit: Elsa/Getty Images
3) Roland Garros R2, Phils d. Munar 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 2-6, 0-6, 6-4
In a moment of pure emotion, Arthur Fells ripped off his shirt in celebratory fashion after the game and threw it into the crowd, sparking a tug-of-war among fans on the sidelines. It was a memorable moment of glory for Fiers, who faltered in the late stages of his French Open second-round match against Jaume Munnar and was on the verge of defeat.
The Frenchman relied on the help of his home crowd to overcome the pain and survive the five-set match, but initially Fiers won the first two sets in a tie-break to start a roller-coaster match. Then, things started to change.
“It’s a funny story,” Fiers told Tennis Channel after the victory, which lasted 4 hours and 25 minutes. “After the second set, I went back to the locker room to change and I saw [Gabriel] Diallo and he said, ‘This is a physical fight’! He told me, ‘It doesn’t matter, you can still play like this for five hours’. I heard him say, ‘Yeah! I can still play for five hours’!
“Then my coach came over to get me a drink and I told him, ‘It’s okay, I can keep playing for five hours’! And 20 minutes later, I was cramping up.”
From breaking serve in the deciding set to trailing 0/40 on serve at 4-4, Fiers played with extreme aggression and tapped into his deepest reserves to push forward, creating an unforgettable and exciting environment inside the Susan Lenglen Court.
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
2) Australian Open semi-finals, Djokovic d． Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
For a man who has played more than 1,300 tournaments and won 24 Grand Slam titles, Novak Djokovic’s standard of greatness is set higher than anyone else. However, even by these lofty standards, the Serbian performed brilliantly against Carlos Alcaraz in Melbourne.
“This is one of the most epic matches I’ve ever played on this court, really on any court,” Djokovic, 38, said in an on-court interview at Rod Laver Arena.
Even more interestingly, in Djokovic’s player box was his former rival turned coach Andy Murray, whom the Serbian beat three times in Australian Open finals. Djokovic and Murray worked together for six months.
Djokovic responded to early physical issues with a long red line drive. He took a medical timeout in the first set with a 4-5 lead and returned with tape on his left thigh, but he didn’t let the issue get him down.
In a brutal baseline confrontation, Djokovic used his body to crush the ball from both sides and gained the upper hand. After 3 hours and 37 minutes, Djokovic used his body to defeat his young opponent and help the Serbian advance to his record-breaking 50th Grand Slam semifinal.
1) French Open final, Alcaraz d. Sinner 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2)
Not only was this the best big game of the season, it was one of the best ever. A 5 hour and 29 minute epic film that showcases the pinnacle of sports. In the Roland Garros Championship, Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner staged a spectacle that will echo for years to come, pushing each other to the limits while exchanging dramatic momentum shifts and otherworldly shots.
Alcaraz fought back from two sets down to become just the third man in the Open era to save at least one championship point on his way to winning a Grand Slam trophy. The Spaniard dropped three championship points in a row at 3-5, 0/40 in the fourth set, but mustered up his trademark courage to hold serve. He then broke Sinner on the following play, sending Court Philippe Chatrier into a frenzy.
As the match progressed into the fifth set, the tennis world seemed to stand still, preparing for its next dramatic turn. Alcaraz and Sinner’s top level never wavered, in fact, it only improved. In a final that was decided by a fifth-set tiebreaker for the first time in French Open history, a near-perfect Alcaraz emerged. On championship point, he knocked down a forehand pass winner on the run and then promptly fell on his back in disbelief.
“When things go against you, you have to fight and keep fighting,” Alcaraz said at the post-fight press conference. “This is a Grand Slam final. Now is not the time to get tired. Now is not the time to give up. It’s time to keep fighting, try to find your moment again, your good position, and give it your all.”
“I think real champions are created when you respond to pressure in the best way possible.”
Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images
