Most Impressive Thing About Epic Roland Garros Men's Final Is What You Didn't See

The level of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner's Roland Garros final was absolutely incredible. However, the pair's conduct throughout the match might have been even better than the tennis produced.

Alcaraz staged a scarcely believable comeback from three championship points down in the fourth set to eventually prevail 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 in what many consider to be the best French Open final ever played.

The memorable contest lasted five hours and 29 minutes. In a match of that length, there are usually some flare-ups, whether minor or major. It is challenging for any athlete to compete for that long without some heated moments, whether at an umpire, coaching team, or something else.

Yet, Alcaraz and Sinner avoided any hysterics for the entire battle. The Spaniard had one brief passionate exchange with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, but it was not done angrily or in an accusatory manner by the 22-year-old. He just wanted help at a time when Sinner was dominating proceedings.

Some players resort to gamesmanship to try to disrupt their opponent's level. There are many ways of doing this, but a popular option is taking a lengthy break to curb an opponent's momentum after they win a set.

The intensity of Alcaraz and Sinner's final meant that most tennis fans would have understood one or both of them taking time off the court between sets to change clothes or regain their bearings.

Neither Alcaraz nor Sinner went off the court at any stage of the match, which was remarkable considering its length. Fans were particularly surprised when the Italian did not spend a few minutes in the locker room after losing the fourth set in such a heartbreaking manner.

Another ploy sometimes used by unsporting players is taking medical timeouts at strategic moments without being injured. Iga Swiatek was accused of doing this against Coco Gauff at the United Cup, but she spoke afterward about managing injury issues during the contest.

Many players would have been tempted to take a medical timeout for a few minutes for a massage or some other discomfort relief, since both men must have been feeling at least a little sore in the closing stages of their epic battle.

Possibly the most heartwarming aspect of the match was how sporting both men were about line calls. On multiple occasions, each player corrected a call that was in their favor without even asking the umpire to intervene.

Some of those moments occurred during times when their opponent was on top, making the gestures even more special. For example, Sinner corrected a call and gave Alcaraz an ace at 5-5 in the fourth just after he had missed the championship points and failed to serve it out.

Alcaraz and Sinner are undoubtedly the two best ATP players in the world right now, having split the last six Grand Slams between them. But their conduct during the final proved they are two of the classiest athletes worldwide and superb ambassadors for tennis.