Watching Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner collide in the Roland Garros final left Andy Roddick convinced that no sport demands more from its athletes than tennis.
The former world no. 1 saw an epic Parisian battle that went on for five and a half hours as a living demonstration of what separates tennis from every other discipline in the world of sport.
Roddick sees today's top players as the ultimate blend of physical power, explosive movement, refined coordination and relentless endurance. No other sport can provide anything similar.
The modern game requires athletes who can sprint like sprinters, react like fighters, withstand punishment like marathoners and, moments later, recover instantly to start the next point, game or set as if the previous one never happened.
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The Alcaraz-Sinner Roland Garros final showcased every element of that narrative. The world's best players pushed each other to the limits, like only few did before them in the Major finals.
They embraced brutal rallies, all-court creativity, lung-busting sliding defense and recoveries that seemed to defy human limits. We witnessed no delays, medical timeouts or anything like that, just two young champions seeking tennis glory.
To Andy, that combination of strength, speed, adaptability and recovery creates a uniquely demanding athletic environment. Tennis players must exel in multiple physical dimensions simultaneously.
Carlos Alcaraz, Roland Garros 2025 Stream screenshot
All that while managing tactics, nerves, patters and shotmaking precision under suffocating pressure. Imagine the amount of it when the scoreboard says 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6!
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Carlos and Jannik embody the sport's new athletic standard. What they showcase on the court elevates the game to a level Roddick believes no other sport can match.
The Roland Garros final offered a vivid reminder. In today's tennis, the players are not only great athletes, they might be the most complete athletes on the planet! Watch the final again, and you will likely agree with the 2003 US Open winner.
"I still believe that tennis players are the best athletes in the world. I think the physical condition, the versatility required It's not enough to be strong.
You have to have endurance, motor skills, and be able to fly, recover, and do all of that," Andy Roddick said.
