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ROLAND GARROS – At noon on Friday, May 23, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz were on adjacent practice courts at Roland Garros, getting ready for their quest to win the tournament.
Sinner was on Court 2 with his pal Casper Ruud; Alcaraz was on Court 3 with Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina.
Here’s what that looked like (we’re vaguely remembering the start of this journey involved a fair bit of sun. Feels like a looooong time ago).
Both of those practice partners are long gone.
Although, as often happens this late in the tournament when everyone has moved on, there are juniors to pick up the slack.
In Sinner’s case, it’s Moïse Kouamé, a young French kid on whom big hopes are already being heaped.
For Alcaraz, it was a veteran journeyman in Enzo Couacaud.
But 16 days later – at exactly the same time – the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world were back on those same practice courts, in that order, on Sunday prepping for the men’s singles final.
That’ll start at 3 p.m. local, 9 a.m. EDT.
And since neither Sinner nor Alcaraz, once they’ve reached a Grand Slam singles final, has ever lost one … something has to give.
Des sparring français pour les finalistes ! Enzo Couacaud a tapé avec Carlos Alcaraz et Moïse Kouame avec Jannik Sinner. #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/USSKvwPXY0
— FFT (@FFTennis) June 8, 2025