Tennis legend Boris Becker believes Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are both at "exactly the level" of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer after Sunday's astonishing French Open final.
Alcaraz produced one of the most remarkable comebacks in Grand Slam history to retain his French Open title, defeating Sinner 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(2) in an epic final at Roland-Garros.
The young Spaniard found himself two sets down against the Italian before mounting an extraordinary fightback.
The thrilling encounter lasted five hours and 29 minutes, making it the second-longest Grand Slam final in the Open era.
Carlos Alcaraz won the historic clash, his fifth Grand Slam
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Alcaraz's victory came after Sinner squandered three championship points in the fourth set, with the momentum shifting dramatically in favour of the defending champion.
The triumph secured Alcaraz his fifth Grand Slam title and extended his unbeaten record against Sinner to five matches.
The final required a fifth-set tiebreak to determine the winner in what many are calling the greatest French Open final in history.
Becker was relentless in his praise for both players, comparing the final to the legendary battles between tennis' "big three".
The former world number one said: "It was the same with Federer, Djokovic and Nadal.
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Boris Becker described the top two-ranked players as 'exactly the same level' as Tennis' 'big three'
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"What epic duels they've had over 15 years, and that's exactly the level I see Carlos and Jannik at."
Becker acknowledged the "brutal" nature of Sinner's defeat, noting that losing after holding match points and serving for the match was the worst possible outcome.
However, he praised the Italian's performance, saying: "He behaved like a champion, fought and played his best clay court match to date."
The German tennis legend described the match as "unbelievable" and highlighted that these were the encounters players train for and why they love the sport.
Alex Corretja was equally impressed by the spectacle, calling it "by far the best match I've ever witnessed live".
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The Spanish former player thanked both competitors for their extraordinary display, describing Alcaraz's victory as "a little bit of a miracle" given that Sinner had been playing "perfect tennis."
Sinner agreed with Becker in his post-match press conference, stating that Alcaraz is of a similar level to the likes of Djokovic and Nadal.
The Italian said: "I was lucky enough to play against Novak, against Rafa. In Grand Slams, Roger [Federer] I never played, unfortunately. Beating these guys, it takes a lot.
"I have the same feeling with Carlos and some other players.
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Jannik Sinner lost three championship points in the fourth setReuters"It's good to see that we can produce also tennis like this, because I think it's good for the whole movement of tennis and the crow."
Despite the painful defeat, Sinner expressed pride in being part of such a special occasion, though he admitted: "I would be even more happy if I would have here the big trophy.
"I had so many chances I couldn't use."
The Italian drew comparisons to his previous experience of losing from two sets up, which came against Djokovic at Wimbledon three years ago.
He said: "When Novak raised that level that day, I felt that I had no chance. Today I had chances."
Sinner lost three match points and led 6-5 in the fifth set, but ultimately couldn't convert them into victory.
Instead, it was Alcaraz who tasted victory, extending his winning streak in Grand Slam finals to five, in a game that will go down in history.
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