5 Longest Grand Slam finals in Open Era: Alcaraz vs Sinner not the longest. Check who tops the list

In the longest Grand Slam final ever played, Novak Djokovic of Serbia defeated Spain's Rafael Nadal in the 2012 Australian Open final after an extraordinary 5 hours and 53 minutes of tennis. Nadal won the first set, however, Djokovic recovered by winning the next two sets. Nadal took the fourth set in a tiebreaker, but Djokovic ultimately won the fifth set. Scoreline: 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7(5-7), 7–5.

In a historic battle at the 2025 French Open, Carlos Alcaraz of Spain defeated Italy’s Jannik Sinner in a match that lasted 5 hours and 29 minutes, making it the longest final ever played at Roland Garros and the second-longest Grand Slam final in history. Sinner had the early momentum, claiming the first two sets and even holding three championship points in the fourth set. But Alcaraz showed an incredible fightback to force a decider set. After early blows in a dramatic final set, the Spaniard held firm in the tiebreaker to complete a stunning comeback. Scoreline: 4–6, 6–7(4-7), 6–4, 7–6(7-3), 7–6(10-2).

At the 2022 Australian Open final, Rafael Nadal of Spain pulled off one of the greatest comebacks of his career against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in an exhausting contest that lasted 5 hours and 24 minutes. Medvedev dominated the first two sets and looked firm to close out the match. However, Nadal, playing in his 29th Grand Slam final, slowly turned the match around with smart groundstrokes and strategic net play. He won the next three sets, overcoming a deficit in the final set to lift his 21st Grand Slam title in some style. Scoreline: 2–6, 6–7(5-7), 6–4, 6–4, 7–5.

The 1988 US Open final between Sweden’s Mats Wilander and Czechoslovakia’s Ivan Lendl was a tactical game of tennis that lasted over 4 hours and 54 minutes. Wilander took the opening set, whereas, Lendl returned favours with a second-set win. The third and fourth sets followed the same pattern, setting the stage for a decider set. Wilander edged past the defending champion in the fifth set to claim his third Slam of the year and the World No. 1 ranking. Scoreline: 6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4.

In the 2012 US Open final, Andy Murray of Great Britain secured his maiden Grand Slam title by defeating Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in a hard-fought battle that lasted 4 hours and 54 minutes. Murray started strong, taking the first set in an epic tiebreaker and followed it up with a confident second set. Djokovic stormed back to take sets three and four, setting up a decider set. But Murray stood firm and dominated the final set to end Britain’s 76-year wait for a men’s singles major champion. Scoreline: 7–6(11-10), 7–5, 2–6, 3–6, 6–2.