Fans Fume After Media Blunders Carlos Alcaraz’s French Open Victory Into a “Mistake”

The ATP French Open final was packed with surprises. On Sunday, top seeds Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz clashed in a thrilling battle on Court Philippe Chatrier. Both had entered Grand Slam finals with perfect win records, setting the stage for a historic showdown. Their match lasted five hours and 29 minutes, making it the longest ever at Roland Garros. In the end, Alcaraz staged a stunning comeback from two sets down to defend his title. Yet, a major broadcasting blunder left fans frustrated.

The match was a nail-biter. Sinner looked set to win, leading two sets, holding a break in the third, and up 5-3 in the fourth. But Alcaraz refused to quit. He saved three championship points to hold serve, then broke back to level at 5-5. He won the tie-break and pushed the match to a thrilling fifth set.

However, live images from Sky Sport stunned fans at home. The graphics mistakenly declared Sinner the winner—the first Italian to win since Adriano Panatta nearly 50 years ago. At first glance, it seemed like a historic moment for Sinner. But the breaking news band showed the correct score and outcome. The screen also showed a dejected world number one, his face partly hidden by a towel.

The mix-up was an easy mistake, however, the broadcast network received heavy backlash for it. Federico Ferri, Sky Sports’ director, later took to X to clarify. He wrote, “[Translated from Italian] When you make a mistake, you shut up and apologize. To our subscribers and to all those who trust us. We had prepared 2 graphics, for Sinner and for Alcaraz, and we aired the wrong one. Very bad. It’s the second thing that makes us feel worse tonight. @skysport”

Quando si sbaglia, si sta zitti e si chiede scusa. Ai nostri abbonati e a tutti coloro che ci danno fiducia.
Avevamo preparato 2 grafiche, per Sinner e per Alcaraz, e abbiamo mandato in onda quella sbagliata. Malissimo. E’ la seconda cosa che ci fa stare peggio stasera.@skysport

— Federico Ferri (@FedericoFerri) June 8, 2025

But it wasn’t easy to move past. Consider the stakes: Jannik Sinner lost his chance at a French Open title and fell further behind Carlos Alcaraz in their head-to-head, now 8-4. The heartbroken 23-year-old said during the trophy ceremony, “I won’t sleep tonight very well.” Undoubtedly, the fans aren’t too happy about the mishap either.

Fans call out the broadcast network for its mistake

One fan couldn’t help but speak the truth, writing, “Nothing to worry about is making a mistake, but the offer and content of SkySport products compared to the economic demand has become seriously embarrassing! Please think about this!” On June 5, Front Office Sports reported WBD’s first eight days covering the 2025 French Open were strong, with TNT averaging 292,000 viewers—a 23% jump from last year. Add truTV and Max, and WBD saw a 53% rise in total hours watched. The biggest spike? Sunday’s match between world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and American Ben Shelton, which drew 840,000 viewers at its peak.

Another fan chimed in, “To watch a tennis match on @NOWTV_It you now have to go through a crazy process because all the access has been changed. Those who have a sports package but want tennis are forced to search for it with a lantern. Can you restore the access as it was before the ‘improvement’?” Despite Sky Sport’s wide tennis coverage on NOW TV Italy—including all ATP, WTA, and US Open tournaments—subscribers are frustrated with the platform’s user experience.

The visuals mishap wasn’t the only complaint. Another X user wrote, “Much worse is the reporter with the querulous voice and irritating comments. At a certain point, I turned off the audio.” Even the journalists are under fire. During the tournament, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri called out Sky Sport journalists after the Genoa draw, refusing to tolerate their questions.

Sky Sport director Federico Ferri responded on X, explaining the journalist’s role: “And still on the subject of interviews… Journalists report, ask questions, argue. And they must understand, to make those who follow us understand. This is what questions and answers are for. However, as Teotino, we always move forward with professionalism, rigor, credibility. And education.” But fans want more.

One fan offered a humorous olive branch: “Send the replay of PSG – Inter 5 – 0 and we will forgive you everything.” This nods to the UEFA Champions League Final on May 31, 2025, where PSG won their first title with a dominant 5-0 over Inter Milan. As the main broadcaster, Sky Sports covered the match live, and fans expect easy access to replays of such historic games.

Yet another fan called out Sky Sports for past blunders too: “I don’t think I heard any excuses after Inter Barcelona and yet the commentary was far more embarrassing than the Wrong graphics from yesterday.” They’re likely referring to the dramatic 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League semi-final between Inter Milan and Barcelona, which Inter won 7-6 on aggregate. It seems like poor commentary in a major football match is a bigger, unresolved issue than a recent tennis graphic error.

Now that the French Open is over, the question is whether Sky Sports can redeem itself. They’re set to cover more ATP and WTA tournaments soon. There’ll surely be eyes watching Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner closely now as they head into the grass court season. Will there be another slip-up? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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