Roland Garros, the final between Sinner and Alcaraz on free-to-air TV on the Nove channel

After the Australian Open final in January, it's back: also for the last act of the Roland Garros, Italian fans will be able to enjoy the challenge between Sinner and Alcaraz free-to-air, on the Nove channel: the flagship free-to-air channel of the Warner Bros Discovery TV group. And the one that on Sunday 8 June at 3 pm on the red clay of Paris - broadcast free-to-air on Nove, simulcast on Eurosport 1 and streaming on Discovery+ - has all the makings of becoming the cornerstone of a rivalry already consigned to the future. Jannik Sinner against Carlos Alcaraz. Number 1 against number 2.

Not a foregone conclusion. There are no regulations that can oblige the owners of the Roland Garros rights - in this case Eurospost controlled by Warner Bros Discovery - to broadcast the match free-to-air. This particular case is regulated by the Agcom resolution 131/12/CONS issued on the basis of article 33 of the Consolidated Law on Audiovisual Media Services. An act from 2012 (known as the Event List Resolution) in which various national and non-national events considered to be of particular importance are written down in black and white. Among which, in relation to tennis, «the final and semi-finals of the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup in which the Italian national team participates and the Italian International Tennis Tournament in which Italian athletes participate». This is what can be read in the letter of Annex A to resolution no. 131/12/CONS with the list of relevant events. Among which, to name just one, «the final and semi-finals of the Champions League and the Europa League if Italian teams are involved». For these, there cannot be exclusive transmission and only in encoded form since – as per article 2 of annex B to the Agcom resolution – they must be ensured "at least 80% of the population has the possibility of following them on a free schedule without additional costs".

Sinner comes into this match with three Slam finals played and three won: two Australian Opens and one US Open, distributed as stages of a patient but unstoppable climb. On the other side of the net, Alcaraz doesn't ask for permission. Reigning champion of Roland Garros, the Spaniard is coming off four consecutive victories in direct clashes, including the recent one in the Roman final. The balance between the two reads 7-4 for Carlos, and even on clay he has the advantage. So there's no point in beating it: Jannik hasn't beaten Carlos since 2023. But with the most coveted trophy on clay on the table, every statistic is destined to falter.

The pre-match will feature well-known tennis faces, such as Chris Evert and Mats Wilander, with commentary by Jacopo Lo Monaco and Barbara Rossi. The main menu is rich, but even the appetizer is anything but minimal: at 11, on Eurosport 1 and Discovery+, the women's doubles final will take place with two Italians on the court, Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini. The two Italians, fresh from their victory in the mixed doubles (together with Andrea Vavassori), will try to assert themselves also in the most noble draw, facing Danilina and Krunic.