Never mind that the 29-year-old German had just converted his first championship point with a 137mph serve. Never mind that the chair umpire had declared the match his, or that a crestfallen Ben Shelton was trudging disconsolately to the net for the handshake. Zverev passed the ball in his pocket to the opposite end and prepared to return serve. He was ready for more.

Zverev would later offer various explanations. He said he had forgotten the score, that he was too dialled in to register what was going on around him. He claimed the din of the crowd had drowned out the umpire’s announcement that the match was done. Tellingly, though, he also said he heard nothing.

“In that moment, I was in the zone,” Zverev, the top seed, remarked after defeating Shelton, the eighth. “I didn’t hear noise at all. I was in this kind of tunnel where I just didn’t hear anything.”

In a sense, Zverev has always been there. He has had to be. The alternative, after losing his first three major finals, would have been to heed the voices – not least, perhaps, the one inside his own head – that questioned whether he would ever become a grand slam champion. 

That debate was laid to rest when Zverev won Roland Garros this summer. But maybe the mantle of perennial contender is harder to shake off – and maybe that did Zverev a favour. He acknowledged afterwards that not knowing he was serving for the title had helped. Closing out a match from a winning position, when nerves are at their most taut and an opponent with nothing left to lose starts swinging more freely, is rarely straightforward.

Zverev knows that as well as anyone. At the 2020 US Open, in an Arthur Ashe Stadium emptied of spectators by the global pandemic, he served for the title against Austria’s Dominic Thiem only to falter two points from victory. The tears he wept afterwards set the tone for much that would follow, at least until this season. The despair of that defeat haunted him, yet it also fuelled a resolve to do better. He has been fighting ever since, and it seemed oddly appropriate that, even with the last ball of the US Open final struck, his first instinct was to keep battling.

How Ben Shelton breathed new life into the American dream

Now it is Shelton’s turn. 

Zverev’s maiden US Open title laid waste to the American dream of crowning a first homegrown men’s champion since 2003, when Andy Roddick won at Flushing Meadows. The prospect of such a drought seemed remote back then, with the exploits of Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier still fresh in the memory, and the near quarter of a century since has brought much hand-wringing and angst. But in the imposing form of Shelton, there is hope.

The past fortnight has redefined Shelton’s place in the global pecking order. The former University of Florida man had twice before made a major semi-final, first at the 2023 US Open, where Novak Djokovic memorably put the phone down on him, and then at last year’s Australian Open, where Jannik Sinner defeated him in similarly decisive fashion. The impression was of a fine young player, one well worth the top-10 place he secured for the first time last summer, who nonetheless remained a work in progress. 

Shelton’s strengths – a ferocious southpaw serve, rubber-limbed athleticism, power and variety off the ground – were always clear. But so too were the deficiencies. He lacked the consistency and focus to hang with the very best from the back of the court, certainly over the long haul of a five-setter. His backhand remained relatively vulnerable. And his return game was not at the level of the best of his contemporaries, which in turn put more pressure on his serve, the bedrock of his game.

Shelton’s epic quarter-final victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz showed just how far he has come in addressing those shortcomings. He not only went toe-to-toe with the Spaniard from the baseline, showing hitherto unseen levels of consistency, defensive resilience and sustained quality, but also rode the contest’s momentum shifts beautifully. Shelton remained focused after dropping the opening set, weathered the inevitable Alcaraz fightback, and played with composure – and deep conviction – to recover from 5-3 down in the fifth-set tiebreaker. 

Then he did it all over again to take down his compatriot and close friend Frances Tiafoe in the last four. 

So this was no flash in the pan, even if some will highlight the absence of the injured Sinner and the fact that Alcaraz, playing his first event since hurting his wrist in mid-April, came into the tournament undercooked. Shelton’s run to the final has propelled him to a career-high ranking of fourth, and on the latest evidence that feels about right. The challenge now will be to remain there, but his ceiling looks high and, at the age of 23, his current trajectory bodes well for the years ahead. 

Why Zverev was the wrong opponent for Shelton

But as Shelton contested a major final for the first time, it was his misfortune to face an opponent singularly well-equipped to nullify his main strengths. 

Zverev, who spent his formative years sparring with his older brother Mischa, a former world No 25 who plays left-handed, is the scourge of the southpaw fraternity. The German came into the final with just one defeat in his last 45 matches against left-sided players, a statistic that underlines his mastery of the relevant patterns of play. A peerless two-handed backhand, combined with the enormous wingspan afforded by a 6ft 6in frame, enables Zverev to neutralise not only the sliced, outswinging serves to the ad court that traditionally confound right-handers, but also the line-breaking cross-court forehands favoured by Shelton and his ilk.

That reality was reflected in the numbers. While Zverev made 69% of his first serves but won a dominant 85% of those points, Shelton was unable to parlay the exceptional consistency of his first delivery into a more significant statistical advantage. The American made 71% of his first serves – well above the top-10 average of 64% – but could only break even in terms of points won, falling below the 75% average normally achieved by the elite.

No calculator was required to discern the reason for that disparity. Shelton sacrificed speed for consistency. At 119mph, his average first-serve speed was 5mph down on his semi-final win over Tiafoe, and slower than it had been at any stage since his fourth-round win over Stefanos Tsitsipas. Having produced a mighty 20 aces in his semi-final win over Tiafoe, Shelton was limited to half that number against Zverev. The occasion demanded more and yet, against an opponent more capable than most of neutralising his chief weapon, Shelton delivered less.

That was a problem, because rather than winning free points on serve, Shelton opened the door for Zverev to get into baseline exchanges in which the German was able to expose his primary weakness. Shelton’s backhand, though much improved, is at its most effective against pace, which Zverev denied him by peppering that wing with deep, high balls. As Andy Roddick pointed out, the strategy was made possible by the heavy forehands Zverev occasionally sent down the line, which deterred Shelton from running around his forehand.    

The cumulative effect was to place intolerable pressure on Shelton, who was guilty of some untimely errors as he attempted to become the first black American to win the title since Arthur Ashe in 1968. The tone was set early. In the opening game of the match, the first of four Shelton double faults over the course of the final yielded an immediate break for Zverev. The second arrived on set point, gifting Zverev the first set. For Shelton, meanwhile, chances were scarce and, when they arose, freighted with tension. He would convert just one of the break points he created. 

Even that breakthrough did not come until two hours and 49 minutes into the contest. Nonetheless, as Zverev shanked a high forehand volley to drop the third set, there was a whiff of vulnerability about the German for the first time. The home crowd finally had something tangible to get behind and Shelton, feeding off their energy, began the fourth at a lick, pouncing on a short ball to rifle a backhand winner, then exuberantly celebrating Zverev’s failure to put a second serve return back in court. 

It was a delicate moment in the contest, but Zverev has become a master of moments this season. So he was again, working his way back into the game before grinding out a long rally to secure the break. He would make only one more unforced error, completing victory in three hours and 33 minutes – an echo, oddly, of Shelton’s 3.33am finish against Alcaraz. Shelton will not have appreciated the irony. 

A complicated victory

As is often the way, the aftermath of a largely underwhelming final was chiefly about the revelation of character. For many, that is where things get complicated. 

If Zverev’s failure to notice his victory provoked bemused laughter, not least from the player himself, then his decision to approach Shelton’s team, each member of which received a handshake and a word of congratulation on a job well done, could only prompt admiration. Magnanimity comes easily in victory, of course, and it would be easy to dismiss the gesture as an attempt by Zverev to improve his optics. Yet the warmth and respect he expressed towards Shelton, whom he hailed as “an incredible person and player”, felt genuine enough.  

There was empathy, too. When he described his opponent’s run to the final as a “family affair”, Zverev, who has been coached throughout his career by his father Alexander Sr, knew whereof he spoke. It was an acknowledgement of the shaping influence that Bryan Shelton, a former pro with a career-high ranking of 52, has played in his son’s career. A tribute too to the tireless support of his mother Lisa, herself once an accomplished junior player, and his ever-present sister Emma, a former college player turned investment banker. Zverev, who spoke emotionally of his mother Irina’s strength in refusing to allow a childhood diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes to define him, appreciates the importance of family.

There was even a shoutout to Shelton’s girlfriend Trinity Rodman, the Washington Spirit forward, whom Zverev joked was usually a “lucky charm” for her partner. That drew laughter from Rodman, although not everyone saw the funny side. Social media snipers immediately declared the comment disrespectful, suggesting Zverev was mocking her. That seemed a stretch, but public scrutiny has become a way of life for the German.

Zverev has twice been accused of domestic violence, allegations he has consistently denied. Two years ago, he reached an out-of-court settlement with his former partner Brenda Patea, the mother of his child, after she claimed he had physically assaulted her. The Tiergarten district court in Berlin, where a scheduled trial was discontinued in June 2024, made plain at the time that the proceedings had been discontinued without a verdict and that the dismissal did “not constitute a finding of guilt or an admission of guilt”. 

Zverev had denied the allegations, just as he did those of Olya Sharypova, another former girlfriend, whose claims were the subject of an independent investigation commissioned by the ATP. The inquiry found insufficient evidence to substantiate Sharypova’s claims. 

In the absence of a court verdict on the allegations, people have inevitably formed their own perceptions of Zverev. Some cannot forget, others are eager to move on; many are ambivalent. In other words, he is a divisive figure. Zverev has won two of the four majors this season, and 25 of 27 matches at grand slam level. He may yet claim the year-end No 1 ranking. Yet he continues to languish at the epicentre of a moral maze.

It was never supposed to be this way.

When he won the season-ending ATP Finals in 2018, Zverev was widely seen as the man most likely to shatter the long-running cartel operated by Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. At the time, that assumption did not seem fanciful. He had gone through Federer and Djokovic in successive rounds to win the ATP Finals, becoming only the fourth man to do so. He possessed a blunderbuss service, a sumptuous backhand, and greater speed and agility than might be expected from a man of his size. The world seemed Zverev’s to conquer.

Except, it did not quite work out like that. There were some notable victories, including seven Masters 1000 titles, a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, and a second ATP Finals crown. But time and again, the biggest prizes eluded him. The years came and went, and with them three losing appearances in grand slam finals. Part of the sandwich generation caught between the Big Three and the emergence of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Zverev seemed destined to miss out along with the likes of Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev.

Things came to a head last summer, when the German was defeated by Arthur Rinderknech of France in the opening round of Wimbledon. In the aftermath, he talked disconsolately of feeling empty and alone: of struggling to find joy in life, let alone tennis. Something inside was missing; something had to change.

Effecting that change has been a process. But on Sunday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Zverev became a multiple grand slam winner. He has made peace with the past. Whether others will follow suit, only time will tell.

The post How Alexander Zverev made peace with his past to win US Open appeared first on Love Game Tennis.

Early on Wednesday morning, after four hours and 28 minutes of electrifying theatre in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the 23-year-old American ended Carlos Alcaraz’s reign as US Open champion with a thrilling 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) quarter-final victory in which he elevated his game to new heights. 

Punctuated by a 146mph ace at 3.33am, the finest win of Shelton’s career also marked the tournament’s latest ever finish. 

Shelton has twice before reached a major semi-final, but never by going through a player of Alcaraz’s stature. While it was no surprise to see him match the Spanish second seed for firepower and athleticism, the conviction and composure he showed at the death, when Alcaraz opened up a 5-3 lead in the decisive tiebreak, have not always been apparent against the very best. Likewise the patience, rally tolerance and impressive returning that laid the foundations for the win. It was a night – and early morning – when everything came together for Shelton. 

Ben Shelton hails ‘epic match’ against Carlos Alcaraz

“That was a war, an epic match,” he said of his first success in 18 attempts against a top-three player. “I thought I was smart with how I went about my return games. I thought I made him play a lot. I thought I capitalised when he missed his spot, and didn’t worry or stress too much when he did hit his spot.

“I think for me to be able to hang in there in the rallies, have a game plan from the ground, and be able to execute that game plan and not be losing all the baseline points, also helps with the return.” 

Infamously, no US player has won a major since Andy Roddick triumphed at Flushing Meadows in 2003. Shelton’s victory sets up a meeting with Frances Tiafoe, his fellow countryman and close friend, meaning there is guaranteed to be an American presence in the final. With Alcaraz out and the injured Jannik Sinner absent, the trajectory of American men’s tennis could finally be about to change. 

Yet the wider context will have been the last thing on Shelton’s mind as he completed an unforgettable night’s work with dawn beckoning. In defeating Alcaraz for the first time in four meetings, he became only the second man in 17 attempts to get the better of the Spanish maestro in a fifth set, a distinction he shares with Matteo Berrettini, who achieved the feat at the 2022 Australian Open. 

How Alcaraz was undone after early brilliance

That statistic says everything you need to know about the ability of Alcaraz to meet the moment. But after four and a half months out with a wrist injury, perhaps the real surprise was that he remained in contention so long. The 23-year-old made his way to the last eight without dropping a set, comfortably navigating a potentially tricky opener against the experienced Roman Safiullin and a fourth-round assignment against the 20th-seeded Tommy Paul. In Shelton, however, he faced a challenge of a different order.

That much was apparent from an opener that began with the pair trading heavy blows and ended with an exchange of breaks and mistakes. Alcaraz looked to have seized the advantage when he punished a slight dropoff from Shelton at 5-5, but some wayward hitting off the forehand skewered his hopes of serving out the set. When the American gained the early edge in the ensuing tiebreak, hammering away an overhead to conclude a lung-busting, sinew-stretching rally in which both men explored the full geometry of the court, it seemed he might ride the reprieve all the way to a winning start. Instead, Alcaraz produced a trademark flurry of brilliance, producing two blazing forehand winners to bring up a set point that he converted following another display of acrobatic excellence from both men.

At that point, a familiar narrative looked to be unfolding. But for once, understandably after so long on the sidelines, Alcaraz was unable to sustain the magic. Instead, his form dropped off a cliff. The second set went by in a blizzard of unforced errors. The third was only marginally more competitive. By the fourth, Alcaraz was shooing away a cameraman before vomiting into a towel. The champion looked out on his feet.

Alcaraz ‘happy and proud’ with performance

But whatever his extended break from the game may have cost Alcaraz in terms of fluency and match fitness, his fighting spirit remains very much intact. Having fended off a break point at the start of the fourth set, the Spaniard broke for 2-0 and suddenly looked revitalised. As the clock ticked past 2.20am, he levelled the contest with a love hold. The record for the tournament’s latest finish, set by Alcaraz and Sinner in another five-set classic in the 2022 quarter-finals, was in obvious danger.

So it proved, and while Alcaraz was ultimately unable to prevail over the long haul as he had done on that occasion, it did not prevent him from congratulating Shelton with the broadest of smiles when it was all over. Despite committing 53 unforced errors and losing his grip on the trophy, he had got what he came to New York for: a return to the sport he loves, and confirmation that he is once again healthy. For now, that was enough.

“I’m just not going to be disappointed about not getting the win at the end,” said Alcaraz. “I’m just happy. I’m just proud about myself, about how I fought. After the third set, physically I was really tired. But I found a way to push myself up, and physically give extra.

“I was playing against one of the best. He is a beast. Shelton is an unbelievable player, powerful. He just managed to play really, really well in every situation, so credit to him. I leave the court happy. I leave the court with a smile, healthy, and this is what I needed.” 

What Shelton needed, as the sound of beeping garbage trucks doing their early morning rounds echoed around Arthur Ashe Stadium, was some sleep.

The post Ben Shelton comes of age in epic US Open win over Carlos Alcaraz appeared first on Love Game Tennis.

The words belong to Sex and the City’s Samantha Jones, but the sentiment is one Aryna Sabalenka has owned from the moment she touched down in New York. She has had little option. 

The world No 1 arrived at Flushing Meadows, scene of the two most recent of her four grand slam title wins, still smarting from an unexpected loss to 35th-ranked Sára Bejlek at the Cincinnati Open and the online brickbats that followed. Branded a “showgirl” and accused of being more interested in self-promotion than sport, Sabalenka was accused of allowing social media updates and sponsor activities to interfere with the day job.  

Rightly or wrongly, that perception has been fed by some patchy results over the past five months. On clay, there were defeats from seemingly unassailable positions against Hailey Baptiste in Madrid, Sorana Cirstea in Rome and, most damagingly, Diana Shnaider in Paris. On grass, there was a third-set beatdown from Jessica Pegula in Berlin, and a straight-sets loss to Naomi Osaka in the fourth round of Wimbledon. 

The seasonal switch to hard courts has so far done nothing to arrest the malaise. Ekaterina Alexandrova squared her head-to-head with Sabalenka at five apiece in Toronto, while that 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 defeat to Bejlek at the Cincinnati Open, where the 28-year-old Belarusian held commanding leads in both sets, once again showed an alarming knack for reverse alchemy. 

How the pressure has mounted on Aryna Sabalenka

So as she donned her revealing new mesh Nike outfit in preparation for the US Open mixed doubles alongside Novak Djokovic, Sabalenka must have been hoping for better. Instead, she got more of the same.

A disappointing reversal against doubles specialists Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten was followed by further brickbats. Critics deemed her dress “trashy”, while a £295,000 jewellery set, the latest provided by Sabalenka’s sponsor Material Good, prompted accusations of tackiness and hypocrisy, given her vocal support for players to receive a larger slice of tournament revenues.

Factor in the growing threat to her ranking – failure to mount a successful title defence will see Sabalenka ousted as No 1, a fate that awaits anyway if Elena Rybakina makes the semi-finals – and she could be forgiven for coming over a bit Kim Cattrall. Or even a lot Kim Cattrall, as she did in an Instagram reel published a couple of days before the tournament began in earnest. Dressed to kill in a pink dress and heels, Sabalenka mouthed along with the famous Samantha Jones quote, which was played over upbeat music as she sashayed along a rooftop balcony with New York’s night skyline twinkling in the background.

The message could not have been clearer – or more in keeping with Sabalenka’s innate bullishness. She couldn’t care less about the noise surrounding her. And in case anyone missed the memo, she has barely missed a chance to reformulate that sentiment in terms more palatable to the delicate sensibilities of the wider tennis world.

‘Maybe there is something wrong with people’

Asked in her pre-tournament media briefing if there was something wrong with her game, Sabalenka replied: “Maybe there is something wrong with people.” A follow-up question about whether she felt as confident as she did last year was given similarly short shrift. “I’m always confident,” she said. 

If those remarks were offered with an air of detached semi-amusement, Sabalenka struggled to suppress outright laughter as she offered a more forthright response to the snarking after her emphatic 53-minute win over qualifier Polina Iatcenko in round two.

“I’m so tired of those miserable haters,” she said in a television interview. “So I decided to really stay strong with myself and trust the process, trust myself, trust my choices. 

“Whoever loves me, they’re going to be there for me no matter what. The haters, honestly, I don’t want to curse here right now, but they can go and… get on with their own lives.”

Even at her most relaxed, there is a simmering intensity about Sabalenka. For weeks, she has taken repeated inquiries about her form and off-court commitments in good part. But the line of questioning has clearly – and understandably – started to grate. Nobody likes to be told they aren’t living up to expectations in the workplace, especially when the truth cuts close to home – and no one will have been more conscious of her recent shortcomings than Sabalenka herself. 

Her bubbling frustration finally burst the banks this week when a reporter enquired, following her demolition of Iatcenko, how her mood was after a build-up week of “parties and fun and stuff like that”. 

Sabalenka: ‘You guys are a joke’

“You guys are, like, a joke,” interjected Sabalenka, shaking her head in despair. “Parties? Fun? Like, why would you even say that? Why would you even think about that? Like, what kind of question is that? Just because I posted some activities with brands, you think I’ve been partying and not training?”

Some context is required here. The question was almost identical to one Sabalenka fielded after her first-round victory over Camila Osorio, when she was asked how she balanced the energy required to attend sponsor events in the week leading up to the US Open with maintaining her level on court. On that occasion, Sabalenka was plainly frustrated – “Why do you think the week before wasn’t focused on tennis?” she countered – but went on to offer a patient and reasoned response.

‘I really enjoy my time with brands’

“It’s like my hobby outside of tennis,” she said of her attendance at events hosted by the drinks companies Electrolit and Dobel Tequila, cosmetics brand Moroccanoil, and fashion house Gucci, all of which are among her sponsors. 

“The whole schedule we plan is all around tennis. So all those events are not drawing [my energy] in any way. All the people that I work with, all brands that I work with, I choose them very carefully. I have to be really comfortable around those people, just so I’m not drawing my energy when I’m surrounded by them. 

“I really enjoy my time with brands, with [the] people who work there. I have fun; it’s like my hobby outside of my tennis schedule. It actually gives me so much energy.”

Whatever one makes of that explanation, Sabalenka is hardly unique among the top players in using the US Open’s “fan week” to honour commercial obligations. According to Forbes, she has earned $23m (£17m) off the court over the past 12 months, a figure that, combined with $13.1m in prize money, placed her behind only Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams on the list of the sport’s highest earners. Tennis comes first, but in a career where the peak years are all too brief, sponsorship opportunities must also be taken.

‘Think before you say stuff’

The larger question is just how worthwhile it was to revisit an issue Sabalenka had already addressed fairly fully, albeit with some exasperation, two days earlier. While she was never likely to offer a different answer, she was almost certain to be irritated – particularly when asked if, with the tournament proper underway, she was now “getting serious”.

“Oh yeah, I wasn’t serious before that,” Sabalenka shot back sarcastically. “Think before you say stuff.”

In the reporter’s defence, the question, however ill-timed, did not appear to be deliberately provocative. Despite her 99-week stranglehold on the top ranking, Sabalenka is seeking redemption at the season’s final major for a second successive year. It is not what one would expect of an otherwise dominant world No 1, and while her difficulties last term were largely limited to the business end of majors, the narrative has changed since March, when she became only the fifth woman to complete the Sunshine Double of Indian Wells and Miami. She has not won a tournament since, yet her off-court activities – TikTok content, magazine shoots, Instagram posts, her popular vlog – have continued unabated. It is perfectly legitimate to wonder if she has taken her eye off the ball.

And let’s not forget Sabalenka did not need to react as she did. She could simply have rolled her eyes and trotted out the same response she gave two days earlier. She could have referred her interrogator to her previous answer, or declined to comment at all. Her tetchy response was therefore telling. Is she feeling the heat? You bet she is. But feeling it and dealing with it are two very different things, and it is the manner of her response that merits attention.

A mission to silence the doubters

Through to a sixth straight quarter-final at Flushing Meadows, a landmark last reached by Serena Williams in 2014, Sabalenka has yet to drop a set. Throughout, her determination has been palpable. It has not been all plain sailing – Kamilla Rakhimova tested her at times, while the wily American southpaw Taylor Townsend salvaged four service breaks from a 6-4, 6-3 defeat – but the four-time grand slam winner is clearly on a mission to silence the doubters. Better yet for the defending champion, she is enjoying it.

“I love matches like that, because it was really challenging,” Sabalenka said following her win over Townsend. “Going through tough challenges and overcoming those challenges, it definitely gives you really strong belief that you can do it. So this kind of match is really, like, a boost of confidence.”

That would seem timely, what with Linda Noskova, the Wimbledon champion and sixth seed, awaiting in the last eight. The pair have met twice before, with Sabalenka prevailing in straight sets on each occasion, but the Czech promises to be a tougher out this time. Against Marta Kostyuk, Noskova once again showcased the resilience that earned her a maiden grand slam title in SW19, winning in three tight sets after failing to convert match points that would have given her a straight-sets victory, just as she did against Karolina Muchova in the Wimbledon final. The matchup is sure to generate further noise, including the sound of Sabalenka’s critics sharpening their knives. Do not expect her to be listening.  

“Throw tough challenges at me, I will come back only stronger,” Sabalenka said at the start of the tournament.

So far, she has been as good as her word.

The post Aryna Sabalenka has heard the noise. Now she wants to silence it appeared first on Love Game Tennis.

“Linda is unflappable,” Ivana once explained. “She has this temperament from my husband. I think this trait is a big part of her success. She just doesn’t care. Whether it’s break point or match point, she’s always calm. It’s not that it doesn’t matter to her, but she can detach herself from it.”

On Saturday at the All England Club, the 21-year-old Czech demonstrated the truth of those words. 

Facing her compatriot Karolina Muchova in the Wimbledon final, Noskova stormed into an apparently unassailable lead only to suffer a catastrophic second-set collapse as Muchova, belatedly rousing herself, survived five championship points to force a deciding set. 

It was a devastating blow for Noskova, one that inevitably recalled the Centre Court implosion against Steffi Graf that left Jana Novtona weeping on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent in 1993. But she would not allow her title challenge to be defined by it. Instead, remarkably, Noskova calmly regrouped to crown an afternoon of high drama and high emotion with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory that earned her a first grand slam title. 

The one sadness was that her mother, who died from cancer two summers ago, was not there to witness it. Afterwards, as Noskova thanked her watching father, Drahoš Nosek, together with the rest of her family and team, Noskova ensured she was not forgotten.

“There is also one more person I would like to thank, which is my mum,” said the Czech, her voice trembling. “I definitely would not be standing here without her, so thank you.”

‘Sad years, happy years, sweat’: what shaped Linda Noskova’s Wimbledon win

After blowing a kiss skywards, Noskova briefly reflected on “all the sad years, all the happy years, all the sweat and blood put into this”. It was a nod not only to her own dedication, but also to the sacrifices made by her parents as they strove to foster her talent on limited resources. To the years when the family was split asunder as Noskova’s ambitions took her from the bucolic village of Bystřička, where she grew up, to the city of Prerov, an hour’s drive away, where her mother cleaned offices to make ends meet while Drahoš remained at home, where he worked for a railway firm. 

“It was all worth it,” reflected Noskova.

That much is undeniable. Noskova becomes the third Czech champion in four seasons, following the victories of Marketa Vondrousova in 2023 and Barbora Krejcikova a year later. She is also the youngest winner since 2011, when Petra Kvitova defeated Maria Sharapova. Both were on hand to witness the occasion from the Royal Box, where nine-time champion Martina Navratilova was also among the usual glittering array of luminaries. 

The scrutiny could not have been more intense and, for the first half of what would be, at two hours and 28 minutes, the third longest women’s final in history, Noskova met the challenge head on. Her serve, the destructive fulcrum of her run to the final, was once again near-flawless. Noskova navigated the opening set without facing a break point, dropping just a single point behind her first delivery, while her smooth power and impressive movement allowed her to dictate the baseline exchanges. In the rare moments she wasn’t exceptional, Noskova was rock solid.

How Karolina Muchova struggled in her second major final

The same could not be said for Muchova. It is widely acknowledged that, on her day, the 29-year-old has the tools to defeat any player in the world. Here, however, she struggled to find her range in the face of Noskova’s excellence. By the time she did, the cause was all but lost. In that sense, Muchova’s second grand slam final mirrored her first, at the 2023 French Open, where she fell behind by a set and a break against Iga Swiatek only to force a decider after her game belatedly clicked into gear.

You would have got long odds on history repeating itself with Noskova leading 6-2, 5-2. Muchova had struggled throughout to summon the free-swinging power on her forehand that got her over the line from match point down against Coco Gauff in the semi-finals (a feat of escapism she also performed against Aryna Sabalenka at the same stage of her final run at Roland Garros, curiously) and as she served to stay in the contest, that wing once again faltered. 

Muchova twice survived after netting forehands to present Noskova with championship point; by the time she saved a third with a beautifully executed drop shot, the mental and emotional shackles were visibly starting to loosen. Her serve was gathering force. She was moving with newfound freedom. The variety and creativity that make her so dangerous were finally starting to flow. At the other end of the court, the opposite was happening. 

“It was very tough for me,” Noskova later reflected. “My hand kind of froze at certain moments. My feet were not as quick as they had been before.”

‘That’s insane’: Linda Noskova’s battle to remain in the second set

Up to then, moments of peril had been rare for Noskova – and when they came, she had been ready. Facing her first break points of the afternoon early in the second set, she snuffed out the danger with bold, decisive serving. As Muchova threatened to prolong the contest, she did so again. Noskova had already fended off two break points by the time Muchova nailed a glorious backhand winner to bring up a third. The younger woman responded with a thumping 112mph ace; then, when an error gifted Muchova a fourth opportunity, she produced another. 

“That’s insane,” mouthed the watching Navratilova.

Not so insane that Noskova couldn’t do it again, sending down an untouchable 114mph delivery to complete a stunning triptych of aces. Indeed, it was not until Muchova’s seventh break point that Noskova finally yielded, sending a forehand wide. By then, a double fault had cost her a fourth championship point, and a fifth would go begging in the next game. It was a torrid sequence for Noskova, one that would culminate with the loss of five straight games. Coming from a woman who normally wears the mask of impassivity so lightly, the anguished cry she emitted as the set slipped away spoke volumes.

So too did the manner in which she put her fingers over her ears as Centre Court rose to acclaim Muchova’s fightback. Yet, if Noskova’s impulse was to block out the reality of the moment, moments later she would be confronted by it in the most palpable form. As she retreated for a bathroom break, the Czech was greeted by the sight of the Venus Rosewater dish, the trophy awarded to the champion. Beside it sat the more modest silver plate awarded to the beaten finalist. Noskova’s resolve hardened.

Linda Noskova: ‘I’m going to leave my soul on court’

“The first step I took off court, the trophies were there,” said Noskova. “I was ​looking at the big one. I was like, ‘I’m taking this one, no matter what. I’m going to leave my soul on court.’”

If Noskova was replenished, Muchova was depleted. It had taken a monumental effort to restore parity. The momentum was hers but, after an exacting semi-final win over Gauff, did she have the physical and emotional reserves to capitalise?

“I think I started really slow,” Muchova reflected. “On the other hand, Linda started really strong, really good serving games. She played really fast. I was kind of looking for myself. It took a lot of power and strength out of me, I would say, to get back in that second set. I gave it my all. 

“The people were cheering on me; I felt it, I felt the support. I felt the momentum in the second set. It was definitely nice that it happened. It took, as I said, some strength out of me.”

As is so often the case in tennis, the opening game of the set was pivotal. Noskova had to stem the tide of games against her. Three break points for Muchova instead threatened to continue the surge. But Noskova held firm and, in the next game, some solid defending earned her a break. The tone was set; she would not be caught.

Noskova: ‘I think she would be proud’

Two years after her mother died on the eve of Wimbledon, Noskova’s victory was punctuated by a palpable sense of catharsis. No two people experience the anniversary of a parent’s death in the same way, but for most it is a time freighted with deep personal significance. So it appears to have been for the Czech, who revealed afterwards that her mother had been on her mind on the eve of the final. As a final service winner confirmed her triumph and she fell to the grass, her body heaving with emotion, those thoughts surfaced anew. 

“I had a moment yesterday night when I was thinking about her,” said Noskova. “Sadly, she passed away two years ago, at the beginning of the tournament. So just to be sitting here and looking at the title two years later, it was a big moment for me. But I think she would be proud. I think I made her happy today.”

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The words are Shakespeare’s, but the sentiment belonged firmly to Serena Williams on Tuesday night, at least from the perspective of an adoring Centre Court crowd. They were there to witness the second coming of a sporting legend and, hanging on her every move, they got what they came for.

Some may have feared that Williams, 44 years old and playing her first singles match since 2022, might suffer a mauling at the hands of Maya Joint, an opponent who was not even born when the American won the first half dozen of her 23 grand slam singles titles. They needn’t have worried; Serena Williams was unmistakably Serena Williams. 

The aura of old remained intact, and may even have been magnified by her lengthy absence. Her serve, once the most feared shot in the women’s game, was as silken as ever – and, once she had worked through the gears, barely less destructive in its force and accuracy. Williams can still crush a groundstroke with the best of them, certainly when the ball is in her wheelhouse, and neither has time diminished the mental intensity that made her the finest competitor of her generation. 

Whatever has been lost over the past four years – a period in which she has welcomed a second daughter into the world, devoted more time to her business interests and become a figurehead for the efficacy of GLP-1 weight-loss medications – Williams remains a formidable competitor.

How the second coming of Serena Williams gathered momentum

Understandably, it took time for her to rouse herself, to shake off the rust of competitive inertia. Yet the mentality of a champion is the last thing to go. Williams demonstrated as much when she stood within a point of a straight-sets defeat. Had she folded in that instant, had she failed to meet the moment with the spirit of old, few would have blamed her. She had produced a decent performance. She had kept things close and made a match of it.

But that is not the kind of thinking that wins you seven Wimbledon titles, and Williams’ refusal to go quietly offered an emphatic response to the myopic minority who questioned whether she was worthy of a place in the draw. 

As she threw down two big serves, the second an unreturnable 122mph delivery that brought up a set point of her own, it was hard to believe this was the same woman who only a few months ago posted a video of herself serving for the first time since February 2023. And as Williams won the next point, patiently outrallying Joint to level the match – who said she couldn’t run? – her reaction spoke of expectation rather than serendipity. There was no bellicose explosion of emotion, no roaring or histrionics. Instead, a silent raised fist acknowledged a job well done, while an impassive expression signalled that more work remained.

Criticism of Serena Williams’s return – and why it was misplaced

For some, though, all that mattered was her inability to complete the task. Williams’ 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3 defeat merely confirmed what these well-informed knew all along: that the sport has moved on in her absence. That the rank and file now wield just as much power as Williams from the baseline, and will no longer be intimidated by her game. That she has lost half a step, either struggling to get into the corners or failing to summon her former weight of shot once there. A few went even further. Williams’s decision to return to the competitive fray on one of the sport’s biggest stages without playing a warm-up event was an insult to the tournament, it was said; as such, she got what she deserved. So the arguments ran.

Such analysis vastly underplays the difficulty of competing on a grass court, let alone an indoor grass court. A closed roof locks in humidity, making a naturally slick surface even slippier. Players can compensate to some degree by getting lower to the court, but the quick starts and rapid changes of direction required at elite level inevitably become more challenging. Hard courts, however, are another matter. There, Williams would almost certainly be quicker. Only she knows where her journey will take her next but, should she choose to play at the US Open, there will be a sturdier basis on which to judge the quality of her movement.

Either way, it should be acknowledged that the law of diminishing returns kicks in mercilessly after 40. Some balls are simply no longer worth running for. It is hard for a player at any level to accept that reality, let alone one of WIlliams’s stature. Who wants to play the role of bystander as balls you would once have chased down with ease instead sail past? It is a blow to the ego, an unwanted reminder of your own mortality, both sporting and otherwise. And yet it is a necessary art, one where the skill lies in being selective, in shepherding your resources, in saving the greatest effort for the moments of greatest need. 

That is precisely what Williams did when presented with the opportunity to level the match, hanging tough to come out on the right side of a 13-stroke rally. Would moments like that would have been made simpler by playing a warm-up event? Undoubtedly. There is no substitute for match play, where adrenaline and nerves come into play, and physical commitment is at the maximum. But as Williams explained in her pre-tournament press briefing, she remained unsure about whether to accept a wildcard right up to the eve of the qualifying competition, a deadline beyond which the decision would have been taken out of her hands. 

Why Serena Williams deserved her place in the draw

She was permitted that luxury because she is a seven-time Wimbledon champion and one of the greatest players in tennis history. That status was earned, not conferred. To view her participation simply through the prism of the £80,000 cheque that might otherwise have gone to Katie Volynets, the American world No 101 who was next on the entry list, seems pedantic, reductive and self-righteous. 

It also ignores the restorative effect the victory might have for Joint, a fine young player who has been ranked as high as 28th but has struggled for form this year. Coming into the fortnight, the 20-year-old had lost all but one of her previous 13 matches. Now she has one of the most significant victories of her career, a result that will forever remain a personal reference point. Not everyone can say they have beaten Serena Williams at Wimbledon. How do you put a price on that?

As for the All England Club, commercial reality was always going to outweigh other considerations. Even in retirement, Williams remains one of the biggest names in world sport. Her comeback was one of the most significant stories of the year, generating huge buzz around the tournament. It would have been madness to deny her a wildcard. No doubt Volynets was disappointed to miss out, but the disappointment of millions of tennis fans worldwide would have been far greater had it been the other way around. 

As it is, the woman who evolved away from the sport four years ago has now revolved back. Not as a perfect recreation of her peak self – because that would be impossible – and seemingly with more humble objectives, if her insistence that she just wants to “have fun” and enjoy the sport from a new perspective is to be believed.

“I don’t need to win, I’ve won more than most people in their whole lives,” Williams said last month at Queen’s Club, where her doubles partnership with Victoria Mboko lasted just one match before the Canadian suffered an injury.

“That is not important to me, and it’s important I keep reminding myself of that. I don’t have anything to prove, I don’t have anything to lose. Everything here is to gain.”

It may be a while before we learn what Williams has gained so far, given that she did not speak to the media following her defeat. What we do know is that the interregnum is over. For how long, who knows? In many ways, the uncertainty is part of the fun.

Serena Williams may not be able to recall time past but, as her brief singles adventure in SW19 showed, she can still have plenty of impact on time present.

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Alcaraz has enjoyed a triumphant start to the summer, retaining his French Open title with an epic five-set win over Jannik Sinner before transitioning smoothly from Parisian clay to English grass to claim a second victory in three years at Queen’s Club. But a first-round meeting with Fabio Fognini was never likely to be a straightforward assignment, even allowing for the fact that the gifted Italian arrived at Wimbledon without a main-draw win at tour level this season, and Alcaraz was aware from the outset that it could be a challenging afternoon.

“I knew at the beginning it was going to be very difficult playing against Fabio,” said Alcaraz after claiming a 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 victory in blistering heat. “It doesn’t matter, his last year, his last tournaments, the talent that Fabio has is immense. In every match he can show his best tennis.” 

For four hours and 37 minutes, Fognini did just that, delving deep into the box of tricks that once earned him a place in the world’s top 10. He ran, he hustled, he harried. He flicked forehands to every corner of the court, often at full stretch and always with no discernible sign of effort. He knifed backhands loaded with slice and sidespin to Alcaraz’s forehand, forcing the Spaniard to pick the ball off his shoelaces. At one point he even turned southpaw, almost catching the champion off guard with a lunging left-handed forehand. 

Fognini is 38 now and he has indicated this will be his final season on tour. Wimbledon has never been the happiest of hunting grounds – this was his 15th visit and he has never been beyond round three – but what a swansong it was. So good, in fact, that the Italian said afterwards it might even have been the last match of his career. If so, he went out on a high.

That Alcaraz emerged unscathed was down to a combination of resilience, rapidly accumulated experience, and the sheer breadth of his options. He struggled with his serve, particularly early on, and made a whopping 62 unforced errors. But there are so many weapons in the Spaniard’s arsenal that even when one element of his game is misfiring – and at one point or another he stuttered in just about every area against Fognini – there is always something else to fall back on. Not least the extraordinary tenacity that also got him over the line against Sinner at Roland Garros earlier this month.

“I’m getting mature and I know how to deal with some situations,” said Alcaraz, who has been beaten just once in the 15 five-set matches he has contested so far in his career. “I always say that the champions always find a way. I really want to see myself in that [list] of champions. I really want to put myself like a champion that always finds a way to win. 

“I’ve been playing really, really tough matches the last year, the last year in this tournament. Just really proud that I always find a way. Today I did it, even though Fabio was playing great tennis. Just really proud to overcome the problem, to overcome the tough moments.”

Alcaraz’s epic win puts him in distinguished company. Roger Federer memorably fought back from two sets to love down against Alejandro Falla in 2010, while Pete Sampras held firm in the fifth set against Britain’s Barry Cowan in 2001. Going further back, Bjorn Borg pulled off several Houdini-like acts of escapology during his run of five straight titles, overcoming a two-set deficit against Mark Edmondson in 1977, recovering from two sets to one down against Victor Amaya the following year, and overturning a similar deficit against Vijay Amritraj in 1979. 

Even after winning two titles in SW19, Alcaraz has a way to go before matching that trio – between them, Federer, Sampras and Borg were crowned champions on no fewer than 19 occasions – but this will nonetheless go down as a worthy addition to the catalogue of great escapes. Amid all his achievements – five majors, seven Masters 1000 titles, youngest world No 1 in rankings history, the list goes on – it is easy to forget that the Spaniard is still a relative newcomer to the tournament. This year marks his fifth visit, and against Fognini he was opening the Centre Court programme as defending champion for only the second time. Understandably, there were nerves.

“It feels like it was the first time,” said Alcaraz, who has now won his past 19 matches. “It doesn’t matter, the winning streak that I have right now, that I’ve been playing great on grass, that I have been preparing really well the week before. Wimbledon is different. 

“I could feel today that I was really nervous at the beginning. Being the first match on Centre Court, it’s a huge privilege for me. Even though I played the first match last year, it feels [like] the first time. I just try to deal with the nerves the best way possible.”

Alcaraz can draw comfort from the knowledge that he is not alone. In weathering an early storm on the Centre Court grass, he has trodden a path familiar to many a past champion; few would be surprised if it led him to a third title.

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“Knowing that there is someone chasing me or I have a target on my back right now, I love it,” she said in Paris a few weeks ago. “I take it as a challenge. Every time I go out there, I feel like, OK, let’s go. Let’s see who is ready for the pressure moments.”

Such self-belief has been evident throughout Sabalenka’s reign at the top of the rankings. Since reclaiming top spot from Iga Swiatek last October, following an eight-week run at No 1 in late 2023, the 27-year-old has been a model of consistency, winning WTA 1000 titles in Miami and Madrid and reaching the finals of the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Stuttgart and Roland Garros. 

In the process, she has made a mockery of the notion that it is harder to hang on to top spot than to reach it. As Swiatek has struggled to hit the high notes with the regularity that kept her at No 1 for 125 weeks, Sabalenka has cemented her status. She goes into Wimbledon almost 4,000 ahead of second-placed Coco Gauff and, having reached the semi-finals in her past two appearances at the All England Club, a firm title favourite in the eyes of the oddsmakers.

But while Sabalenka’s setbacks have been few, they have been significant. Defeat to Madison Keys in Melbourne denied her a third straight Australian Open title, while an error-strewn loss to Gauff in Paris earlier this month leaves her still searching for a first grand slam title on a surface other than hard courts. 

Events in the French capital also laid bare the mental fault-lines in Sabalenka’s game. She has made good the damage caused by her ungracious remarks in the aftermath of that match, when she blamed defeat on the windy conditions, her own poor play and Gauff’s mishits, but the emotional volatility that sparked that outburst, a quality she has worked so hard to tame, cannot be solved simply with contrite remarks and social media snippets.     

“Usually after losing, I’m quite good,” said Sabalenka, who has apologised to Gauff publicly and privately, and last week performed a TikTok routine with the American after practising with her on Centre Court, apparently confirming the hatchet has been buried between the pair.

”I can accept losing, of course. I usually never struggle. It’s just this time it was super tough for me, I don’t know why. I wanted it badly and I just was upset that I couldn’t make it. This time, emotions took over me. 

“But on court, in the finals or semi-finals sometimes, I can get over-emotional and I would like to improve that, I would like to stay to the same mentality I have during the tournament. 

“I believe I get over-emotional at the last stages of the tournaments because I have this desire of winning. Sometimes it gets over me and I can lose control over my emotions. I would love to control that at the last stages of the tournament.”

It is a rare chink in the armour of a player whose withering power and growing variety seem tailor-made for Wimbledon, and it points to a deeper challenge for the Belarusian. For all Sabalenka’s insistence that she is comfortable with the external pressures that go with the No 1 ranking, the tiger within has been harder to tame. 

The weight of that burden was evident in her nervous start to the Australian Open final, and it surfaced again in Paris, where she became increasingly frustrated by her inability to capitalise on a blistering start. At a point in her career where even her closest rivals often struggle to touch her, Sabalenka may just be her own worst enemy.

The irony is glaringly apparent – even to the Belarusian, who has acknowledged the disparity between her on- and off-court persona. Always a bubbly presence when not in the heat of battle, Sabalenka arrived in SW19 fresh from a surprise defeat to former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in Berlin, but with a broad smile on her face. 

She has had plenty of fun since, including practices with Jannik Sinner, her male counterpart at the top of the rankings, and seven-time champion Novak Djokovic, who spent more than half an hour afterwards in deep conversation with her.

There was further merriment when Djokovic gatecrashed the final moments of Sabalenka’s  pre-tournament press conference.

“What do you think about hitting with me, how do you see my level?” she enquired jokingly.

“I think you have the potential, you’re a really talented player, you have nice strokes, good technique,” Djokovic replied without missing a beat. “Can I be honest? You’re lacking intensity on the court, you don’t have enough intensity. It’s too flat.”

The Serb’s irony occasioned much laughter, yet there was also truth in his jest. For all the comic mileage to be found in casting the impassioned Sabalenka as too laid back, there is a point at which  desire suffocates, where intensity spills over into something more destructive. Sabalenka has identified the problem; her ability to find a solution is likely to shape the outcome of her challenge for a first Wimbledon title.

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The nugget of wisdom bequeathed to Carlos Alcaraz by his grandfather, and tattooed in shorthand on his left wrist, has never felt more pertinent than it did on Sunday at Roland Garros, where the 22-year-old Spaniard saved three championship points against Jannik Sinner, the Italian world No 1, to win the longest French Open final in history.

Having divided the past six majors equally between them, the pair have already inherited the mantle of the Big Three. But their epic first meeting in a grand slam final brought vibrant confirmation that tennis has a life beyond Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, with Alcaraz recovering from two sets to love down for the first time in his career to prevail in a fifth-set tiebreak after five hours and 29 minutes of pure theatre. 

In staving off three match points, Alcaraz achieved a feat not seen in the men’s game since 1927, when Henri Cochet came within a point of defeat on six occasions before finally prevailing against fellow “French musketeer” Jean Borotra in five sets. 

That statistic alone is indicative of the historic nature of what was undoubtedly the greatest comeback in a grand slam final since the open era began in 1968. Djokovic saved two match points to deny Federer a 21st major at Wimbledon in 2019, but the most obvious point of comparison came in 2004, when Gastón Gaudio prevailed in an all-Argentine Roland Garros final, likewise saving a pair of championship points after dropping the first two sets against Guillermo Coria. 

That, though, was a nervous, cramp-ridden affair; this was tennis of an entirely different order. In the first French Open final to be decided by a final-set tiebreak, Alcaraz initially found Sinner every bit as impenetrable as the Italian’s previous 20 grand slam opponents. Yet the Spaniard somehow summoned the will and the level to force a decider in which Sinner displayed extraordinary reserves of physical and mental fortitude, defying cramp and then defying Alcaraz, who served for the title at 5-4, to take the contest down to the wire. 

Only at the death was Alcaraz finally able to pull clear, the defending champion riding the momentum from a jaw-dropping backhand pass in his final service game to produce a near-flawless exhibition of shot-making in the climactic tiebreak. A brilliant running forehand sealed a victory for the ages, 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (10-2), and sent rapturous observers scurrying for superlatives, with some even comparing the match to the 1980 and 2008 Wimbledon finals between, respectively, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe and Nadal-Federer.

“If people put our match in that table, it’s a huge honour for me,” said Alcaraz after sealing his fifth grand slam title. “I don’t know if it is at the same level as those matches because those matches are, you know, the history of tennis and the history of the sport. So I let people talk about it, if for them [the matches] are almost the same. 

“But for me, watching from outside or realising what that match is in the history of tennis, I don’t know if our match is in the same table as them. But [I’m] just happy to put our match and our names in the history of the grand slams, in the history of Roland Garros. I [leave] the discussion to the people.”

So what of that discussion? The drama of the denouement was undeniable, and both men produced some majestic tennis. For two sets, Sinner was almost unplayable; by the end, it was Alcaraz who was untouchable. Yet it should also be acknowledged that, until the latter stages, they rarely played their best tennis at the same time. As Sinner marched into a seemingly unassailable lead, suffocating Alcaraz with the quality of his serving and deep, central returns, which denied the Spaniard the angles on which he thrives, the heightened sense of anticipation surrounding the contest dwindled. 

Put it this way: had Sinner gone on to seal the title in four sets, the match would never have been mentioned in the same breath as Borg-McEnroe 1980 or Federer-Nadal 2008, both of which featured genre-defining fourth-set tiebreaks in which match points were saved and individual points forever seared in the memory. The equivalent shootout here was relatively devoid of jeopardy, two of Sinner’s three points coming early, and from unforced errors. 

Instead, the pivotal moments came when Sinner made three straight errors with Alcaraz serving at 3-5, 0-40. Duly emboldened, the Spaniard slammed down an ace, smoked a forehand down the line, and cupped a hand to his ear, drinking in the acclaim of a crowd desperate to see more. Alcaraz duly obliged, breaking with some scintillating all-court play, and from that moment on the fascination became whether he could finish what he had started, staging a repeat of his comeback from a similarly parlous position against Sinner at the 2022 US Open.

So while the score might have evoked memories of those classic Wimbledon finals, the context was as different as the surface and the protagonists; a new match, for a new generation. And perhaps that is as it should be: not every chapter in the sport’s evolution has to echo the previous one, as Sinner pointed out.

“I think every rivalry is different, no?” Sinner said of the contest’s place in the pantheon. “Back in the days, they played a little bit different tennis. Now, you know, the ball is going fast. It’s very physical. It’s slightly different from my point of view, you cannot compare.”

Everyone will have their own opinion, of course, and many of the sport’s luminaries were in no doubt about what they were seeing. 

“They’re playing at a pace that’s not human,” enthused TV pundit and three-time French Open champion Mats Wilander. “Insane level,” Stan Wawrinka declared on social media. McEnroe even suggested both men would have been favourites against peak Nadal – proof, if nothing else, that the American analyst’s aptitude for going too far burns as bright as it did in his playing days. But Alcaraz probably had it about right when he remarked that, good as the match was, he’d seen better.

“To say it was one of the greatest finals in the history of the grand slams, it’s really high status,” he told TNT Sports. “I have to say that there have been better finals. I’m going to say one: Novak [Djokovic] against Rafa [Nadal], the final of the Australian Open [in 2012]. That level of final is pretty high. In history, there have been better finals I guess. But I’m just really happy to put my name into one of the best finals, the longest finals, here in Roland Garros.”  

Few could have guessed what was coming in the early stages. While Sinner was clinical, Alcaraz seemed to be all out of the stardust he normally sprinkles on these occasions. Even when he won the third set it felt more like a gesture of defiance, a minor skirmish won, than the start of a more wholesale turnaround. 

While Alcaraz’s spirit was admirable, it was still difficult to imagine Sinner letting the match slip. The Italian’s serve dipped markedly in that middle set – he won just 44% of points behind his first delivery, compared with 70% for the match as a whole – and the likelihood remained that he would find a solution.

True, the flashes of brilliance from Alcaraz’s racket were becoming more frequent. But the defending champion was still overpressing, trying to force the play rather than construct points with an endgame in mind. A case in point came at the start of the third, when a searing crosscourt forehand fell narrowly wide, costing him a break. Alcaraz gestured frustratedly to his box, evidently mystified by the imprecision of his baseline bombs. 

By the latter stages of the decider, however, the Spaniard was beginning to hit his targets with ominous frequency. There was a setback when he failed to serve out the match at 5-4, but that was mainly because Sinner threw the kitchen sink at him.

The Italian had never previously won a match spanning more than three hours and 50 minutes. Yet, despite showing signs of cramp early in the set, he came within two points of doing so with Alcaraz serving at 5-6, 15-30. It was an incredible effort, given this was just his second tournament after a three-month drug ban, but Alcaraz remained immovable.

Only Borg and Nadal have won five grand slam titles at a younger age, a timeline all the more remarkable for the fact that he reached that milestone at 22 years, one month and three days – exactly the same age Nadal was when he achieved the same feat. 

“I have to realise that I’ve done it, I think that’s the first step,” Alcaraz said of that unlikely conjunction. “The coincidence of winning my fifth grand slam at the same age as Rafa Nadal, I’m going to say that’s destiny, I guess. 

“It is a stat that I’m going to keep for me forever, winning the fifth grand slam at the same time as Rafa, my idol, my inspiration. It’s a huge honour, honestly. You know, hopefully it’s not going to stop like this.”

After the greatest comeback in living memory, that seems unlikely. Alcaraz showed the mental strength to keep fighting when all looked lost, the spirit to work his way back into contention, and the courage to play his best tennis when the need was greatest. Head, heart, cojones: just like his grandfather always told him.

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Yet the 38-year-old Serbian arrived at Roland Garros, where a fourth title would finally pull him clear of Margaret Court as the most successful player in history, as something of an enigma. 

On the one hand, until a few days ago Djokovic had not won a tour-level event since the 2023 ATP Finals. In recent months, he has exited tournaments in Qatar, Indian Wells, Monte Carlo and Madrid without winning a match. His ranking has slipped to sixth, while his coaching partnership with former rival Andy Murray, which the pair originally planned to continue through the French Open, recently came to an abrupt conclusion. 

But just as the impression of a great champion on the wane was hardening, Djokovic’s victory at last weekend’s Geneva Open changed the parameters. With four restorative wins behind him – not to mention the 100th title of his career – Djokovic could look forward to his Paris opener against Mackenzie McDonald with his confidence replenished. 

His participation in Rafael Nadal’s retirement ceremony on Sunday, when he appeared alongside Roger Federer and Murray, will doubtless have offered a further ego boost, a timely reminder of his place in the sport’s history, while a return to Court Philippe Chatrier, the scene of his extraordinary Olympic triumph over Carlos Alcaraz last summer, will only have intensified the feelgood factor.

The question was, which Djokovic would we see? The guy who has spent much of the year struggling to string two wins together, or the one who said all along that the French Open was the be-all-and-end-all of his clay-court campaign? For once, there was something strangely unknowable about this most familiar of champions. 

Perhaps the prevailing sense of uncertainty weighed on the 98th-ranked McDonald. The gifted 30-year-old memorably defeated an injury-stricken Nadal at the 2023 Australian Open, but never looked remotely capable of staging a similar performance here, particularly once Djokovic successfully lobbied officials to get the roof closed after just five games. 

It took a few minutes of remonstration from Djokovic – and a few more for the giant retractable canopy to snap into place – but, the moment it did, McDonald’s challenge was effectively extinguished. While the conditions remained slow and the balls heavy, once Djokovic no longer had to contend with the wind, his movement, variety of shot and technical excellence became unanswerable. 

“He makes it seem like a video game, almost, for him,” said McDonald. “He’s able to do so much. I don’t even think he was playing his best tennis or his highest level. But if I pushed him to a different point, he would bring it.”

All of which, no doubt, would have been music to the former champion’s ears at the business end of a torrid spring. But was the roof closure a case of star power carrying the day, given that play continued without interruption on the outside courts? Not a bit of it, insisted Djokovic following his 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win. 

“I was just asking if and when they were going to make a decision to close the roof and how long we were going to play under that rain,” said the Serb. “It was quite pouring rain out there on the court, because it was affecting the court as well, the court became quite damp and [there were] a lot of bad bounces.

“At one point, the supervisor told me, ‘They’re playing everywhere on the outside courts in the same conditions.’ I said: ‘Yeah, but we are on a court with a roof, so why do you have the roof? What’s the point?’ In the end, they closed the roof, and I think it was better for everyone.”

Djokovic also shed further light on the thinking behind his decision to skip the Italian Open, which he has won six times, and where the courts most closely resemble those at Roland Garros, in favour of taking a wildcard for Geneva, a 250 event where he inevitably encountered a relatively modest level of opposition.

“It was a decision to play Madrid instead of Rome this year,” said Djokovic. “This year I wanted to play Madrid, I haven’t played in a while. I felt like I just didn’t want to play both, as I played Monte Carlo shortly after Miami.

“Geneva was not in the plans, it was not in the schedule. But I was talking with my team and decided to have that, because I didn’t have any – practically, only two – matches on clay. 

“I’m the type of player that is required to play a bit more in order to find the right game for clay. It doesn’t come as natural to me as maybe for some other guys. I rarely started really well on clay, if you analyse all of my seasons in my career. So it takes a little bit of time for me to get accustomed with the surface and movement and striking the ball. 

“I think it was a good move to go to Geneva, to be honest, because I was also struggling a little bit with my confidence level and doubting my game a bit. So it was good that I got four matches under my belt, won a title. Coming into Roland Garros, it feels different compared to the feeling I had three weeks ago. Let’s see how far I can go here, but I have a good feeling for now.”     

Already, Djokovic is beginning to look and sound more like his old self; whether he can ride those positive feelings to the business end of the fortnight remains to be seen.

The post Novak Djokovic: a riddle wrapped in a French Open mystery appeared first on Love Game Tennis.

And perhaps that was fitting, for the 31-year-old Frenchwoman, who announced at the weekend that she intends to retire this autumn, has known her share of heartbreak at Roland Garros down the years.

Like any player from a grand slam nation, winning on home soil was always Garcia’s most cherished ambition, but a quarter-final run in 2017 will forever remain an outlier now. 

She had failed to advance beyond the second round on all but three of her previous 15 visits to Paris and, as she waited in the Court Suzanne Lenglen tunnel before facing Bernarda Pera of the United States, the emotions swirling inside were palpable in her dewy-eyed demeanour. 

There were near-identical scenes 90 minutes later, by which time a 6-4, 6-4 defeat had brought the curtain down on her French Open career. Yet Garcia has become accustomed to dealing with such emotions since deciding to bid farewell to a sport that, she said in a social media announcement, had brought extremes of love and hate, happiness and anger.

“Since the start of the year, I knew it would be my last season and my last Roland Garros,” Garcia told the crowd, battling to retain her composure. “I hesitated for a while before telling you, because I didn’t know if I’d be able to deal with my emotions.

“I have to admit that I’ve been crying since the start of the week. But I always played with my emotions – the good ones, the bad ones – and often, the stress and the wish to do things too perfectly stopped me, especially here, in Roland Garros.”

Often, but not always. While capable of losing to players with a fraction of her ability on her off days, at her best Garcia was one of the finest exponents of first-strike tennis in the sport, a player whose all-court ability and natural athleticism made her a match for anyone. The challenge, always, lay in casting aside self-doubt, in ignoring the observers who insisted she should rein in her high-risk, high-reward style.   

Those voices were never louder or more plentiful than at Roland Garros, and it is perhaps unsurprising that Garcia’s finest singles run at a major came not on the Parisian clay, but in the concrete jungle of New York, where she was a semi-finalist in 2022. Garcia would go on to win the WTA Finals that year, equalling a career-best ranking of fourth, but a combination of injuries, faltering form and the sheer grind of life on tour, which diminished her joy for the game, made further progress elusive.

Whatever pain Garcia felt in playing her last singles match at Porte d’Auteuil, it will be as nothing compared to the physical pain she has endured. Earlier this year, she revealed in an emotionally charged social media post how a chronic shoulder injury had left her reliant on anti-inflammatory medications, corticosteroid injections and plasma treatments. She questioned the “mindset that athletes are conditioned into from a young age” that “playing injured is somehow honourable or necessary”, and wondered whether “the victories glorified by society” were really worth the physical toll.

“Is it truly worth pushing our bodies to such extremes?” wrote Garcia. “Is enduring chronic pain in your 40s – an outcome of years spent pushing athletic limits – something to be celebrated, or have we collectively taken sports too far?”

Those questions will have felt all the more urgent against the backdrop of happiness in her personal life. Last summer, Garcia announced her engagement to Borja Duran, a former associate professor at the University of Barcelona with whom she co-founded the Tennis Insider Club podcast. Always an involved presence at Garcia’s matches, Duran will have felt her pre-match show of emotion as keenly as anyone.

Once the racket was in her hand, though, a smile broke across Garcia’s features, one that broadened as sections of the crowd greeted each ball she struck in the warm-up with a cheer. The arena was sparsely populated at that point, most spectators having gone to stretch their legs after watching Carlos Alcaraz open his title defence with a straight-sets victory over the Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieiri, but it was a taste of what lay ahead.

Spare a thought for Pera in all this. With just four wins all season, she could have wished for an easier first-round assignment than Garcia, a player of such abundant gifts that Andy Murray once tipped her as a future world No 1. Yet the 30-year-old Croatian-American went into the match with just one loss from their four previous meetings, and she made the most of that psychological edge.

When Garcia drilled a sumptuous inside-out forehand for a winner to hold in the sixth game, before fashioning her second break point of the afternoon, it seemed the locals were in for a good afternoon. But as chants of “Caro! Caro!” rained down from the stands, Pera refused to be intimidated. On an afternoon when her stinging southpaw serve would prove the bedrock of her game, she staved off the danger to hold, then went firmly on the attack, firing returns from inside the baseline, crushing approach shots and dispatching overheads with calm authority. 

In the ninth game, Pera’s enterprise was rewarded with a brea,k and from there she rode her momentum to serve out the first set and secure an early break in the second. 

Her task was made easier by some understandably sluggish movement from Garcia, who was playing her first match since mid-March and struggled at times to get in and out of the corners with her trademark agility. Still, no amount of pain was going to come between the Frenchwoman and a final crack at her home slam, and what she lacked in explosiveness she did her best to compensate for with her hand skills and anticipation.

Those qualities were never more apparent than when a venomous service return forced Garcia deep into her forehand corner early in the second set. With the ball almost behind her, Garcia somehow improvised a brilliant drop shot, loaded with backspin, then scrambled across the baseline to prod home a lobbed backhand winner with her opponent stranded at the net. That drew a broad grin from Garcia, but it was only her second point in 16, a bleak indication of the direction of travel. 

A pair of unforced errors made it four straight games for Pera and, as mistakes continued to flow from Garcia’s racket, four quickly became six. Roused by the locals at the next changeover, the former world No 4 clawed back one of the breaks with a delicious blend of power and finesse, but Pera’s lead would prove unassailable. 

“It was such an emotional match, even when we were back there [in the tunnel] I started crying,” said Pera. “Caroline is one of the nicest people on tour, and I’m honoured to get to know you and spend time with you and share the court with you.”

The reality remains that, even with her finest tennis of the day, Garcia could do no more than bring respectability to the scoreline – a reminder, if one were needed, of why she has decided to call it a day.

“I tried to give my best here,” said Garcia, handed the stage afterwards by on-court interviewer Alizé Cornet. 

“I always dreamt of winning the trophy. Unfortunately, I will never achieve that goal. But all those great, positive moments, and the difficult moments shared with the French public will stay with me forever.”

As Paris made plain, the feeling is mutual.

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