​History lessons: on the French Open 

The yearning for historical greatness is common among sports fans. Contemporary success and genius notwithstanding, there is often a tendency to hark back to the past and lament that present-day virtuosi are not a patch on the older ones. In tennis, this storyline was expected to unfold in the immediate aftermath of the ‘Big Three’ era as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal exited, and Novak Djokovic started displaying his waning powers. It is to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s credit that they have allowed none of this talk to surface. Sunday’s fascinating five-set French Open final was the latest piece of evidence as the Spaniard outlasted the World No. 1 over five hours and 29 minutes of intense, scintillating action. The victory brought Alcaraz his fifth Grand Slam trophy, and the World No. 2 became only the third man after Gustavo Kuerten and Nadal to defend titles at Roland-Garros this millennium. Alcaraz and Sinner have now swept the last six Majors and eight of the previous 11. They are firmly perched at the top of tennis’ current totem pole, and going by the 12th act of their engrossing play in Paris, there is little doubt that it is their rivalry that will prove era-defining for the men’s game.

Leading in, it was Sinner who had been more clinical, with the highlight being the ruthless dismantling of 24-time Major winner Djokovic in the semifinal. The 23-year-old had won 29 straight sets at Slams this year, and when he made it 31 by pocketing the first two against Alcaraz, a third straight Major — fourth overall — loomed. But Alcaraz, who came in after triumphs in Monte Carlo and Rome, found a higher gear when threatened — erasing three match points in the fourth set, breaking Sinner when the Italian was serving for the championship and overcoming his own disappointment of failing to serve it out in the fifth stanza to turn the tables fully. Saturday’s women’s final between No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Coco Gauff was as dramatic and capricious, but alternated between middling and glorious. In the end, it was Gauff who proved steadier, overcoming some treacherous conditions and her erratic opponent in two hours and 38 minutes. Sabalenka, in fact, was the favourite, having also ousted three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek en route. But her power-packed game crumbled in the face of Gauff’s restrained art as the American left her nursing consecutive defeats in Slam finals. For Gauff, 21, it was her second Major, and with a technique that is gradually improving, she is sure to rise further.