Tennis in the age of “The New Two” (who came up with this name? I don’t like it) is devoid of suspense. We created a machine god to predict the future and it said Jannik Sinner’s going to win the US Open unless Carlos Alcaraz beats him again (though it neglected to mention Sinner’s recent withdrawal). We remade Harry Potter and Wuthering Heights. It’s a boring time to be a fan of anything because everything has already happened.
It’s possible that Sincaraz will dominate tennis for another 20 years. We search for plausible alternatives and wince as they meet their fate in the Sinner woodchipper. Just stick your head in here. We promise it’s safe.
But Sinner turned 25 on August 16, which is 45 in tennis years. Time remains undefeated; if—no—when a usurper materializes, we want the satisfaction of having spotted him amid the pretenders.