This weekend, after 20 years, Rafael Nadal wouldn’t be competing for the French Open title. Novak Djokovic will be there, but in a way, he too isn’t in the competition to take the Cup home. At 38, he looks too jaded, too uninspired to win five-setters on clay against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the 20-something stars ready to conquer the world.
Generational shifts can take a toll on fans. It’s tempting to get wistful about the end of tennis’s golden age, entertain thoughts of staying aloof to the happenings at Roland Garros. It’s also a guilt-ridden ordeal to switch loyalties, root for the new stars when the old ones are still around. But like market analysts love to say during every churn — it is always wise to stay invested.
The new crowd-pullers, Alcaraz and Sinner are still works in progress but there is a bit of the Biggest 3 in the current Top 2. Watch Alcaraz, and Sinner carefully to stumble upon a few snatches of the incredible era that has just passed us. When the two face-off — like they did in the Italian Open this week and a repeat is expected this French Open — there is a whiff of those many iconic duels that divided the world that felt lucky to have lived in the Age of GOATs. Not full-length blockbusters to match the classics, but reels and shorts.
At Rome where Alcaraz won 7-6, 6-1, there were those fleeting moments that reminded of the cat & mouse hustle of Federer vs Nadal vs Djokovic match days. Alcaraz beating Sinner on his home ground wasn’t a match for ages. Historically, the Spaniard has the Italian’s number, he mostly gets the better of him. But it is not to say Sinner didn’t have a chance or that his straight sets loss didn’t have intrigue or promise of a riveting rivalry in the future. Not quite the teaser, it was more of a prequel before the French Open.