"When we started here, last Sunday afternoon, it was impossible to conceive of a final that didn't pit Carlos Alcaraz against Jannik Sinner every competition both have entered this year, one has won, and between them they've taken eight grand slam titles in a row, contesting the last three finals. They are wonderful, they are inevitable, and they are despite their affirming amity and meritorious menschlichkeit vicious, remorseless killers."
"But now we have our predictable final, we've not a clue how it'll shake out. On the one hand, Sinner is unbeaten in 30 indoor matches, having played just six tie-breaks and three deciders. Last year, he won this title without dropping a set, never losing more than four games in any one, while this term he's not even been broken, devastatingly competent in all aspects of the game."
"Alcaraz, though, is not subject to the same laws of physics and biology which govern the rest of us, able to bend nature to his will in a way that is almost suspicious. When he lost convincingly at Wimbledon, it seemed like a separation had taken place, but then in New York he delivered a performance of such emphatic superiority that it felt like he was taking the game beyond where Sinner can go."
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner contest the ATP Finals final after trading titles and capturing eight consecutive Grand Slam championships between them. Sinner is unbeaten in 30 indoor matches, has played only six tie-breaks and three deciders, won last year's title without dropping a set, and has not been broken this season. Alcaraz blends exceptional shotmaking and resilience; after a heavy Wimbledon defeat he produced an emphatic New York performance suggesting he can elevate the game beyond Sinner's reach. A victory for Alcaraz on this surface would be a louder statement than the trophy; a Sinner win would reaffirm his superiority under predictable conditions.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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