The Sincaraz Era Is Tennis Reborn

For years, many Grand Slam finals became, spontaneously, an event. When Rafael Nadal played Roger Federer, or Federer faced Novak Djokovic, or Djokovic took on Andy Murray, and the games stretched into sets, and sets into hours, and morning on the East Coast turned to afternoon, word would spread. Something was happening, something not to be missed—something precious because it was both rare and recognizable, not least because it kept happening. But then Federer retired, and Murray and Nadal acceded to the inevitable, and there was only Djokovic, chasing his own shadow. The sport, in the United States at least, became something smaller, more niche. But, on a Sunday in early June, tennis was happening again.