Wimbledon. "It's good for our sport": Alcaraz - Sinner, the modern-day final

The 38-year-old Serb, the last active player in the "Big Three," was knocked out on Friday in three sets and less than two hours by Sinner, one of his clones on the courts, but younger and more dashing. Alcaraz took almost an hour longer to brush aside the threat of Taylor Fritz ( ^5th ) and reach the sixth Grand Slam final of his young career, the third in a row on English grass.

The four major tournaments have become a private preserve for these young kings of the yellow ball: they have shared the last six titles equally, awaiting the seventh on Sunday. But Sinner doesn't want to hear about a new duopoly on the tennis planet. "We can't compare it to what the 'Big Three' did for more than fifteen years. Six Grand Slam tournaments is a year and a half, it's not at the same level yet."

The current head of the ATP Tour nevertheless acknowledges that his discipline needs to be excited about new duels: "I think it's good for our sport. The more rivalries we have, the better it will be because people want to see young players compete."

Alcaraz shares this view and sees himself taking over from his elders. "I hope we do a lot of things, or continue to do what we need to do for, I don't know, the next five or ten years, so that our rivalry is the same as those players'," he said on Friday.

"Carlitos" currently leads his confrontations with Sinner eight wins to four. The most recent, in early June, is still fresh in everyone's minds. The belligerents brought a breath of fresh air to the clay courts of Roland-Garros, lasting 5 hours 29 minutes and five sets, the longest final in the history of the Parisian tournament. The Spaniard, cornered, saved three match points in the third set before staging a heroic comeback. "It was the best match I've ever played. I'm not surprised he pushed me to my limits," rewinded the winner, who expects another battle on Sunday. "I just hope I don't spend another five and a half hours on the court," he smiled, before continuing: "If I have to, I'll do it."

The Murcian believes he has no psychological advantage over the Italian. And the latter claims to have digested the disappointment of Paris, with plenty of rest, barbecues and games of ping-pong with friends. "If it had stayed in my head, I wouldn't be in a position to play another final, I imagine," he said mischievously.

The world No. 1 will be playing in his fourth consecutive Grand Slam final, but he prefers to remember that it's his first on the hallowed turf of the All England Club, the better to pass the "favorite" label to his runner-up in the ATP rankings. "He's won here twice in a row, and he's back in the final again," Sinner listed. "It's really hard to beat him on grass, but I like these challenges."

"I think I give Carlos a slight edge," Novak Djokovic said, "because he has won two titles and given his current level of play and confidence."