The Greatest Tennis Match Ever Played

Tennis on a court/Gladiators in an arena

Tennis has gone through it's ups and downs since it's glory days in the 1970's and 80's. The sport suffered a serious downturn in the early 2000's with dwindling attendance at ATP events, plummeting viewership and low public participation. With the arrival of Tiger Woods, the popularity of Golf boomed and so began the Cain and Abel story of Tennis and Golf. Golf flourished and tennis hung on by a thread, kept barely alive by Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. But in the last few years, particularly since the pandemic, the game has had a resurgence.

Bolstered by a crop of new young stars, a healthy presence on social media and the cultural cachet from artistic endeavours like the film Challengers, the game has found new footing. Today's French open final between the world Number 1, Jannick Sinner and the world number 2, Carlos Alcaraz secured that footing and hopefully garnered a new legion of fans.

Today, I was witness to what was arguably the greatest tennis match ever played. Over 5 hours of mental and physical warfare. The drama played out with wild momentum shifts, dopamine dumps and displays of pure heart with each man putting it all on the line. These gladiators were not fighting for the grand slam title, or the number 1 ranking....They were fighting for their lives.

It was a display of athleticism for the ages. The margin between them was razor thin and Alcaraz, despite facing triple championship point found a way to survive. This is what champions do. They find a way. Sinner who stayed in the fight right to the final set, faced his fate like a true competitor and champion. He will be back and he will win again. But he can rest assured that he was part of history today and despite the loss, can hold his head up high.

The through-line here is that tennis despite it's preppy WASPY lineage and it's reputation as a wussy sport - is fucking hard. At the highest levels, these are not country club athletes. These players have NBA/NFL/NHL level athleticism, endurance and mental fortitude. Today was a shining example for the casual tennis fan of that very fact.

If you watched the final and came away thinking anything other than these are two of the greatest athletes and competitors in sports, then you have lost the plot. This is a sport where there is no one to turn to other than yourself. No team-mate to lean on. There is no clock to run out. It's you vs your opponent but more importantly it is you versus you. And that is what life is about- it is You vs You.

So if you watched today's match, even as a casual fan, and you were intrigued, then pick up a racquet and start playing. You'll be challenged and you will have fun. But more importantly you will learn many things about yourself that you can only learn by facing an opponent with just the person in the mirror to rely on.