As a boy, Jannik Sinner was a champion skier. As he stood on Centre Court match point up against Carlos Alcaraz, perhaps some of the old skills kicked in. Skiing teaches balance, it teaches flexibility and endurance, but most of all it teaches faith. There is a moment in every slide, before friction kicks in, when the body is basically at the mercy of powder and physics. And the greatest skiers learn that this is the moment to hold your nerve. When it feels like you’re falling, keep falling. When it feels like the edge of disaster, keep going.
Three match points against Alcaraz; take two. You’ve lost your last five matches against this guy. He’s the double defending champion. The last time you played, a few short weeks ago, he came back from two sets and three match points down to win. It was one of the most dramatic comebacks ever seen in a grand slam final, and here we are again. Alcaraz saves the first match point. He saves the second. The noise level is rising to a climax. When it feels like you’re falling, keep falling.
