Legends come and go.
But men’s top-level tennis has seen Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray all hang their rackets up. Novak Djokovic won’t be that long before he does the same too.
There’s voids to fill and there’s that absolute Grand-Canyon sized opening. Thankfully, a new era is already well under way.
While he was fortunate to get there as a result of Grigor Dimitrov’s injury withdrawal, Jannik Sinner against Carlos Alcaraz was the final Wimbledon needed – especially after the previous day’s whitewash women’s showpiece.
Just 35 days earlier, Alcaraz produced the mother of all comebacks to beat the same player to win the French Open. But this time Sinner had his number.
While many will dispute the rights and wrongs of him even appearing at the All England Club, you can’t doubt the world no.1’s resilience and ability to bounce back from setbacks.
He even went a set down on Sunday and held his nerve to win three sets to one and claim a first Wimbledon title. Alcaraz was a two-time defending champion.
The pair are likely to dominate the game for the next five to 10 years and will create the type of rivalry that goes down in history. Tennis thrives on it.
It needed a new chapter to their story – this was Sinner’s first Grand Slam not on a hard surface.
There’s been plenty of drama to capture the public’s imagination but their graceful actions at the weekend, and prior to the final, will do no harm with fans falling in love with them individually and as a pair already known as ‘Sincaraz’.
Sinner will have much more work to do given his well-publicised drug test result issues but his actions after Dimitrov hurt himself showed a much better side.
Alcaraz’s response to his first setback for a while will only further endear him to an adoring public.
“It is always difficult to lose, but first of all I have to congratulate Jannik again,” said the Spaniard.
“It is a really well-deserved trophy. He has been playing great tennis and will continue to be a great rival.”
The Italian’s runner-up showing in France was most surprising given his seemingly ice-cold personality when it matters.
Yet he’s learned plenty from that final defeat – and said as much on Sunday.
“I had a very tough loss in Paris, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter how you win or lose – you just have to understand what you did wrong,” Sinner said during his on-court victory speech.
He did plenty right, with a bad elbow, at SW19 and rode his luck on the way to the battle for silverware. But once he got there, he got the job done.
Wimbledon is done for another year but next summer it’ll be back and you know this pair’s rivalry is likely to churn out a new chapter.
Some players just don’t work out at a football club.
Their ability, background, previous experience and expectations around their arrival matter for little sometimes and it’s certainly been the case with Matty Warburton at King’s Lynn Town.
The 33-year-old only arrived in February but his exit was announced at the weekend – one that was always exceptionally likely to happen given the manager who signed him, Adam Lakeland, is no longer the gaffer at The Walks.
You’d have thought a player who lists Yeovil, Northampton and Stockport among their former clubs would have been able to make an impact for the Linnets. But Warburton never really left much of a mark in the blue and gold. He only made seven starts and four substitute appearances during his time in West Norfolk.
There were flashes, sure, but nothing to write home about and it’s a move that just hasn’t been the right fit for whatever reason. It’s why a departure by “mutual consent” made sense in this instance with no club likely to pay a fee for his services. It’s better for Lynn to get him off their books because they don’t need compensating for his exit.
Boss James Rowe’s squad is really starting to take shape now and he’s had some training sessions and friendlies to start formulating his own opinion on the players at his disposal.
There’ll probably be a few more comings and goings before the big kick-off when the new National League North campaign gets under way on Saturday August 9 with a home match against AFC Telford United.
The social media reaction says it all.
Plenty of King’s Lynn Stars fans are not buying Ben Cook’s reasons behind not riding for the club at the moment while he competes abroad. Only he will know if the “extremely technical” tracks in the UK “don’t suit the current state” of his injury. The problem is, fans have been here before.
They’ve seen their riders not compete on our shores while they race in Poland. They often believe it’s either control from within that league or the financial incentives of racing in it – or both.
Even team boss Rob Lyon’s comments that “we understand Ben’s position and we all saw what happened at Birmingham” haven’t washed with many.
With different surfaces and shapes at tracks, perhaps Cook’s wrist can handle smooth circuits like Belle Vue and not the conditions at Birmingham where he withdrew mid-meeting?
It’s hard to know what the real story is but speedway doesn’t always help itself. Complicated rules, convenient call-offs and press releases with plenty of spin are meant to protect the integrity of clubs and the sport – but often do the opposite.
Scepticism remains rife because fans are used to seeing riders put the top European leagues first. They know Poland has set rules that harm the UK. So can you blame them for reacting in the way they have to this Cook news? Of course you can’t. It’s not a good look.
Hopefully he will honour his commitment to Lynn and the UK scene and feature before the season is out – there’s still time for a happy ending to this saga.
