Carlos Alcaraz’s electric variety in US Open victory makes gifted Jannik Sinner rethink his game

No comet was predicted for Sept 7 but then Carlos Alcaraz arrived, a pink streak in maroon shoes who lit up New York on Sunday night. In full, grinning flight, his racket alternately a whip and a wand, he made us think of carnivals, rocket ships, racetracks and magic shows. When he plays, tennis glows.

Legend has it that the stick of an extraordinary Indian hockey player was broken in the 1930s to check for magnets. Alcaraz’s shoes should be checked for afterburners for he moved for 162 minutes with the acceleration of a fleeing pickpocket in a marketplace. In a sport of hands, he makes us gasp at his feet.