As remarkable an achievement as it is, Rafael Nadal’s 12th French Open triumph on Sunday also came with a sobering reminder. There remains a concerning lack of challenge to the ageing big three of Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at the sport’s biggest tournaments. It has led Boris Becker to issue a call to arms to the younger generation. The former world No 1 from Germany wowed Wimbledon in 1985 by becoming the youngest men’s singles champion at the age of 17, but there appears to be little to no chance of any teenagers following in his footsteps in the present day. It is even proving difficult for the twenty-somethings — the most recent to win a grand-slam tournament was Andy Murray, then 29, at…

Source: The Times June 10, 2019 23:01 UTC