Alcaraz and Sinner remind us why sport matters

Some call sport a waste of time, a frivolous pastime. I see it differently. Sport, especially tennis, offers something rare: a front-row seat to the full stretch of human potential, mind and body working as one, and a reminder that people from all walks of life can feel something together.

Alcaraz’s five-hour and twenty-nine minute battle with Sinner wasn’t just a game, it was a moment-by-moment demonstration of how much is possible when you stay present, stay curious, keep adapting when old approaches stop working, and keep prevailing even when it feels almost impossible. It was a playbook in how to navigate pressure, exhaustion, and the constant tug-of-war in the mind between “yes, I can do this” and “maybe, I can’t.” It was about living, and thriving, on the precipice of the unknown, and trusting something deeper will carry you through.

Across the world, we felt this together

In a world heavy with grief, conflict, and division, sport can act as a balm, a unifier, a reminder of our shared humanity, of what’s possible when people come together with passion and baring their hearts.

Across continents, across cultures, across generations, these two athletes gave us:

• Community – Millions of us feeling it together

• Excitement – Edge-of-your-seat tension in real-time, that no blockbuster movie or television series could match

• Bonding – Family, friends and strangers connected over screens, in living rooms, and in the stands

• Inspiration – To believe in our ability to break through what we once through were our limits

• The power of the unknown – A story being written in real-time, not knowing how it will end, and the thrill of crafting it

• Awe – Full-body goosebumps at witnessing something magical 

• Joy – That full-hearted feeling of being truly alive

For me, that joy showed up in the simplest way: a phone call with my brother first thing in the morning. We’d both stayed up through the night in Australia, watching from different homes, and I simply couldn’t wait to debrief. That’s what sport can do, it creates moments of awe worth sharing. Not just between athletes and spectators, but between siblings, friends, strangers across time zones. Across the world, how many others were doing the same?

Sport isn’t a waste of time, it’s a mirror...

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz embrace after their epic French Open men’s singles final. Courtesy of The Guardian, Photo: Stéphanie Lecocq/Reuters

Take home lessons:

• Don’t give up until there’s absolutely nothing more you can do.

• Believe in yourself, always, momentum will shift, be ready when it does.

• Take one step at a time: every step leads you to the final crescendo.

• Rivalry can be tough and still respectful; we can push each other and still care about one another.

When losing teaches more than winning

But sport doesn’t just teach us how to win. It teaches us how to lose, gracefully, painfully, and honestly. As Jannik Sinner said after the match: “Of course, difficult to accept now because I had lots of chances, but this is the good part of the sport.”

The harsh truth is, sometimes our best isn’t enough to get us the outcome we hoped for. But the deeper lesson is in continuing to show up, to reflect, to evolve. As Sinner put it: “If you watch only the sad part, you’re never going to come back, no? So we try to keep pushing.”

The harsh truth is, sometimes our best isn’t enough to get us the outcome we hoped for.

Sport isn’t a waste of time, it’s a mirror: It reflects our limits and challenges us to surpass them. It’s one of the few things left that collectively invites us to feel deeply (how many emotions did you cycle through watching that match?), bond with one another, connect globally, and viscerally reminds us of human capability. 

A kind of modern spirituality

For some, sport is a kind of spirituality, a place where hope is restored, present moment awareness is practiced, and emotional expression is welcomed. Just like meditation, it returns us to the now. Like faith, it reminds us that something greater is possible.

It reminds us we’re not alone, and sometimes, it gives us just the inspiration we need to keep going in our own lives. As Carlos Alcaraz said afterwards, “The match is not finished until he wins the last point.” That’s a mindset we can all take on board, not only in tennis, but in life. 

My reflective questions to you:

• How many moments of metaphorical death and rebirth do you think these players moved through in that one match?

• How many transitions did they traverse?

That is the terrain I work with, and sport reminds me, again and again, how much wisdom exists in the in-between spaces.

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This article is authored by Nicole Sultana, who holds a Post Graduate Degree in Spiritual Care, a Post Graduate Certificate in Business (Marketing), and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Sports & Exercise. In addition, she is a Certified Therapeutic Sound Practitioner and a Death Doula. Nicole is the founder of Sound Consciousness, a company that offers wellbeing strategies and therapeutic sound practices to help individuals achieve peak performance in their professional lives, sporting endeavours, relationships, and personal aspirations.

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