No one in the stadium believed a comeback was possible ... apart from him

It was a thrill and a privilege to witness the five-hour epic that will surely come to define the Spaniard's career

- Tumaini Carayol

It was not until what appeared to be the dying moments of the French Open final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz that I realised it could be worth taking a photo of such a monumental occasion. This was, after all, the first grand slam final between the two players who seemed set to lead men's tennis for many years to come.

For three hours and 43 minutes Sinner had dominated Alcaraz and he earned three championship points while leading 5-3 in set four. Just before the Italian's second championship point, I thrust up my phone and took a quick photo before my hand returned to my laptop, ready to file immediately an article that hailed his third consecutive major title and first triumph in Paris.

Instead, it would take another hour and 46 minutes for a winner to be decided on Court Philippe-Chatrier in June. What unfolded was one of the greatest comebacks and matches as Alcaraz returned from the abyss to produce an astounding 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) victory.

Even now, six months removed from that day, it is difficult to fully comprehend those events in Paris. For hours Alcaraz had been outhit and outplayed by his biggest rival and the then world No 1 in a major final. His dire unforced errors to fall 0-40 down at 3-5 in set four seemed to seal his fate. No one in the stadium believed a comeback was possible.