Sinner and Alcaraz, like their predecessors, have a neat way of dividing the tennis virtues between them. Alcaraz is the more emotional player, relying on feel and creativity, and finding it difficult to focus when his muse eludes him. Sinner is the more consistent and relentless performer, whether from point to point or week to week.

Yet even the ultra-focused Sinner admits this has been a challenging season, not only on account of the hip trouble that flared up during the spring, but also because of the shadow cast by his two failed doping tests in March.

He said in the wake of Sunday’s triumph: “It’s difficult to describe everything, because me and my team and the people who are close to me, they know what I’ve been through in the last months.

“Obviously it was very difficult for me to enjoy in certain moments. Also how I behaved or how I walked on the court in certain tournaments before, it was not the same as I used to be, so whoever knows me better, they know that something was wrong.

“But during this tournament, slowly I restarted to feel a little bit more how I am as a person. Doesn’t really matter how or what the result was. So this tournament, for sure, helped me a little.”

Sinner’s case was an unusual one, in that his lawyers reacted with such speed that he did not even serve a temporary suspension. Within a few days, the independent tribunal convened by the International Tennis Integrity Agency had reached a conclusion of “no fault or negligence”, accepting Sinner’s claim that he was accidentally contaminated during a massage.

But when the news finally emerged into the public domain, less than a week before the US Open, a number of players and former players – including Federer – questioned whether Sinner had received preferential treatment.

On Sunday evening, Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill spoke about his charge’s experiences on the ESPN tennis broadcast. “Today has been amazing considering what he has been through,” said Cahill. “It has been a journey, the last three weeks, for sure.

“It has been like carrying 20kg on his shoulders for the past four months. And then 40kg on his shoulder for the last three weeks. So for him to be able to do that and be able to perform … he was a set and a break down in his first match to Mackenzie McDonald. He was able to turn that around and day by day, build his confidence and feel a little bit lighter.”