Another magnificent victory from Rafael Nadal in Paris was offset by the sense that the tennis clock has stopped. The hierarchy of the sport remains unchanging, an autocratic regime that ruthlessly suppresses all challengers.

Much mileage remains in the race to finish with the most majors, especially as Nadal has closed to within two of Roger Federer’s tally for the first time since he opened his account in 2005. The women’s game – where the draws are contrastingly open and unpredictable – can only envy this historic set of rivalries.

Even so, there cannot help but be a hint of longueurs about watching an event for the 12th time, however brilliant Nadal’s all-court game might have been on Sunday afternoon. While French TV’s viewing figures for the men’s final replicated 2018’s 3.3m, they have been steadily shrinking from around 5m in the early years of this decade.

Nadal is only part of the story. Novak Djokovic had won the three previous majors, while Federer will be among the favourites to lift a ninth Wimbledon title in just over a month’s time. The point is that the Big Three have dominated tennis – with a little help from Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka – for ten years and more.