India, July 14 -- Several layers could be peeled to lay bare the significance of Jannik Sinner landing the biggest cherry of his four-fruit heavy Grand Slam basket. Quite simply, as his coach Darren Cahill put it, "he needed the win" on Sunday.

Not just because of what happened four Sundays ago, and how quickly Sinner overcame the trauma of Paris for the triumph in London. Or because Sinner finally made his presence felt in modern tennis' most riveting rivalry that had frozen towards a red-hot Carlos Alcaraz through their past five meetings.

But also because, and perhaps more crucially in the career path that would define the legacy of the Italian, it has established his rising prowess as an all-court champion.

Even before the 23-year-...