When Carlos Alcaraz is on his game, he’s all but invincible.

That has been something like an ironclad rule of men’s tennis the past few years. It was easy to see why during Sunday’s U.S. Open final, as Alcaraz dispatched his archrival, Jannik Sinner, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a match that wasn’t as close as the not-very-close score indicated. And while a fatigued-looking Sinner played far from his best tennis, it was difficult to imagine that even his A game could have surmounted this video-game version of Alcaraz, whose lethal mix of power and touch — a wonder to behold in person — made the No. 1 player in the world look lost. (Well, the previous world No. 1; with his second Open win, Alcaraz holds that crown now.)

The scary thing for Sinner, not to mention everyone else on tour, is that Video Game Alcaraz is now his most frequent manifestation. The sometimes-transcendent, sometimes-sloppy Alcaraz of old — he lost to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of this tournament last year — has increasingly given way to a more disciplined, consistent greatness. Alcaraz was in command at every juncture of every match he played all tournament long. The one contest where he didn’t play at his highest level throughout came against Novak Djokovic in the semifinals — and he beat the 24-time major champion in straight sets anyway. “I........

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