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"There have been long-held fears that this latest supposedly showpiece tournament, shoehorned into an already over-crowded calendar after a gruelling season, would struggle to capture the public imagination," he said.

Gjert had no background in athletics, but the former logistics manager poured himself into constructing a gruelling high-mileage programme to turn his seven children into a family band of elite middle-distance contenders.

Sinner, who was bidding for his maiden Roland Garros triumph, was denied his third successive major after a gruelling, gritty and glorious encounter.

The gruelling challenges took their toll, having "a massive detrimental effect on my mental health and my personal relationships", Cullen admits.

The pair continued to trade breaks before Raducanu reasserted her authority - with the 17th break of the match - to secure a gruelling victory after two hours and 44 minutes.