Heartless gift

Sir — Having a pet involves taking a great deal of responsibility. The decision to keep a pet is thus not something to be taken lightly. This is why gifting people pets is not a great idea because it does not give them the chance to consider whether they are ready to take on the responsibility of another living being. It is bizarre, then, that the parents of a Vietnamese bride gifted her not one but 100 civet cats as a lavish wedding present. It is impossible for one person to take sufficient care of such a large number of animals outside of a sanctuary or a shelter. Besides, it is also heartless to treat animals as commodities that can be gifted with as little thought as a dinner set. This attitude needs to change.

Barsha Dey,
Calcutta

New stars

Sir — The Big Three of men’s tennis — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic — have now been replaced by new trailblazers like Carlos Alcaraz from Spain and Jannik Sinner from Italy (“Tennis in safe hands after ‘Big 3’ magic”, June 10). The French Open final was the first time Alcaraz and Sinner met in a Grand Slam final. It was an epic clash that lasted a record five hours and 29 minutes. The 22-year-old Alcaraz clinched his fifth Grand Slam title, equalling the tally of his childhood idol and compatriot, Nadal, at the same age. Although Sinner won the first two sets, Alcaraz had enough fuel in the tank to go the distance. Djokovic, himself the winner of 24 Grand Slams, once said that he saw in Alcaraz a mix of himself, Federer and Nadal. If that phenomenal compliment is true, Alcaraz will no doubt make giant strides in the world of tennis. The budding Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry is thrilling for tennis lovers.

Khokan Das,
Calcutta

Sir — The first two sets of the French Open final lasted more than two hours, setting the tone for the long but thrilling match that was to come. Jannik Sinner got complacent after winning the first two sets. But Alcaraz’s tenacity was impressive.

Nikhil C.K. Ramani,
Navi Mumbai

Sir — The era of Federer-Nadal-Djokovic is over. It is now time for the Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner-Holger Rune trio to shine. Other young players like Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, and Lorenzo Musetti are waiting in the wings. These players not only have speed and courage but can also mix baseline aggression and net play. Their stamina is boosted by advancements in medical science. This was clear in the semi-final of the French Open which Novak Djokovic lost to Sinner. The Association of Tennis Professionals Tour will surely bring many such young, dynamic players to the fore.

Gregory Fernandes,
Mumbai

Sir — It was wonderful to watch two of the brightest talents in world tennis today, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, push each other to the brink and beyond in the longest men’s singles final in French Open history. We witnessed swings in momentum, set-point drama, and many championship point saves. The two men displayed excellent camaraderie. Their performance confirmed the dawn of a new era in men’s tennis.

Ranganathan Sivakumar,
Chennai

Sir — Carlos Alcaraz rallied from being two sets down and saved three championship points to beat Jannik Sinner and win the French Open title for the second consecutive year. That is an extraordinary achievement.

Jayanta Datta,
Hooghly

Sir — The Spanish tennis player, Carlos Alcaraz, pulled off an incredible win against his rival, Jannik Sinner, to defend his French Open crown. Alcaraz must be lauded for saving three championship points from the edge of defeat to clinch an epic triumph. This marvellous feat etches his name alongside tennis legends, such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Björn Borg. He is the second man to win each of his first five Grand Slam finals and the third-youngest to claim five major singles titles. One looks forward to his performance at Wimbledon.

Aayman Anwar Ali,
Calcutta

Sir — Carlos Alcaraz should be congratulated for his remarkable comeback after being two sets down in the final of the French Open. The match lasted nearly six hours, a new world record in tennis history. I remember the historic Wimbledon final in 2008 between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal which also went on for nearly five hours before the latter prevailed over the former to lift his maiden Wimbledon trophy. Such matches are a real treat for tennis fans.

Vinay Mahadevan,
Calcutta

Crowd management

Sir — The Indian railways is to blame for the train accident near the Mumbra railway station. The accident was the result of overcrowding. New trains and railway routes are being launched across the country. But what of existing routes that are overburdened? Local trains are the lifelines of Mumbai. In an attempt to accommodate more commuters, the Western Railway decided to convert 49 suburban local train services from 12-coach trains to 15-car ones. But this is clearly not enough. The lives of passengers are at risk.

Sudhir G. Kangutkar,
Thane

Sir — Travelling on local trains in Mumbai is as risky as it is unavoidable. The recent tragedy, which killed four people and injured others, is a wake-up call. Introducing coaches with sliding doors, improving the ventilation inside coaches and crowd management on trains are urgently needed.

Kirti Wadhawan,
Kanpur

Sir — The prime minister is busy inaugurating new trains while overlooking the poor state of the existing infrastructure of the Indian railways.

Arun Gupta,
Calcutta