Now that tennis has returned to being the sport that everyone talks about, we must be careful to ensure that it does not become a social phenomenon, one of those where at the first defeat you find people ready to say that it is all a disappointment. It happened, after Sinner’s knockout against Alcaraz in the semi-final at Roland Garros, almost an online tragedy. Except that the Spaniard yesterday won his third Slam by beating Zverev in 5 sets 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 in 4 hours and 19 minutes, also overcoming a physical problem . And it also happened when the Errani-Paolini duo was defeated by Gauf-Siniakova in two sets, with the result that out of three finals in Paris we lost three. So, how bitter, isn’t it?
But no, precisely: from today we have the world number one (world number one!), and in any case also numbers that we have never had (in men’s tennis) or that we were no longer used to having (in tennis female). So much so that the question from the media, experts, even players in France, was always the same, every day: how did Italy manage to achieve results like this? «Maybe, how did you do it?». Well, the answer seems difficult but it isn’t: we made Italy. That is, that nation in which talent, sacrifice and collaboration exist, even if they are often obscured by those who prefer shortcuts to obstacles.
In short, the success of these days comes from afar, when in practice the federation, coaches and players all started fighting together. And the result remains an example, even when you lose as happened this weekend, especially if you lose in the final. Because as Sara Errani said yesterday «immediately afterwards it eats away at you, but after a couple of days we will realize how proud we should be of what we have done in recent days». For this reason, tennis players, as well as the many athletes who in these golden or almost golden days make sport bluer, are the symbol of what we can and must be. We need to talk little (especially on social media) and do a lot, as Jannik, Jasmine, Sara, Simone and Andrea have demonstrated in recent days and in recent times.
Because it is true that we ultimately emerged defeated from Roland Garros, but we won a future that awaits us. As Nadal said, “in tennis no ball is like the one that preceded it.” The next one will be even better.
