Rubiales Scandal Overshadows Start of Last Grand Slam: A Pity for Spanish Sports

This week the last Grand Slam of the year begins, but in Spain all sports have moved to the second or third row at the media level with the Rubiales scandal. It is even regrettable that the important and meritorious victory of our players has been so unfairly overshadowed. It is a real pity that this has been the case. I suppose it is the result of the paths of the world in which we have had to live. We allow gossip to crowd out what’s really important.

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This week the last Grand Slam of the year begins, but in Spain all sports have moved to the second or third row at the media level with the Rubiales scandal. It is even regrettable that the important and meritorious victory of our players has been so unfairly overshadowed. It is a real pity that this has been the case. I suppose it is the result of the paths of the world in which we have had to live. We allow gossip to crowd out what’s really important.

A few days ago I read a post by Jano García in which he referred to the subject under the title of Battle of Macarras. In it he recounted the actions of various leaders. I am not particularly surprised that there are pimps. In such a plural and diverse society, all options are possible. What should surprise us, on the other hand, and worry us even more, is that they get the support of many of their fellow citizens and affiliates. Without a doubt, this speaks quite badly of us. Let’s hope that soon this news will no longer be current and we can focus on the players who should be the true protagonists of their respective sports. And, in our case, hopefully we can focus on the tournament in New York.

As usual in the tournaments in which both participate, Novak Djokovic and Carlos or Carlitos Alcaraz, as you prefer, are the two great and almost only favorites to win the final title. If it’s the Serb who wins the trophy, even if the ranking numbers don’t necessarily prove it, he will be the player of the year; if the victory falls to the Spanish side, elucidating supremacy will be more close and we will have to wait for the Masters at the end of the year in Turin to find out who has had the best season. The two arrive at a good time, although it is true that we have seen the Murcian somewhat more erratic than normal. His victory at Wimbledon and his final in Cincinnati endorse it.

As for the Serbian, what else can be said about him? At 36 years old and, despite being far from his best period, he continues to be intractable for the vast majority of players. His tight victory against Alcaraz in the Cincinnati final will give him extra confidence that, no wonder, he could take advantage of.

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It is true that there are other players that when the planets align can be dangerous for any opponent, but it is also true that this does not happen to them on enough occasions. And if these come against the Serb or the Spaniard, it is usually rarely enough to defeat them.

In the tournaments prior to the one in New York, where the players look for their best set-up to face the Grand Slam with certain guarantees and with certain confidence, the level offered by the best has been quite disappointing. Surprising has also been the general lack of consistency and regularity. Medvedev won the prestigious Masters 1000 in Rome in May, the prelude to the great Parisian, and instead of giving him confidence and encouragement to play a great Roland Garros, he was defeated in the first round in Paris with a game of little value and intensity, something totally inappropriate in a player placed in the second or third world position.

Something similar happened to Sinner at the beginning of the American tour. He was creditably victorious in Toronto and in the next one, Cincinnati, he was shockingly defeated at the first turn.

I don’t really understand what is the reason for these continuous level changes. I sense it. But, without a doubt, this reduces them many options against the two most solid players on the circuit. It is known that a competitor is reliable when he is able to maintain almost the same level of concentration, the same will and the same faith in victory on gray days as on those when the sun shines. There is no doubt that this is what the vast majority of current players suffer from the most and the cause of their uneven performance.

You always have to leave a more or less wide range of possibilities at the beginning of such a long tournament and of such magnitude. However, it is difficult not to point out, also, the prognosis that clearly favors the great Spanish player or the great Serbian player.

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2023-08-28 03:15:00
#Open #Opposition #Wanted #Tennis #Sports