The Spaniard returned to the court after 139 days: “In my special place I feel like a tennis player again.” Nole out in the first round, vomits and suffers on the pitch. Among the Italians, Berrettini and Darderi win, today it’s Cobolli and Musetti’s turn
For the world of tennis, August 31, 2006 will not remain a day like any other. Just a few hours away on the fields of Flushing Meadows history has written two opposite chapters. It is the cruelty of sport and the inevitable clash of every champion with his identity card. While Carlos Alcaraz after 139 days out for the wrist injury he returned to the field and asphalted Safiullin making it clear that he did not come to New York to check his fitness but to win yet another Slam, Nole Djokovic on the threshold of 40 years he was defeated after five sets of enormous physical suffering by the young Navone. For the third time in his career he lost in the first round of a Slam tournament, but above all his match was a continuous suffering. “On the pitch I had terrible sensations, I’ve been carrying them around for months. I vomit and then my whole body starts to give in, with cramps and pain. I need to understand if it’s solvable…”. Djokovic is not one to give up easily, but the body’s signals must be listened to and the Serbian could decide to end his season here. On May 22nd next year Djokovic will reach the milestone of 40 years, he is the last hero left on the court of the Fantastic Three who have made tennis great in the last twenty years. But Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal they understood that the time had come to say enough, Nole still not. In his mind is the twenty-fifth Slam of his extraordinary career, but after New York it seems very far away. Perhaps unattainable.
Carlos found
The other side of the coin is the freshness of Carlos Alcarazwho is finding himself in New York. In the Big Apple at nineteen he revealed himself to the world, now he is aiming for success in the New York tournament to give meaning to a 2026 that saw him as a spectator in Paris and Wimbledon. Carlos is used to being the protagonist, especially in New York which is plastered with his posters, the man symbol of Nike with a particular look who winks at his fans from the skyscrapers of Times Square. “In my special place I feel like a tennis player again.” Five months without the Spaniard were definitely too long for the beauty of this sport and while we await the return of Jannik Sinner hoping that he arrives as soon as possible, we are preparing to say goodbye to the legend Djokovic. Not even Nole can beat time.
Next Berrettini and Darderi, today it’s the turn of Musetti and Cobolli
Yesterday was a positive day for Matteo Berrettini and Luciano Darderiwho beat Wawrinka (in three sets) and Wendelken (in four sets) in matches that ended well after midnight respectively. Today it’s the turn of Flavio Cobolli and Lorenzo Musettithe two Italians, given the absence of Jannik Sinner, are the spearheads of the Italian expedition. The Roman (finalist at Roland Garros) will face the Argentine Francisco Comesana, while the Carrarino will face the British Arthur Fery.
