D.uring its prime, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic formed that trinity that came to be called The Big Three. The fans attend the greatest rivalry in the history of sports because rarely -actually, never- they have coincided in depth and form three dominators of the same discipline at the highest possible level. They did it. Until the decline of Federer, it could be said that they ended in a technical draw, tournament up, tournament down.
For biological and sanitary reasons, the Big Three has broken down. Age caught up with Federer and he looked for a gentle downhill. Nadal has more seams than a bullfighter because of a game taken to the limit mentally and physically. You have chosen the most difficult path: retire to return. Just hold on, with a year less than Rafa, Djokovic.
Nole is an almost perfect winning machine. When all three were seen to be in the Grand Slam winning run, he started with a significant title disadvantage. He has been climbing in the ranking and winning with the persistence of a hammer, rising even from painful defeats. inflicted by Nadal himself, without going any further.
Until yesterday. Djokovic has a clear path and plenty of tennis to continue commanding. Although it hurts us, he is the one who has the best chance of winning the Great Race. But it should be stressed that each victory of his will also make the other two greater. Something like what these guys have given us we will not see again in life.
THE DAM OF MADRID BREAKED
The club model of Real Madrid -and of Bara if they had had a head- has been acting as a containment dam against the club-states. Madrid, with its popular property and its internal resources, was stopping the monetary attacks of all British football based on victories.represented by Manchester City and its more than one hundred breaches of the financial code, and the PSG, a club that is an oil tower.
The dam broke with the Champions League won by City. Has it been the best team of the season? S. Is it one of the best teams in the world? Yes. Play nicely? S. Do you have one of the best coaches in history, with a major influence on football today? S. Do you play on equal financial terms with the rest? No. Is this an advantage? S. Does Guardiola’s football capital detract from its merits? Absolutely. We are facing a soccer giant but there are things that are as they are.
Or football protects itself with a reasonable governance ecosystem, that includes the economic section and good practices in other areas, or we will go to something else. It is not known if it is better or worse, but it is different and far from a sustainability that has meant that we have had a great time for more than a century. “I win because I have an oil rig” should not count..
