On December 14, in the AS Awards Gala, tennis shined as much as it had during the 2021 course. Paula Badosa, one of the winners, uploaded a photo to social networks that day with Carlos Alcaraz placeholder image, another of the distinguished ones, with the following reference to his colleague: “More than a promise … I’d say it’s a reality right?”. Badosa knows what she’s talking about, because she was also a child prodigy, who at the age of 17 conquered the title of Junior Roland Garros. Paula then had a hard time confirming herself in the elite, she carried her backpack with excessive responsibility and went through anxiety problems. Now it is where it was projecting, among the best in the world. Alcaraz aspires to those same laurels, which can be seen in the example of Badosa, because she represents the two faces of the athlete.
Badosa and Alcaraz put a new face on a hopeful tennis season, which will soon open its next chapter in Australia. She conquered the Indian Wells WTA 1,000 and got into it Female Masters. He has knocked down several top-10 players with the freshness of his 18 years and has been crowned in the NextGen ATP Finals. The age of both pushes to think of greater successes for the future, in a future that presents the uncertainty of the recovery of Rafa Nadal. The champion of Spanish sports, who has just reappeared after a loss of more than four months, is 35 years old. He can still put up a fight on the circuit, and hopefully he gets back to the level that will catapult him to a new Grand Slam, but, whatever happens, the resounding evidence is that his sporting end is closer to each racket. Perhaps that is why the emergence of Paula and Carlos has so excited. And also the resurrection of Garbiñe Muguruza in her proclamation as a WTA teacher. A timely return and two timely appearances that remind us that Spain is a tennis country and champions.
