Sinner-Alcaraz, here is the new tennis saga. The first chapter in Acapulco in 2019: that “halfway” meeting of Sinneraz

A saga becomes such over time. Episode after episode, act after act. And the first of these acts often goes unnoticed, no one can imagine what will happen next. Think of cinema and great masterpieces such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the future And Mission Impossible, just to name a few. Time, based on the initial success, has contributed to sedimenting the myth, making these cults eternal. This also applies to sport. Certain challenges, certain dualisms, are not born as such but become so. This is why April 2, 2019 is only apparently a date that means very little for tennis lovers. In reality, a new saga was being born. Where? In Acapulco, Mexico. At a distance of 9,595 kilometers from Murcia and 10,180 from Bolzano. Yes, because the lands that gave birth to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are practically equidistant from their first racket crossing. They agreed to meet “halfway”. Or in any case they traveled the same route to write the first page of what, all things considered, was only the first page of a long story, started by young men (the Spaniard was 17 years old, the Italian 19). Carlitos overcame the thirty-second round of the South American Challenger, winning in three sets (6-2/3-6/6-3). Since then, the saga of Sinneraz has included seven other events (the total from Acapulco to Indian Wells is very balanced 4-4) with some notable peaks, such as the incredible quarter-finals of the last US Open, won by Alcaraz at the end of one of the best matches ever of the Stars and Stripes Slam (6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3). Today the scales will once again tip to one side or the other. And it will do so for a short time, probably, because the rackets of two like this are destined to cross again. It is again. And then again again. Sagas, in cinema as in sport, are made like this. You would never get tired of looking at them. All you have to do is sink your hand into a fairly large jar of popcorn and enjoy the show. “When is the next one?”