Excited by Rafa Nadal’s imprint, outraged by Vuelta sabotage

As it should be, the tennis player was the absolute protagonist, dressed in rigorous black instead of shorts and racket, but with the same aura and giving off the same feeling as in every point. The voice of Marc Maury marked his departure, like so many other times, with this “champion in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008…”. And from there, the emotional gratitude, first in French, then in Spanish, from Nadal who moved the staff with his words towards the tournament, his family, his coaches, the fans and tennis in general. “I don’t know where to start after playing twenty years on this court, winning, losing and being excited every time.” On the screen, the tears every time the Spanish anthem was played in his honor, the body-to-ground celebrations, his land, the raised fists, the hugs with his people.

The three pillars that made him what he is could not be missing: Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, friends and enemies with whom he grew up, improved and evolved. And forever, the precious detail that made everyone’s hearts shrink, including that of Nadal himself, who could not hide his tears when a tracker swept a small area next to the net to discover his indelible mark, and for eternity, on the Philippe Chatrier. Your Philippe Chatrier.

In March, the International Olympic Committee celebrated the arrival of Kirsty Coventry as president, the first woman to hold this position, where she succeeds Tomas Bach. The 41-year-old former Zimbabwean swimmer beat her six opponents in the elections in the first round. She was, on the track, the one who won the most sporting awards to her name, with five Olympic participations, two gold, four silver and one bronze; although the one with the least CV in terms of organizing major events, she has been very close to the athletes, president of the athletes’ commission from 2018 to 2021. Beyond her career, Coventry’s appointment represents a new step towards equality in the top ranks of sport, and an impetus for new candidacies.

Cycling experienced a violent and controversial Vuelta a España due to protests against the Israel team, the target of hundreds of demonstrators in favor of Palestine, and which provoked altercations of varying severity and cancellations of stages to avoid more serious evils. The first warning was the assaults on the road during the team time trial which caused the Israeli team to lose a few seconds. In the Bilbao stage, the stage was suspended, for public security reasons, three kilometers from the finish due to altercations at the finish line. From then on, protests intensified about the departures and the respective goals of each day. In Mos (Galicia), there was also an assault on the finish line and the stage was neutralized after eight kilometers. In Valladolid, the time trial route was shortened from 28 to 12 kilometers, and only through the city center, with police interventions but without incident. In Navacerrada, the sit-in on the road forced the peloton to cross the country. Madrid was not reached, the last stage in the Campo del Moro gardens was canceled because of the demonstrators.

Carlos Alcaraz played in an extraordinary, improbable and incredible moment, to the point that the tennis player himself still wonders how he was able to achieve it. With confidence, faith and courage, he was able to overcome three match points against Jannik Sinner and overturn a final that he eventually won to win his second Roland Garros. The Italian was superior during the first part of this magnificent duel at Philippe Chatrier, with two sets in favor, one against and 5-3 and 0-40 which put him one centimeter, one point, from the conquest of Paris. But he found himself facing an Alcaraz who believed more than him. This put the rival’s nerves to the test and worked a sort of miracle: a very crossed right; a return from Sinner who goes wide, and a good defense from below. From there, the Italian’s horizon darkened and it was brilliant for the Spaniard, who avoided a few more pitfalls to win his second Coupe des Mousquetaires.

It is the resurgence of the year, the return to the heavens after having spent several seasons at the bottom. Marc Marquez He leaves a perfect World Cup in 2025 and an image that symbolizes everything he suffered to become world champion again. After this accident in Jerez in 2020, which kept him in suspense with this broken humerus and which led him to an ordeal of operations, bad results, team changes to find motivation and try to be himself again.

Even if he was no longer that daring driver and stops were part of his DNA. So that. This 2025 was a mature pilot, experienced in a thousand battles and with a thousand scars, who rearranged the pieces of his puzzle to achieve major success. Superior in every circuit, crushing in every corner, crushing in every overtaking, Márquez achieved the best season of his life with eleven victories in 18 races; three second positions and one bronze. A total of 545 points to claim his place on the altars of MotoGP after four years of obscurity. The fracture of his right shoulder has reduced his fitness for 2026, but he will come back, as always, stronger.

Yu Zidi took to the water at the Singapore World Cup to revolutionize it. At the age of 12, he still had primary school classes with the elite group. But between the dunks and the history homework, a record for his country in the 200 styles to qualify for the World Cup event. There, more revolution, also involved in a certain debate, and some marks which reflect that the years are not in contradiction with talent. This has also revolutionized offices due to the age limit changing from time to time. Since Alzain Tareq swam at the age of 10 during the World Cup in Kazan, the minimum age has been imposed at 14, unless you obtain a so-called A grade, as Zidi did, and up to three times, to register for this World Cup. Better than McIntosh and Ledecky when they were 12, she placed fourth in the 200 individual medley, just six hundredths away from bronze.

Mirra Andreeva He saw something was wrong and decided to hurry up to win the match. His farewells were already sung out loud because the microphones were turned off. And elevators, and lights, and refrigerators, and kitchens, and cell phones. The power outage on April 28 turned the Caja Mágica black along with the entire country. Tunnels lit by cell phone flashlights, to which no messages reached; closed locker rooms and showers; a bit of chaos when tennis players could get to their hotels; confusion among supporters who found themselves without competitive tennis, even if they were still able to enjoy a few training sessions. A complicated, atypical and undoubtedly memorable day which will be part of the history of each player. “It’s also exciting. But it’s hard for the players because they will have to wait for their matches when it starts again. And I hope we can go out, because I wouldn’t want to sleep in the gym. Everything is very dark, but it’s also fun because everyone talks to everyone, the atmosphere is very friendly,” Andreeva commented about this unforgettable experience.