2023-05-07 09:00:02
BarcelonaIf we think about tennis, in the collective imagination of a large majority there is the image of a clean, neat sport, considered elitist for many. The dress code at Wimbledon, where all participants adhere to a strict image code; a white set, where the sun’s rays can be perfectly reflected, which safeguard a lawn that is cared for to the millimeter. That of the long battles, which last for hours and hours while the audience exercises their neck movements, abstracted by the harmonious movements of two rivals who, rather than fighting, seem to be part of a choreography. That of tennis players like Roger Federer, elegance in motion. But, as in all stories, there are also those bad boys. Those who go against thethe state in which. In tennis, they are the ones who lead continuous protests to the referees, confront the public or even break rackets.
At the Mutua Open in Madrid, which will end this weekend with Carlos Alcaraz in the final to try to revalidate the title, we have seen some examples. The Danish Holger Rune, no. 7 in the world, staged last Sunday in the third round of the tournament, against Malaga tennis player Alex Davidovich, one of the most famous episodes of the last few days. The 19-year-old took advantage of an argument Davidovich had with the umpire to erase the mark on the disputed ball, sparking public outrage. Rune later called it a misunderstanding and claimed he had nothing against the fans. But the damage was already done. He was not the only one who left the Mutua Open in Madrid amid whistles. Daniïl Medvédev, 3rd in the world, who already starred in controversies in 2021, has once again faced a public that turned against him after protesting the referee and throwing a ball into the stands. “The tennis public is getting very excited lately,” he noted after being eliminated.
There are players who feel comfortable amidst the chaos. They don’t care, what’s more, they can even get an extra performance point in such situations”
If we talk about bad boys in the men’s ATP circuit, who takes the palm is the Greek tennis player Nick Kyrgios. He is the player who generates the most animosity, both among his professional colleagues and among the public. Famous for breaking rackets and attitude with the umpires, he hides great tennis behind his bad boy mask. With Novack Djokovic, current no. 1 of the ATP, he has the direct duels in his favor (2-1), while whenever he plays against Rafa Nadal he puts him in trouble. “If I had coached Kyrgios, I would have won five Grand Slams!” confessed the Serbian tennis player.
However, they are very talented players who often play to the limits. Álex Corretja, extenist and current television commentator, recognizes these attitudes as mechanisms of help. “There are players who feel comfortable in the middle of chaos. They don’t care, they can even get an extra performance point in such situations.” In his case, they were moments that could harm him. “There are players who, like me, in moments like these don’t feel so comfortable, they take you out of the game to be in their habitat,” he explains. But Kyrgios, Rune or Medvédev have not been the first to do so. “At all stages there have been tennis players who liked the noise, who discussed balls that were fair and which generated controversy,” says Corretja.
Winner of seven Grand Slams, the American John McEnroe was one of the first rebel tennis players on the circuit. His way of living tennis contrasted with the orthodox attitude of his staunch rival, the Swede Bjon Borg, with whom he starred at Wimbledon in 1980 in the final of the tournament that many media called “the match of the century”. This dichotomy, the one staged on the court by McEnroe and Borg, one representative of subversion and the other of discipline, is inherent to the athlete, it goes further. It is a social trait that even a sport like tennis cannot avoid. There will always be those bad boys.
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