by Christos Zabounis

It is customary, at the English Grand Slam or Grand Slam tennis (Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open, Roland-Garros), the most important tennis tournaments on the planet that is, after the end of the finals to grant short interviews with the finalists. This year, on the courts of the suburbs of London, the microphone of the B.B.C. was held by Annabel Croft, the beautiful sports journalist, highly specialized in the sport. “Novak, I know this was not the result you wanted. But you played against a hot and talented player like Carlos Alcaraz,” were her first words, which caused the audience to laugh, as the word “hot” has a double meaning. Apart from the formalities that are usually heard about the technical details of the matches, I was particularly impressed by the congratulations that the Serbian champion gave not only to his opponent, but also to the training team and Alcaraz’s family, for the “wonderful job” they did. For his part, the 21-year-old Spanish champion praised the seven-time Wimbledon winner, calling him a “great champion” and adding, with rare modesty, that “I don’t consider myself a champion yet.” Listening to them, I sadly turned to statements by domestic players of popular sports, such as football or basketball. I would advise them to log on, every morning if possible to YouTube and take lessons in good manners by watching the fifteen minutes of Wimbledon interviews. After all, the value of the loser gives glory to the winner.