And finally, tennis

It has been days, a month and a half if you rewind to the announcement that the start would be delayed for three weeks, with a lot of noise and little tennis.

In times of pandemic, the virus rules, and the prologue to this

Australian Open

that has already been carburated has been dotted with gels, masks, quarantines, positives, false positives, complaints, friction between the players themselves and a last minute alarm;

also of unusual scenes, with the professionals locked up between four walls for two weeks and of a grueling preview, match goes, match comes in the last five days, without the natural transition to everything big.

All haste and bobbin lace to square everything.

• COLUMN |

  'Envy and admiration for Australia', by TONI NADAL

• Nadal: "The sensations are not ideal"

However, despite all the ups and downs and the endless buzz - to some degree understandable, considering what it means to move a

circus

of 1,200 people from all over the world into this dark pandemic present - tennis is already here.

At last.

They follow Craig Tiley (the director of the tournament) and his team on alert, applying the five senses not to leave the slightest loose end, but again an atmosphere of competition is breathed.

Now, with

Papa Estado

- Australia has been exemplary in containing the covid - monitoring what happens to the last millimeter.

It remains to be seen how the bodies and instincts of tennis players respond at this point, who have prepared for the race and without adequate adaptation for a scenario as sinuous as that of Melbourne, where the same falls forty degrees that it rains heavily;

above all, those of the 72 who were detained without exception for 15 days.

The differences present an unsuspected and unbalanced scenario.

The bubble designed by the organization poses a class struggle, while some (those who completed the quarantine in Adelaide, the figures of both circuits) have enjoyed privileges that the rest (in Melbourne) have lacked.

In the same way, the grievances have spread equally among the bulk of the peloton, with distinctions - training shifts, material and even the surface of the rooms - among the players based on their

ranking

.

In any case, the entire racket family celebrates the celebration of a Grand Slam that has cost a world to move forward.

In these comes the tournament, loaded with attractions and with the only one but, at the poster level, of the absence of Roger Federer.

The Swiss does not attend, but

Rafael Nadal

(20

majors

, like the Swiss) and Novak Djokovic (17) do, then the great historic race of all time will live another chapter.

After equaling the record four months ago in Paris, the Mallorcan has a shot at being alone and, from a numerical point of view, ending the debate on who is the strongest while the Basel man pampers his right knee on the sofa at home .

Of course, the Balearic Islands are not completely fine either, affected by a last setback.

Ten days ago, his lower back began to ache and despite not having played any previous official game (yes an exhibition), he says that the problem has not yet been fully resolved and that he feels discomfort when serving.

“He had had a progressive preseason and things were going really well.

I got here very well, but then this happened and the good feelings turned into problems, "he explained this Sunday.

"It is not a serious problem, because I have done the pertinent tests, but I have not improved as much as I would like and the sensations are not ideal", he deepened.

Nadal will debut next morning against Serbian Laslo Djere (25 years old, 56th in the ATP), the same day that Garbiñe Muguruza, a finalist last year in Melbourne, will face his debut against the Russian Margarita Gasparyan (26 / 125th).

“Normally you don't compete the week before a Grand Slam, but I take away a lot of positive things from this week.

I will try to maintain this level and I will go game by game, I do not look any further ”, declared the Venezuelan-Hispanic after falling (7-6 (3) and 6-4) against number one, Ashleigh Barty, in the final of a preparatory tournament, the Yarra Classic Valley.

The champion of Roland Garros (2016) and Wimbledon (2017) is with spark and eager to regain status from the hand of Conchita Martínez.

In the indecipherable picture of women's tennis, she is on time.

Fortunately, he will be able to compete in Melbourne, what he has seen is not little.

THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AUSTRALIAN TOURNAMENT

This morning

the tournament started, which next night will offer the premieres of Nadal (Djere), Muguruza (Gaspayan) and Alcaraz (Van de Zandschulp) in the 1st round.

The historical struggle.

In the absence of Federer (20 majors), Nadal (20) can land another blow and Djokovic (17) smooth distances on his preferred terrain.

The Serbian, number one

, has won eight editions; seven of the last 10. Nadal is the only Spaniard (man or woman) who triumphed at the Melbourne event. It was in 2009.

The tournament record

is held by Australian Margaret Court, who conquered it 11 times.

Serena Williams

has seven titles and, with 23

majors

in her showcases, she aims to match Court's record (24). The last time he was successful in Melbourne was in 2017, the date of his last big success.

Statism versus alternation.

Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have taken 57 of the last 68 greats; In contrast, the women's circuit has had 10 new champions in the last 18 Grand Slams.