Spanish tennis sets the pace

Carlos Alcaraz, in the final of the Madrid Masters against Zverev.JAVIER SORIANO (AFP)

Not long ago, all was darkness.

Rafael Nadal's physique was a headache and the Balearic was supposed to have a short career once he reached thirty.

A golden age was fading and there was no glimpse of a succession of successors that could give continuity to the successes achieved since the beginning of this century.

Pessimism spread.

Tomorrow was unknown.

However, the Mallorcan is about to turn 36, he has a 24-carat replacement in Carlos Alcaraz and triumphs abound.

Fantastic harvest this season, with 11 trophies in the first five months of the course.

There is currently no tennis more dominant than Spanish.

The leaders of the federation (RFET) puff out their chests in the huddles and before their colleagues, happy with the good work of their players, whether you look at one side or the other.

Paula Badosa paved the way in Sydney and the others followed suit, boys and girls, successes of all colors.

The Catalan (24 years old) maintained the good line of last year in the Antipodes and later Nadal impressed, who returned immersed in a sea of ​​​​doubts and got up, as so many times.

She hinted at the

in the Melbourne tournament and then signed a monumental comeback in the Australian final.

With 21 grand in his pocket, the Spaniard took another bite in Acapulco and Albert Ramos (Córdoba, Argentina), Roberto Bautista (Doha) and Pedro Martínez (Santiago, Chile) jumped on the bandwagon.

Neither Alejandro Davidovich nor Pablo Carreño received an award, but their progression to the finals of Monte Carlo and Barcelona confirmed the effervescence of the Spanish tennis players, protagonists in both circuits.

Alcaraz, four laurels in Rio de Janeiro, Miami, Barcelona and Madrid, is the one that opens the way in the present.

Nadal does not get off the ATP podium and seven Spanish representatives appear in the

, up to 11 among the top 100;

only the United States, with 12, offers a higher record.

“Spanish tennis has always dominated, but now more than ever, with such a variety of ages and types of play, both men and women.

It is a very good time ”, values ​​Garbiñe Muguruza, tenth in the world.

At the moment, she is resisting the reward this season, but she closed the previous one with a historic achievement in Guadalajara (Mexico), where she won the Masters Cup.

"This is the pressure I've always dreamed of", explained the Catalan Paula Badosa, installed on the third step of the WTA

, upon her arrival in Madrid ;

She is one of the four members of the

along with Muguruza, Sara Sorribes from Valencia (quarter-finalist in the Caja Mágica, 37th) and Nuria Párrizas from Granada (51st).

Spain has more than 1,000 tennis clubs distributed throughout its territory and in recent years it has strengthened the base with the organization of tournaments that serve as a launch pad for promises in the transition to professionalism.

Alcaraz, without going any further, is the

of a project that continues to gain more and more prominence.

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