Now yes, this is Wimbledon

Russian or Belarusian representatives do not compete, excluded by the organization in a decision accompanied by controversy, because the decision separates the male number one, Daniil Medvedev, and a good handful of top-level players;

there are also no points at stake, in another show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people which, in turn, will cause more than significant changes in the

update on July 11;

for the first time, the traditional

, the break that was made on Sunday as a transition between the first and second week of the competition;

goodbye to those sweet sips of Robinsons, the soft drink that was linked to the tournament since 1935 –the second largest sponsorship after that of Slazenger balls, traveling companions since 1902–;

and even the long-awaited king, Roger Federer, is absent after having chained 22 appearances since 1999.

But still, Wimbledon is Wimbledon again.

Perhaps more Wimbledon than ever.

“There was a lot of desire, and even a need, for things to go back to the way they were before.

Last year's was a decaffeinated edition, a

”, says a club employee.

“I haven't been here for three years, and it's a shame because this is a special place.

It is always a pleasure to return, this is a particularly symbolic tournament”, says Dr. Ángel Ruiz Cotorro while observing the training session of Rafael Nadal, who had not been able to set foot in the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club since 2019 and who enjoys it again of the pleasant sensation of running around on the soft grass of the Aorangi Park facilities, the space reserved for the training of tennis players and where, once again, teams, family members, well-known faces parade, such as that of the Belgian Kim Klijsters –

, he congratulates him on the close fatherhood– and the journalists who cover the great Englishman.

More information

Three years later, Nadal against amnesia

"It's amazing, it looks like a [golf]

," describes Juanjo Moreno, the physiotherapist who closely supervises the chassis of Carlos Alcaraz from Murcia, who is hitting the ball on the track next to Nadal's.

, shouts the one from Manacor when he is polishing the backhand and one of the gusts that sneak in in the morning distort his hitting.

On the side, the professionals come and go, many of them stopping to observe the evolution of the Spaniard and wondering if he will be able to catch his third big of the season.

So does the father of Carlos Alcaraz, who does not lose a detail of his son but who from time to time looks the other way, as he bursts through the corridor that divides a legend that, like Wimbledon, is back and tries to recover its maximum expression.

Two fans rest in the Wimbledon camping area. HANNAH MCKAY (REUTERS)

After a year without being able to compete, Serena reappears in London.

The American has won the tournament seven times –one more than her sister Venus de ella–, although she has been resisting him since 2016. She is one last ordeal.

At 40 years old, she hurries her last bullets and the fan appreciates it, because the surname Williams rejoins the event and that always adds luster.

There is, of course, the great British icon, Andy Murray, who is also rushing the last throes of his career and wants to do well at home, where he triumphed twice (2013 and 2016).

She returns, he does not fail and

returns , surely the most characteristic element of that singularity that turns Wimbledon into another story.

In the field that is on the other side of the road, crossing Church Road, the parishioners who yearn to fish for a ticket entertain themselves with whatever it is, they form long queues and the color of the tents once again brightens up an esplanade that the two In recent years it had been a wasteland, empty and sad.

In 2020, the impact of covid led the organizers to cancel the tournament – ​​a decision supported by insurance that provided around 115 million euros, thus minimizing losses – and last year it forced it to adopt a series of measures that they transformed the original physiognomy of the format.

A centennial center

Masks, gels, a drastic reduction in capacity –200,000 fewer spectators compared to 2019– and numerous conditions when working for media representatives.

Now, however, there is physical contact with players and coaches again, telematic conferences have disappeared and in the press room the only trace of limitations are the methacrylate partitions that divide the tables.

Fans stroll through the streets of Wimbledon. Kirsty Wigglesworth (AP)

On the outskirts of the complex, the Wimbledon area where

, shops and commercial activity are concentrated has recovered its rhythm, and the Southfields tube station – the closest to access, a quarter of an hour's walk – It will become congested again at the end of the day with the trail of people that gathers after the program closes.

Of course, no nightlife in the SW19 district.

London still resists.

Unlike Melbourne, Paris or New York, the British

renounces taking a slice of the golf session

prioritizes the rest of the residents of the area, who these days mingle with the players and the players in the purchase of the supermarket.

Far from the coldness, the aseptic tone and the moderate profile of 2021, the great English tournament, which begins today -from 12:00, Spanish time, through Movistar Deportes and #Vamos-, recovers all its essence and celebrates the centenary of the majestic Center Court, where the Serbian Novak Djokovic will open (at 2:30 p.m.), unbeaten since 2018. "I am very happy to return to the place where I always dreamed of succeeding, since I was a child," says the Balkan, who by then rejoined his sport after a missed period.

Recognizable again after that victory against Kevin Anderson, Nole watches with satisfaction how the landscape of the old days is recovered.

Some things change, but the distinguished Wimbledon remains.

Now yes, Wimbledon is Wimbledon again.

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