A medal is forever. It is true that every tennis player, without exception, will always have as their first dream the victory of a Slam or the chair of number 1 in the world. But then the Paris Games arrive and you see, in order: a living legend like Rafa Nadal who takes to the court at 20% of his condition and is still ready to push a battered physique beyond the limit in order to defend the colors of Spain one last time; the farewell to tennis of Sir Andy Murray, another who on that rectangle has left every drop of sweat possible and with a metal hip; and finally, the cannibal Djokovic, who was missing the Olympic gold to truly feel the strongest of all (stronger yes, but bigger?) and showed off a monstrous performance in order not to miss out on the medal that rhymes with history.

But above all, we of this peninsula, have admired the heart and talent of Lorenzo Musetti, who seems to have decided to become the champion he is destined to be. And then the triumph of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, our dream double that made the Mameli anthem resound on Philippe Chatrier 14 years after Francesca Schiavone’s feat.

And then you start to think that maybe for some, but not for everyone, the Olympics really do represent something special and unique in the history of an athlete, even if you play tennis and have to drain your physical and mental energy a few weeks before a Slam and without the reward of a few ATP or WTA points. “In 2008, Rafa had just won Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and was playing for first place with Federer,” the great coach Emilio Sanchez, at the time captain of the Spanish Davis Cup, confided in me. “I explained to him that a medal with Spain would take him away from his sport and transform him into a universal champion. He came to Beijing, won the gold and thanked me for that advice.”

Sara and Jasmine, the girls of Italy

In forty years, we will still be talking about Jasmine Paolini’s 2024. McEnroe’s record-breaking season is still far away (in 1984, the Yankee played 85 singles matches, losing only 3), but Jasmine is rewriting the history of our tennis. From January to today, she has already played 81 matches between singles and doubles, obtaining 62 successes. Finals in Paris and London, victory in a 1000, fifth place in the world and now the gold medal at the Five Rings. Always with that smile plastered on her face that balances an extraordinary will: “The fact of fighting is something that has been asked of me since my first coaches, but for me it is a fundamental requirement to leave the court happy – Jasmine herself told me in Rome, last May -. Losing or winning is very important, it makes the difference, but leaving the court with the doubt of not having given everything is perhaps worse than a defeat”.

Those not used to the devil’s sport will have noticed this in this Olympic adventure after the painful elimination in the third round of the singles draw by Schmiedlova. Two and a half hours of play that would have knocked anyone out. Jasmine took a shower, returned to the court alongside Sara and defeated the French Garcia-Parry in another battle of nerves that ended 10-8 in the tie-break of the third set.

Trained by one of the most knowledgeable coaches you can find in the five continents (Renzo Furlan), Jasmine now has the most beautiful and difficult task at the same time: to convince herself that, given the path she has already traveled, now nothing, absolutely nothing, is precluded to her.

At 37 years old, Sara Errani has already lived at least four lives. First she was the mascot of the Italian Fed Cup, when she looked up to the champions Schiavone, Pennetta and Vinci. Then she became the point of reference for everyone, with the finals at Roland Garros and in Rome, lost to Sharapova and Serena Williams. Here she is, always the protagonist, in a legendary doubles with Roberta Vinci, a duo capable of winning in New York, Paris, London and twice in Australia, even setting a world record. Then the abyss, the disqualification, the slow recovery and the prejudices. If anyone, in the tormented two-year period 2017-2018, had predicted Errani as Olympic champion at the 2024 Games, they would probably have declared them incapable of understanding and wanting. Instead, Sara has started again once again. Returning to minor tournaments, in remote places, and over the years she discovered an absolute truth: today there is no doubles player stronger than her on the circuit. She just had to find the ideal partner. Having found Jasmine, all that remained for fate to do was set the date and tournament of the feat. With the Olympic gold on the courts of Roland Garros, Sara has entered the club of those who have completed the Career Golden Slam. Need more?

After Djokovic and Alcaraz, there is Lorenzo the Magnificent

Lorenzo Musetti and everything he can produce on a tennis court are the reason why he loves this game. Last season between summer and fall he had collected six successes in four months, then, after the Wimbledon semifinal, a world opened up for him. A good campaign on hard courts and some exploits on indoor hard courts could take him all the way to the ATP Finals in Turin. And yet, Musetti put aside for a moment the dream of a lifetime (entering the top ten) and decided to play the Olympic tournament without giving up. From his debut against Monfils a few hours after getting off the plane that took him to Paris (he had played and narrowly lost the final in the ATP 250 in Umag), to the victories over Fritz and Zverev, the champion of Tokyo 2020: Lorenzo has painted a tennis that no longer exists, but that Simone Tartarini (thanks on behalf of all fans) has transmitted to him by supporting the qualities of an arm like few others around.

He even scared Djokovic, who was able to get into his head already the night before, when after the comfortable victory over Tsitsipas he had even doubted whether he could take to the field against the Italian the next day. From then on, including the final against Alcaraz, the revived Nole did not make any mistakes. For Musetti, the top three in the world are still a step ahead. Greater mental solidity is needed, a service that does not jam and the (rare) ability to raise the level in the decisive moments of the matches. But looking at the identity card of the top 50 players in the world and his growth in recent months, it is hard to believe that Muzzle It’s no exaggeration to be optimistic that he might be among those who will compete to win the Slams in the coming years.

The battle for bronze against the best Auger-Aliassime in two years is yet another proof of how much top-level tennis Lorenzo has. It’s a shame we couldn’t see him in doubles with Jannik Sinner, but that’s another story.