Centre Court will turn into the Colosseum on Wednesday when two contrasting Italian gladiators duel, staring at the prospect of Wimbledon sudden death.
Unleashed from one corner of the amphitheatre, the proud Roman, Matteo Berrettini, the imperial one who looks as if he’s stepped straight out of central casting at the Cinecitta studios.
And from the other emerges the slender man of the mountains, Jannik Sinner, all freckles and unruly red hair, who belies his boyish looks by deploying the most ferocious of weapons.
Forza! What a match! The former finalist and the world No.1.
They’ve met once before – in Toronto last year – and Berrettini was vanquished. It felt like the official changing of the guard amid the great Italian tennis boom.
“I was kind of like the first one of this generation, I used to be the young one, and now I’m the older one,” sighs Berrettini, just 28.
Yet he couldn’t be more excited about his all-conquering successor. He watched Sinner at last year’s Davis Cup final. “We were all looking at each other saying, is this guy real?
“Because he wasn’t missing. Hitting every ball full power. It was unbelievable.
“His secret is that he is really hungry for improvement. That’s his secret. And the humbleness he has about it. He’s just special.”
Yes, special, just like 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, who’ll be back on No.1 Court seeking revenge over Aleksandar Vukic, who defeated him back in 2020 at Roland-Garros qualifying.
Vukic, an affable Sydneysider, accepts young Carlitos was “just a child” at the time but he’s sure his victory, the only time an Australian has beaten Alcaraz, annoyed the Spaniard.
But could he repeat the dose and knock out the champion?
“Oh, definitely. Everyone’s beatable, everyone’s human,” said Vukic, asking us to imagine that, say, Alcaraz had had an argument with his girfriend on the eve of the match.
A nice idea … until it was revealed to Vukic that, er, Carlitos actually doesn’t have a girlfriend.
The disappointment of Andy Murray’s withdrawal from his final singles outing is still palpable, but the show must go on, with Emma Raducanu spearheading the domestic challenge when she tackles Belgian Elise Mertens on No.1 Court.
Raducanu dismissed her victory over Mexican lucky loser Renata Zarazua in her opener as “like watching the football last night … winning ugly is all that counts”. Which, to be fair, is a description that doesn’t spring as easily to mind about her tennis as it does about England’s slogs in Germany.
But it won’t necessarily be curtains for Mertens.
The world’s top doubles player is an accomplished battler. She was born two months prematurely, and her family swear her fighting spirit all stems from that moment.
Raducanu wasn’t the only Briton to enjoy success on the opening day, with world No.298 Sonay Kartal’s defeat of No.29 seed Sorana Cirstea a particular eye-opener. The 22-year-old from Brighton is now aiming to follow up with a second tour-level victory, over French world No.45 Clara Burel.
We are compelled by a vintage date between Stan Wawrinka, the oldest man in the competition at 39 years and 97 days, and Gael Monfils, a mere 37 years and 305 days.
At 77 years and 37 days, it will be the oldest combined age in a gentlemen’s singles match at Wimbledon since Rod Laver played Bob Howe in 1971, yet if that makes it sound the creakiest of sagas, the great French entertainer Monfils and this popular Swiss are like a couple of big bouncing kids, still enthusing about being driven by their love of the sport. It will be great.
As is the return of Naomi Osaka after five years. The day after reading “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” to baby girl Shai on her first birthday, mum will be back on Centre Court to play American Emma Navarro, with a third round berth in her sights for the first time since 2018.
A year ago, the Japanese reflects, she was “just trying to survive”, her head all a whirl after giving birth. Now she thinks returning to her day job is “fun and very stressful”. Er, no change there then.
Navarro, the daughter of a US billionaire business tycoon and who might just end up making a fortune herself out of this game after soaring to world No.17, has the potential to make it even more stressful.
And with Aryna Sabalenka and champion Marketa Vondrousova already out of the tournament after two days, opportunity knocks for the likes of Osaka, Navarro and Coco Gauff, who will recognise better than most the danger posed by a teenage star, in this case 19-year-old qualifier Anca Todoni.
