So
much it lasted the struggle between our number one Andrea Gaudenzi and
the little Sweden, Norman, immature but solid back of the court competitor.
When clock was striking 540 play minutes the Italy/Sweden match was still
an uncertain prediction final, with the azure jockey maybe ready, after
a vehement chasing, to place the final rush. Indeed Gaudenzi, never subdued,
even in uncertain physical conditions, climbed back from the 0-4 in the
decisive match and he was ready to flick on the passing on the tie at
5. The decisive instant, the moment when probably the grand final was
decided, was just this. The abdomen inwards, the left hand on the right
shoulder, a very evident grimace of pain. Captain Bertolucci goes to meet
him, worried and surprised. The aching arm is the one recently operated
to remove a bony calcification and brought to functionality precipitously
just in sight of the challenge with Swedish. Few of the 13 thousands wilds
at the Forum real understand the drama; for Gaudenzi the match ends just
then. Italy 0 - Sweden 1.  The
first single vanishes for a hit below the belt of the blind goddess .
Still under shock for the end, the reporters run to the keyboard to digit
the chronicle. Few, the most experts, analyse pitiless clear the development
of the situation. “It's over. This final is already loose after the first
single “. 15, that is the number of the games totally collected by the
other azures in their corresponding matches after the Gaudenzi's forfeit.
Before Gaudenzi's agonistic anger, the medical bulletin about his conditions
and the failure of the rest of the team, there were in the foreground,
the day before the event, the polemics about awards. On one side the players,
on the other the Federation facing each other verbally with no holds barred
to claim their corresponding positions as regards to the economic incentive
in the case of an azure victory. A real “corn struggle “, went on for
days and days, benefiting no one by the image point of view. Granted that
truth is always in the middle, it is anyway to highlight as the matter
focus point was not this. The first final of Davis Cup disputed in our
country must have had another function at all but that of manifesting
their reciprocal incomprehension. The Italian tennis movement is since
ten of years on the brink of a very evident crisis, as it is witnessed
by the absence of first rate players of ours since more than twenty years.
The opportunity to gain once more the silver cup, the merit of boasting
the title of the world strongest nation, even if only theoretically, must
have involved, on our opinion, a greater care of details.There was the
possibility to take away to other temporarily swallowing up disciplines
(mainly football) a good number of boys, captured by the most classic
emulation spirit.  All
vanished, faded, managed at the sign of the soldo and the arrogance of
who commands. Both protagonists failed. Federation and tennis players,
unable to focus the efforts and the care of the public for the agonistic
event, so turning to be protagonists, mainly in the light of the final
result, of a comic as well as inopportune act of scuffles .  It
clashes moreover the contrast between two nations, finalists of the Milan
three-days. A compact Sweden, having already 6 cups in the showcase, gathering
round their boys, starting by the presence of very few managers following
them, ready to support the courageous chooses of captain Hageskog. And
a Italy, instead, with Bertolucci acting more as a lightning conductor
than a coach, and among other things, not yet ratified, being damned acting
as an intermediary searching an agreement point, mainly verbally,between
managers and players. Maybe it is for that the occasional foreign reporter
could not exempt himself from noticing the paradox; it seem that it were
us, after winning 6 Davis, who could allow ourselves the luxury to waste
this opportunity, managing it with such a waste of energy. |
Mensile di scienza medica e attualita` 