Last week Carlos Alocén (Zaragoza, 2000) returned for the first time to Martín Carpena in Málaga, to the damned place that stopped the career of one of Spain's most promising point guards in its tracks almost two years ago. The joy of winning his first Copa del Rey (although he did not participate on the court) partly erased the ghosts of an action, a random penetration, defended by Alberto Díaz, with which he martyred himself for “weeks”. «Especially at the beginning I thought about the play a lot.. I watched the video, I paid attention to the details, how I supported my knee. The hardest moments were just after surgery, that's when the head works the most and in many ways for the worse.. As time passes you try to relativize, you work, you try to recover…. Now all that is more and more past,” he celebrates in conversation with EL MUNDO at the doors of another joy, another Rubicon crossed.. The Real Madrid player returns with the Spanish team and it will be “special”, because this Thursday (8:00 p.m., Teledeporte), against Latvia, he plays in his native Zaragoza.

He was out for 651 games after tearing the cruciate ligament in his left knee.. He returned last November. How are you now? Very good, honestly. Every day, every training session, every game, with a little more confidence. I don't know if like before. After so much time, I am different from the Alocén of two years ago. I have worked on many things. Of course I'm still that happy player from before, that's not going to change, because I've always loved basketball, playing and having fun. I would say that I am at 100%, but my 100% will change as the days and games go by and it will be better. I'm trying to reach that better version that I think will come with time. He says that the injury has made him different, in what? Not only as a player or in facets of the game, that too. I am different as a person. They change things about basketball or even professionals in terms of the sport that I didn't see before or didn't give as much importance to. Injury and time make you realize things. And then I am different in terms of maturity, mentality, in terms of taking things with perspective and giving importance to what is really important. The hardest thing was the relapses. Without a doubt, it was the worst. You make a plan in your head, more or less how the injury is going to go, how the recovery is going to be. But you talk to the physios and doctors and you see that you are not meeting the deadlines… I had to stop, take a step back. It's tough mentally and difficult to deal with. You spin your head, you think many things, you ask yourself more questions than normal. You want to feel good, keep moving forward and you see that the body is not with you. I have taken all of this as help.. Finally, I am happy with how I have handled it, with how I have matured. Why was the injury complicated? We know the causes. After a crossover operation there are some factors that you cannot control, that escape you. When it seemed to be going well, the knee began to swell. I didn't feel good, it bothered me. I didn't have the confidence to step, to be on the track. After training so much, after being 100% there every day, you see that you are not moving forward, that you are stagnant and you say 'what is happening here?'. But with work, with patience and with the help of many people we have made it happen.. And now I have very good feelings.

Did you ever think about throwing in the towel? No, that was never the case.. I have the factor that I am young. I hope I have many years left to live in basketball. Yes, there were tough moments mentally, but in all this time it never occurred to me to throw in the towel.. I feel physically and mentally strong, prepared for what is coming. And happy to be back on the courts. What or who did he rely on during those mentally difficult moments? He tried to distract me with other things outside of basketball, to help me stop thinking about things in my head.. With my Marketing studies, for example. I really like watching basketball, but during the injury it was difficult for me. You think you want to be there and you can't. What supported me the most was being with my family, with my friends, it was the moment of disconnection. They are people who are always there. Having Ricky Rubio back and close, who is also a point guard, who also had serious knee injuries, who was also a precocious talent… It is a joy for everyone. He looks great, happy and happy, and on the track the same as always.. I met him in preparation for the Tokyo Olympic Games, summer 2021. Beyond the things he does on the court, what we have seen from him for so many years, he is a pretty close guy, very nice. A leader. He has also had bad times due to injuries. He is a mentally strong guy, very tough. For me, sharing the court with him, defending each other, is lucky. When I was little I looked at him as a fan, as an idol and now I have him in front of me, I see those things up close and I can learn. In the middle of the injury, Real Madrid offered him one more year of contract. It made me very happy. We all knew, from the doctors, that he was not going to be there from the beginning of the season. I have been rejoining and time, for better or worse, puts everyone in their place. Now I am very focused. We'll see how my game and my confidence go, but I'm very happy to feel like a player again.

Max Verstappen met the expectations that the RB20 had raised during its presentation and dominated the first day of official testing in Bahrain, where he led both the time table (1:31.344) and the lap table (143). The three-time world champion gave his rivals no option throughout the eight hours of the day, while Fernando Alonso met the objectives set by Aston Martin, lapping more than anyone else during the morning session (77 laps).

Under the heat of the desert, with 35ºC from the first hour, the preseason started in Sakhir within premises very similar to those at the close of the last World Cup. The 10 teams mounted sensor grills on their cars in search of the first data and bathed their wings with paraffin for the relevant aerodynamic tests..

After the first half hour, Alonso stood out in the lead thanks to a lap (1:33.385) in which he lifted his foot at the end. Immediately, Verstappen took the lead from him, scratching three tenths, while Charles Leclerc made Ferrari's power felt (1:33.247). Mercedes, for its part, had to regret a problem in the hybrid system that kept George Russell inactive in the garage for two hours.

Ocon runway departure

With the C3 tires, Pirelli's softest compound, even Verstappen seemed to struggle with his car. The biggest scare would be Esteban Ocon, with a chilling exit from the track that fortunately did not cause him any damage.. As the clock advanced, the RB20 began to show its formidable stability in the long runs, with a marked dominance in the second sector, Shakir's most twisty.

Before the break, Alex Albon left his Williams stranded due to a breakdown in the fuel pump, the exception on a day marked by the reliability of the mechanics. Those accumulated kilometers were the best news for Aston Martin and Alonso, who in the afternoon gave way to Lance Stroll.

Ferrari also exchanged its drivers and Carlos Sainz was the first to hit the asphalt after lunch.. The Madrid native completed the job without major setbacks, with 69 laps (five more than Leclerc) and allowed himself a joy (1:32.584), which only made him give ground to Verstappen and Lando Norris, again the McLaren reference. Early in the morning, Oscar Piastri had barely been able to complete a few installation laps, the victim of some setback.

In any case, Adrian Newey's latest creation for Red Bull once again left the competition without a response. Not only because Verstappen used the soft compound to lead with just over a second over the rest (1:31.344), but also because of the race simulations with the hard rubber, where the Dutchman showed a terrifying regularity, always around 1: 36.3.

“After the winter break, the first laps always surprise you a little, but then you get back into the rhythm quickly. In general, the car has responded well and, considering that it was only a test, we had a good day,” said Mad Max, in statements distributed by his team.

Even far from the lead, Mercedes knew how to resolve Russell's incidents to consolidate itself as the other reference. The Y250 front wing designed by James Allison, a solution as spectacular as it is radical, attracted the attention of photographers as much as the RB20. Finally, Stroll polished Alonso's time, showing the potential of the AMR-24, with those side pontoons that so captivated the experts..

“Fernando was very happy”

“Everything went well and Fernando was very happy with how things turned out,” said Mike Krack, Aston Martin's main team, happy to have completed the work “even sooner than we thought and without problems.”. In fact, the record of the two-time world champion in four hours was only surpassed by Nico Hulkenberg, who completed 82 laps with the Haas, in search of that mileage that was so missing in 2023.

The second day of testing will be completed on Thursday, although with some new things behind the wheel. Among the most notable, Sergio Pérez will take the RB20 in the morning, while Lewis Hamilton will drive the W15 during the two sessions.

The figure of Amanda Gutiérrez (Barcelona, 1991) emerged on the night of the tense Oliva concentration as the voice of the Spanish soccer players before they took the floor, but the union she presides, Futpro, has had years of demands that exploded with Luis Rubiales' non-consensual kiss to Jenni Hermoso and #SeAcabó.

Does Spanish women's football continue in full catharsis? It has been months of destroying foundations to build again. It has been achieved, it is true, as a result of a very hard moment like the one experienced at the World Cup medal ceremony, but which served to show that we did not like the Federation that existed and that this had been the tip of the iceberg.. But there is still a lot to do. There are still coaches in their positions who do not treat female soccer players well, clubs that do not want to bet on women's soccer and unacceptable infrastructures. #SeAcabó has coincided with professionalization and the creation of the F League a year ago. Has progress been made? more in the rights of the players since August? Unfortunately, regarding the F League there has been no different treatment from before to after the World Cup. It has been exactly the same. It was quite revealing that before what happened at the World Cup trophy presentation we already had a case of a coach convicted by the Labor Inspection for harassing 68% of the squad and the president of League F never did anything. And after the World Cup, after everything that we soccer players were doing, they still didn't do it.. Regarding the collective agreement, what can I say. They have been teasing and trying to cut back on the rights of the footballers. Today and having won a World Cup, it is quite insulting and degrading. What will happen if there are no improvements? We are already seeing it. When you have all the talent in the country, world champions and Ballon d'Ors, but the league does not advance, we have a talent drain. And they go to competitions that are not better than ours, like the Mexican one, but they are investing. Added to that is the United States or England. The conclusion is that we have champions but not good opportunities in the first category. How is the relationship with the CSD and the RFEF in the mixed commission? It is a positive and, above all, constructive relationship. The CSD listens and takes note of everything that the footballers transmit, however, most of the things that are requested depend on the RFEF, which is being proactive but is in limbo with a limited management commission. What changes are left to make? ? Many of the people who participated in what happened in the World Cup are out, but there are still responsibilities to clear. Then there is the incorporation of Markel Zubizarreta, who was very well received by the footballers because one of the things we asked for was that the appointments be based on merit.. They have explained to us that they have a strategy and that they want to bet, always remembering that they are a manager. There is a woman who is already running for the presidency of the RFEF. Would female footballers like it? In a world where equality existed, it would not matter if it was a man or a woman as long as they were prepared for the position. But we are at a moment in history when it would be nice if, for the first time, there was a woman presiding. Now, I insist, above all it has to be a prepared and qualified person. For now there will be more presence of women and women's clubs in the next assembly, which until now was limited to six of 140 male assembly members Yes. We made amendments to the ministerial order that establishes the electoral regime so that it would not be forgotten that the League F clubs are also in LaLiga and we had to be careful not to give them a double vote. We asked that independent clubs be taken into account, to avoid the temptation to vote thinking more about the men's section. Regarding the number of assembly members, it is impossible for women to reach positions if this inequality exists in those forums.. We had to put an end to that. Is the demand at risk because the footballers get tired of living in this continuous fight? It is happening, that they leave because they see that the Government injects millions and they are World Champions but neither the RFEF nor the F League they advance. If this continues, the fuse will end, the players will get fed up and the talent will go to other countries that are making this change.. Women's football is unstoppable and Spanish footballers either we take care of them or they will leave. The young women have already started that flight and now we see that some established ones are already out. Will they always have to have the focus on them? Hopefully not, because we run the risk of people getting bored with so many problems surrounding women's football, even though it has served to demonstrate that in Spain there is much to do in equality. I accept your argument: can social support be lost if women's football is identified with problems? I think so. It was one of the fears that we soccer players had when we were in Oliva, tired. We think about it, that people can get bored because everything is problems, but then, and I have talked to many players, you see a girl in a game jump with the goals and ask you to sign her shirt, your doubts disappear.. In the end, this is for them. Anyone who gets tired of women's football because of the problems does not understand anything about what we are doing. Because this is not just about football…It hasn't been for a long time. It's something that makes soccer players tired. I remember someone in Oliva who told me: Amanda, I no longer know the system the rival plays with because I am more concerned with meetings than with being a soccer player. But they know the importance of what they are doing. When life puts something like this in front of you, you have to take responsibility. What would you like the first gesture of the new RFEF to be? I hadn't thought about it, but maybe they would contact Futpro to listen to us. One of the main problems, in this and other sports, is that athletes' associations are not listened to. In the end we are not asking for anything crazy, just to have the same structure, personnel and resources as them.

Engrossed in its fight for the Premier, Arsenal came face to face with the reality of the Champions League, a tournament that hides rivals as harsh as Porto. Not once did Arteta's team finish with sticks, dazed by an opponent with great competitiveness, who ended up sending them to the canvas with a great goal from Galeno in the last minute of added time.. [Narrative and statistics (1-0)]

All the credit goes to Sergio Conceiçao's group, which made solidarity and commitment its reason for being.. Without regretting for a moment the long-term absences of Marcano and Taremi, their best centre-back and top scorer, Porto established a shock plan and fulfilled it with flying colours.. His options against Arsenal involved strict monitoring of Rice, Odegaard and Havertz, the stokers of the machinery. And for much of the night, marked by the determination of Francisco Conceiçao and the skill of Pepê, Porto more than delivered.

Rice, the fashionable midfielder in the Premier, was penalized for a kick on Galeno that was punished with yellow in the second minute. The Norwegian, for his part, barely contributed from his inside-right position, which in turn disconnected Havertz, the star signing of the summer.. With their lights out, Arsenal only knew how to play without doing harm. In waste land.

Only set pieces

The battle was handled to the sound of the timbales of Nico González and Alan Varela, with an infectious intensity. Special mention for the Barça youth player, who still had the strength to unleash a far right hand, over the crossbar. It was not, however, the best chance for the blue and white, the work of Galeno, with a double shot against the passivity of Gabriel and Saliba. From the post, the ball was spit again into the Brazilian's right boot. Not even he himself must know why he didn't know how to hit the net.

Arsenal, which had just massacred Burnley and West Ham at home with 11 goals, showed no signs. Although to be honest, something could be sensed in each of the five corner kicks in the first half, exquisitely prepared by Nicolas Jover, Arteta's guru for set pieces.

The captain's example

After passing through the locker room, the visitors' first approach also came from the corner, with a ball served this time by Rice towards Trossard, whose volley went high.. Porto's effort to close the lines, interior and exterior, continued to be commendable thanks to Pepe, the captain, who had already left his stamp on Odegaard's boot. It could have even made it 1-0 in a shot by Evanilson assisted by the elusive Pepê. Porto, third in the Primeira Liga, seven points behind the Lisbon leaders, competed with exemplary solvency.

This return to Portugal was very hard after the last elimination on penalties against Sporting in the Europa League. Another setback in the Champions League round of 16, the cursed round for seven years in a row, including the unfortunate 2-10 accumulated against Bayern in 2017. Unlike that Wenger team, which crumbled at the slightest breath, this Arsenal seemed to have learned to face adversity with the audacity typical of its young stars. Within three weeks you will have to confirm it at the Emirates.

This time Carlos Alcaraz took a risk.

Two seasons ago, in 2022, at only 18 years old, his first visit to Brazil was perfect. There he won his first ATP 500 tournament, slipped into the top 20 of the world rankings and started the momentum that would lead him in the following months to win the Miami and Madrid Masters 1000 and the US Open.. Last season, in 2023, visiting South America didn't go bad either. Although in Rio de Janeiro he fell in the final against the British Cameron Norrie, he had previously won at the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires and the tour offered him the rhythm that launched him towards the titles at the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Madrid and at Wimbledon.

But this time Carlos Alcaraz took a risk.

With more work than on his previous visits, the Spaniard returned to Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro with more to lose and the tour ended this Tuesday with the worst luck.. The intention was the same, to complete two tournaments in two friendly places and against affordable rivals, but the result on this occasion was adverse.. In the Argentine ATP 250, Alcaraz fell in the semifinals against the Chilean Nicolás Jarry and multiplied some doubts that his defeat in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open had generated.. And in the Brazilian ATP 500 he couldn't play directly.

The time of injury

A few minutes into his first match, against local Thiago Monteiro, he sprained his right ankle and had to retire due to pain.. According to the first examinations, it is a simple grade I sprain, that is, 10 days of rest will be enough to reduce the inflammation and return to the slopes.. But the break was not what I needed now. “Both my physio and that of the ATP believe that it is not something serious,” declared the number two in the world ranking who also showed his concern.. Next week, on Sunday the 3rd, he faces an exhibition match against Rafa Nadal in Las Vegas and, more importantly, then he has the American tour with the Masters 1000 in Miami and Indian Wells and many points to defend.

In any case, what happened will change your planning for the next seasons. After playing on cement at the Australian Open, switching to clay and then returning to cement in the United States is not ideal and he already knew that, but he had committed to the Brazilian tournament. His own coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, admitted this week in an interview with 'Clay' that the ideal would be for him to have stayed on the hard court and perhaps compete in the ATP 500 in Rotterdam like Jannik Sinner or the ATP 500 in Acapulco.. It will be another year.

This time Carlos Alcaraz took a risk. And he couldn't get away with it.