After Holger Rune got rid of the whip of the huge Maxime Cressy in two tiebreaks, it was the turn of Carlos Alcaraz's debut on the grass of Queen's. The Dane, second, and the Spaniard, first, head the tournament's seeding list, Alcaraz's only step in preparation for Wimbledon. Called up to face Arthur Fils, he had to play against Arthur Rinderknech, another Frenchman, rescued from the previous phase due to the loss of the intrepid champion in Lyon, who withdrew hours before the game. The grass is a box of bombs. The Spaniard also had to suffer against an opponent with good skills on the surface. He won 4-6, 7-5 and 7-6 (3), in two hours and 33 minutes.

With a short background on grass, this is his third tournament, this was his seventh match, Alcaraz tries to standardize the already accredited strength both on clay and on hard courts. Defeated in the round of 16 of the last edition of Wimbledon by Jannik Sinner, he knows that, without being a specialist, he can be competitive in this unique territory.

Rinderknech, the last Frenchman to say goodbye to Roland Garros, with his loss in the second round against Taylor Fritz, saved three breaking balls in the seventh game with as many winning services. Number 83 in the world, surpassed by Alcaraz in four sets in the second instance of the 2021 United States Open, it was he who opened the gap in the match with a break in the eighth: he won it in white, with a pitiful smash to the net from Spanish. It was of little use to Alcaraz to escape from the first set point, to the rest, and to recover the service. I would lose it again next.

Discomfort

Depersonalized, with obvious signs of discomfort, inaccurate in converting breaking balls, three of 11, Alcaraz could not develop the game that has allowed him to win this year in Indian Wells, Madrid, Barcelona and Buenos Aires, making the final in Rio de Janeiro and semifinals at Roland Garros, where he lost, conditioned by cramps, against Novak Djokovic. It was at the end of the second set when, with a greater point of aggression and more visits to the net, he managed to find a certain fluidity and asserted the only break, in the eleventh game.

The victory required of trade and dedication. He had to come back from a 2-0 down in the third quarter and was forced into a tiebreaker for the resolution. There the hierarchy and determination weighed. The Czech Jiri Lehecka awaits him this Thursday, who beat Alejandro Davidovich in two sets.

“It was my first game this year on grass and he had already played one. It was difficult at first, but I enjoyed every point. It has been a good performance”, commented the Murcian at the foot of the track after the match.

After Holger Rune got rid of the whip of the huge Maxime Cressy in two tiebreaks, it was the turn of Carlos Alcaraz's debut on the grass of Queen's. The Dane, second, and the Spaniard, first, head the tournament's seeding list, Alcaraz's only step in preparation for Wimbledon. Called up to face Arthur Fils, he had to play against Arthur Rinderknech, another Frenchman, rescued from the previous phase due to the loss of the intrepid champion in Lyon, who withdrew hours before the game. The grass is a box of bombs. The Spaniard also had to suffer against an opponent with good skills on the surface. He won 4-6, 7-5 and 7-6 (3), in two hours and 33 minutes.

With a short background on grass, this is his third tournament, this was his seventh match, Alcaraz tries to standardize the already accredited strength both on clay and on hard courts. Defeated in the round of 16 of the last edition of Wimbledon by Jannik Sinner, he knows that, without being a specialist, he can be competitive in this unique territory.

Rinderknech, the last Frenchman to say goodbye to Roland Garros, with his loss in the second round against Taylor Fritz, saved three breaking balls in the seventh game with as many winning services. Number 83 in the world, surpassed by Alcaraz in four sets in the second instance of the 2021 United States Open, it was he who opened the gap in the match with a break in the eighth: he won it in white, with a pitiful smash to the net from Spanish. It was of little use to Alcaraz to escape from the first set point, to the rest, and to recover the service. I would lose it again next.

Discomfort

Depersonalized, with obvious signs of discomfort, inaccurate in converting breaking balls, three of 11, Alcaraz could not develop the game that has allowed him to win this year in Indian Wells, Madrid, Barcelona and Buenos Aires, making the final in Rio de Janeiro and semifinals at Roland Garros, where he lost, conditioned by cramps, against Novak Djokovic. It was at the end of the second set when, with a greater point of aggressiveness and more visits to the net, he managed to find a certain fluidity and asserted the only break, in the eleventh game.

The victory required of trade and dedication. He had to come back from a 2-0 down in the third quarter and was forced into a tiebreaker for the resolution. There the hierarchy and determination did weigh. The Czech Jiri Lehecka awaits him this Thursday, who beat Alejandro Davidovich in two sets.

“It was my first match this year on grass and he had already played one. It was difficult at first, but I enjoyed every point. It has been a good performance”, commented the Murcian at the foot of the track after the match.

The controversy surrounds the Olympic Games in Paris when there is little more than a year left for the celebration of this great sporting event. This Tuesday there have been several searches in places linked to the organization of the Games within an investigation into irregularities in public markets.

The searches have been carried out at the headquarters of the organizing committee (Cojo), in Saint-Denis, on the outskirts of Paris, and also at the company that is in charge of building the Olympic infrastructures (Solideo), as well as at other related companies.

The National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) has confirmed to AFP the records, which take place within the framework of two investigations opened in 2017 and 2022 by the French Anti-Corruption Agency on suspicion of conflict of interest and favoritism in public contracts awarded within the framework of the organization.

The 2022 investigation is due to a possible conflict of interest in these awards and is in charge of the financial brigade of the judicial police. The other, which refers to 2017, is for suspicions of embezzlement of public funds, favoritism and cover-up of favoritism. The Central Office for the Fight against Corruption and Financial and Fiscal Offenses is in charge of it.

Solideo, the company in charge of the works of the games, has confirmed the records to the AFP agency and has assured that it is collaborating with the investigators. The French Court of Auditors closely follows the activity of the Organizing Committee, since a few months ago they already expressed their concern about the increase in the cost of its celebration and the impact on public finances. The cost now amounts to more than 4,300 million euros.

The controversy surrounds these games for months. Just a few weeks ago, the president of the French Olympic Committee, Brigitte Henriques, resigned due to rivalries and internal conflicts within this body. In addition, there have been reports that some of the companies in charge of the construction of the Games are employing workers without papers in order to speed up the work.

Rafa Benítez finalizes his return to LaLiga, specifically to the bench of Celta de Vigo. The conversations with the Galician club, which celebrates its centenary this 2023, are “very on track” and his signing could be announced throughout this week. The coach would lead the Spanish competition again eight years after he spent six months in charge of Real Madrid in 2015 and when 19 have passed since his departure from Valencia after winning the League and UEFA Cup double in 2004.

The key to the arrival of Benítez in Vigo is held by Luis Campos. The Portuguese, Celta and PSG sports adviser, first convinced Carlos Mouriño that the path to growth lay in signing a top-level coach after unsuccessfully trying to negotiate with Andoni Iraola and testing Marcelo Gallardo. The commitment to Carvahal did not go as expected with an agonizing permanence that made the project rethink.

The idea that Celta has transmitted to the Madrid coach's environment is that there is an ambitious growth plan led by top-level professionals and where the coach will participate. A path similar to that undertaken by Betis with Manuel Pellegrini or even Villarreal with Unai Emery in the last stage, which has led these clubs to win titles such as the Copa del Rey and to have a continuous presence in Europe.. “Without taking your feet off the ground,” sources from the environment warn, that is the mirror in which a classic LaLiga team looks.

The conditions that Benítez had set to sit on a bench again were explained in an interview with El Mundo last February. “My priority is to be able to be in a team in the Premier, in Spain, in Italy, Germany or France, the strongest leagues. But the projects that I would like are those in which you can work, develop the youth team and get performance from a medium-high level team to take it one step further.. It is what we did in Liverpool, in Naples or in Valencia. For that you need to be backed and supported not only financially, but at a structural level”. What Luis Campos and Carlos Mouriño have told him they want to do with Celta fits perfectly into this idea.

Working with stability and patience is something that the Madrid native values a lot. So much so that since his time at Everton ended with a bad taste in his mouth on June 22, he has received “between 18 and 20 offers”, including from Mexico, Asia or the Middle East that have not convinced him and have returned to appear at the end of this season. “But we have earned the right to decide. We do more in-depth analysis and, although there have been some interesting ones, they had a high risk that I don't need to assume,” he said.. Some contact with West Ham in recent weeks and the vacancy on the Napoli bench, already covered by Rudy García, were other options that have not materialized. To return to LaLiga, he had the option to do it to Sevilla after the dismissal of Julen Lopetegui, but it did not materialize.

Celta is now an appetizing project due to the opportunity that construction entails and the intention that the club has to take advantage of the year of its centenary. Benítez brings the knowledge he has never lost of LaLiga to an environment where he feels comfortable. Not surprisingly, Galicia has been his summer resort for years due to the family ties his wife has with Ourense.

The future of Gabri Veiga

One of the pillars of the project should be Gabri Veiga, but the youth squad's future is up in the air. The 40 million termination clause keeps him at Celta while he plays the European Under-21, but Liverpool and Chelsea have already set their sights on a footballer who has changed representatives in recent weeks to join Pini Zahavi.

If he stays, Celta would keep a growing player. But the option for him to leave should not be an impediment for the new project, which could be rearmed with the 40 million that it would leave in the Celtic box. Reconstruction is Benítez's specialty: he did it in Valencia, making Liverpool Spanish and taking advantage of the sale of Cavani in Naples to attract Higuaín or Callejon, who gave a great performance.

Rafa Benítez finalizes his return to LaLiga, specifically to the bench of Celta de Vigo. The conversations with the Galician club, which celebrates its centenary this 2023, are “very on track” and his signing could be announced throughout this week. The coach would lead the Spanish competition again eight years after he spent six months in charge of Real Madrid in 2015 and when 19 have passed since his departure from Valencia after winning the League and UEFA Cup double in 2004.

The key to the arrival of Benítez in Vigo is held by Luis Campos. The Portuguese, Celta and PSG sports adviser, first convinced Carlos Mouriño that the path to growth lay in signing a top-level coach after unsuccessfully trying to negotiate with Andoni Iraola and testing Marcelo Gallardo. The commitment to Carvahal did not go as expected with an agonizing permanence that made the project rethink.

The idea that Celta has transmitted to the Madrid coach's environment is that there is an ambitious growth plan led by top-level professionals and where the coach will have a part. A path similar to that undertaken by Betis with Manuel Pellegrini or even Villarreal with Unai Emery in the last stage, which has led these clubs to win titles such as the Copa del Rey and to have a continuous presence in Europe.. “Without taking your feet off the ground,” warn sources from the environment, that is the mirror in which a classic LaLiga team looks.

The conditions that Benítez had set to sit on a bench again were explained in an interview with El Mundo last February. “My priority is to be able to be in a team in the Premier, in Spain, in Italy, Germany or France, the strongest leagues. But the projects that I would like are those in which you can work, develop the youth team and get performance from a medium-high level team to take it one step further.. It is what we did in Liverpool, in Naples or in Valencia. For that you need to be backed and supported not only financially, but at a structural level”. What Luis Campos and Carlos Mouriño have told him they want to do with Celta fits perfectly into this idea.

Working with stability and patience is something that the Madrid native values a lot. So much so that since his time at Everton ended with a bad taste in his mouth on June 22, he has received “between 18 and 20 offers”, including from Mexico, Asia or the Middle East that have not convinced him and have returned to appear at the end of this season. “But we have earned the right to decide. We do deeper analyzes and, although there have been some interesting ones, they had a high risk that I don't need to assume,” he said.. Some contact with West Ham in recent weeks and the vacancy on the Naples bench, already covered by Rudy García, were other options that have not materialized. To return to LaLiga, he had the option to do it to Sevilla after the dismissal of Julen Lopetegui, but it did not materialize.

Celta is now an appetizing project due to the opportunity that construction entails and the intention that the club has to take advantage of the year of its centenary. Benítez brings the knowledge he has never lost of LaLiga to an environment where he feels comfortable. Not surprisingly, Galicia has been his summer resort for years due to the family ties his wife has with Ourense.

The future of Gabri Veiga

One of the pillars of the project should be Gabri Veiga, but the youth squad's future is up in the air. The 40 million termination clause keeps him at Celta while he plays the European Under-21, but Liverpool and Chelsea have already set their sights on a footballer who has changed representatives in recent weeks to join Pini Zahavi.

If he stays, Celta would keep a growing player. But The option of him leaving should not be an impediment for the new project, which could be rearmed with the 40 million that it would leave in the Celtic box. Reconstruction is Benítez's specialty: he did it in Valencia, making Liverpool Spanish and taking advantage of the sale of Cavani in Naples to attract Higuaín or Callejon, who gave a great performance.