In the bowels of the RCTB, three well-known chroniclers contemplate Casper Ruud (25) while the Norwegian, out of the corner of his eye, looks at the screen in the room, as he speaks with the journalists but, at the same time, Tsitsipas plays against Carballés.
The Greek fights, who is cold and at times manages under the chirimiri, blessed chirimiri even if Tsitsipas curses him, and needs two sets to get rid of the tough Roberto Carballés (7-5 and 6-3).
There are no more Spaniards left in the individual draw: one after another, this Thursday, Bautista, Davidovich and, now, Carballés have paraded on the Rafa Nadal court.
Something like this hasn't happened since 1989.
(Nor does De Miñaur, the Aussie who the day before had broken Nadal's love affair in Barcelona, fall to Arthur Fils).
The Greek, Ruud's rival in recent times, for example his executioner in the Monte Carlo final on Sunday, is fighting, and Ruud, who is already thinking about dinner, rest and his duel this Friday, quarterfinal against Matteo Arnaldi, says:
–I don't see myself as a better tennis player than in Monte Carlo. But I'm better than last year in Barcelona. I'm in the quarterfinals, my record here.
(Last year he lost in the second round against Francisco Cerúndolo).
Now, Ruud has beaten Jordan Thompson, he has done so comfortably, at 6-1 and 6-4.
And when I remind him that, throughout his career, he has already lost three Grand Slam finals (two at Roland Garros, another at the US Open), and I ask him if he sees himself winning a major one day, he confesses:
-Don't know. I can't wait for it. I dream about it, but when I play a Grand Slam I can't wait for it to happen. I know I've been to three grand finals, but I've always lacked that happy ending.
And while the people of Spanish tennis mourn its drift, it has not been seen like this, without quarterfinalists, for 35 years, Ruud celebrates the splendor of Norwegian sport.
–And what does Norway have, which has Ingebrigtsen, Håland, Odegaard, Carlsen, Warholm, Grovdal, handball, skiers...?
–In some cases, the parents have been involved in the race since they were young. This is true in my case, and also in that of the Ingebrigtsens. Or in Odegaard, Håland and Carlsen, whose father has deep knowledge of chess. That influence is decisive.
