By Carlos Ramírez Zago
FC Barcelona, champion of the Spanish Supercup
FC Barcelona is the champion of the Spanish Super Cup against its fierce rival Real Madrid in the first «clásico» of the 2023 season.
The Blaugrana won 3-1 over the «Merengues» in the Spanish derby with goals from Gavi, Lewandowski, and Pedri. It is the first title for the «culés» after the departure of Lionel Messi.
King Fahd Stadium in Saudi Arabia was the venue for the match. Barcelona overcame Real Madrid with authority.
The first goal by Gavi came in 33 minutes to give the minimum advantage to the «culé» (Barcelona) team. At 45 minutes, a second before the end of the first half, Lewandowski scored. Pedri scored the third goal in the second half after 69 minutes to practically seal the game. But at 93 minutes, Karim Benzema scored the consolation goal for the white team Real Madrid. The match ended 3-1 in favor of Barcelona, who won their fourteenth Spanish Super Cup. Xavi’s Barcelona is a promising team!
Australian Open begins
The first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, began in Melbourne.
Rafael Nadal is the main favorite to defend the title he won last season against Russian Daniil Medvedev. In that unforgettable final, when he also made history by winning his 21st Grand Slam.
The bad news of this «major» event was the absence of the world’s number one player (according to the ATP ranking), Carlos Alcaraz, who is recovering from an injury. With the absence of «Carlitos,» Rafael Nadal becomes the player with the best position in the world ranking of the tournament.
On the other hand, the Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic is back in the Australian Open after being out last year for not being vaccinated against COVID-19. It is worth mentioning that «Nole» has been a champion nine times in Australia and has not lost a match in this tournament since 2018.
On the women’s side, world number one Iga Swiatek is the favorite to win the title in Australia after having had a great season in 2022, winning two of the four Grand Slams in the year.
Who will be the champion in Australia?
Miguel «Piojo» Herrera, possible coach of the Mexican national team
The Mexican national soccer team lost a coach after Gerardo «Tata» Martino’s failure at the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Many names are being bandied about for the Mexican national team’s bench, but the one who is closest to returning is Miguel Herrera. According to some media, «Piojo» Herrera would be the number one candidate to lead the national team.
Herrera coached the Mexican national soccer team from 2013 to 2016. He was Mexico’s head coach to face the playoff against New Zealand on the road to Brazil 2014, after being practically eliminated from the World Cup in the CONCACAF qualifiers with Victor Manuel Vucetich as coach. Mexico defeated New Zealand and qualified for Brazil 2014, where they gave one of the best performances in recent years under Miguel Herrera. Still, they were eliminated in the round of 16 against the Netherlands, with the famous «It wasn’t a penalty.»
In 2015, the Mexican national team, under Herrera’s command, won its tenth Gold Cup against Jamaica with a 3-1 score in the United States. In 2016, Miguel Herrera was fired from the Mexican national team because he assaulted sports commentator Christian Martinoli at an airport after Martinoli criticized him for the Aztec team’s poor results and poor performance.
Would you like to see «Piojo» back on the Mexican National Team?
The Abierto Mexicano de Tenis turns 30 years old
In 2023, the Mexican Tennis Open will celebrate 30 years of history. In 1993, Mexico sent out a call to create its own tournament to shine in the white sport. There was a new opportunity for Mexican athletes to stand out worldwide.
From its inception until 2000, Mexico City was the domicile for the tournament, but the venue changed to Acapulco, Guerrero, where the tournament is still held.
Previously, the location of AMT was the Mextenis Stadium inside the Princess Mundo Imperial Hotel, with a capacity for more than 6 thousand spectators. In 2022, the GNP Seguros Arena was inaugurated. It is the current venue of the tournament.
Thomas Muster, David Ferrer, and Rafael Nadal are the top winners of the best ATP 500 tournament, the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis, with four titles each.
Happy 30th anniversary to the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis!
