The best tennis players gather once again at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona for the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell - Trofeo Conde de Godó. This new edition will continue to bear the name of Banc Sabadell as the main sponsor after the bank renewed its agreement with the tournament organizers for three more seasons. With the renewal of this partnership, Banc Sabadell will celebrate 20 years as the tournament's main sponsor once this new period, which is renewable for another year, has concluded.

The fact that tennis is making headlines beyond the sports page is news in itself. That it manages to displace the omnipresent football coverage on the news for a few days is almost a small secular miracle. And that it's due to both a final victory and an outfit speaks volumes about the unique nature of this sport. In recent days, tennis has achieved exactly that: creating a foothold in the news not only because Carlos Alcaraz won the Australian Open in a high-voltage final, but also because Naomi Osaka entered the court in a jellyfish-inspired outfit. It might seem anecdotal, but it's not.

Carlos Alcaraz's name is now etched on the four most coveted trophies in world tennis. At 22, the Murcian has won the Australian Open for the first time, becoming the youngest player to lift all four cups. Only the Melbourne title eluded him, a tournament in which he had never reached the final. But Alcaraz is poised to surpass the achievements of Rafa Nadal or his opponent in the final, Novak Djokovic, who at 38 years old thrilled with his competitive spirit. But his era came to an end, falling in four sets (2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5).

At 45, Venus Williams isn't satisfied. The seven-time Grand Slam champion is entering her 31st season as a professional player after debuting in 1994 when she was just 14. Now she has received a wildcard entry to return to the Australian Open, where she will become the oldest player ever to participate in the Melbourne tournament. That determined girl who challenged older rivals has become a woman who enjoys tennis, especially after getting married.

It had never happened before that a tennis player ranked 204th in the ATP rankings was able to win a Masters 1000. But Valentin Vacherot had a sneak peek when he posted a message on social media before the Shanghai tournament saying: "Try to give it your all because you never know when you'll know." Almost no one paid attention to the message because he was still an unknown tennis player representing the Principality of Monaco and he's already 26 years old. He's not a promising youngster. But two weeks later, Vacherot produced one of the tennis news of the season, a fairy tale, because not only did he win the tournament, but he did so by defeating his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final in three sets (4-6, 6-3, 6-3). A double surprise, since Rinderknech was ranked 54th before the Chinese event. No one could have ever imagined this family final. And even less so that Vacherot, the underdog, would win.

Millions of people have dreamed of having New York at their feet, even for a single minute. Exactly what Carlos Alcaraz has achieved, that boy from Murcia who, thanks to tennis, has made the city that never sleeps his own. Alcaraz was crowned US Open tennis champion for the second time in his career by defeating his great rival, Jannik Sinner. Another episode in a rivalry that should continue for a long time, provided Alcaraz doesn't turn it into a tyranny. When he plays like he did yesterday, he seems far above everyone else. Sinner was defeated in four sets (6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4).

Catalan Marcel Granollers and Argentine Horacio Zeballos were crowned champions of the US Open men's doubles tournament this Saturday, defeating Britain's Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski 3-6, 7-6, 7-5 in the final. Granollers and Zeballos are capping off a dream season, having won two of the four major tournaments together. They reigned supreme at Roland Garros a few months ago, and today they triumphed at Flushing Meadows in a match where they saved three match points.

With her shy laugh, Naomi Osaka greeted everyone on Center Court at Flushing Meadows. It had been many years since the Japanese player had been seen playing the way she is at this US Open. On Monday night, she surprisingly defeated Coco Gauff, a two-time champion of the tournament in recent years, in straight sets (6-3, 6-2). And she qualified for the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in 1,658 days. 1,658 days. More than four years. The last time she had done so, the world was still talking about the pandemic and Donald Trump was fighting in the courts, far from his return to the White House.

Top-level tennis players aren't resting. On Monday night, Carlos Alcaraz won the Cincinnati Masters 1000 after seeing his opponent, Jannik Sinner, withdraw from the final due to illness. The two players who dominate the world tour seem destined to fight to win the final Grand Slam of the season, the US Open, which begins this Sunday, but it's hard to know how they'll be in shape after seeing the Tyrolean player feeling dizzy. Furthermore, Alcaraz was supposed to play in the innovative US Open mixed doubles tournament launched this year by the U.S. Tennis Federation. Sinner was also supposed to, but decided to withdraw after his scare.

When a person has just won a world championship, hops on their motorcycle, and heads straight to work without stopping at home, one can sense that this isn't quite normal. And if, on top of that, they arrive in Tarragona in the afternoon to play—and win—another match in the Spanish Championship, a tournament they won a few days later, after four hours of battling in Florida, tropical heat, and not a minute of sleep, we're talking about someone made of different stuff.

Holger Rune was crowned champion of the 2025 Conde de Godó Trophy after defeating Carlos Alcaraz in a hard-fought final that ended 7-6 (6) and 6-2. The Murcian, suffering from physical discomfort in his psoas during the second set, could not match the Dane's level. The first set was the charm for a Dane in the Godó final after 72 editions held, and just one year after a Nordic player, Norwegian Casper Ruud, made his debut. Rune, who is 21 years old, like Alcaraz, has become the first tennis player from his country to win in the history of the Catalan tournament.

Joan Aguilera, one of the most outstanding Catalan tennis players of the 1980s, has died in Barcelona at the age of 63, according to his club, CT Barcino. Born in Barcelona in 1962, Aguilera paved the way for the generation of Sánchez Vicario, Jordi Arrese, Carle Costa, and Sergi Bruguera, excelling on clay. His moment of glory came in 1990, reaching the final of the Hamburg Masters 1000 tournament, when he defeated local icon Boris Becker in three sets (6-1, 6-0, 7-6).

Joan Aguilera, one of the most outstanding Catalan tennis players of the 1980s, has died in Barcelona at the age of 63, according to his club, CT Barcino. Born in Barcelona in 1962, Aguilera paved the way for the generation of Sánchez Vicario, Jordi Arrese, Carlos Costa, and Sergi Bruguera, excelling on clay. His moment of glory came in 1990, reaching the final of the Hamburg Masters 1000 tournament, when he defeated local icon Boris Becker in three sets (6-1, 6-0, 7-6).