Soccer is offering a low-level spectacle in the closing matches of the season. People play to avoid defeat, or to leave things as they are. In tennis, draws don't exist; you go out there to beat your opponent, always and everywhere. And in this sport, just a few weeks ago, Italy returned to the top spot in the world. We're in the Madrid Masters 1000, qualifying matches are underway, and this tournament is the only one in which Jannik Sinner, speaking of number 1s, has never reached the semifinals.

It would be extraordinary, historic, if the South Tyrolean were to also win this Spanish "small Slam," after taking home Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte Carlo. Two factors are tipping the odds in Sinner's favor: two of the best clay-court players, Alcaraz and Djokovic, will be missing, and the playing conditions. At the Caja Mágica, the court is played at 650 meters above sea level, and the air is thinner. This means the ball encounters less resistance, is faster, and when it hits the ground, it bounces back with a reaction unheard of in other major clay-court tournaments.

It feels like playing on hard court, Jannik's favorite surface, another plus. And if we add—as Corriere della Sera reported—that supplement whiz Joseph Cannillo (Djokovic's medical partner) has been studying Sinner's DNA in recent months to improve his performance, we find ourselves faced with a meticulously curated points machine. We're going to have fun.

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