Nostalgia, neglect and needle

Reuters

a day ago

In sport, the drama never stops. That's why, every week, this column will unpack the stories, the stakes, and the psychology of the competition ahead over the following few days. Whether it's tennis, soccer, motor racing, or mountaineering, we'll let you know what's happening, why it's worth your time—and even when it's not, why you'll still want to hear about it. Think of this as your weekend preview.
Coming up: Wimbledon serves its first ace, soccer renews its awkward courtship with America, and Formula One's civil war simmers under the summer sun.
TENNIS
Forget the multi-million pound prize funds, the swing analysis, super slo-mo footage, service speed guns, and AI-powered line judges. Wimbledon's most powerful asset remains stubbornly analogue: nostalgia.
As the world's oldest tennis Grand Slam prepares to open its gates next Monday, the ghosts of champions past still haunt the pristine lawns of southwest London.
The Championships trigger different Proustian jolts for each generation. Some will be misty-eyed about mould-breaking great Martina Navratilova and her epic matchups with America's darling Chris Evert, or the ice cool precision of Bjorn Borg against John McEnroe's fiery rebellion. Others will be sent into a reverie by memories of the whipcrack of a Pete Sampras serve, while younger minds might drift into sporting reverie at the mere mention of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal — the twin titans who turned tennis into ballet with bite.
This year, nostalgia at Wimbledon isn't just a wistful glance back at ghosts whispering through the rafters of Centre Court — Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have ignited tennis with a rivalry that feels startlingly familiar. In these two generational talents, tennis has rediscovered that most precious sporting commodity: a rivalry of perfect opposites. The Spaniard brings improvisational genius and shots that defy both physics and common sense, while the Italian offers metronomic precision and blistering power.
Fire meets ice. Passion meets purpose. Sound familiar?
Modern Wimbledon has evolved, certainly. Retractable roofs shield against British summer showers, digital queues have largely replaced overnight camping, and power frequently trumps subtlety in today's game. Yet when sunlight bathes Centre Court over the next few weeks, the essential magic will remain unchanged — a theatre where new legends perform while the spectres of past champions look on, many now present in broadcast booths and hospitality suites.
Player to watch: Anyone with a social feed will have stumbled across the viral chaos that is Alexander Bublik — a walking highlight reel from Kazakhstan, whose matches unfold like circus acts with a scoreboard. Underarm serves, drop shots from all over the court, returns swiped between the legs — his anarchic repertoire would have sent the All England Club's old guard reaching for the brandy. But in today's game, he's box office. Fresh from felling world No. 1 Sinner on his way to the Halle title, Bublik arrives at Wimbledon as a player who might exit in a flurry of mishits or play himself into folklore. Either way, he'll be unmissable.
The Wimbledon Championships, All England Club, London — June 30-July 14, 2025
SOCCER
As everyone knows, crack America and you've made it. At soccer's brand new Club World Cup, blissfully indifferent locals tell a story FIFA president Gianni Infantino would rather rewrite. Despite all the governing body's marketing muscle, America's romance with the round-ball game remains stubbornly platonic — soccer still feels like an awkward suitor at the door, waiting for a nation that's barely looked up from its own sports page. In city after city, the Club World Cup has arrived with barely a ripple: a few half-hearted billboard ads here and there, but ask the average passer-by and they're none the wiser that a global tournament is in town.
Inside the stadiums, though — particularly when Brazilian, Argentine or Arab clubs take the stage — the atmosphere is thunderous and utterly transported. But that is often the work of travelling fans and diaspora die-hards, not the American public. For all the colour and clatter inside, outside it's business as usual. The jury remains out — and barely paying attention.
But for the global game's true believers — those scattered from São Paulo to Saint-Denis, from Miami to Marseille — any local ambivalence is background noise. The faithful don't need America's blessing; they've already anointed this weekend's matchups as sacred script.
In one corner, the delicious theatre of Paris Saint-Germain v Inter Miami is a fixture brimming with narrative: Luis Enrique, architect of one of football's greatest comebacks, now staring down the very quartet — Messi, Suárez, Busquets, Alba — who executed his masterpiece in the twilight of the Camp Nou back in 2017. Parisian ghosts meet Catalan memory in a clash that is less football match than meditation on power, pride, and the passing of time.
Elsewhere, on the other side of the continent, South America's heartbeat echoes through Philadelphia. Brazilian rivals Botafogo and Palmeiras don't do polite. They arrive with baggage—history, hunger, hymnals. Their fans bring thunder, their football brings heat. It's rhythm versus rhythm, a street-fight in symphony.
So while the curious American masses may still swipe past the drama with a shrug, soccer stages its poetry regardless.
FIFA Club World Cup, United States, June 14-July 13
MOTOR RACING
Formula One hits the accelerator and heads to Austria this weekend, where city circuits will be swapped for Alpine scenery and high-speed drama.
The venue is the Red Bull Ring, home ground for Max Verstappen's energy drink team and scene of his Mercedes rival George Russell's win last year. Russell will fancy his chances of a repeat after winning in Canada two weeks ago and also beating him when the two collided in Spain in the race before that, leaving Verstappen punished and on the brink of a ban. Will Red Bull protest Russell for the third time this season if he wins again?
The George and Max show may not cast the longest shadow this weekend, however, with a McLaren civil war simmering. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris — once harmonious teammates, now title contenders with elbows sharpened — arrive in Austria still trailing fumes from their Montreal misstep, where ambition collided with loyalty and both men paid the price. It's the oldest story in sport: partnership turned power struggle, the narrow line between collaboration and competition. In Formula One, the drama isn't scripted—but it often feels classical all the same.
FORMULA ONE: 2025 Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, June 27-29
EXTRA TIME
MotoGP: Assen beckons with Marc Marquez in command, brother Alex on his heels, and Francesco Bagnaia praying for resurrection at his personal Dutch Cathedral of Speed.
NHL: Come July 1, Connor McDavid can re-sign with the Oilers — or not — and with the NHL's brightest star weighing long-term loyalty, short-term leverage or 2026 free agency, the entire league is bracing for impact.
Golf: Ian Poulter and son Luke tee off together on July 1 in British Open qualifying, a father-and-son quest for one of just five spots at Royal Portrush — where dreams, and legacies, hang in the balance.
Boxing: Trump-backing Jake Paul walks into a storm in Anaheim, where Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., the son of Mexican boxing royalty, awaits — backed by a fired-up Latino crowd with politics and pride in their corner.
WNBA: Candace Parker's jersey joins the legends in the rafters at Crypto.com Arena, as the Sparks salute a WNBA queen who conquered L.A., Chicago and Vegas with equal grace and grit.
MLB: Shohei Ohtani's 100mph fastball is back, but Dodgers boss Dave Roberts is handling the unicorn with kid gloves as baseball's most bankable arm takes baby steps post-surgery.