“Little Medvedev” from Pisa faced the legend in Melbourne, but it was a sort of rite of passage. Just like with goals, you never forget your first ones…

If you’re ranked No. 141 in the world, playing in your first Grand Slam, and facing the former No. 1 who has won 24 of them, the odds are stacked against you. And indeed, Francesco Maestrelli was defeated by Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Australian Open. But the word “defeat” feels out of place. For Nole, it was just another routine match; for Francesco, it was a rite of passage—a confrontation with the Legend. When he learned from a reporter who he would be playing, he trembled like a seismograph. In the end, he shook hands with the Serbian legend with a winner’s smile: “Thanks for the lesson. I won’t forget it…” The only thing missing was for him to stop by the club office to pay for the two hours on the court. Nole honored him with genuine compliments: “You played well.” How could Pisa’s “Little Medvedev” feel defeated? The Australian prize money—which to Sinner and Alcaraz would seem like a tip—will help 23-year-old Francesco plan a season of growth that will take him into the top 100. But above all, there is the joy of the first time. The first kiss is incomparable.

like the Rossoneri—  During the 2006 World Cup, Pablito Rossi advised Toni: “Enjoy your goals against Ukraine—they’re your first in a World Cup. Not even the one you’ll score in the final will move you this much.” One day in 1937, Angelo Moratti came home and showed his wife a stack of thousand-lire notes: “Erminia, my first million.” The millions that would later allow him to buy the Grande Inter wouldn’t make him nearly as proud. It’s at the dawn of a dream that one is truly happy. Kipling is right: victory and defeat are deceivers. Francesco has won.