Pisa’s “little Medvedev” lost against the legend in Melbourne, but it was a sort of rite of passage. As with goals, you never forget your first…

If you are ranked 141st in the world, playing in your first Grand Slam, and you are up against the former world number 1 who has won 24 titles, the chances of you losing are high. And indeed, Francesco Maestrelli was defeated by Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Australian Open. But the word “defeat” is misplaced. For Nole, it was a trivial transfer stage, for Francesco, a rite of passage, a confrontation with the Myth. When he heard from a journalist who he would be playing, he vibrated like a seismograph. In the end, he shook hands with the Serbian god with a winner’s smile: “Thank you for the lesson. I won’t forget it…” All that was missing was for him to stop by the club office to pay for the two hours of court time. Nole honored him with genuine compliments: “You played well.” How can the “Little Medvedev” of Pisa feel defeated? The Australian prize money, which will seem like pocket change to Sinner and Alcaraz, 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 Rossi—  During the 2006 World Cup, Pablito Rossi advised Toni: “Enjoy your goals against Ukraine, your first in a World Cup. Not even the one you score in the final will excite you as much.” One day in 1937, Angelo Moratti came home and showed his wife a wad of thousand-lire notes: “Erminia, my first million.” The millions that would allow him to buy Grande Inter would not make him as proud. It is at the dawn of a dream that one is truly happy. Kipling is right: victory and defeat are liars. Francesco won.