“We are first of all reporters”. So my friend and deputy director of "Sole 24 ore", Aldo Carboni from Scansano (Grosseto), used to say when discussing the meaning of the journalistic profession. And these words (somewhat rhetorical at first glance) came to my mind while leafing through “Wimbledon. Sixty years of history of the most important tournament in the world”, the latest effort delivered to the press by the “Scribe”, born Gianni Clerici and recently released by Mondadori. This for at least three reasons: first of all because Aldo is still an excellent tennis player, who continues to compete in over 65 tournaments, not with retired journalists, but with former tennis champions and instructors who are still active today; then because there are many Wimbledon matches that we have seen together in his room in the newsroom, taking advantage of the extraordinary commentary by Rino Tommasi and Dr. Divago (the same Clerici) according to the definition of his "partner" in the broadcast. And finally because the book we are talking about could only be written by a great chronicler, who then also has the gift and grace of writing.
I don't think it's a coincidence that Clerici preceded the chapters dedicated to the Winbledons of each year (from 1953 onwards) with the results tables from the quarter-finals onwards. It is a way of reminding us that "first of all we are reporters" and therefore the arid tables of the points come before the comments and even the brilliant digressions. And here I would like to make a digression to complain about the fact that by now the results of the most important matches are no longer published (for tennis but not only for tennis). I regret the times when in the Gazzetta I could know, right from the first round, the results of the first, second and third category Italian championships, not to mention the juniors and pupils. Maybe published in size 5, but still legible with a little good will.
I also have to thank Clerici for almost showing me a Nicola Pietrangeli game that I have often heard of. It's the quarterfinal of Wimbledon 1960 that Nicola won against Mackay, a guy who even in those days (wooden rackets and gut tunings) needed 200 an hour. “When you're behind for an hour, you're up against seven set-balls, refereeing errors, and a Mackay enraged by a mocking game, when you get off to a bad start and come back from 2-5 to 6-5 and then to be caught up, and stay behind until 14-13, when all this happens, and you win in the first set ball, always fighting, without giving up, one second of weakness: well then you are a great champion". So Clerici. And I who have seen Pietrangeli play, who in some tournaments have also acted as line and chair judge for him, I see the mocking Nicola, who with his long line backhand passes the big man who served him at almost 200 per hour and then went down to the net. But what's more is that Clerici was transmitting that piece (for Il Giorno?) off the cuff to the dimaphonists. Game still in progress. As a great reporter. And here I would be the bad reporter if I didn't report that Nicola (seeded number 5) won that match over Mackay (seeded number 2) 16-14 6-2 3-6 6-4. In the semifinal Pietrangeli was defeated by Laver (seeded number 3) 4-6 -6-3 8-10 6-2 6-4. In short, Nicola really could have won Wimbledon that year.
I realize that once again the protagonist of the history of our tennis, on grass as on clay, is once again Pietrangeli. In the news as in statistics, as in literature. After all, isn't Nicola also the protagonist of Clerici's novel “White gestures”? And it is here I believe that the scrupulous and careful work of the chronicler (scribe) is joined with that of the author's literary sensibility (Clerici), not only of "I gesti bianchi", but also of "Fuori rosa", a novel that a young Clerici dedicated to the world of football and which I had the good fortune to read when I was a boy. He reminded me again (the preface by Gianni Brera is also beautiful) and this is a good sign. Finally, scrolling through the book, I particularly liked the lines dedicated to Jana Novotna, the great loser who won a Wimbledon though. She lost because as one of the protagonists of the "white gestures" she didn't know how to play the most important points properly (those around 4 all). And here I take the liberty of making a suggestion to the fine literate Clerici. Couldn't Jana be the protagonist of one of her next novels? I'll stop now because I risk identifying myself a little too much with Dr. Divago. Instead, let's get ready to follow the next two weeks of the Wimbledon grass tournament. I will mainly watch the women's tournament; with today's rackets, men hit too hard.
