There are portraits that precede greatness, snapshots of youthful genius. The boy with the indie-band bangs celebrating on Ronaldinho’s back, the bleach-blonde teen with blaugrana braces leaving a trail of Inter defenders in his wake. Almost exactly 20 years separated Lionel Messi’s first goal for Barcelona and Lamine Yamal’s sensational Champions League semi-final strike on...
Iga Swiatek is set for a mammoth few months. The world number two is defending 4,195 points during the clay-court season after her astonishing 2024, which saw her win every tournament bar the Stuttgart Open. Even then, she reached the semi-finals. Poland’s Swiatek won both WTA 1,000 titles in Madrid and Italy, before picking up...
