Funny Woman

Your favourite, almost real, very British 1960s TV star

The Sky Original miniseries “Funny Woman” (6 episodes) is based on the novel “Funny Girl” by Nick Hornby.

© Sky Original

Here, if you like, you can read my review of the novel.
I can say that it’s without a doubt my favourite novel by Hornby or, more precisely, the one I enjoyed from start to finish. In general, I really like Hornby’s books, but I tend to find the endings disappointing.

However, there is a fundamental difference between the book and the miniseries: the former seems like a true story, while the latter is clearly fiction.
The strength of the novel was precisely the decision to write it as if it were a fictionalised account of the story of Barbara Parker/Sophie Straw, complete with photos scattered throughout the text. So, when tackling the series (of which Hornby is one of the producers), they had to necessarily emphasise other aspects. They tried to bring the same sense of authenticity into it, using clips from time to time that looked like archive footage, but it was clear from the start that this was a made-up story.

In my opinion, the miniseries has two strong points.
One is the way in which the story has been broken down into six episodes, always choosing the perfect point to insert the interruption, the one that makes you want to continue with the next episode, but at the same time you are satisfied enough to stop if you can’t stay in front of the TV.
The second is undoubtedly the skill of the interpreters. A very blonde (peroxide blonde) Gemma Arterton is perfect in the role of Barbara/Sophie. She is exactly how I imagined her, and she proved to be excellent in her interpretation of the former Blackpool beauty queen who arrives in London in 1964 to seek her fortune. Inexperienced at first and considered unintelligent because of her appearance, she soon finds a way to assert herself with a little luck and cunning.

But the other actors were also perfectly suited to the role and spirit of the miniseries.
Special mention goes to Rupert Everett as Sophie Straw’s Agent (and the inventor of her name), who, despite being made even uglier and older by the make-up, remains a great actor.

I watched it in English, so I don’t know how they managed to adapt it, but at least in the original version the dialogue is sparkling, with lots of hilarious double entendres, but at the same time very British.

In short, if you want to enjoy something light-hearted and that will leave you in a good mood, watch “Funny Woman”!

 

A second season of this series was also produced, consisting of only four episodes, which I suppose continues the story of the protagonist beyond what is narrated in the book, but it has not yet been broadcast in Italy, so I have yet to watch it.

What Happens Later

A romcom for those nostalgic for 90s and 2000s cinema

Among the films I saw at the cinema in 2024 there is “What Happens Later”, directed by Meg Ryan and starring herself together with David Duchovny.

This is a romantic comedy in which the two protagonists, 25 years after the end of their relationship, meet in a remote airport, where, waiting for their respective connections, they remain stranded for many hours due to a snowstorm.
Initially reluctant, they find themselves spending time together and end up discussing their past and what happened in their lives after they broke up.

I went to see this film to enjoy Ryan again on the big screen. I missed her so much and I’m sorry that so much time had to pass before I could see her in a new film.
I feel nostalgic for that cinema of the 90s and early 2000s, and I admit that I feared being disappointed by this vision, especially when I realised that obviously time has passed and she, at 62, is no longer the queen of romantic comedies of the past.
And yet it’s always her.
Her movements, her looks, her expressions are always the same, and for 105 minutes I let myself be carried away by the chatter of Willa, her character, and Bill, Duchovny’s.
Lots and lots of chatter.

The screenplay, co-written by Ryan herself, is based on a play by Steven Dietz. This is immediately evident from the fact that the story takes place entirely in a single location, in which in fact only two characters move:  Willa and Bill. The extras seen at the beginning tend to thin out until they disappear, and the scene is occupied by the main characters’ conversations, which spans between jokes, melancholy, and a pinch of drama.
But they are not totally alone. The third character in this story is the voice that is broadcast from the loudspeakers of the small airport and transmits announcements to the passengers. This voice occasionally intervenes in the conversations of the protagonists, creating only momentary perplexity in them.
Did it really answer, or did they just imagine it?

The title of the film refers to what happens to two people after the end of their relationship, what life they end up having without knowing about the other’s. Willa and Bill have the opportunity to tell each other about it and explain themselves after a long time, and to forgive each other.

If you too feel orphaned by that cinema, if you want to spend an hour and 45 minutes smiling, laughing, and sharing with the protagonists the difficulties they had to face in a life they didn’t spend together, I recommend you watch this film.

The Devil’s Hour

A supernatural thriller TV series that has nothing to do with the Devil

One of the latest TV series I watched is “The Devil’s Hour”. It is an Amazon Original production, so it is exclusive to Prime Video. So far, two seasons are available, for a total of 11 episodes, but a third is already in production.

© Amazon Original

This is a series that spans thriller, drama, and supernatural, but not in the way the title would suggest!

I was attracted to it because of the cast (Peter Capaldi and Jessica Raine) and the fact that it is a British production, but I didn’t start watching it right away because the presence of the word “devil” in the title made me think of some kind of mystical/demonic fantasy.
Instead, it has nothing to do with it!

Before going any further, I warn you that, although I won’t tell you anything about the story itself, in the next few lines, I will reveal some details on the underlying theme.
If you prefer to find out while watching (like I did), stop here and start watching the series right away. I’ll tell you that this theme is typically found in science fiction stories, although this one is not (but it’s still speculation fiction).
If you are curious, go ahead. In any case, I won’t give you details on how this theme fits into the story. Don’t worry.

The title comes from 3:33, also called the Devil’s hour, in which the protagonist, Lucy Chambers, wakes up every night, usually interrupting a nightmare.
The speculation fiction element, however, is of a completely different nature: time loops.

As I was saying, this type of element is usually typical of science fiction stories that deal with time manipulation or time travel. In fact, I recently came across it in the series “Project Lazarus”, where these loops had a pseudoscientific explanation.
In “The Devil’s Hour”, however, every attempt at explanation, although falling within the realm of speculation fiction, concerns more than anything its fantasy and supernatural component.

It doesn’t matter because the kind of story that comes out of it, where some characters already know what’s going to happen and can change the course of events and/or where we are shown different timelines with the same characters somehow influencing each other, gives rise to a complex plot structure that challenges the viewer’s ability to concentrate and attention to detail.

All of this is set in the context of a crime thriller with a possible serial killer, but where the villain is not necessarily who you think.

In short, “The Devil’s Hour” has all the elements needed to create an intriguing story that keeps you glued to the screen.
And it succeeds!

One of the strengths of this series is precisely the fact that it transcends the clichés and tropes of genres and mixes them up, continually leading the viewer to doubt their own conclusions and towards new developments, which then, in the end, coincide perfectly.

Perhaps it could discourage the viewer who expected something simpler, but I recommend going ahead without fear, since, even if something may escape at the beginning, everything is explained between the last episode of the first season and the first of the second. From here, the story moves in another direction, highlighting the real villain.
But, to know if our protagonists will be able to identify and stop them, we will have to wait at least for the third season, in which, given the premises of the last episode of the second, the structure of the story could undergo a further expansion, which however I am sure we are ready to face.

I can’t really go into too much detail because a lot of the fun is exploring that narrative structure. It must be said, however, that the first season, released in 2022, was immediately a great success, so much so that two more were ordered. This also means that they were conceived and written as a single entity and not a simple extension of each other, which certainly benefits the narration and maintenance of narrative consistency.

I don’t know whether to advise you to watch these two seasons right away or to wait for the third to be available, because the second one ends with a huge cliffhanger, but at the same time I liked “The Devil’s Hour” so much, and I had so much fun watching it, that I don’t mind at all having to wait to find out what happens next.

On the other hand, the anticipation of pleasure is itself a pleasure, isn’t it?

Megalopolis

An all-round cinematic experience

A frame from Megalopolis

One of the films I saw at the cinema recently is “Megalopolis” by Francis Ford Coppola.

I went to see it after reading some scathing and lapidary reviews here and there, and for this very reason, I was even more intrigued.

 

“Megalopolis” is not an easy, linear, conventional film. It is not suitable for passive viewing. It requires attention, which is why seeing it at the cinema is definitely the best choice, as it eliminates distractions (hopefully!).

 

It is an oneiric fairy tale, full of allegories and surreal scenes, overflowing with references.

The story in its main points is quite simple, so I think it is useless for me to talk about it (you can read the plot anywhere on the web), but what makes it interesting is the way Coppola decided to show it, playing with the script, the sounds, the sets, the visual effects, the music, and the editing.

“Megalopolis” is an all-round cinematic experience.

 

It may appeal to those who love cinema as a tool for creating art and not simply for telling a story.

It’s understandable that Coppola had to self-produce it and that the average viewer found it confusing because they thought they were simply going to see a story, not living inside a work of art.

 

Many of its aspects that seem crazy or random, in reality, have a purpose. Every shot, every word spoken by the protagonists, every sound. Probably to grasp them all you need more than one viewing and a certain cultural background could be helpful, but it is not essential, since I believe that anyone can appreciate them instinctively if they leave aside the schemes and simply follow the flow of the film.

 

Adam Driver is great, but this is certainly not news.

One scene that I particularly liked is the one with the beams suspended at the top of the skyscraper (that’s where the image accompanying this article comes from). It is very suggestive from a visual point of view. At the same time, in the initial part, it represents well the state of mind of the protagonist in one of the key moments of the story.

 

Coppola specifies at the beginning of the film that it is a fairy tale, and the spirit with which it should be viewed is precisely this: you have to suspend your disbelief.

 

This film starts from a dystopian alternative reality to tending towards utopia. It is loaded with fantastic elements, from the supernatural (the ability to stop time) to alchemical-flavoured pseudo-science fiction (the material invented by the protagonist, Megalon). And it is a joy for the eyes of cinema lovers.

 

Some people may even grasp and perhaps appreciate the moral of this tale. Others, like me, simply enjoy the film without worrying too much.

 

In the end, it depends on each of us, on what we look for when we sit in front of the big screen.

If you are a dreamer and since you were a child, like me, you saw the movie theatre as a place where you could cancel yourself and become part of something else, even to escape from the small and large problems of reality, you should see (or watch) it and judge it for yourself.

A Gentleman in Moscow

An original point of view on the events after the Russian Revolution

© Paramount Plus

Today I’m suggesting you the miniseries (8 episodes) “A Gentleman in Moscow” available on Paramount Plus and based on the historical novel of the same name by Amor Towles.

I watched this series over a fairly long period of time (one episode a week or even less) and I realised that such a pace was particularly suited to the story, which takes place over a period of 30 years.

The protagonist, Count Alexander Rostov, after the Russian Revolution, is placed under house arrest at the Hotel Metropol in Moscow. Forced to abandon his suite and (almost) all of his personal belongings, he will be moved to a small, dark and cold attic, but will be able to use all the hotel’s services.

Ewan McGregor is perfect in the role of the nobleman who has suddenly lost all his privileges, but who tries to adapt and, also thanks to the relationship with the characters who work or often stay at the hotel, to shape the environment around him to build a satisfying, at times even happy, life.
Out there, Russia is going through a difficult period of change and an evolution with uncertain outcomes, the echo of which partly reaches the golden universe of the Metropol, where Alexander has to juggle between the threats of a Cheka agent (Soviet secret police) to end his imprisonment with death, the more or less romantic interest in the actress Anna Urbanova, the interest in him of the little Nina Kulikova, daughter of one of the employees, who will become a sort of god-daughter for him, and the pangs of sadness, which at a certain point bring him very close to giving in to the desire to end it all.

This series offers an original point of view on the historical events of Russia between 1917 and 1947 and, mixing drama and irony, it can be watched with pleasure and with a certain involvement.
I found the almost open ending (even though, unfortunately, we know very well that this is not the case) particularly fitting, which makes you smile but with a tear always lurking there.

But there is something that occasionally manages to break the magic, namely the choice to make colour-blind casting, without taking into account the ethnicity of the actors.
It’s something I understand and it makes sense in the theatrical field, where the imaginative effort of the viewer has always been part of the experience, but in a historical television series, which in many ways faithfully reproduces the Russia of that period, finding yourself with approximately a quarter or more of the characters of colour (including a Bolshevik with dreadlocks!) is quite alienating.

I have no doubt that the actors chosen are very good. They certainly are, but often the characters they play are so poorly developed that any skill is completely irrelevant, thus giving rise to the “doubt” that it is a purely rhetorical choice.
But the real problem is that, even if the casting is “blind”, the viewer is not at all. The appearance of these characters is, in fact, a distraction that constantly brings the latter back to reality, breaking the involvement I was talking about before.

And that’s not good at all.

The Flatshare

 A British romcom lacking a bit of British humour

© Paramount Plus

I recently watched the miniseries “The Flatshare” on Paramount Plus, based on the novel with the same title by Beth O’Leary and composed of 6 episodes of approximately 45 minutes.

 

After watching “The Lovers”, about which I told you something some time ago, I threw myself into another British romantic comedy before moving on to something more challenging.

 

The basic idea from which the story starts is quite original: Tiffany and Leon, due to financial problems, are forced to share a small flat in London, but in such a way as to never meet. In fact, they share everything, including the bed, except that she can use all of this from 8pm to 8am and on weekends, while he is entitled to the time slot from 8am to 8pm (he spends the weekends at his girlfriend’s flat).

 

Tiffany works for a web magazine and has just broken up with her ex, Justin, with whom she had (and partly still has) a toxic relationship. Finding herself without a place to live and with little money, she accepted Leon’s offer.

He, on the other hand, works nights at a hospice and wants to put some money aside to try to get his brother out of prison.

 

The two have never seen each other, they do not know what each other looks like, they cannot meet or speak on the phone or via mobile phone messages, but they communicate exclusively through Post-its.

 

The idea is certainly intriguing, even if it is never made clear how they came to this agreement, given that they have never met!

 

The performance is at times hilarious, thanks also to the skill of the two main actors, Jessica Brown Findlay and Anthony Welsh, but throughout the watching, I had the impression that something was missing. Yes, because in a story set in London, there is very little trace of the British humour that would have benefited its narration so much.

 

Moreover, the supporting characters are barely mentioned, two-dimensional, which is inexplicable, given the length of the episodes and their not particularly fast pace.

 

The story is dotted here and there with various ideas, too many in fact: toxic relationships, legal problems, homosexual relationships, interracial relationships (practically all of them, except the toxic one), terminal illnesses, abandonment of the elderly and so on, but all of them are barely hinted at and often just thrown in there, almost as if, each time, one were checking a box. It would have been better to focus on a few and develop them better.

 

To this, let’s add some important twists in the economy of the story that are a bit predictable, while others are unexpected but not very convincing, such as, for example, hopeless situations that are inexplicably and suddenly resolved.

 

On the other hand, the curiosity to discover how the long-awaited happy ending will be achieved is kept alive through a continuous complication of events and by the cunning of the scriptwriters in interrupting the story always at the right moment at the end of each episode.

 

In short, it’s a fun series with some excellent strengths that at least partially manage to make us turn a blind eye to its many weaknesses.

I feel like recommending it to you.

Open — Andre Agassi

 Tennis and life, tennis is life

Photo taken by me

Reading this book, especially in the first chapters in which Agassi talks about his childhood, it doesn’t seem like a true story at all. It reads like one of those literary fiction novels whose protagonists live such strange lives that they can only have sprung from someone’s imagination.

A father so obsessed with tennis who forces all his children to practice and play until one of them becomes a champion? But what the hell is this?

It is true that sometimes reality is so incredible that it far surpasses fantasy.

Agassi’s story is interesting, beyond his particularly troubled youth and the great successes he had in his career (after all, he was one of the greatest tennis players in history). What makes it truly compelling is that it offers the reader, and especially the tennis fan like me, a window into the mind of a tennis player. In fact, we who love to watch this sport observe the players during their matches and suffer a little with them, but we have no idea what goes on in their minds. Not really. We can only make assumptions based on their actions, their looks, their body language. We hear and read their interviews, but even then, we don’t know what they are really thinking or whether it matches their words or not.

Being able to access such intimate aspects of Andre Agassi’s mind gives us an idea, even if only from a single point of view, of what we cannot see about our favourites, of what it must mean to find yourself alone on that court, facing an opponent and struggling with your own emotions, your concentration that tends to get lost, your body that sometimes betrays you, your hopes and disappointments.

At the end of the reading, not only has Agassi become almost a friend, as far as we have got to know him, but we feel a little closer and more aware of anyone who plays tennis at a high level, who does it for a living, who continually fights against the worst of opponents: themselves.

Regardless of how much one loves tennis, I think “Open” can be an engaging and informative read for anyone.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

New year, new resolutions: 2025 (for the last time)

This year, the traditional article about new resolutions may be less interesting than usual. In fact, I only half-finished or nearly half-finished several things I intended to do, while I forgot about others along the way. However, I am experiencing this end of the year more peacefully than the previous one. I feel generally more satisfied with what I’ve done in the last twelve months, although I’m not sure exactly why.

 

I suspect that the recent holiday in Malaga (in November), the positive results of the Italian tennis during this year (these two things are related, as you can read in one of my latest articles) and the fact that in this last month I have been doing physical activity consistently are among the main reasons of this sense of satisfaction.

In general, regardless of the results, what satisfies me the most is being able to always do what I set out to do, crossing out with a red line every day all the items on my to-do list. And for some time now I’ve been managing to do so.

But I admit that, as soon as I started rereading last year’s article, I almost felt guilty: in this 2024 I achieved much less than in 2023 (in which I published and promoted two books in English) in the publishing field and I did not complete the very few resolutions I had listed.

And yet, thinking about it, I say to myself: does it matter?

What did I end up doing in 2024?

In the publishing field, I have finally completed and put online the new version of my website (in Italian): www.anakina.net.

I’d been working on it for many months and I really like how it turned out, both because it is much more usable on all devices and because, thanks to the slightly more logical way in which I structured it, it is now easier for me to keep it updated and possibly expand it with other sections, if there was the need.

 

I also managed to create the new version of the mini-site of “Deserto rosso e il Ciclo dell’Aurora”: www.desertorosso.net.

I am particularly proud of the result, both from an aesthetic and usability point of view.

Instead, I haven’t yet started working on the English version of my site. I know it will be quite simple, since I can start from the Italian one and adapt it, without having to structure it from scratch, but so far I haven’t done it, partly because I don’t fancy to, partly because I don’t think it makes sense to dedicate time to it until I have finished the revision of all the books in English.

And here we come to another thing I did: I completed the revision of the third book of Red Desert, namely “Invisible Enemy”, which is online with a new version. So I got to work on the fourth, “Back Home”, but alas I haven’t finished it yet. I’m going very slowly, dedicating about an hour a week to it, when things go well. I’ve reached the penultimate chapter anyway. Well, I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Still on the subject of writing, you may have noticed that I have become more active here on the blog, especially in the last few months. I’ve decided to use what I write (or wrote in the past) on my Facebook page to create new articles in which I talk about the things I like, from books (although this year has perhaps registered my worst negative record in terms of books read) to TV series, from films to music, obviously passing through tennis.

From my Facebook posts, articles are created that end up on my Italian blog and that then, after having translated them, I publish them in English on Medium, then on Substack (where I manage one of my mailing lists in English, so you can get them directly in your inbox) and finally on this blog. And everything gets reshared on other social networks.

Additionally, I’ve added two more articles to the Self-publishinglab blog (in Italian). I would like to write more, but I struggle to find any interesting and original topics to explore further, that is, not something everyone is already talking about.

I have also written a short series of articles in English on a publication available on Medium, called Babel, relating to my work as a professional translator, in which I talk about how I became one (Why I Am a Translator) and how it works (What is Translation? and Use of Translation Software).
If you want to read them, you can find them here, here and here, if you are a paid Medium user, or here, here, and here, if you aren’t.

 

And, speaking of my work as a freelance translator, I have also updated the website of my sole proprietorship, Anakina Web: www.anakina.net/translations.
As you can see, it is still a subsite of my main domain.
It was something else I had to do, and I managed to get it done.

By the way, this year I had quite a bit more work than the previous one. I suspect that this is also one of the reasons for my satisfaction at the end of the year and, at the same time, why I achieved less in the publishing field.

After all, days are 24 hours long for everyone and in any case it’s not so bad when a good number of those hours correspond to a certain economic return, don’t you think? Especially when there is a close correlation between the amount of work done (specifically, the number of words I translate) and this economic return. Let’s say that we face them with a completely different attitude!

And, staying on the subject of languages, during the year I continued to constantly brush up on my German, adding to the review of an old De Agostini course and the reading of two books, also an advanced course by Assimil. I try to dedicate at least half an hour a day to it and, as time goes by, my understanding is getting better and better, as is the hope of bringing it back to the level it was at about twenty years ago.

On a personal level, there are several things I am satisfied with.

I’m doing physical activity more consistently. In this month of December, when for a few years now I find myself having more time than usual, I managed to do 20 one-hour training sessions. I already know that in January I will have to cut this number probably in half, but that’s okay.

 

This year I managed to take three short holidays. In April, my partner and I spent a few days in Naples, while in May we visited Nuremberg. Finally, in November, as already mentioned, we went to Malaga. We had already visited the city during a cruise 15 years ago, but this time we were there for something else, namely the final of the Billie Jean King Cup (I took the risk of buying tickets hoping that the girls would reach the final, and I was lucky!) and the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup, Italy-Argentina.

And, still speaking of tennis, in addition to this experience in Spain, we replicated that of the ATP Challenger 175 in Cagliari, the Sardegna Open.

Well!
Now that I have taken a look again at my few resolutions shared a year ago, I realise that I partially completed the first, that is, I updated my Italian sites. Unfortunately, I haven’t done the same for the English ones, except for the minisites dedicated to individual books or series (like www.reddesert.net, www.anakina.net/ericshaw and www.anakina.net/kindred), but all in all I can’t complain, because most of the work is done.

I am consistently pursuing my second resolution, that of doing physical activity and brushing up on my German.

As for the third, that is, finding myself in a situation where all the pending commitments were wrapped up, and I could ask myself what I would do next, well, we’re not there yet at all!

If I go back and look at my famous to-do list, which I mentioned last year, I notice that the deleted items have gone from 18 to 22. It’s not a great improvement, but it’s better than nothing.

 

Instead, what are my resolutions for 2025?

Aside from continuing to train my body and mind (with German and other foreign languages, but possibly also with other topics), here they are:
1.       Finishing the review of “Red Desert – Back Home”. I’m almost there.
2.       Updating the English version of my website with the new design.
3.       Updating “Self-publishing lab. Il mestiere dell’autoeditore” with the latest news from the self-publishing market. The previous update was in May 2023, so it’s time to revisit it. This isn’t a very demanding job, since I already have a list of changes to make. I just need to put some time into it.
4.       Moving on to another big item on that famous list. If I complete points 1 and 2, I will indeed be forced to do so. I already have a clear idea of what it will be, but I prefer not to anticipate anything.

Also, next year, I should write something new or, alternatively, translate into English some other of my books (probably “Per caso”, which will become “By Chance”).
My choice will depend on an external event totally unrelated to my publishing activity. It’s a bit of a way to avoid having to make that decision.

Writing, however, does not mean publishing. I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on myself. If I write, it will be a way to see if I still have the desire to try something longer than a series of articles, whatever comes of it. It will help me understand where to direct my future efforts and where not to.

There are also a number of other things I would like to do in 2025, even if they are not real resolutions.

As you know, I am a biologist, but I have not practised the profession for many years. My interest in biology has never disappeared and here and there it has popped up in my books, both in thrillers (forensic science) and especially in science fiction novels.

While I was writing the latter, I found myself delving into astrobiology (that is, the branch of biology that studies the emergence of life and the possibilities of life outside of Earth), also because one of the main characters in my books, Anna Persson, is in fact an astrobiologist/exobiologist (the two terms are essentially synonymous).
In 2014, I also followed a MOOC on the topic, held by prof. Charles Cockell of the UK Centre for Astrobiology (based in Edinburgh). Since I received as a gift for Christmas, among other things, two books on astrobiology, including one by Cockell based on his university course, I want to take this opportunity to delve into the subject in a more detailed way.

Another thing I would like to do is listen to more music.
I have always been passionate about music. For a period of my life, in the 2000s, I also dedicated myself to singing. For a few years now, however, I’ve limited myself to putting it in the background while I do something else. I hear it, but I don’t listen to it. I’d like to get back into the habit of occasionally taking some time to listen to an album from start to finish.

Finally, I want to take care of not only my physical health, but also my mental health. I no longer have the patience or desire to put all my energy into a single project. I need to diversify.

I made myself a new program on how to make the most of my work days without stressing myself out.
Being a self-employed person means having to find new ways to maintain some discipline, and that’s difficult to do when you feel under pressure. The fact that I have been in this situation for twenty years now, in reality, does not make it any easier, since my mind resists the infinite repeating of certain routines. It doesn’t matter if they seem to work at first: at some point something breaks, and you have to come up with new methods to trick your mind and avoid a stalemate.

My goal is to try to eliminate or at least mitigate the sense of anxiety with which I wake up every day at the thought of the to-do list (regardless of the number of items), which ultimately affects my productivity and does not allow me to live the day peacefully, even when this depends only on commitments over which I have control.

 

Maintaining this peace of mind and minimising the causes of self-inflicted anxiety is essential, so that I am ready to welcome any interesting opportunities that may present themselves to me.

I don’t know if I’ll write another one of these articles at the end of 2025, that’s why I indicated in the title that it’s the last time. It’s one of those superfluous commitments that I find myself with in the last days of the year, when I have so many other things to do. In short, it’s another one of those causes of anxiety that isn’t necessary at all. But I will certainly continue to tell you in these pages what I do throughout the year.
If you want to stay updated, subscribe to the blog’s push notifications!

I conclude by thanking you once again from the bottom of my heart for your support. I hope 2025 gives you everything you wish for.

As usual, I would be happy to read your 2024 analysis and your resolutions for this new year. If you like, leave a comment here or on my profile/page on various social networks.

Have a good end and a good beginning!

All photos are © 2024 Rita Carla Francesca: 1) me in Nuremberg; 2) me in Sardinia (my land); 3) Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner during Davis Cup in Malaga; 4) me at the same event; 5) me on Christmas day.

An unforgettable year of tennis

 It’s a great time to be a tennis fan in Italy

 

Jannik Sinner (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

This 2024 has truly been an unforgettable year for Italian tennis. As a fan, I am still in disbelief at the results achieved by our players.

 

2023 had already ended really well, with the accomplishments of Jannik Sinner in the final part of the season, culminating in the conquest of the Davis Cup for Italy, which, although it is a team competition, was achieved largely thanks to him.

I knew that for 2024 there were the makings of a great season for him. Still, I never imagined that he would become so overwhelmingly the strongest player in the world, winning two Slams, three ATP Masters 1000, two ATP 500 and the ATP Finals (to which is added the victory at the 6 Kings Slam, which despite being an exhibition saw him dominate, in sequence, Medvedev, Djokovic and Alcaraz), finishing the year in the first position in the ranking with a margin of distance from the second in the ranking that gives him the certainty of still being up there at least until February, regardless of how the beginning of 2025 goes.

Jannik Sinner (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

And then came the icing on the cake: another Davis Cup, this time won together with Matteo Berrettini, who despite the numerous injuries of the past years and also of this one that is about to end, managed to finish it as a protagonist, after having also won three titles.

Italian national team at Davis Cup (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

Well, the more I think about it, the more I have to pinch myself to realise that, yes, it’s all true.

Once again, I can only confirm what I told myself in June when Jannik reached the number 1 position in the ranking for the first time: dreams do come true.

And this sometimes happens if you work seriously to achieve them. It is not enough to wish for it, nor is it enough to believe in it. You need to commit, taking all the time necessary to improve: the results are nothing more than the consequence of this incessant work.

To us, they may seem almost unbelievable if compared to a very recent past, but those who achieve them, in this case, Jannik Sinner, know exactly what they had to do to succeed and how they did it.

Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

Recently, in an interview, he was asked to define himself in one word and, after thinking about it for a few moments, he said: determined.

I think that describes it perfectly.

He had a dream and, with determination, he searched and found the best way to pursue it until he turned it into reality. It was not magic, nor luck, but just the result of his work.

Jannik Sinner (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

I don’t know about you, but I find all of this not only a source of great inspiration, but also absolutely reassuring.

 

And what makes it even more so is the fact that Jannik Sinner’s success is by no means an isolated case.

Jasmine Paolini (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

There is that of Jasmine Paolini, who, at 28, had a season full of satisfaction. Not a sudden flash of brilliance, but a series of important results throughout the year: one WTA 1000 and two Slam finals in singles, as well as many excellent placings in most of the tournaments she participated in, two WTA 1000, one WTA 500, one Slam final and one gold medal at the Olympics in doubles together with Sara Errani, participation in the WTA Finals in both singles and doubles and, once again the icing on the cake, the victory with the national team of the Billie Jean King Cup, playing both singles and doubles (thanks also to the significant contribution of Lucia Bronzetti as the second singles player in the semi-final and final), which she had only just missed last year.

Added to all this is, the fact, that she finished the year as world no. 4, something no other Italian female tennis player has ever achieved.

Jasmine Paolini (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

I have already mentioned Jasmine’s doubles successes with Sara Errani, but in 2024, the latter won another Slam (in addition to the five she won with Roberta Vinci in the past), this time in mixed doubles with Andrea Vavassori.

 

And then Vavassori himself together with Simone Bolelli reached two Slam finals this year, won two ATP 500 and one ATP 250, participated in the ATP Finals, won the Davis Cup with the national team and is still in the top 10 of doubles.

Billie Jean King Cup winners! (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

Finally, we have the already mentioned three titles by Berrettini (who reached ten in his career), to which the first ever by Luciano Darderi and the fourth by Lorenzo Sonego (who can now boast of having won a title on all surfaces and in all conditions) have to be added.

Matteo Berrettini (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

In practice, this year, almost every week we had one or more Italian tennis players in the final and in many cases winners of titles. Such exaggerated stuff!

 

What can I say except that it’s a great time to be a tennis fan in Italy?

Italian national team after winning the Billie Jean King Cup (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

I can only be happy about it.

And, right now that this year is about to end, I just want to stop to enjoy this moment and all the serenity it brings to my life.

I don’t know what will happen next season, but certainly nothing and no one will be able to take away the satisfaction I felt during 2024.

Lucia Bronzetti (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

I did not take the photos in this article from the internet. I took them myself.

I was lucky enough to see in person the girls triumph in Malaga, at the Billie Jean King Cup, on 20 November and the boys win the quarter-finals (on 21 November) of the Davis Cup which they would then conquer a few days later.

Over the years I have managed to see many Italian players play live (some, like Sonego, on more than one occasion), but this time I was able to add to my personal “collection” Lucia Bronzetti, Jasmine Paolini, Matteo Berrettini (who had “escaped” me in the past) and above all my favourite tennis player for some years now (well before he became the favourite of half the world!): Jannik Sinner.

Jannik Sinner (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)

 

I saw him play and win literally a few steps away from me in both singles and doubles.

I was able to observe first-hand his great concentration, his strength, speed and precision, the way he isolates himself from the thousands of people around him and faces each point. I perceived precisely that determination that he himself later spoke about and I let myself be inspired by it, directly noting with all my senses that, in reality, there is nothing incredible, miraculous or magical.

It’s all simply true.

 

And this is another satisfaction that no one can take away from me.

Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini (© 2024 Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli)