Julio Velasco warns everyone about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

Julio Velasco, head coach of the women’s national volleyball team, speaking to the Corriere del Trentino, rejects the term “invincible” in sports: “Honestly, I don’t care for it much, because sports, by their very nature, create myths, and we shouldn’t go overboard in emphasizing it. No one is invincible, and I believe that for young people in particular, invincibility isn’t a good aspiration.”

“The right way to interpret the term ‘invincible’ is as a provocation. Always remember that behind great victories lie many defeats. Michael Jordan and Roger Federer, for example, have admitted this many times. Anyone who has won a lot knows they’ll be remembered for their successes, but that there’s also much more behind them. Invincibility, then, is like perfection—an unattainable concept, and one I think it’s better never to reach.”

“Sports are about passion, and passion also stems from uncertainty. If you start out already knowing who will win, you lose the joy of watching.” Velasco explained how long winning streaks will become increasingly rare, even in tennis: “I believe we need to get used to uncertainty because there will be an ever-increasing rotation of winners. Even in tennis, we now have Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, but other contenders will emerge.”

On the Italian women’s national team’s loss at the European Championships: “It was met with more understanding by the fans; people are learning to accept that games can be lost. And I think this is because there are more and more people actually playing the sport, not just fans. When you play sports, at any level, you realize that sometimes a game can go wrong even when you give it your all. You play well and you play poorly; you win and you lose. I’d also like to highlight an initiative along these lines.”