Category: Sport

Wimbledon 2024 is in the books, as is the Euro Cup 2024.
It was a good day for Spain in the international sports arena.

First Carlos Alcaraz ( (, 21 yrs old) won his second Wimbledon title in straight sets over Novak Djokovic ( , 37).
The score was 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4).
Shortly after that, Spain beat England 2-1 in the Euro Cup 2024 Final.

Wimbledon 2024 is underway.
The world’s top tennis players are resplendent in their bright whites (no colored attire allowed), and their pimple-soled white grass court shoes.

On Monday, reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz (, 21) took on qualifier Mark Lajal (, 21), and came out on top in straight sets 7-6(3), 7-5 and 6-2.

I was wrong about Djokovic (, 37) : he is in fact playing, with a knee brace (he had meniscus surgery on Jun. 6). In the first round he took out Vit Kopriva (, 27) with ease, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.

Tommy Paul (, 27) played spectacular tennis today in London to beat Lorenzo Musetti  (, 22 ) in the men’s final of the 2024 Queen’s Club Championships.

The qualifying tournament for Wimbledon starts tomorrow, and the main tournament starts Jul 1.
Carlos Alcaraz (, 21 ) is the favorite to win the men’s 2024 Wimbledon crown —even though he was not at his best here; he lost in the quarter-final at Queens, against Jack Draper (, 22).
Novak Djokovic (, 37) had knee surgery just two weeks ago— and I don’t believe he will play.
Rafael Nadal (, 38 ) has already confirmed that he will not play at Wimbledon this year, so that he can better compete in the 2024 Olympics.

They roared at every big play, shouting and waving signs and flags. They ate South Asian food sold at the concession stands, jumped, chanted, high-fived with fellow supporters and — after a bit of rain — soaked up the sunshine on a historic day at the usually quiet park.

“It was electric,” said Chandu Talla, an India fan and entrepreneur from Tampa, Fla., who came to the match with his son Aryan, a high school junior. “We paid $2,500 per ticket and no regrets,” he added. “It was a dream come true to see India here.”
– David Waldstein reporting for the New York Times, from a temporary stadium for 34,000 set up in the grassy southeastern corner of Eisenhower Park in Long Island.

There is a new rivalry in men’s tennis: between Jannik Sinner (, 22) and Carlos Alcaraz (, 21).

The rivals met today in the men’s semi-final of the 2024 French Open.
It was a see-saw match that had Alcaraz emerge the victor after trailing two sets to one: Alcaraz 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Alcaraz leads Sinner by 5 wins to 4 in their head-to-head matches so far.

On Sunday, Alcaraz will play against Alexander (Sacha) Zverev ( , 27) in the final.
It will be the first French Open men’s final without Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic since 2009.
It’s the first without Nadal, Djokovic or Roger Federer since 2004.

Update Sun 6/9: Alcaraz outlasted Zverev to won his first French title: Alcaraz 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (20,  ) cut through tie-break tension to complete a dream week and lift his maiden ATP Tour title in the city of his birth Saturday at the Open Parc in Lyon, France.

Roared on by a vocal Lyon crowd, the 20-year-old wild card battled past sixth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(7) in a dramatic championship match at the ATP 250. Mpetshi Perricard was a point away from defeat at 6/7 in the deciding-set tie-break but held firm for a famous two-hour, 29-minute win in just his fourth tour-level event.
– As reported on ATPtour.com

Mpetshi Perricard, 20, will enter the top 100 for the first time on Monday at a career-high No 66 after his dream week in Lyon.

All eyes in the world of tennis now turn to Stade Roland Garros, Paris, where the French Open starts tomorrow.
Rafael Nadal (37-almost 38, ) is playing on Monday:  against No. 4 seed Alexander (Sacha) Zverev (27, ). It may just be Nadal’s last match at the tournament that he had won 14 times in the past.

Update Mon 5/27: Nadal lost in straight sets against Zverev, but did not rule out after the match that he will not be back to compete here again. (Sooner rather than later, that is. The tennis matches for the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will be played in the Stade Roland Garros, and he should be able to represent Spain).

Rafael Nadal (37, ) was back on the court again today at the Barcelona Open.
His comeback from hip and abdominal injuries after three months was ended by Alex de Minaur (25, ), though.
The 12-time champion got a standing ovation as he waved goodbye to the Barcelona Open— for possibly the final time.

Here’s Jonathan Jurejko reporting for BBC Sport:
Nadal is hoping to be fit enough to make a return to the French Open, where he won a record 14 men’s singles titles, next month, and suggested he was preserving his energy for Roland Garros during the latter stages of the De Minaur match.
“On a personal level, for what is to come, the 6-1 in the second set is what had to happen today,” he said.
“It wasn’t today that I had to give everything and die. I have to give myself the chance to do that [at the French Open] in a few weeks, or at least try to.”

Monégasque (say “mon-i-gask”)
noun
a native or inhabitant of Monaco
adjective
of or relating to Monaco or its inhabitants.

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The 2024 clay season for men’s tennis is in full swing.
Today was a beautiful Monégasque clear spring day at the Monte-Carlo Country Club— where Stefanos Tsitsipas (25, ) squared off against Casper Ruud (25, ) for the title match of the 117th annual Monte Carlo Rolex Masters tennis tournament.
Tsitsipas emerged as the winner 6-1 6-4, winning his third title there.

It’s midnight in Miami, and there is still action on the tennis court at the 2024 Miami Open.

All right, it’s time for a quick update on the happenings at the Indian Wells 2024 men’s tennis tournament.

Raphael Nadal (37, ) had actually withdrawn from the tournament before it even started, simply stating that he was not physically ready to play again at the highest level. Will he play French Open in May? We don’t know.

World No 1 Novak ‘No Vac’ Djokovic (36, ) was back for the first time in four years, only to fall to ‘lucky loser’ Luca Nardi (20, ) in the third round.
(A lucky loser is a player given a spot in the main draw even though he lost in the final round of the qualifying tournament).

Daniil Medvedev (28, His Country Invaded Ukraine— but not his fault) and Holger Rune (20, ) are the likeliest from the top half of the draw to make it to the final on Sunday.
In the bottom half it will be Indian Wells 2023 champ Alcaraz (20, ), Jannik Sinner (22, ) and Alexander Zverev (26, ) battling it out for a spot in the final.

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Update Sun 3/19: It was Alcaraz vs. Medvedev in the Men’s Final, with Alcaraz winning 6-3, 6-2.

I’m not the best player in the history of tennis. I think I am among the best, that’s true. That’s enough for me.
– Rafael Nadal, Mar. 2023

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The second big tennis tournament of 2024 has started: the Indian Wells Open in California. Celebrated veteran and champion Rafael Nadal (Spain, 37) is back after missing the Australian Open due to a hip injury.

Rafael Nadal is seeking a fourth Indian Wells tournament win here, but faces a very tough draw (assuming the seeded players win their matches):
R1 – Raonic
R2 – Rune
R3 – Shapovalov/Musetti
R4 – Fritz/Baez
QF – Medvedev/Dimitrov
SF – Djokovic/Hurkacz
F – Alcaraz/Sinner/Zverev/ Rublev

Chiefs become first team in 20 years to win back-to-back Super Bowls
LAS VEGAS — The NFL has a repeat champion for the first time in 19 years. The Kansas City Chiefs, with a third Super Bowl triumph in five seasons, cemented the league’s modern-day dynasty with a 25-22 overtime win against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

This one, the same as the last two for Kansas City and its superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes, came with a stirring second-half comeback and, this time, with some late heroics in overtime.

Jake Moody’s 27-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime put the 49ers ahead 22-19, but the Chiefs responded with a 13-play, 75-yard drive and won it on 3-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Mecole Hardman.
– Zak Keefer, National Staff Writer for The Athletic

Congratulations to Jannik Sinner (Italian, 22), the 2024 Australian Open Men’s Singles champion. It’s his first Grand Slam title.

Sinner rallied back from two sets down, to outlast Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. Medvedev was definitely the underdog, since he had lost his past three matches against Sinner.

There is spectacular men’s tennis on display in Turin, Italy, this week.
It is the last of the year: the world’s top eight players squaring off in the ATP Nitto Finals.
The semifinals are tomorrow.
Jannik Sinner (Italy, 22) plays Daniil Medvedev, from a country non grata*, 27)
and
Carlos Alcaraz (Spain, 20) plays Novak Djokovic (36, Serbia).
*The one that invaded Ukraine. When will that terrible war end?

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Update Sat 11/18: Well, winning the ATP Finals was not to be, for Alcaraz this year. He lost 3-6, 2-6. It will be Sinner and Djokovic in the final.

Congratulations to the Bokke from South Africa, coming from behind and notching a 16-15 win against England, in today’s 2023 World Rugby Cup semi-final.
New Zealand’s All Blacks easily dispatched the Argentinian team by 44-6 in the other semi-final on Friday.
The final is next Saturday, in the Stade de France stadium, in Paris.