• Dhaka Thu, 09 MAY 2024,
logo
Nadal not certain 2024 will be last year of his career
Novak Djokovic wins record 23rd men's tennis Grand Slam
Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic won his record-breaking 23rd men's singles Grand Slam title. In the final of the French Open, he defeated the Norwegian Casper Ruud in straight sets. Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic defeated Norway's Casper Ruud 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 7-5 in Sunday's French Open final to win his record-breaking 23rd men's singles Grand Slam title. The 24-year-old Ruud was fighting for his first Grand Slam title but was unable to beat the more experienced 36-year-old from Serbia. Djokovic said it was "an incredible feeling" to surpass Nadal's tally and take the men's record. "It's not a coincidence I won the 23rd Grand Slam here in Paris. This tournament has always been the hardest for me to win," he said. With his win, Djokovic broke the tie with Rafael Nadal, who has won 22 Slam trophies including 14 at Roland Garros. The Spanish player has been out since January with a hip injury and underwent surgery during the French Open. Djokovic will also return to world number one for a record-extending 388th week on Monday. On par with Serena Williams Djokovic's first Grand Slam title came in 2008 at the Australian Open, which he has won 10 times. He's collected seven at Wimbledon, three at the US Open and three at the French Open. After today's win, a Serbian became the first man to win at least three championships in every major event. Also worth noting: Djokovic is again halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam (winning all four majors in one season) something no man has achieved since Rod Laver in 1969. The only two people in tennis history with 23 majors or more are Serena Williams, who retired after last season with 23, all during the Open era, and Margaret Court, who won 24, some during the amateur era. Controversial Djokovic also on show at French Open Of tennis' three recent male superstars, Djokovic is probably the most politically controversial, particularly in recent years.  His reluctance to take COVID vaccines became legendary at the height of the pandemic and culminated in him being deported from Melbourne on the eve of the 2022 Australian Open. This side of Djokovic surfaced during his two weeks at Roland Garros, too. Amid clashes in northern Kosovo between ethnic Serbs and local authorities and NATO peacekeepers, Djokovic wrote "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia" on a courtside TV camera during a game earlier in the competition, prompting criticism from within the game and without.  Some of his personal beliefs have also met criticism, as he turns to an alternative healing guru as a kind of personal trainer later in his career. His claim that it was possible to change the composition of food and water via positive thinking, for instance, baffled nutritionists. 
Iga Swiatek digs deep to win dramatic French Open final
Muchova stunned Sabalenka to confirm French Open final
Nick Kyrgios pleads guilty to assaulting ex-girlfriend
Aryna Sabalenka, the new champion of Australian Open
Tennis great Martina Navratilova fights two types of cancer
The Czech–American is considered one of the greatest players of all time. She says she will fight the disease "with all have I got." Martina Navratilova said she had been diagnosed with throat and breast cancer. In a statement released Monday, the tennis legend said her prognosis was good, and she would start treatment this month. "This double whammy is serious but still fixable, and I'm hoping for a favorable outcome," the 66-year-old Navratilova said. "It's going to stink for a while, but I'll fight with all have I got." The cancer was discovered in early November during the WTA finals when Navratilova noticed a swelling in her neck that did not go down and had biopsies performed. Navratilova battled cancer before Navratilova underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2010 and was later declared cancer-free. She originally retired from tennis in 1994 but later returned to the tour to play doubles in 2000 and occasionally competed in singles. She won 59 Grand Slam titles overall, including 31 in women's doubles and 10 in mixed doubles. More recently, she worked as a television analyst. Because of her latest diagnosis, she would not be a regular part of Tennis Channel's coverage of the Australian Open but would appear from time to time remotely. Fellow tennis star take to social media to offer support Navratilova took to Twitter to "thank you all for your support, and I am not done yet,'' she tweeted Monday. Among her well-wishers was another tennis trailblazer Billie Jean King. "Martina is as brave as she is strong," King wrote on Twitter. "She has fought this battle before, and she is in our thoughts and prayers." Chris Evert, Navratilova's great rival on the courts who became her friend, revealed in January 2022 that she had ovarian cancer but was declared to be in remission in May. She wrote on Twitter that Navratilova "is a woman who takes on challenges with strength and resilience…You got this, Martina!"
No trophy, no regrets as Federer departs Indian Wells for Miami
Roger Federer departed Indian Wells empty-handed for a second straight year, but the Swiss great sees no reason he can’t get back on track at the Miami Masters. “Sure, it’s frustrating and disappointing and sad to some extent,” Federer said after falling 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to Austrian Dominic Thiem in Sunday’s final. Thiem, 25, denied Federer a record sixth Indian Wells title and returned to his career-high of fourth in the world — bumping Federer down to fifth going to the second leg of the “Sunshine Double” of Indian Wells and Miami. But Federer, the 20-time Grand Slam winner who claimed a remarkable 100th career title in Dubai last month, can afford to take the defeat in stride — especially when he’s playing well and feels his 37-year-old body is fully fit. “It’s just not as dramatic,” he said of falling to a player who was “just a bit better when it mattered”. “Whereas, when you’re hurt and things are difficult, maybe those hurt more. “I’m going to Miami. The body is perfectly fine. That also always keeps me upbeat, and I feel it’s a privilege when I feel this way leaving a tournament. “I have been playing every single day for the last three weeks. I can be very happy and proud of that fact.” As at Indian Wells, Federer could meet fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka in the third round in Miami. Federer is a three-time winner at Miami, but he lost his second-round opener last year after falling to Juan Martin del Potro in the final at Indian Wells. With that in mind, Federer shied away from predicting he would bounce back in a big way from his loss to Thiem, with the Miami event’s move to a new venue adding to his sense of uncertainty. “Now it’s totally different,” Federer said of the tournament moving from its longtime home on Key Biscayne to the Hard Rock Stadium — home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. A new stadium court inside the actual stadium is the centerpiece of the new venue, which also features a secondary grandstand court and two smaller show courts and practice courts. “Everybody’s got to get used to center court or the conditions at the new site,” Federer said. “I’m eager to find out how it’s going to be like. There are still a lot of open question marks. Right now I feel really good.” Source: AFP AH