Sports
Carlos Alcaraz Owns 3 Grand Slam Titles At Age 21 And His Wimbledon Title Defense Starts July 1
PARIS — Carlos Alcaraz intends to keep his tradition of inking the date he won his first French Open championship and a depiction of the Eiffel Tower.
That artwork will be placed near Alcaraz’s left ankle to help him recall his 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Alexander Zverev in the Roland Garros final on Sunday. His right ankle already boasts the date of his 2023 Wimbledon victory and an image of a strawberry, while his left arm bears the date of his first major title, which he won at the 2022 U.S. Open.
Alcaraz | AP News Image
Carlos Alcaraz Owns 3 Grand Slam Titles At Age 21 And His Wimbledon Title Defense Starts July 1
The 21-year-old from Spain may run out of skin if he continues at this rate. On the other hand, Alcaraz stated on Sunday that he had told his mother that he would not continue to print the dates of each Slam triumph on his body for the rest of his career. Instead, he’ll limit it to the dates of the first title from each of the four most prominent tennis competitions, leaving only the Australian Open, which he’ll almost certainly include.
As it stands, Alcaraz is the youngest man to win a Grand Slam on clay, grass, or hard courts and the youngest to achieve No. 1 in the ATP rankings at 19.
“My game suits … every surface,” he said, “because I practice it.”
He learned the sport on clay, but he feels most at ease on hard courts — he sought to excel there because that’s what most tournaments use — and his always-on-attack style is a perfect fit for grass, as evidenced by his victory over seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic in last year’s All England Club final. Alcaraz’s championship defense there begins on July 1.
Of course, he said he’s working on his defense. And, as Zverev and others have noted, his drop shots and volleys are valuable tools.
But Alcaraz’s basic principle is: “My main goal is to be as aggressive as possible.”
In the semifinals in Paris, he wore down Jannik Sinner, who succeeded the injured Djokovic at No. 1 in the rankings on Monday, ahead of No. 2 Alcaraz, and rallied from a two-set deficit to win eight of the last eleven games in a four-hour, nine-minute encounter.
In the final, Alcaraz wore down fourth-ranked Zverev, reversing a 2-1 set deficit, this time by winning 12 of the last 15 games in a 4-hour, 19-minute battle.
“We are both physically powerful, but he is a beast. He’s an animal. “He plays tennis at a different intensity than others,” Zverev added. “He can do so many different things.”
Alcaraz | AP News Image
Carlos Alcaraz Owns 3 Grand Slam Titles At Age 21 And His Wimbledon Title Defense Starts July 1
Alcaraz dealt with cramping against Sinner and Zverev, and he believes the main importance is in the mentality.
“If you’re not strong in your head and you don’t show mental strength,” Alcaraz stated, “you won’t win Grand Slams.”
He has long been anticipated to be great, and he has so far lived up to the hype. His standards simply serve to amp up the praise and expectations of what is possible.
On Sunday night, as he answered questions in both English and Spanish, Alcaraz was asked how many trophies he could continue to win.
One writer cited Djokovic’s men’s Grand Slam record of 24 championships (21 more than Alcaraz’s total). Another mentioned that amount and his countryman’s 14 French Open titles, and, to use Alcaraz’s term, “idol,” Rafael Nadal (who is only 13 points ahead of Alcaraz).
Alcaraz smiled, calling those two feats “otherworldly.”
When asked if he aspirations of equaling Djokovic, Alcaraz smiled widely.
Alcaraz | AP News Image
Carlos Alcaraz Owns 3 Grand Slam Titles At Age 21 And His Wimbledon Title Defense Starts July 1
“I don’t know,” he answered. “I hope so.”
Then Alcaraz recounted a chat with his coach, 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, about how “difficult” it is to win one Grand Slam — and how “unbelievable” Djokovic had won 24.
I can’t think about that right now. I want to keep going and see how many Grand Slams I’ll have after my career. “Hopefully, reach the 24,” Alcaraz stated before raising his left hand toward the silver Coupe des Mousquetaires he had just acquired and adding, “but right now, I’m going to enjoy my third one, and let’s see in the future.”
SOURCE – (AP)
As seen by attendance, the Olympics have progressed significantly in the 12 years since golf returned to the program.
This year, very few people are staying at home.
Bernd Wiesberger was one of two qualified players who chose not to play, which was unusual.
Wiesberger was Austria’s third-ranked player until tying for second place in the European Open, where he unexpectedly passed Matthias Schwab. He then withdrew almost quickly, which was not surprising given that Wiesberger previously withdrew from the Tokyo Games.
Cristobal Del Solar of Chile also withdrew, citing the fact that he is on the verge of receiving his first PGA Tour card and did not want to miss time on the Korn Ferry Tour.
The remaining qualified players have all confirmed their participation in Paris.
Adam Scott opposed golf in the Olympics from the outset and withdrew again. Brooks Koepka and Tyrrell Hatton also withdrew, though neither was eligible.
This contrasts sharply with the Rio Olympics, where the top four players in the world—Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Jason Day—were among the dozen or so who stayed home.
This was mainly due to concerns about the Zika virus. McIlroy later stated that he despised the Olympics for making him choose between Ireland and Britain, but he eventually changed his mind and played for Ireland in Tokyo.
Golf | AP News Image
Men’s Golf Will Have A Good Attendance Record At The Paris Olympics
The Tokyo Games, which were postponed a year to 2021, had no fans due to the pandemic and daily COVID-19 exams. Eleven players, including Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Matt Fitzpatrick, Louis Oosthuizen, Francesco Molinari, and Camilo Villegas, elected not to play.
Villegas, Fitzpatrick, and Emiliano Grillo, three players who elected not to participate in Tokyo, will travel to Paris. The others were ineligible.
Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau were scheduled to play in Tokyo until they tested positive for COVID-19 and were forced to withdraw. Rahm will be in Paris, and DeChambeau is the second alternate.
But it’s a welcome difference that no one is discussing who isn’t going to the Olympics, at least among the males. It was never an issue for the women, who have been out in full force since the beginning.
The men’s Olympic field will have eight of the top ten players and thirteen of the top 25. Countries are allocated two players — a maximum of four if all are in the top 15 — ensuring that every eligible player attends Le Golf National.
Open and close?
Cam Davis of Australia won the Rocket Mortgage Classic, moving up to No. 38 in the global rankings. That may be needed to qualify him for the British Open.
Davis is almost set to be the highest-ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking next week, which the R&A indicated it will use as a reserve list. Thomas Detry of Belgium is next on the OWGR, at No. 50 among those not previously exempt.
The question is whether a reserve list is necessary.
As of Tuesday, the field for the British Open was 132 participants (assuming Todd Hamilton does not compete since he has not since 2018). Two spots are available at the John Deere Classic, five for the top 20 players in the Race to Dubai following this week, and three for the Scottish Open.
Following Tuesday’s 36-hole qualifying round, 16 additional slots were added to the field. That brings the field to 158 players (or 159) when it should be 156. A reserve list or room for Davis may be unnecessary.
According to the R&A, two to three players often withdraw for various reasons, bringing the field back to 156. However, the Open will go with that number if it arrives at 158 (or 159).
Having a field of more than 156 players in the United Kingdom is not an issue because it only grows dark around 10 p.m. in the summer. The last time the field topped 156 participants was in 1995 when there were 159 at St. Andrews.
Davis’ sole path to Royal Troon could be to win one of the two spots available at the Scottish Open next week.
The wonderful life of Richard Bland
Richard Bland has won two of golf’s most prestigious senior majors, the U.S. Senior Open in a playoff at Newport and the Senior PGA Championship.
And now? We’re heading to Andalucia.
That is the next stop for LIV Golf. Bland has been a member of the LIV since its inception in 2022, with Saudi funding. He competed on the rival tour but has no status as one of the PGA Tour Champions.
Senior majors are only granted an exemption for the following year (2025). Even if Bland wanted to play the PGA Tour Champions, he’d have to wait a year after his last appearance on LIV Golf. If he stops now, it will be next July.
But why would he want to do this?
Bland can now compete in the two biggest senior majors next year. Bland has already earned slightly more over $2.3 million on LIV Golf this year, with his best finish of tied for seventh. It’s a tight timetable with big money.
Bland made $4.4 million on LIV last year, and he earned just more than $3.5 million in seven tournaments during the 2022 season. Steve Stricker had to win six times, including three majors, to earn under $4 million on the PGA Tour Champions last year.
Golf | AP News Image
Men’s Golf Will Have A Good Attendance Record At The Paris Olympics
A true rock star.
Fast-talking Rocco Mediate now broadcasts a twice-weekly show on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio. Now he’s bringing in a true rockstar.
Media and shock rock superstar Alice Cooper have teamed up for a monthly show called “Rolling the Rock with Alice Cooper and Rocco Mediate,” which premieres on Tuesday at 6 p.m. EDT.
Cooper began playing golf 50 years ago while recovering from alcoholism, has a handicap index of 4, and claims to be on the course six days a week, including while traveling.
Cooper and Mediate, a six-time PGA Tour champion best known for losing a U.S. Open playoff to Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines, will share stories from their careers, welcome guests from the golf and entertainment sectors, and discuss current golf topics.
“It’s a completely improvised ‘anything goes’ show. Cooper stated, “We don’t know what we’re going to talk about until we start.” “We’re quite literally just ‘rolling the rock.'”
Divots
This is Deere & Co.’s 25th year as title sponsor of the John Deere Classic, making it the PGA Tour’s second-longest continuous title sponsor after the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (39 years). Cameron Young has 18 top-10 finishes in his three full PGA Tour seasons. He is still waiting for his first win. Richard Bland got $800,000 for his U.S. Senior Open triumph, the third-highest salary of his career. He won $1.175 million in a three-way tie for third place at LIV Golf events in Thailand and Greenbrier last year.
Stat of the Week
Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton tied for tenth place in the Rocket Mortgage Classic, becoming the third amateur this year to finish in the top ten on the PGA Tour. This features American Express winner Nick Dunlap.
Final word
“It simply made me a better player. You will not always play your best golf, but I am the best player I have ever been.” ― Richard Bland about his experience playing LIV Golf.
HAMBURG, Germany — Cristiano Ronaldo has declared that he will retire after this year’s European Championship.
The 39-year-old Portuguese legend is competing in the Euros for the sixth time and has helped his side advance to the quarterfinals, where Kylian Mbappé and France will face off on Friday in Hamburg.
Ronaldo | AP News Image
Ronaldo Says He Is Playing His ‘Last European Championship’
Ronaldo told Portuguese public radio RTP following the penalty shootout triumph over Slovenia on Monday: “It is, without a certain, my final European Championship.
“But I am not emotional about it. I’m moved by everything football represents—the enthusiasm I have for the game, the excitement of seeing my supporters, my family, and the devotion people have for me.”
Ronaldo, one of the most prolific scorers in soccer history with a record 14 goals at the European Championships, stated that his major drive today is “making people happy.” During the Slovenia game, he burst into tears when a penalty was saved in overtime.
Ronaldo | AP News Image
Ronaldo Says He Is Playing His ‘Last European Championship’
“It’s not about leaving the world of football,” he informed me. “What else can I do or win?” It will not come down to one point more or less.”
SOURCE – (AP)
Sports
NHL Rumors: The Predators and Steven Stamkos agree to a $32 million contract following the Lightning Run.
-
News3 weeks agoFIA Warns of Rising WhatsApp Hacks Targeting Women
-
Sports4 weeks agoNHL To Broadcast Stanley Cup Final Games In American Sign Language, A 1st For A Major Sports League
-
Election News4 weeks ago
India Election Results: Narendra Modi Loses His Majority
-
World4 weeks ago
NASA Sends First Manned Starliner Spacecraft to International Space Station
-
Sports4 weeks ago
Edmonton Oilers Goaltender Stuart Skinner’s Play Is The Biggest Uncertainty In The Stanley Cup Final
-
Tech4 weeks ago
OpenAI’s ChatGPT Back Online After Major Outage
