Sports

Injuries are Adding Up at Wimbledon and Determining the Outcomes of Matches

Published

3 months ago

2024-07-11

Novak Djokovic reaches a record 13th Wimbledon - Getty Images

LONDON — Of course, there is no single explanation for all of the injuries sustained by players in the later stages of Wimbledon this year. This much is certain. The timing couldn’t be worse.

Alex de Minaur, the opponent Novak Djokovic was due to face on Wednesday, withdrew hours before their scheduled quarterfinal because he hurt his hip at the end of a triumph two days prior.

“I’m devastated,” de Minaur explained. “The difficulty with me going out and playing is that a single stretch, slip, or anything else might cause this injury (healing) to take three to six weeks or four months. It’s too risky.”

During their last encounter, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz’s fourth-round opponent, slipped on an unworn patch of green grass. That resulted in a bone bruise, possibly worse, which Zverev said left him on “one leg” in his loss to the American at what the two-time major finalist described as a wide-open opportunity to win his first Grand Slam victory.

Injuries Are Adding Up At Wimbledon And Determining The Outcomes Of Matches

Danielle Collins’ final Wimbledon appearance before retirement ended with a trainer wrapping tape over her hamstring following the American’s fourth-round loss to Barbora Krejcikova, the 2021 French Open winner. Collins explained it as a failure to “think about every little step that you take.”

“There have been a lot of injuries on the grass.” People are falling to the left and right. I was frustrated because I felt I was focusing on my tactics and what I needed to do to play at a high level. Collins stated, “On other surfaces, I believe you don’t have to think as critically about your movement.” “The one second I take my mind off of it, not think about every little thing I’m doing with my footwork, it ends up happening.”

The falls keep occurring. The injuries are stacking up.

“It’s unfortunate, obviously,” de Minaur remarked. “You never want to see this.”

He described his misfortune as “more of a freak injury” due to the “excessive amount of force” he used to slide over grass.

Madison Keys, the 2017 U.S. Open runner-up, was in tears when she pulled out at 5-all in the third set of a Week 2 match against Jasmine Paolini, who advanced to the semifinals on Thursday.

Emma Raducanu, who won the U.S. Open three years ago, withdrew from mixed doubles, which was intended to be Andy Murray’s final event at Wimbledon, due to a sore wrist and later needed a medical timeout after falling in the third set of a singles match.

No. 17 Anna Kalinskaya withdrew from her fourth-round match against 2022 champion Elena Rybakina due to a weak wrist. Grigor Dimitrov ranked No. 10, retired from his fourth-round match against Daniil Medvedev due to a leg injury.

“It’s typical to experience niggling pains in your muscles during the second week of Wimbledon because the grass, going down low, and coming into the net are all taxing. Mark Philippoussis, a 2003 Wimbledon finalist, said it’s more about the muscles than the joints on grass. “So I’m sure lots of people will feel it now with little things here and there.”

Djokovic is among those who believe that all of the rain during the tournament — so much so that the mixed doubles final was moved from Thursday to Sunday, and play began a half-hour earlier than usual on most courts Wednesday — has made the grass slicker and the footing less certain.

The retractable roofs of Centre Court and No. 1 Court, the only two arenas with such amenities during inclement weather, have also been closed.

“Once you close the roof, the grass becomes more slippery. As a result, players are more likely to tumble. Unfortunately, some of the falls have forced some of the players to withdraw,” Djokovic explained.

“It is part of this surface. “You can’t really change that,” said the seven-time All England Club champion. “I mean, it is grass. It’s a living surface that responds to changing environments.

The pattern began with the grass tournaments that preceded Wimbledon.

Marketa Vondrousova resigned from a match in Berlin after injuring her right leg. When she arrived at Wimbledon, she became the first defending champion in 30 years to lose in the first round, admitting, “I was a little scared because of my leg.”.

Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, who defeated her last week, was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon in the third round against Krejcikova due to a back injury.

Frances Tiafoe withdrew from the Queen’s Club tournament before Wimbledon after spraining a ligament in his right knee during a crash. Tiafoe competed at the All England Club, wearing a black sleeve over his knee, and advanced to the third round before falling to reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic tore the meniscus in his right knee during a match at the French Open, underwent surgery, and returned to play less than a month later. Ironically, he believes that could have helped him stay upright this fortnight.

Injuries Are Adding Up At Wimbledon And Determining The Outcomes Of Matches

That’s because, years ago, Djokovic was one of the first players to slide on grass in the same way they do on clay. He has reduced his movements at Wimbledon this year, taking extra precautions to avoid falls.

“It’s probably part of my, I guess, different kind of movement on the court that I’ve been really experimenting with because of the cautiousness — because of the knee and everything that was happening prior to the tournament,” Djokovic told CNN. “The first couple rounds, I was still not maybe willing to go (for difficult) balls and slide and make splits.”

Other theories include more baseline play on grass and less serving-and-volleying, which results in longer points and extra running, which increases the likelihood of slips; less comfort on grass because players grow up practicing and competing on clay or hard courts; and a brief grass portion of the schedule that does not allow for much experience on the turf.

Then there’s the normal wear and tear of the season.

“Listen, tennis is a very physical sport right now.” Undoubtedly, the rallies are longer. Matches. Scheduling. “I finished late,” remarked Marcos Baghdatis, a 2006 Australian Open finalist. “It’s quite physically taxing. A lot of things are changing, which contributes to player injuries.”

SOURCE | AP

Sports

The Utah Hockey Club’s Net Scores The Opening Goal.

Published

3 weeks ago

2024-09-23

Salman Ahmad

(VOR News) – The Utah Hockey Club did not begin the season in the manner that they had planned to, despite the fact that they were playing their first game of the preseason on the ice.

The first goal that they scored at the beginning of the season was not the way that they had anticipated the season to begin.

Des Moines, Iowa, which is located in the state of Iowa, was the location of the first game played by the organisation that was once known as the Arizona Coyotes.

Specifically, the game will take place in the state of Iowa. Specifically, the game was developed in the state of Iowa, which was also the location where it was manufactured. The St. Louis Blues, who were the team that was competing for the championship.

We represented Utah in this particular game.

The penalty call was delayed, which resulted in Utah being required to remove their custodian in order to make room for an additional attacker. This was done in order to provide space for the additional attacker.

It was necessary to do this step in order to clear space for the attacker to move about a bit. Because of this, St. Louis was able to take the lead in the game with a score of 1-0 at the beginning of the second quarter.

This allowed them to gain control of the game. As the puck made its way down the ice and into the empty net of the opposition, the winger for Utah, Dylan Guenther, was unable to gain hold of it at the point, and he was also unable to catch up to it in time while it was falling. The disaster took place at this particular instant in time, which was the ideal time for it to take place that it did.

A defenseman with the Blues named Anton Malmstrom was given official credit for scoring the goal, and St. Louis “congratulated” Utah on scoring its first goal in the history of the team.

Malmstrom was given credit for Utah Scoring the goal.

The individual who was identified as the player who scored the goal was Malmstrom. It has been determined that Malmstrom is the individual who was responsible for scoring the goal. At the conclusion of the official investigation, it was determined that Malmstrom was the individual who was responsible for scoring the goal.

On the flip side, it would appear that yet another case of trolling was directed at the Blues. After the actual opening goal for Utah, which was scored by Michael Carcone a little more than six minutes later, Kevin Connauton added another goal later in the quarter to bring the score to a draw.

This brought the score to a tie. As a consequence of this, the score stayed tied. As a consequence of this turn of events, the score ended up being something like 2-2.

Guenther also made atonement for his prior transgressions by scoring a power-play marker that put Utah in the lead by a score of 3-2. This was a significant accomplishment for Guenther. As a consequence for his earlier misdeeds, Guenther was given this sentence.

Due to the fact that this achievement was achieved, Utah is currently in the position of being in the lead. It was on Friday that a signing took place, which ultimately led to the extension of Guenther’s contract for an additional eight years into the future. We have completed this extension.

Carcone scored his second goal of the game into an empty net, this time into the Blues’ net, during the final minute of the game. This would be his second goal of the game. Ultimately, this goal was the deciding factor in Utah’s victory, which was officially recorded as a 5-3 score.

It was generally agreed that Carcone’s goal was the one that clinched the victory. The final goal of the contest was scored by Carcone, who scored the game’s decisive goal. Utah was able to win the game and take home the victory as a result of Carcone’s goal, which was the goal that ultimately decided the outcome of the game.

However, despite the fact that the situation had already beyond the point of no return, the social administrator for the Blues was still able to successfully extract the last laugh from it. His efforts were successful.

SOURCE: SN

Sports

No Panic for Patrick Mahomes and The Chiefs After Another Quiet Travis Kelce game.

Published

4 weeks ago

2024-09-23

Salman Ahmad

(VOR News) – Nine times in the passing game was Travis Kelce, a tight end with the Kansas City Chiefs, targeted when he debuted in the 2023 season.

He did, however, only finish with four receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown overall. He responded the next week with seven receptions for 69 yards, the Chiefs adding another score to his record and thus allaying some of the worries of some who were on the sidelines looking in.

Kelce’s third consecutive week of poor performance marked the end of his third game of the 2024–25 season.

Two days before the year ended, this Chiefs event occurred.

Although his four receptions and thirty yards are all season highs, if they had been attained concurrently they would have been among his worst efforts from the previous season.

Once more on Sunday’s triumph over the Atlanta Falcons, a sluggish effort from the offense was evident; Kelce was not an exception to this rule. While this is the case, quarterback for Chiefs Patrick Mahomes thinks the most important symbol of respect is Kelce’s receiving less than a month away from his 35th birthday.

“I mean it’s crazy since teams are still… the respect factor Travis has is just unreal,” Mahomes said to reporters. “It is well-deserved, but we are calling a lot of plays for Travis, and it seems like just two or three people are going to him,” the spokesman added. He understands this clearly.

His desire to win at the end of the day is, in my view, the most admirable trait about him; he is not simply interested in having an impact on the game. I shall give it top attention in the future to keep giving him the ball whenever he is there and on the pitch.

At the conclusion of Week 3, Kelce ranked second only to Rashee Rice in terms of targets, receptions, and yards by the pass among all Chiefs pass catchers. This shows Kelce has made notable advancements on the right path. The other man merely had 12 receptions and 14 targets; Rice had 14 targets and 12 receptions for 110 yards.

Their differences were quite considerable. As of right now this season, three games have been played; Kelce has not yet found the end zone. He had two outstanding catches in the second half.

One was a third-quarter 17-yard gain that put the Chiefs in red zone.

The head coach and Mahomes both expressed hope that Kelce would finally reach his big-time goals after the weekend’s victory. Although this is the new normal for one of the league’s best tight ends, nobody seemed to be worried about it.

This is still the case after a week; yet, the longer Chiefs games pass without a vintage Kelce effort – or anything that even loosely resembles one – the more attention will be paid to his specific stats.

Though he has lost a lot of agility compared to his prime, Kelce is still able to get open. Besides, his head is still clear, hence he is obviously capable of writing correctly.

For a different set of factors, he is not getting targets or catches inside the rhythm of the offensive, though. Maybe we could have opened that window if our sample size had been larger.

Mahomes believes that everything else will take care of itself if other guys start (or, in Rice’s case, keep going) and Kelce keeps on going.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes stated, “The more plays Rashee makes, the more effectively we can run the football, which allows us to involve (Xavier) Worthy, thereby increasing Travis’s opportunities to be open.” “Individuals are genuinely concerned about attempting to remove him, which is facilitating opportunities for other players.”

SOUREC: SI

Sports

A Trio Of NASCAR Stars In Danger Of Playoff Elimination At Bristol Cutoff Race

Published

4 weeks ago

2024-09-22

Kiara Grace

Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, the first elimination race of NASCAR’s playoffs will pit a three-time Daytona 500 winner against two past Cup Series champions.

The trio is also among NASCAR’s greatest stars in a 16-driver playoff field that includes popular racers Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, and Bubba Wallace who did not qualify.

So this year’s field is rather depleted, but Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., and Harrison Burton are all below the cutline heading into the first elimination race of the playoffs. The bottom four drivers from Saturday night’s race will be removed.

So, what is the plan?

Hamlin, a four-time champion at Bristol, has a simple ambition.

“I’m coming here to win,” Hamlin declared Friday. “That plan will remain unchanged unless the scenario in the race changes. I’m going to go on offense straight away, and I’ll be fine regardless of the outcome.

“I just know, that over 500 laps here, things will work themselves out.”

A Trio Of NASCAR Stars In Danger Of Playoff Elimination At Bristol Cutoff Race

Joey Logano is the only driver who has already qualified for the second round after winning the playoff opener in Atlanta. This leaves the remaining 11 positions available, with the bottom four in the most jeopardy.

The Atlanta race and the road circuit at Watkins Glen last week were new sites on the 10-race playoff schedule, which is how Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner, 2012 champion Keselowski, and 2017 champion Truex ended himself in this position.

Both circuits are unpredictable, and Keselowski finished 19th at Atlanta, the highest of the three drivers in both races. Truex, who finished 20th at Watkins Glen, was furious after the race about the lack of respect among drivers in the field.

He’s retiring from full-time competition after the season, and he decided it’s probably too late to become a dirty driver. He stated that he was unsure whether he would be willing to compromise his ethical views to advance to the next round of the playoffs.

“I honestly don’t know. “I believe it will just depend on the situation — what we find ourselves in and what is going on,” Truex stated. “But most likely not.” I’ll probably race the same way I always do, and maybe we’ll be good enough to finish the job that way.”

Hamlin clarified that the contract extension handed to Wallace earlier this week does not indicate that 23XI Racing is close to signing NASCAR’s charter agreement.

When NASCAR issued a deadline two weeks ago to accept its last offer, 23XI was one of only two holdouts. Wallace has agreed to a multi-year contract deal, according to the organization.

“Nothing has changed on our side on (charters),” said Hamlin, the team’s co-owner alongside Michael Jordan and Curtis Polk. “We’ve said for awhile that we plan on racing next year and we’re sticking to that.”

That was the message Hamlin delivered this week at a sponsor summit held by 23XI Racing for its partners.

“We were quite clear in our messaging that nothing was changing. “The battles we have off the track are over ownership,” Hamlin stated.

Driver exchange
Spire Motorsports and Rick Ware Racing announced Friday that they will swap drivers beginning with next week’s race at Kansas Speedway, marking a rare in-season team trade.

Corey LaJoie, who had already been informed that he would not be returning to Spire next season, will start racing for Rick Ware Racing next weekend. Justin Haley, who has previously driven for Spire, will return to his former squad to replace LaJoie.

Haley’s seat is secured until 2025, while LaJoie is virtually on trial with Rick Ware Racing for the next two months of the season.

LaJoie is regarded as the leading contender for the full-time driver position at RWR, but he needs establish himself in the next seven races of the season.

Haley has driven partial schedules for Spire throughout numerous seasons and earned the team’s only Cup Series victory in July 2019 at Daytona.

NASCAR transactions are unusual because sponsorship contracts are normally connected to a car or a certain driver.

A Trio Of NASCAR Stars In Danger Of Playoff Elimination At Bristol Cutoff Race

“It’s unique, it’s unconventional,” RWR president Robby Benton explained. “Driver swaps and player trades are very different from what we do (in NASCAR).” But I want you to know that everything is friendly.”

Kurt Busch switched to Furniture Row Racing for the final six races of 2012, while Jeff Burton joined Richard Childress Racing with 14 races remaining in 2004. The closest driver trade occurred in 2003, when Jeff Green and Steve Park switched rides.

Is Dale Jr. finally gone?
Dale Earnhardt Jr. thinks that Friday night’s Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway would be his last until at least 2026.

JR Motorsports’ agreement with sponsor Hellmann’s Mayonnaise required the Hall of Fame driver to drive the vehicle at Bristol. That clause does not exist in 2025.

“I’m not planning on racing in the Xfinity Series next year,” Earnhardt added. “I’ll be foolish to say I’m never going to run again because I don’t know well enough to stay away from it, and I’ll probably miss it next year and be absolutely willing to sign up for anything that might be beneficial to JR Motorsports.”

Earnhardt, who turns 50 later this year, says he will miss racing in the series next year and “terribly regret that I didn’t race and probably in 2026 find me somewhere that I can go compete in the Xfinity Series again.”

“If a partner comes together with a package that helps one of the other cars fill out multiple races that we have some inventory, I’m absolutely on board to do a race for that reason alone,” according to him.

Earnhardt will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet at Bristol, which Connor Zilisch won in his Xfinity Series debut last weekend at Watkins Glen.

Earnhardt stated that JR Motorsports had not ended conversations on potentially fielding a Cup team.

“You just never know that when the phone rings what’s going to be on the other end of that call these days especially,” he told me. “There’s a lot of fresh interest coming into the sport, and with the new (charter) agreement, it’ll churn a bunch of potential partners who have been looking at the sport and waiting for that deal to happen to see where the monies end up.

“We may be able to capitalise on some of that momentum and those events. We may not. If it doesn’t happen, I’m not sure if I’ll have a huge regret.”

SOURCE | AP