Rafa Nadal has cast major doubts over his participation at the French Open after announcing his withdrawal from the Monte Carlo Masters. The 37-year-old tennis star hasn’t played an ATP event since Brisbane in early January, but was expected to return in Monte Carlo for the start of the clay-court swing.
Nadal is almost certain to announce his retirement at some stage this year, with many of the belief he might play the French Open before calling it quits. But there are serious doubts about whether he will even play his favourite grand slam, which he has won a record 14 times.
The Spanish champion skipped the Indian Wells tournament last month, saying he was not “ready to play at the highest level”. But he was expected to ramp up his comeback on his favourite surface of clay, which would have seen him play in Monte Carlo.
But on Thursday, April 4, evening he announced he won’t be playing the tournament he often features at and wins. “These are very difficult moments for me, sporting wise,” he said. “Unfortunately I have to tell you that I am not going to be playing in Monte Carlo. My body simply won’t allow me.
Tag: Sports
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Rafa to miss action as clay swing begins
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Sunrisers trump MI in six-hitting carnage
Hyderabad (TIP)- Records tumbled as Sunrisers Hyderabad went on a rampage to post the highest ever IPL total of 277/3 against Mumbai Indians before sealing a 31-run victory in a power-hitting contest that left bowlers on both sides befuddled.
SRH opener Travis Head (62 off 24) and No. 3 Abhishek Sharma (63 off 23) came up with a sensational display of power-hitting that saw the latter snatching the franchise record for the fastest fifty from the Australian within minutes. Heinrich Klaasen (80 not out off 34 balls) provided the fireworks in the end to help SRH break an 11-year-old record. The previous highest total in IPL was 263/5 achieved by Royal Challengers Bangalore back in 2013. It was also the highest total recorded in a T20 league. Mumbai bowlers were left shell-shocked by SRH’s six-hitting spree but their batters came out with a purpose and made a match out of what looked like a one way traffic at the innings break.
Eventually, they ended at 246/5 in 20 overs. A record 38 sixes were plundered in the game and it was the first time 500 runs were scored in a T20 match.
“The wicket was good but 277, no matter how good or bad you bowl, if the opposition get 277 that means they batted very well. It was tough out there for bowlers. Close to 500 runs were scored so the wicket was helping the batters,” MI skipper Hardik Pandya said after the match.
Chasing a mammoth 278, Rohit Sharma (26 off 12), in his 200th game for the franchise, played some sublime strokes and was well complemented by Ishan Kishan (34 off 13) who got some much needed runs. Source: PTI -
Parag’s 84, excellent death bowling help RR eke out 12-run win against Delhi
Jaipur (TIP)- Young Riyan Parag showed why he is considered a precocious talent as he struck a stunning 84 not out off 45 balls to set up a 12-run win for Rajasthan Royals against Delhi Capitals in their IPL match here on March 28. Sent in to bat, RR were reduced to 36/3 in the eighth over but the 22-year-old Parag single-handedly took the home side to 185/5 with a magnificent unbeaten knock studded with seven fours and six sixes. Parag, who was promoted to No. 4 by the team management this season and made 43 in the previous match, took 25 runs off veteran South African pacer Anrich Nortje with scores of 4, 4, 6, 4, 6, 1 in the final over to hit his highest T20 score. Parag shared 54 and 52 runs with Ravichandran Ashwin (29) and Dhruv Jurel (20), respectively, after RR made a shaky start.
“Riyan Parag has been a big name in the last few years. Wherever I go, people ask me about him. There is something very special he can give to Indian cricket,” RR captain Sanju Samson said. Chasing 186 for a win, DC could only manage 173/5 in 20 overs though South African youngster Tristan Stubbs (44 not out off 23 balls) kept them in the hunt till the final over from which they needed 17 runs. Avesh Khan conceded just four runs to help RR win their second consecutive match. South African pacer Nandre Burger and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal took two wickets apiece to also contribute in the RR win.
“Definitely disappointed. The best thing to do is to learn from it. The bowlers did well through the 15-16 overs. But the batters did well at the death, hopefully we do better in the next game,” DC skipper Rishabh Pant, who scored 28 off 26, said.
RCB batting coach backs Maxwell
Bengaluru: Glenn Maxwell has played just six balls across two matches to make three runs in this IPL but Royal Challengers Bengaluru batting coach Neil McKenzie today expected the Australian all-rounder to hit his straps soon. Maxwell fell for a first-ball duck against Chennai Super Kings, while a return to Chinnaswamy Stadium, a favourite hunting place of his, too did not offer any respite as he was dismissed for three against Punjab Kings. “You know, that’s cricket. It’s up and down. It’s only two games. We know with Maxie, he’s going to win us a couple of games. He has made a slower start to the tournament but we know that he’s going to win games for us later on in the tournament,” McKenzie said on the eve of RCB’s game against Kolkata Knight Riders. -
Madrid masters: Patient PV Sindhu eases into quarters
Star Indian shuttler PV Sindhu continued her impressive run at the Madrid Spain Masters, advancing to the quarterfinals with a comfortable straight-game win over Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu-Hsun. Sindhu was hardly tested by the Taiwanese qualifier, ranked world No. 63, resulting in a 21-14 21-12 win in 36 minutes. The former world champion, who finished runner-up in the last edition, will take on sixth seed Supanida Katethong of Thailand next. Katethong defeated Japan’s Natsuki Nidaira 21-13 14-21 21-17.
In the opening game, Sindhu was 3-0 up initially but then entered a phase where she often found the net or went long while her rival produced some precise returns to grab a 11-10. The Indian, however, produced a better show after resumption, taking a 18-12 cushion with Yu-Hsun making errors. She soon grabbed eight game points, wasted two of them before sealing the opening game with her trademark smash.
After the change of sides, Yu-Hsun struggled to control the shuttle as her lifts repeatedly went long. The Taiwanese shuttler tried to use her drops and placements but she didn’t have power in her smashes. The result was Sindhu quietly waited for her opponent to commit errors. Soon she had a five-point advantage at the break. Every time Yu-Hsun tried to extend the rallies, she ended up with unforced errors. Soon a smash handed eight match points to Sindhu and she wrapped it up when her opponent caught the net again. -
Miami open: Sinner sets up clash with Medvedev
Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner won his 20th match of the year to reach the Miami Open semifinals for the third time in the past four years with a 6-4 6-2 victory over Tomas Machac.
Sinner, seeded second, will take on third seed Daniil Medvedev in a rematch of last year’s Miami Open final. Medvedev won that but has lost four straight matchups since. Medvedev advanced to the latest meeting with a 6-2 7-6 (7) win over 22nd seed Nicolas Jarry in a late match. Sinner reached his fourth semifinal of the season and moved to 20-1 overall. He reached the finals of this event in 2021 and 2023, losing both times. “It was a really tough match, but I was happy about the performance,” Sinner said.Sinner, 22, said Machac served well early on and his aggressiveness kept things close for a while. But Sinner continued his fabulous run, breaking his opponent’s serve four times, to move on to the next round. “I always say when it all feels good on the court, it’s easy to play tennis,” he said. “But it has to start off in a practice session when you don’t feel well, but you still have to practise and this can make the difference. At the moment, I feel really good on the court,” he added.
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Miami open: Murray has last laugh vs Berrettini, again
Andy Murray won another lengthy match with Matteo Berrettini, who appeared weary and leaned on his racquet to keep his balance during Murray’s 4-6 6-3 6-4 victory at the Miami Open. Playing his first match on the ATP Tour this season, Berrettini was serving with Murray leading 5-2 in the second set when he seemed to become dizzy, resting his racquet on the court to hold himself up. He was visited by a medical attendant, who checked his blood pressure before play continued.
Berrettini left the court after dropping that set but was able to finish the match, which lasted 2 hours and 49 minutes. It was a rematch of Murray’s 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-7(7) 7-6 (10-6) victory that lasted nearly five hours in the first round of the 2023 Australian Open.
“It was obviously a great win for me,” Murray said. “Started off a little bit slow but then I did think I played pretty well across then end of the first set through to the end of the match.”
Naomi Osaka, a two-time US Open champion, beat Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3 6-4 in her return to Miami. The runner-up to Iga Swiatek in her last appearance in 2022 advanced to face No. 15 seed Elina Svitolina in the second round. Elsewhere, Sloane Stephens celebrated her 31st birthday by beating Angelique Kerber 6-2 6-3. Donna Vekic beat Karolina Pliskova 6-4 2-6 6-2; and Americans Danielle Collins and Shelby Rogers advanced with three-set victories.
Heartbroken Aryna asks for privacy
Aryna Sabalenka said her “heart is broken” by the death of Konstantin Koltsov, asking for privacy for herself and the family of the former Belarusian hockey player she had dated. Koltsov died Monday, days before the second-ranked Sabalenka was set to begin play in the Miami Open. “Konstantin’s death is an unthinkable tragedy, and while we were no longer together, my heart is broken,” Sabalenka said in a statement.
Source: AP -
CSK, Mumbai get new captains as Pant returns after over a year
NEW DELHI (TIP)- The never-ending speculation surrounding Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s retirement, Virat Kohli’s 16-year drought, the second chance that life has offered Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma’s World Cup agony will make for intriguing sub-plots in the Indian Premier League (IPL) beginning on March 22. Known to do the unexpected, Dhoni stepped down as Chennai Super Kings’ captain on the eve of the IPL opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, handing over the reins to Ruturaj Gaikwad, a man he mentored for the leadership role. “We have been working hard to prepare leaders. We have been slow on life after MS Dhoni. But trusting the youngsters has paid off well for us. I have already had a word with the youngsters like Rutu about leadership and captaincy. It is a great opportunity for him to lead the team,” CSK coach Stephen Fleming said.
Delhi Capitals’ Pant, back from the brink after a life-threatening accident, will be desperate to show the world that he can still hit those one-handed sixes with elan.
Rohit will be the last person to show his scars hidden behind his typical Mumbaikar nonchalance as he gets down to enjoying his evening dates at the Wankhede albeit without the captain’s title. The partisan crowd would, nonetheless, look forward to his trademark pull shots.
For other captains, they need to win the on-field games but Hardik Pandya needs to win the dressing room too. There will be seniors with bruised egos, knowing that a shot at leadership has bypassed them. They could well be difficult to handle.
As for Kohli, he would be in pursuit of that elusive jewel in his crown. By his own admission, he has been longing for a big title and his own passionate approach to the game would be a key factor in deciding whether the RCB men manage to emulate the women this year. A bigger prize is also at stake for at least 10 to 12 other players, who will be vying for eight slots on the New York-bound flight that will take off at the end of May for the T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean.
There will be unbelievable comebacks by some; a few new stars will emerge; there will also be those usual rags-to-riches stories and all of it could unfold in a matter of four minutes, the time it takes to deliver one over.
Source: Agencies -
Sharath chosen as flagbearer for Paris, Mary chef de mission
Veteran table tennis player and reigning CWG champion Sharath Kamal will be India’s flagbearer at the Paris Olympics while legendary boxer MC Mary Kom was today appointed the chef de mission of the country’s contingent.
The 41-year-old table tennis player symbolises “the unity and spirit of our contingent as they compete on the Olympic stage”, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said in a statement.
“It has been an unbelievable three weeks,” Kamal said. “From not even sure of an Olympics berth to playing the way I did in Singapore last week, jumping 54 spots in the rankings, to being named India’s flagbearer,” he added. Kamal was India’s flagbearer at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Birmingham CWG, where he won three gold medals.
Six-time world champion Mary Kom, bronze medallist at the 2012 London Olympics, will be assisted by luger Shiva Keshavan, who has been appointed the deputy chef de mission.
Olympics bronze medallist Gagan Narang will oversee India’s operations at the shooting range, which is afar from the main venues.