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NDTV
4 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
The Magic Of Carlos Alcaraz
The Stade Roland Garros is named after French World War 1 fighter pilot and aviation pioneer (Eugène Adrien Roland Georges Garros). Over the years, another high-flier, albeit in tennis apparel, became synonymous with the venue. Winning 14 singles titles at one Grand Slam event will have that effect. Most tennis fans in fact believe that what Rafael Nadal managed to accomplish on the red clay of Paris is not just otherworldly, but frankly impossible to replicate. But a certain 22-year-old, who was barely into his second year on this planet when his compatriot, Nadal, won his maiden French Open title in 2005, would no doubt have pictured himself winning title number 15, someday. Carlos Alcaraz will have no memory of how Nadal beat Mariano Puerta to triumphantly lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires 20 years ago, but he made sure every serious tennis fan in the world will forever remember how he came back from being two sets down to successfully defend his French Open crown, while saving as many as three Championship points (match points in a final). Read that again. Only two men before this had saved Championship points en route to winning a Slam title in the Open Era - Gaston Gaudio in 2004 at Roland Garros and Novak Djokovic in 2019 at Wimbledon. Since the Open Era began in 1968, there had been only eight men who had come back from two sets down to win a Grand Slam final. On June 8, Alcaraz became the ninth. The ninth man in 57 years. It's not the most logical of things, but it is a facet of human nature that sometimes it takes a herculean effort to make people realise the obvious. There of course has been a lot of talk, for a while now, about who the worthy successors will be of the Big 3 (Federer, Nadal and Djokovic), and names like Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been on top of the list of potentials. But after what we witnessed on the court Philippe-Chatrier of the Stade Roland Garros in the French Open men's singles final this year - a clash of two different but supremely effective playing styles, in what was the longest ever final played at the venue (5 hours and 29 minutes) - there's no doubt that tennis fans will officially anoint both players as the biggest torchbearers of the new era in global men's singles tennis. This is the rivalry in men's tennis to watch out for, for now. The last six Slam titles have been shared by the two best players of this generation. It wasn't a surprise then to hear six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker say on Eurosport Germany, "It was the same with Federer, Djokovic and Nadal. What epic duels they've had over 15 years - and that's exactly the level I see Carlos and Jannik at." Seven-time Slam champion, Mats Wilander, told TNT Sports, "I thought: 'This is not possible - they're playing at a pace that is not human.'" A new era in men's tennis has well and truly begun. There's absolutely no doubt that tennis, like most other extremely physical sports, is mostly a young person's game. As the body ages and the reflexes become slower, it takes longer and longer to recuperate physically. Consequently, more and more 'older' players are left by the wayside. This is also one factor that made the likes of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic titans of the sport - they didn't seem to be afflicted by the usual tyrannies of ageing, like most mortals. But even so, to win five Grand Slam titles by the age of 22 is a monumental achievement. Alcaraz is the third youngest man to clinch five Slams after Bjorn Borg (21) and Rafa Nadal (22). But then, Alcaraz has always been "a phenom". He turned professional at the age of 15 in 2018 and broke into the men's top 100 rankings by 2021. He finished as the world number 35 that year (2021), after making it to the US Open quarter-finals - the youngest men's singles Grand Slam quarter-finalist since the then 18-year-old Michael Chang in 1990 at the French Open. From a first-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist to a five-time Slam champion in four years. Now, that is some super-fast progression. However, what is most remarkable about Alcaraz's development, so far, is that he is as comfortable on the fast (not as fast as it used to be of course) Wimbledon grass as he is on the slow, grind-it-out clay of Roland Garros. Most tennis players who come out of the Spanish stable are clay-court masters, because they are reared on clay from a very early age. Out of the 22 Slam titles that Nadal won in his career, 14 were won on clay - that's almost 64% of his total tally. Most people feel that a Spaniard's favourite tennis surface will always be clay, but Alcaraz has turned that stereotype on its head. Some experts feel that clay, in fact, does not really suit his high-risk, high-reward style of play because the longer rallies increase the chances of unforced errors for him, among other factors. So far in his career, Alcaraz has won Slam titles on all three different varieties of courts - hard, grass and clay, having clinched the US Open, Wimbledon and French Open titles. Some might feel hard courts might suit his game the most, but that would be inaccurate, going by his progression - he won the US Open in 2022 as his maiden Slam title, but hasn't won a hard-court Slam since then, while winning two Wimbledon and two French Open titles since then. Even the all-time greats like Federer, Rafa and Novak have been vulnerable on certain surfaces. Federer, who won 20 Grand Slams, managed to win just one French Open title. Nadal won Wimbledon just twice. Djokovic, in fact, is one player who has come very close to being almost invincible on all surfaces, but he, too, clearly prefers hard and grass courts. So, which is Carlos Alcaraz's favourite surface? The scary thing is: he might be a complete all-surface player. Of course, he has miles to go before he can legitimately earn that epithet, but even some of the legends of the game have conceded that he might have the best qualities of the Big 3, rolled into one. Eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi told TNT Sports, "....You gotta remember this guy has defence and speed like Novak, if not more. He has feel like Federer, you could argue at times if not more. He has RPMs in pace like Rafa. You could argue maybe even more." There have been only four men in this century who have won at least one Grand Slam title four years in a row. Alcaraz is the fourth. The first three were Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. There's a certain steely determination that runs through Alcaraz's veins. And it's not surprising. After all, he does have tennis in his blood. Carlos' father is a tennis player-turned-coach and handed Carlos a racquet at the age of four. That is when he joined the Real Sociedad Club de Campo de Murcia, where his father was coach and administrator. His father lit the spark, and it was noticed by no-nonsense manager Albert Molina when Carlos was just 11. Molina is also from Murcia (like Alcaraz) and was instrumental in the global talent-management company, IMG, signing the prodigy. He also introduced Carlos to former world number one, Juan Carlos Ferrero, who joined the Alcaraz camp as head coach in 2019. A recent Netflix documentary revealed how Molina was quite upset with Alcaraz when the youngster went to Ibiza for a holiday after losing to Nadal in the 2023 French Open. Molina felt the then 20-year-old was not taking his upcoming commitments, including Wimbledon, seriously. Alcaraz had the perfect reply for his manager - his first Wimbledon title, just a few weeks later. This anecdote shows, in many ways, how Alcaraz can switch on in an instant and can fuel himself with positivity and confidence, no matter what the situation. In the French Open final this time, Alcaraz was down love-40, trailing 3-5 in the fourth set against Sinner. He managed to save all three match points to turn the match on its head, before going on to win the fifth set tie-break and the Championship and scripting one of the all-time greatest comebacks in the sport. Alcaraz is only the second male player after Roger Federer to have remained unbeaten in his first five Slam finals. Ferrero, who has been coaching him since Alcaraz was 16, has gone on record to say that even he thought the Spaniard wouldn't be able to come back from that position, but "...with Carlos, everything is possible." Those might just turn out to be prophetic words.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Community Shield date and time confirmed as Liverpool takes on Crystal Palace
Liverpool will face Crystal Palace in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday, August 10. The game will kick off at 3 pm local time, which is 10 am ET. The Football Association (FA) confirmed the news on Friday. TNT Sports holds the exclusive live broadcasting rights in the UK, and ESPN is expected to broadcast the big game in the United States. Advertisement The news comes as Liverpool prepares to announce the signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, as the player completes his medical on Merseyside. The Reds are also being linked with a move for Marc Guehi, Palace's FA Cup-winning captain. READ MORE: Jamie Carragher already told Liverpool his thoughts on Marc Guehi transfer fee READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Florian Wirtz medical, Alexander Isak deal, Marc Guehi interest "To win, it was a really special moment for us and our fans," said Guehi after winning the FA Cup. That was Palace's first major trophy in the club's 119-year history, having previously lost the FA Cup final in 1990 and 2016, losing to Manchester United on both occasions. Advertisement As Palace hadn't won the FA Cup before this year, this will be the team's first appearance in the Community Shield. The game is England's version of a super cup and has existed since 1908. It was known as the Charity Shield until 2002. Liverpool knows the Community Shield well, having played in 24 editions of the game. Only Manchester United (31) has appeared in more Community Shields. Liverpool won the Community Shield in 2022 -Credit:Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images The Reds have won the Community Shield 11 times. Liverpool has also shared the trophy five times, as the prize used to be shared when the game ended in a draw. As such, Liverpool is regarded as a 16-time champion of the Community Shield. Advertisement Liverpool's most recent appearance in the Community Shield came in 2022, when Jurgen Klopp's team defeated Chelsea in the FA Cup final to qualify. The 2022 game took place at Leicester's King Power Stadium, where the Reds defeated Manchester City 3-1. Pep Guardiola's players are the defending Community Shield champions, but they are not involved this year after failing to win the Premier League title and losing to Palace in the FA Cup final. Teams qualify for the Community Shield by either winning the Premier League or the FA Cup. If a club wins both of those competitions, the team that finished second in the Premier League, such as Arsenal in 2023, will be invited to take part. Advertisement On occasion, the FA will invite a team to take part in the Community Shield if the league champion, FA Cup winner, or league runner-up is unwilling to take part. In 1971, Arsenal won the league and cup double, but the London team was unable to take part due to preseason friendlies. League runner-up Liverpool and second-tier champion Leicester played the game instead, with the latter winning.
BBC News
7 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Community Shield to be played on 10 August
Details of the 2025 Community Shield have been confirmed by the Cup winners Crystal Palace will face Premier League champions Liverpool in the traditional season curtain-raiser at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, 10 August at 15:00 match will be broadcast live TNT Sports.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Fans claim the 'game's GONE' as Mexican side deploy never-before-seen tactic at the Club World Cup
Fans have called out the use of a unique tactic at the Club World Cup, insisting it shows the 'game's gone'. Serie A giants Inter Milan faced Mexican outfit Monterrey in California earlier this week in the opening game of the tournament for both teams. With the match level at 1-1, Inter were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the area, and Monterrey opted to deploy a never-before-seen tactic to defend it. Rather than putting up one wall, they set up a double wall with four players in each, while leaving a gap in the middle for the goalkeeper to get a clear view of the ball. The unusual setup worked as Inter failed to score from the set-piece, but most fans on social media were having none of it. 'Game's gone', commented one Instagram user after TNT Sports posted a photo of the double wall on their official account. One fan claimed the never-before-seen tactic was a sign that the 'game's gone' Another supporter described the double wall as 'woke nonsense' but Inter failed to score One Instagram user was thoroughly unimpressed by the double wall, branding it 'stupid' Another claimed Inter should have just passed the ball to one of their open players 'Woke nonsense', added another, while one fan simply wrote: 'This is stupid'. Meanwhile, one supporter insisted Inter had an easy solution at their disposal to the double wall that contained eight Monterrey players in total. 'So many open players to pass to,' they pointed out. However, the new tactic was not universally condemned as one fan replied on Instagram: 'Every team should do it'. The game ended up finishing 1-1 as Monterrey secured a hard-earned point. They had taken the lead through a header from Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos, but Inter equalised thanks to Lautaro Martinez. Monterrey have two more group games to come against River Plate and Urawa Red Diamonds, and it remains to be seen if they will deploy the double wall again. It is not the only unusual incident that has taken place at the Club World Cup this week. In a separate match between Uslan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns, South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was penalised for holding onto the ball for longer than eight seconds. Refereeing chiefs announced plans to clamp down on time-wasting by goalkeepers prior to the tournament, and Williams was caught out as Ulsan were awarded a corner for his infringement.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Premier League TV games revealed: Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea among televised opening day fixtures
THE Premier League 2025/26 fixture list has been revealed, along with the opening weekend game times. Top-flight English football will return after the summer break with champions Liverpool taking on Bournemouth. 5 The Premier League's opening round of fixtures have been revealed Credit: Getty 5 TNT Sports have an ideal clash on the early Saturday kick-off Credit: Getty 5 At least 267 games will be televised across the upcoming season Credit: Getty With a And that is only the first out of a cracking round of matches. The early kick-off on Saturday has a tasty offering of That will be broadcast live on TNT Sports, in what could be an early six-pointer in the race for the Champions League places. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL There are four games under the 3pm blackout: Sky Sports then pick up broadcasting duties again as Pep Guardiola's side could be playing that game just over a month after their involvement in the Club World Cup if they reach the July 15 final. As Sunday rolls around, fans are in for a real Super Sunday treat with two potential clashes. Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The 2pm showing will see But the real headline act of the weekend comes in the 4:30pm kick-off, with a heavyweight bout at Old Trafford between Sky Sports presenter chokes up on final appearance as he leaves after nearly 30 YEARS with much-loved show axed According to Meanwhile, The first weekend of the season rounds out with an 8pm Monday match up between newly-promoted Leeds and 5 5
