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Andy Murray: “I want to play in the Slams again”

There is no peace for Andy Murray. The Scotsman may undergo additional hip surgery in the coming weeks. According to what reported by the ‘BBC’, the ex number 1 in the world will have to decide whether to intervene to eliminate a bone calcification on the titanium element inserted in the operation which took place last year after the Australian Open.

“I want to play in the Slams again,” Murray told the BBC. “That is the thing that I have missed over these last few years. Missing the Australian Open for me this year was rough. At the end of last season I was actually starting to play pretty well, I was feeling good and then this happened.”

“I have become quite pessimistic about time frames, issues and stuff because of what has gone on really and what has been said to me,” he added. “I don’t want to say I will definitely be in Miami playing but there is also the possibility that I might have to have something done.

We’ll just have to see.” At the end of November 2019, a television documentary, Andy Murray: Resurfacing, was released on the Amazon Prime platform, detailing Murray’s various attempts to overcome his hip injury over a two-year period from his defeat at Wimbledon in 2017 to his doubles victory at Queen’s Club in 2019.

In late December, Murray’s team confirmed that the pelvic injury which had curtailed his involvement in the Davis Cup would also prevent him from entering the upcoming 2020 Australian Open and the inaugural ATP Cup.…

Sports / Tennis

‘Nothing to recover’: Nadal dismisses doubts over foot injury

Rafael Nadal has played down concerns over the chronic foot issue that resurfaced in Rome last week as he prepares to launch his bid for a 14th French Open title.

The Spaniard limped to a third-round loss to Denis Shapovalov at the Italian Open, but practiced in front of thousands of fans at Roland Garros on Wednesday without any obvious discomfort.

“There is nothing to recover,” Nadal told reporters Friday. “What happened in Rome is something that happened very often in my practices.

“I was suffering after that for a couple of days, but I feel better. That’s why I’m here.”

Nadal began the year with a 20-match winning run, capturing a second Australian Open title to claim a record 21st Grand Slam and move ahead of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

The 35-year-old then missed six weeks with a rib injury sustained during his run to the final in Indian Wells, where he suffered his first loss of the season to Taylor Fritz.

Nadal complained of a recurring foot problem in Rome, but he appears confident it can be managed in Paris.

“The pain is there always. It’s not going to disappear now. It’s about if the pain is high and strong enough to allow me to play with real chances or not,” he said.

“It’s something that I live every day with, so it’s nothing new for me and is not a big surprise.

“So I am here just to play tennis and to try to make the best result possible here in Roland Garros. And if I don’t believe that this thing can happen, probably I will not be here.”…

Sports / Tennis

Tennis Great Roger Federer Withdraws From US Open

A third surgery on his right knee looms for tennis great Roger Federer, casting doubt on the 40-year-old’s ability to continue as one of the world’s top players.

Federer announced his US Open withdrawal today in a video post on Instagram. In the video, he said there is no assurance he can come back from this latest setback.

“I want to give myself a glimmer of hope to return to the tour in some shape or form,’’ Federer said. “I am realistic. Don’t get me wrong. I know how difficult it is at this age to do another surgery and try it. But I want to be healthy and I’ll go through the rehab process.”

That could take months, Federer admitted.

“As you can imagine it’s not been simple,’’ Federer said. “I’ve been doing a lot of checks with doctors on my knee, getting all the information as I hurt myself further in the grass court season  and Wimbledon. It’s not the way to go forward. Unfortunately for the medium to long-term to feel better, I will need surgery. I’ll be on crutches for many weeks and out of the game for many months It will be difficult, but I know it’s the right thing to do. ‘’

Federer made it to the quarter finals at Wimbledon , which many believed was planned to be his last pro event. Federer is tied with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal for the most men’s Grand Slam titles (20). At Wimbledon, Federer was beaten by Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz. Soon after, Federer revealed his knee problem.…

Sports / Tennis

Roger Federer To Miss Tokyo Olympics

Roger Federer has announced that he will miss this month’s Tokyo Olympics due to a knee injury.

Posting on Twitter, the five-time year-end World No. 1 said, “During the grass-court season, I unfortunately experienced a setback with my knee, and have accepted that I must withdraw from the Tokyo Olympic Games. I am greatly disappointed, as it has been an honor and highlight of my career each time I have represented Switzerland.

“I have already begun rehabilitation in the hopes of returning to the tour later this summer. I wish the entire Swiss team the best of luck and I will be rooting hard from a far. As always Hopp Schwiz!”

Federer, who missed the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games due to his left knee, underwent two right knee surgeries in 2020 after the Australian Open.

He returned to the Tour in Doha in March this year and has a 9-4 match record from five tournament outings, with his best result being a run to the Wimbledon quarter-finals (l. to Hurkacz).

The 28-time ATP Masters 1000 champion won a doubles gold medal with Stan Wawrinka in Beijing in 2008 and a singles silver medal (l. to Murray) in London in 2012.…

Sports / Tennis

Roger Federer knocked out by Hubert Hurkacz in quarter-finals

The Swiss lost 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 to the 14th seeded Pole, who reached his first Grand Slam semi-final.

It is the first time 20-time major champion Federer has lost a set to love at the All England Club.

Hurkacz will play seventh seed Matteo Berrettini for a place in Sunday’s final.

The Italian defeated Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3 5-7 7-5 6-3 to reach his first Wimbledon semi-final.

“It’s super special for me,” said Hurkacz, only the second Polish man to reach the semi-finals at a Grand Slam.

“Playing here and the special things [Federer] has done here, it’s a dream come true.”

Hurkacz, who was six when Federer won his first title at SW19, is the first player to win a set to love against the Swiss since Rafael Nadal in the 2008 French Open final.

Federer, at 39 years and 337 days, had been bidding to become the oldest man to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals in the Open era.

But defeat marked his first straight-set loss at Wimbledon in 19 years and left pundits and fans wondering whether this could turn out to be his final appearance at the grass-court Grand Slam.

Federer himself said he “does not know” if he will play at Wimbledon again.

Off-colour Federer falls short in bid to match record

Federer had two knee surgeries in 2020 and this was only his fifth event in 17 months, but had made no secret of the fact Wimbledon was his target this year as he looks to equal Martina Navratilova’s record of nine singles titles here.

With Novak Djokovic – into the semi-finals after defeating Marton Fucsovics – breathing down his and Rafael Nadal’s necks in the race for the most Grand Slams, this could have been his last chance to pull clear of his old foes on his best surface.

There had been concerns over his form coming into the tournament after a last-16 defeat by Auger-Aliassime at the Halle Open last month left him despondent, and he avoided an upset in the opening …

Sports / Tennis

Serena Williams out after suffering ankle injury during first-round match

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion suffered the ankle injury during the early stages of her first-round match on Centre Court; Williams was in tears on court as she tried to serve at 3-3 and then retired from the match shortly after and had to be helped off court

Serena Williams’ bid for a record equaling 24th Grand Slam singles crown ended in tears at Wimbledon as an ankle injury forced her out of her first-round match with Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

The 39-year-old, who has seven Wimbledon singles titles on her glittering CV, had broken to lead 3-1 against her Belarusian opponent when she turned her left ankle badly.

When world No 100 Sasnovich broke straight back, Williams – her right thigh already heavily strapped – was forced to leave the court for a medical time-out and, while the American made her way back onto Centre Court in an attempt to compete, the tears were in evidence as she could barely move.

Sasnovich levelled the match at 3-3, but another slip from Williams left her laying on the ground and, amid gasps from the crowd, she was helped to her feet by the chair umpire and the retirement was confirmed

Williams has been on 23 Grand Slam titles since the 2017 Australian Open – but her last two visits to Wimbledon have yielded finals.

Having lost to Simona Halep in 2019 and Angelique Kerber in 2018, sixth seed Williams arrived with ambition of finally levelling Margaret Court’s supreme tally, but she was left disraught and released a statement via her Instagram feed.

“I was heartbroken to have to withdraw today after injuring my right leg,” said Williams.…

Sports / Tennis

Tennis fans shattered over Dominic Thiem announcement

Dominic Thiem suffered a wrist injury in Mallorca and will miss Wimbledon. Image: AAP/Getty

Dominic Thiem has announced with withdrawal from Wimbledon in a devastating blow for the World No.4.

The US Open champion was forced to pull out of the grass-court major on Thursday after suffering an injury to his right wrist.

Dominic Thiem, pictured here after suffering a wrist injury in Mallorca.

The Austrian star sustained the injury during a second-round match against Adrian Mannarino at the ATP event in Mallorca earlier this week.

Thiem, who had already opted out of competing at the Tokyo Olympics, will have to wear a wrist splint for five weeks.

He is now in a race against time to be fit for the defence of his first grand slam title at the US Open at the end of August.

The 27-year-old said on Thursday: “I’m going to do everything the doctors say in order to recover as quickly as possible.

“They’ve informed me that I might be out for several weeks but I will do my best to be back on court soon.

“I’m really sorry for pulling out of the upcoming three tournaments I had in my calendar: Wimbledon, Hamburg and Gstaad.

“They are very important tournaments for me. I appreciate all the support from the fans in these difficult moments – I’m determined to come back stronger.”

Fans were left shattered over the sad news.

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Basket Ball / Sports

Anthony Davis Questionable for Game 4

Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis is dealing with an injury to his knee that has his status for Sunday’s Game 4 against the Phoenix Suns up in the air.

Head coach Frank Vogel told reporters after Saturday’s practice that Davis will be listed as questionable with a sprained knee, though Davis made it clear he will be out there.

“There’s no chance that I don’t play tomorrow,” he told reporters.

Davis said after the Lakers’ Game 3 win that he hyperextended the knee but expected to play on Sunday.

After starting the postseason with 13 points in Game 1, Davis has averaged 34.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in the past two games against the Suns.

As the Lakers fought to avoid being relegated to a spot in the play-in tournament, head coach Frank Vogel was careful not to push Davis too hard. The eight-time All-Star missed 30 straight games from February 16 to April 19 because of a strained calf and Achilles injury.

Davis showed some rust after returning, averaging 20.5 points per contest with a 41.5 field-goal percentage in 11 games. He did have a fantastic performance on May 9 with a season-high 42 points in a 123-110 win over the Phoenix Suns.

The Lakers held Davis out of their May 12 win over the Houston Rockets with a groin injury. The reigning NBA champions have also played most of the second half of this season without LeBron James because of a sprained ankle.

As long as Davis and James are healthy for the postseason, the Lakers are capable of making another deep run in their quest for a second straight title.

Markieff Morris will likely move into the starting lineup if Davis is unable to play in Game 4.…

Football / Sports

Owen: I Hated Football Late In My Career

Michael Owen has said that injuries had left him “petrified” and made him hate playing football toward the end of his career.
Owen scored 262 goals in 571 career appearances for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United, Stoke City and England.
He first suffered a torn hamstring at the age of 19, forcing him to spend five months on the sidelines, and a series of similar injuries seriously affected the second half of his career.
“Once I did it once I was gone really,” Owen told BT Sport. “I was quick, running in channels, beating people. That’s who I was — compared to the last six or so years when I turned into the only thing I could.
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“I was petrified of running into a channel. I just knew I was going to tear a muscle. The worst thing about it is your instinct is to do what you have done all your life but you start thinking: ‘Oh no, don’t.’”
Michael Owen during a Soccer Aid match. Photo by Dave J Hogan/Injuries took their long-term toll on Owen, who admitted he could not play as the same kind of forward that he did early in his career.
“For six or seven years I hated it,” he added. “I couldn’t wait to retire.
“It wasn’t me. All I was doing is coming short, linking play and getting in the box. It ended up with people thinking I was a great goal scorer who didn’t do much else. Mentally I could do it, but physically I couldn’t.
“I admire people who can play for the love of the game. They may lose a yard of pace and they can go down a division or play against lesser teams — but, for me, it was turmoil.”
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