Author: S Kannan

Carlos Alcaraz, the young Spanish matador, battered Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) to retain his strong hold on the Wimbledon trophy on a flat Sunday, tennis wise, in London. For all those who watched this two hour and 27 seven {mis)match at the packed Centre Court, many emotions came into play. Wimbledon, certainly, hates Novak. There is no reason for it. He is still gunning for his 25th Grand Slam title and eighth singles title at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at age 37 plus and there is nothing wrong in it. This was a final…

If a tennis match could be divided into three distinct parts, Barbora Krejcikova versus Jasmine Paolini in the ladies’ final on Saturday at Wimbledon was a prime example. The form book had been shredded, as famous names had been waylaid this fortnight. Eventually, Paolini couldn’t come on strong, as Krejcikova produced a masterclass in three sets. On a sun-kissed Saturday afternoon on the Centre Court, watching two players with different styles compete on worn-out grass had the audience glued to their seats. This was not meant to be the final, as per early predictions. Truth to tell, predicting results in…

For all talk of Young Turks ready to make an impact at the major tournaments, this fortnight at The Championships has shown, yet again, how pedigree matters on grass. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the men’s singles final at the Centre Court, SW 19, London, where there will be a repeat of the 2023 final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic from 6:30pm (IST) on Sunday. Was this the prediction before and after the Wimbledon draw was made? Was this the script written, based purely on seedings? No, certainly not, for Jannik Sinner, who will still be World No.1 when…

Pressure and nerves, an elite athlete has to constantly deal with it, not just in the field of play, but also away from it. As the Indian pistol shooting squad fine-tunes and hopes to win medals in Paris 2024 Olympics, Manu Bhaker spoke to RevSportz before leaving for the boot camp in Luxembourg. Competing in three events in Paris, after blazing the trials in New Delhi and Bhopal during the intense summer heat, Manu went to Germany and then Luxembourg. It was important she returned to New Delhi to meet her family, even though her training did not stop, under…

To say that there is a generational gap between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic would be stating the obvious. On Sunday, when the two will again contest the gentlemen’s singles final at Wimbledon, a quick look at their age: Alcaraz will be 21 years and 70 days, young and fresh, while Serbian Novak has been named a veteran at 37 years and 53 days. If you happened to watch the men’s singles semi-finals on Friday at the most romantic tennis theatre in the world – Wimbledon Centre Court – the last thought would be age. If age was on Alcaraz’s…

It is not easy being a second-generation athlete hoping to reprise old glory. Expectations and comparisons are inevitable, yet Rajeshwari ‘Ria’ Kumari, slightly short in height but tall in stature, is ready to go flat out, all guns blazing, at the Paris Olympics. Daughter of Raja Randhir Singh, Ria, as she is fondly addressed by friends in the shooting fraternity, has been doing her own stuff in a quiet way. As she says, she is more comfortable with chatting on WhatsApp than over a call. Yet, well before the media restrictions had been slapped on shooters leading up to Paris…

This has been a helter-skelter fortnight in the ladies’ section at Wimbledon. Who would have predicted, in a field where there has been no dearth of marquee names, that Czechia’s Barbora Krejcikova and Jasmine Paolini from Italy would be fighting for the title on Saturday? To say that the semi-finals on Thursday provided riveting stuff would be stating the obvious. What was, indeed, remarkable about Krejcikova and Paolini winning their respective semi-finals was that they showcased a steely resolve and willingness to raise the level of play on the big stage. For those tennis fans who think the seedings committee…

It takes two to tango, in tennis. No, one is not talking about a scratch pair being put on court to play doubles but how the former enfant terrible of tennis, John McEnroe, has come out in full support for Novak Djokovic. Just to jog the readers’ memory, the Serbian has been at the receiving end from tennis fans the world over. Be it Down Under in Melbourne, or at the French Open and even in the United States of America, ‘hate Novak’ is almost like a campaign. Even though Novak did not need to step on court on Wednesday…

An Italian flavour at Wimbledon is a rarity, no? Not just in terms of the food menu but also the tennis menu. At Court No.1, on Wednesday evening, Lorenzo Musetti showed a big game and large heart to outslug American Taylor Fritz in a rocking five-setter at Wimbledon. The final scoreline read – 3-6, 7-6(7/5), 6-2, 3-6. 6-1 After Novak Djokovic had earned his place in the semi-final without even stepping on court, as his opponent Alex De Minaur had conceded the quarter-final due to a hip injury, the focus shifted to Musetti versus Fritz. Even Queen Camilla moved from…

Talk of revenge in tennis, it has many meanings. Some players smart after a defeat, some players sulk and some wait for the right opportunity to hit back. Dangerous Daniil Medvedev from Moscow had lost the Australian Open final to now World No.1 Jannik Sinner this January. Call it luck, or call it pluck, Daniil turned dangerous at the Centre Court on Tuesday as he used every trick in his game to outgun Jannik Sinner 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 6-3 in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Rain has ruined outdoor plans for witnessing tennis on grass at The Championship.…