Author: S Kannan

This is something new, and not sportsman-like, baiting Novak Djokovic. At the Centre Court in Wimbledon on Monday evening, tennis fans were at their boorish best (or worst). If that was supposed to egg on Holger Rune and make it miserable for the Serbian, quite the opposite happened as the man chasing his 25th Grand Slam hit cruise control button and sailed into the quarter-finals. Another great passage into the last eight stage at The Championships, this was dominance, defined by brilliant stroke production from Novak the ‘Baseline Baron,’ who cranked up big serves when needed most. A three-set win…

Alexander Zverev did well to open up at Wimbledon, court-side, just after his thunderous win against Cameron Norrie to enter the fourth round on Saturday. The fourth seed put on a display of powerful serving which was scintillating to watch, despite a knee niggle. What came as a surprise, later was Zverev talking about his travails as a Type 1 diabetic, which means he needs to take insulin injections regularly. From the age of four, Alexander Zverev has faced high sugar problems and doctors had put him on insulin. The message from doctors, almost two decades ago, was to forget…

Height, reach, wing span and that desire to go for ‘the kill’ in a big match, American Emma Navarro, the 19th seed, tore the formbook to shreds as she dumped second seed Coco Gauff out of The Championships at Wimbledon on Middle Sunday. Coco flavour has been the there for a while in women’s tennis. In a match between two Americans, where sparks flew, it was unknown and unsung Emma who showed poise and purpose on the big stage to pull off a 6-4, 6-3 win to enter her maiden quarter-final at Wimbledon. This was a triumph against all odds,…

There is something special about these Russian-born players who represent Kazakhstan as tennis professionals. Elena Rybakina is well known, famous and a superstar in her own right. On Saturday, at Court No.1, 29-year-old Yulia Putintseva produced a massive upset which could be measured on the Richter scale as she dumped Iga Swiatek out of Wimbledon in the third round. To some, this upset may be a shock. But for those who have followed the recent results in the women’s tennis tour, Yulia has been knocking hard. After winning a title at the warm-up tournament in Birmingham, two weeks ago, Yulia…

It’s not easy to wear the tag of defending champion and compete at The Championships with freedom. This fortnight at Wimbledon has seen Carlos Alcaraz and, also, even the winner of 24 Grand Slam titles, Novak Djokovic, find it hard to win matches. On Friday evening, Carlos Alcaraz, easily the hottest property in men’s tennis, was take for a roller coaster ride by Frances Tiafoe in a four-hour epic. This was a match which Carlitos, as fans love to address him dearly, should have won with less effort. The heir apparent to Rafael Nadal as the King of Spain, at…

The charm of Wimbledon is how it tests players to the core. Unless one is well-equipped, game-wise and in terms of strong mental resilience, winning and losing are equally possible. So, when Novak Djokovic was in all sorts of trouble against British wild card Jacob Fearnley, ranked 277, in the second round, tongues were wagging. Even after winning 24 Grand Slam titles and aiming to win a 25th Major this fortnight at The Championships, Djokovic was in trouble against fearless Fearnley on Thursday. In matches like these, a second-round contest, there is no pressure on the underdog. To do well…

The road has been cleared for Kolkata’s Anush Agarwalla to become the first Indian equestrian rider to compete in an Olympic Games dressage competition. Justice Sanjeev Narula of the High Court of Delhi on Thursday dismissed a writ application by Shruti Vora, seeking nomination as India’s entry ahead of Anush Agarwalla for the Paris Olympics. “The Court finds no merit in the present petition and accordingly the same is dismissed, along with the pending applications. Interim order(s) stands vacated,” read the judgment. “While this judgment upholds the current selection criteria, it is important to recognise the dynamic nature of sports…

Tennis players are supposed to be well-mannered, on and off the court. No, not when they are fighting to save their lives in a Grand Slam. At the Centre Court in SW 19, the most famous suburb during the Wimbledon fortnight in London, two Italians, Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini were involved in one of the most brutal slugfests, with the roof rolled over. Everyone was sweating, those playing, those watching, live, as well as on television. Had it been a heavyweight boxing slugfest, fans would have loved the aggression. No, this was aggression of a different type, where the…

One match can transport you from anonymity to stardom at the Wimbledon. On Tuesday, even as fans arriving late were trying to settle down in their seats at the theatre called Centre Court, Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro came out smoking. To defeat defending champion Marketa Vondrousova from the ladies singles 6-4, 6-2 in the first round was amazing. Pre-match expectations were different and for those who regularly try their luck at the official betting tills at Ladbrokes and William Hill, this was the mother of all upsets. Most unpredictable at Wimbledon are two things, the weather and results. One cannot…

In what can be termed as path-breaking, the sheer number of Indian athletes – track and field – who have qualified for Paris 2024 is at an all-time high. Taking into account those who made the qualification cut plus those who secured places based on rankings released by World Athletics, the variety of events in which Indian athletes will compete in at the Summer Olympics is fascinating. While it is a given, Neeraj Chopra will again be the star as defending champion from the Tokyo Olympics, he will have Kishore Kumar Jena for company in the javelin throw event. Neeraj…