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Rafael Nadal Says He Feels Good But Doesn’t Expect Much

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Rafael Nadal is more than content with how he is feeling on the court right now, but he claims it is “impossible” for him to consider winning any events.

Before having to resign from the ATP Tour owing to injury, Rafael Nadal only participated in two matches during the 2023 season, both of which were at the Australian Open almost a year ago.

He expressed fear about his tennis career after that and declared that, should he make it, the current season would be his last.

He admits he shouldn’t be taken seriously as a title candidate just yet, but he has returned to Australia prepared to make his comeback following a year out and hip surgery.

Nadal responded, “I can’t complain,” when questioned about his physical state prior to the upcoming season. “Today I feel so much better than I anticipated.

I can’t even consider the possibility of winning a tournament right now. However, one possibility is to relish the return.

“I plan to go a year without playing on the court, not much more.”

The 2024 Australian Open is going to be much more intriguing thanks to Rafael Nadal, and this is creating quite a stir.

He admits that his level is a little enigmatic, which contributes significantly to it. After all, when Nadal made an attempt to recover from an injury at the end of 2022, his performance fell far short of what was required.

However, we also know that he is capable of amazing feats, such as winning the Australian Open in 2022 despite having a severely damaged foot.

Of course, Nadal’s unpredictable play in the draw adds even more drama to the mix. For the tournament, he is entering via protected ranking, but it merely puts him into the draw. He doesn’t become seeded by it.

As a result, he might play against a top player in the opening round. He will then play in their quarterfinal against one of the top four seeds, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, or Jannik Sinner.

The Roland Garros will then unquestionably be the most significant competition of his season.

Only Nadal can truly know his physical state; no one else can truly know how he truly feels. This will be essential to determining his true standing in 2024.

Australian Open Increases Prizepool To $58.4m

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The prize money for the forthcoming Australian Open tennis competition, which starts on January 14 at Melbourne Park, has been increased by 10 million Australian dollars (USD 6.8 million), according to tournament officials.

The Grand Slam competition will now have a total prize money of 86.5 Australian dollars (USD58.4 million), according to a statement released by tournament director Craig Tiley on Friday.

Among the four Grand Slam competitions, the U.S. Open holds the record for most total prize money and player pay, having announced in August that it will increase to USD 65 million.

“With the significant increases in qualifying and the early rounds of singles and doubles at the Australian Open, we’ve increased prize money for every round,” Tiley stated.

First-round qualifiers in Melbourne will get a 20% boost to 31,250 Australian dollars, or roughly USD 21,000. The winners of the men’s and women’s singles competitions will get $3.15 million (about $2.15 million) in Australian dollars.

The defending champion, Aryna Sabalenka, will compete in the women’s final on January 27. The men’s final, which will include defending champion Novak Djokovic, is slated for January 28.

Vinesh Phogat Returning Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards

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The world championship medallist addressed the prime minister via social media in a new show of dissent regarding the federation (WFI) election.

Two-time Olympian and double World Championship bronze medallist Vinesh Phogat declared on Tuesday that she is surrendering her Khel Ratna and Arjuna awards. To make her decision public, the 29-year-old wrote a note to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social networking platform X.

Four days after bronze medallist Bajrang Punia returned his Padma Shri, Phogat made his announcement. Bronze medallist Sakshi Malik from the Rio Games announced her retirement on December 21, just hours after Sanjay Singh’s panel, backed by former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, topped the WFI voting.

WFI was suspended by the sports ministry on Sunday, with various violations of the National Sports Code and the federation constitution as well as “blatant disregard for legal and procedural norms” being cited. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was given instructions by the ministry to form an ad hoc committee to oversee the federation. IOA has not yet announced the new committee; its ad hoc panel had overseen the organization until the elections.

“I am giving up my Arjuna Award and Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna. Phogat wrote, “Many thanks to the powerful who put me in this situation.” The wrestler received the Khel Ratna, India’s greatest sports honor for sportsmen, in 2020 in addition to the Arjuna Award in 2016.

“Bajrang Punia has returned his Padma Shri, while Sakshi Malik has stepped down from wrestling. The reason the Olympic medallists had to do this is known to the entire nation, and you would have heard about it as well. “Mr. Prime Minister, I’m Vinesh Phogat, the daughter of your nation, and I’m writing to you to share with you my experiences over the past year,” she said.

“I recall that the government appointed Sakshi Malik as a brand ambassador for the beti bachao beti padhao (save the girl child, educate the girl child) programme in 2016,” the year Sakshi Malik returned from her Olympic victory. Every female wrestler was overjoyed. My thoughts return to 2016, now that Sakshi has been forced to give up on wrestling. Are female athletes just there to appear in government advertisements? Being in those advertisements doesn’t bother us since they convey the idea that your administration is genuinely interested in improving the lives of women. I aimed to represent my country by earning an Olympic medal, but that dream is getting farther and farther away these days. I hope the aspiring female wrestlers achieve their goals.

“Those elegant ads are nothing like our life. You can tell how suffocated we are by what the women wrestlers have gone through in the last few years. The flex boards from your elegant ads would have become tatty by now. Sakshi has already retired, and the offender has turned to overt sloganeering in addition to bragging about his influence. Please listen to these words for five minutes so that you can understand what he has done. He has acknowledged that he unnerved female wrestlers and has tried his hardest to make us seem bad. More significantly, he has made several complainants back off. That is terrifying.

“I’ve made an effort to move past this entire incident, but it’s difficult. I did tell you everything when we first met. We have been demonstrating for justice on the streets for the past year, but no one has bothered to pay attention. They claimed that our medals are only worth ₹15, yet we value these medals more than our lives. We are being called traitors now that we have spoken up for justice. Are we betraying you, Mr. Prime Minister?

“I’m not sure what made Bajrang return his Padma Shri, but I can’t stop staring at his picture doing so. I hate my awards just as much as he does. My mother encouraged my family to follow the news on TV and handed out candy to neighbors when I was given these accolades. What those relatives would be telling my mother right now makes me tremble.

“I want to let go of the picture of Vinesh accepting those awards because everything that is happening to us is true, and it was just a dream. A mother would never wish for her daughter to experience this. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Award are things I was given, but they signify nothing to me today. All women desire to live honorably. In light of this, I am returning my Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award to prevent them from impeding our efforts to live honorable lives,” Phogat said.

Sanjay Singh staged a massive road show after arriving back in his birthplace of Varanasi on Tuesday. It was a fitting demonstration of power. As hundreds of cars drove through the city, people showered each other with affection. 35 miles took me six hours to complete,” remarked Sanjay, whose Facebook page broadcast the event.

Regarding Vinesh’s choice to return her honors, I have no say in the matter. She made that choice on her own. “I hope the sports ministry will give the WFI’s suspension some second thought,” he continued.

Sakshi Malik Quits Wrestling

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Sakshi Malik, the best wrestler in India, has resigned from the sport in opposition to the new president of her federation.

With a resounding win on Thursday, Sanjay Singh was chosen as the new head of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

According to reports, Mr. Singh is close to Brij Bhushan Singh, the former head of WFI, who has been charged with harassing female wrestlers sexually. Mr. Singh disputes the claims.

Massive protests against his supposed misbehavior had been organized by wrestlers.

Wrestlers stopped protesting in January when Brij Bhushan Singh was stripped of his administrative authority while a government probe was ongoing. They started protesting again in April because the government had withheld the panel’s conclusions regarding Mr. Singh, a six-term member of Parliament from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The protest gained international attention, particularly after the wrestlers were arrested by the police while attempting to march to the new parliament building in India.

The wrestlers’ treatment was denounced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which also demanded an unbiased investigation into their grievances.

A judge granted Mr. Singh bail despite the police charging him in June with stalking, harassment, intimidation, and making “sexually colored remarks.”

The wrestlers had also requested that the minister of sports in India forbid anyone connected to Mr. Singh from taking part in the WFI’s postponed presidential election for several months.

Ms. Malik, the 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist in the 58kg freestyle, expressed her dissatisfaction in a press conference on Thursday following the results’ announcement.

She sobbed as she addressed the media, saying, “We slept for 40 days on the road. If Brij Bhushan Singh’s business partner and close aide is elected as the president of WFI, I quit wrestling.”

Additionally, she stated that the wrestlers had insisted on a female president to shield them from harassment.

“But there was no participation of women [in the elections],” she stated. “Not a single woman was given a position.”

Pro wrestler Vinesh Phogat expressed his disapproval of the election results and declared that the “future of wrestling is dark” while taking part in the demonstrations.

“To whom shall we convey our grief… we are still fighting while training,” she said.

Regarding Ms. Malik’s choice, Sanjay Singh has remained silent.

IPL Auction: Starc 24.75 Cr Move To KKR

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As Mitchell Starc gets ready to spend the holidays away from his cricket wife Alyssa Healy, his record-breaking $2.98 million deal at the Indian Premier League auctions was the perfect Christmas present for the match-winning pacer.

Australia’s all-around hero made league history as the most expensive player when Kolkata Knight Riders made an incredible bid on Tuesday.

As Starc rested ahead of the second test against Pakistan in Melbourne, he watched the auction from home in Sydney.

Ahead of the Mumbai one-off test, Healy, the newly appointed captain of the Australian women’s team, observed from India.

Regarding the outcome of the auction, Starc remarked, “I’m not sure any words will do it justice.”

“Undoubtedly, Alyssa is currently in Australia with the Australian team, so I believe she received the numbers ahead of me due to her coverage being a little earlier than mine.

“I was pretty shocked and excited about how everything was turning out, but it was nothing I could have ever imagined.

“It’s a Christmas full of cricket as usual but it’s certainly one with a nice little cherry on the cake.”

Daryl Mitchell, a New Zealand all-rounder, stunned everyone with his massive 140 million rupees ($1.68 million) contract to join Chennai, causing excitement on both sides of the Tasman Sea.

Mitchell had initially agreed to pay 7.5 million rupees to join the Rajasthan Royals for two IPL appearances in 2022, but the bid represented a significant increase.

The 32-year-old told New Zealand media, “As you see the paddles going up, your heart starts to pump a little bit.”

“But having been through the auction before and going unsold, it was a pretty special night last night to experience that.”

The day after the auction, on Wednesday, Mitchell, who was a major factor in New Zealand’s recent run to the World Cup semi-finals in India, also marked his daughter’s birthday.

“She’s got a pretty good present, waking up to that – not that she understands what’s going on,” he continued.

“But that’s the whole thing about these sorts of situations – it helps set up your family in many ways so that they can grow up and enjoy the things they love.”

Boris Becker Talks About Nadal’s Goal In AO

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Boris Becker emphasized in an exclusive interview with Eurosport that he thinks Rafael Nadal might have to “struggle” during the early phases of his recovery from a chronic hip injury.

In anticipation of the first Grand Slam of 2024 at the Australian Open, which will air live on Eurosport and Discovery+, Rafael Nadal will make his Melbourne Park debut for the first time in nearly a year.

Becker thinks the 22-time Grand Slam champion is setting reasonable expectations for the Melbourne tournament and doesn’t think the Spaniard will start to click until the clay-court season begins.

Becker stated to Eurosport Germany’s “Das Gelbe vom Ball” podcast, “I don’t think his expectations for Melbourne are sky-high right now: if he wins a few matches there, good for him.”
After that, he’ll focus on the early clay-court competitions. He will undoubtedly play in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, and possibly even Rome to get back to full fitness for Paris.

His objective must be to win both the Olympics and Roland Garros, which will take place on clay in Paris.

However, he must play first because he can only improve his match fitness and match experience by participating in matches. As a result, he must endure some minor discomfort in order to improve in March and April before being at his best in May.

The German then focused on Novak Djokovic, who, since Nadal’s absence, has eclipsed the Spaniard in the men’s Grand Slam singles record book. Djokovic won his 24th and most recent major at the US Open this year.

At 36, Becker remarked, “You’re not really meant to play tennis like that.”

What is the point at which the guy loses motivation or becomes exhausted?

“Novak is the king of the tennis scene. He defeated [Carlos] Alcaraz in the spectacular Wimbledon final and won three of the four Grand Slams [in 2023].

That game was the best of the year, in my opinion. Respect all the other champions, but Djokovic’s performance against Alcaraz was extraordinary.

In light of this, Becker believes that the younger generation, led by Alcaraz and composed of players like Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner, will be able to exert even more pressure on the Serbian in the upcoming season.

“He’ll be 37 years old in May of next year, and Alcaraz and company will be older and more seasoned,” Becker stated.

“I believe that Djokovic’s continued success and the younger generation’s closer relationship would be the best things that can happen for the tennis scene overall.

To put it another way, I still think Djokovic will win one or more Grand Slams. However, I also think that Alcaraz and company will frequently throw a wrench in things. “I hope that this rivalry between the all-time greatest player and the rest of the tennis world continues for a long time because we amateur players and tennis fans benefit from it,” the man said.

India Lost The Junior Jockey WC Semis To Germany

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The FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2023 saw India lose 4-1 to six-time champion Germany in the semi-final on Thursday at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s National Hockey Stadium, ending their hopes of winning the tournament.

India, the two-time FIH Hockey Junior World Cup champions, tied the score in the first quarter after Ben Hasbach (8′, 30′) put Germany ahead. Sudeep Chirmako (11′) scored the equaliser. The inability of the Indian men’s hockey team to convert 12 penalty corners, however, proved to be the decisive factor as Germany advanced to their ninth final in 13 editions thanks to goals from Paul Glander (41′) and Florian Spirling (58′) in the second half.

For third place on Saturday, India will take on the winner of the second semi-final, either France or Spain.

Global No. 3 India got off to a strong start in the game, winning two penalty corners in the first four minutes. But Ben Hasbach’s field goal in the eighth minute gave the second-placed German team the early advantage. In the eleventh minute, Sudeep Chirmako scored another field goal to give India a quick response.

It was a close contest in the second quarter. India did have several penalty corner opportunities, but they were unable to turn any of them into goals. In the final minute of the second quarter, Germany was awarded their first penalty corner of the game, and they took full advantage of it, as Ben Hasbach scored his second goal.

India gained their 11th penalty corner with six minutes remaining in the third quarter after starting the quarter strongly and being rewarded for their aggressive play, but Germany was able to hold them off. With four minutes remaining in the third quarter, Paul Glander added to the lead by converting Germany’s second penalty corner.

In the last quarter, the Indians launched a large-scale attack, but they were unable to breach the German defence. With under ten minutes left in the match, India saw hope in the form of two consecutive penalty corners; however, the German defence stood firm, and neither was converted.

With just a few minutes remaining, Florian Spirling scored Germany’s fourth goal to secure their spot in the championship game. India ultimately lost the match 4-1, leaving their defence exposed as they looked for an answer.

The Indian hockey team advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating the Republic of Korea 4-2 and Canada 10-1, but earlier in the season, they lost to Spain 4-1 in their group and finished second in their group. The Netherlands was defeated 4-3 by them in the quarterfinals.

In 2001 and 2016, India won the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup. They finished fourth in the previous edition in 2021 after losing to France in the bronze medal match.

Leander Paes And Vijay Amritraj Into International Tennis Hall of Fame

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In the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the first Asian men to be inducted are Leander Paes, who won eighteen Grand Slam titles in men’s or mixed doubles, and Vijay Amritraj, an ex-player, broadcaster, and promoter.

The Hall, an organisation founded in 1955 and situated in Newport, Rhode Island, revealed its Class of 2024 on Wednesday. Richard Evans, a British historian and journalist who was chosen under the Contributor Category, will also be inducted the following year.

Two of the first members of the shrine from India are Amritraj, who was also selected in the Contributor Category, and Paes, who enters in the Player Category. It is the 28th country with representation.

When Li Na, a Chinese woman who captured two Grand Slam singles championships, was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2019, she became the first Asian inductee.

The induction ceremony for the following year is scheduled for July 20 in Newport.

After two years during which no nominee in the Player Category was chosen, Paes’ selection brings an end to that run. For the first time in history, no candidate on the ballot was chosen for the Class of 2022; this happened again for the Class of 2023.

75% of ballots must be cast in favour of a candidate; voters can include members of the media, historians, Hall of Famer, business professionals, and enthusiasts.

“Playing for my country for more than thirty years in a sport that has given and taught me everything has been the honour of my life. Not only do I deserve to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, but our billion-plus Indian population does as well,” Paes remarked. “Receiving this honour culminates a professional journey of a lifetime, standing on the shoulders of greats and sets the tone for other youngsters in Asia and around the world.”

One of only three men in tennis history to have achieved a career Grand Slam in both doubles and mixed doubles, he won eight major titles in doubles and ten in mixed. He holds the record for the most mixed doubles trophies won in Grand Slam competition, shared by Martina Navratilova, one of his former doubles partners.

During his time on the men’s circuit, Paes won 55 doubles championships and held the top spot in the ATP doubles rankings for 37 weeks.

He holds the record with 45 Davis Cup doubles match victories for India. He also competed in seven Summer Olympics, the most for a tennis player, and won a bronze in the singles competition in the 1996 Atlanta Games.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Amritraj played professionally and led India to the Davis Cup Finals in both 1974 and 1987. To express opposition to apartheid, the team skipped the final match against South Africa in 1974. Amritraj promoted humanitarian causes while working as a tennis broadcaster and administrator following his playing career.

Since 1960, Evans has covered more than 200 Grand Slam matches as well as other tennis-related events. Evans is the author of more than 20 books. He served as president of the International Tennis Writers’ Association from 2001 to 2004 after being one of its founding members.

Vidit Gujrathi Wins At Vugar Gashimov Memorial Chess Tournament

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Vidit Gujrathi of India won the Vugar Gashimov Memorial Chess Tournament 2023 in Azerbaijan on Monday, defeating fellow countryman Arjun Erigaisi by 0.5 points. After 27 rounds of blitz and rapid games, Vidit finished the competition with 22 points, ahead of Erigaisi, who finished with 21.5 points.

In rapid time controls, Vidit went on to draw seven of his games, lose one, and win two. With 11 points from nine rounds, he finished second, behind Aydin Suleymanli of Azerbaijan. But Vidit would go on to put on a fantastic show, winning the title with a score of 7/9 in the blitz tournament’s second round.

“Ecstatic to win the Vugar Gashimov Memorial after making a comeback on the final day,” Vidit tweeted following his triumph.

Grandmaster Richard Rapport of Hungary came in third place with 19 points.

In addition to qualifying for the 2024 Candidates tournament, Vidit had just won the FIDE Grand Swiss chess tournament in the Isle of Man.

Novak Djokovic Talks On His Mental Strength

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Novak Djokovic’s 2023 season is considered to be the best of his till date. The 36-year-old player broke or extended a total of  14 records, he is the GOAT of the game. Djokovic now has two more major singles titles than his long-time rival Rafael Nadal and four more than Roger Federer. Next month he will play Australian Open which he won 10 times. Recently, he gave an interview to CBS News where he talked about his passion, fitness, and mental health.

When asked about beating players who are closer to his child’s age he answered that the young generation’s challenge gives him motivation to push further.

An extra motivation in his opinion, comes from the young men who are eager and motivated to compete against him at their best in tennis. They seem to unleash a beast within him.

Djokovic is making records now; he is no longer chasing them. In 2008, he had the obstinate habit of winning major trophies and it’s continued endlessly. He claims that although he may not be as quick as he once was, he is wiser and more accurate. He has played in half of the 24 events since turning 30, the most recent being the U.S. Open in September of last year.

When the interviewer asked about his mental strength which is his great gift, which is much harder to articulate. He interrupted and said it was wrong to call it a gift. His mental strength is not a gift. It’s something that comes with work.

He mentioned various techniques. Breathing consciously plays a significant role, particularly during times of pressure. Indeed, he said, “You know, you have your fears and doubts. Every single match, I sense it. This kind of mentality, which I see a lot in sports, bothers me. Think happy ideas, that’s what I mean. Have hope. Failure is not an option. It is not appropriate to have doubts or anything similar.”

Talking about Nadal he said, I had his locker next to mine when I was playing Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, right? Thus, we are really near. And we’re making an effort to give each other room. However, the changing area is likewise somewhat small. Beside you in the changing room, he is running. Even the music he’s listening to through his headphones is noticeable to me. You know, it’s getting on my nerves.

Djokovic discovered more widespread controversy at the beginning of 2022. He received a vaccination exemption, allowing him to compete in the Australian Open at a time when the nation was emerging from a protracted COVID-19 lockdown. However, Djokovic refused and was deported in response to public protest, which made headlines throughout the world. He said, “I was basically declared as a villain of the world.”

He refused to take the vaccine and called it an individual choice but people didn’t like the exceptionalism. But did what he wanted and eventually soaked the pressure.

There is no doubt that Novak Djokovic is one of the greatest players of the game if not the best but what is a more admirable trait of him is his mental strength. He stays calm on and off the court and plays it according to his own rules. The best lesson we can extract from the interview is to consciously practice controlling emotions and increase mental strength.