I think it's a smart decision given her young age and her injury troubles. She can have a good run up to the US Open (which is only just around the corner on 26th August) and then hopefully go full guns blazing. There will be another opportunity for her in the future to take part in the Olympics, assuming they don't drop it!
First game in the men’s final lasts for 14 minutes, and ends with Alcaraz breaking Djokovic’s serve. Hope they finish before the footy starts.
I think Djokovic is more focused on the Olympics hence his low key performance so far and if he is carrying a bit of an injury. It also might enable hi to milk a bit of sympathy from the crowd if he is getting hammered.
Did anyone see the 1500m for men in Monaco on Friday? Ingebrigsten certainly laid down a marker running 3.26 something and finishing 8-10 metres of the 2nd and 3rd guys who both ran inside 3.30 and a plethora of others running in the low 3.30s. The 1500m final is going to be epic. If Kerr wants to win it, he may well have to sub 3.27. Inge knows Kerr and others can outsprint him at 3.29 so I am convinced the Norwegian with run as close as possible to a world record time.
For me Track and Field is the ultimate sport - so many different disciplines in which to take an opportunity to make a name for oneself. I would love more youngsters in the UK to take up one of the disciplines. However, they need financial support to do this which is difficult if funding is cut or even withdrawn. England might well win tonight but if they do, it will never match that brilliant night in 2012 when Rutherford, Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah brought the stadium "tumbling" down.
So New Zealand and England have finally got to play each other. What is it with the respective authorities that they have played each other only once after England defeated the All Blacks in the 2019 World Cup until this recent series. From now on, the RFU should get New Zealand pencilled in as the number one fixture in the annual autumn series. Somehow they always get Oz and South Africa but rarely the All Blacks. I hope this changes as England worry the All Blacks quite considerably, while at the same time the All Blacks get England to raise their game to new levels, whereas I am not sure Oz do these days.
Carlos Alcaraz powered to victory over an out-of-sorts Novak Djokovic in a bewildering final to retain his men's singles title at Wimbledon 3-0.
When fully fit and concentrated Carlos Alcaraz has a game that is considerably higher than anyone else on the circuit today. As he has proven today and recently in Paris. At this rate he will have 20 GSs won before he reaches 30!!
Are there any players likely to rise to the challenge, in the way Djokovic, Federer, Nadal and ( to a lesser extent) Murray were in the same era?
If we think that the longevity of a tennis player at the top maybe around six to ten years (a generation), these guys managed to double that because the next generation (Thiem, Dimitrov, Medvedev and Zverev were simply not at their level, even when they should have been in their twilight years. Djokiovic managed to win 50 per cent of his GSs after the age of 30, which is pretty unique in the world of tennis, a period in which the next generation should have been winning titles. Alcaraz, Siinner are the generation after. To answer your question, if Alcaraz can stay fit and motivated, why shouldn't he get 20 GSs before he is 30?
The weather at Troon has really stopped anyone from breaking away at the top of the board. Players are not reaching some par 3 holes with their drive and they are needing 3 shots to reach par 5 greens. Overnight leader, Lowry, has dropped 5 shots with 2 still to play. Rose has been level par, but has now dropped a shot on 17. Surprise leader is Brown, an English debutant at the open, who is 6 under, with 2 to play and top of the leader board. Billy Horschel (USA) has been playing some good stuff and has been unfortunate not to pick up a couple of birdies in the last few holes. He’s 1 shot off the lead with one to play.
British 1, 2, 3 in the women’s 800m Diamond league in London bodes well for Paris! Improved on her own British record, PB and WL time by Hodgkinson of 1:54:61!! Reekie with 1:55:61, also a PB (the second fastest woman in the world this year) and Bell in 3rd 1:56:28, also a PB. Hope they haven’t peaked a few weeks too early!
