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Nadal receives a ‘title of titles’ at his Academy

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Rafael Nadal

22 Grand Slams, 36 Masters 1000, 14 Roland Garros, 63 trophies on clay courts, 2 Olympic golds, 209 weeks as world No. 1, or 912 consecutive weeks in the top 10. These are just some of the records that Rafa Nadal leaves behind as a professional tennis player, but there are even more displayed in the trophy the Spaniard has received at his own Academy as a tribute to a stellar career and extraordinary numbers. These 92 individual titles are reflected in the smile of the man from Manacor, an award that could easily represent his 93rd title.

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Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark showdown ticket prices revealed as WNBA duo reach record-breaking levels

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Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark will open their season in a blockbuster.

The pair will renew their rivalry to start the WNBA season and it is no surprise their matchup is drawing huge interest with ticket prices reaching eye-watering levels.

The WNBA 2024 offseason is in full-swing with the season not scheduled to start until May 2025 and all eyes on the 3×3 ‘Unrivaled league set to take center stage in Miami.

However the league continues to make headlines, thanks in the main to Reese and Clark, with huge anticipation for the recent schedule release day.

On day 2 of the WNBA season, the Clark’s Fever will face Reese’s Sky in Indianapolis, the scene for record-setting levels on attendance in 2024 as Clark’s rookie season took over the competition.

Despite the game not being until May 17, prices have sky-rocketed to levels that surpass the season openers of most NBA teams in 2024.

At the time of writing, the get-in price starts at $238 with prices reaching up $2,500 according to TickPick.

Only the Boston Celtics had a higher season-opener get-in price in the NBA with Clark and Reese’s showdown more expensive than the other 29 teams.

Social media was quick to react to the prices and were in awe.

“$1000 for a family of 4 to go to a WNBA game…,” one fan wrote.

“Wow, that’s a steep price for Opening Night!” another said. “The Fever vs. Sky will definitely be a big game, but $271 is surprising compared to most NBA home openers.”

One fan compared the level of anticipation for their rivalry to an historic NBA battle, “Their version of Bird vs Magic And Jordan is on the way soon lol,” the fan wrote.

It is not the first time that Clark and Reese have made headlines with the cost of their games as back in August the median prices of their for their game was $845 according to Stubhub.

Last season Clark and Reese faced off four times as rookies with the Fever and Clark coming out on top three times.

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese

Clark also beat Reese in the race for Rookie of the Year in a contest that was decided once Reese’s season was ended with a wrist injury.

One of the matchups between the pair was a 17,000 sell-out last year at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the arena that will host the Fever’s season opener in 2025.

The new season will also see two new head coaches lead out the teams with Stephanie White taking charge of Clark’s side and Tyler Marsh leading Reese’s team.

Marsh is relishing the prospect of leading Reese.

“We can’t take for granted just what Angel was able to do in her rookie year,” he said in an interview on the ‘No Cap Space WBB’ podcast.

“And, she’s a winner. She’s doubted almost every year of her life and her career, and she continued to overcome, and that’s something you can build on.”

Reese had the upper hand with a college national championship, Clark took Rookie of the Year honors and a spot in the playoffs in their first season in the pro ranks.

All eyes will be on the next instalment, but it will cost.

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TENNIS

Coco Gauff shows true colours after Caitlin Clark beats tennis ace to prize

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Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff showed her class after missing out on receiving a huge accolade.

Caitlin Clark was named TIME’s Athlete of the Year for 2024 after being named the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year and setting a NCAA Division 1 women’s basketball scoring record.

While Gauff has never received the title, she has been named on TIME’s Women of the Year list in the past. And the world No. 3 was delighted to see Clark honoured by the magazine.

Gauff also enjoyed another successful year on tour. The 20-year-old started the season by reaching the Australian Open semi-final and capped it off by lifting the trophy at the WTA Finals for the first time.

The world No. 3 also won two other titles in Beijing and Auckland, and she made her Olympic debut over the summer. Gauff was selected as Team USA’s flag bearer for the opening ceremony alongside LeBron James.

However, her achievements weren’t enough to claim the coveted title of TIME Athlete of the Year, with Clark receiving the honour instead. The 22-year-old has revolutionised women’s basketball, bringing record viewerships to the WNBA.

So it’s no surprise Gauff was more than happy to see Clark get the recognition she deserved. The Indiana Fever Guard took to Instagram to share a snap of her magazine cover on TIME.

Former US Open champion Gauff was quick to respond, commenting three heart-eye emojis on the post. The nine-time title winner also played basketball when she was younger and has been following Clark’s career since her Iowa Hawkeyes days.

Back in April, the 20-year-old told the WTA: “I will say if I could go in another life I would love to play at the same time as Caitlin Clark just to see if I could guard her.

Coco Gauff

“Obviously, now I definitely couldn’t, but I don’t know, if I trained for it, [I] just [want] to see.”

Gauff even set alarms to make sure she could follow NCAA women’s basketball during the European clay-court season earlier in the year.

Even then, she had been looking forward to seeing Clark’s WNBA debut and started speaking with the 22-year-old on social media.

“I’m just really excited to see Caitlin Clark’s first game, and Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. I’m really excited to see them on the same team too,” she said.

“It’s very exciting to see the women’s game especially in basketball getting as much traction now. They definitely deserve it.

“I’ve been Instagram mutuals with some of the girls. Cameron Brink just signed with New Balance. And Angel Reese, had some DMs with her, and same with Caitlin and Paige Bueckers.”

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TENNIS

Gauff: “I use comments as motivation to prove that they are wrong”

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Coco Gauff

After a long season, especially for Coco Gauff who started the year in Auckland and closed it with the WTA Finals trophy, it’s time to analyze to some extent what has been achieved to focus on preparing for the next year. The young American has shown in these last months how insatiable she is, always seeking to give that extra on the court to achieve everything possible in that final push. Once the competition was over, the American confesses that she likes to relax on her rest days.

Her way of recharging

“I like to do nothing,” Coco confessed to People referring to those days when she has no obligations. “Like after the Olympics. On Sundays, I was with my brother watching Love Island together. I don’t know if I should watch Love Island with my 11-year-old brother, but he has older siblings, so I feel like that’s how it goes.” The American explained that doing nothing with her brother helped her recharge her batteries.

“Sometimes I feel like even self-care is too much work. What I want is to do nothing, sit and rot, literally. So those were the best days, honestly, especially when you’ve been busy, and having someone to do it with was nice.”

Hate on social media

“It’s something many people can identify with; most people have seen how Internet trolls or many people from their workplace do not believe in them. Sometimes I purposely read the comments to encourage myself and use it as motivation to prove them wrong.”

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TENNIS

Novak Djokovic made offer to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

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Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic made offer to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as future link-up mooted

Novak Djokovic is the last man standing from the Big Four era. Roger Federer retired in 2022 before Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal joined him this year.

The current world No. 7 has already reached out to one of his old rivals, hiring Murray as his coach for the off-season and Australian Open.

But he also previously made a different offer to Federer and Nadal, as he hopes to strengthen their relationship in retirement.

Djokovic somewhat gatecrashed the Federer and Nadal party. The Serb broke through later than his two competitors, winning his first Grand Slam title in 2008 and reaching world No. 1 for the first time in 2011.

But he came from behind to surpass both in the record books and now holds 24 Major trophies and the most all-time weeks at the top of the rankings with 428. Their intense rivalry meant, as Djokovic previously confessed, the trio weren’t “friends”.

The 37-year-old wants to change that as he previously extended an offer to the two multi-Grand Slam champions, sharing his hopes that they can all “sit down and reflect” on their careers together when they have all retired.

During an appearance on 60 Minutes at the end of last year, the Olympic champion was asked whether he could have a friendly future. “I would like to,” he replied.

“I would really like to. Personally, I would like to. I mean, I know that obviously we didn’t get along so well throughout our careers in, like, off court.

“And we are not friends because, you know, we’re rivals and it’s difficult as competitors to be very close and kind of share and give insights to you know, to your life or to how you feel because, you know, it could be used against you.”

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal

While it has been difficult to open up to his biggest rivals, the world No. 7 is hopeful that they can spend more time together when all is said and done. He continued: “But we have shared the stage for so many years.

“And I think the greatest respect is always there, at least from my side, towards them. So yeah, I hope that one day, when the curtains are slightly more closed, that we are, yeah, able to sit down and, and reflect. It would be amazing.”

Djokovic has already been able to share some closer moments with Federer and Nadal this year. He caught up with the Swiss star when Federer came to watch him compete in the Shanghai Masters final.

The Serb also ran into Nadal on their flight to Indian Wells back in February. They spent time together in Riyadh during the Six Kings Slam exhibition in October, enjoying activities with their younger rivals, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic has also turned to another old foe, hiring Murray as his new coach. After explaining how difficult it would be to share insight with his competitors, the two 37-year-olds will be in the same corner talking tactics.

“I am excited to have one of my greatest rivals on the same side of the net, as my coach,” Djokovic said, announcing the news.

“Looking forward to start of the season and competing in Australia alongside Andy with whom I have shared many exceptional moments on the Australian soil.”

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TENNIS

Rafael Nadal continues to reign on Google searches in Spain

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Rafael Nadal

Former world number one Rafael Nadal remains one of the most searched athletes in Spain. The 38-year-old is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles.

Nadal, who retired from professional tennis recently after struggling with fitness concerns, remains one of the most searched athletes on Google in his country. As per the latest report, the former world number one is the second-most non-football athlete searched in Spain. He was closely followed by young Carlos Alcaraz, who was in third place. Interestingly, a similar trend has not been followed in Switzerland and Serbia when it comes to searching for other Big Three rivals such as Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Nadal finished his career recently after representing his country in the Davis Cup. The legendary tennis star struggled with fitness concerns throughout his career, especially towards the latter stages, which forced him to miss a lot of major competitions. The 22-time Grand Slam winner stayed out of action for nearly 12 months before returning to action earlier this year. He missed six out of last eight Grand Slams.

His only appearance in a mega-event in 2024 was in the French Open, where he was knocked out after losing in the first round to Germany’s Alexander Zverev in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. Overall, Nadal played just 19 matches in his final season,n where he won 12 matches and suffered seven defeats.

Nadal is also renowned as the ‘King of Clay’, that is because he won the Roland Garros title 14 times, which is also a record in the competition’s history. His last major event interestingly was also the French Open in 2022 where he defeated Norway’s Casper Ruud in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-3, 6-0.

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“He didn’t need pomp and ceremony”: Rafael Nadal’s farewell

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Rafael Nadal

“He didn’t need pomp and ceremony”: Rafael Nadal’s farewell ceremony sparks comparisons with Steffi Graf’s quiet exit

Former Serena Williams’ coach Rennae Stubbs likened Rafael Nadal’s personality to that of tennis legend Steffi Graf following a subdued farewell ceremony marking the Spaniard’s retirement at the recent Davis Cup Finals.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion had struggled with injuries in his final years on tour. Nadal played his last professional match against the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp, losing in straight sets.

After Rafa’s defeat, Spain’s hopes of advancing in the Davis Cup and extending the former World No. 1’s career rested on Carlos Alcaraz. Despite Alcaraz defeating Tallon Griekspoor in straight sets, the Spanish doubles team of Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers fell to Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof, sealing the Netherlands’ victory and Nadal’s retirement.

Following the series, a brief 10-minute farewell ceremony was held for Nadal. However, it lacked the presence of high-profile colleagues such as Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who participated only through pre-recorded video tributes.

The 14-time Roland Garros champion bid farewell through tears, expressing heartfelt gratitude to his fans. However, the simplicity of the ceremony drew criticism from figures like Nadal’s coach Carlos Moyá and Spain’s Davis Cup captain David Ferrer, who lamented the absence of Federer and Djokovic at the event.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic
2K31J4K London, UK. 24th Sep, 2022. 23rd September 2022; O2, London England: Laver Cup international tennis tournament: Novak Djokovic of Team Europe speaks with Rafael Nadal and Rodger Federer during the break in their doubles match against Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock of Team World Credit: Action Plus Sports Images/Alamy Live News

“It’s like Steffi. It’s interesting because Steffi just dropped the mic and walked away because she was hurting,” commented Rennae Stubbs on her podcast. “Her body was hurting, her knee was hurting, her foot was hurting, her back was hurting. She was in love. She’d just met Andre, and they were dating, but she was different so she just stopped.'”

“She just walked away, but she’s very different to these personalities. She didn’t love the spotlight, she just loved playing. I think Rafa is more similar to Steffi than Roger or Novak or Andy,” she added.

“Even the way he retired, just the whole circumstances around it, it was more about playing at home, being with his family, there was no other players there. There was just his teammates and it was kind of low-key and it was kind of like for Rafa that was enough.”

“For Steffi it was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t need all that pomp and ceremony.’ The first thing I said to her when she told me she was retiring, I was like,’Wait what? The US Open is in like three weeks. Why don’t you do it there?’ And she’s like, ‘Nah, I’m good.'”

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TENNIS

Angel Reese’s see-through leopard-print fit will leave you breathless

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Angel Reese

Angel Reese isn’t holding back to close 2024 off with her fit game. Her latest is easily one of her best of the year.

The Chicago Sky All-Star has had many fashion hits since the offseason hit like her Wild ‘n Out in Chicago in bootylicious shorts, and her insane Poison Ivy painted green Halloween costume, and a naughty secretary look to announce her new shoe.

Recently, Reese attended the 2024 Footwear News Achievement Awards in New York City where she wore a stunning fit while going fangirl with Rihanna, and posing for an epic photo with Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas.

Right before Christmas, Reese dropped her latest holiday fit that will definitely land her on Santa’s naughty list in her see-through leopard-print look and the blonde streaks to match.

Wow, now that’s an All-Star-worthy look right there.

Reese finished her WNBA rookie season averaging a double-double averaging 13.6 points and 13.1 points per game. She has a month off before playing in the new Unrivaled 3×3 league in January in Miami.

The 22-year-old already looks to be in Miami Barbie mode with this latest look — a clear winner for her in 2024.

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Roddick comes to Swiatek’s defense in her doping case

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Iga Swiatek 

Just a few months after the doping case involving Jannik Sinner came to light, the tennis world was once again faced with a similar situation, this time in the women’s circuit. The different parties involved wasted no time in speaking out publicly to offer their perspectives, including Iga Swiatek herself. The ITIA itself shared the conclusion that the positive test resulted from a contaminated medication, but controversy was already guaranteed. With all WTA Tour matches played, the Polish player could also take a moment to see how this entire situation unfolded, triggering hundreds and thousands of opinions from both current and former players.

“It’s unfortunate for her. She provided a negative test in Paris at the Olympics, negative doping tests in New York (US Open), so this wasn’t an ongoing issue. It’s [expletive],” Andy expressed in his Podcast (Served with Andy Roddick) regarding the recent case of the current world number 2. “The dumbest people in our sport say: ‘Oh, doping!’ I’ve taken melatonin before, who can guarantee that ours isn’t contaminated?”

Roddick trusts the statements of expert scientists

“Are we going to cling to a billionth of a gram of something that hasn’t enhanced performance? What are we trying to solve with the ITIA and then with the WADA? What do we aim to solve? Performance enhancement. If we’re seeing, and all the scientists are telling us in independent hearings, those kinds of people are saying, ‘It didn’t enhance performance at all.’ So why do we care?” concluded the former American player, who decisively addresses the issue, clarifying what he believes were Swiatek’s intentions, as she couldn’t gain any advantage from consuming this amount of the substance for which she tested positive in an anti-doping test.

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TENNIS

Iga Swiatek doping ban: Andy Roddick’s honest verdict: ‘I can’t call it doping… it just sucks’

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Iga Swiatek

Andy Roddick has defended Iga Swiatek over her ban for failing a doping test as he criticised punishing players in cases where performance could not have been enhanced. 

It was announced on Thursday that Swiatek had tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine in August, shortly before the Cincinnati Open.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced in a statement that Swiatek had received a one-month suspension as it was deemed she carried “no significant fault or negligence.”

Swiatek was provisionally suspended from September 12 to October 4, which means the 23-year-old Polish star had already served 22 days of her ban on the day the news emerged.

Therefore, the five-time Grand Slam champion and world No 2 will be able to compete at her next two scheduled events: the United Cup and the Australian Open.

Iga Swiatek News

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Speaking on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Roddick weighed in on Swiatek’s doping case.

Iga Swiatek

“I can’t call it doping. It’s like taking a melatonin for jet lag at 2:30 in the morning in Cincy and having… think about how many things had to go wrong for Iga Swiatek to get popped for melatonin and something that was contaminated,” the 2003 US Open winner said.

“It’s just unfortunate for her obviously. A negative test in Paris at the Olympics, negative tests in New York. So this isn’t some ongoing thing. It just sucks. It just sucks ’cause the headlines people will say, the dumbest people in our sports, ‘Ah, doping!’

“I’ve taken melatonin before. Who’s to say ours weren’t contaminated and are we going to continue to clutch pearls about one billionth of a gram of something or contaminated melatonin that didn’t have any performance enhancement.

“What are we trying to solve with the ITIA and then to WADA, what are we trying to solve for? Performance enhancement. We want to stop performance with drugs.

“Now if we’re foreseeing simply, if we’re seeing all the scientists are telling us in the independent tribunals with people that know a lot more about all this crap, the people that knew what clostebol was six months ago or four months ago, those types of people are saying ‘well, it didn’t enhance performance at all’, then why the f**k do we care?”
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