Admin

Tiger Woods‘ former coach Hank Haney has urged Rory McIlroy to stick with caddie Harry Diamond despite his recent woes.

It has been a difficult year so far for McIlroy, who fumbled the chance to end his 10-year major championship drought in June after a disastrous collapse at the US Open.

JUST IN: Today in Sports History: Tiger Woods becomes first golfer since 1953 to win 3 majors in a calendar year….

The Northern Irishman also struggled at last week’s BMW Championship in Colorado, where he threw one of his clubs into the water and even snapped his driver in half amid frustration over his form.

McIlroy hit back at his comments by saying: ‘Hank Haney has never been in that position.

‘Just because Harry is not as vocal or loud with his words as other caddies, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t say anything and that he doesn’t do anything. I just wish that, you know, these guys that criticize when things don’t go my way, they never say anything good when things do go my way.’

He also added: ‘Someone said to me once, if you would never take advice from these people, you would never take their criticisms, either. Certainly wouldn’t go to Hank Haney for advice.’

SEE MORE: Lee Westwood hit back at Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods and savaged PGA Tour star after LIV move…

A few months on from their spat, Haney has stressed that he still believes Diamond is a ‘great’ caddie for McIlroy.

And in light of his recent problems, Woods’ ex-coach is not convinced that parting with him is the answer.

When asked on X if McIlroy will return with a new caddie in 2025, Haney told a fan: ‘No, I think his caddie is great for him. I never said he wasn’t great for Rory, I said they made a mistake on #15 at the US Open.

‘I actually am actually a big fan of friend caddie’s, anyone can make a mistake.’

McIlroy appeared set to end his decade-long major title drought at the US Open, only to bogey three of the last four holes – and miss two putts from inside four feet – to hand Bryson DeChambeau the championship.

And as his form deteriorated at the BMW Championship, the red mist descended for him in Colorado.

At one stage the world No. 3 fired off a wayward shot with his ball coming to rest on the bank just above a creek that meanders down the right side of the fairway, narrowly avoiding the drink.

He then used the club as a crutch while leaning over to pick up his tee, but was almost sent tumbling as it gave way beneath him, bending and shattering.

One day earlier, McIlroy angrily tossed his 3 wood golf club into the water in disgust as he let his frustrations boil over after a tough day on the green.

The four-time major champion although still clearly annoyed dejectedly walked down to the bank of the water to collect his golf club out of the water.

GYMNASTICS

Simone Biles demands ‘justice’ for Jordan Chiles continues to reel from court’s decision to strip her of her Olympic bronze and award it to Romanian rival…

SEE MORE: Simone Biles shares two-word statement after controversial NFL wardrobe blunder at husband Jonathan Owens’ Chicago Bears game

Simone Biles has continued supporting Team USA teammate Jordan Chiles amid the ongoing controversy over the bronze medal in the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics.

JUST IN: Simone Biles shares shocking bill she received at Paris nightclub after buying single bottle of champagne

‘We’ve been FaceTiming, texting, just being girls,’ Biles told People while promoting her partnership with a haircare brand. ‘I did talk to her on one of the days, and I was like, ‘You know what, Jordan, you have to feel all these feels. Don’t let these emotions stop you. This will be the healthiest way to get all of this out.’

It’s been a difficult August for Chiles, who was awarded the bronze in the floor exercise in Paris on August 5 on the back of an appeal by Team USA coach Cecile Landi, who challenged her athlete’s degree-of-difficulty score. That challenge led to a .1 boost, bumping Chiles to 13.766 – just ahead of Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu’s 13.700.

Chiles celebrated on the podium that night, but the medal has since been reallocated to Barbosu after a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport voided Landi’s appeal.

Biles, who won the silver in the floor on August 5, insists that Chiles isn’t too down. She’s ‘still that girl,’ Biles told People, adding that her performance speaks for itself.

‘We saw what you did,’ Biles says of Chiles. ‘And it’s an unfortunate circumstance because something like this has never happened before and it’s truly a shame, but we wish all three girls could get the medal and unfortunately in gymnastics that’s not the case.

‘Do we think they did the correct procedures to come to this ruling?’ Biles continued. ‘No. That’s really why we want that justice for Jordan and why we’re going to keep supporting her and uplifting her.’

There are ‘no plans’ currently for Chiles to return her medal, USA officials told USA Today, though the 23-year-old is evidently still reeling from the ordeal.

Chiles briefly swore off social media, although Biles admits to sharing a few funny posts with her.

‘I know she’s not on social media, but some of the funny things I’ve seen, I said, ‘Okay, Jordan, can I send you something that I think you would really like right now?’ Biles told People.

‘And so I’ve sent her little things, and it was like one of them was these four or five girls guarding a medal, and I thought that was the cutest. And then I sent her Flavor Flav’s bronze [medal he made for her] and then I sent her LeBron [James]’s tweet.

‘So just things to uplift her and know that she still has that support all-around.’

Chiles returned to social media on Friday and posted an Instagram story with a screenshot of an X post that read: ‘she’s a 10 but she’s still healing from things she didn’t deserve.’

She has previously called the decision to strip her medal ‘unjust,’ while the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee also told USA Today that there were ‘significant procedural errors’ made by CAS.

According to the CAS, the Americans’ appeal was clocked at one minute and four seconds – greater than the specified window of one minute.

However, USA Gymnastics said they have evidence to back up their claim that the appeal was lodged within the time limit at 47 seconds.

Former Olympian Aly Raisman also called the CAS’ verdict ‘confusing’ and said that an appeal wouldn’t even have been accepted if it was late.

‘There’s a designated trained official. It’s their job to keep the time,’ she told Us Weekly. ‘They are not allowed to accept the inquiry if it’s not under that minute window. They accepted the inquiry, which means that the person who’s trained to do that, they saw it was under a minute.’

Biles and Chiles are now prepared to join the Gold Across America Tour, which kicks off next month.

BOXING

Claressa Shields hits back at Savannah Marshall: ‘You can’t beat me in anything!’…

Claressa Shields’ message to Savannah Marshall: “You can’t beat me in nothing. It doesn’t matter what we do. Basketball, we can run the 400m, I’m going to leave her in the dust. I don’t even know how to do a backflip but I’m going to do a better backflip than her”

JUST IN: Claressa Shields KOs Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in 2nd round, winning 4th and 5th titles…

Claressa Shields has a message for Savannah Marshall.

The two rivals fought in an excellent undisputed middleweight title fight in 2022, which Shields won by unanimous decision.

But Marshall believes the outcome could be different if they fought again, especially if it was in an MMA contest.

Claressa Shields has a message for Savannah Marshall.

The two rivals fought in an excellent undisputed middleweight title fight in 2022, which Shields won by unanimous decision.

But Marshall believes the outcome could be different if they fought again, especially if it was in an MMA contest.

“She wants to come to MMA and try her luck, come on. I’m not stopping her. I just know that she is not a harder worker than me. That’s why she couldn’t beat me in boxing.”

“You keep coming over here saying you’re chasing me to MMA. I’ve been in MMA, you’re not chasing me. I am right here for you and if I’m motivation for you to train, hey, train. But guess what – you will get beat up again,” she continued.

“It doesn’t matter what we do. Basketball, track, we can run the 400m, I’m going to [leave her] in the dust. I don’t even know how to do a backflip but I’m going to do a better backflip than her.”

Shields added: “We can fight boxing, I’m going to win. We can fight MMA, I’m going to win. We can streetfight, I’m going to win. It doesn’t matter.

“We can play ping pong, I’m going to win. I’m just better than her at everything. She needs to understand that and I’m going to make sure whatever she wants to challenge me in, I’m better.

“That’s how competitive I am. She can’t beat me in nothing. She can’t beat me in trash talk either, I trash-talked her under the table.

“Everything I said hit her to the heart. She kept thinking about me and dreaming about me. We got in that ring and then I beat her up.”

Their rivalry though will continue. Shields will compete next in MMA. She will have another PFL bout on Saturday.

Marshall expects to make her PFL debut in the summer but will be cageside this weekend to scope out Shields for a potential fight.

“Tell her I said thank you for coming to watch me. I feel so honoured, so privileged that she’s coming,” Shields said in a comment laced with sarcasm.

“She’s going to see what a real fighter fights like come February 24. She’s going to see what she wants to be.”

Shields maintained though that she does not need to fight Marshall again.

“I don’t care about what Savannah Marshall thinks. I never did and I don’t and I won’t ever,” the American declared.

“I think Savannah thinks about me way more than I ever think about her. I stopped thinking about her the moment they raised my hand and they said: ‘The undisputed champion of the world.’

“Once they said I was the winner of that fight, I haven’t thought about the girl. Great fight, I had a great victory.

“Of course she don’t like me, duh. But I love you girl and I’m going to love beating you up again if you keep messing with me.”

You can now start receiving messages and alerts for the latest breaking sports news, analysis, in-depth features and videos from our dedicated WhatsApp channel!

BOXING

“Carl Froch Punching Air rn”: Set to Break Tyson Fury’s Record, Anthony Joshua Receives Major Boost from HE Turki Alalshikh and Fans Are All for It…

It might be the fight of the year, and it has everything to offer. Two British heavyweights dance around the ring to score a knockout and secure a golden ticket to fight for the undisputed title next. What’s better than actually putting on such a show before their home crowd, too? So, the Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois fight is the hype, and the fans are looking forward to some fireworks and some heavy blows, as they fight it out for the biggest prize of their careers. And it seems it might also surpass what Tyson Fury pulled off two years ago.

JUST IN: Francis Ngannou’s Emphatic Response to Fighting Anthony Joshua & Tyson Fury in MMA…

Joshua, 34, and Dubois, 26, will clash at Wembley Stadium on September 21 for the IBF heavyweight title and the massive Riyadh card has already swayed the fans. The developments are under process to accommodate as many fans as possible, as HE Turki Alalshikh has requested some additions to the iconic arena.

Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois set on course to shatter some records

TalkSports’ Michael Benson turned to his X handle and revealed the Joshua vs. Dubois fight could break the current attendance record at Wembley Stadium. Previously, Fury had gone up against Dillian Whyte in 2022 and attracted a crowd of 94,000, the largest ever for a combat event in the UK. He wrote, “Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois could break the British boxing attendance record at Wembley Stadium on Sept 21st as His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has said they’ve now applied to extend the capacity with the aim of surpassing the 94,000 who attended Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte.”

Interestingly, HE Turki Alalshikh, in a recent post on X, admitted to pleading with authorities to extend the capacity of Wembley and also hoped to pull up the largest crowd in the stadium’s history. Whether that comes true or not will depend on how the fans perceive the fight, and it seems they are swayed by it.

Fans rally behind ‘AJ’

SEE MORE: Tyson Fury set for surprise career change ahead of Oleksandr Usyk rematch…

One fan called Joshua, the one-third face of boxing, and demanded respect for the British fighter. They declared, “Anthony Joshua is 1/3 face’s of boxing! Put some respect on his name.” While Canelo Alvarez lays claim to the current face of boxing, the other part half is clearly Gervonta Davis.

A user criticized ‘AJ’ for cherrypicking an opponent and believed the last worthy opponent he faced was Oleksandr Usyk. Predicting a knockout, they argued, “The last good opponent Joshua had was Usyk smh AJ stops Dubois in 7.” Interestingly, after suffering a defeat from the Ukrainian fighter for a second time in 2022, Joshua is on an exciting 4-0 run.

Froch and Joshua were Olympic teammates but have since lost their close bond. Joshua recently called Froch a “p****y” in an interview and Froch went on to leak their WhatsApp DMs as well. Someone referenced the recent beef between Carl Froch and Joshua, at 28-3. They announced, “Carl froch punching air rn.” The comment was also in reference to Carl Froch’s long-standing record of 80,000 spectators at Wembley which he held in 2014 in a fight against George Groves, which has since been broken multiple times by both Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

A comment denied accepting anything from HE Turki Alalshikh. The comment read, “We don’t believe nothing turki says about a sell out 😂😂.” The comment could be a jibe at Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov, where the Saudi adviser claimed to be selling out the arena, but later some contested that promoters distributed free tickets to fill the arena.

Lastly, one fan threw shade on Joshua’s opponent and praised AJ for his popularity and for carrying on promotional duties. They insisted, “AJ be carrying these unmarketable boxers on his back 😂.” Joshua has sold over 1 million PPV buys in his fights with Andy Ruiz and Wladimir Klitschko. He also sold almost 700,000 PPVs when he fought Francis Ngannou earlier this year. It remains to be seen whether he can replicate similar success when he fights Dubois.

What do you make of this development regarding Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois? Do you believe the fight will shatter attendance records on September 21? Let us know in the comments below.

BOXING

Francis Ngannou’s Emphatic Response to Fighting Anthony Joshua & Tyson Fury in MMA…

PFL star and former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, has spoken about the potential of facing his former boxing opponents, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in MMA.

JUST IN: How much Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will earn from heavyweight fight…

Despite Ngannou making the switch over to boxing to face two of the best heavyweights in the world in his first two fights, ‘The Predator’ doesn’t seem confident that the British heavyweight boxing stars, Fury and Joshua, will reciprocate what he did and come into a different sport to face him.

Last year, former UFC heavyweight champion, Ngannou, made his boxing debut in a huge super-fight against Fury. After losing a very close decision to ‘The Gypsy King,’ which many people actually thought Ngannou won, the Cameroonian ecured himself another huge boxing bout against Joshua just five months later. The fight against Josua was very different for Ngannou, as he got completely flatlined inside two rounds and put out cold.

Despite taking a brutal KO loss, the boxing world heaped praise on Ngannou for stepping into the ring against two of the best and most dominant heavyweight boxers in his first two professional fights.

SEE MORE: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 – Carl Froch makes huge retirement claim regarding heavyweight rematch…

When asked whether or not the British heavyweight boxing stars would do something similar to Ngannou and make a move over to MMA to face him, ‘The Predator’ did not seem confident that could happen as it is a lot more difficult to learn all aspects of martial arts as opposed to the one he had to, which was just solely boxing. Speaking to MMA journalist, John Morgan at last week’s PFL DC media scrum, Ngannou said the following:

“They don’t want that smoke. Nobody wants that, and I wouldn’t want it either. I don’t blame them. There is a lot of elements in MMA that’s way complicated for boxers to crossover than for MMA fighters to crossover to boxing. I need to see them do some practice. Maybe one of them have the wrestling skill. You don’t of the grappling skill. We need to see.”

Despite moves to MMA for both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua being extremely unlikely, both men have shown interest and teased moves to MMA in the past.

Just after his brutal KO victory over Francis Ngannou earlier this year, ‘AJ’ posted training footage on social media of him kicking and kneeing pads which led to many people speculating he could be teasing a move over to MMA.

As for Fury, he has also shown interest in competing in MMA in the past. In recent years, ‘The Gypsy King’ has also been pictured training with well-known MMA fighters, Darren Till and Nick Diaz, and has also voiced the opinion that due to his bare-knuckle past, he could transition well to MMA.

GOLF

Scottie Scheffler Falls Way Short of Tiger Woods as PGA Tour Peers Downplay His 2024 Success

There was never a doubt in anyone’s mind that Tiger Woods had the best seasons when he had multiple victories. However, with Scottie Scheffler, things are different. The 27-year-old emerged victorious in six events, including the Masters, and won a gold medal at the Olympics as well. Notably, the five events were also all elevated, including four signature events and the PLAYERS Championship.

On the other hand, his competitor and the man Scheffler has been getting compared to, Xander Schauffele, carded only two wins this season. Albeit both were majors, once at the PGA Championship and then at the 152nd Open in Royal Troon. Despite breaking one of Tiger Woods’s records, and getting near his level, Scheffler’s popularity among the PGA Tour pros hints that he needs more to stand tall with Woods.

Scottie Scheffler becomes the second option for PGA Tour pros

It’s hard to argue whose season was the best when two of the best golfers are against each other. On one hand, Scottie Scheffler has been dominant in comparatively every event, whereas on the other, Xander Schauffele took on two out of the four majors. The question remains a puzzle, yet most of the PGA Tour pros chose Schauffele.

At the BMW Championship in Castle Pines GC, the question of whose season you would choose was a popular one at the press conference. When Viktor Hovland was posed with it, he commended Scheffler’s run and said he had a better season compared to anyone at this point. However, he was still more inclined towards Schauffele. The Norwegian pro said, “I think in like 20 years back — 20 years in the future, looking back at the year, I think I’d rather have won two majors, just personally.”

And Hovland was not alone in doing so. The 13-time PGA Tour winner Jason Day also expressed that he would rather have Schauffele’s season than that of world no. 1. The Australian pro praised Scheffler and said that he had a tremendous and phenomenal year, which will probably make him the Player of the Year. However, the 2-time major winner surpassed here too. Day said, “Even though Xander has won two majors, I would probably go more towards the majors just because I want to add more majors to my career.”

Furthermore, Justin Thomas also joined in to share that he would also choose Xander Schauffele’s season over Scheffler’s, prompting the same reason as others. While many opted for the world no. 2’s 2024 season, all was not lost for the world no. 1 as two of his PGA Tour comrades came in to support him.

Who has chosen Scottie Scheffler’s 2024 season?

Technically, Scottie Scheffler has more odds of winning the PGA Tour 2024 Player of the Year than Xander Schauffele. So far, no one could deny that the world no. 1 was unstoppable on the courses and his form was ordinary in only a few games. Thus, not everyone on the PGA Tour opted for Scheffler, at least not Wyndham Clark and Rory McIlroy.

The 2023 US Open winner was hesitant to give an outright answer to choose between his two buddies. But he put Scheffler over Schauffele. Clark said, “With how good Scottie is playing right now and what he’s done this year… Scottie is on a run that we haven’t seen since Tiger.” That was true, the last time any player won the PLAYERS, Masters, and 3 or more events was Tiger Woods in 2005 before Scheffler matched it in the 2024 season.

So, Clark gave Scheffler the upper hand but still said, “I would choose both of them if I could.” Meanwhile, the Ulsterman, Rory McIlroy, has the clear winner between Schauffele and Scheffler. When he was asked the same question, without any hesitation, the Northern Irishman said, “Scottie’s. I think winning the Masters, an Olympic gold medal, winning, whatever it is, six times, it’s pretty hard to top that.”

So, although Scheffler has been ranked world no. 1 for more than 66 consecutive weeks, to match Tiger Woods, he would have to be ranked no. 1 for the next four years. Thus, reaching Tiger Woods might still be far away but Scheffler has been on the right path despite Xander Schauffele coming out to be the better choice to his PGA Tour comrades.

TENNIS

Iga Swiatek ‘much harder’ to play against than Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, says former world No 1

Karolina Pliskova says Iga Swiatek is a much tougher opponent to face than Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova as the Pole “gives you nothing” as the Czech also opened up about the fear factor that used to exist in the locker room.

Pliskova competed when Williams and Sharapova were at their peaks and she even topped the rankings in 2015 when the pair dominated the sport. Nine years later, the 32-year-old remains active on the WTA Tour and has also come up against current world No 1 Swiatek.

The Czech had a 2-2 head-to-head record against Williams, was 0-2 against Sharapova and 0-2 against Swiatek.

Having faced all three of them, the former world No 1 is in an excellent position to explain why Swiatek is such a difficult rival.

“To play against Iga Swiatek is much harder because she doesn’t give you anything. With Serena, in the end her game was much more aggressive or like Sharapova who I played. But they would at least give you light points or make some mistakes,” she said on the No Challenges podcast.

“I feel like Iga Swiatek is not so aggressive but she really gives you nothing and she doesn’t even have one dip where she would have like one bad game, at least in the matches where I played her.

“Especially on clay, she moves so well. I felt like with Serena, if you can get her on the move you could have some light points.

“I’m sure Serena at her best she would beat Swiatek on hard courts for sure, but it’s a different game, the personality is very different from both of them.”

WTA News

Iga Swiatek criticised for using ‘bad habit’ tactic to disrupt opponents by tennis legend

The 5 women with the highest WTA 1000 win percentage: Iga Swiatek 3rd, Serena Williams with 84%

One of the reasons that Swiatek is more difficult to beat might be the fact that the overall level of the WTA Tour has improved in recent years.

Pliskova believes most players were afraid of stars like Williams-Sharapova back in the day and the locker room was dominated by fear, but things are different these days.

“Before you had bigger stars with bigger personalities and you wouldn’t even say ‘hi’ to them like Serena or Maria… of course there were some like Caroline Wozniacki, she nice girl so she would always speak with others, but then you had a couple they would just completely ignore you,” she explained.

“That was the mood in the locker rooms. For example, you wouldn’t even see Sharapova as she never entered the locker room so there was this fear. I never feared them on court, but you were always wondering ‘is she here, is she not going to play’.

“The stars were trying to be separate, but now I feel everybody is kind of at the same level, everybody is trying to be friendly. I think it is overall more friendly now than it was before, not too many enemies, but of course you always find somebody who hates somebody, but not too obvious.

“But on the other hand, I feel the [current] level is incredibly high from players who maybe 150-200, if they have a good day and the top player has a bad day then it could be an even match. Before I didn’t think that was the case.

“Before I had so many matches where I played completely s*** and I won whereas now if I play s*** there is no chance to win.”

TENNIS

Novak Djokovic to Iga Swiatek: Top contenders for US Open 2024 crown

The US Open is all set to start with Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek set to be the top contenders for the titles. Along with the duo, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff will also be in the mix for the top prizes.

In Short

The final grand slam of the year will start from August 26
Djokovic is yet to win a grand slam this year
Swiatek last won the US Open title in 2022

The US Open is fast approaching, and tennis fans are waiting in anticipation for the final Grand Slam of the year. The excitement for the thrilling hard-court battles and dramatic matches has kept the tennis fans eager for the action to start. Fans of tennis can catch all the hardcore live coverage at the ‘Home of Tennis’ Sony Sports Network. As the tournament nears, let’s examine the top contenders who can win the ultimate prize.

The final grand slam of the year will start from August 26.

Men’s Division

Novak Djokovic

TENNIS

Iga Swiatek’s doubles partner walks off court as star overpowers male player

Iga Swiatek was happy to go at it alone during a doubles match in New York.

Iga Swiatek’s double partner walked off court mid-rally during an exhibition match ahead of the US Open.

The WTA world No.1 was partnered with Sebastian Korda for the friendly contest against Italian duo Matteo Berrettini and Jasmine Paolini.

However, for one of the points Korda and Paolini might as well have been sat on the sidelines because Swiatek and Berrettini were playing as if it was a singles match.

The two shared a lengthy rally that lasted all of 18 shots, with the point eventually going the way of Swiatek after Berrettini struggled to return his Polish opponent’s powerful forehand.

But by the time the point had been contested, Swiatek was the only player on her side of the court, with American Korda having jokingly trundled off the court.

While in jest, it was a move that hinted Swiatek didn’t need his help and was more than capable on her own.

Korda was quick to congratulate his partner though, with the 24-year-old serving up a gigantic high five to the Polish superstar.

Unfortunately for Swiatek and Korda, they would go on to lose the exhibition match, with Berrettini and recent Olympic gold medalist Paolini coming out on top.

It came as part of a warm-up event at the Arthur Ashe Stadium ahead of this year’s US Open.

However, in the build-up to the final Grand Slam of the year, Swiatek has blasted the tennis organisers for scheduling ‘too many tournaments’.

Speaking at last week’s Cincinnati Open, she told Sky Sports: “Well, what can I say? I’ve been kind of an advocate saying that we shouldn’t like, I don’t know, be pushing and pushing for us to play more.

“Obviously it’s not our decision but for sure, I think we have too many tournaments in the season. It’s not going to end well and it makes tennis less fun for us, let’s just say.”

The 23-year-old continued: “Obviously I love playing in all these places but it’s pretty exhausting and I think most of the WTA players would tell you that. Especially when you’re playing at a high level and going to high rounds at every tournament.

“So I don’t think it should be like that because we deserve to rest a little bit more. Obviously maybe people are going to hate me for that.”

The five-time Grand Slam is on the hunt for her second US Open victory, having taken the title for the first and only time in 2022.

TENNIS

Rafael Nadal back in training to prepare for the Laver Cup

We last seen Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, in the quarter-finals of the men’s doubles at the Olympic Games where he was paired with the No 3 in the world: Carlos Alcaraz.

While the pair delighted the crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier, they did not manage to achieve a medal for Spain. In singles, the Mallorcan was eliminated in the 2nd round by the gold medalist: Novak Djokovic. Since then, he has left us with little or no news. Rafa announced his withdrawal from the US Open, which did not fail to worry fans who are impatiently waiting for the date of his retirement, while hoping that it will be as late as possible.

On Sunday, August 18, the Bull of Manacor spoke to MARCA, announcing that he has not yet made a decision, and that he is not in a hurry: “I will warn you. When I know, you will know, I am not in a hurry to make a decision about my future. What is certain is that I will be at the Laver Cup and then we will see“.

RAFA BACK TO TRAINING WITH A SMILE

This Wednesday, Rafael Nadal once again stirred up the tennis world by posting a photo of himself returning to training on his social media accounts.

No one knows what the Spaniard’s future holds, but he is still there, preparing for the competition that saw Roger Federer’s career end alongside him in a doubles loss to Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe.

THE TEAMS OF THE LAVER CUP

Below are the teams that will compete in the Laver Cup.

Team Europe:

Rafael Nadal (ESP)
Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
Daniil Medvedev
Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)
Casper Ruud (NOR)
Alexander Zverev (GER)

Team World:

Taylor Fritz (USA)
Ben Shelton (USA)
Tommy Paul (USA)
Frances Tiafoe (USA)
Alex De Minaur (AUS)
Alejandro Tabilo (CHI)