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An irritated Rafael Nadal baulked at the idea of retirement following an Olympics demolition at the hands of Novak Djokovic.

The Spaniard suffered one of the most lopsided defeats of his career, falling to 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic, 6-1 6-4, in the second round of the men’s Olympics singles in Paris.

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Nadal was blown off court by his longtime rival in what was their 60th career head-to-head, which is a record showdown in the men’s game.

The 38-year-old Nadal, who is still in doubles with compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, has played only a handful of tournaments over the past two years because of injury.

He’s aware the end is coming but isn’t ready to call time on his playing days just yet, and appeared annoyed at the suggestion his illustrious career is waning.

“You want me to retire every day guys, you ask me for that,” he said with a touch of irritation after the defeat. “I am trying to do my best. I cannot live every single day with the feeling that it’s going to be or not going to be my last match.

“I have been suffering a lot of injuries the last two years. So, if I feel that I am not competitive enough to keep going, or physically I’m not ready to keep going, I will stop and I will let you know.

“I like what I do and of course I’m going to miss the adrenaline of playing but I cannot complain. I have been playing in all these courts for 20 years, fighting for the most important things. I achieved much more than I dreamed of.

“If that’s the last match here, I’ll be in peace. I did my best and I can’t complain anymore.”

Serbian Djokovic was in imperious form against Nadal, handing the 14-time French Open champion just his fifth defeat at Roland Garros in 118 matches.

The right knee that he had surgery on following a slip during the French Open was still strapped up but for a set and a half Djokovic had no more trouble swatting aside Nadal than he had his first-round opponent Matt Ebden, a doubles specialist who had not played a singles match for two years.

Rafael Nadal

Djokovic was sharper, faster and more accurate but a loss of concentration when his position appeared unassailable allowed Nadal back in, and the Spaniard delighted his fans by winning four games in a row, the last one sealed when he drilled a smash back at his opponent’s feet before passing him.

But Djokovic immediately broke serve again, earning loud boos for cupping his ear to the pro-Nadal crowd, and then clinched the victory with an ace.

“He played much better than me from the beginning until the end. I had some reaction, some points. But that was, of course, not enough.”

Djokovic, who will next take on Germany’s Dominik Koepfer, now leads the rivalry 31-29, and is hoping there are a few more chapters still to write in his storied rivalry with Rafa.

“I just hope, for the sake of our rivalry and the sport in general, that we’ll get to face each other once or maybe a few times on different surfaces, in different parts of the world, because I feel like it can only benefit the sport,” he said.

Men’s doubles second round action at the Paris Olympics features top singles players like Gael Monfils and the Rafael Nadal/Carlos Alcaraz pairing in action, Team USA features Rajeev Ram as the clay court doubles in Paris continues on.

Carlos Alcaraz/Rafael Nadal vs Tallon Griekspoor/Wesley Koolhof

Damian Kust: Alcaraz took a bit of time to catch up with Nadal in their opening round, but towards the end of their match the youngster was executing some really good reflex combinations on top of the net. This might help them out as Nadal was pretty fabulous in that one from the get-go and bothered Gonzalez/Molteni so much with his lefty spins. It’s not obvious they’ll get this one as well, but they’re the favorites. Alcaraz/Nadal in 2

Jordan Reynolds: The manner of Nadal’s defeat to Novak Djokovic proved he is still nowhere near his best in singles. However, he was outstanding in his opening doubles match, and actually outperformed Alcaraz throughout it. Koolhof is a great doubles player, but the Spanish pair will probably prove to be too formidable. Nadal/Alcaraz in 2

What do you think is common between Tiger Woods and Michelle Wie West? No, it’s not sport-related at all! Rather, it is the list of injuries instead. The world knows the troubles Woods has had in his legs and back for so many years. But in the past, West has had numerous injuries too, just like the 15-time major champion. Who would have thought that this series of injuries would create a connection between the two? No one!

Recently, West was on Pablo Torre’s Finds Out YouTube channel, and they talked about a lot of things in a 50-minute-long video. As the conversation continued, she discussed her experiences on the professional greens and her battles with injuries. Later in the video, she was also asked “When you run into Tiger Woods what do you talk about? Is there any sort of connectivity between the two of you on the level of like being people who grew up young in the spotlight and had to navigate all of the stuff”

While responding to the question, the 34-year-old came up with an interesting answer and said “No but every time I see Tiger the first thing we go through is the list of injuries that we had I’m like how’s your neck? he’s like how’s your wrist? how’s your back we like go through all the body parts first and be like okay good, good….oh it’s getting better you know, and then we can have a normal conversation.” Later she added that usually, five minutes of their talk is all about the injuries.

Tiger Woods

Throughout her career in professional golf, Michelle Wie West has achieved 49 top-10 finishes and five career victories on the LPGA Tour. She was also the youngest player to qualify for the USGA amateur championship at the age of 10. Thanks to that, she was once dubbed the next Tiger Woods, but multiple hand and wrist injuries became a major setback for this former pro.

After the birth of her first child, a daughter who she named Makenna Kamalei Yoona West, the 34-year-old announced her retirement from golf at the end of the 2023 LPGA season. Yes, they talk about each other’s health whenever they meet, but West has known about Woods since childhood.

Did Michelle Wie West like Tiger Woods growing up?

In 2023, West joined Golf.com’s podcast and talked about how the 15-time major champion became her role model because of her father. While doing so, she said, “My dad had a photo of his backswing in his wallet, you know, in the clear part of your wallet where you usually put your kids’, like your book photo in there.” As the conversation continued, she further added, “I think I was like forced into loving Tiger as a kid.”

Thanks to her father’s love for the GOAT, West also had swing sequence photos on her bedroom walls, which made her admire Woods. Michelle Wie West might cherish the memory of growing up admiring Woods and being called the next Tiger Woods. What do you think about the friendship between these two?

ESPN released a list of the top professional athletes of the 21st Century, with Tiger Woods ranked eighth, raising debates on the ranking of athletes based on their achievements since 2000.

By the Numbers

  • Tiger Woods is ranked 8th on ESPN’s list of top athletes of the 21st Century.
  • Only 13 of Woods’ 18 major wins have come since the year 2000.

Yes, But

Some argue that Woods could have been ranked higher based on his impact on golf compared to other athletes on the list.

State of Play

  • The ranking considers accomplishments since 2000, leading to diverse opinions on the placement of different athletes.
  • Woods’ influence on rejuvenating golf is highlighted as a separate factor from his on-course performance.

What’s Next

Future discussions may continue surrounding the ranking of athletes and the criteria used to assess their impact within their respective sports.

Bottom Line

Tiger Woods’ 8th position on ESPN’s list acknowledges his significant impact on golf but sparks discussions on the relative ranking of athletes across diverse sports.

Tiger Woods has confirmed that he will play PGA Tour Champions events when he turns 50, according to comments made by Padraig Harrington.

Tiger Woods has plans to play senior golf. 

At least that is the contention of multiple major champion Padraig Harrington.

“I met Tiger recently and he said he was looking forward to coming out onto the Champions Tour,” Harrington said.

“I think his words were, ‘I can’t wait to beat you out on the Champions Tour’, or something like that.

Woods is now 48 years old and will be eligible to compete on the PGA Tour Champions circuit when he turns 50.

And he would also be able to use a golf cart. Whether he does that remains to be seen.

Legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus hinted in previous interviews that Woods would be willing to use one.

Woods doubles down

The 2024 Open Championship marked Woods’ eighth start in a major since his car crash three years ago.

His results do not make for pretty reading.

In fact, it’s quite hard to watch the golfer being a bit-part player on a stage he owned for so long.

Woods made a shocking return to the sport in the 2022 Masters at Augusta National.

Since then, his results in the majors reads as follows:

  • PGA Championship at Southern Hills – WD
  • The Open at St Andrews – MC
  • The Masters – WD
  • The Masters – 60th
  • PGA Championship at Valhalla – MC
  • U.S. Open at Pinehurst No.2. – MC
  • The Open – MC

There was one immediate question after his latest performance at Royal Troon.

Why is he doing this to himself? 

There are other questions as well.

What pleasure does he derive from these performances? What does he have to prove?

In fact, he was positive about the future.

“I’ve gotten better, even though my results really haven’t shown it,” he said.

Tiger Woods

“I just need to keep progressing like that and then eventually start playing more competitively and start getting into kind of the competitive flow again.

“I’m going to just keep getting physically better and keep working on it.”

“I’ve always loved playing major championships,” he said. “I just wish I was more physically sharp coming into the majors.

“Obviously it tests you mentally, physically, emotionally, and I just wasn’t as sharp as I needed to be.

“I was hoping that I would find it somehow, just never did.”

Woods has also confirmed he will be at The Open next year when the major heads to Royal Portrush in Ireland.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic square off in an Olympic Games blockbuster on Monday, their first meeting in over two years, while Iga Swiatek stepped up her quest for gold by powering into the third round.

The latest chapter of a generation-defining rivalry, and perhaps the final act, will bring Nadal and Djokovic full circle — the duo having met as teenagers in their very first meeting in the 2006 Roland Garros quarter-finals.

This is the earliest stage of a tournament the pair have ever met, with Nadal far from the almost invincible player who dominated on clay for well over a decade.

The 38-year-old — who has won 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles at the French Open — believes old rival Djokovic will be favourite when they meet for the 60th time.

“Situations are completely different for him, for me. He’s being very competitive. I was not being very competitive for the last two years, so in that case, I think probably he is the clear favourite,” said Nadal, who holds an 8-2 head-to-head advantage over the Serb at Roland Garros.

“I’m going to try my best to bring the best to the court and then let’s see how far I can go and how many problems I can create for him.”

Djokovic, chasing a first Olympic gold to add to his 24 Grand Slams, expects the clash to deliver.

“We’ll spread some fireworks on the court, like the good old times,” said Djokovic, who has also yet to win a title this season.

“Playing him is like finals for me. His record at Roland Garros speaks for itself.”

Four-time French Open champion Swiatek underlined her status at the heavy favourite for women’s gold in Paris, swatting home hope Diane Parry aside 6-1, 6-1.

Swiatek, who lost in the second round in Tokyo, meets China’s Wang Xiyu for a place in the quarter-finals.

World number one Swiatek has won her last 23 matches at Roland Garros, with three clay titles already under her belt this season.

The Pole, tested in her opening match under the roof on Court Philippe Chatrier, enjoyed a far more straightforward outing in bright sunshine on Monday.

Swiatek won the first five games of the match and broke five times as she strolled to victory in just 74 minutes.

US second seed Coco Gauff plays Argentina’s Maria Lourdes Carle later.

Reigning men’s French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz takes on Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor in the evening.

Scorching heat posed a considerable problem for tennis players at the Tokyo Olympic, and the issue could resurface this week with highs of 35 degrees Celsius expected on Tuesday.

The Olympic tennis tournament is gaining momentum, in the second round of the match here will be held Iga Swiatek – Diane Parry. Prediction for the match of these tennis players prepared by Dailysports experts.

Iga Swiatek

The Polish athlete came to the Olympics in the status of world number one and one of the main favorites, moreover, the games are held on the ground, and here Swiatek has almost no equal. The tennis player has won three ground tournaments this year, including Roland Garros.

Swiatek did not start her performance at the Olympics as confidently as expected, the experienced Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu was defeated in two sets 6:2, 7:5, and in the second set the Polish athlete made a comeback from 3:5. The tennis player is only 23 years old, she had time to rest after Wimbledon, so there should be no fatigue.

Iga Swiatek

Diane Parry

Playing at home at the Olympics is always an honor and very exciting, and those are the feelings that are now overwhelming Diane Parry. The young Frenchwoman is 21 years old and is a solid middleweight in world tennis, ranked 52nd in the world rankings.

Parry recently played in Palermo, where she reached the semifinals, which is one of the best results of the season, she reached the same stage of the tournament in Nottingham. In the first round of the Olympic tournament managed in a difficult struggle to pass the Argentine Podorosca – 7:6, 7:5.

Interesting facts about the match and the history of personal meetings

  • Previously, the tennis players have not played each other.
  • Parry won 8 matches out of 15 on the ground, and Swiatek 22 out of 23.
  • Bookmakers’ quotes: W1 – 1.01, W2 – 20.

Iga Swiatek vs Diane Parry Prediction

In such a pair no one sees intrigue, Sventek is a big favorite, even though Parry and Frenchwoman, this advantage certainly does not overlap the difference in class. The Polka will try to play in her dominant manner, the match should end quickly, I’ll bet on her victory with -7.5 points.

  • Parry has gone over 21.5 games in 3 straight against Top 5 players
  • Can Swiatek maintain her form at the Olympics?
  • Get our Iga Swiatek vs Diane Parr predictions and tips

    Iga Swiatek vs Diane Parry Preview

    Iga Swiatek is very short once again but Diane Parry has gone deep in her last three matches against Top 10 players. I am backing this one to go over 16.5 games.
    Stats
    • Iga Swiatek has won 22 of her last 23 matches.
    • Iga Swiatek has gone over 18.5 games in her last 4 matches.
    • Diane Parry has gone over 21.5 games in her last 3 matches against Top 5 players.
    HTH
    Iga Swiatek is 1-0 against Diane Parry, winning 6-1 6-0 in the 2021 Wimbledon third round.
    Iga Swiatek Stats
    Nationality: Poland
    Age: 23 (31 May 2001)
    Height: 5’9″ (1.76m)
    Plays: Right-Handed
    World Ranking: 1
    Career High: 1 (April 2022)
    WTA Tour Titles: 22
    2024 WTA Tour Titles: 5
    Grand Slam Singles Titles: 5 (4 French Open, US Open)
    Iga Swiatek Form
    Iga Swiatek is 48-5 this year, winning the Qatar Open and Indian Wells Open on hard courts.
    The World No.1 won three more titles on clay, taking out the Madrid Open, Italian Open and French Open.
    The Pole went out early at Wimbledon, beating Sofia Kenin and Petra Martic before a shock third round defeat to Yulia Putintseva.
    Swiatek got past Irina-Camelia Begu 6-2 7-5 in her opening match at the Olympics despite hitting 19 winners and 30 unforced errors.
    Diane Parry Stats
    Nationality: France
    Age: 21 (1 September 2002)
    Height: 5’7″ (1.70m)
    Plays: Right-Handed
    World Ranking: 59
    Career High: 49 (April 2024)
    Grand Slam Singles Titles: 0
    Diane Parry Form
    Diane Parry is 20-16 on the WTA Tour this year, getting to the quarter-finals in Auckland and Austin. She went a step further in Nottingham where she exited in the semi-finals.
    The 21-year-old was unable to maintain that form on grass, going out early at Bad Homburg and Wimbledon. She was last seen in Palermo, going down 7-5 6-4 to Qinwen Zheng in the semi-finals.
    Parry defeated Nadia Podoroska 7-6 7-5 in the first round at the Olympics, saving 2/6 break points.
    Tennis Live Streaming
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NBC-repping Snoop Dogg was happily making the scene at the Paris Olympics before Simone Biles’ mother reminded the rapper of an awkward moment between them. (Watch the video below.)

Nellie Biles recalled Snoop giving her and her then-prodigy daughter the brushoff in New York City many years ago.

“Snoop, I don’t you if you know this but Simone and you have known each other for a long time, right, Nellie?” Hoda Kotb

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of “Today” said in an interview at the opening ceremony.

“How, Nellie?” Snoop asked.

“I remember ― I will never forget ― that we met you in Times Square in 2010 and you said ― cause we asked for a picture ― and you said ‘2 minutes, 1-2’ and you were gone,” Nellie said.

Snoop laughed off the recollection as Kotb pivoted to asking Nellie why her 4-time gold medalist daughter wasn’t attending the ceremony. (She was resting.)

We’d love to ask Simone Biles about her exchange with the “Gin and Juice” performer back in the day. But she’s a tad busy preparing for the women’s team final on Tuesday after she slayed the qualifiers despite an injury.

Simone Biles’ mom called out Snoop Dogg for once blowing her and her Team USA gymnast star daughter off during an awkward live interview at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

The rapper, who has landed himself a commentator role for NBC and Peacock’s primetime coverage of the games, helped ring in the event as a torch bearer before Friday’s controversial opening ceremony got underway.

Speaking about the moment live on air afterwards, he said he had been on his “best behavior” while carrying the flame on its last leg around the Stade de France sporting a pair of gold trainers.

As boats filled with athletes sailed down the river Seine, Snoop Dogg stood in the drizzle alongside The Today Show host Hoda Kotb to interview Biles family.

Biles, 27, who is the most decorated gymnast in Olympic history with four gold medals, was noticeably absent from Team USA’s boat to rest up ahead of Sunday’s women’s qualifier, mom Nellie Biles said.

The gymnast looks to scoop up her fifth gold medal this week.

However, it wasn’t the first time Snoop Dogg has met Biles’ mother with the rapper apparently making Nellie and Simone wait on him during a meeting in 2010.

“Snoop, I don’t know if you know this, but Simone and you have known each other for a long time. Right, Nellie?” Kotb revealed.

Simone Biles 

Initially perplexed, Snoop Dogg retorted: “How? How, Nellie?”

Nellie Biles said that the West Coast rapper had met the family in Times Square in New York City in 2010 – six years prior to Biles’ Olympic debut. She said that the family wanted to grab a photograph with Snoop Dogg.

“And you said – ’cause we asked for a picture – two minutes. One, two, and you were gone,” she revealed.

The group laughed off the incident.

On Sunday, Snoop Dogg was seen sporting a white tracksuit shrouded in the star-spangled banner and a T-shirt of the gymnast’s face as he watched Biles and the rest of Team USA’s gymnastics team compete at Bercy Arena.

Other stars including Tom Cruise and Lady Gaga also sat in the crowd as the team emerged in leotards adorned with thousands of crystals, each outfit costing $3,000.

Despite a minor calf tweak and walking with a limp, the routine earned Biles a 14.600 and an impressive total of 59.566, guaranteeing her a spot in the finals next week in all four individual events.

She came first in her division on both the vault and floor, second on the beam and eighth on uneven bars.

The centrepiece was the vault where Biles set a score of 15.300 – almost a full point ahead of American teammate Jade Carey.

It marked a major return for Biles after a 732-day hiatus from major competitions after she pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 to prioritize her mental health.

“Day one, now moving on to team finals, all-around finals, a couple event finals hopefully,” US coach Cecile Landi said.

The US team is looking to take gold on Tuesday before athletes start the individual event finals on Thursday.

Biles is vying to become the oldest American women to win an Olympic gold in gymnastics.

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