PARIS: Rafael Nadal was locked in a tight, compelling and lengthy French Open semifinal Friday when his opponent, third-seeded Alexander Zverev, ran to his right to chase a shot and twisted his right ankle. Zverev crumpled to the ground, wailing in agony and clutching at his lower leg.
His black outfit, arms and legs caked with rust-colored clay, Zverev was helped up by a trainer, then taken away from the court in a wheelchair. Minutes later, Zverev came back out onto Court Philippe Chatrier on crutches, his right shoe removed, and conceded the match, unable to continue.
The sudden end to a contest that was 3 hours old but not even through two full sets allowed Nadal to become, on his 36th birthday, the second-oldest men’s finalist in French Open history. Now he will try to become the oldest champion at a tournament he’s already won a record 13 times.
“Being in the final of Roland Garros is a dream, without a doubt,” Nadal said during an on-court interview, then revealed he had seen Zverev crying in a small room in the stadium.
“Very tough, no? And very sad for him, honestly, no?” Nadal told the full house of 15,000 spectators who had loudly tried to encourage him throughout the match, chanting “Ra-fa!” repeatedly.
With the pitter-patter of rain audible against the closed retractable roof at Court Philippe Chatier, Nadal emerged to claim a tight-as-can-be, draining first set that lasted 1 1/2 hours by a 7-6 (8) score. The second set also was headed to a tiebreaker after another 1 1/2 hours when Zverev tumbled behind the baseline.
A trainer came out to attend to him, and Nadal walked around the net to check on Zverev, too. After Zverev returned and said he would need to retire from the match, he shook the chair umpire’s hand and then hugged Nadal.
Nadal has been dealing with chronic pain in his left foot and was coming off a pair of victories that each lasted more than 4 hours — including against defending champion Novak Djokovic on Tuesday — but showed no signs of age, injury or fatigue against the 25-year-old Zverev.
In addition to bidding for a 14th trophy from the French Open, Nadal can claim his 22nd Grand Slam title to add to the men’s record he already holds after his triumph at the Australian Open in January.
Djokovic and Roger Federer are tied at 20.
There’s also this on the line for Nadal in Sunday’s final against No. 8 Casper Ruud of Norway or No. 20 Marin Cilic of Croatia: It would be the first time the Spaniard ever has won the first two legs of the calendar-year Grand Slam.
Cilic won the 2014 US Open; Ruud has never been to a major final.
Zverev was the runner-up at the US Open two years ago and won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics last summer.
“I know how much he’s fighting to win a Grand Slam, but for the moment, he was very unlucky,” Nadal said. “The only thing that I am sure is he is going to win not one — much more than one. So I wish him all the best and a very fast recovery.”
Nadal back in French Open final after injured Zverev stops
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Nadal back in French Open final after injured Zverev stops
- Zverev crumpled to the ground, wailing in agony and clutching at his lower leg
- His black outfit, arms and legs caked with rust-colored clay, Zverev was helped up by a trainer, then taken away from the court in a wheelchair
New Zealand outclass Pakistan to win 4th T20I
- Opener Tim Robinson hit a half-century to ensure New Zealand reached 178-7 in 20 overs
- Pacer William O’ Rourke returned figures of 3-27 to keep Pakistan down to 174-8 in 20 overs
LAHORE: Experienced allrounder Jimmy Neesham kept his cool to defend six off the last ball to clinch a four-run victory for New Zealand on Thursday in the fourth Twenty20 international against Pakistan in Lahore.
Pakistan needed 18 off the last over in their chase of 179 but Neesham came out in flying colors despite being hit for a boundary off the first ball, giving a packed Qaddafi Stadium crowd heartbreaks.
Opener Tim Robinson hit a maiden half century to lift New Zealand to 178-7 in 20 overs before pacer William O’Rourke claimed 3-27 to keep Pakistan down to 174-8.
Returning allrounder Imad Wasim (22 not out) managed to hit the last ball for a single as New Zealand take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the five-match series with the last game on Saturday, also in Lahore.
Pakistan also lost the third match by seven wickets after winning the first by the same margin while the first match was abandoned after just two balls — all three in Rawalpindi.
The defeats are a jolt to a full-strength Pakistan side in their preparations for the Twenty20 World Cup to be held in the United States and the West Indies in June.
New Zealand, missing a host of players due to Indian Premier League, injuries and unavailability, can feel elated at their bench strength going into the World Cup.
Pakistan sensed they were in with a chance when Fakhar Zaman, who made 45-ball 61 with three sixes and four boundaries, lifted Pakistan from 79-4 with a 59-run stand for the fifth wicket with Iftikhar Ahmed who made a 20-ball 23.
But O’Rourke, playing only his fourth T20I, dismissed Ahmed to add to his wickets of Babar Azam (five) and Saim Ayub (20) to give New Zealand a boost.
Fellow pacer Ben Sears (2-27) claimed Zaman’s wicket with 33 needed off 14 balls.
Earlier, Robinson batted with aggression.
Robinson’s 36-ball 51 with two sixes and four fours lifted New Zealand — who were sent in to bat — to 93-1 in 10 overs before Abbas Afridi’s career best 3-20 helped Pakistan pull back.
New Zealand started briskly with Robinson and Tom Blundell, who made 28 off 15, putting on 56 for the opening stand in five overs.
But from 94-1 New Zealand lost three wickets, including that of dangerman Mark Chapman for eight, as Pakistan’s fielders held catches to back some good bowling by Abbas.
Dean Foxcroft chipped in with 34 off 26 deliveries and skipper Michael Bracewell added 27 to keep the scoreboard ticking as New Zealand managed 43 in the last five overs.
Pakistan were forced to make five changes as wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and Muhammad Irfan Khan were injured while they rested Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed.
Spanish govt to ‘oversee’ scandal-hit football federation
- The CSD said it will create a “commission of supervision, standardization and representation” led by “independent personalities“
- Former Spain coach and 2010 World Cup winner Vicente del Bosque could be one of the members of this commission
MADRID: The Spanish government decided Thursday to create a commission to “oversee” the country’s scandal-hit football federation (RFEF) and try to pull it out of crisis.
“The Spanish government adopted this decision to redress the serious situation of the RFEF so that the organization could enter a stage of renewal in a stable climate,” the National Sports Council (CSD), an agency dependent on the Ministry of Sports, announced.
Spain are set to host the 2030 World Cup along with Portugal and Morocco, but in recent months the RFEF has lurched from one embarrassment to another.
The CSD said it will create a “commission of supervision, standardization and representation” led by “independent personalities” which will “oversee the RFEF during the coming months in response to the federation’s crisis and in defense of Spain’s general interests.”
According to the Spanish press, former Spain coach and 2010 World Cup winner Vicente del Bosque could be one of the members of this commission.
However, world and European football governing bodies FIFA and UEFA issued a statement expressing “great concern” at the situation around the RFEF.
“FIFA and UEFA will seek additional information to assess the extent to which the CSD’s appointment (of the committee)... may affect the RFEF’s obligation to manage its affairs independently and without undue government interference,” they said.
FIFA suspended Zimbabwe and Kenya’s memberships over government interference in 2022, subsequently lifting the bans.
Former RFEF president Luis Rubiales resigned in disgrace last September after his forcible kiss on the lips of Women’s World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso and is now being investigated in a separate corruption probe.
The only candidate to replace Rubiales, Pedro Rocha, is also being investigated, while a report from the country’s leading sports court said the RFEF had taken decisions “beyond its remit.”
One such decision was the renewal of Spain coach Luis de la Fuente’s contract in February.
It was the sport court’s report that led to Thursday’s CSD decision to oversee the federation.
Elections for the RFEF presidency are currently scheduled for May 6.
The Secretary of State for Sport and CSD president, Jose Manuel Uribes, on Thursday urged the RFEF “to limit its functions to the mere ordinary administration of the entity, as required by law.”
The CSD will meet again next Tuesday to analyze the situation and make a ruling, if necessary, on the corruption case opened by the sports court against Rocha, who took over from Rubiales on an interim basis.
In a year when the RFEF will be responsible for Spain’s teams at the European Championship and the Olympic Games, the Spanish government is aiming “to restore the reputation, the good name and the image of Spanish football and complete the electoral process with a renewed assembly for the 2024-2028 period,” said Uribes in the CSD statement.
“We have to look after what we have in the future, the immediate future, which is the planning of the World Cup,” Uribes said in an appearance at Spain’s Congress of Deputies.
He pledged that the government will do everything to sort out the “unacceptable situation” at the RFEF.
Uribes also said he was “in constant communication with FIFA” regarding the RFEF.
“The CSD is going to guarantee that Spanish football maintains its excellence at the sporting level and also stands out as exemplary at the institutional level,” Uribes insisted on Thursday.
Steven Gerrard discusses football, family, future aspirations
- Young boss advises aspiring players to ‘dream big and work hard every single day’
- Former Liverpool legend holds Zinedine Zidane in high regard, labels him as his hero and ‘best midfielder in the world’
RIYADH: Roshn Saudi League side Al-Ettifaq’s manager Steven Gerrard has called on young players dreaming of a football career to “dream big, picture a dream and then work as hard as you can every day to improve.”
The ex-Liverpool legend, in an exclusive interview with the RSL, advised young footballers to “listen to the right people and every day be extremely motivated and dedicated to reach your dream.”
Gerrard, 43, shared his views on Thursday on various aspects of his life and career, giving his opinions on alternative careers, advice for young players, family life, and his views on leadership.
Opening up about other potential career paths outside football management, the former Liverpool captain said: “I’m very much into sport so I would have tried to have stayed in some sport in some capacity and tried to get a job related to football, or maybe related to a different sport. Growing up, all I wanted to do was watch sport on TV, do sport at school, so I’m very sport orientated.
“I think football is about dreams and memories and experiences, so my advice to (youngsters) is set a dream, set a target and then every single day maximize the opportunities to get better, to learn and to grow and to improve your skills, and reach for the stars.”
Gerrard also spoke about his family life, and said: “When I am not at work or at football, I am very much family orientated.
“I have three daughters and one son, so I am always taking them to different places; always playing football in the garden with my son or taking him to football.
“I am probably a taxi or an Uber driver a lot of the time, taking them to school and picking them up from school. I also help with doing homework and if I get a small bit of time to myself, I like to spend it with my friends.”
Having spent his life in football, Gerrard has had the perfect opportunity to see the top world stars firsthand, and he recalls his favorite three players with ease.
He said: “I would pick Zinedine Zidane (as top player) because he was my hero growing up. In my generation, he was the best midfielder in the world, so I’d pick Zidane and also the two others in my generation were Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. They would be the three I’d pick.”
And how would Gerrard himself like to be remembered? He said: “I want to be remembered as someone who gave everything in terms of 100 percent every single day.
“I was loyal, I was a fighter. I wanted to give all my energy and my efforts for the team that I represented and I was a team player, so I want to be remembered for those values.”
Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq currently sit in seventh place in the RSL and face Al-Raed in their next fixture on April 27.
Saudi Yoga Committee speaks to Arab representatives to discuss establishment of federation
- Committee president stresses importance of move
- Meeting aimed to support, increase participation
JEDDAH: The Saudi Yoga Committee has held a meeting to discuss the potential of a proposed Arab Yoga Federation.
The meeting, which was held via video conference on April 24, looked at the development of yoga among people across the Arab world and the need for an official Arab umbrella to be constituted at regional level to promote it in the correct way in all its forms, whether the traditional yoga for health and well-being or as a discipline to participate in future competitions and tournaments.
The meeting was attended by representatives of federations and committees from eight countries: hosts Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Algeria, Palestine, Mauritania, and Syria.
The President of the Kingdom’s Yoga Committee Nouf Al-Marwaai spoke of the importance of establishing an Arab federation to include all Arab countries.
The meeting looked at supporting the spread of yoga and increasing participation to create a supportive environment which strengthened the Arab presence on the international scene.
The Saudi Yoga Committee stressed its desire to lead the initiative following its progress in organization and governance.
Aramco, FIFA announce global partnership
- Company becomes major worldwide partner in energy category
- Deal includes sponsorship rights across events including FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027
RIYADH: Aramco on Thursday signed a four-year global partnership with football’s governing body, FIFA, becoming a major worldwide partner in the energy category.
One of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, Aramco will receive sponsorship rights for multiple events including the FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, according to the agreement, which runs until the end of 2027.
The deal also builds on a shared commitment to innovation and development, and will combine football’s global reach with Aramco’s history of championing innovation and community engagement.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that the body is “delighted” to welcome Aramco to its family of global partners.
“The partnership will assist FIFA to deliver its flagship tournaments over the next four years and, as is the case with all our commercial agreements, enabling us to provide enhanced support to our 211 FIFA member associations across the globe,” he added.
Aramco has a strong record of supporting world-class events, but also developing grassroots sports initiatives, according to Infantino, who added that FIFA looks forward to collaborating with Aramco on a variety of schemes over the coming years.
“Through this partnership with FIFA, we aim to contribute to football development and harness the power of sport to make an impact around the globe,” said Amin Nasser, Aramco’s president and CEO.
The partnership reflects Aramco’s ambition to enable vibrant communities and extends the company’s backing of sport as a platform for growth, he added.
Through the partnership, Aramco and FIFA will leverage the power of football to create impactful social initiatives around the world.
Aramco will also work with FIFA to drive innovation, identifying opportunities to deploy its expertise and technologies in the delivery of football events globally.
