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Some believe that age is finally catching up with Novak Djokovic , while some foresee that he is not going to retire without winning a few more Grand Slam titles. This year has been forgetful for the Serb so far so he is spending his energy on how he can lift the French Open, the main draw of which starts on May 26th.
Alex Corretja, a former tennis player who now sits behind the microphone for Eurosport and MAX, explained the reason behind Djokovic’s lackluster performances in the four tournaments he has played and why he chose to play at the Geneva Open, an ATP 250 event, before the Roland Garros.
Nole is too smart, and we know too much about him and his body and his tennis for us to have doubts about him. I think he has been saving himself throughout the season. He is aware that he is already old and that a hellish summer of tennis is coming, starting at Roland Garros, the Games, through Wimbledon, also the US Open Alex Corretja said during an interview with Relevo
Corretja added that the World No.1 gets into a rhythm by making it to the semifinals, final, or by lifting a title in an event. As the same has not happened much this year, he decided to sign up for Geneva to arrive in Paris well-prepared.
Alex Corretja recalled Novak Djokovic’s campaign in 2021
Alex Corretja pointed out how, even in 2021, Novak Djokovic decided to play the Belgrade 2 (an ATP 250 event), which he won and ended up winning back-to-back titles by becoming the French Open champion after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
He went to Belgrade just before Roland Garros, played in Belgrade, won Belgrade, and ended up winning Roland Garros. Alex Corretja said
The Serbian great last won a title in 2023 at the ATP Finals by beating Jannik Sinner. He kick-started his campaign this season at the Australian Open, then withdrew from some important events before playing in Indian Wells. After opting out of the Miami Open, he played in Monte Carlo and missed the next two clay-court events in Barcelona and Madrid before arriving in Rome.
In Rome as well, the Serb’s trophyless run continued when Alejandro Tabilo knocked him out easily in straight sets 6-2 6-3 in the third round. Djokovic will next play against Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann (who defeated Andy Murray) on May 22nd in the Round of 16. On the same day, Djokovic turns 37.
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Who isn't playing at Canadian Open including Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic
The Canadian Open 2025 is set to begin on Sunday with players from all over the world participating to showcase their talent and secure the ultimate prize. This year, however, the tournament will be without some of the biggest names in tennis. In the men’s singles category, the top two-ranked players, Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, will not take part in the event. Both recently played in the final of Wimbledon, where Sinner came out on top with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. It was his second Grand Slam title in 2025 and his fourth overall. After winning that title, Sinner announced that he would not participate in the competition to recover completely ahead of the US Open. “I’m really disappointed to be missing the National Bank Open in Toronto, especially as I have such fond memories of playing in Canada," he said in a report published by ATP's official website. "Winning that title in Toronto two years ago was the start of a really special moment for me, but after speaking with my team, I have to prioritise my health. I would like to thank Karl Hale, the Tournament Director, for everything he does and I’m looking forward to returning to Canada and Toronto in the future to play in front of the great fans.” Alcaraz, who had a great tournament in London but came short in the final of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career, shared some similar words while describing the reason behind not featuring in the competition and also revealed that he was suffering from ‘muscle issues’. “After many consecutive weeks of competition without rest, I will not be able to play in Toronto this year,” he wrote in a post on X. I have small muscle issues, and I need to recover physically and mentally.” Former world number one and 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic will also not participate in the tournament to recover from his Wimbledon semifinal run. It will be the sixth consecutive year that Djokovic will not feature in the tournament. Britain’s Jack Draper will miss the competition to recover from an arm injury. America’s Tommy Paul and Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov will also skip the competition to focus on recovering completely from the fitness issues ahead of the fourth and final Grand Slams of the year. In the absence of at least six players from the top 20 in the ATP ranking, Germany’s Alexander Zverev will start the competition as the top-seeded player. Big players to miss The women’s singles category will also miss a few of the big-name players. World number one Aryna Sabalenka, who lost in the Wimbledon semifinal to America’s Amanda Anisimova with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, announced soon after that she has decided to skip the competition to focus on preparing for the ‘North American hard-court swing’. “I’m looking forward to kicking off the North American hard-court swing,” she said. “But to give myself the best chance for success this season, I’ve decided it’s in my best interest to skip Montreal." World number 10 Spain’s Paula Badosa will not take part in the competition, as she continues her recovery after suffering a back injury earlier this year, which has kept her out of court for some time. She featured at Wimbledon but lost in the first round to Britain’s Katie Boulter. Three-time Grand Slam runner-up Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur will not feature in the competition as she has taken an indefinite break from the sport. Britain’s young tennis player Sonay Kartal has also withdrawn from the tournament. Last year, in the men’s singles category, it was Australia’s Alexei Popyrin who lifted the title after beating Russia’s Andrey Rublev in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-4. On the other hand, in the women’s singles category, it was America’s Jessica Pegula who won the competition after beating fellow countrywoman Anisimova in the final with a score of 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.
Steelers reporter shares big claim about how Aaron Rodgers has looked in training camp
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers spent the bulk of the spring as an unsigned free agent and, thus, only began officially practicing with Pittsburgh Steelers teammates during the team's three-day mandatory minicamp in June. During a Monday appearance on Pittsburgh radio station 102.5 WDVE, Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette addressed how Rodgers looked during his first few training camp practices with the club. "His release is just astonishing to watch," Dulac said about Rodgers, as shared by Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. "Everybody knows about it, and when you see it in person, you see it every day in practice, you just marvel at it. To me, he's the greatest thrower of the football I have ever seen, even at 41 (years old). That flick of that wrist and that ball comes out, it's moving and it is something to see." Rodgers was with the New York Jets when he suffered a torn Achilles four offensive snaps into the 2023 regular-season opener. He was then slowed by a nagging hip issue, injuries to both his knees, a low ankle sprain and a serious hamstring problem as the 2024 Jets went 5-12. According to Pro Football Reference, Rodgers finished last season ranked 28th in the NFL among qualified players with a 48.0 adjusted QBR and 26th with a 43.9 percent passing success rate. That said, he was also eighth with 3,897 passing yards and tied for seventh with 28 passing touchdowns. Rodgers and Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson endured some struggles during training camp sessions last summer before the two allegedly "never saw eye-to-eye" during the season. It sounds like Pittsburgh fans should be encouraged by how Rodgers performed in recent practices. "That guy can get rid of the ball as quick as anybody," Dulac added. "He made three throws in seven-on-seven (drills) the other day that the cumulative total I bet couldn't have exceeded 2.1 seconds. And two of those were for touchdowns." Rodgers wants to finish his career "the right way" and help the Steelers notch at least their first playoff win since January 2017. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Pittsburgh at -150 betting odds to miss the playoffs for the upcoming season.
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Thorbjorn Olesen, Cristobal Del Solar tied for Canadian Open lead
Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen and PGA Tour rookie Cristobal Del Solar of Chile each posted a 9-under-par 61 to share the first-round lead at the RBC Canadian Open on Thursday in Caledon, Ontario. Olesen and Del Solar took full advantage of TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in the venue's PGA Tour debut. They own a one-shot lead over Cameron Champ; Jake Knapp is alone in fourth at 7-under 63. Shane Lowry of Ireland went out in 5-under 30 on his way to a round of 64. He is tied for fifth with Rasmus Hojgaard of Denmark and Trey Mullinax. The low Canadian for the day was Taylor Pendrith (65), who set the clubhouse lead in the morning wave before several players passed him by. Defending champion Robert MacIntyre of Scotland is among the several golfers knotted with him in eighth place at 5 under. Del Solar birdied 10 of his first 16 holes to pass Olesen for the outright lead and threaten a score of 59. However, he failed to get up and down from the bunker at the par-4 17th hole and took his only bogey of the day. He missed a 15-foot putt for birdie for the outright lead at No. 18. Del Solar's claim to fame is a round of 57 he shot on the Korn Ferry Tour in February 2024. It was the lowest round ever recorded in a PGA Tour-sanctioned tournament. Olesen, meanwhile, has eight wins on the DP World Tour but is seeking his first title in the United States. Two-time Canadian champion Rory McIlroy is in danger of missing the cut after shooting a 1-over 71, which he ended with consecutive bogeys at Nos. 8 and 9. The Northern Irishman is playing for the first time since a T47 finish at the PGA Championship.
Unlikely Tigers OF has historic game as team's offensive outburst continues
The Detroit Tigers have been unstoppable at the plate lately, and Tuesday night was no different. The Tigers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 12-2, giving them 27 runs in the last three games. A big contributor to their offense on Tuesday was outfielder Wenceel Perez, who joined Sam Crawford (1912), Ossie Vitt (1915) and Ty Cobb (1924, 1916, 1915) as the only four players in franchise history to have a single, double, triple and two stolen bases in the same game. Perez began his historic night with a double off Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt in the second inning before adding a single in the fourth. A monster fifth inning put the Tigers ahead 8-2 after an early 2-0 deficit, which set the stage for a three-run sixth inning that included this triple from Perez off Arizona's Jake Woodford to give Detroit a 10-2 lead. Perez scored two more runs, one in the sixth and the other in eighth, to give the Tigers their final two runs in a 12-run outburst. Overall, Perez had three hits in five at-bats, scored four runs and added one RBI to go with his historic statline. Given his performance over the past month, it was surprising to see Perez show out against Arizona. After all, he did not have a single hit the last two games, and he only recorded more than one hit once in 20 games the entire month coming into Tuesday. The Tigers were once the hottest team in baseball when they held a 59-34 record on July 8. Since then, they suffered a slump that includes a six-game losing streak. Suddenly, Detroit has won its last three and scored 10 or more runs in two of those victories. As good as the offense has been, the pitching has been solid as well with the Tigers outscoring their opponents 27-7 during the three-game stretch. Yes, the last two wins have come against a struggling Diamondbacks team that sits fourth in the NL West with a 51-57 record. Still, they have taken care of business and won handily. The next step is getting healthy and having someone to pair with ace Tarik Skubal in the rotation. Right-hander Chris Paddack was added to the 26-man roster and is set to start Wednesday, while free agent signing Alex Cobb is beginning his rehab assignment. The Tigers will go for the sweep of the Diamondbacks on Wednesday before traveling to Philadelphia for a weekend series against the Phillies. It will be difficult to top Perez's historic outing from Tuesday, but if momentum is any indication, the Tigers may only be getting started, especially if the pitching depth is there.
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