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Marketa Vondrousova has withdrawn from the Olympics due to an arm injury. She was the runner-up at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won the Silver Medal. Vondrousova was the 12th seed at the Olympics this year and would have fancied her chances to go deep after a good European clay season, making the quarterfinals of the French Open and semifinals in Stuttgart. She was also due to play the doubles with Karolina Muchova. Katerina Siniakova will replace Vondrousova in Singles and Linda Noskova will replace her in doubles for team Czechia.
It Has Been A Tough Year For Vondrousova
Vondrousova suffered a nasty-looking fall a week before Wimbledon, in Berlin, and had to retire against Anna Kalinskaya. She got bounced in the first round at Wimbledon as a defending champion and has now suffered another injury. She’s had a history of surgeries and injuries and was almost out for the entirety of 2022 before coming back last year. She lost her grandfather a few months ago who she seemed extremely close to, and just went through a divorce this year. Divorces are tough, especially since they have been a pair since they were teenagers.
One of the hardest things to do for a player is to transition from an underdog to a favorite. When you become a Grand Slam champion, especially when people haven’t been expecting it from you, the pressure is unreal to prove that you aren’t just a one Slam wonder. Stress and criticism can have a substantial and long-term impact on these players. These pressures alongside the injuries and losses at a personal level have derailed Vondrousova’s career.
Marketa Vondrousova is a player capable of great tennis that can stun the hardest of hitters with her craftiness. She won Wimbledon last year as an underdog on her least favourite surface and made the final of the French Open as a teenager. No one can take away these achievements from her. Hopefully, she can do a reset of her life, recover from injuries, and start enjoying her tennis again.
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Lakers Trade Pitch Brings Back Beloved Former 3-&-D Wing
The Lakers came out of the very eventful 2024-25 NBA season with a bit of a mixed bag, as the team reset its future with the trade for Luka Doncic and, at the same time, was left bitterly disappointed with the five-game elimination at the hands of the Timberwolves in the Western Conference playoffs' opening round. They've tried to retool the roster with low-risk gambles on point guard Marcus Smart, center Deandre Ayton and wing Jake LaRavia, but fans who hoped for a star-caliber swing on the trade market have been disappointed. Ah, but there is time. And the estimable Jacob Rude of the SB Nation site, "Silver Screen and Roll," sees some potential deals that could yet bolster the Lakers. One is particularly interesting: Bringing back top 3-and-D wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who is now with his fourth team (Memphis) since the Lakers traded him in the disastrous Russell Westbrook deal four years ago. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Trade Would Be Welcome Rude proposes trading away Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber to bring back KCP to the Lakers, a sentimental move, given that he never should have been forced to leave in the first place. Caldwell-Pope was a big factor in the Lakers winning the 2020 NBA "Bubble" championship during the Covid-19 pandemic. He writes: "Lakers fans have seen how well KCP plays next to stars firsthand. Even if his game has dropped off, he’s still a 3 D wing and you can never have too many of those. It’s a far more useful way for the Lakers to spend their money than on Vincent and Kleber. "With KCP having a player option for next season, the Lakers could save the Grizzlies some long-term money by sending them two expiring contracts. Gabe Vincent is a lot more expendable with the arrival of Marcus Smart while Maxi Kleber is the third center on the roster." Lakers Likely Done Trading (For Now) Still, the feeling around the Lakers is that the team is pretty much set as it is, and that no major trades are forthcoming until the season gets rolling. The Lakers have had opportunities to include the likes of Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt in trade packages already, but have declined to do so. 'They have not been attacking the trade market by any stretch of the imagination," one Western Conference executive said. "Most teams now are in a sort-of wait-and-see mode, and I would include the Lakers in that. They want to give it some time before they make a trade." Vincent averaged only 6.4 points per game last season, but the Lakers like him as a reliable veteran off the bench, with just one year at $11.5 million remaining on his contract. With the addition of Marcus Smart, though, Vincent could be more expendable as the year goes on. Vanderbilt has shown flashes, but he has not been able to stay on the floor--he has played only 91 games in two-plus seasons with the Lakers.
Leafs’ Proposed Blockbuster Trade Could Jeopardize Future
A recent trade pitch suggesting the Toronto Maple Leafs acquire Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell from the Pittsburgh Penguins is undeniably a bold and wild idea. With that in mind, it’s not the kind of trade that makes a ton of sense for Toronto, even if both players are legitimate goal scorers — especially considering what Toronto would have to give up to acquire both players. The likelihood that the Maple Leafs are seeking a trade for both wingers is low to begin with. That they’d be willing to part with a new trade acquisition, one of their more steady defensemen, a high-ceiling winger, and the team’s top prospect is an even more fascinating suggestion. Toronto Isn’t About To Abandon Their Game Plan The suggested trade was as follows: Maple Leafs Acquire: Bryan Rust ($5,125,000) Rickard Rakell ($5,000,000) Penguins Acquire: Nick Robertson ($1,825,000) Jake McCabe ($4,491,898) Matias Maccelli ($3,425,000) Easton Cowan ($873,500) While Rust and Rakell bring impressive goal-scoring credentials — combining for 66 goals last season — the Leafs have just added Matias Maccelli, a promising winger signed to what they hope is a value contract this offseason. On top of that, they’ve invested heavily in Jake McCabe on defense and have Easton Cowan, arguably their best prospect, waiting in the wings. Nick Robertson may be on the move, so his inclusion makes sense, but there’s been no suggestion, whatsoever, that the Leafs are open to moving any of the other three. No doubt, you have to give to get. That said, trading away these useful, cost-controlled assets for veterans like Rust and Rakell seems like a shortsighted mistake. Maccelli’s acquisition signals the Leafs are looking to build with youth, speed, and skill, while McCabe provides a steady defensive presence — something the Maple Leafs desperately need to maintain. Easton Cowan, meanwhile, presents arguably the best future replacement for the offensive output lost with Mitch Marner’s departure. Is There A World In Which Toronto Would Consider This Blockbuster Trade? Never say never. There is no doubt this would be a big swing by Toronto. And, it would add goal scoring in a significant way. That said, given the current roster construction, why would Toronto create obvious holes on their blue line, in the system, and move a player they believe could be a key offensive contributor in Maccelli? This would be GM Brad Treliving mortgaging everything on two Penguins players, who reportedly don’t want to go anywhere — one of whom has an eight-team no-trade clause. This trade screams 2025-25 Cup run, and an attempt to outscore other problems in the present day. Ultimately, this proposed trade serves as an interesting talking point, but it doesn’t quite pass the smell test for a Leafs team focused on a blend of youth and experience heading into the new season.
Micah Parsons makes bold prediction about one incoming rookie
One incoming NFL rookie has already gotten the biggest stamp of approval from superstar linebacker Micah Parsons. New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter only played six snaps Saturday during his team’s preseason opener against the Buffalo Bills. But he sure made them count. Carter generated three quarterback pressures on his three pass rushes. He also held his own against four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Dion Dawkins in a couple of one-on-one matchups. The clip above caught the eye of Parsons. The Dallas Cowboys star predicted that Carter could surpass every other pass rusher in the NFL if he reaches his potential. “They asked me if Abdul could be a [sic] another great ! I told them he could be the best one!” Parsons wrote on X. Parsons may be considered biased, given that the Penn State alum shares an alma mater with Carter. However, many NFL scouts and front offices agree that Carter has that superstar gene similar to Parsons. The Giants picked Carter with the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after a standout final season at Penn State. The former Nittany Lion tallied 12.0 sacks and 24 tackles for a loss over 16 games as a junior. Carter got into some controversy in April after he requested to use Lawrence Taylor’s retired No. 56 as his jersey number. Taylor refused and instead challenged Carter to make his own number famous. After later asking for another Giants legend’s number, Carter finally settled on a different set of digits.
Kevin Durant Takes Subtle Shot At Stephen Curry; Reveals Why Warriors Fans Hate Him: 'They Will Never Recover'
Kevin Durant typically has no filter when interacting with fans online. But this time, while answering fan questions on X, Durant inadvertently ended up taking a shot at Stephen Curry. When a fan asked him why he thinks Warriors fans hate him, he seemingly pointed at Curry's fans. "Them finals MVPs, they will never recover," said Durant in response. One of the biggest debates for Stephen Curry's legacy had been that until 2022, he hadn't won a Finals MVP award despite winning three NBA championships before that. In 2015, Andre Iguodala received the Finals MVP award instead of Curry, and in 2017 and 2018, Kevin Durant was awarded the Finals MVP, and not Curry. Therefore, Durant seems to believe that since he won two Finals MVPs over Curry, loyal Warriors fans who love Curry started criticizing Durant. This planted the seed that developed into Warriors fans disliking Durant, despite him winning two titles with them. Let's take a look at Durant and Curry's performance in 2017 and 2018 to see if Durant was really better than Curry in those two seasons' Finals runs against the Cavaliers. In the 2017 NBA Finals, Durant averaged 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in five games played. He shot 55.6% from the floor and 47.4% from beyond the three-point line. In the same year, Curry averaged 26.8 points, 9.4 assists, and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 44% from the field and 38.8% from beyond the arc. In the 2018 NBA Finals, Durant averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists as the Warriors swept the Cavaliers. He shot 52.6% from the field and 40.9% from beyond the three-point arc. Meanwhile, Curry averaged 27.5 points, 6.8 assists, and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 40.2% from the field and 41.5% from beyond the three-point line. In both seasons, it is evidently clear that Durant contributed a lot more than Curry in almost every aspect and hence was justified in being awarded the two Finals MVP awards. However, since Curry ended up not winning the Finals MVP award in four consecutive visits to the NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018, his fans unfairly blamed Kevin Durant for stealing the award from him. Curry and Durant have a lot of mutual respect, but his fans evidently drove Durant out of the Warriors. According to NBA Insider Marc Spears, the Warriors fans regularly gave Curry MVP chants, and that did not sit right with Durant until very late with the Warriors. Spears hinted that these chants made Durant feel like Warriors fans did not fully embrace him. If Warriors fans did not criticize Durant as much as they did, maybe Durant could have made a return to the Warriors now instead of joining the Rockets? The world of possibilities and "what-ifs" here is endless.
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