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Novak Djokovic took his revenge on Matteo Arnaldi on his 38th birthday. A lot of things happened during the match. Even though the scoreline read 6-4, 6-4, Djokovic struggled a bit to clinch the victory.
After winning the first set when he was 1-2 in the second in the quarterfinals, a backhand shot went outside, after which Djokovic started to smash his racket. The Italian ace then took a 4-1 lead in the second set but Djokovic, who also seemed to have hurt his knee, clinched five consecutive games, ending the game in an hour and 40 minutes and reaching the second consecutive semifinals in the ATP 250 tournament in the Swiss city.
Yeah, I was 4-1 down in the second and somehow, I don’t know, after that racket breaking (smiling), I didn’t lose the game and kind of found my, I guess, optimal state and balance mentally and emotionally to really be able to play the best tennis when it was most needed.
Novak Djokovic said during his on-court interview
It was Arnaldi who was the reason behind his exit in Madrid last month (his second consecutive defeat on clay as he also lost the Monte Carlo Masters opening round to Alejandro Tabilo). Djokovic has now leveled his head-to-head record over Arnaldi to 1-1.
Djokovic has now broken atleast 1 racquet in each of his 38 years of life.
— ESTABLISHMENT ELITIST (@F4KERENTHUSIAST) May 22, 2025
He can now make peace with the fact that he is atleast the greatest racquet breaker of all time.pic.twitter.com/1Mh9ObnrMp
His next opponent is Britain’s Cameron Norrie, who has not yet clinched a win in his four clashes with the 24-time Grand Slam champion. Before setting up the match against Djokovic, Norrie knocked out fifth seed Alexei Popyrin in the quarterfinal and Tomas Machac in the fourth round. It was Machac who had ended Nole’s campaign in the semifinals of last year’s Geneva Open.
Djokovic is now two games shy of capturing his 100th ATP title, which has eluded him since the 2024 Paris Olympics. Since that victory in the final over World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz, the Serbian great advanced to just two finals, in Shanghai last year and Miami this year, losing both, to World No.1 Jannik Sinner and Jakub Mensik. If he wins the title, he will become the third man after Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) to claim 100 or more singles titles.
Alex Corretja says Novak Djokovic needs to find his motivation or else nothing can help him
Novak Djokovic hired his longtime rival Andy Murray last year, but the partnership did not last for more than six months. When the recently concluded Italian Open was underway, he announced that he will be entering the Roland Garros without Murray by his side.
Former ATP player Alex Corretja thinks what Djokovic needs at this stage of his career is motivation and no one, including other greats of the game, could give him if they join his team as his coach. Corretja told TNT Sports:
It’s not a matter of Andy Murray or bringing in Andre Agassi or Pete Sampras or Rafa Nadal or Roger Federer. It’s about Novak Djokovic’s feelings. That’s why I think he needs to keep on going, searching inside again, and see what he feels he can still achieve.
Corretja also thinks that in this season, Djokovic has to win a big title to find his motivation and continue playing. The French Open draw is out and Djokovic and Jannik Sinner are in the same half, meaning they are projected to meet in the semifinal. Djokovic has reached just one final since winning his historic 24th Major at the 2023 US Open.
That lone final was at the 2024 Wimbledon, which he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets. At the French Open last year, the 38-year-old was forced to withdraw from the quarterfinals due to an injury.
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TODAY'S BEST
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.
3 Steelers Rookies Who Impressed During The Exciting Preseason Opener Vs Jaguars
The Pittsburgh Steelers opened their 2025 preseason with a nail-biting win against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night. Rookie undrafted free agent Daryl Porter made the game-winning tackle inbounds in the final seconds, keeping the clock running and securing the 31-25 win. Porter was one of many rookies to make their debut on Saturday, in a game where 16 starters sat out both due to injury and veteran rest. Some, like defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, are expected to start right away, while others are fighting for a roster spot -- with many making a convincing case. One of these players was wide receiver Ke'Shawn Williams, who is on the outside looking in at a 53-man roster spot currently. While the receiver room in Pittsburgh is crowded, and the Steelers are unlikely to keep more than six wideouts, there have been questions about whether a young guy could steal the final spot from a veteran like Robert Woods. The speedy 5'9" receiver from Indiana made quite a case on Saturday, hauling in 2 catches for 55 yards and the game-winning TD from quarterback Skylar Thompson. If Williams wants to stick around and at least compete for a practice squad spot, it's important that he's able to prove that he's more than just a speedster, and grabbing jump balls from the hands of a defender is a good start. Williams wasn't the only offensive weapon who impressed. Rookie running back Max Hurleman also made his case for a roster spot on Saturday night. Thompson's connection with Hurleman shined in the two-minute drill to end the half, connecting on a pair of consecutive passes, one being a touchdown. While Hurleman's official position might be listed as running back, the Steelers view him as more than that. Hurleman has lined up out wide, as well as in the backfield, making him much more of a Swiss Army knife than a traditional runner. If he wants to stick around, Hurleman's versatility will be why he does so, and he will have to hope that he can usurp someone like Connor Heyward, who is a similar weapon in the passing game. Steelers' 2025 First-Round Pick Gets His First Start While guys like Hurleman and Williams fight for a roster spot, the rookie Harmon has his locked up. In fact, the Steelers have the utmost faith in the rookie, with Defensive Line Coach Karl Dunbar stating that he will be starting Week 1. "You can write that," Dunbar said earlier this summer. "He’s our starting left defensive end." Starting rookies immediately is not something that Pittsburgh typically does, and it shows that they see enough in Harmon to put him in right away. While the box score didn't pop for him on Saturday night, there was still plenty to like. Harmon was able to get in the backfield on multiple plays and create pressure -- something the Steelers have been looking for after moving on from Larry Ogunjobi earlier in the offseason. Harmon is going to add a vital piece to both the pass and run defense for Pittsburgh in 2025. The team is hoping to bounce back after a disappointing playoff performance in January that led to Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry rushing for nearly 200 yards and 2 touchdowns. Coming out of Oregon, Harmon was lauded for his ability to both stop the run and create pressure on quarterbacks, leading the FBS with 55 total pressures. Whether it be their first-round pick, or guys fighting on the bubble, there's no doubt that the rookies were a highlight of the team's preseason performance on Saturday. Whether they can stick around will be decided when the roster cutdown deadline passes on August 27th. Until then, they will be looking toward their next opportunity, when the Steelers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on August 16th at 7 PM ET. Which rookie's performance were you most impressed by?
Yankees legend suffers major injury at team's Old-Timers' game
The New York Yankees brought back their Old-Timers' game for the first time since 2019, and it did not go well for one of the team's greatest all-time players. Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera suffered a torn Achilles while trying to chase down a fly ball. Rivera hit one time in the game and delivered a single off of former teammate Andy Pettite before injuring himself in the field. Rivera's agent said surgery will take place this week (via the Associated Press). It is not the first time Rivera has suffered a major injury while playing in the outfield. He tore his ACL during the 2012 season while shagging fly balls during batting practice and missed the remainder of that season. Rivera is one of the most decorated relief pitchers — and Yankees — in league history, finishing his career as Major League Baseball's all-time saves leader (652) while also having the honor of being the only unanimous Hall of Fame selection. He was also a part of five World Series-winning teams with the Yankees, including their back-to-back-to-back championship teams in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Saturday's Old-Timers' game celebrated the 25th anniversary of the 2000 team. While several teams have days to honor former players, and while some have the occasional game involving former players, the Yankees are the only team that routinely holds an actual game. It is typically one of the highlights of the regular season. Before the game, Rivera said he had planned to speak to the Yankees' current closer, Devin Williams, given his recent struggles coming out of the team's bullpen.
Rams-Cowboys Preseason Game 1: Breakdown and Takeaways
Preseason NFL football is finally underway, but no other teams rolled out their debuts in such grandiose fashion as the St. Louis Rams and the Dallas Cowboys at SoFi Stadium. Starters or not, the fans were just happy to see their guys take the field again. But the more committed onlookers were undoubtedly taking mental notes on their newly acquired players. Quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Dak Prescott didn’t take the field at all, as expected. Stafford is still recovering from back soreness. But even if there were no soreness, he wouldn’t have started the first preseason game. From a management standpoint these first games are primarily for seeing what they’ve got in their young players and whittling down the roster. Backups Galore There was crafty and stellar quarterback play by second-stringer Stetson Bennett. A fourth-round selection in 2023, Bennett was the only quarterback to have been selected by the Rams since Jared Goff. He was drafted 128th overall. Bennett threw for two touchdowns and had the best game of his young NFL career to date. His QB rating was 108.75 and he threw two TDs and had a pick. The Cowboys tried out their new guy too, Joe Milton III. He’s the QB they received in a trade with the Patriots. Milton came out swinging. He may have missed a lot but at least he was swinging, or slinging, as it were. His rating was only 71.82 and it took him a while to settle in. Brian Schottenheimer suggested they’d run a vanilla offense—and it was. Milton threw for a TD and an interception before leaving in the fourth quarter with an elbow bruise. Regardless, Jerry Jones was elated. In fact, he’s so happy about acquiring Milton he’s been pinching himself. Running back Blake Corum was the star of the show in the early goings. He was last year’s third-round draft pick for the Rams. Corum became opportunistic and mashed his way through the Cowboys’ defenders. He was trending on social media in the process. Corum twice found his way into the endzone with two touchdowns on the first two drives. Rookie Power During a broadcast interview with Sean McVay, Josaiah Stewart outmaneuvered Cowboys’ tackle Hakeem Adeniji, logging the Rams only sack. Stewart was a third-round selection in this year’s draft. He was supposed to fill a gaping hole on the edge. The rookie did enough to impress the coach with the sack. McVay certainly noticed him, stating the rookie made his presence felt. Cowboys’ rookie undrafted free agent Rivaldo Fairweather was the team’s receptions leader. He roped in three catches, one of them being Milton’s first touchdown pass as a Cowboy. It was a seven-yard completion for the TD. Rams’ undrafted free agent safety Nate Valcarce also made his presence felt. He led the team in total tackles with nine. He even had a pass defended. That alone is an impressive feat for a rookie defensive back playing in his first game. The two teams shared a practice in the week leading up to the game. Perhaps it’s the beginning of a new tradition as the Cowboys and Rams have met up in L.A. for the preseason debut now two seasons in a row. Due to the proximity of Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, it’s also convenient. Both games so far have been won by the Rams.
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