Andy Murray’s Stubbornness to Succeed is Crucial to His Recovery from Surgery

 Andy Murray says that if he can get himself to ‘95% of my best, I believe that’s enough to compete at the highest level. No question.’ Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Andy Murray says that if he can get himself to ‘95% of my best, I believe that’s enough to compete at the highest level. No question.’ Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
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Andy Murray’s Stubbornness to Succeed is Crucial to His Recovery from Surgery

 Andy Murray says that if he can get himself to ‘95% of my best, I believe that’s enough to compete at the highest level. No question.’ Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Andy Murray says that if he can get himself to ‘95% of my best, I believe that’s enough to compete at the highest level. No question.’ Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Andy Murray’s decision to go under the knife in a Melbourne hospital on Monday morning – defying a swathe of expert and amateur opinion – looks like it has mended not only his right hip but revitalised the stubborn streak that has made the Scot such a remarkable player. It would seem he is not done yet, not by a long way.

There should be no doubt, though: Murray may have put his faith in one of the world’s best hip surgeons (a friend he has known for nine years, it emerged) but this was a calculated gamble. Plenty of players have tried hip surgery and discovered their playing days were pretty much done.

There are no guarantees but Dr John O’Donnell looks to have delivered Murray the result he will treasure alongside winning any of his three grand slams, two Olympic gold medals and reaching the pinnacle of his sport, when he ground his peers into submission in an astonishing run of 24 unbeaten matches in 2016 to unseat Novak Djokovic as the world No1. Murray paid the price for that surge of manic passion when his body collapsed six months ago.

Since then he has endured not only the misery of tedious rehab – his preferred option – but other false dawns and setbacks, first at the US Open, when he withdrew two days before the tournament, minor groin surgery on 18 December and further drama last week in Brisbane when he cancelled his scheduled comeback.

Now, though, he can smile a little. Dr O’Donnell was, Murray says, “very happy about how it went”. While “it” remains a vague entity, Murray, mercurial as ever, described the problem and the cure in the most general terms. What we do know is there was immense and constant pain.

For the first time he elaborated on the suffering on the day he lost to Sam Querrey in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon but the causes he chose to keep to himself.

“At Wimbledon, everything was hurting. I had never been in pain like that before. The thing that was stopping me from playing – and the reason I decided to have the surgery – was I was struggling to do extensions. Any time I had to sprint, with my right leg behind me, or like when I was walking, I was in pain. I could move about 80% [efficiently] but that last 10, 15 or 20%, when I would have to sprint or move extremely fast or very explosively, I wasn’t able to do it. It wasn’t that my leg couldn’t get into those positions. I was stopping myself extending my leg because of the pain.”

Murray worried about surgery; he had come through a back operation in late 2013 and was not keen to go through the process again but he put his total trust in O’Donnell at St Vincent’s hospital.

“It depends on what they see when they go in there,” Murray said of the risk factor. “When you look at my hip on an MRI scan just now, it doesn’t look very good. Most tennis players’ hips, if you scanned them, wouldn’t look particularly good. If he said: ‘Right, I’m going to literally do everything to have your hip look clear on an MRI scan’, the potential is that the time out [would be] long – and also there is a good chance you don’t recover to a level to play tennis.

“When we discussed it with him, it was, look, let’s try to do as little as possible with the highest chance of success but with the knowledge that, when he goes there if there’s things he sees that need to be done, he repairs and sorts them. That is what he did.”

Murray described the fraught final moments in a Brisbane hotel, where he sat alone for 10 hours, mulling over his future. “The decision was made on Wednesday, late afternoon or evening. But, on the Tuesday night when I withdrew from the tournament, I had pretty much made my mind up. I met with John on the Wednesday. He’s one of the best in the world and he’s known me since I was 20, 21 years old, I’ve seen him lots of times over the years and felt like he was the right person to do it.

“In terms of how I recover from it, I don’t need to say: ‘Yeah, I’m going to get back to being the best in the world, or try to compete for the biggest tournaments.’ A lot of it is down to your determination and your work ethic and how well you rehab, how much you listen and do all the correct things.

“We have to wait and see how all of that goes and how I recover. When I start playing again I won’t have played a match for 10 or 11 months. But it’s not like I’ve had surgery after Wimbledon and haven’t hit a ball until now. I was practising daily pretty much through to the US Open and then after having three weeks off post-US Open I’ve been hitting balls for the last three or four months. Hopefully I’ll be hitting balls on the court after seven or eight weeks.

“It’s not like I’m going to not hit a tennis ball for eight months and then practise for two months and then start playing again. I’ve been fairly competitive with top 50 players in the world in Brisbane, when I’ve been struggling to move, and I made the quarter-finals at Wimbledon when I literally couldn’t walk. So, if I can get myself to 95% of my best, I believe that’s enough to compete at the highest level. No question.”

Murray admitted he has thought about hip surgery after he stops playing. “From speaking to a lot of people who have had [hip replacements], they are extremely successful and that’s always an option when you are older.

“When I’ve been doing nothing for the last five or six days, then I can cope. My hip is not massively sore; I just have to walk with a bit of a limp. But the reason for having it done was to allow me to get back competing and play tennis. That’s what I want to keep doing and I’m not finished playing tennis yet.

“I had spoken to my wife about surgery. One of the things I would like to do is play until my eldest daughter is able to watch me and have a small understanding of what it is I’ve done for my living. That’s one of the things that’s motivated me to keep playing.

“The rest of my body feels fantastic. I feel really good physically, apart from this one issue. The surgery allows me to extend my hip well and I’ll be able to sprint. I think I’m going to be back on the court competing at the highest level again.”

Others were not sure. Murray was never in doubt.

The Guardian Sport



Alcaraz, Djokovic ‘Not Otherworldly’ in French Open Wins Over Foes Making Slam Debuts

Serbia's Novak Djokovic plays a backhand return to US Aleksandar Kovacevic during their men's singles match on day two of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris on May 29, 2023. (AFP)
Serbia's Novak Djokovic plays a backhand return to US Aleksandar Kovacevic during their men's singles match on day two of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris on May 29, 2023. (AFP)
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Alcaraz, Djokovic ‘Not Otherworldly’ in French Open Wins Over Foes Making Slam Debuts

Serbia's Novak Djokovic plays a backhand return to US Aleksandar Kovacevic during their men's singles match on day two of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris on May 29, 2023. (AFP)
Serbia's Novak Djokovic plays a backhand return to US Aleksandar Kovacevic during their men's singles match on day two of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris on May 29, 2023. (AFP)

You might assume that the opponents for Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic in the French Open’s first round would come away from their straight-set losses Monday feeling too overwhelmed by the play of the two tournament favorites.

You would be wrong.

Forget the scores and the point-by-point particulars on a windy day at Roland Garros for a moment. Of course, it turned out that No. 1-seeded Alcaraz, the reigning US Open champion, beat 159th-ranked qualifier Flavio Cobolli, a 21-year-old from Florence, Italy. And of course, it turned out that No. 3 Djokovic, a 22-time major winner, got past 114th-ranked Aleksandar Kovacevic, a 24-year-old who grew up in New York City and is now based in Florida.

And naturally, both Cobolli and Kovacevic acknowledged feeling a bit jittery at the outset of what were their Grand Slam debuts in huge arenas against a couple of elite players.

“I started in a bit of a daze,” Cobolli said after his 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 loss, “because of the emotions.”

“A couple of times there, I did look up and take it all in. I made sure of that, because this is the kind of experience I’ll definitely hold onto forever,” Kovacevic said after his 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (1) loss. “It’s not the best thing in the world to get lost in the crowd. You start to really look at everyone that’s there — and that’s when the nerves hit.”

But what both of them wanted to make clear afterward was that, yes, Alcaraz and Djokovic are exceptionally talented, but, no, it did not seem to be impossible to find openings to exploit.

“It’s definitely intimidating. Watching him on TV growing up, it’s hard not to look past that and knowing what he’s accomplished. But from a tennis standpoint, it’s not otherworldly,” said Kovacevic, who was 7 when he first met Djokovic and later practiced with him during the 2021 US Open after playing college tennis at the University of Illinois.

“The things he does well, he does unbelievably well, but the ball that he hits — it’s not blowing me completely off the court, which was honestly somewhat surprising.”

Other seeded men advancing on Day 2 in Paris included No. 8 Jannik Sinner, No. 12 Frances Tiafoe, No. 14 Cam Norrie and No. 15 Borna Coric. Among the seeded women moving into the second round: No. 5 Caroline Garcia, No. 14 Beatriz Haddad Maia, No. 20 Madison Keys and No. 22 Donna Vekic.

Seeds on the way out included No. 10 Petra Kvitova, No. 12 Belinda Bencic and No. 16 Karolina Pliskova in the women’s bracket, along with No. 10 Felix Auger-Aliassime and No. 25 Botic Van de Zandschulp in the men’s.

With 14-time champion Rafael Nadal sidelined by a hip injury, Alcaraz and Djokovic are considered the favorites for the men’s title and could meet in the semifinals. If Djokovic wins the trophy, he would earn his 23rd at a Slam and break the tie for the men’s record he and Nadal currently share.

Cobolli’s first career match on the lower-level ATP Challenger Tour was a loss in qualifying against Alcaraz in Italy in August 2000. Cobolli chuckled Monday while recalling that encounter and pointing out that, while both have grown as players since then, “He’s grown more.”

“It’s impressive how he handles himself on important points. That’s one of his best qualities. His ball speed is faster than most players in this tournament. It’s so difficult to get him in trouble,” Cobolli said. “But like all of us human beings, he does have his weaker aspects.”

Which, perhaps, was why both of these contests were lopsided at the beginning — “At the start of the match,” Alcaraz said, “I felt invincible — and included a bit of intrigue down the stretch.”

Alcaraz held three match points to close things at 5-3 in the third set but couldn’t convert, then found himself at 5-all minutes later. Djokovic served to end his match at 5-4 in the third but got broken there to also sit at 5-all.

“Made me work for my victory,” Djokovic said.

In both instances, to the surprise of no one, the higher-rated player steadied himself and sealed the deal.

Before coming to Paris, the last tournament entered by both Cobolli and Kovacevic was an ATP Challenger Tour event in Turin. Cobolli made the case that the talent there was not all that different from what his first foray in a Grand Slam bracket presented.

“I don’t think there’s a ton of distance between us and them. They have something extra, so in the end, they do take home the win,” he said. “But we can play with them.”


Maguire Has Decision to Make About Man United Future, Says Ten Hag 

Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Fulham - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - May 28, 2023, Manchester United's Harry Maguire during the lap of appreciation after the match. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Fulham - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - May 28, 2023, Manchester United's Harry Maguire during the lap of appreciation after the match. (Reuters)
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Maguire Has Decision to Make About Man United Future, Says Ten Hag 

Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Fulham - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - May 28, 2023, Manchester United's Harry Maguire during the lap of appreciation after the match. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Fulham - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - May 28, 2023, Manchester United's Harry Maguire during the lap of appreciation after the match. (Reuters)

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said he is happy to have Harry Maguire in the squad, but the center back will have to make a decision about his future after losing his spot in the side.

The England international has fallen down the pecking order behind Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof, with even left back Luke Shaw having played in central defense, leaving Maguire with eight starts in the league this season.

Maguire became the world's most expensive defender when United signed him from Leicester City for 80 million pounds ($100.97 million) in 2019. His contract is due to end in 2025.

Asked about Maguire's future, Ten Hag told the Times newspaper: "Let's say I'm happy he's here and when we needed him he did his job. But it's also a decision he has to make."

The Dutchman said Maguire was putting in 100% effort in training and had played an important role as club captain but acknowledged the player would not settle for a place on the bench going forward.

"No one would be happy with this situation. He is not as well," he added.

Ten Hag added that goalkeeper David de Gea will remain at the club next season but said the Spaniard, who kept the most clean sheets in the Premier League this season, would face competition for the gloves.

"... I will not say he'll always be my number one because in a club like Man United there must be competition in all positions," he said.


African Players in Europe: Ghana’s Sulemana Stars for Doomed Saints

Football - Premier League - Southampton v Liverpool - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - May 28, 2023, Southampton's Kamaldeen Sulemana celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Southampton v Liverpool - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - May 28, 2023, Southampton's Kamaldeen Sulemana celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)
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African Players in Europe: Ghana’s Sulemana Stars for Doomed Saints

Football - Premier League - Southampton v Liverpool - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - May 28, 2023, Southampton's Kamaldeen Sulemana celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Southampton v Liverpool - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - May 28, 2023, Southampton's Kamaldeen Sulemana celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)

Ghana international Kamaldeen Sulemana scored a stunning goal for relegated Southampton as they bowed out of the Premier League after a thrilling 4-4 draw with Liverpool at the weekend.

The 21-year-old forward ran from inside his own half at Saint Mary's Stadium before firing into the bottom corner from outside the area.

Sulemana twice came off the bench at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, helping Ghana beat South Korea but unable to prevent them losing to Uruguay and being eliminated after the first round.

Here, AFP Sport highlights African headline-makers in the major European leagues:

ENGLAND

Kamaldeen Sulemana (Southampton)

Sulemana scored his first two goals for the Saints in a thriller against Liverpool. Signed in January from Rennes, his impact came far too late to save the club from relegation. He gave a glimpse of what could be a promising future against the Reds. After slotting past Caoimhin Kelleher to open his account for the club, he scored a spectacular second goal.

Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest)

Awoniyi continued his sparkling end-of-season form as the Nigerian struck for the sixth time in four games in a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace. Awoniyi became the first Forest player since Stan Collymore to score in four consecutive Premier League games as his hot streak kept Steve Cooper's men up.

GERMANY

Sebastien Haller (Borussia Dortmund)

Borussia striker Sebastien Haller had a day to forget as his side drew 2-2 at home to Mainz, gifting Bayern Munich an 11th straight Bundesliga title. Haller, who had scored five goals in his previous three games, stepped up to take a penalty early in the first half with his side one goal down. He hit a tame effort at Mainz goalie Finn Dahmen, and the visitors doubled their lead soon after. Haller scored in injury time but had his goal chalked off for offside as Dortmund threw away a chance of breaking Bayern's decade-long title stranglehold.

Ilhas Bebou (Hoffenheim)

Hoffenheim striker Bebou scored a second-half goal as his side drew 1-1 at Stuttgart, snuffing out any chance of being drawn into a relegation battle. Hoffenheim came into the final round facing a slim mathematical chance of being demoted to the second division for the first time in their history. Bebou headed his side in front with 15 minutes remaining, his seventh goal in 19 league appearances this season.

ITALY

Victor Osimhen (Napoli)

The star Nigerian forward took his chart-topping Serie A goal tally to 25 -- four more than closest rival Lautaro Martinez of Inter -- by scoring twice for champions Napoli in a 2-2 draw at 11th-placed Bologna. There has been constant speculation that Osimhen will make a close-season move to the Premier League.

SPAIN

Amath Ndiaye (Real Mallorca)

A tough task for mid-table Mallorca at La Liga champions Barcelona became even more difficult when Senegalese winger Ndiaye was red-carded after only 14 minutes. The visitors were already one goal behind and went on to lose 3-0 with Guinea-Bissau-born Ansu Fati scoring twice.


Racist Abuse of Players Is Getting Worse, Says Stephens

Sloane Stephens of the US celebrates winning her first round match of the French Open tennis tournament against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in two sets, 6-0, 6-4, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, May 29, 2023. (AP)
Sloane Stephens of the US celebrates winning her first round match of the French Open tennis tournament against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in two sets, 6-0, 6-4, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, May 29, 2023. (AP)
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Racist Abuse of Players Is Getting Worse, Says Stephens

Sloane Stephens of the US celebrates winning her first round match of the French Open tennis tournament against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in two sets, 6-0, 6-4, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, May 29, 2023. (AP)
Sloane Stephens of the US celebrates winning her first round match of the French Open tennis tournament against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in two sets, 6-0, 6-4, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, May 29, 2023. (AP)

Racism behavior directed at athletes is getting worse and even software designed to protect them from it has little impact, world number 30 Sloane Stephens said on Monday.

The American, speaking after her straight-sets victory over Karolina Pliskova in the French Open first round, said she had had to endure it her whole tennis career.

"Yes, it's obviously been a problem my entire career," said Stephens, who is Black. "It has never stopped. If anything, it's only gotten worse."

She did not go into specific details but said even software such as the one available for players at the French Open, which that is designed to block racist comments, could not stop it.

"I did hear about the software. I have not used it," Stephens said.

"I have a lot of obviously key words banned on Instagram and all of these things, but that doesn't stop someone from just typing in an asterisk or typing it in a different way, which obviously software most of the time doesn't catch."

Professional athletes in all sports are regularly confronted with racist comments and behavior with Real Madrid soccer player Vinicius Jr. the most notable recent case.

He was on the receiving end of racist chants at Valencia's Mestalla stadium last week and his complaints about Spain and LaLiga not doing enough to fight racism sparked a worldwide wave of support and a national debate in Spain.

Tottenham Hotspur were working this month with the Metropolitan Police to investigate an allegation of racial abuse towards South Korean striker Son Heung-min.

Stephens said the racism had reached a worrying level.

"I mean, obviously when there is FBI investigations going on with what people are saying to you online, it's very serious," she said.

She did not say whether she was referring to a specific case.

"Obviously it's been something that I have dealt with my whole career. I think that, like I said, it's only continued to get worse, and people online have the free rein to say and do whatever they want behind fake pages, which is obviously very troublesome."

"It's something I have had to deal with my whole career and something I will continue to deal with, I'm sure. That's that."


PSG Keeper Rico Remains in Intensive Care After Riding Accident 

Paris St Germain Spanish goalkeeper Sergio Rico smiles as he warms up before the UEFA Champions League 1st round day 3 group H football match between SL Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain, at the Luz stadium in Lisbon on October 5, 2022. (AFP)
Paris St Germain Spanish goalkeeper Sergio Rico smiles as he warms up before the UEFA Champions League 1st round day 3 group H football match between SL Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain, at the Luz stadium in Lisbon on October 5, 2022. (AFP)
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PSG Keeper Rico Remains in Intensive Care After Riding Accident 

Paris St Germain Spanish goalkeeper Sergio Rico smiles as he warms up before the UEFA Champions League 1st round day 3 group H football match between SL Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain, at the Luz stadium in Lisbon on October 5, 2022. (AFP)
Paris St Germain Spanish goalkeeper Sergio Rico smiles as he warms up before the UEFA Champions League 1st round day 3 group H football match between SL Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain, at the Luz stadium in Lisbon on October 5, 2022. (AFP)

Paris St Germain goalkeeper Sergio Rico remained in intensive care on Monday after being involved in a riding accident while participating in an annual pilgrimage in southern Spain.

Rico suffered "a serious mishap due to a mule cart and a horse that hit him", his family said in a statement late on Sunday. Spanish paper Marca reported that Rico had been riding a horse himself.

The Spaniard was given permission by PSG to take part in the pilgrimage.

"Sergio is in good hands, fighting to recover while receiving the best care from the medical team at the Virgen del Rocio Hospital. We must exercise caution, especially during the next 48 hours," his family said.

"We are now awaiting medical results, which we hope will be positive, so that we can inform you of his improvement as soon as possible," they added.

Every spring, hundreds of thousands of devotees converge on a shrine to pay homage to the Virgin of the Rocio.

Rico, 29, joined PSG in 2020 after a season-long loan at the capital club. He started his career with Spanish club Sevilla.


Manchester United Boss Ten Hag Calls for More Investment 

Manchester United's Dutch manager Erik ten Hag speaks to his players at the end of the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford in Manchester, northwest England, on May 28, 2023. (AFP)
Manchester United's Dutch manager Erik ten Hag speaks to his players at the end of the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford in Manchester, northwest England, on May 28, 2023. (AFP)
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Manchester United Boss Ten Hag Calls for More Investment 

Manchester United's Dutch manager Erik ten Hag speaks to his players at the end of the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford in Manchester, northwest England, on May 28, 2023. (AFP)
Manchester United's Dutch manager Erik ten Hag speaks to his players at the end of the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford in Manchester, northwest England, on May 28, 2023. (AFP)

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has called for more investment in the club so they can challenge for trophies after the team finished third in the Premier League this season.

United sealed the third place, finishing the season with 75 points, after they came from behind to defeat Fulham 2-1 in the last game of the league season on Sunday.

The Old Trafford club, which won the League Cup in February, has the chance to add to their silverware when they face Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

"We are in the right direction, but we are not where we have to be, there's still a long way to go, there's potential in this team and individual players," Ten Hag told reporters on Sunday.

"We showed during the season we made progress, that's a compliment to the players and the coaches, we worked really hard, but we have to make an investment.

"The club knows if you want to play top four, compete for trophies in this tough league then you have to invest otherwise you don't have a chance because other clubs will do."

United last won the league title in 2012-13 under Alex Ferguson.


Alonso Feels He’s Far from Catching F1 Leader Verstappen Despite His Own Remarkable Form 

Second-placed Aston Martin's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso holds up his trophy on the podium after the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix at the Monaco street circuit in Monaco, on May 28, 2023. (AFP) 
Second-placed Aston Martin's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso holds up his trophy on the podium after the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix at the Monaco street circuit in Monaco, on May 28, 2023. (AFP) 
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Alonso Feels He’s Far from Catching F1 Leader Verstappen Despite His Own Remarkable Form 

Second-placed Aston Martin's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso holds up his trophy on the podium after the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix at the Monaco street circuit in Monaco, on May 28, 2023. (AFP) 
Second-placed Aston Martin's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso holds up his trophy on the podium after the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix at the Monaco street circuit in Monaco, on May 28, 2023. (AFP) 

Fernando Alonso has five podiums in six races in a remarkable season for Aston Martin, yet still feels he's no closer to catching Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

The two-time Formula One champions now head to a race with special significance for both of them.

Next weekend's Spanish Grand Prix is where Verstappen won his first race as an 18-year-old in his Red Bull debut in 2016.

It's also where Alonso last won a race in 2013, so it would be the perfect place for the 41-year-old Spaniard to end his winless run.

"Yeah, but I will not put any pressure on my team or myself," Alonso said after finishing second behind Verstappen at Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix. "I will not get into Barcelona thinking that I will win, and (then) disappoint anyone. We have to have (our) feet on the ground."

Verstappen's win seven years ago in Spain was a performance of stunning audacity. It showcased a raw ability that has since carried him to two world championships, the second secured with a record-breaking 15 F1 wins last year.

Yet the 2016 win in Spain also came in exceptional circumstances, after both Mercedes crashed into each other and out of the race amid a feuding rivalry between then-teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Alonso believes only a similar mishap can stop Red Bull's unrelenting run this season stretching to seven straight wins. Verstappen has won four races while teammate Sergio Perez has the other two victories, although Perez scored no points in Monaco after starting last following a mistake in qualifying.

"We will need weekends where Red Bull has some issues like Sergio had here with zero points. And if Max has one or two of those, we will be a little bit closer in the championship," Alonso said. "But on pure pace, I think we don’t have the chance yet."

Even though Alonso almost took the pole in Monaco, with Verstappen edging him by just .084 seconds, that didn't raise his hopes.

"(Saturday) was very close in qualifying, but in the race we saw Red Bull again very dominant," Alonso said. "So we have to accept that next weekend will be maybe (like) any other race this year, where Red Bull is untouchable."

The mutual respect between Alonso and Verstappen is considerable, with the normally reserved Verstappen even joking he might try to help Alonso win a race.

"I’ll think about it. I’d like to see Fernando win," Verstappen said Saturday. "I love watching his style."

Perhaps because it reminds him of his own: single-minded, dynamic, lightning-quick, nerveless in difficult conditions.

By winning in Monaco, Verstappen broke Red Bull's record for most wins with his 39th — one more than Sebastian Vettel managed on his way to four straight F1 titles from 2010-13.

Verstappen is only two behind the late Ayrton Senna's total of 41 wins and is well placed to equal Senna's three world titles. Verstappen leads Perez this season by 39 points and Alonso by 51.

Alonso finished as the F1 runner-up in 2010 to Vettel by four points and by three points to Vettel in 2012. But Verstappen seems on another level even to Vettel.

"Now there is Red Bull and Max dominating every race and even with great results, you’re just stepping behind them, every race," Alonso said. "But we will not give up."

Alonso motivates himself by looking at the podium after each Red Bull win.

"I will always take a picture (of first place) at the end, after the celebration," he said. "I will love to receive the trophy from there."

Verstappen was asked at which track he could next be vulnerable.

"It’s difficult to say," he replied ominously.


Verstappen Wins Monaco GP to Extend F1 Championship Lead; Alonso 2nd Ahead of Ocon

Winner Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen (C) holds up his trophy, flanked by second-placed Aston Martin's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso (L), third-placed Alpine's French driver Esteban Ocon (R), Prince Albert II of Monaco (2nd R) and Princess Charlene of Monaco (2nd L) on the podium after the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix at the Monaco street circuit in Monaco, on May 28, 2023. (AFP)
Winner Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen (C) holds up his trophy, flanked by second-placed Aston Martin's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso (L), third-placed Alpine's French driver Esteban Ocon (R), Prince Albert II of Monaco (2nd R) and Princess Charlene of Monaco (2nd L) on the podium after the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix at the Monaco street circuit in Monaco, on May 28, 2023. (AFP)
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Verstappen Wins Monaco GP to Extend F1 Championship Lead; Alonso 2nd Ahead of Ocon

Winner Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen (C) holds up his trophy, flanked by second-placed Aston Martin's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso (L), third-placed Alpine's French driver Esteban Ocon (R), Prince Albert II of Monaco (2nd R) and Princess Charlene of Monaco (2nd L) on the podium after the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix at the Monaco street circuit in Monaco, on May 28, 2023. (AFP)
Winner Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen (C) holds up his trophy, flanked by second-placed Aston Martin's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso (L), third-placed Alpine's French driver Esteban Ocon (R), Prince Albert II of Monaco (2nd R) and Princess Charlene of Monaco (2nd L) on the podium after the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix at the Monaco street circuit in Monaco, on May 28, 2023. (AFP)

Formula One champion Max Verstappen's lights-to-flag victory win at the Monaco Grand gave the Red Bull driver his fourth victory of the season and extended his championship lead on Sunday.

Spanish veteran Fernando Alonso was a season's best second for Aston Martin as he collected a fifth podium in six races, while Frenchman Esteban Ocon secured third place and a rare podium for Alpine.

For most of the race, Verstappen coasted on a dry and narrow track where overtaking is the hardest in F1.

But an incident-free race in Monaco is rare and heavy rain played havoc with about 20 of the 78 laps left. Some drivers had pitted for the wrong medium tires shortly before the downpour and slid around.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. glided sideways into the barriers and was lucky not to damage his Ferrari. Kevin Magnussen lost control of his Haas and Lance Stroll retired after damaging his Aston Martin.

Red Bull had wisely put Verstappen on the versatile and more suited to the wet conditions intermediates on Lap 56 and they carried him to his second win in Monaco. The first was in 2021.

Lewis Hamilton finished fourth for Mercedes and picked up a point for fastest lap. His teammate George Russell was fifth, having earlier almost slammed into Sergio Perez's Red Bull as visibility worsened. A serious crash was somehow avoided in a hectic few minutes before the rain eased off.

On Saturday, Verstappen just edged out Alonso to deny the 41-year Spaniard his first pole for 11 years.

Perez, who won the race last year, started from last after a clumsy crash in qualifying and finished 16th.

Verstappen’s 39 F1 wins have all been with Red Bull since his first on debut for the team at the Spanish GP in 2016 when he became the youngest F1 winner at 18 years old.

He set a team record for wins as he passed former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel’s previous tally of 38 victories for the team when he won four straight titles from 2010-13.


Ukraine’s Kostyuk Booed at French Open after No Handshake with Belarus’ Sabalenka Because of War

Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine serves to Aryna Sabalenka of Russia in their Women's Singles first round match during the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 28 May 2023. (EPA)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine serves to Aryna Sabalenka of Russia in their Women's Singles first round match during the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 28 May 2023. (EPA)
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Ukraine’s Kostyuk Booed at French Open after No Handshake with Belarus’ Sabalenka Because of War

Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine serves to Aryna Sabalenka of Russia in their Women's Singles first round match during the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 28 May 2023. (EPA)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine serves to Aryna Sabalenka of Russia in their Women's Singles first round match during the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 28 May 2023. (EPA)

Unable to sleep the night before her first-round match at the French Open against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the Grand Slam tournament's No. 2 seed, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine checked her phone at 5 a.m. Sunday and saw disturbing news back home in Kyiv.

At least one person was killed when the capital of Kostyuk's country was subjected to the largest drone attack by Russia since the start of its war, launched with an invasion assisted by Belarus in February 2022.

"It’s something I cannot describe, probably. I try to put my emotions aside any time I go out on court. I think I’m better than before, and I don’t think it affects me as much on a daily basis, but yeah, it’s just — I don’t know," Kostyuk said, shaking her head. "There is not much to say, really. It’s just part of my life."

That, then, is why Kostyuk has decided she will not exchange the usual post-match pleasantries with opponents from Russia or Belarus. And that is why she avoided a handshake — avoided any eye contact, even — after losing to Australian Open champion Sabalenka 6-3, 6-2 on Day 1 at Roland Garros.

What surprised the 20-year-old, 39th-ranked Kostyuk on Sunday was the reaction she received from the spectators in Court Philippe Chatrier: They loudly booed and derisively whistled at her as she walked directly over to acknowledge the chair umpire instead of congratulating the winner after the lopsided result. The negative response grew louder as she gathered her belongings and walked off the court toward the locker room.

"I have to say," Kostyuk said, "I didn’t expect it. ... People should be, honestly, embarrassed."

Kostyuk is based now in Monaco, and her mother and sister are there, too, but her father and grandfather are still in Kyiv. Perhaps the fans on hand at the clay-court event's main stadium were unaware of the backstory and figured Kostyuk simply failed to follow usual tennis etiquette.

Initially, Sabalenka — who had approached the net as if anticipating some sort of exchange with Kostyuk — thought all of that noise was directed at her.

"At first, I thought they were booing me," Sabalenka said. "I was a little confused, and I was, like, 'OK, what should I do?"

Sabalenka tried to ask the chair umpire what was going on. She looked up at her entourage in the stands, too. Then she realized that while she is aware Kostyuk and other Ukrainian tennis players have been declining to greet foes from Russia or Belarus after a match, the spectators might not have known — and so responded in a way Sabalenka didn't think was deserved.

"They saw it," she surmised, "as disrespect (for) me."

Sabalenka called the whole experience "emotionally tough" — because of mundane, tennis-related reasons, such as the nerves that come with any first-round match, but more significantly because of the unusual circumstances involving the war.

"You’re playing against (a) Ukrainian and you never know what’s going to happen. You never know how people will — will they support you or not?" explained Sabalenka, who went down an early break and trailed 3-2 before reeling off six consecutive games with powerful first-strike hitting. "I was worried, like, people will be against me, and I don’t like to play when people (are) so much against me."

A journalist from Ukraine asked Sabalenka what her message to the world is with regard to the war, particularly in this context: She can overtake Iga Swiatek at No. 1 in the rankings based on results over the next two weeks and, therefore, serves as a role model.

"Nobody in this world, Russian athletes or Belarusian athletes, support the war. Nobody. How can we support the war? Nobody — normal people — will never support it. Why (do) we have to go loud and say that things? This is like: ‘One plus one (is) two.’ Of course we don’t support war," Sabalenka said. "If it could affect anyhow the war, if it could like stop it, we would do it. But unfortunately, it’s not in our hands."

When a portion of those comments was read to Kostyuk by a reporter, she responded in calm, measured tones that she doesn't get why Sabalenka does not come out and say that "she personally doesn't support this war."

Kostyuk also rejected the notion that players from Russia or Belarus could be in a tough spot upon returning to those countries if they were to speak out about what is happening in Ukraine.

"I don’t know why it’s a difficult situation," Kostyuk said with a chuckle.

"I don’t know what other players are afraid of," she said. "I go back to Ukraine, where I can die any second from drones or missiles or whatever it is."


Disgusted by Racism Targeting Soccer’s Vinicius, His Brazilian Hometown Rallies to Defend Him

Football - Brasileiro Championship - Flamengo v Cruzeiro - Estadio Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - May 27, 2023 A Flamengo fan displays an image of Vinicius Junior in support against racism before the match. (Reuters)
Football - Brasileiro Championship - Flamengo v Cruzeiro - Estadio Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - May 27, 2023 A Flamengo fan displays an image of Vinicius Junior in support against racism before the match. (Reuters)
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Disgusted by Racism Targeting Soccer’s Vinicius, His Brazilian Hometown Rallies to Defend Him

Football - Brasileiro Championship - Flamengo v Cruzeiro - Estadio Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - May 27, 2023 A Flamengo fan displays an image of Vinicius Junior in support against racism before the match. (Reuters)
Football - Brasileiro Championship - Flamengo v Cruzeiro - Estadio Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - May 27, 2023 A Flamengo fan displays an image of Vinicius Junior in support against racism before the match. (Reuters)

The chants of “monkey!” at the Spanish soccer stadium echoed across the Atlantic, reaching the ears of people on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.

That’s where Vinicius Junior, who is Black, grew up and launched his football career. Now, despite his global fame and millions, he was again the target of crude European racism.

His city in multiracial Brazil was sickened, and has rallied to his defense.

In Sao Goncalo, rapper Deivisson Oliveira was eating breakfast when the TV news showed the abuse aimed at his hometown hero.

“I needed to cry out,” said Oliveira, 30, who raps under the name MC Menor do CPX.

Oliveira typed lyrics on his phone with his 6-month-old son at his feet. Powerful verses surged through his thumbs: “From the favela to the world: Strength, Vinicius Junior!”

Racism in the Spanish league has intensified this season, especially after Vinicius started celebrating goals by dancing. On at least nine occasions, people have made monkey sounds at Vinicius, chanted the slur “monkey!” and hurled other racist slurs. Vinicius has repeatedly demanded action from Spanish soccer authorities.

Vinicius’ 2017 move to Real Madrid was the culmination of years of effort. One of the most popular clubs in global soccer paid 45 million euros (about $50 million) — at the time the most ever for a Brazilian teenager — even before his professional debut with Rio-based Flamengo. Relentless racism wasn’t part of Vinicius’ dream when he was growing up in Sao Goncalo.

Sao Goncalo is the second-most populous city in Rio’s metropolitan region, and one of the poorest in the state of Rio de Janeiro, according to the national statistics institute. At night in some areas, motorists turn on their hazard lights to signal to drug-trafficking gangs that the driver is local. It is also where the 2020 police killing of a 14-year-old sparked Black Lives Matter protests across Rio.

Racism has once again fanned outrage.

Rio’s imposing, illuminated Christ the Redeemer statue was made dark one night in solidarity. The city’s enormous bayside Ferris wheel this week exhibits a clenched Black fist and the scrolling words: “EVERYONE AGAINST RACISM.”

“My total repudiation of the episode of racism suffered by our ace and the pride of all of us in Sao Goncalo,” the city’s mayor, Nelson Ruas dos Santos, wrote on Twitter the morning after the incident.

Rio’s Mayor Eduardo Paes was less diplomatic when responding to a defense issued by the Spanish soccer league’s president.

“Go to hell, son of a...” Paes wrote.

On Thursday, Spanish league president Javier Tebas held a news conference claiming that the league has been acting alone against racism, and that it could end it in six months if granted more power by the government.

At the same time in Rio, representatives of more than 150 activist groups and nonprofits delivered a letter to Spain’s consulate, demanding an investigation into the league and its president. They organized a protest that evening.

“Vinicius has been a warrior, he’s being a warrior, for enduring this since he arrived in Spain and always taking a stand,” activist Valda Neves said. “This time, he’s not alone.”

On Saturday, players from Vinicius’ former club, Flamengo, took the field at the Maracana Stadium before a Brazilian championship match against Cruzeiro wearing jerseys bearing the player’s name and sat on the pitch before kick off in an anti-racism protest.

In the stands, thousands of supporters made a tifo that read “everyone with Vini Jr.”

The first Black Brazilian players to sign for European clubs in the 1960s met some racism in the largely white society, but rarely spoke out. At the time when Brazil still considered itself a “racial democracy,” and did not take on the racism that many faced.

In the late 1980s, the federal government made racial discrimination a crime and created a foundation to promote Afro-Brazilian culture. At the time, many Brazilian players who might identify as Black today did not recognize themselves as such. Incidents of racism in Europe prompted little blowback in Brazil.

In the decades since, Brazil’s Black activists have gained prominence and promoted awareness of structural racism. The federal government instituted policies aimed at addressing it, including affirmative-action admissions for public universities and jobs. There has been heightened consciousness throughout society.

In 2014, a fan hurled a banana at defender Dani Alves during a Spanish league match; he picked it up and ate it in a show of defiance, triggering a coordinated social media campaign with other Brazilian players, including star forward Neymar, who did the same.

Vinicius’ own educational nonprofit this week launched a program to train public school teachers to raise awareness about racism and instruct kids in fighting discrimination. A teacher at a Sao Goncalo school that will host the project, Mariana Alves, hopes it will provide kids much-needed support and preparation. She spoke in a classroom with soccer-ball beanbag chairs strewn about, and enormous photos of Vinicius on the walls.

Most of the school’s students are Black or biracial, and many have experienced racism, Alves said in an interview. This week, her 10-year-old students have been asking if she saw what happened to Vinicius because they don’t fully understand.

“He has money, he has all this status, and not even that stopped him from going through this situation of racism,” said Alves, who is Black and from Sao Goncalo. “So the students wonder ... ‘Will I go through that, too? Is that going to happen to me?’”

As a boy, Vinicius started training at a nearby feeder school for Flamengo, Brazil’s most popular club, before signing with its youth team.

Sao Goncalo kids there were a blur Wednesday afternoon as they ran non-stop drills, leaving them without time or breath to discuss their idol’s troubles on another continent.

Still, they knew.

One of them, Ryan Gonçalves Negri, said he has talked about it with his friends outside the soccer school, and that Vinicius should transfer out of the Spanish league “urgently.”

“I would never want to play there,” Negri, 13, said. “It’s not for Brazilians who know how to score goals and celebrate.”

While the kids practiced, the rapper Oliveira and his producer Éverton Ramos, known as DJ Cabide, stepped onto the turf and made their way to the corner. They set up a speaker beneath a banner of Vinicius as a brash teenager with his tongue extended, then started recording a clip for their protest song’s music video.

“I’m no one, but my voice can reach where I can’t go, where I can’t imagine going,” Oliveira said. “My voice will get there, you understand?”