Alcaraz Hoping to Learn from Nadal at Paris Games

16 June 2024, United Kingdom, London: Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz attends a press conference on day two of the cinch Championships at The Queen's Club, London. (dpa)

09:06-18 June 2024 AD ـ 12 Thul-Hijjah 1445 AH

16 June 2024, United Kingdom, London: Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz attends a press conference on day two of the cinch Championships at The Queen's Club, London. (dpa)

World number two Carlos Alcaraz said he is looking forward to learning from 22-times Grand Slam champion Rafa Nadal when they pair up in the doubles at the Paris Olympics.

Three-times Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, 21, will return to Roland Garros for the singles and doubles at the Games after being crowned French Open champion there earlier this month.

Nadal won Olympic singles gold in 2008 and a doubles gold in 2016. The 38-year-old will be playing at the Games for a third time.

"I didn't expect to play doubles at the Olympic Games with Rafa," Alcaraz told reporters on Monday. "It is a unique moment for me but of course I am very happy about it. Let's see how it's going to be but it's going to be a great time.

"Honestly, I feel he is going to teach me how to deal with everything. I am the young guy who needs to grow up as a player, to grow up as a person as well.

"Of course it's going to be my first Olympic Games. Everything is new for me, so I hope to learn a lot from him."

Nadal is skipping Wimbledon in July in order to prepare for the Olympics while Alcaraz returns to action at the Queen's Club Championships in London later on Tuesday before starting his title defense at Wimbledon next month.

The Olympic tennis tournament runs from July 27 to Aug. 4.

Roger Federer Celebrated Upon His Return to the US Open for an Exhibition Against Andy Roddick

Swiss former tennis player Roger Federer reacts to spectators during the “Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York” exhibition match during US Open Fan Week at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, US, 25 August 2026. (EPA)

08:37-26 August 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

Roger Federer Celebrated Upon His Return to the US Open for an Exhibition Against Andy Roddick

Five-time US Open champion Roger Federer returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday night to play one last match for fun against longtime rival and friend Andy Roddick.

The event billed as “An Icon Returns to New York” packed the stands full of fans there to watch the 45-year-old from Switzerland face Roddick — soon to be 44 — in a prime time exhibition. Many wore hats with the distinctive “RF” logo that became commonplace in the sport during Federer's decade and a half of dominance featuring 20 Grand Slam titles.

“It's great to be back in New York,” Federer said. “I have incredible memories, obviously, of this court, of the fans here, of the city.”

Federer reminisced about visiting for the first time to play juniors in 1998 and reaching the final. Three years later, his debut on center court was a straight-sets loss to Andre Agassi.

“He smashed me 6-1, 6-2, 6-4,” Federer said. “I had no shot. And I was like, ‘OK, not so easy, not fast, Roger.’ But, still, I’ll remember this center court forever.”

In 2005, Federer defeated Agassi to win the US Open for the second of five in a row through ’08.

“The one against Andre, I think, was extremely special: playing a legend that was coming towards the end of his career — that we had a chance to play against each other,” Federer said. “And every player I was able to play against in the finals here also was a US Open champion. It’s been an incredible run. I loved it.”

Roddick, who won the tournament in '03, credited the fans and Federer for his return.

“It comes down to Roger,” Roddick said. "Obviously we played a bunch and he beat me a bunch, but we were always able to navigate a friendship through the middle of our careers that’s lasted till now and will hopefully last forever. It’s just about showing up when Roger asks you to.”

Federer, who last competed at the US Open in 2019 and retired in 2022, then teamed up with John McEnroe and faced Roddick and Agassi in a doubles exhibition.

Sports

Leipzig Re-Sign Forward Nkunku on Loan from AC Milan

Leipzig's French forward Christopher Nkunku (R) celebrates scoring 2-0 during the German first division Bundesliga football match between RB Leipzig and FC Schalke 04 in Leipzig, eastern Germany on May 27, 2023. (AFP)

08:35-26 August 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

Leipzig Re-Sign Forward Nkunku on Loan from AC Milan

RB Leipzig ‌have signed French forward Christopher Nkunku from AC Milan on loan with an option to buy, the Bundesliga club said on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old returns to Leipzig after playing for the club from 2019 to 2023. He ‌scored 70 ‌goals and won ‌two ⁠German Cups during ⁠that stint, and finished as joint top scorer in the 2022–23 Bundesliga season.

"He has already shown the exceptional talent that he brings ⁠to the table and ‌that he ‌can make a difference in games," ‌Leipzig's managing director for sport ‌Marcel Schaefer said in a statement.

Nkunku, who began his career at Paris Saint-Germain, moved ‌to Chelsea in 2023 and struggled with injuries at ⁠Stamford ⁠Bridge, but won the Conference League and Club World Cup with the Premier League side.

He signed for Milan last year and scored eight goals in 35 appearances in the 2025-26 season.

He has made 18 international appearances for France.

Sports

North Korea to ‘Bring Joy’ to Kim with 100 Athletes at Asian Games

Asian Games - Hangzhou 2022 - Opening Ceremony - Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Hangzhou, China - September 23, 2023 Athletes from North Korea hold their national flag at the Opening Ceremony. (Reuters)

08:35-26 August 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

North Korea to ‘Bring Joy’ to Kim with 100 Athletes at Asian Games

North Korea will send about 100 athletes to compete across 14 sports at the Asian Games in Japan next month, a senior official said, aiming to "bring joy to Marshal Kim Jong Un".

The nuclear-armed state suspended participation in international sporting competitions during the Covid pandemic but returned at the Asian Games in China in 2023 and also took part in the Paris Olympics.

The team for the regional Games in Nagoya and the Aichi region includes two Japan-based ethnic Koreans competing in women's football and karate, said Ko Chol Ho, secretary general of North Korea's Olympic committee.

"Our delegation will send more than 100 athletes to compete in 14 sports, including men's and women's football, weightlifting, boxing and wrestling," Ko told Choson Sinbo, a pro-North Korean publication based in Japan, during an interview in Pyongyang.

"We are making every effort, driven by a strong desire to live up to the expectations of our country and people by achieving even greater results at the upcoming Games," the official said, in remarks published Tuesday.

He noted that the delegation would be smaller than the one sent to the Hangzhou Games of 2023 but said he hoped it would win more medals.

Authoritarian North Korea won 11 golds last time, half of them in weightlifting.

The official said that morale among the athletes was high for the event, which runs from September 19 to October 4, and they were motivated to win for their leader.

"Our athletes are training tirelessly every day, determined to bring joy to Marshal Kim," he said.

North Korea has recently been hurling criticism at Japan, a former regional colonial power, over what Pyongyang describes as its remilitarization.

Alcaraz Hoping to Learn from Nadal at Paris Games

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