'We deserved to win the game without being lucky'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Anisimova's career comes full circle after burnout fears
LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) - When Amanda Anisimova reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals as a 20-year-old in the summer of 2022, she was being hailed as the "next big thing" in American tennis along with Coco Gauff. But instead of providing a launch pad for her career, that achievement led to a downward spiral. From mid-August that year to the following May, Anisimova failed to win back-to-back matches in any of the 10 tournaments she entered, winning a paltry four matches in total during that miserable nine-month run. With her time on the tour taking a toll on her mental health, in May 2023 she pulled the plug on her tennis year to try and get away from it all, after realising that she was simply burned out from the never-ending cycle of defeats. When she made her comeback to the Grand Slam stage at the Australian Open last year, her ranking had plummeted to 442 but, now rejuvenated and ready to go again, that statistic did not faze her. She made it to the last 16 before running into eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka, and rather than getting down in the dumps, Anisimova took it as proof that her career was back on an upward trajectory as it was the first time since Wimbledon 2022 that she had won three successive matches. Even when she failed to qualify for Wimbledon last year, while ranked 189th, she knew that mentally she was in a better place than she had been 12 months earlier. Fast forward 12 months and things are looking bright and sunny again for Anisimova - albeit at a soggy Wimbledon. Seeded 13th, she is back in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon following a nerve-shredding 6-2 5-7 6-4 victory over Czech 30th seed Linda Noskova - a result that will allow her to break into the world's top 10 for the first time. "I was just super excited to compete here ... and just being seeded was already really special," said the 23-year-old, who opened her Wimbledon account by handing Yulia Putintseva the dreaded 6-0 6-0 double bagel in the first round. "I felt really good about myself because I think it was just a huge reminder of all the work and progress I've made so far this year. "I knew that every match was going to be a battle, which it has been. I've just been really enjoying the journey here." With French Open champion Gauff having suffered a shock first round exit at Wimbledon, Anisimova and 10th seed Emma Navarro, who plays her last 16 match against Mirra Andreeva on Monday, are the only Americans left with a chance of lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish come Saturday. Anisimova will fancy her chances of reaching the semi-finals at the grasscourt major for the first time considering she holds a 3-0 win-loss record against her next opponent, Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. "Ever since I took my break, I just found this new perspective and this newfound sense of fighting for everything and accepting the challenges that come and embracing them," said Anisimova, born in New Jersey to Russian immigrants. "A lot of things have changed ... I feel like my professionalism and work ethic has taken a whole 360. Everything is centred around my tennis and how I can prepare the best that I can. "It's super special and a surreal feeling to be in the top 10. If I thought to myself last year ... that I'll be breaking the top 10 by now, it would be pretty surprising to me, considering where I was last summer."
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Cameron Norrie sets up Carlos Alcaraz clash after sportsmanship spat
There have been bigger wins against better opponents during his career, but Cameron Norrie's Wimbledon fourth-round victory on Sunday ranked as one of his most satisfying triumphs. The last British singles player standing at the All England Club this year withstood a barrage of 103 winners from the racket of Chile's Nicolás Jarry to prevail 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (7-9), 6-7 (5-7), 6-3. At four hours and 27 minutes, it is the longest match the 29-year-old Norrie has ever contested. Norrie, ranked No61 in the world, was exceptional in the way he maintained his focus for an extended period of time as there was much to overcome. The pinpoint serving of the 6ft 7in Jarry produced a total of 46 aces, not only making it challenging to break but also putting greater importance on Norrie's own service holds. Jarry added to the drama by making complaints about Norrie's sportsmanship. First he complained about the length of time Norrie was taking to bounce the ball before his second serve, and even imitated it to make his point clear. After the match Jarry then confronted Norrie by the side of the court to air another grievance about his constant fist pumping and shouts of 'Come on'. The vast majority of the 12,000-capacity crowd on No1 Court unsurprisingly rallied behind the home player and booed Jarry in response. 'He said I was a little bit vocal but that is my energy,' Norrie said. 'I told him he competed so well and it was a great match. 'I wanted to take my time on the second serve and making sure that I'm getting myself ready to set. I actually didn't even notice he was upset with that. I don't want to rush into it and hit a quick double fault. If I'm hitting a second serve, I have to be ready for sure.' Jarry said: 'He's very competitive, so he knows how to make the most of the important games and the important parts of the match.' Another test of Norrie's resilience came in the final two sets. In the third-set tie-break he had a match point for a straight-sets victory but failed to convert and was kept out on court for another two hours as Jarry launched a stirring fightback. The relief was evident at the end when Norrie fell to the court and rolled on to his back in celebration. Three years after reaching the semi-finals here, he has become only the fourth Briton to reach a Wimbledon men's singles quarter-final on multiple occasions in the open era, joining Andy Murray, Tim Henman and Roger Taylor. 'Honestly I don't know how I did that [winning],' Norrie said. 'Credit to Nico. He did an unbelievable job. He played better than me in both tie-breaks [that he lost]. I had to keep fighting.' Centre Court now awaits for Norrie on Tuesday. He had specifically requested a return to No1 Court on Sunday because of his preference for the more feverish atmosphere and the closer position of his coaching box. There is no way, though, that his quarter-final against Carlos Alcaraz can be anywhere other than the main stadium. Norrie leaves No1 Court with fond memories of beating a formidable opponent. Jarry may have come through qualifying with a world ranking of No143, but the 29-year-old made for quite a challenge as someone whose career-high was No16. The reason for his fall down the rankings was the diagnosis of an inner ear disorder, vestibular neuritis, which made it difficult for him to play with the effects of dizziness, vertigo and loss of balance. Well aware that this was going to be a match in which dips of concentration on his serve would be punished, Norrie was mightily relieved in the opening game to save a break point. From there it was an efficient set, with Norrie remaining steady in all facets of his play before having his patience rewarded with a key break for 5-3. More of the same followed in the second set, with Norrie taking his opportunity when the moment came with a backhand cross-court winner on his first set point at 6-4 in the tie-break. At this point Jarry decided to raise a complaint with the umpire Eva Asderaki about Norrie's slow ball bouncing — well within the rules before a second serve as the 25-second limit is only in place before the first serve — and then did the same himself minutes later. The first match point for Norrie came in the third-set tie-break at 6-5, but a bold and brave series of attacking shots paid off for Jarry as he stole the set at 8-7 with a forehand winner. Norrie then let slip another lead in the fourth-set tie-break by losing five of the next six points to be dragged into a fifth set. Norrie remained steadfast despite the setbacks and finally claimed a long-awaited second break of serve for 2-0, the first in the match for either player since the eighth game of the first set. It helped that it was partly gifted through a double fault and an unforced backhand error by Jarry. One break was enough for Norrie to go on and see out the victory, continuing an unexpected turnaround for him on the court this summer. He arrived at the Geneva Open seven weeks ago for qualifying because his ranking was too low for direct entry at No91. Since then he has reached the last 16 of the French Open and now the last eight of Wimbledon, rising to a projected ranking of No43. 'At the beginning of this year, I struggled with confidence,' Norrie said. 'I want to enjoy my tennis more and I'm doing that. It is a bonus to win but enjoying it is what matters. I am so happy to be in another quarter-final in the best tournament in the world.'
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
John Stones rakes in cool £13.6m off the pitch despite England star suffering nightmare season with Man City
JOHN STONES has banked a whopping £13.6million from his image rights firm. The Manchester City defender amassed a fortune worth £13,611,422, thanks to his image and endorsement deals. 3 Latest figures for Stanted Promotions Ltd, which John Stones runs with his dad Pete, show the England star made £1.8m in off-field earnings last year — despite just six Premier League starts for City through injury. Stones, 31, has lucrative deals with Nike and online trading broker Axi. He also has a real estate business with properties worth £4.4m. Stones has been tipped to make a shock return to Everton this summer. He left the Toffees in a £50m transfer to Man City in 2016 - at the time making him the second most expensive defender in history behind David Luiz. The centre-back has since gone on to play 277 times for the Cityzens. He has scored 19 goals and provided nine assists. But crucially, his defensive prowess helped the club win 17 honours with him. However, fitness problems have plagued his time at the Etihad and last season he managed just 20 games under Pep Guardiola. These include six Premier League titles, one Champions League, two FA Cups, four League Cups, the Fifa Club World Cup, the Uefa SuperCup and two Community Shields. Kyle Walker completes Burnley transfer as they unveil him in 'best announcement video ever' A move back to boyhood club Everton could pave the way for City to move for Jarrad Branthwaite. His expected exit comes after Kyle Walker joined Burnley. 3
