Latest news with #All-EnglandClub
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Twin towers: Kunal Pradhan writes on the Sincaraz saga
It was April 1, 2019, just another All Fools' Day in our strange world. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open in June. (Getty Images) Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika faced massive protests after nearly 20 years in power; actor Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty in a varsity cheating scandal; British parliament voted against four Brexit alternatives; and a US judge rejected a plan by Donald Trump (in his first term) to send asylum-seekers to Mexico. Amid this global churning, in the Mediterranean port city of Alicante, two teenagers faced each other for the first time in the opening round of a nondescript Challenger tennis tournament. From Sexten, Italy: Jannik Sinner, 17. From Murcia, Spain: Carlos Alcaraz, 15. The world did not know it then, but the encounter would mark the start of two fairy-tale storylines: distinct yet connected, separate yet intertwined. Let's call it Sincaraz Day. Six years later, in June and July 2025, these two stories would collide over the course of two matches, played on two of the tennis world's biggest stages, the Stade Roland Garros in Paris and the All-England Club in London, setting the tone for a new era in sport. A passing of the torch, if you will, from the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic Age of the GOATs. Alcaraz came from two sets down to dismantle Sinner on the red Paris clay, and Sinner brushed off a first set loss to demolish Alcaraz on London's hallowed grass. If one had thoroughly dominated the other in both encounters, it wouldn't have been so significant. Sport needs rivalries that divide fan bases and consequently unite passion. Tyranny is boring, resistance is magnetic. Perfect match What makes the battle now underway between Sinner and Alcaraz so captivating is that they could not be more different, as players and as people. Though they are both consummate all-surface all-courters, Alcaraz has drawn different elements more sharply from the three legends he set out to replace. There is a touch of Roger Federer's artistry in the kinds of shots he can make — for example, the incredible down-the-line forehand from wide of the court to win the French Open title. There is a hint of Novak Djokovic's defence in the way he fights back from impossible positions in rallies — for instance, the desperate forehand slice to stay in the point, followed by a lunging drop shot to take the first set in the Wimbledon final. And there is the stamp of Rafael Nadal in how he alternates between incredible speed and unprecedented revs to control the tempo of every rally: drop shot, slice, top spin, then a burst of power for the winner. Sinner is more direct, a ruthless serve-plus-one and return-plus-one finisher against lesser opponents, and a relentless hitter of high-percentage shots when he is better matched. His is a meat-and-potatoes approach to tennis that is simplifying the formula for greatness: quick, prescient, precise and powerful. As the redoubtable sports commentator Peter Bodo wrote in Tennis magazine last year: 'If you tried to create a player with AI, you would probably end up with someone like Sinner.' Their personalities mirror their styles of play. If Alcaraz is the passionate Spaniard, conducting with the crowd while he's 'vamos'-ing his way through points, Sinner is the smiling assassin whose fist pumps are reserved for his coaching team and family. As in all such clashes of sporting philosophies, those who choose to love one of them will probably end up hating the other. Tied together Though Sinner and Alcaraz had won the last six Grand Slams before Wimbledon, claiming three each, the Italian was facing a crisis as he stepped on to the hallowed London grass. He was world No. 1, one of only eight players in history to amass 10,000 ranking points, and on the verge of becoming only the fifth (after Federer, Djokovic, Nadal and Andy Murray) to cross the 12,000 mark. Yet Alcaraz had defeated him at each of their last five meetings. Roland Garros, where Sinner lost in a five-and-a-half-hour battle after failing to convert three match points, further cemented the narrative that the Spaniard somehow had his number. The Wimbledon final, therefore, felt like a last chance to make it a real rivalry and hyphenate their legacies. Hyphenations are important, particularly in individual sport. When you think of one player, you must think of another, to make a legacy rise above statistics. Ali vs Frazier, Prost vs Senna, Kasparov vs Karpov, Navratilova vs Evert, McEnroe vs Borg, even Messi vs Ronaldo and Sachin vs Lara, are legends whose battles raged in lived history, irrespective of how many titles who won, to encapsulate our life and times. Now, just as the frenzy of Federer vs Nadal vs Djokovic was starting to fade, Sinner and Alcaraz have stepped forward. It may be early days for them, but Paris and London have shown that all the elements are in place for a fight for the ages. Pick whichever you like; more power to Sincaraz.
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Wimbledon — the glitz, the glam, the hypocrisy
The writer takes interest in humanism and futurology. He has an MS from Houston and DDS from Nashville, Tennessee. He can be reached at bhasnain@ Listen to article Breakfast at Wimbledon' is a long-cherished tradition in sports. Here in America, as in London and across the globe, we can't wait to pour cream over strawberries or enjoy scones with hot tea or English muffins or even have Bangers and Mash. As the Commodores would say, "It's easy like Sunday morning." But for the die-hard tennis fans in Pakistan, it's "Dinner at Wimbledon." This year was no different. We lounged in front of our big screen TV sets. We picked our favourites. It was Carlos Alcaraz defending his title against Jannik Sinner. These two youngsters, the new kids on the block, have raised the level of competition to new heights. In an epic battle, Jannik Sinner outplayed Carlos Alcaraz defeating him in four sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, avenging his defeat in the French Open final earlier this year. A slew of Hollywood celebrities attended the final match. Keira Knightly, Matthew McConaughey and Nicole Kidman, as well as London's Mayor Sadiq Khan were seated in the Royal Box. Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, presented the trophies to the winner and the runner-up. But beyond the glitz and the glam, hidden from our view and undetected from all the camera angles, lies the shameless hypocrisy of the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club that organises this tournament. In 2022, the club banned players from Russia and Belarus from participating in Wimbledon in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The ban was lifted in 2023, but in subsequent tournaments, players from Russia and Belarus have been forced to play in Wimbledon as "neutrals" as if they don't belong to any country. This includes the Russian players Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev as well as the world number one female tennis player, Aryna Sabalenka, who hails from Belarus. The All-England Club justified its apparently discriminatory decision "to prevent the Russian regime from using the tournament for propaganda purposes". Supporters of the decision argued that "it was a necessary step to condemn Russia's actions and show solidarity with Ukraine." Critics of the double standard argued that "it is discriminatory to punish individual athletes for the actions of their governments." What about the tennis players from the USA and Great Britain? After all, the United States, along with its ally, Great Britain, invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 - and that too under false pretenses. Both countries have a chilling history of military interventions in foreign lands and territories. The British Empire is known to have established colonies from North America to South Africa, and beyond. In 1877, Queen Victoria imposed herself as the Empress of India. The British Empire not only stole billions (if not trillions as reported) from India, they subjected the local population to heinous and barbaric crimes. In the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in 1919, for example, Gen Dyer who was commanding the British Indian Army ordered opening fire on a peaceful gathering of unarmed Indians who had gathered to protest against the colonial rule. Over one thousand innocent people died that day. In short, athletes from the USA and Great Britain are not to be discriminated at Wimbledon as those from Russia and Belarus. That's that.
Express Tribune
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
AI influencer Mia Zelu fools fans and sports star at Wimbledon 2025
Mia Zelu, a poised and polished figure who appeared to grace Wimbledon 2025 with designer fashion and dreamy captions, has been revealed to be entirely AI-generated. Her photorealistic posts amassed more than 150,000 followers and even drew attention from Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant before her non-human identity was exposed. Zelu's Instagram featured the hallmarks of influencer culture: curated luxury outfits, poetic captions, and picture-perfect shots from the All-England Club. 'I still believe in magic. Especially the kind you find in unexpected places, like courtside at Wimbledon,' read one post, echoing the introspective tone that typically garners high engagement. But behind the illusion was not a person, but a machine. While her bio now discloses her AI origin, the deception had already sparked a viral wave, prompting scrutiny and media coverage. Rishabh Pant's interaction with the account helped fuel the buzz, highlighting how convincingly the digital persona had passed for real. Industry watchers say Zelu represents the next phase in influencer marketing. AI-generated characters are already making waves on Instagram and TikTok, combining high realism with strategic storytelling. But critics warn that blurring the line between real and synthetic figures risks eroding online trust. 'This is a social experiment that worked almost too well,' said one tech expert. Meanwhile, a digital strategist argued it's simply evolution: 'Advertising has used fictional characters for decades, this is just the modern version.' The creators of Zelu remain anonymous. But the project's impact is clear: it challenged perceptions of authenticity and showed how easily people can be drawn into believing a digital illusion.
NBC News
13-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC News
Wimbledon: Jannik Sinner tops Carlos Alcaraz in four sets to claim title
Jannik Sinner won his first Wimbledon title on Sunday, defeating rival Carlos Alcaraz in four sets to capture his fourth Grand Slam trophy. In a rematch of June's French Open final — which Alcaraz won after dropping the first two sets — this time it was Sinner who came from behind for the victory. Sinner lost the first set before ultimately winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. 'It's so special,' Sinner said after the match during an on-court interview. 'I had a very tough loss in Paris, at the end of the day it doesn't matter how you win or lose, you have to understand what you did wrong. That's what we did.' Sunday's match was the latest chapter in the rivalry that's come to define the current era of men's tennis. Sinner and Alcaraz had combined to win the previous six majors in the sport prior to Sunday, with each player winning three. Before Sunday, Alcaraz has had the upper hand between him and Sinner, winning eight of their previous 12 matchups, including a 3-1 record at Grand Slam tournaments and a 3-1 record in finals. Alcaraz had also won Wimbledon in each of the last two years. Sinner won Sunday thanks in large part to an aggressive style. He spent more of the match attacking compared to Alcaraz. Sinner's first-serve percentage (62%) was much higher than his opponent (53%), allowing him to keep Alcaraz on his back foot. Sinner also won a higher percentage of second-serve points, 61% to 51%. 'It's difficult to lose,' Alcaraz said after. He later added, 'I will be back for sure.' It was still a relatively even-fought battle between the two-best players in the sport. Sinner hit 40 winners compared to Alcaraz's 38. And Alcaraz finished the match with 36 unforced errors compared to Sinner's 40. With Sunday's victory, Sinner has now won every Grand Slam except the French. Before this year, he had never made it further than the semifinals at the All-England Club. The next major will be the U.S. Open, which begins in late August. Sinner, who won the tournament last year, will have a chance to win his third Grand Slam of the year. 'I'm just living my dream,' Sinner said.
Mint
13-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Carlos Alcaraz net worth: From career prize money to endorsements - A look at two-time Wimbledon champion's earnings
Carlos Alcaraz has already cemented his place as one of the brightest stars in tennis at the young age of 22. The Spaniard has amassed a fortune through his on-court triumphs and lucrative endorsement deals. Here's a closer look at how the two-time Wimbledon champion built his wealth, from prize money to sponsorships, properties, and more. Carlos Alcaraz was the highest-earning tennis player in 2024, with a net worth of approximately $42.3 million, according to Forbes. Fast forward to 2025, and that figure has jumped to an estimated $50 million. His earnings come from two primary sources: tournament prize money and sponsorship deals with some of the world's biggest brands. This year alone, Alcaraz has added $7.42 million to his wealth through prize money, according to Sportico, driven by reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and winning the French Open in 2025 With another Wimbledon final appearance in 2025, Alcaraz stands to pocket over $4 million if he secures a third consecutive title at the All-England Club. Such a feat would make him the youngest player to achieve this milestone. Carlos Alcaraz's on-court earnings are nothing short of impressive for someone so early in their career. To date, he has earned nearly $18 million in prize money, a testament to his dominance at major tournaments. As a five-time Grand Slam champion, Alcaraz has consistently made deep runs in high-stakes events, which offer the largest payouts in tennis. In 2025, his victories at clay court tournaments in Monte Carlo and Rome each netted him over $1 million. His triumph at the French Open added a hefty $2.9 million to his bank account. These earnings, combined with his earlier successes, highlight his ability to compete at the highest level across different surfaces, from the clay of Roland Garros to the grass of Wimbledon. While Carlos Alcaraz's prize money is substantial, his endorsement deals form a major part of his wealth. In 2024, he earned $32 million from sponsorships, according to Forbes. These partnerships with global brands have significantly outpaced his on-court earnings. Alcaraz's sponsors include some of the most prestigious names in business: Nike, Rolex, BMW, Babolat, and LVMH. At just 22, Carlos Alcaraz is already a financial powerhouse, with a net worth that rivals seasoned veterans in the sport. His combination of prize money, endorsement deals, and marketability positions him to become one of the wealthiest athletes in the world. As he continues to chase history potentially becoming the youngest player to win three straight Wimbledon titles, his earnings are set to soar even higher.
