Sports
A French Open without Rafael Nadal still has plenty of drama
The 2023 French Open is upon us and — spoiler alert — the event is going to have a markedly different vibe this year. Some familiar faces will be missing with the gigantic absence of Rafael Nadal for the first time since 2004, as well as former champions Simona Halep and Garbine Muguruza, along with the recent retirements of Serena Williams and Roger Federer. Notable names like Naomi Osaka, Andy Murray, Venus Williams, Nick Kyrgios, Emma Raducanu and Matteo Berrettini are also missing from the slate, so Roland Garros will be lacking some of its traditional star power.
But it won’t be lacking in talent, intense competition or compelling storylines.
The year’s second major is full of rising superstars like Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, burgeoning new rivalries, young hopefuls seeking their first Grand Slam titles, and, not to mention, Novak Djokovic, who will be looking to make history in Paris.
Which players do you need to keep an eye on? What’s at stake for some of the game’s biggest names? Can anyone replace Nadal in the hearts and minds of fans at his favorite tournament? We try to answer all that and more ahead of Sunday’s opening-round matches.
After competing in every tournament since 2005 and winning a cool 14 titles along the way, Nadal has rightfully been dubbed the “King of Clay,” complete with his own statue on the grounds at Roland Garros. But all good things must come to an end. Nadal was forced to withdraw from his favorite event last week because of a hip injury sustained at the Australian Open in January. But Nadal, who also revealed the 2024 season would likely be his last on tour, did his best to keep things in perspective.
“Tournaments stay forever; players play and leave,” Nadal told reporters. “So Roland Garros will always be Roland Garros, with or without me, without a doubt. The tournament is going to keep being the best event in the world of clay, and there will be a new Roland Garros champion — and it is not going to be me. And that is life.”
Since winning the title in Paris during his debut at the event, Nadal has consistently been the favorite to hoist the trophy at the end of the fortnight, and it almost feels unnatural to be speaking of anyone else in this position. But for those curious, according to Caesars Sportsbook, the top five in order to win the men’s title are as follows: Alcaraz, Djokovic, Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
While no one can replace Nadal, it will be fascinating to see who steps up in his absence and takes advantage of the opportunity.
Another Slam for Djokovic?
As a two-time champion at Roland Garros, and one of the few to defeat Nadal at the event, Djokovic is the de facto top contender for the title in the eyes of many. He proved as recently as 2021 that he has what it takes to win on the red clay, and he has more motivation than ever this time around.
Currently tied with Nadal for the most major titles by a male player in history at 22, Djokovic could break the tie to take sole possession of the men’s record, as well as tie Serena Williams’ record for the most Grand Slam titles in the Open era.
For a self-professed historian of the game like Djokovic, he is more than aware of what’s on the line, and, having just turned 36 and with a crop of young talent now contending for titles, he knows these opportunities can’t be taken for granted. (ESPN)
Djokovic hasn’t exactly played his best tennis as of late, however. In his three tournaments on clay, he went 5-3 and failed to advance past the quarterfinals in any event and withdrew from Madrid with a right elbow injury. While he recorded quality wins over Grigor Dimitrov and Cameron Norrie in Rome, he ultimately fell to Rune, 2-6, 6-4, 2-6, in the quarters. Despite the setbacks, Djokovic said he remained confident entering the French Open.
“I know I can always play better,” Djokovic said after the loss to Rune. “Definitely am looking forward to working on various aspects of my game, of my body, hopefully getting myself in 100% shape. That’s the goal.
“I always like my chances in Grand Slams against anybody on any surface, best-of-five. Let’s see how it goes.”
Djokovic would potentially face Alcaraz in the semifinals, in which case: get your popcorn ready. (ESPN)
The first truly heavyweight clash of this expanded T20 World Cup format comes freighted with both history and subplots. A rematch of the 2010 World T20 final at Kensington Oval, the match pits Jos Buttler’s defending champions – who are aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy – against the Australian winning machine, victors at the 2021 edition and current world title-holders in Test and ODI cricket. And that’s before you throw in the Ashes for afters.
Already there is added pressure on England, after the rain in Bridgetown led to a share of the points in their opener against Scotland (and that having conceded 90 runs from 10 overs without taking a wicket in a tepid bowling display). Lose to their oldest rivals and it will leave their Super 8 prospects open to being waylaid by the perils of net run-rate calculations, or worse.
The Scotland match was the third abandonment in five suffered by England, after a rain-affected home series against Pakistan, which has clearly hampered their readiness for this campaign after almost six months without playing T20 together. It does not take much for a side to click in this format – and England looked in decent shape when they did get on the field against Pakistan – but Buttler will be anxious for things to go their way on Saturday, if only to avoid further questions referencing the team’s disastrous ODI World Cup defence last year.
Australia, under the laidback leadership of Mitchell Marsh would love nothing more than to add to the English sense of jeopardy – having helped bundle them out of the tournament in India on the way to taking the crown. Their head to head record is less impressive in T20 however, with England having won six of the last seven completed encounters, as well as that 2010 final.
Despite a wobble with the bat, Australia avoided mishap against Oman earlier in the week, the experience of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis shining through in difficult batting conditions. Surfaces in the Caribbean – not to mention those games staged in the USA – have already had teams scratching their heads; rather than the “slug-fest” England had prepared for, following a high-scoring tour of the Caribbean in December, it looks as if boxing smart may be the way to go.
Speaking of Warner, this could be the last time he faces up against England in national colours – and another match-winning contribution would likely reduce the chances of them meeting again in the knockouts. On the other side of the card is Jofra Archer, fresh from an emotional maiden outing at Kensington Oval and ready to take on Australia for the first time in any format since 2020. Can Mark Wood fire up England’s campaign, as he did during last summer’s Ashes? Will Pat Cummins be back to harass the old enemy once again? Seconds out, it’s almost time to rumble.
Cummins is set to return after being rested for the Oman game, which saw Mitchell Starc leave the field with cramp. Starc is understood to be fine and could keep his place – which would likely see Nathan Ellis miss out. Marsh is still not fit to bowl, with Australia likely to continue with the allrounder combination of Stoinis and Maxwell to give them cover.
Australia (probable XI): David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis/Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
The one change England may consider is Reece Topley coming in for Wood, with the expectation that there will be some rotation among the seamers through the course of the tournament.
England (probable XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley/Mark Wood
[Cricinfo]
Once is coincidence, twice is a clue, and three times is proof.
To paraphrase Agatha Christie, that is the narrative around South Africa’s meeting with Netherlands at this T20 World Cup.
The Dutch beat South Africa at the 2022 tournament and ended their semi-final hopes in a match where South Africa appeared to be sleep walking, and then beat them again at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they exposed South Africa’s vulnerability in the chase. If they to do the treble, not only will Netherlands take the lead in Group D, but they will offer conclusive evidence of the threat they pose to Full Members, especially South Africa.
Of course, it will take some doing after South Africa’s opening performance against Sri Lanka, where they reduced their opposition to their lowest T20I total and chased it down in fairly straightforward fashion thanks to the most stable middle-order of their white-ball era. In Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa have bankers and big-hitters and, for this match, they also have the advantage of experience. They’ve already played at Eisenhower Park, and have first-hand knowledge that run-scoring doesn’t come easily;Klassen said they are prepared to use their “cricket brains” and play “smarter cricket”.
But the conditions could be good news for Netherlands, who are not naturally a line-up of big hitters and build their innings on a foundation of turning ones into twos. In other words, they tend to take a slightly more conservative approach to batting, which may work well here, but they’ll be wary of the uneven bounce of the surface and will have to come up with plans to counterattack especially against South Africa’s seamers. Their own bowlers were exemplary in Dallas and will look to build on that performance against a line-up that will likely be more proactive than Nepal’s, but who they have managed to keep quiet not once, but twice in the past. Third time’s the charm, they say.
Anrich Nortje’s stunning return to form against Sri Lanka means South Africa may not have to tinker with the bowling combination, and Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi may have to wait their turns to get a game. The batting line-up should be unchanged, with no space for Ryan Rickelton yet.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markam, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Anrich Nortje
Conditions in New York may tempt Netherlands to include an extra seamer and they have Kyle Klein in their squad. But it could come at the expense of a shortened batting line-up and they may not want to risk that.
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma
[Cricinfo]
Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match,as he first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get.
However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed Bangladesh across the line off the last ball of the 19th over.
But this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad Hossain’s three-for through the middle overs also kept Sri Lanka quiet.
Mustafizur was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, their inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 125 for 8 in 19 overs (Towhid Hridoy 40, Litton Das 36; Dhanajaya de Silva 1-11, Nuwan Thushara 4-18, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-32, Matheesha Pathirana 1-27) beat Sri Lanka124 for 9 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 47, Dhananjaya de Silva 21; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-24, Taskin Ahmed 2-25, Mustafizur Rahman 3-17, Rishad Hossain 3-22) by two wickets
[Cricinfo]
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