Sports
Australian Open: Defending champion Rafael Nadal knocked out in second round
Tennis top seed Rafael Nadal’s defence of his Australian Open title has ended in defeat by American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round.
Nadal was knocked out by American world No 65 Mackenzie McDonald 6-4 6-4 7-5.
The top seed was already in trouble at a set and a break down to unseeded McDonald when he crouched down in obvious pain clutching his left hip after chasing out wide for a forehand, according to a Sky News report.
Nadal called for the trainer after limping through the rest of the game and headed off court for treatment.
The last time a top seed (Nadal) was ousted in the second round of the Australian Open was against Gustavo Kuerten in 2001.
A retirement seemed on the cards, with the Spaniard’s wife Maria crying in the stands, but he opted to continue despite limping around the court.
Nadal managed to hold his serve until the 11th game, roared on by fans still believing he could somehow turn things around, but it was a case of when not if McDonald would find a way through and he soon polished off the win.
Nadal later revealed he had come into the match with an issue in his hip that then became significantly worse.
He said: “It has been a couple of days like this, but nothing like today in that movement. We’re going to start talking about that now, but I don’t know what’s going on, if it’s muscle, if it’s joint.
“I have history in the hip. I had to do treatments in the past, address it a little [but there] was not this amount of problem. Now I feel I cannot move.
“I tried until the end. I don’t know if in good conditions I will win the match, I will have better chances without a doubt. But at the end, that’s it. I just tried. It was not possible.”
It was a hugely sad way for Nadal to exit the tournament a year after his near-miraculous run to the title when he feared his career may have been over because of a chronic foot problem, and there must be serious doubt over whether he will play again at Melbourne Park.
He went on to win a 22nd Grand Slam title at the French Open last year but has found the going tough since suffering an abdominal tear and pulling out of Wimbledon ahead of the semi-finals.
Nadal went into a first-round clash with Britain’s Jack Draper having lost six of his previous seven matches and, although he scrapped to a four-set victory, was some way below his best.
The same was true in the early stages against McDonald, a 27-year-old ranked 65th looking for his first victory over a top-five player at a Grand Slam.
The match was played under the roof on Rod Laver Arena on a wet day in Melbourne, and the indoor conditions certainly suited the flat-hitting McDonald.
Nadal, who complained before the tournament about the balls, produced a couple of trademark forehands but there were also too many errors, and more often than not it was he who broke down first in baseline rallies.
Asked why he did not retire, Nadal said: “I didn’t want to retire being defending champion here. Better like this at the end. I lost; nothing to say.”
Sports
French football star, Paul Pogba’s blackmail trial begin in Paris
French football star, Paul Pogba’s blackmail trial begin in Paris
Six men linked to Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba go on trial Tuesday, accused of blackmail, attempted extortion of millions of euros and holding the player at gunpoint.
The case at the Paris criminal court has shocked the French football world because the alleged perpetrators include three childhood friends and Pogba’s own brother Mathias.
Tuesday’s trial comes on top of football woes for Pogba, whose career has struggled since France’s 2018 World Cup win when he scored against Croatia in the Moscow final.
He suffered repeated injuries that led to his 2022 departure from Manchester United, returning to Juventus where he remained in and out of treatment.
The Turin club this month cancelled his contract following his suspension until March 2025 for doping.
The six defendants in Paris are accused of attempting to squeeze 13 million euros ($13.5 million) out of Pogba.
His brother, Mathias was the one to go public in the case, publishing a video on social media in August 2022 promising revelations about his younger brother that were “likely to be explosive”.
In a subsequent clip, Mathias accused Paul Pogba of casting an evil spell on his France teammate, Kylian Mbappe.
Paul Pogba’s lawyers and his agent Rafaela Pimenta said in a statement later the videos “came on top of threats and attempts at extortion”.
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He had already filed criminal complaints in Italy and France in July that year.
Pogba told French investigators he had in March 2022 been “tricked by childhood friends” from the gritty Paris suburb where he and Mathias grew up.
He accused them of snatching him before he was held at gunpoint by two hooded men with assault rifles, demanding 13 million euros for “services rendered” and blaming him for not helping them financially.
Pogba said at the time that he had paid them only 100,000 euros.
The footballer said he had also been pressured at the France national team’s training centre in Clairefontaine, at one of his homes in Manchester, and at Juventus’ training ground.
Pogba added that he had also paid a bill of more than 57,000 euros that the same friends had racked up at the Adidas store on Paris’ glitzy Champs-Elysees avenue.
“It’s been really difficult for me off the pitch, what’s happened, it’s been especially hard mentally,” Pogba told broadcaster Al-Jazeera at the end of the last season.
“Money changes people, it’s the truth, it can destroy a family, start a war”.
Paul Pogba’s lawyer Pierre-Jean Douvier declined to comment ahead of the case when contacted by AFP.
His friends have all denied the allegations.
They had “a friendly relationship, with chats, joking around, and alongside that, yes, maybe Paul Pogba gave them a helping hand,” said Karim Morand-Lahouazi, a lawyer for one of the accused.
French football star, Paul Pogba’s blackmail trial begin in Paris
Sports
Ronaldo’s brace propels Al Nassr toward AFC champions league quarters
Ronaldo’s brace propels Al Nassr toward AFC champions league quarters
Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a stellar performance for Al Nassr, scoring twice in their 3-1 victory over Al Gharafa in Qatar.
The win, secured at Al Bayt Stadium on Monday, leaves the Saudi champions needing only three points from their final three group matches to reach the AFC Champions League quarterfinals.
The 39-year-old faced initial frustration after several missed chances in the first half. However, Ronaldo broke the deadlock just 50 seconds into the second half, heading home Sultan Al Ghannam’s pinpoint cross from close range.
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Angelo Gabriel, a summer signing from Chelsea, doubled Al Nassr’s lead in the 58th minute. Moments later, the Brazilian setup Ronaldo for his second goal of the night, bringing his tally to four in this season’s competition. The Portuguese star was substituted in the 74th minute after his decisive contributions.
Al Gharafa pulled one back through Joselu, Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate. However, their hopes of a comeback were dashed when Seydou Sano received a second yellow card and was sent off in the 84th minute.
The victory ensures Al Nassr remains unbeaten in five matches in the Western zone of the draw. They now sit second in the 12-team standings, inching closer to a coveted spot in the tournament’s last eight.
Ronaldo’s performance reaffirms his status as a key player, driving Al Nassr’s aspirations in the rebranded AFC Champions League.
Ronaldo’s brace propels Al Nassr toward AFC champions league quarters
Sports
Mo Salah disappointed as Liverpool fails to offer new contract
Mo Salah disappointed as Liverpool fails to offer new contract
Mohamed Salah says he is disappointed by Liverpool’s failure to offer him a new contract and believes he is “more out than in” as he nears the end of his existing deal.
The 32-year-old, who has scored 12 goals in all competitions this season, is out of contract at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
The Egypt international showed his enduring value on Sunday, scoring twice in Liverpool’s 3-2 victory at Southampton, which took them eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
But his comments after the match suggest Salah, who arrived at Anfield in 2017 and has won the Champions League and Premier League with the club, could leave for free.
“We are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club,” he said. “I’m probably more out than in.
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“You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end it is not in my hands.”
Salah is one of the three key Liverpool players who will soon be heading into the last six months of their deals, with Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold also out of contract at the end of the season.
All three will be free to speak to overseas clubs in January if they do not sign an extension before then.
Asked if he was disappointed not to have received an offer from Liverpool, Salah added: “Of course, yeah. I love the fans. The fans love me. In the end it is not in my hands or the fans’ hands. Let’s wait and see.
“I’m not going to retire soon so I’m just playing, focusing on the season and I’m trying to win the Premier League and hopefully the Champions League as well. I’m disappointed but we will see.”
Mo Salah disappointed as Liverpool fails to offer new contract
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