Sports
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz no longer fight for your admiration but for the…
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz no longer fight for your admiration but for the…
There was a time when the Rafael Nadal-Carlos Alcaraz rivalry had something artificial or, if you will, something of a local competition, a struggle of affections between the little Spaniards who idolized one and those who began to idolize the other . A generational duel, if you will, but circumscribed to our country and our sport. The idea that, after twenty years of Nadalismo, something else was coming to the cover of Marca o el Ace. The new boy who presented himself as the relay of affection and admiration.
That moment was short lived. How long it takes to see an entire tournament of Carlos Alcaraz, wow. At first, we were told about him, but we didn’t really know what the boy was about. There was talk of his work ethic, of his precocity… and the “new Nadal” thing was repeated so much that we imagined him dominating the clay court, topspinning balls like crazy, refusing to lose a point and much less a game. So, I insist, until we saw him play. And no, it wasn’t that: a furious competitor, Alcaraz shortened plays, had a prodigious right hand and played with his rival, letting go and letting him come .
He wasn’t as serious as Rafa, rather the opposite. He liked to like, which is something very normal at that age. And no, he was not a press artifice or a patch on our patriotism. He was a player of a colossal level. A quarterfinalist in the US Open, a winner in Miami, in Madrid, in the Godó… what began almost like a game, a healthy fight between two compatriots, is leading to an unexpected fight for the top of the ranking world.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz no longer fight for your admiration but for the…
In a strange year like few others – if Wimbledon had distributed points, Djokovic would still be number one in the world despite not playing in Australia or setting foot in North America -, both have arrived in mid-August as the first two of the ATP Race, it is In other words, they are the two players who have accumulated the most points so far this year, since January 1. To the point that, right now, at the time of writing this article, before the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati tournament, they are the only two who only depend on themselves to reach number one in the ranking: if one or another won the US Open, they would occupy that position.
We must insist that it has been a difficult year to evaluate due to everything that has happened to Djokovic and even to Medvedev since the sanctions on Russian players in certain tournaments were implemented. Proof of this is that Daniil is the number one with the fewest accumulated points since the changes in the 2009 ranking. Such a low score (6885 and may be less if he loses his next match in Cincinnati) makes the number of candidates for the ATP throne it multiplies. Whether that is good or bad will have to be decided by each one; now, a number one is a number one, it is not worth making objections or placing asterisks.
Since Nadal does not defend another point between now and the end of the season, it is normal that he is considered the favorite to succeed the Russian player. In the short term, we know that if he wins the US Open he will be number one because no one would get to 7630 points from him. He has the advantage of being the only one who doesn’t depend on what the others do in the final rounds of Cincinnati, something that Alcaraz does not. Before, we used to say that he was the other tennis player who depended on himself, but now we have to admit that this statement is somewhat tricky … and that is that the tournament he is playing is not over yet.
READ MORE: Novak Djokovic has received some good news as his chances of playing the next two Grand Slam tournaments remain up in the air.
Right now, that’s true, before the quarterfinals, no one would reach the 6830 points with which he would finish the US Open if he won it (Nadal, at most, would be a finalist and would keep the same 6830 points). Now, things can happen in between. He could lose tonight against Norrie and Medvedev could win his match and that calculation would not count. Apart from the two Spaniards, as I said before, there are many candidates to be number one in the world : first of all, Medvedev himself. Something more difficult, but not impossible, is Tsitsipas, Ruud or even Auger Aliassime if he gets the Cincinnati-New York double.
Even Alexander Zverev is also in the mix, despite the fact that it is not at all clear that he can play the last grand slam of the season. If he doesn’t, in fact, he can drop down to number five or six in the world. In any case, these are almost anecdotes. On Monday we will have a better idea of what awaits us in this fight, but the really important thing is that the two Spaniards, against all odds, are involved. One, when his time seemed past. The other, when he was yet to arrive. What was going to be a quiet succession has become a rivalry in the present tense. Welcome be.
A former Ferrari engineer has criticised the decision to bring in Lewis Hamilton and thinks the Brit’s presence will mean “a lot of potential for drama”.
At the age of 40, seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton will form a formidable driver partnership with Charles Leclerc. His big switch comes at the expense of Carlos Sainz, who has performed well for the Italian squad but who was axed so they had room for their blockbuster new signing.
But not everyone of a Ferrari persuasion is convinced that it will go well. Ernest Knoors, who spent many years as an engineer at Maranello, specialising in power units, worries that Hamilton’s presence could do more harm than good for a team that is finding its groove under Frederic Vasseur.
“A big name like Hamilton also brings a lot of politics and if politics within Ferrari are not managed well, then there is a lot of potential for drama,” he told Formule1.nl. “Hamilton has the tendency that if things do not work out, he turns his whole car upside down and starts experimenting.
“Ferrari believes very much in the big personalities and will follow him. But Hamilton is just someone you have to guide a little bit and not give the freedom to rebuild the whole car, because then it will go completely wrong. So I do not know if it is such a smart move, but of course it is nice for the sport.”
News of Hamilton’s planned move broke on February 1, coinciding with football’s Transfer Deadline Day. That the back pages of many newspapers were dominated by the decision of Hamilton to swap Mercedes for Ferrari was testament to the magnitude of the announcement.
Sainz was not surprised as he had been informed by his team of the plan ahead of it being made public. But the Spaniard responded well with two victories to date this season and five further appearances on the podium, on the way to what looks likely to be a fifth-placed finish in the championship – two spots and 54 points ahead of Hamilton.
Sainz has signed for Williams next year and, after several years of running at the front of the grid, will focus on his new challenge of helping restore one of the grid’s most historic teams to its former glory. But Knoors believes he should have been kept on by Ferrari instead.
The Dutchman added: “I see Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari more as a PR move. With all due respect, Hamilton is not going to take that Ferrari from P6 to P1. He will get the most out of it, but what Ferrari has to do is make that car faster. And if you make that car faster, you can easily drive at the front with the current line-up.
“Besides, as a team you have to look further on the horizon. If Hamilton becomes champion in the coming years, he and Ferrari will become immortal. But if you want to build a team with talent for the next five years, are you going to build on Hamilton? No, because he will really be finished after two or three years. That is why I would have kept the very strong line-up that Ferrari has now.”
THERE IS COMMENT BOX AFTER THE ADS, SHARE YOUR THOUGHT WITH US
Chase Elliott had a front-row seat for one of NASCAR’s most bizarre moments of the 2024 Cup Series season. At the start of Stage 2, the pace car dove onto pit road in front of Elliott; however, it was a tad too late. The pace car made contact with the sand barrels at the entry of pit road and caused a red flag for cleanup.
Initially, there was some speculation on the NBC Sports broadcast, even from the No. 9 team, that Elliott made contact with the pace car. Fortunately, the pace car didn’t slide across the No. 9 car’s nose, but it undoubtedly provided one of NASCAR’s craziest red flag moments in recent memory.
Below, you can listen to Elliott and the No. 9 team react to the pace car crashing into the sand barrels on pit road at Phoenix during Championship Weekend!
Reflecting on the recent retirement of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt didn’t mince words about the toll NASCAR takes on its drivers. Speaking candidly, the two-time Daytona 500 winner admitted that the pressure to perform every week left him feeling miserable for most of his racing career—a sentiment he believes is shared by many of his peers.
“Right or wrong, racing made me a miserable person 90% of the time,” Earnhardt confessed. “And him too. I mean, ask Kyle Busch, ask anybody—unless you’re winning, you’re not happy.”
For these elite drivers, the sport is a relentless grind. A podium finish might bring temporary relief, but anything short of victory is often a source of frustration. The immense effort poured into preparation and execution rarely feels like it pays off unless the checkered flag is theirs.
Earnhardt highlighted the mental toll of falling short, explaining how the relentless focus on winning can overshadow the joy of simply competing. Even a solid performance feels hollow compared to the euphoria of a win.
“Unless you’re winning, you’re not happy at all,” he said. “You’re okay with a good run, but for the most part, all the effort it takes just to run good—it doesn’t weigh out.”
For drivers, the stakes are sky-high every week. Sponsors, fans, and teams demand nothing less than excellence, leaving little room for error or personal satisfaction in anything less than a dominant performance.
Earnhardt also shared insights into his friendship with Martin Truex Jr., who recently announced his retirement. While the two often spend time hunting together during NASCAR’s off-season, Earnhardt noted that the stress of racing even creeps into their leisure activities.
“When I’m with him during hunting season, it’s always in the back of his mind,” Earnhardt said. “It’s that stressful part of the year when he’s as miserable as he’s going to be.”
Now, with Truex stepping away from the track, Earnhardt looks forward to seeing a lighter, happier version of his long-time friend. Without the weight of weekly competition hanging over him, Truex might finally be able to relax and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle he cherishes.
“It’ll be fun to see him loosen up,” Earnhardt added.
THERE IS COMMENT BOX AFTER THE ADS, SHARE YOUR THOUGHT WITH US
