Sports
Djokovic Snubbed Nadal To Back up Carlos Alcaraz
Djokovic Snubbed Nadal To Back up Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic has shut down suggestions that Carlos Alcaraz isn’t the true world No 1 after being unable to play several tournaments this season. Some have pointed out that the 19-year-old may not have ascended to the top if Djokovic had been able to play the Australian and US Open, and if Wimbledon offered points. But the Serb did think that Rafael Nadal would try and catch Alcaraz at the top
Djokovic has experienced a season like no other, with his unvaccinated status preventing him from playing multiple big tournaments including the Australian Open, US Open and Masters 1000s in Indian Wells, Miami, Canada and Cincinnati. The 35-year-old still managed to win a Grand Slam title this year at Wimbledon, though there were no ranking points on offer after the ATP removed them as punishment for the tournament banning Russians.
Djokovic Snubbed Nadal To Back up Carlos Alcaraz
It means the Serb currently sits at No 7 in the world while his long-time rival Nadal is up at No 2. Alcaraz recently became the youngest world No 1 in ATP history at the age of just 19 off the back of his US Open title win, though he has since been told that he was helped by Djokovic’s lack of points.
READ MORE: Djokovic considers signing up for the ‘Plan Nadal’
The Spaniard’s compatriot Albert Ramos Vinolas has been among those claiming that things would have been different if the 21-time Grand Slam champion was able to compete more, but Djokovic has now silenced the doubters as he said Alcaraz deserved to be the top-ranked man. “Alcaraz is the world No 1, he is the best,” he told Sportal.
“It is a fact that I played less, Wimbledon points did not count, maybe it would have been different in different circumstances, but that is a ’what if’. “It is what it is, he absolutely deserved to be where he is – I congratulate him for all the success he has had.”
Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher will form a ‘super team’ for Germany again at the Race of Champions in 2025, taking place in Sydney in March.
The popular annual event is often a prelude to the motorsport season getting underway in earnest, and Vettel and Schumacher will form Germany’s line-up in the Nations Cup for a fourth time when the event heads to Australia next year.
Schumacher finished as runner-up in the individual ROC event in its last running in 2023, losing out to World Rallycross and DTM champion Mattias Ekström back in 2023.
The German is currently being discussed as one of the candidates to fill the uncontracted seat at Sauber next season, with chief operating and chief technical officer Mattia Binotto having recently confirmed he is among the drivers being spoken about for a potential return to Formula 1.
Vettel won the ROC Nations Cup with Mick’s father, seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher on six occasions, while having finished as runner-up with the former Haas driver while he was in Formula 3 back in 2019.
Four-time World Champion Vettel won the Champion of Champions event in London back in 2015 and took the runner-up spot in 2022, with the duo uniting once again next year.
“I’m delighted to be coming back to the Race Of Champions and teaming up with Mick again,” Vettel said.
“It will be exciting to race in the former Olympic Stadium in Sydney that looks like it will be a great venue for the Race Of Champions.
“All the drivers who have the honour to participate in ROC fall in love with the event, because it reminds us about why we first started racing; pure competition and of course with the identical cars there are no excuses.
“I will do everything I can to help Germany win another ROC Nations Cup Title with Mick on the Friday evening, but I will not be doing him any favours when we are going for the outright win on the Saturday night, especially as he beat me in the semi-finals of the Individual ROC in Sweden in 2023!
“At ROC the racing is always intense on the track and everyone wants to win, but it’s also about putting on a great show for the fans.”
Schumacher added: “Australia is one of my favourite places and representing Germany together with Sebastian at ROC Sydney will for sure be big fun.
“After finishing 2nd in the individual ROC in Sweden in 2023 and in the ROC Nations Cup in ROC Mexico with Seb, the goal this time has to be the overall winners trophy both in the ROC Nations Cup on Friday night and in the individual Race Of Champions on Saturday.
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Lewis Hamilton’s shocking spin at the United States Grand Prix last Sunday brought an early end to his race weekend.
It also trimmed the number of race weekends he has left with Mercedes, before his move to Ferrari for the 2025 Formula 1 season, down to five.
With Mercedes sitting fourth in the Constructors’ Championship standings, and Hamilton currently sixth in the Drivers’ Championship, any dreams of one last championship with the Silver Arrows ended weeks ago. But that does not mean that Toto Wolff wants Hamilton’s final race weekends with the team to fizzle out, as the Mercedes boss discussed Sunday following the United States Grand Prix.
“[Ending the season on a high note], we are keen on that, but how his mindset is, and how the relationships are in the team, is as good as we ever had,” said Wolff to the media, including SB Nation, on Sunday evening in Mercedes’ hospitality space.
“First thing he said? He apologized for the incident,” continued Wolff, recalling what Hamilton said after his Lap 2 spin. “As I said before, I don’t think it was his fault. Something caught him out.
“So it’s great and we want to celebrate it, and finish on a high, and I’m sure we will. Whether we can do it with great performance in the car? That would be fantastic,” said Wolff.
“But if not, then we think we gave it our best shot.”
Chase Elliott is undoubtedly one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR right now. His #9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is also very popular and is synonymous with him. While the #9 car has a rich history, and is one of the most iconic numbers in stock car racing, for Elliott, it had an extra special meaning. Elliott inherited the number at Hendrick Motorsports to honor his father, Bill Elliott, a former NASCAR driver.
Chase a Cup Series champion, made his Cup Series debut with Hendrick Motorsports back in 2015. His first race was the 2015 STP 500 at Martinsville. Elliott’s debut car was the #25 Chevrolet that he drove with crew chief Kenny Francis.
His first full-time season with HMS was in 2016 when he took over the #24 Chevrolet from Jeff Gordon. Gordon decided to retire from the sport at the end of 2015, and HMS brought Elliott in for the #24. The Dawsonville-born driver drove the same car in his sophomore season as well.
Ahead of the 2018 season, Hendrick Motorsports announced Chase Elliott would take over the #9 car. The #24 was given to William Byron, and the former still drives the same numbered car. So why did Elliott change his number after two years?
He did so to honor his father, Bill Elliott. Elliott Sr. is a former NASCAR driver, a Cup Series champion, and a two-time Daytona 500 winner. He was popular for driving the #9 car in the NASCAR Cup Series, first doing so in 1976.
He continued driving the car for a significant amount of time, and as he kept on winning races, the number 9 became more popular every single year. Leaving aside a few breaks, Bill Elliott kept the #9 car with him till 2004.
Following Elliott Sr., Kasey Kahne, Marcos Ambrose, and Sam Hornish Jr., all drove the 9 car for Richard Petty Motorsports until Hendrick Motorsports claimed the number back. Eventually, Chase Elliott inherited the #9 car in 2018 and continues to drive the same.
