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Novak Djokovic had to run off court at Australian Open for…
Novak Djokovic had to run off the court at Australian Open for…
Novak Djokovic was forced to take a quick bathroom break at the Australian Open when he told the umpire he needed the toilet five games into his first-round match against Roberto Carballes Baena. The fourth seed was seen asking the official but sprinted off the court and past security before getting a response, as commentators suggested he left without permission.
Djokovic took arguably one of the fastest toilet breaks seen in tennis, in what appeared to be a miscommunication as he asked to use the bathroom before running off the court just 25 minutes into his opening match at the Australian Open.
“Hello? Hello? Hello? I need to go to the toilet,” the Serb told chair official Aurelie Tourte before he ran off the court without waiting for an answer, likely too desperate to wait. A security guard at the entrance of Rod Laver Arena also tries to stop him from running off, but Djokovic quickly returns just seconds after the umpire calls time at the end of the changeover.
Novak Djokovic had to run off the court at Australian Open for…
Commentators on Australia’s host broadcaster Nine were quick to question whether the world No 5 had defied security by running off to the toilet. “He needs to go to the toilet? After five games? Well, I think he’s pulled rank there as well. I think that official was trying to pull him back,” Mark Woodforde remarked.
They continued to discuss the incident among themselves, appearing confused at Djokovic’s decision to take a quick toilet break in the allotted changeover time. “Okay, so I think he’s gone off without permission it seems,” another added.
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“It seemed very strange he wasn’t allowed to go off. And it seems like he did pull rank Because the linesman said ‘no no, you can’t go off at this stage. After the first set, yes’.”
The umpire’s walkie-talkie could then be heard on the broadcast, as Tourte was alerted by security when Djokovic left the court. But he reappeared just moments later, as she called time at the end of the changeover.
Djokovic had been forced to come from 0-40 down in his previous service game before taking his quick toilet break and was able to break Carballes Baena’s serve for the first time in the match when he returned before going on to take the opening set 6-3 in 43 minutes.
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Mick Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel are teaming up to represent Germany at the 2025 Race of Champions (ROC), taking place at Sydney’s Accor Stadium on March 7-8, 2025. First held in 1988, the event will see Schumacher and Vettel team up for the fourth time in their Race of Champions partnership.
They will face off against top competitors from across the motorsport spectrum, spanning single-seaters, rally, and endurance racing.
Vettel, who hasn’t ruled out an F1 return in the future, secured an outright victory at the Race of Champions in London back in 2015. He said in a statement:
“I’m delighted to be coming back to the Race Of Champions and teaming up with Mick again.
“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. Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and I think Fredrik (Johnsson) and his team have selected an incredible venue for the next chapter of ROC.
“I am also supportive of ROC’s efforts taking steps towards becoming a sustainable motorsport event, which started at ROC Sweden.
“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 Semifinals 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, who recently revealed that securing a full-time seat with an F1 team was his ultimate goal, looks forward to the ROC at one of his favorite locations. He added:
“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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Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has issued a warning to Ferrari as Lewis Hamilton prepares to join Charles Leclerc as a teammate next season. Hamilton will leave Mercedes after this season to team up with Leclerc, creating significant intrigue in the sport.
The deal between Hamilton and Ferrari marks a historic move in Formula 1. Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, is set to bring his wealth of experience and competitive spirit to the Maranello-based team. This partnership aims to revitalize Ferrari’s performance, which has seen mixed results in recent years. Hamilton’s unmatched drive and Leclerc’s emerging talent promise a powerful dynamic. Both drivers are motivated by the same goal: to secure championships for Ferrari, a team rich in history but seeking to return to its former glory. Their collaboration is anticipated to be a challenge for the competition and an opportunity to push each other to new heights.
Domenicali emphasized the challenge Hamilton will pose for Leclerc, given Hamilton’s talent, experience, and popularity. The seven-time world champion aims to secure an eighth title with Ferrari, and Domenicali noted the importance of clear team rules to prevent any potential conflicts.
“As a Ferrari enthusiast, it’s an extraordinary opportunity because Lewis is a centraliser. He wants to bring home the eighth title and become the best ever. There will have to be respect with Charles, but it’s clear that when you lower your visor… in any case, the team rules and management must be clear,” Domenicali told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Replacing Hamilton at Mercedes will be 18-year-old Italian prodigy Kimi Antonelli. There’s considerable buzz around Antonelli, alongside other rookies like Oliver Bearman and Jack Doohan who will also debut in F1 next season.
Domenicali expressed his excitement about the influx of young talent and the diverse personalities they bring to the grid. “The young drivers? There are many and what I like is that each one has his own personality,” he added. “We are in a fortunate phase, the drivers are not a problem. The lifeblood of young people is fundamental for us, what F1 must do is to get out of its self-referentiality. I want to see different faces and professionalism.”
This new era in F1 promises to be thrilling as veteran talent and young drivers collide on the track.
The leader of wins in the 2024 Cup Series season achieved his feats without much noise. Kyle Larson currently owns 6 race victories, double the stats held by Cup rivals closest to his heels. Despite numerous instances of on-track scuffles in Cup this year – from the Stenhouse-Busch fistfight to Hocevar spinning Burton – you would not find Kyle Larson on that list. And that is what earned him the respect of a veteran who used to be NASCAR’s Ironman.
Ricky Rudd, a NASCAR Hall of Famer, was a golden phenomenon in his time. The 23-time Cup Series winner was known for his tremendous grit and iron capacity to continue driving even amidst extreme health risks. So recognition from this former HMS driver is no mean feat – but we are talking about Kyle Larson the overachiever.
Making his Cup debut in 1975 at Rockingham Speedway, 18-year-old Ricky Rudd soon developed his signature style of racing. Among his competitors, Rudd earned a name for being a formidable racer. Although he was a clean racer, he taught rivals who messed with him a lesson, as they fell on the wrong side of his bumper. The scrappy driver, the 1997 Brickyard 400 winner, received a fitting nickname for his on-track personality – “Rooster.” His rowdiness was experienced firsthand by veterans like Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, and Dale Earnhardt.
But even the “Rooster” tipped his hat to Kyle Larson’s indomitable calmness of spirit. In a recent interview, the NASCAR Hall of Famer detailed his mindset when he went to race. He did not snuggle with his rivals so much: “You gotta dig down deep when you kind of go out against the competition. Especially when these guys are the best, you know, the best there is…These guys on the racetrack, they were my enemy. I didn’t treat them unkindly, but those were the guys that I purposely wasn’t super close friends with any of them…We were, you know, friends, but just more acquaintances than it was friendship.
Yet Rudd chose to salute Kyle Larson‘s starkly opposite attitude on the racetrack. The Charlotte Roval race winner rarely harbors ill will towards his rivals, and that is what sets his unique driving style, as Rudd said. “I don’t think everybody’s programmed that way. Some guys win and they find a different way to do it. You look at Kyle Larson today. I don’t think he gets mad at anybody, you know. I don’t think he could get mad. But he wins. He’s a heck of a driver and he wins races. Everybody’s got their own way of competing and doing what you have to do to be competitive.” Larson tied Rudd on the wins list when he clinched his 23rd career win last year in Las Vegas.
