Sports
Djokovic Storms the Court and Into Controversy, Again
Djokovic Storms the Court and Into Controversy, Again
Three days into the Open, Djokovic has put himself at the center of the mounting international crisis in the Balkans, where ethnic Serbs and Albanians have clashed in recent days in the conflict over Kosovo.
The message that the Serbian tennis star scrawled Monday night on a plexiglass plate overlaid on a television camera lens — “Kosovo is at the heart of Serbia” — has sports officials calling for him to be disciplined, muzzled, or both, and Albanian loyalists calling him a fascist.
“A drama-free Grand Slam, I don’t think it will happen for me,” Djokovic said after he beat Marton Fucsovics of Hungary on Wednesday night. “I guess that drives me, as well.”
Djokovic Storms the Court and Into Controversy
The 22-time Grand Slam tournament champion struggled to find his timing early on, with the wind gusting as day turned to night. But as the light faded the wind did too, and Djokovic cruised, finishing off the steady Fucsovics, 7-6 (2), 6-0, 6-3, in two hours and 44 minutes. But as it is so often with Djokovic, what is happening on the tennis court this week is only a fraction of the story.
The World Health Organization recently declared an end to the Covid-19 health emergency. The United States ended its requirement for foreign travelers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, ending the discussion of Djokovic’s decision not to receive the vaccination.
READ MORE Successful Surgery But What Happens Next- Rafael Nadal In Needs of Prayer
He was forced to skip some of the most important tournaments in tennis over the past two years, and last year was detained and deported from Australia ahead of the Open.
He didn’t even have to worry about his main nemesis, Rafael Nadal missing this year’s French Open, a tournament he has won 14 times, because of an injury. Djokovic continues his usual march toward the tournament’s second week — though the top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz may pose trouble.
After Djokovic’s first-round match on Monday, like every winning player on the stadium courts at major tennis tournaments, he grabbed a marker for the traditional signing of the courtside television camera.
The practice, which began in the 2000s as a way for players to connect with fans, gives them an opportunity to send an international television audience a typically cheerful message like “Vamos!” (Spanish for “Let’s go!”), wish a loved one “happy birthday” or write their child’s name.
Occasionally the scrawl expresses a political opinion. In the days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Russian player Andrey Rublev wrote “No War Please” on the lens plate.
Writing in his native language and drawing a heart, Djokovic’s message followed a weekend of violent clashes between Serbian protesters and NATO forces who have been trying to maintain a tense peace in the region for 15 years.
Serbian Novak Djokovic has defended writing “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence” on a camera following his first round win at the French Open.https://t.co/aLg7sRbych pic.twitter.com/eVQMUuze96
— The Irish Times (@IrishTimes) May 31, 2023
Roughly an hour later, during the Serbian portion of his post-match news conference, Djokovic, whose past political statements have been suffused with Serbian nationalism, doubled down.
“I am against wars, violence and any kind of conflict, as I’ve always stated publicly,” Djokovic said, according to the widely circulated translations. “I empathize with all people, but the situation with Kosovo is a precedent in international law.” He called Kosovo, “our hearthstone, our stronghold,” and said, “Our most important monasteries are there.”
Almost immediately, the statements sparked the expected reactions at the polarized ends of the conflict: hero worship from Serbs, and outrage from the ethnic Albanians who account for the overwhelming majority of the population in Kosovo but are vastly outnumbered in a handful of villages and small cities. The groups, Orthodox Christians on one side, Muslims on the other, have been fighting on and off for control in the region for hundreds of years, dating back to the Ottoman Empire.
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Jeta Xharra, a human-rights activist in Kosovo, said in an interview Tuesday that Djokovic’s statements represented a “medieval mentality” that she compared to the thinking that led Russia to invade Ukraine last year.
“It’s appalling for a man of his stature to use sports to push a fascist mentality,” she said.
The Kosovan Olympic Committee has called for the International Olympic Committee and the International Tennis Federation to take disciplinary action against Djokovic.
For its part, French Open officials have opted to stay out of the conflict. There is nothing in the rule book that prohibits a player from making political statements. France’s tennis federation, the F.F.T., said it was “understandable” that players would discuss international events. However, the French sports minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, called Djokovic’s statement “inappropriate” during a television interview, saying it was “very activist” and “very political” and that he “shouldn’t get involved again.”
Judging from Djokovic’s recent and not-so-recent behavior, that is not an option, and he said as much during his statement after his first match.
“This is the least I could have done,” he said in his native language. “I feel the responsibility as a public figure — doesn’t matter in which field — to give support.”
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Sports
Can this be the road to marriage?. Lewis Hamilton drops a like on Camila Cabello being the world’s best ex-girlfriend
Can this be the road to marriage?. Lewis Hamilton drops a like on Camila Cabello being the world’s best ex-girlfriend
After spending a fun day at the tracks of Miami, Camila Cabello dropped a photo and video dump on her Instagram from her day on the circuit. The first picture that she uploaded is one of her blowing a kiss wearing a teeshirt that reads, “World’s best ex-girlfriend.” The pop star called it quits with her boyfriend back in 2021 and while they got back together in 2023 for a brief period, things did not work out for them.
The second picture is one of her wearing the same clothes in a different pose, and the third post in the carousel is a video of her singing at the Miami Grand Prix Day 2. The rest of the carousel is full of pictures of her from the time she was in Miami on Saturday.
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Camila Cabello’s post has received a lot of attention online with the post having more than a million likes in just one day. Among the people to like the post is none other than the 7-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton and this is starting to create a buzz online.
Other Celebrities to react to Camila Cabello’s post
While Lewis Hamilton dropped a simple like on the post, there were other popular figures who had something to share about the post. Among the celebrities was Lil Nas X, a pop star and rapper who has taken off by winning millions of hearts with his edge music style. He commented on the post saying, “U so bad shawty.”
Another artist that took to the comments section was EDM DJ and Producer, Diplo who simply complimented Cabello by saying the word “Hottest” with a fire emoji. Other celebrities to comment on the post included Tate McRae who commented, “u are so hot” and Greeicy who said, “TALENTOSAAAA.” Making things interesting, MTV LA’s official Instagram page also commented on the post saying, “i luv it.”
That being said, Camila Cabello received a lot of attention during the Miami Grand Prix, and along with the carousel, she also made an Instagram reel with the famous child yelling Leclerc audio to add to the F1 trend.
What do you think of having such high-profile fans in the audience at Grand Prix weekends? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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This is Huge $300M-worth: Dale Earnhardt Jr receives back priceless piece of dad’s legacy from his former pit crew member
This is Huge $300M-worth: Dale Earnhardt Jr receives back priceless piece of dad’s legacy from his former pit crew member
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was presented with a heartwarming gift, symbolic of his father’s legacy, from Danny “Chocolate” Myers and Kirk Shelmerdine in the latest episode of Dale Jr Download. Chocolate Myers worked as a fueler for the #3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team.
He was an integral part of the pit crew during all of Dale Earnhardt Sr’s six championship triumphs with RCR. Kirk Shelmerdine served as the crew chief of the #3 Chevy team from 1984
to 1992. In a recent episode of Dale Jr. Download, Myers presented Dale Earnhardt Jr, worth $300 million (via Celebrity Net Worth), his father’s iconic goggles as a gift.
Myers fondly reminisced how he would retrieve the goggles from the #3 Chevy every week after the race
“I got ready to come down here and I looked around and I’m going – I’ve got a couple of things right. And remember I was the guy that when we came back from the race track, went out put the car on the lift, started to get it clean and your dad would always take these off and leave them hanging on the mirror and I would always reach in and grab them. These are a pair of your dad’s goggles,” Myers said.
The former ‘Flying Aces’ RCR pit crew member further mentioned that these particular goggles were from a Daytona Duel win, which he inscribed on the strap. However, he later confessed that he forgot to
mention the year:
“I wrote on the strap when I took them out of the car ‘Winner Daytona 125’. Now unfortunately, when I wrote that on there I didn’t put what year. So these could be [from any year]… cause we won it
ten years straight man and nobody’s ever going to do that. So I wanted to give you those to hang on the wall.”
Dale Earnhardt Sr. won 10 straight duel races between 1990-99 and won 34 races at the Daytona International Speedway, including the 1998 Daytona 500 victory
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This is Bad: Kevin Harvick Exposed What NASCAR is Making Chase Elliott Going Through
Chase Elliott is the last remaining representative of illustrious lineages in the world of NASCAR. Throughout the sport’s history, there have been numerous superstar drivers who come from legendary racing families, such as the Petty, Earnhardt, Wallace, and Allison families. However, over time, this trend has diminished, leaving only Hendrick Motorsports as the last stronghold of these great lineages.
While being born into a family of drivers may grant certain advantages and access, it also comes with a tremendous burden. These drivers must constantly strive to live up to the legacy and achievements of their predecessors. Chase Elliott, in particular, faces the daunting task of matching the exceptional performance achieved by his father, a former champion. For others, this bar may seem unattainable.
During a recent episode of the Happy Hour podcast with Chase Elliott, the 2014 Cup champion discussed the immense pressure that drivers like Elliott and Dale Jr. face. He expressed that this pressure is unwarranted and something these drivers cannot escape.
In the same podcast, Chase Elliott shared that his passion for racing stems from the competitive nature of the sport. He emphasized that this motivation has been a constant force in his life since childhood.
As the driver of the #9 car for Hendrick Motorsports, Elliott has already emerged from his father’s shadow and established his own legacy by winning championships. However, he still has much more to contribute to the sport and the fans who have embraced him. Undoubtedly, they would love to see him end his career as a multiple champion.
Can this be the road to marriage?. Lewis Hamilton drops a like on Camila Cabello being the world’s best ex-girlfriend
This is Huge $300M-worth: Dale Earnhardt Jr receives back priceless piece of dad’s legacy from his former pit crew member
