Rafael Nadal's French Open haul is the only record in sport that will never be broken, according to Richard Krajicek.
And the former Wimbledon champion believes Nadal could yet add a 15th Roland Garros title in what is set to be his final year on the circuit.
Indeed, Krajicek believes Nadal's great rival Novak Djokovic would even be hoping to see the Spaniard succeed again in Paris.
While Djokovic's 24 singles grand slam triumphs edge out Nadal's 22, his performances at the clay-court major are unmatched.
Nadal has 14 French Open titles, losing only three times in 115 matches at the event.
Although he did not compete last year, as Djokovic earned his third Roland Garros championship, a winning return in 2024 would provide a fitting conclusion to a legendary career.
"It would be great for Nadal to go for the clay and win one more French Open," Krajicek told Stats Perform.
"I think every record in sports or in tennis can and will probably be broken. I'm pretty sure the only one that will never be broken is the 14 French Open titles from Rafael Nadal. I don't see how somebody can win 14 titles."
Of the possibility of one last win for Nadal, Krajicek added: "It would be just incredible.
"I think everybody in tennis, probably including his competition, Djokovic or [Carlos] Alcaraz, would love for Rafa to win one more French Open."
That is a realistic aim, according to Krajicek, although he does not see Nadal competing for the top prize at either Wimbledon or the US Open.
"For me, [the French Open] is the only one. If he wins any grand slam, it's that one," the 1996 All England Club winner said. "I don't think he'll ever win Wimbledon again, also not the US Open.
"I don't know how good his body is, but the feeling and how much he played or how little he played... I think, for me, only the French Open. Roland Garros is the only one he can win."
Asked for his reflections on Nadal's legacy, Krajicek replied: "I think his legacy will be of a great champion, number two in grand slams, so one of the greatest ever, unbelievable.
"A great person, humble person, and probably the biggest fighter we've ever seen in any sports arena, in any sport. Just an incredibly mentally strong athlete."
Course experience is backed to be Broadway Boy’s key asset after connections elected to take their chance in a red-hot Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Willie Mullins’ impressive Dublin Racing Festival scorer Fact To File is the odds-on favourite for the Grade One event which could also feature previous Festival winner Stay Away Fay and highly-regarded Irish novice Montys Star.
However, the Broadway Boy team feel their top-notch staying prospect has the class to make his mark in a race that trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies has won twice in the past and in which big-race jockey Sam Twiston-Davies won 12 months ago aboard The Real Whacker.
“He will be going for the Brown Advisory,” said Willy Twiston-Davies, who in his role as assistant to his father, plays a key part in readying the David Proos-owned six-year-old.
“The owner came down yesterday and we had a good chat, we both said what we thought and he was very keen for Sam to ride him so that’s the way we decided to go.
“Blaklion and Young Hustler have both won it and of course Sam won the race last year on The Real Whacker, so lets hope we can do it again.”
Despite the stiff opposition, the Twiston-Davies team have never shirked a challenge and Broadway Boy has already advertised his liking of Prestbury Park by winning three of his four outings at the track.
His sole defeat came at the hands of Flooring Porter early in his fencing career, but since then he has downed quality opposition – firstly in a Listed event at the November meeting before returning to see off Grand National hopeful Threeunderthrufive and one-time Gold Cup third Protektorat in December.
Twiston-Davies added: “We believe in our horse and although it looks a good renewal of the Brown Advisory and Fact To File has looked very good, we’ve got very decent course form, he tries very hard and he has a bit of class. Hopefully he will run really well.
“He loves it round Cheltenham and he’s in very good order. His piece of form at Cheltenham at the December meeting sticks out and a lot of novices haven’t reached that level that he has, so we’re very much looking forward to running him.”
Wales boss Warren Gatland has sprung a major selection surprise by omitting established centres George North and Nick Tompkins from his line-up for Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations clash with France.
But Wales assistant coach Mike Forshaw says both players have “jumped back on the horse” after being left out, with a new midfield pairing of Joe Roberts and Owen Watkin preferred.
While North and Tompkins have 155 caps between them – North is Wales’ most experienced Six Nations squad member – 23-year-old Scarlets centre Roberts will make his first tournament start and Watkin is recalled after featuring against opening opponents Scotland.
“I think it is an opportunity to have a look at Joe,” Forshaw said. “I think Joe was unlucky not to go to the World Cup.
“We just felt if we were going to have a look, this was the game to do it. He (Roberts) is a really promising young 13 going forward, and Owen Watkin has a lot of experience.
“I suppose there is always a risk in every selection, but I suppose we have to be confident in the messages we are giving and the coaching we are doing.
“They (North and Tompkins) are not injured. Nick and George have been spoken to. They firmly believe in what we are doing.
“I don’t think they have been dropped. They have had two games together and they have done extremely well.
“But we have got to see Joe playing, and we are going to see him. We’ve decided to make that switch this week, and we’ve got to back him.”
Wales have lost their last four Six Nations games against France, but they tackle a struggling Les Bleus team defeated by Ireland and one that drew at home against Italy either side of narrowly beating Scotland.
Wales, though, have yet to win in this season’s competition ahead of their final two fixtures against France and Italy, which are both at the Principality Stadium.
Forshaw added: “The two boys were disappointed, but this morning they jumped back on the horse and they were very supportive of Owen and Joe. George is a great man around this environment, and he totally gets it.
“I would be disappointed if they weren’t disappointed. Selection day is always tough because you want to be in the team, you want to play for Wales.
“This morning they were both great. They were down yesterday, which I get because I have been there and know what it is like, but the two boys who have come in they will fully support them.
“It’s just finding out what the next World Cup cycle is going to look like in material and personnel. I think at the end of this tournament we will have a good idea who is going to Australia (on Wales’ summer tour) and then going into the autumn.”
Elsewhere, Wales captain Dafydd Jenkins has been switched from lock to blindside flanker, with Will Rowlands called up as Adam Beard’s second-row partner, while hooker Ryan Elias replaces Elliot Dee.
It will be Jenkins’ first appearance in the number six shirt for club or country, and he takes over from Alex Mann.
Rowlands missed Wales’ opening Six Nations appointment with Scotland after his partner gave birth, and he then featured off the bench in defeats to England and Ireland.
Mann is among the replacements, where his colleagues include fellow Cardiff forward Mackenzie Martin, 49 times-capped Dee and Scarlets scrum-half Gareth Davies.
“I don’t think it is a risk with Daf at six,” Forshaw said. “He is around two very smart back-rowers.
“Will Rowlands played 70 minutes on the weekend in Paris (for his club Racing 92). I saw glimpses of him getting back to his best. I think it is a good fit for us this week.”
George Russell has said he would welcome the exciting challenge of going up against Max Verstappen at Mercedes.
Verstappen has won 18 of the last 19 races but his future at Red Bull is in the spotlight after his father Jos Verstappen called on team principal Christian Horner to be dismissed.
The apparent division at Red Bull has led to speculation that Verstappen, 26, could leave if Horner remains in his post – and Mercedes have refused to rule out a move for the triple world champion.
A vacancy has opened up at the Silver Arrows for 2025 following Lewis Hamilton’s shock decision to join Ferrari next season.
“This is my third season alongside Lewis, the greatest of all time, and I feel like I have done a pretty good job alongside him,” said Russell.
“So, whoever were to line up alongside me, I welcome the challenge.
“You want to go against the best. I am focused on myself but I believe I can beat anybody on the grid. Having Lewis as my benchmark has been a good benchmark for sure.”
Verstappen’s current deal with Red Bull runs until 2028.
Russell continued: “Any team wants to have the best driver line-up possible and right now Max is the best driver on the grid.
“If any team had a chance to sign Max they would 100 per cent be taking it, but the question is on his side and Red Bull’s side and we don’t know what is truly going on behind closed doors and it is none of our business, but it would be exciting.”
Russell was speaking ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and only a handful of days after Verstappen Snr cast doubt over his son’s Red Bull seat.
Verstappen Snr said: “There is tension here while he (Horner) remains in position.
“The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.”
Verstappen will face the media in Jeddah later on Wednesday, while Horner, who held clear-the air-talks with his star driver’s manager Raymond Vermeulen earlier this week, will be in Thursday’s FIA team principals’ press conference.
Luka Doncic does not have answers for the dismal Dallas Mavericks defense, after another of his triple-doubles meant little in a loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Doncic posted 39 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists on Tuesday, registering his 14th triple-double of the season.
The Slovenian is averaging 34.6 points per game this season, and is on course for a career-best PPG return.
Yet in spite of Doncic averaging 37.3 points in the past six games, the Mavericks have lost five of those.
"It doesn't matter," Doncic said when asked about his fine form. "I just want to win, man. That's it."
"I don't know, honestly. We know we got to fix it."
Coach Jason Kidd was equally as frustrated.
"We got the personnel. We got the team," said Kidd.
"This is actually a great test for us to be able to go through a hard time in March because it only gets harder in April and May and June.
"And so this is a great test to be tested in the sense that we're going to let go of the rope or we're going to continue to come to work. Everyone's coming to work. Everyone has the positive mindset, energy.
"Everyone's trying to do the right thing right now."
Kidd put the onus on Doncic's teammates to help out the NBA's leading scorer this season.
"Are we asking too much? I don't know if we're asking," he added.
"This is what he does. He's one of the best offensive players on the planet, and so this is what he does and so we have to help him on that end and we have to also help him on the defensive end. This isn't a surprise, he's been doing this pretty much his whole career.
"He's a walking triple-double. He's doing everything to help the team win. We all have to pitch in and help him."
Jaylen Brown believes the Boston Celtics' defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers was a "mentality loss".
The NBA-leading Celtics threw away a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's game, as they saw an 11-game winning streak come to an end with a 105-104 loss.
And Boston can only have themselves to blame, according to Brown, who finished with 21 points.
"I think we are a much better team than we showed today," Jaylen Brown said. "Today was just a mentality loss.
"We had the game and then we got comfortable, so it was more of a mindset thing than X's and O's.
"We've got to just be the more disciplined, the more militant team. We weren't that. Usually, we are that, and we felt that today and I think that's the reason why they were able to get back into the game.
"Our mindset was a little bit too lax, and we were too careless with the ball. We weren't intentional on offense.
"We kind of let guys get to tendencies that we were supposed to take away. We gave up offensive rebounds, stuff that all just comes with mindset."
Coach Joe Mazzulla echoed Brown's sentiment, citing defensive mistakes.
"We've given up offensive rebounds at the end of the shot clock when we were winning," he said.
"I think that, in situations like this, they just become a little bit more heightened and a little bit more attention to detail to them.
"They're the same situations that have been happening. They're just in more of a critical time. So it's a good heightened awareness to them."
Brown, meanwhile, asserted that the Celtics must learn from their mistakes.
"Today matters," Brown said. "Whether everybody wants to throw it away or not, we gotta look at the film and address some stuff, because that matters.
"Your habits are everything. Your mentality is everything. And every game, you can't waste possessions, you can't waste time out there on the floor.
"So, today matters. We need to look at that."
Dean Wade starred for the Cavs, going 5-for-5 from deep in their fourth-quarter revival, finishing with 23 points.
"Rank's pretty high. Pretty high," he said. "It felt good. The rim looked really big."
Scotland centre Huw Jones revealed he was “tempted” by the prospect of a move to France but he ultimately felt that remaining with buoyant Glasgow was the right decision for his career overall.
The on-form 30-year-old was the subject of recent interest from Top 14 side Montpellier and was also linked with Bayonne.
However, he ended speculation about his future last week by signing a new two-year deal to commit his future to Warriors until 2026.
Jones, whose partner is expecting a baby at the start of April, admitted the prospect of following Scotland colleagues Blair Kinghorn and Ben White to France did hold some appeal.
“I’ve said in the past that I’d be open to a move to France, so, yeah, it was certainly tempting,” he said, speaking from the Scotland camp ahead of Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations match away to Italy.
“Like you do with all big decisions, you’ve got to weigh up the pros and cons and all that and I think when it came down to it, it was a rugby decision.
“I thought it would be a shame to pass up what’s happening at Glasgow at the moment. I think since (head coach) Franco (Smith) came in, since I came back to the club (from Harlequins in 2022), I’ve seen a real growth in the squad.
“The way we train, the way we play, I think we’re getting better and better. I think we’ve got a real momentum at the moment and I want to stay part of that.
“We’ve obviously got a baby on the way in the next couple of weeks, we’re pretty settled in Glasgow, we’ve got loads of friends around and my family live just outside Edinburgh, so it’s nice to be staying put.”
Jones will be without his trusty centre partner Sione Tuipulotu for the remainder of the Six Nations after his Glasgow team-mate sustained a knee injury in the win over England a week past Saturday.
Bath’s Cam Redpath is expected to slot in alongside Jones in Rome, although Glasgow’s Stafford McDowall and Northampton’s Rory Hutchinson are other contenders.
“I think we’ve got great depth throughout the squad but definitely at centre,” said Jones.
“I’m gutted for my mate (Sione), but Cam, Hutch and Staff are all really good players. They’ve all played well this season and I think we’re blessed in that position right now.
“Losing Sione isn’t great but with the guys who are able to step up, we can have confidence in them.”
Scotland have won two of their opening three championship matches but their controversial home defeat by France – when they were denied what appeared to be a legitimate late match-winning try – has left them with only a slim chance of catching leaders Ireland over the course of the last two matches.
A rare second-place finish still appears to be well within their grasp, however.
“If Ireland take it out of our hands (by beating England on Saturday), so be it,” said Jones. “We’ve got to focus on what we can control and this weekend we’ve got a massive game, Italy away. They’ll be up for it, they’ve improved.
“Last season was a close game against them and we were at home.
“They’re a threat to what we want to achieve so we’ve got to go there with the mindset of putting together our best performance of the championship so far.
“Against Wales, we just had a good first half and probably the last five minutes. France, again, we probably could have managed it better.
“England was a positive step forward but I think we should be looking to have our best performance now because we’re going to need it.”
Emma Lavelle is ready to let Paisley Park go out in a blaze of glory if he can win a second Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival next week.
It is five years since the veteran claimed the Grade One contest and while he disappointed when bidding for back-to-back wins 12 months later, he finished third in both 2021 and 2022.
It looked as though his best days were behind him when only seventh in last year’s renewal, but he has defied his advancing years with three excellent runs this winter, finishing second in the Long Distance Hurdle, the Long Walk and the Cleeve Hurdle, beaten a head, a short head and a head respectively.
There would be few more popular winners at this year’s Festival than Paisley Park if he can take back his crown on Thursday week and Lavelle could not be happier with his condition.
“Touch wood he’s in very good form, everything has gone to plan with him. He’s in really good order and it’s all systems go for Cheltenham,” she told talkSPORT.
“It’s a massive ask for a 12-year-old, but he’s not your everyday 12-year-old, so who knows?
“I look through the race and I think there’s a lot of horses in there that we’ve met, that we’ve beaten or have just beaten us. There are a couple of new Irish pretenders, (but) I just kind of feel in that race anything can happen.
“It has leant itself over the years to the hardened professional, rather than it being the upcoming young gun that’s done it.
“It puts him there with chance and fingers crossed – he knows his way round there!”
While Lavelle feels Paisley Park is still loving life at a racehorse, she admits it would be a fitting way for him retire if he was to strike gold on return to Prestbury Park.
She added: “If he won it there’d be no question you’d say ‘that’s it’, because I think it would be an extraordinary beginning and end to his career that way having won it five years previous, to come back and do it again would be an extraordinary achievement.
“It seems funny to say you’d retire a horse if it won but you wouldn’t necessarily retire it if it didn’t, but the reality is you’re a long time retired in this game for a horse – he’s 12, but loving what he’s doing
“If it’s the right thing to stop we will and if it’s not and he’s still loving it and seems happy back in work at the start of next season then I’ll probably bring him back for another run, because no horse keeps going for the number of years that he has if it’s not something he enjoys doing.
“He writes his own script, he doesn’t let anyone else do it for him. We’ll let the horse make the decision, he’s the one out there doing it and we’re all just bowing to his greatness.”
Willie Mullins is responsible for nine of the 15 horses confirmed for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday.
The most successful trainer in Festival history has won the traditional curtain-raiser on seven occasions and again holds a very strong hand, with his potential squad headed by ante-post favourite Ballyburn.
Tullyhill and Mystical Power are also prominent in the market and it will be interesting to see how Mullins shuffles his pack, with both Ballyburn and Mystical Power having the option of running in the newly-named Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle the following afternoon.
Anotherway, Asian Master, Gold Dancer, Ile Atlantique, Mistergif and Supersundae are the other Mullins inmates who have stood their ground for the Supreme, with the majority holding alternative engagements.
Gordon Elliott’s Firefox, who beat Ballyburn earlier in the season, is another leading contender from Ireland, with Henry de Bromhead’s Slade Steel and Paul Gilligan’s Kings Hill other possible raiders.
The three British-trained hopefuls are Alan King’s Favour And Fortune, Nicky Henderson’s Jeriko Du Reponet and Tellherthename from Ben Pauling’s yard.
The My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy has a distinctly more open look to it, despite the fact five of the 15 remaining contenders are based at Closutton.
That quintet includes Irish Arkle hero Il Etait Temps, Hunters Yarn, Gaelic Warrior and Facile Vega, while Found A Fifty (Elliott) and Quilixios (De Bromhead) are also well fancied. The pick of the home team looks to be Joe Tizzard’s JPR One.
The Tizzard-trained Eldorado Allen heads the weights for the Ultima Handicap Chase, for which 43 are still in the mix, with Meetingofthewaters a likely favourite to give Mullins a first ever handicap chase win at the Festival.
Ireland’s perennial champion trainer also appears to hold all the aces in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle, with odds-on shot Lossiemouth the star attraction in a 13-strong field that also includes her stablemates Ashroe Diamond, Echoes In Rain, Gala Marceau and Zenta. Marie’s Rock (Nicky Henderson) and Love Envoi (Harry Fry) look the two most likely to give the Mullins battalion something to think about.
Leading fancies Lark In The Mornin (Joseph O’Brien), Batman Girac (Mullins) and French challenger Milan Tino (Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm) are among 43 going forward for the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, while just 10 are in contention for the Maureen Mullins National Hunt Chase.
The two at the top of the betting are fittingly trained by two members of the Mullins family, with Maureen’s son Willie set to saddle Embassy Gardens and grandson Emmet responsible for Corbetts Cross.
The Caribbean's only Formula Woman race car driver Sara Misir received a significant boost ahead of her 2024 season by securing an endorsement deal with Red Stripe, under the company's Drink & Live Responsibly and Heineken 0.0 brands.
As part of the multi-million dollar sponsorship, Misir, who participated in the GT Cup in the United Kingdom for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, will be highlighted in the Drink and Live Responsibly campaign through various digital and traditional media channels, as well as making appearances on behalf of Heineken 0.0.
The announcement was made on Tuesday at Red Stripe’s headquarters on Spanish Town Road in Kingston.
“We are thrilled to welcome Sara to our Drink & Live Responsibly and Heineken 0.0 campaigns. The duality of this partnership aims to reinforce the message of responsible drinking with Sara’s help, highlighting that when it comes to selecting a designated driver on a night out, 'The Best Driver' to choose is always the one that hasn't had a drink – unless that drink is Heineken® 0.0,” declared Red Stripe’s head of corporate affairs, Dianne Ashton-Smith.
“Sara, who brings her star power to help promote responsible drinking to new and relevant audiences, can effectively convey this message to our consumers, driving home the importance of making responsible choices. This is particularly significant as Sara is breaking barriers in a traditionally male-dominated sport, exemplifying the power of inclusion and becoming a beacon of inspiration. What a remarkable way to kick off International Women's Day this week, themed “Inspire Inclusion.”
Misir views this partnership as a perfect synergy. “Cheers to Heineken and the "Drink and Live Responsibly" initiative. I’m pleased to drive home, pun intended, the importance of road safety. The message is simple. Speed at Dover, not on our roads, and when drinking before driving, Grab a Heineken 0.0 instead," she remarked. "Heineken has a strong connection with Formula 1, firmly establishing the brand within our global racing community. As a Formula Woman driver, I am thrilled to now also be aligned with Heineken 0.0."
Ali McNab, delivering remarks on behalf of Minister Grange, praised Sara Misir. "As we acknowledge the advancements in gender equality, we honour a remarkable young woman who has motivated countless other women and girls to aim high. I commend Red Stripe for including Sara in a valuable campaign promoting responsible drinking."
The motorsports athlete of the year will start her 2024 season on April 1 at JRDC’s Carnival of Speed at Dover Raceway in St. Ann. She is also slated to compete on May 26, July 7, August 4 and October 21 to complete her 2024 Modified Production Class Four racing calendar.
Nicky Henderson may be without Constitution Hill in the Unibet Champion Hurdle but is still set to be double-handed after deciding to supplement Iberico Lord for the Cheltenham Festival showpiece.
The reigning champion was ruled out on Monday due to a respiratory infection, which has prompted a rethink from Henderson and owner JP McManus on the Cotswolds target for Iberico Lord.
Winner of the Greatwood and Betfair Hurdles, the six-year-old had been among the leading lights for Friday’s County Hurdle – but Constitution Hill’s absence combined with the possibility of testing ground on the opening day will see him switched to the main event.
McManus has paid the £18,000 supplementary fee and Iberico Lord will now join stablemate Luccia, winner of Ascot’s Betfair Exchange Trophy when last seen, in the Champion Hurdle line-up.
In a statement on X, Henderson said: “We have decided to supplement Iberico Lord this morning for the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
“He is obviously a very progressive young hurdler that keeps improving having won both the Greatwood and the Betfair handicaps. He loves soft ground which it seems that it might well be on Tuesday and therefore possibly not so soft on Friday when he was originally intended to run in the County.
“Obviously with the unfortunate defection of Constitution Hill, the race has a different complexion and so he is due to join Luccia in the line-up.”
Wales will field a new centre partnership of Joe Roberts and Owen Watkin in Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations clash against France.
They take over from established midfield pairing George North and Nick Tompkins, who have 155 caps between them, at the Principality Stadium.
It will be Llanelli centre Roberts’ first Six Nations start after making his Test debut against England last summer in a World Cup warm-up match.
Elsewhere, Wales captain Dafydd Jenkins has been switched from lock to blindside flanker, with Will Rowlands called up as Adam Beard’s second-row partner, while hooker Ryan Elias replaces Elliot Dee.
The Betfair Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle could prove a more than suitable alternative to the Cheltenham Festival for connections of Go Dante, who are weighing up a shot at the valuable Sandown prize.
As well as his ticket to Saturday’s Sandown feature, Olly Murphy’s Betfair Hurdle third holds entries in both the Country Hurdle and Martin Pipe races at Prestbury Park the following week.
However, with the eight-year-old not certain to make the final line-up for those events in the Cotswolds, the Warren Chase handler is seriously considering a trip to Esher for the prestigious £100,000 contest, with Go Dante a 7-1 chance with the sponsors.
Murphy said: “It’s certainly something we are looking at. Ideally, we would have liked to have got into a Cheltenham handicap but that doesn’t look like happening, so the Imperial Cup looks the most likely race we will take our chance in.
“He’s in good form and had a very good run in the Betfair. I think soft ground and a stiff two miles at Sandown should suit him well.
“He’s got two entries at Cheltenham next week and it’s a case of looking at where he’s most likely to get in and making the right decision, but we’re certainly looking at Sandown on Saturday.”
Similar sentiments apply to Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero’s Making Headway, who also has a couple of options at the Cheltenham Festival but has connections leaning towards a crack at the Imperial Cup.
An impressive winner from the front in heavy ground at Newbury last month, it could be ground conditions once again that ultimately decide if the six-year-old’s team roll the dice or hold fire in case they make the cut in either the Coral Cup or Martin Pipe at Prestbury Park.
“I think he will (go to the Imperial Cup), as long as it doesn’t dry out too much,” said Greenall. “He will definitely want it no quicker than good to soft or soft – it looks a nice opportunity for him.
“He’s not guaranteed to get in at Cheltenham and we were going to go for the good novice race at Kelso (Premier Novices’ Hurdle) but that looked quite hot and there was a couple we didn’t want to take on.”
Ben Pauling’s recent Huntingdon scorer Jipcot currently heads the market, with the in-form handler also responsible for narrow Ascot runner-up Bad amongst the 23 in the mix for Saturday’s contest.
Owen Burrows is considering the Greenham Stakes at Newbury as a potential stepping-stone to the Qipco 2000 Guineas for his exciting colt Alyanaabi.
The son of Too Darn Hot won two of his four starts as a juvenile, including the Group Three Tattersalls Stakes at Newmarket, and rounded off his campaign by finishing best of the rest behind star two-year-old City Of Troy in the Dewhurst in October.
While City Of Troy is odds-on to provide trainer Aidan O’Brien with an 11th victory in the season’s first Classic on the Rowley Mile, Alyanaabi is available at 25-1 and Burrows is keen to at least give him the opportunity to advertise his Guineas credentials this spring.
He said: “I’m very pleased with him, he’s done well (over the winter) and we’ve just started faster work with him, so all good.
“We might give him a run (in a Guineas trial), if he goes anywhere he’ll probably go to the Greenham at Newbury. It just sort of makes sense as it’s just up the road for us and luckily he had a couple of runs at Newmarket last year, so he handles the Rowley Mile well by the look of it.
“We’re a long way off and like most people, we’ve not been able to do much on the grass as yet. It would be nice for it to dry out a little bit so we can get a bit of work on the grass into him, but we’re happy that he might just go to Newbury and have a run before the Guineas.
“City Of Troy is the standout at the minute, but you can’t run away from one and we’d like to think that we’ll be up there with a few of the others, so we shall see.”
The Lambourn handler has also entered Futurity Trophy fourth Deira Mile for the 2000 Guineas, but his bid for Classic glory may have to wait until later in the year.
“I’ll be honest, I’ve got him in the English Derby and the French and the Irish (Derbys) and we’ve just put him in the Guineas in case for whatever reason he doesn’t stay,” Burrows added.
“I’d be amazed if he doesn’t because that’s all he did in the Futurity and obviously that was over a mile in heavy ground.
“The Guineas entry is just a speculative entry, but the owner was happy to cover all bases and he’s going to be treated like a Derby horse, who will start over a mile and a quarter at the beginning of April and then we’d be expecting to hopefully look at a Derby trial with him after that.”
Emma Raducanu insists working on her game rather than winning matches is the priority this year.
The former US Open champion has won three of the seven matches she has played in 2024 following her return from triple surgery last spring on both wrists and one ankle.
Raducanu will play Spanish qualifier Rebeka Masarova on Thursday in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where she has been given a wild card.
The 21-year-old, who reached the fourth round in the Californian desert last year, has been training at home in London for the last couple of weeks, and she told the BBC: “I want to work on becoming a better tennis player.
“I think for me I’m not too concerned about this year’s tournaments. A lot of people out there would say that I need matches, but I think that for me I want to work on my game and development.
“Taking time to do that is very necessary and not just following the crowd, or playing a lot of matches, or dropping down (below the WTA Tour) to do that. I want to work on developing skills.”
Raducanu also said that she is likely to play in next month’s Billie Jean King Cup tie against France if selected by Great Britain captain Anne Keothavong.
Dean Wade sank five 3-pointers and scored 20 of his career-high 23 points in the fourth quarter as the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied from a 22-point deficit in the final period to end the Boston Celtics’ 11-game winning streak, 105-104 on Tuesday.
Wade personally outscored the Celtics in the fourth quarter, 20-17, as he came to the rescue with his barrage of 3s and a putback dunk with 19.1 seconds left to put the Cavs up 105-104.
Boston’s Jayson Tatum appeared to draw a foul on Darius Garland while shooting a jumper with 0.7 seconds left, but Cleveland challenged the call, and following a review, officials said it was Tatum’s leg that caused the contact and not Garland.
Jarrett Allen scored 21 points and Garland had 16 with 11 assists for the Cavs, who made 8 of 11 3s in the final quarter, including two from reserve Georges Niang.
Tatum led Boston with 26 points and Kristaps Porzingis added 24 as the league-leading Celtics lost for the first time since Feb. 1.
Doncic extends triple-double streak in loss
Luka Doncic notched his fourth straight triple-double, but Tyrese Haliburton had 19 points and 11 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 137-120 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Doncic had 39 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his 14th triple-double of the season. Russell Westbrook is the only player in NBA history with five consecutive 30-point triple-doubles and Oscar Robertson is the only other player with four.
Myles Turner scored 20 points to lead nine players in double figures for the Pacers, whose bench outscored the Mavericks’ 69-32.
Suns cool Nuggets with win in overtime
Kevin Durant scored eight of his 35 points in overtime and the Phoenix Suns recovered after blowing a 22-point lead to beat the Denver Nuggets, 117-107.
After being held to 12 points in the fourth quarter, the Suns erupted for 15 in overtime, with Durant and Beal combining for 13.
Beal finished with 16 points and Grayson Allen scored 28 with eight 3-pointers as Phoenix avoided a third straight loss.
Jamal Murray had 28 points and Nikola Jokić added 25 points, 16 rebounds and five assists for Denver, which had a six-game winning streak stopped.
Nick Cousins scored twice and the Florida Panthers held on for their sixth straight victory, 5-3 over the New Jersey Devils to spoil the debut of interim coach Travis Green on Tuesday.
Eetu Luostarinen, Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart had the other goals as Florida won for the 12th time in 13 games and extended its NHL lead with 43 wins and 90 points.
The Panthers, who are 25-4-2 since Dec. 23, have won 14 of their past 15 road games.
Jack Hughes, Timo Meier and Colin Miller scored for the Devils, who lost their third straight and fell in their first game since Lindy Ruff was relieved of his coaching duties on Monday.
Backup Anthony Stolarz made 21 saves to win his fourth consecutive start.
Oilers rally past Bruins
Leon Draisaitl scored his second goal of the game in overtime and the surging Edmonton Oilers rallied for a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins.
Stuart Skinner made 25 saves and Connor McDavid assisted on both goals to help the Oilers win their fifth straight game.
McDavid extended his point streak to 12 games, during which he has two goals and 26 assists. He is one point away from his fourth straight 100-point season.
Pavel Zacha scored for the Bruins, who dropped to 2-2-3 in their last seven home games.
Canadiens rally to end Predators’ streak
Nick Suzuki scored just 17 seconds into overtime and the Montreal Canadiens rallied for a 4-3 victory, ending the Nashville Predators’ eight-game winning streak.
The Predators appeared headed for another win when Ryan O’Reilly scored with 7:41 left in regulation for a 3-2 lead, but Joshua Roy tallied the tying goal 2 ½ minutes later.
Filip Forsberg had a goal and an assist for Nashville, which suffered its first loss since Feb. 15.
Brendan Gallagher and David Savard also scored for the Canadiens, who have points in four straight (2-0-2).
It is hard not to be impressed by the sheer willpower and determination of Jamaica’s diving flagbearer Yona Knight-Wisdom.
While it is not surprising, as Olympians are often seen as the epitome of human performance given their incredible physical and mental strength, the manner in which Knight-Wisdom conducts himself is so businesslike that his financial challenges pale in comparison to his performances.
Despite having very little financial backing since he rose to prominence as Jamaica’s first-ever male diver to compete at the Commonwealth Games in 2014, Knight-wisdom has never lost hope and continues to establish himself on the global stage.
But while his ambition and immense ability shines through like the noonday sun, Knight-Wisdom is once again left contemplating his future in the sport, as he believes the hard work and sacrifice that goes into a thriving career means very little without the necessary funding.
This, as the task of achieving the Olympic dream requires financial accessibility, which Knight-Wisdom seldom has, as he sometimes struggles to make ends meet where preparation for, and getting into competitions are concerned.
It is for this reason why the talented diver, who recently qualified to represent Jamaica at a third-consecutive Olympic Games, might not push for a fourth, as the sport has been cruel in returning dividends on his spend.
“There are many factors that I will have to take into consideration when looking at the future. I think my body would be able to cope with another four years because I’m very professional and committed to doing things in the right way,” he declared.
“The main question for me is value. Of course, it would be amazing to chase a fourth Olympic Games, but there isn’t much money in diving, it takes a lot of personal and financial sacrifice, and I need to figure out if there is enough value in it,” Knight-Wisdom told SportsMax.TV from his base in the United Kingdom.
Though Knight-Wisdom’s hardship isn’t unique, as many athletes look for ways to make ends meet while training, it is the grace and faith that the English-born diver, whose mother is Barbadian and father Jamaican, exudes as he represents the country with much gusto that stands out.
Like his admirers, Knight-Wisdom continues to bask in the fact that he will again represent the country at a third consecutive Olympic Games, as he recently secured an automatic quota spot to this summer’s Paris Olympics Games.
Unlike Rio in 2016 and Tokyo 2020, this qualification struck an emotional chord for Knight-Wisdom, whose progress was derailed by ruptured rectus femoris tendons in his left knee late in 2022, which required surgery and months of rehabilitation for recovery.
“Yes, the emotion certainly caught me briefly after the preliminary round. Competing against 70 other divers and doing a dive every 50 minutes or so was a major mental battle…when you know you can’t afford to make a big mistake with each dive, 50 minutes is a lot of time for your brain to play tricks on you,” Knight-Wisdom shared.
“The hard work I put in before my injury and the motivation to recover and get ready for 2024 meant that I was feeling good and confident coming into this event, so I’m grateful and relieved it has resulted in a positive outcome,” he added.
That confidence stemmed from the fact that Knight-Wisdom sets appropriate goals, which helps to track his progress and provides feedback about the areas of his dives that need to be strengthened.
Add to that the fact that he holds strict expectations which does not allow for areas of his dives to be weak, thereby ensuring that he gives a capital effort on each occasion.
Still, the results were not always what he expected along the way.
But given his unwavering commitment and determination to reap success for the black, green and gold, Knight-Wisdom kept plugging away at training knowing very well that it takes flawless routines to turn his fortunes around.
The 28-year-old has shown in the past that he possesses enough ability to rise to the occasion when it matters most, and that he did at the World Aquatics Championships, where he ended with a semi-final score of 368.95.
“My performances were actually a little lower than I was hoping for, though that is because I anticipated the qualification standard would be a little higher than it was in the end. My dives were good and solid throughout, with only one major mistake in the semi-final, but they all need to be refined and improved to attract even higher scores from the judges when I do them well. But overall, my performances were similar to how my training has been, so I have no complaints,” Knight-Wisdom said.
“This time round I think I was more expectant that I would qualify, even considering the injury. It definitely wasn’t a certainty, but I wasn’t relying on hope and belief as much as I was for Rio or Tokyo. I feel like I’ve done what most people, including myself, thought I would do. I don’t think many people will be shocked or surprised that I have qualified this time so it did sink in very quickly and I was straight to thinking how I can get better,” he reasoned.
That said, the lanky six-foot tall diver declared his intentions to possibly spring a surprise in Paris, provided he maintains a clean bill of health to improve on his current vein of form.
“I’d love to put myself in a position to produce a shocking result in the summer. I just need to keep doing what I’ve been doing,” he stated.
“This (qualification) was another stepping stone on my journey back to peak performance, a potential obstacle successfully negotiated, so I will just continue working on improving the finer details of my dives and on more consistent execution. My confidence will continue to build going forward which will be displayed in my dives,” Knight-Wisdom ended.
Novak Djokovic still remains the favourite to win any tournament he enters and is capable of winning six more grand slams before the end of next year.
That is according to former Wimbledon winner Richard Krajicek, who told Stats Perform he considers Djokovic the sport's all-time greatest.
Djokovic won three majors last year and reached the final of a fourth, but he was knocked out of the 2024 Australian Open at the semi-final stage.
Jannik Sinner defeated the 10-time Melbourne champion in four sets before beating Daniil Medvedev in the final, seeming to usher in a new era for tennis.
However, Krajicek insists Djokovic is far from done as he continues to pick and choose which tournaments he enters.
"Five or six years ago, I was wondering how long he's going to maintain his level, but he's still doing it," Krajicek told Stats Perform.
"He played very few tournaments last year and still managed to be number one.
"I doubt that he's going to stay number one for long if he only plays 11 or 12 events because then you basically have to win every event.
"But for me, he's still going to win one to three grand slams a year, for the next two years at least."
Wimbledon was the only major at which Djokovic fell short last year as his streak of four straight titles at SW19 came to an end against Carlos Alcaraz.
Krajicek, who won the tournament in 1996, believes the 36-year-old remains the man to beat in this year's competition.
"For sure, at Wimbledon," Krajicek said when asked if Djokovic is the favourite. "The French Open and the US Open has more competition.
"It's difficult as there are more strong, fit players like Medvedev, Sinner and Alcaraz.
"That will be very difficult to win the US Open, but for me, he is still the favourite to win Wimbledon."
Djokovic won his 24th grand slam singles title when triumphing at the US Open last September with victory over Medvedev in the final.
The world number one is two in front of Rafael Nadal for the most majors won by a male in the Open Era, while the retired Roger Federer finished on 20.
On that basis, Djokovic is the greatest of all time in the view of Krajicek, who also cites his longevity.
"For me, he's the best player that ever played the game," the Dutchman said. "He has won every grand slam at least three times.
"He's won 24 grand slams, and he's also won four grand slams in a row previously. Those are just incredible stats.
"He's been number one for over 400 weeks, and I think Federer is the next one with about 310 weeks.
"So, for me, Federer and Nadal are unbelievable players, but Djokovic is just a little level higher."
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