LONDON: Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has been ruled out of this year’s tournament after undergoing back surgery, the ATP Tour confirmed on Sunday.
“After an operation on a spinal cyst, Andy Murray is sadly out of Wimbledon. Rest up and recover Andy, we’ll miss seeing you there,” the ATP said on X, formerly Twitter.
The Scot had been aiming to make a farewell appearance at the grass court Grand Slam, which he won in 2013 and 2016.
However, the 37-year-old will need an expected six weeks to recover from surgery with Wimbledon starting on July 1.
He now also faces a race against time to be fit for next month’s Paris Olympics, with Murray twice a gold medallist in the singles.
Murray managed just five games before a back injury forced him to withdraw from his second-round match against Australia’s Jordan Thompson at the Queen’s warm-up event in London on Wednesday.
The former world number one, who plays with a metal hip, struggled from the start of his match against Thompson and said afterwards he had a feeling of weakness in his right leg and had lost coordination.
“I never had that loss of coordination, control and strength in my leg before,” Murray said shortly after retiring from his match with Thompson.
“I’ve been struggling with my back for a while — I had lost the power in my right leg so lost all motor control, I had no coordination and couldn’t really move.”
Asked then about his prospects of playing at Wimbledon, he added: “Like all tennis players, we have degenerative joints and stuff in the back, but it’s all predominantly been left-sided for me my whole career.
“I have never had too many issues with the right side. So maybe there is something that can be done between now and then to help the right side.”
Murray underwent minor back surgery in 2013 and following a first-round loss at the recent French Open he said he would need treatment to address soreness.
The three-time Grand Slam champion only returned to competitive action in May after nearly two months out with an ankle injury.
He had been due to play singles and doubles with his brother Jamie at Wimbledon before potentially ending his career at the Olympics in Paris.
Ex-champion Murray out of Wimbledon after back surgery
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Ex-champion Murray out of Wimbledon after back surgery
Ons Jabeur: I’ve separated having a baby from winning a Grand Slam
- In an exclusive chat with Arab News in southwest London, the Tunisian tennis star reveals her new approach as she hopes to be third time lucky at Wimbledon
LONDON: When Ons Jabeur arrived here for Wimbledon last week, she felt “a bit sad.”
The Tunisian history-maker has enjoyed remarkable success but also suffered her greatest disappointments on Wimbledon’s center court. It is understandable that her heart-wrenching defeat in the final 12 months ago still stings.
It was Jabeur’s second consecutive appearance in the Wimbledon final and she was considered the favorite against Marketa Vondrousova, who had far less experience on grass entering the contest.
But the Czech lefty was ice cold and handed a nervous and frazzled Jabeur a straight-sets loss to secure a maiden Grand Slam crown.
“A lot of last year’s memories came to my mind. I felt like crying a little bit,” Jabeur told Arab News of how she felt upon returning to the fabled All England Club last week.
“But at the end I just remembered that this is the place that I want to be, at such an amazing tournament. I feel so much love here, so much respect.
“I don’t think I feel that much love and respect anywhere else. It’s so amazing to be here. I don’t want to take for granted any moment that I’m here. I want to enjoy every second of being here at Wimbledon.”
For a second there, one senses a hint of uncertainty in Jabeur’s words. Is she implying she might not be coming back too many times to SW19 in the future?
“I’m not saying I’m retiring or anything. But you don’t know what could happen in the future. So for me, I really try to see the positive side of it,” said the North African, who turns 30 next month.
“I’m trying to see that from millions of players, I’m one of the players that could play here at Wimbledon. That’s really amazing to remember and that’s really amazing to be grateful for.”
In the documentary “This is me,” produced and released by Tod TV earlier this year, Jabeur revealed the reason behind her crumbling under the pressure in last year’s championship decider.
Married to former fencer Karim Kamoun since 2015, Jabeur revealed that she wants to start a family. But she has found it difficult to walk away from the tour while performing so well. She is now ranked No. 10, but at one stage she was at No. 2 in the world.
She felt that the 2023 Wimbledon final was her chance. “I win that (final) I could have a baby right away. And that dream faded. I was haunted by fear,” confessed Jabeur in the documentary.
A year on from that tough experience, Jabeur finds herself once again on the hallowed turf of the All England Club, ready for another shot at the sport’s most prestigious trophy.
She believes her mindset has changed and is adopting a different approach to this Wimbledon fortnight. “One thing I finally came to terms with is I separated having a baby from winning a Grand Slam,” she explained.
“Because they were both in the same line, which was wrong and a bit tough on myself.
“So I’m like, it’s okay, it’s out of my control, when to have the Grand Slam. I’m not going to put a timeline on it. That also released a little bit the pressure that I have on myself.
“But also accepting what I’m doing; I know I’m doing everything 100 percent. I have a team behind me that’s always supporting me and I’m going to leave 100 percent on the court. And if it comes, it comes, and if not, I know I have no regrets because I tried everything.”
One of the most memorable moments from last year’s tournament was when Jabeur wept during the trophy ceremony, showing the world how painful that loss was, and what a Wimbledon win really meant to her.
She was consoled by Kate Middleton, the princess of Wales, who like many around the world, looked truly moved by Jabeur’s tears.
That was Jabeur’s third defeat in a Grand Slam final (she also fell in the title decider at the 2022 US Open).
Her tearful moment on court was reminiscent of the emotional speech Andy Murray gave when he lost the Wimbledon final to Roger Federer in 2012.
It was the Brit’s fourth loss at that stage at a major but he went on to capture three Grand Slams, two of which came at the All England Club.
“I know he lost a few times in Grand Slam finals and I saw him when he won here, twice actually, which was amazing. And he won the Olympics as well here,” said Jabeur of Murray’s exploits on home soil.
“What he did and how he bounced back and won it was really unbelievable. And I hope that would be also the fairytale for me as well, how my story ends kind of.”
While Jabeur can draw inspiration from Murray’s story, there is another Andy she is keen to consult with — whom she has admired since she was a young girl.
“I’ve been actually thinking about Andy Roddick, how he lost it (the Wimbledon final) so many times and didn’t get to win it,” she said.
“I was meaning to text him and tell him: ‘If you had to change one thing and do it differently, what would you do?’ I’m still hesitating if I should do that or not.”
As she gets set to begin her Wimbledon campaign against Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima on Tuesday, with an eye on making the final for a third straight year, perhaps a call to Roddick cannot hurt.
Paul George joining 76ers, Klay Thompson heading to Mavs in NBA free agency
- The two deals bolster the Sixers’ and Mavs’ championship aspirations
- George is set to form a big three alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, and Thompson with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Dallas
- Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has agreed to terms on a five-year supermax contract extension worth $315 million, the largest deal in NBA history
NEW YORK: Paul George is joining the Philadelphia 76ers and Klay Thompson is heading to the Dallas Mavericks, multiple US reports said Monday as NBA free-agency got into full swing.
Nine-time All-Star George is joining the Sixers on a four-year deal worth $212 million while Thompson, whose exit from the Golden State Warriors was confirmed on Sunday, has agreed terms on a three-year $50 million contract with Dallas, ESPN reported.
The two deals bolster the Sixers’ and Mavs’ championship aspirations, with George set to form a big three alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, and Thompson linking up with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Dallas.
Thompson is widely regarded as one of the greatest shooters in basketball history, forming a potent backcourt partnership alongside Stephen Curry and featuring prominently in the Warriors’ NBA championship-winning seasons in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022.
George, 34, has averaged 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals a game over 867 career contests in 14 seasons for Indiana, Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Clippers, who he left behind last weekend after five seasons.
NBA clubs have a signing moratorium on finalizing all contracts until Saturday, so it’s left to media reports to chart the moves that cannot yet become official.
George’s coming to terms was reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, The Athletic and ESPN through unnamed sources.
The 76ers have not advanced beyond the Eastern Conference semifinals since 2001 but might have their best chance with George joining All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey and Cameroonian star center Embiid, the 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player.
Multiple reports on Monday also had Maxey signing a five-year maximum contract extension worth $204 million. Maxey averaged 25.9 points and 6.2 assists for the Sixers last season.
George declined a $48.8 million deal for next season with the Clippers to test his value on the free agency market.
The 76ers also reportedly have struck a two-year deal worth just over $10 million with center Andre Drummond, a 12-year NBA veteran and five-seasons league rebounding leader.
Tobias Harris, a forward who played the past six seasons in Philadelphia, is reportedly off to the Detroit Pistons on a two-year deal worth $52 million.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who sparked the club to the NBA title this season, has agreed to terms on a five-year supermax contract extension worth $315 million, according to TNT and ESPN.
It would be the largest deal in NBA history at an average of $63 million per year.
Tatum, who helped the US Olympic team win Tokyo gold and will seek a repeat crown at Paris, averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and a career high 4.9 assists for Boston this season.
The move comes five days after the reigning NBA champions agreed to a deal worth $286.2 million over five years with Jalen Brown.
Derrick White has agreed to a four-year deal worth $125.9 million to stay with the Celtics, who extended Jrue Holiday for four years at $135 million three months ago.
Boston has also secured center Kristaps Porzingis, who opted into a $36 million salary for the 2024-25 campaign before a two-year extension worth $60 million begins.
The deals mean the Celtics will face limitations on what future deals they can make under tax apron salary limitations.
Center Isaiah Hartenstein, according to multiple reports, will leave New York for a three-year deal worth $87 million with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who also reportedly struck deals with reserves Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe.
USA crash out of Copa in group phase as Uruguay, Panama advance
- USA captain Christian Pulisic blames lack of attacking quality for loss
- First-round exit raises fresh questions about the future of coach Gregg Berhalter
KANSAS CITY: The United States crashed out of the Copa America on Monday after a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay, as Panama sealed their place in the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Bolivia.
The tournament hosts suffered an upset 2-1 defeat to Panama last week and went into Monday’s final Group C game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City needing to match or better Panama’s result against Bolivia to advance.
But US coach Gregg Berhalter’s side never looked like doing enough to seriously threaten a well-drilled Uruguay who advance to the last eight as group winners.
“Just looking at the faces of the staff and the players, we’re bitterly disappointed with the results,” Berhalter said.
“We know that we’re capable of more and in this tournament we didn’t show it. It’s really as simple as that. We should have done better.
“We’ll do a review and figure out what went wrong, why it went wrong, but it’s an empty feeling right now for sure.”
USA captain Christian Pulisic blamed a lack of attacking quality.
“We had a good start and brought a lot of energy, but just didn’t have enough quality,” he said. “We just couldn’t find a solution.”
Hopes of a great escape for Berhalter’s men faded inside the first 30 minutes as news filtered through that Panama had taken a 1-0 lead against Bolivia in Orlando.
US hopes were revived early in the second half after Bolivia equalized, leaving the hosts on course for qualification, provided they continued to hold Uruguay.
Yet the US optimism was punctured just moments later when Uruguay took the lead in controversial circumstances through Mathias Olivera on 66 minutes.
Ronald Araujo’s powerful header from Nicolas de la Cruz’s free-kick was parried away by US goalkeeper Matt Turner, but only into the path of Olivera, who tucked away the rebound.
Replays appeared to show that Olivera was offside when Araujo first made contact with the ball, but despite a lengthy VAR review, Peruvian referee Kevin Ortega ruled that the goal should stand.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Berhalter said. “I don’t understand it, I feel like I know the offside rule pretty well.
“It’s disappointing. It really is. But you know that that happens in football, and we have to live with it.”
The mathematics of qualification looked even more bleak for the US after news that Panama had scored again through Eduardo Guerrero to regain the lead at 2-1, and the final nail in the coffin came when Cesar Yanis added a third for Panama in stoppage time.
The USA’s first-round exit raises fresh questions about the future of Berhalter, who remains deeply unpopular among swathes of American fans.
Berhalter was only reappointed to the US job in June last year following a hiatus after leading the team to the 2022 World Cup.
The nature of Monday’s early exit is certain to reignite debate about whether he is the best man to lead the United States into the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
Failure to defeat Uruguay, 14th in the latest FIFA rankings, extends Berhalter’s poor record against top 20 teams.
Berhalter has just five wins in 20 matches against top-20 teams during his reign, and four of those victories came against regional rivals Mexico — who were also eliminated from the Copa in the first round.
That dismal sequence continued after a toothless attacking performance against Uruguay, where the US registered only three shots on goal in a misfiring offensive display.
Defender Antonee Robinson described the officiating as “amateur hour” but stressed responsibility for the defeat lay with the players.
“Just not enough quality in the final third,” Robinson said.
“At the end of the day we weren’t good enough to get the result today. This is on us.”
Girmay ‘opens the door’ for Africa with Tour stage win as Carapaz takes lead
- Girmay is the third African to win on the Grande Boucle, first raced in 1903, after South Africans Daryl Impey and Rob Hunter
- Carapaz became the first Ecuadorian to wear the leader’s yellow jersey, taking it from Slovenian Tadej Pogacar who was held up in a late crash in the run to the line
TURIN: Eritrean Biniam Girmay dedicated his stage three win at the Tour de France on Monday to “the continent of Africa” as Richard Carapaz took the overall race lead in Turin.
“Let me open the door,” 24-year-old Girmay posted on social media after earlier pointing out he was the “first Black African to win at the Tour.
“It means a lot personally for me and for the continent of Africa,” he added.
Girmay is the third African to win on the Grande Boucle, first raced in 1903, after South Africans Daryl Impey and Rob Hunter.
“Huge congrats to all: Biniam Girmay makes history and wins stage 3 of Tour de France. A great and memorable day indeed for #eritreancycling and #africancycling,” Yemane G. Meskel, Eritrea’s Minister of Information, posted on X.
Multiple Tour winner Chris Froome was born in Kenya but competed for Britain.
“There are many obstacles for African riders,” said Intermarche rider Girmay.
“I had to come to Europe, learn English, learn the cycling language, it takes time and support.
“I should thank my team because with them I have grown every season.”
It was also a first for the Intermarche team.
“We hadn’t won the Tour de France yet, but now it’s our moment,” said Girmay.
Carapaz became the first Ecuadorian to wear the leader’s yellow jersey, taking it from Slovenian Tadej Pogacar who was held up in a late crash in the run to the line.
Carapaz and Pogacar are level on time at the top of the overall standings but the 31-year-old is ahead thanks to his better final position in the day’s racing.
Belgian Remco Evenepoel and Danish two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard are third and fourth respectively also on the same time.
Girmay pipped Colombian Fernando Gaviria and Belgian Arnaud De Lie after a chaotic finale marked by a late fall as the riders hit speeds of around 65kph in the dash to the line.
The crash, in which the big favorite for the sprint Belgian Jasper Philipsen was involved, created a break in the peloton.
Two-time race winner Pogacar, gunning for a historic Giro d’Italia and Tour double, did not fall but was delayed.
Veteran Mark Cavendish was held up by a wheel change as he bids for a record 35th stage win.
The 39-year-old prickly sprinter appeared genuinely pleased for Girmay.
“That’s massive, for him, for the Tour, for Africa. He’s a legend now isn’t he,” said Cavendish.
Carapaz came third on the Tour in 2021 but was overlooked in the build-up to this edition after falling on day one last year.
The Olympic road race champion was also not selected by Ecuador to defend his title at the Paris Games.
Now he has gatecrashed the Fab Four of Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic, who dropped off the pace in Turin.
“I was sick after the Tour of Switzerland and I know you need to be in optimal shape here,” said former Giro winner Carapaz.
“For the first time yesterday I felt much better. Whatever comes after this is a victory, but we will defend the jersey with everything as long as we can.”
After two sweltering stages, the skies were shrouded grey entering the northern Italian industrial city with thunder and torrential rain shortly after the race ended.
Girmay is a strong sprinter and modelled his style on Peter Sagan.
He was aided in his win at Turin by the absence of stage favorite Philipsen, who fell in the run in.
The stage winner spoke about his childhood in Eritrea, where cycling is a major sport.
“After lunch in July my dad always used to say ‘come on guys, let’s watch the Tour de France’.
“One day, after Sagan won and I asked my dad if he thought I could win one day and he said if I worked hard I could.
“But I was inspired too by Daniel Teklehaimanot when he got the polka dot jersey in 2015,” he recalled of his compatriot.
“But this is for everyone, they all inspired me, all the Eritrean cyclists.”
It was his second Grand Tour stage win after the Giro in 2022 where he injured an eye opening a bottle of prosecco on the podium.
First Palestinian Olympic boxer fights hurdles before history
- Abu Sal will take on his first Olympic fight on July 28 after an unusual training routine with his remote coach Ahmad Harara, 32, who is held back by Israeli travel restrictions
BEITUNIA, Palestinian Territories: Every morning Palestinian boxer Waseem Abu Sal checks texts from his Cairo-based coach — a Gazan who cannot travel to him in the occupied West Bank — to see his daily Olympics training schedule as he prepares to make history.
The 20-year-old will be the first Palestinian boxer to participate in the Olympics after he bagged a wildcard spot and now dreams of delivering the first-ever medal for the Palestinians when he competes in Paris.
“This has been my dream since I was 10 years old,” he told AFP the day after receiving the invitation last week.
“Every day I went to sleep and woke up thinking about how I could reach the Olympics.”
Abu Sal will take on his first Olympic fight on July 28 after an unusual training routine with his remote coach Ahmad Harara, 32, who is held back by Israeli travel restrictions.
“I only see him when I travel” for international competitions, Waseem Abu Sal told AFP at his gym in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority (PA).
“He writes my training schedule every day, and I train in the morning, and again in the evening with coach Nader Jayousi.”
Harara said he could not see his star fighter because of “the occupation barriers between the West Bank and Gaza” as an ID holder of the latter territory.
“Since then, I have been overseeing Wassem’s training remotely,” Harara said.
The Palestine Olympic Committee has been represented on the International Olympic Committee since 1995 despite a lack of statehood.
Though Abu Sal did not make it through the Olympic qualifying rounds, he received a wildcard spot in a system that ensures representation for all countries at the Games.
The political reality of the West Bank — dotted by Israeli army checkpoints that restrict movement — means Abu Sal is fighting hurdles even before he makes history.
“Athletes from the West Bank can’t easily come to us,” he said.
His usual sparring partner in Ramallah outweighs him by several weight classes — 71 kilograms to Abu Sal’s 57 kg.
Another partner closer to him in weight is based in Jerusalem, on the other side of Israel’s security barrier, making regular training difficult.
“This makes it hard to hold tournaments, leading to less competition in the country,” he said.
Traveling abroad to train or compete comes with its own difficulties.
“Many countries deny visas to those with Palestinian passports, causing us to miss out on tournaments while waiting for visas,” he said.
When Abu Sal flies for Paris in July, he will do so from the Jordanian capital of Amman, which he will travel to from Ramallah by road, as he usually does when going abroad for competitions.
Nader Jayousi, head of the Palestinian Olympic delegation that will send seven athletes to Paris this year, is a mentor to Abu Sal.
At the official’s Ramallah gym, Waseem trains alongside other promising young boxers under his watchful eye.
As the Olympic prospect spars, a mix of rap and traditional Palestinian songs fills the gym.
“It’s a proud moment, not just for me, but for Palestine as the first-ever Palestinian boxer will represent Palestine at the Olympics,” Jayousi said.
He echoed Abu Sal’s concerns about restrictions.
“We don’t have that big number of very good boxers that I can make Waseem train with,” he said.
“That’s a big challenge for us because iron sharpens iron.”
One of the biggest challenges to his Olympic preparation has been the war in Gaza, which started after Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel that left 1,195 people dead, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 37,718 people, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
Among them were athletes or relatives of athletes, according to Palestinian officials.
Jayousi points to the cases of a coach killed in an air strike, a Gaza boxer who lost an uncle, and another whose eye was lost to shrapnel.
The devastating conflict and casualty updates knocked the mental health of Abu Sal and his teammates, said Jayousi.
“This has affected our boxers big time, because we were every day getting news about athletes we are losing.”
Traveling between the West Bank cities has also become more dangerous due to an uptick in checkpoints, army presence, and settler violence.
Since October 7, Palestinian officials say at least 553 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army or settlers who live in settlements the UN considers illegal under international law.
But as the Olympics near, Abu Sal’s resolve has only been strengthened to “train, eat, and sleep” after receiving the ticket to fight for gold.
“It was like life had come back to me,” he said.
