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French Open 2025: Mentalist Novak Djokovic ready for physical Jannik Sinner battle | Tennis News
Novak Djokovic reacts to fans’ cheers during a quarterfinal match against Alexander Zverev during the French Open at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP) Paris:Novak Djokovic has many descriptors, but nothing quite typifies the 24-time Grand Slam champion like the word ‘Mentalist’. The 38-year-old likes to lift an exchange, take it beyond the chalked lines, to that space between the ears. It’s where most competitors shrink and shrivel, while some others simply shift gear into beast mode. That is the precise space where the sixth-seeded Novak Djokovic will hope to play the world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, when the duo face-off in the French Open semifinals on Friday. It’s the pair’s ninth meeting with the head-to-head locked at 4-4.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! “These kinds of matchups and challenges extract the best out of me. Playing best-of-five in the later stages of a Grand Slam, against the world No. 1, there can’t be greater motivation for me at this age,” Djokovic said. “I don’t think, how am I going to stop him? I think how am I going to execute what I want to do on the court?” Djokovic versus Sinner, the best player in history versus the No. 1 player in the world, is a dream semifinal. The matchup has everything — spice and ice, the romance of a clash between generations, energy and explosive edge versus 24-carat experience. In playing style, Sinner is the one who most resembles Djokovic from the younger cohort. His strengths are the same as the Serb, including the mental edge — only he’s 14 years younger. The Italian, 23, who returned to competition after serving a three-month ban for testing positive for Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid, has faced mixed reactions in the locker room since the tests were made public last August. There has been support, however slim, indifference too, but a majority of the players felt he received preferential treatment. “The two cases of Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner have attracted a lot of attention and it’s not a good image for our sport,” Djokovic said earlier this year. “A majority of the players don’t feel that (the process is) fair. It appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers.” Sinner has won all of the pair’s last three meetings, played in a span of 10 months, between November 2023 and October 2024. The matches were played on hardcourts, which is the preferred surface of both players, but the three-time Roland Garros champion, who achieved a 100th singles… played a 250 Series event in Geneva, where he clinched his 100th Tour-level title, checking a box, before arriving in Paris. “The win against Alcaraz in the quarters of the Australian Open, the win against Zverev (quarters, on Wednesday night) proves that I can still play at the highest level. I just hope that I will be able to physically keep up with Sinner.” “He has shown now in the last period that he is back to the level,” Sinner said of Djokovic’s form. “It’s going to be tactical and very, very difficult.” In the first of Friday’s semifinals, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz plays the world No. 7 Lorenzo Musetti. The 22-year-old Spaniard leads the head-to-head 5-1, having finished on top in their last five meetings. Four of the duo’s six matches have been played on outdoor clay.
RJ Mahvash reveals Yuzvendra Chahal played through injury in IPL 2025: Had 3 fractures
RJ Mahvash revealed in a heartwarming post that Yuzvendra Chahal played the IPL 2025 season through injury after Punjab Kings’ loss in the final to RCB. Chahal had missed a total of three matches in the tournament, including the Qualifier 1 against RCB as he was recovering from a wrist injury. However, a post from Mahvash has now revealed that the spinner had his ribs fractured after a few games in the season. She also said that Chahal’s bowling finger got fractured later and he played through the pain during the course of the season. Mahvash praised the spirit of Chahal for not giving up despite the injuries and said it showed his warrior spirit. “They fought, stayed and played till the last match! And special post to @yuzi_chahal23 because what people don’t know is that his ribs got fractured after few matches only and his bowling finger got fractured later, this guy played the entire season with 3 fractures! We all have seen him screaming and crying in pain but have never seen him giving up! I mean what warrior spirit you have man,” said Mahvash in her post. ‘PBKS kept fighting till the last ball’ Mahvash also praised the PBKS squad for their performance and for fighting till the last ball in the final. She said that it was an honour for her to be a supporter fo the side during the season. She congratulated RCB and their fans for the title win. “The team kept fighting till the last ball! It was nothing but an honour to be a supporter of this team this year! Well played boys. All the people in these pictures have my heart. See you next year! Also, many congratulations to RCB and fans for winning the title. Everyone played and worked hard! Cricket , and IPL ..my God again! Truly a festival for us Indians,” said Mahvash in her post. Chahal played a total of 14 matches during the IPL 2025 campaign and picked up 16 wickets, including a hat-trick against CSK in Chennai. In the final, Chahal registered figures of one for 37 in his four overs. Published On: Jun 6, 2025
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Bengaluru stampede case: Who is Nikhil Sosale, the RCB official arrested by police | Cricket News
Nikhil Sosale (right) in a photo featuring Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma. Sosale has been arrested by local police in the Bengaluru stampede case. The Bengaluru Police have arrested Nikhil Sosale, marketing head for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Diageo India, and three others from DNA Entertainment Networks on Friday morning in connection with the stampede that occurred during RCB’s IPL victory celebrations on Wednesday. RCB’s maiden IPL title celebrations turned tragic resulting in 11 deaths and 75 injured.The arrests took place following directions from Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who called for action against officials from RCB, DNA Entertainment, and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). Sosale was taken into custody at Bengaluru airport while attempting to travel to Mumbai.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Three staff members from DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltd have been detained by the police as part of the ongoing investigation into the tragic incident. They’ve been identified as Sunil Mathew (director and vice president), Sumatnth (DNA ticketing official) and Kiran Kumar (manager).The state government has suspended several top police officials, including Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda. A one-man judicial commission, headed by retired Karnataka High Court judge Justice Michael D’Cunha, has been established to investigate the case within 30 days. Gautam Gambhir sends stern message after Bengaluru tragedy The stampede occurred outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium during celebrations following RCB’s first-ever IPL championship victory against Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The tragedy unfolded during a victory parade that was initially denied permission by the Bengaluru Police.Despite the initial denial, RCB announced on social media at 3 PM that the parade would proceed from Vidhana Soudha to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium at 5pm. The franchise has faced criticism for continuing celebrations inside the stadium while the stampede occurred outside.Who is Nikhil Sosale? Security personnel try to manage the crowd of fans gathered for the felicitation of IPL 2025 winning Royal Challengers Bengaluru team in Bengaluru, Karnataka. (PTI) Nikhil Sosale has been closely associated with RCB since its early years. According to his LinkedIn profile, he leads the design, strategy, and delivery of the business and marketing side of the leading brand and commercial program in the IPL. He holds a Double Major in Business from James Cook University, which he completed between 2008 and 2010.Sosale has been a visible presence at RCB games throughout the 2025 season, often seen sitting with Virat Kohli’s wife Anushka Sharma in the stands. He maintains a private Instagram profile with 637 followers, which both Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma follow.He is married to Malvika Nayak, who heads the business development and partnerships department at Innoz Technologies Pvt.Ltd.In response to the tragedy, RCB had announced financial aid for all 11 families who lost members in the stampede. The franchise has also established an ‘RCB Cares’ fund to support the individuals who were injured in the incident.The Cubbon Park police registered a suo-motu case against the accused — (Accused No. 1) RCB franchise, (accused No. 2) DNA Entertainment, and (accused No. 3) KSCA administrative committee. FIR was booked under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 105 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 118 (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 190 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), and 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others).A second FIR was registered based on the complaint of Rolongumes, who was injured in the incident, under the BNS section 125 A (act endangering life or personal safety of others).
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India tour of England | ‘I’m always under pressure,’ says Team India coach Gautam Gambhir | Cricket News
Mumbai: India’s Test cricket team captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir during the pre-departure press conference ahead of the five-match Test cricket series against England, in Mumbai. (PTI Photo/Shashank Parade)(PTI06_05_2025_000349A) Mumbai: India head coach Gautam Gambhir always feels like a marked man. Recently, in a TV interview, he had stated that some former players questioned his competence as coach when the team lost in Australia, and how issues were created about the distribution of the Champions Trophy reward.The knives had already started to get sharpened when a team usually dominant at home lost 0-3 to New Zealand before the trip Down Under last year.If one thinks victory in the Champions Trophy in the UAE would have eased the spotlight, Gambhir says he is under no such illusion. “Regardless of whether I would have won the Champions Trophy or not, I’m always under pressure. Being the Indian coach, you want results. It does not change with winning or losing.”The England tour will be another tough gig for Gambhir as he leads a young captain and a young team, sans the superstars of the past, as India eye an improved show in their bid to qualify for the final of the 2027 World Test Championship. Gautam Gambhir sends stern message after Bengaluru tragedy While the endless supply line of players in white-ball cricket makes his task for the shorter formats easier, the transition in red-ball cricket is a potentially rocky path. Overseas Test success is something that Indian coaches are evaluated on and Gambhir is aware of it. “It’s a good opportunity to do something special for the country,” he said. “We have a talented squad and a bunch of players who are willing to express themselves and do something special.”One of the talismans in the squad is the genius called Jasprit Bumrah. One saw in Australia how heavily India’s attack depended on him. With the medical team and chief selector ajit Agarkar making it clear that Bumrah’s workload will be monitored and he will play only three of the five Tests, it is a tricky call for Gambhir to decide which of the five Tests Bumrah will feature in. “We have not taken that call which three games he is going to play,” he said, adding: “It depends on the state of the series and which way the series is heading. I’m sure he is aware of that too.”
India tour of England | ‘Not easy to replace Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli, but we have the team’ – Team India captain Shubman Gill | Cricket News
India’s captain Rohit Sharma, right, and teammate Virat Kohli leave the field after their loss in the second cricket test match against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, Australia. AP/PTI( Mumbai: A black SUV zooming in through the gates of the Wankhede on Wednesday evening, and a group of BCCI employees showing extreme urgency to open the doors of the swanky vehicle, were the new signs of power and importance that Shubman Gill, all of 25 years old, has now acquired.The elegant right-hander would have no doubt preferred to handle the seam and swing of the Dukes ball rather than field questions from reporters. India’s 37th Test captain, however, did an earnest job of negotiating the queries on the eve of the team’s departure for the five-Test series in England.There is an air of pessimism surrounding the competence and ability of India’s batting lineup in the absence of retired stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. “Yes, we have lost two experienced players who have won many games for us, but this team has the right batting and bowling combination to compete well in England,” Gill said at the BCCI headquarters here on Thursday. Gill will have to make a few decisions as soon as he lands with the rest of the team in London. One of them would be around his own batting position. In his 32-match and 59-innings Test career, he has either batted as an opener or by choice opted to bat at No. 3 since India’s tour of West Indies in 2023. Many feel that he is ideally suited to take the No. 4 spot, now lying vacant after Kohli’s retirement. Gautam Gambhir sends stern message after Bengaluru tragedy Gill was non-committal. “I haven’t decided on my batting position yet. We still have some time. We still have an intra-squad match (vs India A), and we will be having a 10-day camp in London,” he said.In his short Test career, Gill has played under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah and he has been a studious observer of their captaincy styles.Gill wants to imbibe something different from all the leaders he has played under. His appointment as Test captain raised a few eyebrows considering his limited exposure to leadership across different age groups. While he had a poor stint as Gujarat Titans captain in the IPL in 2024, in 2025 he has looked more in control and more engaged.Who’s that IPL player?So, what exactly is the Gill captaincy playbook? “I believe in communication with the players and making the players feel secure. Only then can they give you their 100%,” Gill stressed.The Indian players have all been playing a surfeit of white-ball cricket and IPL matches on flat tracks leading up to the England sojourn, where conditions will be as different as paneer and pizza. In the past, Test-bound players in the middle of IPL games took time out to practise with the red ball, especially the Dukes ball. Did he as captain advocate the same to the players? Gill said it was an individual call. “It all depends on what a player wants. If someone is playing the IPL, his commitment is for his franchise first. But many times we get breaks between games and players use that time to train,” he said.
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Rob Walter hired as New Zealand’s cricket head coach after leaving South Africa job
Former South Africa coach Rob Walter has been appointed as the head coach of New Zealand men’s cricket team in all three formats as replacement for Gary Stead | Photo Credit: Getty Images Rob Walter has been hired to coach the New Zealand men’s cricket team in all three formats as a replacement for Gary Stead. Walter coached South Africa’s teams in the one-day and Twenty20 formats from January 2023 until April this year. Before then he coached New Zealand’s Otago province for five years and at the Central Districts association. He guided South Africa to the semifinals of the 2023 World Cup and the Champions Trophy earlier this year in the ODI format and to the final of the T20 World Cup last year. Stead was New Zealand head coach in all three formats from 2018 until earlier this week, when New Zealand Cricket announced it was seeking a replacement. Stead announced in March he was stepping down from his roles in the limited-overs formats but intended to remain as test coach. New Zealand Cricket said it preferred a coach to lead the Black Caps in all three formats. “It’s an amazing opportunity to work with such a talented group of players and support staff through a period of time in which so many global events, as well as massive bilateral series will be contested,” Walter said. “I just can’t wait to get started. It’s exciting, it’s challenging and the opportunity is enormous.” The 49-year-old Walter was high on New Zealand Cricket’s list of preferred candidates from the moment it decided to pursue another all-formats coach, ruling out Stead who guided the Black Caps to the inaugural World Test Championship. “Rob is a world-class coach with an outstanding pedigree,” NZC chief executive Scott Weenink said. “His success in New Zealand’s domestic game combined with his recent achievements on the global stage with South Africa makes him the ideal candidate to lead the Black Caps.” He’ll take over in time for New Zealand’s tour to Zimbabwe, which starts with a T20 tri-series against the hosts and South Africa before a two-Test series against Zimbabwe. Published – June 06, 2025 09:44 am IST