By Carlos Ramirez Zago
Daniil Medvedev is champion in Rome
Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev was crowned champion of the Rome Masters 1000 after defeating young Dane Holger Rune.
Medvedev won for the first time on clay, a surface on which he was not doing well and had even declared as his «enemy surface.»
He started his way leaving out Emil Ruusuvuori in the round of 64 by 6-4 and 6-2. In the round of 32, he defeated Bernabe Zapata Miralles by 3-6, 6-1, and 6-3. In the round of 16, he defeated Alexander Zverev by 6-2 and 7-6. In the quarterfinals, the next victim was Yannick Hanfmann with a score of 6-2 and 6-2, and in the semifinals, he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 7-5 in an intense match. He won the final against Denmark’s Holger Rune 7-5, 7-5, a result that places him as the number two tennis player in the world, surpassing Novak Djokovic in the ATP ranking.
«I honestly didn’t believe I could win a Master 1000 on clay, due to the fact that I hated playing on this surface» stated Daniil.
Medvedev is looking for Roland Garros at all costs!
European Finals confirmed
The final of the most important club tournament in the world, the UEFA Champions League, will be played next Saturday, June 10, at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul. Manchester City and Inter Milan will face each other in Turkey in search of the long-awaited «golden ear.»
The «Cityzens,» led by Pep Guardiola, reached the final after defeating the fearsome Real Madrid with a scandalous 5-1 aggregate score and are looking to take home the first Champions League title in their history. Inter Milan reached the final after defeating arch-rivals AC Milan 3-0 on aggregate in the «Derby della Madonnina» in a historic semi-final.
In the UEFA Europa League, Sevilla FC and AS Roma will meet in the final on Wednesday, May 31, at the Puskás Aréna (Budapest, Hungary).
Sevilla, which is known as the «king of the Europa League,» is in yet another final in search of its seventh title while Mourinho’s Roma surprised everyone and will be looking to take the cup back to Italy.
And finally, the final of the UEFA Conference League will be next Wednesday, June 7, at the Eden Arena (Prague, Czech Republic). It will be between Fiorentina and West Ham, which fought hard to reach this stage and will undoubtedly fight for the cup.
Make your predictions!
Rafael Nadal’s possible retirement in 2024
What many of us feared is getting closer and closer. The 36-year-old Spanish tennis player, Rafael Nadal, announced at a press conference that he would miss Roland Garros this year and he would not return to competition until 2024, in what may be his last year as a professional tennis player.
Rafa stated that he is still not physically fit enough to compete after suffering an injury at the Australian Open in January of this year. He announced that he will dedicate himself to preparing in the best way for the rest of the year to face 2024, probably the year when he will retire from the circuit.
The Spanish tennis player has 22 Grand Slams, of which 14 are Roland Garros, 4 US Open, 2 Wimbledon, and 2 Australian Open. He is considered the best tennis player on clay in history and by many the best tennis player of all time.
At that level of competition and a certain age, injuries are very common and frequent in tennis players, but Rafa has shown us that he never stops fighting. Let’s not doubt that in 2024 he can continue making history on the court.
Fuerza, Rafa. Don’t ever go away!
Fernando «Tano» Ortiz resigns as America’s coach after elimination against Chivas
Argentine coach Fernando «Tano» Ortiz resigned as head coach of the «Aguilas» of América, after being eliminated from the Clausura 2023 in the semifinals by their arch-rivals Club Deportivo Guadalajara.
The «Tano,» who arrived as Santiago Solari’s replacement at Coapa, was conditioned to reach the final of the Clausura 2023 to renew his contract as Azulcrema coach.
Everything seemed to be on the right track, as the «Eagles» finished the regular phase as runners-up to Monterrey. They eliminated Atlético San Luis in the quarterfinals to face Chivas in the semifinals, whom they had defeated on matchday 12, 4-2.
In the first leg at the Akron Stadium, the «Eagles» took the lead with a goal by Alejandro Zendejas at minute 60′. It seemed that the final was assured, as Chivas needed to win by two goals at the Azteca Stadium to advance to the final.
At the Azteca Stadium, Chivas, led by Veljko Paunovic, defeated América 3-1, with goals from Ronaldo Cisneros at 19′, Alan Mozo at 76′, and Jesús Orozco at 87′ for the club from Guadalajara, while Diego Valdés scored the only goal for América at 57′. With this result, Chivas turned the tables on América and eliminated the “Eagles” from the tournament.
«First of all, congratulations to Chivas. We have to recognize that the opponent played better. And secondly, for me and my coaching staff, it is a closed cycle with the institution. Thank you for everything,» declared Fernando Ortiz in a press conference.
Aztecazo and goodbye, «Tano»!
