logo
Wimbledon: Vijay Amritraj feels potential semi-final between Djokovic and Sinner would be a 'match to watch'

Wimbledon: Vijay Amritraj feels potential semi-final between Djokovic and Sinner would be a 'match to watch'

Hans India07-07-2025
Veteran Indian tennis player Vijay Amritraj believes that Serbian legend Novak Djokovic's potential semi-final clash against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon men's singles would be a match to watch in the grass-court Grand Slam.
Amritraj also highlighted the growing rivalry between Sinner and world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz as the duo shared all the Grand Slams between them since 2024. Among the big three - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic - the Serbian last's Grand Slam victory came in the 2023 French Open - while Federer retired in 2022 and Nadal called time on his career last year.
With Djokovic also at the final stage of his career, Amritraj feels the rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz will go a long way after a spectacular Roland Garros final between them last month.
"I think Sinner-Alcaraz have proven to be a good rivalry that has already started simply because the last six Grand Slams, have been won between the two of them. And so I do believe that there is a rivalry there," Amritraj, JioStar Wimbledon expert, told IANS during virtual interaction.
"Djokovic is clearly in the mix at this point, hanging on especially on grass. So it's going to be interesting to see how the rest of the week progresses this week with Djokovic. If we can make the semis and play Sinner, that would be a match to watch," he added.
When asked who would he pick as the 'bigger player' between the current top twos, the former Indian star said, "It all depends so much on injuries, physical capabilities, desire and work ethic. I think both of them have shown beyond reasonable doubt that they both have their talent and work ethic at this point. It's a question also of remaining physically well and strong.
"That's why they have very good physical teams around them to keep them fresh. And so that's going to come down a lot to that. They're both 22 and 23. They've been playing each other since the juniors. So, I think it remains to be seen, but they're just off to an excellent start."
Amritraj lauded Alcaraz's variety and termed him a complete player with all bases covered.
"He has got a tremendous variety in his game. The variety was not there in a lot of most of the players today. They are tremendous from the backcourt, tremendous of the first serve. They're not great volleyers, but they don't come in much. But Alcaraz has got a good mix of all of that, including the drop shot and the lob.
"He moves extremely well, he gets three points on a serve, he attacks well, he plays from the back well and under most circumstances, he has got a very strong head. So, he's quite a complete player that way. The question is, how long will players take to be able to penetrate his defences? So, I think that's where Alcaraz stands at this point," he said.
In the round of 16 clash, Djokovic will face Australia's Alex de Minaur while Sinner will take on Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov on Monday.
On the other hand, defending Wimbledon champion Alcaraz will lock horns against Britain's Cameron Norrie in the quarter-final clash on Tuesday.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

IND vs ENG: King Charles III meets Team India, inquires about Akash Deep's cancer-stricken sister
IND vs ENG: King Charles III meets Team India, inquires about Akash Deep's cancer-stricken sister

Time of India

time28 minutes ago

  • Time of India

IND vs ENG: King Charles III meets Team India, inquires about Akash Deep's cancer-stricken sister

NEW DELHI: Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI ) Vice President Rajeev Shukla expressed his happiness after both the Indian men's and women's cricket teams met King Charles III, saying the monarch 'had done his homework' and even enquired about personal details of the players — including pacer Akash Deep's sister's battle with cancer. King Charles III hosted the two Indian teams at St. James's Palace in London on Tuesday. Present at the event were India men's captain Shubman Gill , women's captain Harmanpreet Kaur, team members, and coaching staff. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Speaking to ANI, Shukla said, "It was a very historic occasion that both our men's and women's teams were invited today by King Charles and met them very well in the Palace. Players are very happy because he asked all personal details of each player. He asked Saikia ji (BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia) and me about whether Arun Jaitley is my friend, what happened to him, and when I told him that he had died, he asked me to pay condolences to his family. He also asked about Akash Deep's sister's illness." "He had found out so many details. He sounded like a gentleman, and it did not seem we were talking to the King of England. There is a lot of humility in him and team is very happy to meet him," he added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo Shukla further revealed that King Charles also discussed the thrilling third Test at Lord's, calling Mohammed Siraj's dismissal 'unfortunate,' as the ball spun back onto the stumps after being middled. That moment ended India's late resistance in their chase of 193, resulting in a 22-run loss. India vs England: India fall short at Lord's, England lead series 2-1 "Even he noticed this fact. If we had another regular batter on the field, then we could have won easily. Our team has proven that our experiment is well done (to send a young team), as part of which we have sent a new team because we are looking forward to the future. The team has proven itself to be a fighter unit. We almost won here. We did well at Leeds. Our team is competing with England equally and will win the series as two matches are since left," he added. Commenting on Shubman Gill's leadership, Shukla praised the young captain for answering critics with both leadership and runs. "He has also proven himself with the bat. A century, then a double century and a century, what could be better than this?" added the BCCI Vice President. On the absence of senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who retired from Tests before the series, Shukla said their decision was personal and respected by the board. "They have retired themselves. We will always miss them, they are both great batsmen and the good thing for us is that they are available for ODIs," he concluded. Also present at the gathering were BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla and India's High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami. While the men's team is currently engaged in the five-Test series in England, the women's team recently clinched a historic 3-2 T20I series win and will now play three ODIs starting Wednesday in Southampton. During the meeting, King Charles had a brief chat with Shubman Gill, where the two discussed the dramatic ending of the third Test. Referring to Siraj's dismissal, the King remarked on the misfortune of the ball rolling back to hit the stumps. Gill responded, 'It's a game of cricket.' Shubman Gill blames 'judgement error' as Rishabh Pant run-out haunts India in Lord's heartbreak Charles also shared a light-hearted moment with vice-captain Rishabh Pant and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, laughing together during their conversation. He later interacted with the rest of the squad, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and head coach Gautam Gambhir. Following that, he spent time with the Indian women's team as well. Before meeting the King, the Indian contingent also had an informal interaction with British actor and musician Idris Elba. Speaking with Gill, Bumrah, and Pant, Elba said, 'I'd say I'm a fan, but I don't follow cricket as well as I should. I was just a little bowler, that's all.' He later also spoke to members of the women's team. After the group photos, King Charles also spoke with India quick Prasidh Krishna and batter Karun Nair, and met uncapped left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. Gill described the experience of meeting King Charles as a memorable one: 'It was amazing. I think he was very kind and generous to be able to call us here, and it was a pleasure meeting the king, and we had some really good conversations.' He also spoke about the King's reference to the dramatic final moments of the Lord's Test: 'Yes, he did tell us that the way our last batsman got out was quite unfortunate. The ball was rolling on the stumps, and he was just asking us how we felt after that, and we told him it was an unfortunate match for us. It could have gone either way, but hopefully we will have better luck in the next games." Harmanpreet Kaur also shared her thoughts, saying, "Uh, it was a very nice experience. Uh, we came to England so many times, but this was our first time when we met him, and he was very friendly. He asked us, like, how the travel was and all, and, um, it was really nice to meet him." "Definitely, we have been playing good cricket, and I think with that we are getting a lot of opportunity to express ourselves, so really happy the way things are moving on," she added. Women's team head coach Amol Muzumdar also reflected on the moment, saying, "It has been a very humbling experience coming here to the royal house and meeting the king. It's been the first time, so we came all the way from Southampton, but it was really worth it, and the girls were really excited about this visit, and we are pleased that we are here." Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!

Ravindra Jadeja A Hero Or Villain? Anil Kumble's Remarks On Lord's Test Defeat Stumps Everyone
Ravindra Jadeja A Hero Or Villain? Anil Kumble's Remarks On Lord's Test Defeat Stumps Everyone

NDTV

time33 minutes ago

  • NDTV

Ravindra Jadeja A Hero Or Villain? Anil Kumble's Remarks On Lord's Test Defeat Stumps Everyone

Team India came tantalizingly close to securing a heroic victory against England at the Lord's Cricket Ground on Monday. Ravindra Jadeja stood tall against a daunting England bowling attack as the team kept losing wickets at the other end. Even the tailenders Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja tried their bit to support Jadeja, but fate had the word 'defeat' written for the tourists. As the pundits sit and analyse what went wrong for the Indian team, some feel that Ravindra Jadeja could've done a lot more than scoring an unbeaten 61 off 181 balls. Former India spinner Anil Kumble, one of the greatest to play the game, has questioned Jadeja's approach against England, saying he expected a more positive approach from the all-rounder as he has played on tougher pitches against better bowling attacks. "The two bowlers he could have potentially taken on were Chris Woakes, who is slightly slower in the air, and then Bashir and Joe Root. I know they're off-spinners taking the ball away, but it wasn't turning square. So there wasn't a lot to worry about in terms of spin or the outside edge. Jadeja has played on tougher pitches and against better bowling. I thought he could have taken a chance," Kumble said after the game. "You want to take those risks. Yes, there were a few runs he rightly declined because Bumrah and Siraj were at the other end, but he could have chanced it a bit more," Kumble further said, suggesting a more attacking approach might have been the key for India. Another former India great, Sunil Gavaskar, who had earlier given a similar verdict like Kumble, later said that it was tough for Jadeja to do more than what he had already done in the match. "I think it was dictated by the fact that he was batting with the lower-order batters. He was trying to farm the strike as much as possible. Also, at that stage, you're wary of playing aerial shots on that kind of pitch. And the Indian team tends to take the game deep - that's what he was aiming for," Gavaskar told India Today. After the game, India captain Shubman Gill also shared his verdict on Jadeja's performance, calling him one of the team's 'most valuable players'.

Indian shooting gets ISSF coaching courses
Indian shooting gets ISSF coaching courses

The Hindu

time42 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

Indian shooting gets ISSF coaching courses

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has signed a partnership with the ISSF Academy, the coaching wing of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), to host certified coaching courses in India. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in the Capital on Tuesday by the NRAI president Kalikesh Singh Deo and the director of ISSF Academy, Dr. Vesa Nissinen. The NRAI secretary-general Sultan Singh, the CEO of ISSF Academy, Karolina Nissinen, the director of NRAI Education Program, Pawankumar Singh and Olympian Mansher Singh, member of the ISSF Shotgun Coaches Committee, were also present to mark the significant step taken towards building a structured education system. The ISSF coaches education program, graded into four categories of Elite/International level, advanced, intermediate and introductory levels, is expected to strengthen the grassroots ecosystem of Indian shooting by developing a large pool of qualified coaches, equipped with modern techniques and global best practices. 'By embedding international standards into our coaching structure, we are not only elevating the quality of mentorship at the elite level but also investing in the long-term development of talent at the grassroots,' said Singh Deo. 'By bringing ISSF-Certified coaching education to India, we are contributing to the creation of a more robust and standardised coaching framework in one of the world's most dynamic shooting nations,' said Dr. Nissinen.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store