Djokovic ready to be 100 not out on the march to Paris
For the tennis colossus who just won't lie down, everything seems to be falling into place at the right time as Novak Djokovic eyes yet more career landmarks and grand slam glory.
Going into the French Open with the prospect of a record-breaking 25th slam in his sights, it's now probable that Djokovic could make the 500km journey from Geneva to Paris this weekend with that elusive 100th career title under his belt.
For on Friday, the giant who's been enduring one of the leanest patches of his matchless career on the European clay battled into the final of the Geneva Open by defeating doughty British qualifier Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 in their semi-final.
It's set up a final with Hubert Hurkacz on Saturday, following the Pole's victory over Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner 6-3 6-4 in the other last-four match on Friday.
And if Djokovic can win that final, 19 years after lifting his first tour-level crown in the Dutch town of Amersfoort, it will be the landmark 100th that's been eluding him ever since he won number 99 at last year's Olympics, also at Roland Garros.
The day after his 38th birthday, Djokovic sent down 11 aces and uncorked 34 winners on Friday in a match he perhaps should have finished off in straight sets after he'd spurned a match point in the second set.
But by reaching his 143rd final, he's in position to become the third man after Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) to reach the century - just the perfect way to launch his Roland Garros bid.
While Djokovic was going for the landmark, his French Open rivals were on their media duties in Paris, with Jannik Sinner, back after his three-month doping ban, sounding ready for the fray after reaching the Italian Open final on his return last week.
He'll face a Frenchman in his first two rounds - Arthur Rinderknech in his opener, and either Terence Atmane or veteran wildcard Richard Gasquet in the second, when, to put it politely, he will not be flavour of the month with the notoriously unforgiving home fans.
"It's definitely going to be different, I know that," he smiled. "But I don't think they have something against me. It's right that they support the players who are from here."
Alexander Zverev, who told of how his journey to Paris had featured his plane getting struck by lightning, didn't think Sinner need have any concerns.
"Jannik is loved, and he will always be loved by tennis fans," said the German. "So if I'm in his shoes, I'm not too worried about the crowd too much."
Carlos Alcaraz learned he'll open his title defence against a different first-round opponent after the Japanese veteran Kei Nishikori had to pull out to be replaced by Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri, ranked 306.
Of the prospect of another Sinner-Alcaraz clash, the Spaniard said: "Right now I think the people are excited every time that I'm facing Jannik. It's a match that because of it, (people) started to watch tennis."
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West Australian
5 hours ago
- West Australian
GEORGIE PARKER: Men should play three sets at tennis majors like women after French Open female fixture snub
The French Open finals were both epic encounters, but there's something about the way the tournament is run that leaves a bitter taste. Coco Gauff won in three sets against world number one Aryna Sabalenka to claim her first French Open title, and Carlos Alcaraz triumphed in an absolute thriller — lifting the trophy after a five-and-a-half-hour marathon against Jannik Sinner overnight. I love a lot of things about tennis — it's one of my favourite sports to watch. One thing I really appreciate, which is rare in other sports, is the personalities of the players that shine through in their press conferences. They play and speak for themselves — not through a team's PR or brand — so they often say exactly what's on their mind. During the French Open, two things stood out to me from the press conferences. Australia's top male hope, Alex de Minaur, who has been battling injuries on and off, suffered a shock second-round exit. He complained, 'there's just too much tennis,' saying the season is too long and that 'the solution is you shorten it … because careers are going to get shorter and shorter — they're just going to burn out mentally.' In the women's draw, Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, and Ons Jabeur all made comments about the visibility of women's tennis at the tournament, with no women's matches played in the prime-time evening slot — reportedly because they only play three sets, not five. That's not really a sound argument, as the Australian and US Opens alternate night matches between the sexes. Pegula said it made her feel like 'hitting her head against the wall.' Sabalenka played Olympic champion and world number eight Zheng Qinwen at 11 a.m.—a quarterfinal match that should have been a lock for prime-time action. In some ways, tennis is far ahead of many sports, with equal pay at Grand Slams. But in other ways, it throws women under the bus, and there's still deeply rooted sexism in the sport. In 2020, for example, the women's Italian Open champion received just €10 less than the men's champion — an amount so small it could only be interpreted as a deliberate statement that women shouldn't be equal. They won't allow women to play five sets (even though the WTA has repeatedly expressed interest) due to 'logistical challenges' with broadcasting and scheduling. Yet, because women aren't allowed to play five sets, they're denied prime-time slots—and the shorter matches fuel the 'you're not doing equal work for equal pay' criticism that women endure online every major tournament. It's infuriating. So, from these press conferences, I'm hearing two problems: the men are playing too much tennis (though de Minaur was more focused on the length of the season than match format), and the women want to be seen as equal. So here's a left-field solution: bring the men back to three sets at majors so everyone is on the same page? Grand Slams would be easier for men to handle workload-wise, as best-of-five is extremely taxing, and there would be no excuse for tournament directors not to give women prime-time slots. Now, if I'm being honest, I don't really want this. I love the five-set thrillers — staying up watching Lleyton Hewitt until 4:30 a.m. against Marcos Baghdatis in the 2008 Australian Open is one of my favourite sporting memories. But what I do want is a solution for the women. It's not fair to hold something over them that directly impacts their visibility and growth, while not only denying them the opportunity to change it but actively blocking any change that could help. Jabeur said it perfectly: 'Honouring one side of the sport shouldn't mean ignoring the other.' Something has to give — because it's 2025, and these women deserve better.
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Insanity! Was this the greatest tennis match of all?
Alex de Minaur called it "insanity", Andre Agassi shook his head in disbelief from the VIP seats and Mats Wilander felt they were playing at a "not human" level. Other luminaries simply swooned it was the best tennis match they'd ever seen. Indeed, Carlos Alcaraz's 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (10-2) triumph over Jannik Sinner in the longest and perhaps best of all French Open finals was so astonishing that even the Spanish champ himself was asked where it belonged in the list of the greatest contests the sport had ever witnessed. Modestly suggesting it wasn't as good as the Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal Australian Open epic in 2012 - which at five hours 53 minutes was the only final to last longer than Sunday's 5:29 marathon - Alcaraz, who saved three match points before prevailing, said he was just proud it was being mentioned as one of the finest of all. "I don't know if our match is in the same table as them," he said when asked how it compared with Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer's final of 2008 and the Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe 1980 epics, both at Wimbledon. "But just happy to put our match and our names in the history of the grand slams, in the history of Roland Garros. I leave the discussion to the people..." Well, the tennis people were awed. "The level of this whole match was insanity!!!!! What a day to be a fan of this beautiful sport," enthused Australia's main man de Minaur on X as he reflected on a contest between the two men he's played a combined 14 times and not yet managed a win. This was a day to see why. Four-time grand slam champ Jim Courier, commentating on TNT Sport, echoed 'Demon's' incredulity as he said: "It's insane how good this is. Everybody's in disbelief at what they're seeing." "One of the best 5th sets ever alongside Federer vs Nadal '08 Wimbledon + Djok vs Nadal AO 2012," tweeted former US Open champ Marin Cilic. "Unbelievable level." Sergi Bruguera, Spain's two-time French Open champ, told Alcaraz it had been the best match he'd ever witnessed, a view echoed by Greg Rusedski, Britain's former US Open finalist, who declared on BBC radio: "For me, personally, this goes down as the greatest tennis match I've ever seen. "The standard was just exceptional. It's just incredible how hard these guys hit the ball." So incredible indeed that seven-time grand slam single champ John McEnroe, talking on TNT Sport, wondered if the pair might even have eclipsed the king of clay, 14-time Roland Garros champ Rafa Nadal, here. "It was an honour to witness. I've been doing this 30 years, that's one of the all-timers easily," said McEnroe. "You would make a serious argument with both guys that they would be favoured to beat Nadal, at his best. "Do I think they're gonna reach 20, 24 (titles), either one of them? No, because that plateau is so hard - but these two guys right now, it's like when you watch the NBA and you say nobody could be better than Michael Jordan. The tennis level right now is higher than I've ever seen." Three-time Australian Open champ Wilander was left marvelling: "I cannot believe how lucky we are that we are going to have this rivalry as they have taken our sport to another level. "I've seen Federer and Nadal, they played a couple of good finals but nothing comes close to this one to me. "Because the anticipation was so high, especially from my side because I witnessed their matches and I always think that this is not possible, they are playing at a pace that is not human." Alex de Minaur called it "insanity", Andre Agassi shook his head in disbelief from the VIP seats and Mats Wilander felt they were playing at a "not human" level. Other luminaries simply swooned it was the best tennis match they'd ever seen. Indeed, Carlos Alcaraz's 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (10-2) triumph over Jannik Sinner in the longest and perhaps best of all French Open finals was so astonishing that even the Spanish champ himself was asked where it belonged in the list of the greatest contests the sport had ever witnessed. Modestly suggesting it wasn't as good as the Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal Australian Open epic in 2012 - which at five hours 53 minutes was the only final to last longer than Sunday's 5:29 marathon - Alcaraz, who saved three match points before prevailing, said he was just proud it was being mentioned as one of the finest of all. "I don't know if our match is in the same table as them," he said when asked how it compared with Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer's final of 2008 and the Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe 1980 epics, both at Wimbledon. "But just happy to put our match and our names in the history of the grand slams, in the history of Roland Garros. I leave the discussion to the people..." Well, the tennis people were awed. "The level of this whole match was insanity!!!!! What a day to be a fan of this beautiful sport," enthused Australia's main man de Minaur on X as he reflected on a contest between the two men he's played a combined 14 times and not yet managed a win. This was a day to see why. Four-time grand slam champ Jim Courier, commentating on TNT Sport, echoed 'Demon's' incredulity as he said: "It's insane how good this is. Everybody's in disbelief at what they're seeing." "One of the best 5th sets ever alongside Federer vs Nadal '08 Wimbledon + Djok vs Nadal AO 2012," tweeted former US Open champ Marin Cilic. "Unbelievable level." Sergi Bruguera, Spain's two-time French Open champ, told Alcaraz it had been the best match he'd ever witnessed, a view echoed by Greg Rusedski, Britain's former US Open finalist, who declared on BBC radio: "For me, personally, this goes down as the greatest tennis match I've ever seen. "The standard was just exceptional. It's just incredible how hard these guys hit the ball." So incredible indeed that seven-time grand slam single champ John McEnroe, talking on TNT Sport, wondered if the pair might even have eclipsed the king of clay, 14-time Roland Garros champ Rafa Nadal, here. "It was an honour to witness. I've been doing this 30 years, that's one of the all-timers easily," said McEnroe. "You would make a serious argument with both guys that they would be favoured to beat Nadal, at his best. "Do I think they're gonna reach 20, 24 (titles), either one of them? No, because that plateau is so hard - but these two guys right now, it's like when you watch the NBA and you say nobody could be better than Michael Jordan. The tennis level right now is higher than I've ever seen." Three-time Australian Open champ Wilander was left marvelling: "I cannot believe how lucky we are that we are going to have this rivalry as they have taken our sport to another level. "I've seen Federer and Nadal, they played a couple of good finals but nothing comes close to this one to me. "Because the anticipation was so high, especially from my side because I witnessed their matches and I always think that this is not possible, they are playing at a pace that is not human." Alex de Minaur called it "insanity", Andre Agassi shook his head in disbelief from the VIP seats and Mats Wilander felt they were playing at a "not human" level. Other luminaries simply swooned it was the best tennis match they'd ever seen. Indeed, Carlos Alcaraz's 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (10-2) triumph over Jannik Sinner in the longest and perhaps best of all French Open finals was so astonishing that even the Spanish champ himself was asked where it belonged in the list of the greatest contests the sport had ever witnessed. Modestly suggesting it wasn't as good as the Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal Australian Open epic in 2012 - which at five hours 53 minutes was the only final to last longer than Sunday's 5:29 marathon - Alcaraz, who saved three match points before prevailing, said he was just proud it was being mentioned as one of the finest of all. "I don't know if our match is in the same table as them," he said when asked how it compared with Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer's final of 2008 and the Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe 1980 epics, both at Wimbledon. "But just happy to put our match and our names in the history of the grand slams, in the history of Roland Garros. I leave the discussion to the people..." Well, the tennis people were awed. "The level of this whole match was insanity!!!!! What a day to be a fan of this beautiful sport," enthused Australia's main man de Minaur on X as he reflected on a contest between the two men he's played a combined 14 times and not yet managed a win. This was a day to see why. Four-time grand slam champ Jim Courier, commentating on TNT Sport, echoed 'Demon's' incredulity as he said: "It's insane how good this is. Everybody's in disbelief at what they're seeing." "One of the best 5th sets ever alongside Federer vs Nadal '08 Wimbledon + Djok vs Nadal AO 2012," tweeted former US Open champ Marin Cilic. "Unbelievable level." Sergi Bruguera, Spain's two-time French Open champ, told Alcaraz it had been the best match he'd ever witnessed, a view echoed by Greg Rusedski, Britain's former US Open finalist, who declared on BBC radio: "For me, personally, this goes down as the greatest tennis match I've ever seen. "The standard was just exceptional. It's just incredible how hard these guys hit the ball." So incredible indeed that seven-time grand slam single champ John McEnroe, talking on TNT Sport, wondered if the pair might even have eclipsed the king of clay, 14-time Roland Garros champ Rafa Nadal, here. "It was an honour to witness. I've been doing this 30 years, that's one of the all-timers easily," said McEnroe. "You would make a serious argument with both guys that they would be favoured to beat Nadal, at his best. "Do I think they're gonna reach 20, 24 (titles), either one of them? No, because that plateau is so hard - but these two guys right now, it's like when you watch the NBA and you say nobody could be better than Michael Jordan. The tennis level right now is higher than I've ever seen." Three-time Australian Open champ Wilander was left marvelling: "I cannot believe how lucky we are that we are going to have this rivalry as they have taken our sport to another level. "I've seen Federer and Nadal, they played a couple of good finals but nothing comes close to this one to me. "Because the anticipation was so high, especially from my side because I witnessed their matches and I always think that this is not possible, they are playing at a pace that is not human." Alex de Minaur called it "insanity", Andre Agassi shook his head in disbelief from the VIP seats and Mats Wilander felt they were playing at a "not human" level. Other luminaries simply swooned it was the best tennis match they'd ever seen. Indeed, Carlos Alcaraz's 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (10-2) triumph over Jannik Sinner in the longest and perhaps best of all French Open finals was so astonishing that even the Spanish champ himself was asked where it belonged in the list of the greatest contests the sport had ever witnessed. Modestly suggesting it wasn't as good as the Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal Australian Open epic in 2012 - which at five hours 53 minutes was the only final to last longer than Sunday's 5:29 marathon - Alcaraz, who saved three match points before prevailing, said he was just proud it was being mentioned as one of the finest of all. "I don't know if our match is in the same table as them," he said when asked how it compared with Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer's final of 2008 and the Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe 1980 epics, both at Wimbledon. "But just happy to put our match and our names in the history of the grand slams, in the history of Roland Garros. I leave the discussion to the people..." Well, the tennis people were awed. "The level of this whole match was insanity!!!!! What a day to be a fan of this beautiful sport," enthused Australia's main man de Minaur on X as he reflected on a contest between the two men he's played a combined 14 times and not yet managed a win. This was a day to see why. Four-time grand slam champ Jim Courier, commentating on TNT Sport, echoed 'Demon's' incredulity as he said: "It's insane how good this is. Everybody's in disbelief at what they're seeing." "One of the best 5th sets ever alongside Federer vs Nadal '08 Wimbledon + Djok vs Nadal AO 2012," tweeted former US Open champ Marin Cilic. "Unbelievable level." Sergi Bruguera, Spain's two-time French Open champ, told Alcaraz it had been the best match he'd ever witnessed, a view echoed by Greg Rusedski, Britain's former US Open finalist, who declared on BBC radio: "For me, personally, this goes down as the greatest tennis match I've ever seen. "The standard was just exceptional. It's just incredible how hard these guys hit the ball." So incredible indeed that seven-time grand slam single champ John McEnroe, talking on TNT Sport, wondered if the pair might even have eclipsed the king of clay, 14-time Roland Garros champ Rafa Nadal, here. "It was an honour to witness. I've been doing this 30 years, that's one of the all-timers easily," said McEnroe. "You would make a serious argument with both guys that they would be favoured to beat Nadal, at his best. "Do I think they're gonna reach 20, 24 (titles), either one of them? No, because that plateau is so hard - but these two guys right now, it's like when you watch the NBA and you say nobody could be better than Michael Jordan. The tennis level right now is higher than I've ever seen." Three-time Australian Open champ Wilander was left marvelling: "I cannot believe how lucky we are that we are going to have this rivalry as they have taken our sport to another level. "I've seen Federer and Nadal, they played a couple of good finals but nothing comes close to this one to me. "Because the anticipation was so high, especially from my side because I witnessed their matches and I always think that this is not possible, they are playing at a pace that is not human."
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Selection shock: Gordon fancied for Wallabies captaincy
Jake Gordon has emerged as the frontrunner to lead the Wallabies against the touring British and Irish Lions in what looms as the biggest captaincy selection shock since the 2011 Rugby World Cup. AAP understands that, unless Joe Schmidt has a late rethink, Gordon will be unveiled as Australia's 91st Test captain for the showpiece three-match series starting in Brisbane on July 19. Coach Schmidt plans to name a squad of up to 40 players next Monday, or the following week if the ACT Brumbies - Australia's last team standing - win their Super Rugby Pacific semi-final on Saturday against the Chiefs in Hamilton. Either way, Gordon is favoured to take over from incumbent skipper Harry Wilson in one of sport's great comeback tales. Snubbed by Eddie Jones for Australia's disastrous 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign, Gordon was all set to head to the English Premiership this year before Schmidt convinced the classy scrum-half to stay in Sydney. Despite his NSW side failing to make the Super finals for a second straight season, and claiming the wooden spoon last year, Gordon has proven an inspirational captain for the Waratahs since 2021. Now it seems the 31-year-old also ticks all the boxes for Schmidt. Gordon started all nine Tests last year for Wallabies, is a great communicator and leads sides with both his words and actions. Few could fault Wilson's performances for the Wallabies but the Reds star is competing with a plethora of talent for a back-row starting berth, making Gordon a safer option as captain. Like Gordon, Wilson was also overlooked by Jones for the 2023 World Cup before taking over from Reds teammate Liam Wright and captaining his country eight times last year. While Wilson remains firmly in contention for a starting role, Schmidt also has the likes of Fraser McReight, dual John Eales Medallist Rob Valetini, Carlo Tizzano, Seru Uru, Langi Gleeson, Nick Champion de Crespigny and others trying to squeeze into the Wallabies back has also signalled his intention to bring Pete Samu back into the fold from France in an indication he may opt for a bulkier back row against the might of the Lions. If, as expected, Gordon gets the nod, his elevation will rank alongside James Horwill's surprise promotion to the Wallabies captaincy for the World Cup in New Zealand 14 years ago. Back then, journalists and fans were left gobsmacked when Horwill was revealed as the new captain, replacing Rocky Elsom, only when Robbie Deans' Wallabies squad was paraded individually out of a plane at the Qantas hangar in Sydney. Only in April, Gordon was linked to a move to Exeter in the English Premiership before revealing Schmidt's influence in reviving his international career had left him with "unfinished business" in Australia ahead of the Lions series and 2027 home World Cup. "I really enjoyed my time with the Wallabies last year and really enjoyed my time with Joe. He was really good for my development at Test level and, yeah, I see the opportunity we have here too," Gordon said after re-signing with RA and the Waratahs for two more years. The progression that we've had has been really good and I'm not sure if there'd be regret (if I left but) there's a possibility of that. "I want to keep competing - not that I wouldn't going over there - but I see a really exciting opportunity here in the next two years. "I want to be a part of it, definitely." Jake Gordon has emerged as the frontrunner to lead the Wallabies against the touring British and Irish Lions in what looms as the biggest captaincy selection shock since the 2011 Rugby World Cup. AAP understands that, unless Joe Schmidt has a late rethink, Gordon will be unveiled as Australia's 91st Test captain for the showpiece three-match series starting in Brisbane on July 19. Coach Schmidt plans to name a squad of up to 40 players next Monday, or the following week if the ACT Brumbies - Australia's last team standing - win their Super Rugby Pacific semi-final on Saturday against the Chiefs in Hamilton. Either way, Gordon is favoured to take over from incumbent skipper Harry Wilson in one of sport's great comeback tales. Snubbed by Eddie Jones for Australia's disastrous 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign, Gordon was all set to head to the English Premiership this year before Schmidt convinced the classy scrum-half to stay in Sydney. Despite his NSW side failing to make the Super finals for a second straight season, and claiming the wooden spoon last year, Gordon has proven an inspirational captain for the Waratahs since 2021. Now it seems the 31-year-old also ticks all the boxes for Schmidt. Gordon started all nine Tests last year for Wallabies, is a great communicator and leads sides with both his words and actions. Few could fault Wilson's performances for the Wallabies but the Reds star is competing with a plethora of talent for a back-row starting berth, making Gordon a safer option as captain. Like Gordon, Wilson was also overlooked by Jones for the 2023 World Cup before taking over from Reds teammate Liam Wright and captaining his country eight times last year. While Wilson remains firmly in contention for a starting role, Schmidt also has the likes of Fraser McReight, dual John Eales Medallist Rob Valetini, Carlo Tizzano, Seru Uru, Langi Gleeson, Nick Champion de Crespigny and others trying to squeeze into the Wallabies back has also signalled his intention to bring Pete Samu back into the fold from France in an indication he may opt for a bulkier back row against the might of the Lions. If, as expected, Gordon gets the nod, his elevation will rank alongside James Horwill's surprise promotion to the Wallabies captaincy for the World Cup in New Zealand 14 years ago. Back then, journalists and fans were left gobsmacked when Horwill was revealed as the new captain, replacing Rocky Elsom, only when Robbie Deans' Wallabies squad was paraded individually out of a plane at the Qantas hangar in Sydney. Only in April, Gordon was linked to a move to Exeter in the English Premiership before revealing Schmidt's influence in reviving his international career had left him with "unfinished business" in Australia ahead of the Lions series and 2027 home World Cup. "I really enjoyed my time with the Wallabies last year and really enjoyed my time with Joe. He was really good for my development at Test level and, yeah, I see the opportunity we have here too," Gordon said after re-signing with RA and the Waratahs for two more years. The progression that we've had has been really good and I'm not sure if there'd be regret (if I left but) there's a possibility of that. "I want to keep competing - not that I wouldn't going over there - but I see a really exciting opportunity here in the next two years. "I want to be a part of it, definitely." Jake Gordon has emerged as the frontrunner to lead the Wallabies against the touring British and Irish Lions in what looms as the biggest captaincy selection shock since the 2011 Rugby World Cup. AAP understands that, unless Joe Schmidt has a late rethink, Gordon will be unveiled as Australia's 91st Test captain for the showpiece three-match series starting in Brisbane on July 19. Coach Schmidt plans to name a squad of up to 40 players next Monday, or the following week if the ACT Brumbies - Australia's last team standing - win their Super Rugby Pacific semi-final on Saturday against the Chiefs in Hamilton. Either way, Gordon is favoured to take over from incumbent skipper Harry Wilson in one of sport's great comeback tales. Snubbed by Eddie Jones for Australia's disastrous 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign, Gordon was all set to head to the English Premiership this year before Schmidt convinced the classy scrum-half to stay in Sydney. Despite his NSW side failing to make the Super finals for a second straight season, and claiming the wooden spoon last year, Gordon has proven an inspirational captain for the Waratahs since 2021. Now it seems the 31-year-old also ticks all the boxes for Schmidt. Gordon started all nine Tests last year for Wallabies, is a great communicator and leads sides with both his words and actions. Few could fault Wilson's performances for the Wallabies but the Reds star is competing with a plethora of talent for a back-row starting berth, making Gordon a safer option as captain. Like Gordon, Wilson was also overlooked by Jones for the 2023 World Cup before taking over from Reds teammate Liam Wright and captaining his country eight times last year. While Wilson remains firmly in contention for a starting role, Schmidt also has the likes of Fraser McReight, dual John Eales Medallist Rob Valetini, Carlo Tizzano, Seru Uru, Langi Gleeson, Nick Champion de Crespigny and others trying to squeeze into the Wallabies back has also signalled his intention to bring Pete Samu back into the fold from France in an indication he may opt for a bulkier back row against the might of the Lions. If, as expected, Gordon gets the nod, his elevation will rank alongside James Horwill's surprise promotion to the Wallabies captaincy for the World Cup in New Zealand 14 years ago. Back then, journalists and fans were left gobsmacked when Horwill was revealed as the new captain, replacing Rocky Elsom, only when Robbie Deans' Wallabies squad was paraded individually out of a plane at the Qantas hangar in Sydney. Only in April, Gordon was linked to a move to Exeter in the English Premiership before revealing Schmidt's influence in reviving his international career had left him with "unfinished business" in Australia ahead of the Lions series and 2027 home World Cup. "I really enjoyed my time with the Wallabies last year and really enjoyed my time with Joe. He was really good for my development at Test level and, yeah, I see the opportunity we have here too," Gordon said after re-signing with RA and the Waratahs for two more years. The progression that we've had has been really good and I'm not sure if there'd be regret (if I left but) there's a possibility of that. "I want to keep competing - not that I wouldn't going over there - but I see a really exciting opportunity here in the next two years. "I want to be a part of it, definitely."
