Jabeur to step back from tennis for own wellbeing
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Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
'Streets ahead' - Buoyant Bob MacIntyre on where his game is compared to 2024
Scot targets another win and breaking into world's top ten for the first time by the end of the year Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Bob MacIntyre has spoken about how he feels his game is 'streets ahead' this year compared to his fairytale 2024 campaign as he targets a sixth career win and breaking into the top ten in the world for the first time. The 28-year-old made it back-to-back top-ten finishes in majors after following his runner-up effort in last month's US Open at Oakmont with a tie for sixth behind Scottie Scheffler in The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush on Sunday. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Bob MacIntyre acknowledges the crowd as he walks to the 18th green with caddie Mike Burrow during the final round of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush |On the back of those efforts, MacIntyre is now second in Europe's Ryder Cup qualifying points list, having virtually secured an automatic spot along with Rory McIlroy for the biennial contest against the US at Bethpage Black in September. The world No 14, who won both the RBC Canadian Open and Genesis Scottish Open last year, has recorded five top-ten finishes on the PGA Tour this season and has a victory in his sights in the FedEx Cup Play-Offs, which start with the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis in a fortnight's time. 'I want to win,' said MacIntyre, speaking to a small group of Scottish golf reporters at Royal Portrush, in reply to being asked about his goals apart from the Ryder Cup between now and the end of the year. 'Top ten in the world as well and I am very close to it. So there's a lot of massive things. I just want to improve every year on what I've done. 'It might not be visual on the FedEx points list or on the Race to Dubai, but, statistically, and me and Mike [Burrow, his caddie] were talking about it on the golf course, it's not even night and day how much better I am at this game or how much more complete of a player compared to last year. It's just streets ahead. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's just allowing it to happen in little pieces. I'm finishing top ten in a major this week and being frustrated with certain parts of my game. Things are good, and I've just got to wait my turn.' Time and time again over the past couple of years or so, MacIntyre has shown how's developed a knack of squeezing everything he can out of a tournament, as evidenced on Sunday as he finished with a flourish, covering the last six holes in four under, to end up tied for seventh alongside McIlroy and defending champion Xander Schauffele. 'The start of that was at Valhalla last year, when I eagled the last and finished in the top ten,' he said of the PGA Championship at the Louisville venue. 'So that was my big learning. I remember somewhere before that I was in with a chance, threw the kitchen sink at it, disaster, and then the next week it was staying patient. Bob MacIntyre made his Ryder Cup debut in Rome in 2023 and is now virtually secured to be an automatic qualifier again for September's match in New York | Getty Images 'Nothing was happening, stay patient, stay patient, eagle the last, top ten. I'm human and I lose the plot every now and again. It is so difficult for me to stay patient, stay calm.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Referring to his final round in Northern Ireland, the left-hander added: 'I was getting annoyed out there early on through five, six holes. But it was just wait on your run. It will come. Might not come this week, but then go into next week and just let it happen. It's easy enough to force it, and when you force it, errors come.' Though admitting that his schedule had been 'absolutely hectic' in the opening half of the season, MacIntyre is hoping to keep the foot down when the FedEx Cup Play-Offs get underway while he will also be playing in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in the run up to the Ryder Cup.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Hooked on padel? This is the European holiday destination for you
'Our philosophy is friendship,' declares leading coach Labisa Palmera as he hands me a weird-looking solid racket with perforated holes for my first foray into padel. The sport, reportedly the biggest growing in the UK, and also expanding in key holiday resorts due to demand from travellers. While youngsters are picking up tennis rackets to play on public courts in the wake of the Wimbledon fortnight, more savvy sporting stars are planning to spend at least some of their summer break on the padel courts. Spain is king in this upcoming game, a cross between tennis and squash invented in Mexico, but nearby Portugal is also recognising padel's popularity. So I've come to Pine Cliffs Luxury Collection Resort, an immense 72-hectare cliffside family-friendly enclave in the Algarve, awash with Moorish touches and Portuguese tiles and an architectural gem of an inner courtyard in the main hotel. It offers everything from the prestigious Annabel Croft Tennis & Padel Academy, to a nine-hole golf course, state-of-the-art gym, award-winning spa, yoga, Pilates and, more importantly, a recently expanded padel facility. This year, due to demand, one of the tennis courts has been adapted into three padel courts to bring its total to four, complete with glass back wall and metal fencing enclosures, perfect for trying this sport out with my Gen-Z daughter, Grace, to see how inter-generational it is. Palmera, co-founder of the first padel club in Albufeira, recalls: 'It's been a huge phenomenon in Spain and 12 years ago it went crazy in Lisbon. Now, so many people, aged eight to 80, are playing padel and you don't need many lessons.' Not only is it good exercise, but padel is known for its sociability, given that so many generations play together. Ideal, then, for a family holiday. Reported to be the fastest-growing racket sport in the world with more than 25 million active players in 110 countries, the Lawn Tennis Association recently revealed that participation on home turf more than trebled last year, with more than 400,000 players in Great Britain alone. Former Wimbledon champion Andre Agassi was seen last year playing padel with David Beckham, while sporting superstars Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and singer Shakira have all reportedly caught the bug. The premise is simple – you only play doubles, it is scored like tennis, you serve underarm and receivers can return the ball either as they would in tennis or off the wall after it has bounced. 'The thing is about padel is that it's great for the whole family,' says Palmera. 'People need fewer lessons than tennis to know how to play. At the end of an hour they have learned how to play doubles. 'We have found that 40-55-year-olds who have done no sport in life found that they could do padel. The difference is that it's a really sociable game, not too competitive, easy to learn and the whole family can do it,' he enthuses. Well, he might not think it's competitive, but that rather depends who you play. Yes, a family game can be just a bit of fun but we also see more experienced players who are slamming that ball as if their life depended on it. There are weekly tournaments and the academy can pair up solo players with others of similar abilities and organise fun clinics for all levels. Certainly, padel requires less court coverage than tennis, being a third of the size of a tennis court, and beginners can quickly pick up the techniques – the all-important lob, the volley, the 'chiquita' (placing the ball at the opponent's feet) and the position and timing needed to hit a ball off the glass wall. I hadn't played tennis or squash for years and by a certain age I felt I was done with these high-intensity sports, so I'd taken up pickleball, an easier padel relative, with a group of like-minded mid-lifers. But I was keen to enter a new multi-generational pastime which might engage my grown-up children. On a holiday where I didn't want to spend my time pounding the treadmill in a sweaty gym alongside my much fitter daughter and wanted to enjoy exercise on holiday without it feeling arduous, padel seemed a good choice. Playing as partners, Grace was told she had a great volley. I, as the more experienced racket-sport enthusiast, was informed my backhand was a killer. So far so good. On the second session, Palmera teamed us up with Irish sisters Isabella, 14, and Molly, 12, who he said were good at tennis and would make suitable opponents. Indeed, despite our age difference, the games went to deuce and we had a fun-filled match, as lobs were practised and volleys smashed. Finding a sport you love doesn't make exercise a chore on holiday, and the same goes for healthy eating, as we discovered in many of Pine Cliff's 15 restaurants, each of which has a unique setting which makes you feel you're in a different resort. We dine under the trees in a beautiful lemon grove, enjoy freshly-caught sea bream and other catches of the day looking out on to the Atlantic Ocean at the resort and feast on 'art on a plate' sushi and other Japanese delicacies at Yakuza, a restaurant in partnership with Olivier da Costa, one of Portugal's most recognised chefs. Tangy ginger breakfast shots devoid of alcohol, acai bowls and other delicious, nutritious fare with nuts, organic honey and lashings of fresh fruit will set you up for a day of sport, or leisure, even if you just want to lounge in the grassy area under the shade of the pine trees – there are between 4,000 and 5,000 around the resort – which provide a more natural and cooler alternative to huddling around the multiple swimming pools. We're here in peak season but the park-like green space makes the whole development seem roomier, less busy. I prefer to swim in the sea and a lift takes us down to a wooden walkway between the cliffs which leads to Falesia Beach, known for its long stretch of golden sand and the distinctive burnt orange cliffs that frame it, named the 'world's best beach' by Tripadvisor users in the 2024 Travellers' Choice Awards. Here, thrill-seekers can pound the waves on jet skis or try their hand at paddleboarding, while families have fun with bodyboards riding the surf of the refreshing Atlantic. We try other sports during the week – tennis with head coach Brunno Cappelletti Rocha, whose patience with us is admirable; golf, where we hit (and miss) a few balls on the driving range, and yoga of the gentler kind, thanks to our teacher, stretching my many unused muscles. It can be done in a studio or on the beach. A sports massage at the sumptuous Serenity – The Art of Well Being spa, housing 13 treatment rooms, hydrotherapy pool, various sauna and steam rooms and other wellbeing delights, irons out my aching limbs and prepares me for the next sporting challenge. But for me padel is the star. Back in the UK, we're looking for a court nearby where we can practise our volleys, perfect our timing when the ball bounces off the glass wall, and nail that chiquita. Travel facts Two adults can stay in Pine Cliffs Hotel Deluxe Room with Resort View from £326 per night (based on September 2025 stay). Adult tennis or padel weekly coaching courses at Pine Cliffs start from £300 in off-peak season (Nov-March) and £326 in peak season (April-Oct). Junior tennis and padel camps start from £265 off-peak season and £291 peak season. For more information and to book, visit or call +351 289 500 100. Serenity – The Art of Wellbeing spa also offers a range of treatments and wellness offerings.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Cameron Norrie made HUGE 1/10 favourite by Sky Bet to win all-British clash as he gears up for US Open next month
Cameron Norrie is heavily favoured by Sky Bet to win an all-British clash against Billy Harris at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. The former British No 1 is priced at 1/10 to prevail in the round of 16 clash as he continues his preparation for the final Grand Slam of the year. Norrie crashed out of Wimbledon at the quarter-final after losing in straight sets to Carlos Alcaraz. He will be desperate to made a deep run at the US Open next month. With Norrie priced at 1/10 by Sky Bet, Harris is at the very long odds of 11/2. The 30-year-old is ranked 148 in the world. He reached the round of 64 at the All England club in the men's singles and progressed a round further the doubles alongside partner Marcus Willis. In addition to the outright market, Sky Bet are also offering prices on the winner of the first set, with Norrie at the short 1/6 and Harris priced at 7/2. Cameron Norrie is heavily favoured by Sky Bet to win an all-British clash against Billy Harris Sky Bet Match Winner: Cameron Norrie - 1/10 Billy Harris - 11/2 Sky Bet First Set Winner: Cameron Norrie - 1/6 Billy Harris - 7/2
