Latest news with #majors
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
John McEnroe's Jack Draper prediction can be right if the stars align
Can Jack Draper win majors, as John McEnroe suggested? I'd say that the chances are better than 50-50, but it's still a brutally hard thing to do. At the moment, I'd put him in the category of players who are contenders but not dominant forces. He's in a similar bracket to the likes of Dominic Thiem, before his wrist injury, or Alexander Zverev, or Daniil Medvedev, a few seasons ago. These men do not generally find their way to the top of the world rankings, even if Medvedev stole a few weeks there at his peak. They can beat anybody on their day, but can they win seven matches back to back? Going back further, all of Great Britain's most significant names since Fred Perry fit into this pattern. Even if Andy Murray was clearly the best player on tour for the second half of 2016, we have never had a long-term world champion – male or female – in the manner of a Federer, a Sampras or a Graf. Given that the 2020s feel like the era of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner – with Draper's next opponent, 18-year-old Joao Fonseca coming up on the outside rail – it's pretty hard to see him becoming that guy who starts every major as the bookies' favourite and piles up major titles like a stamp collector. TOO GOOD FROM JOAO 💪 #RolandGarros — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 27, 2025 So then we find ourselves in the place we have been familiar with, as British tennis fans, since Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski. We are back to semi-finals, the odd final, and the question of whether form, opportunity, fortune and nerve can come together on any given grand-slam Sunday. If there is one thing in common between the Britons who made it this far, they have all been maximisers. Draper is the same. During his late teens, he chafed against the narrowness of the professional tennis lifestyle. But then, when he realised how good he could be, he locked on and committed to the grind. He does it intelligently too, by limiting his matchday workload. Where other players like Casper Ruud and Alex de Minaur have gone out of the French Open bemoaning their physical and mental exhaustion, Draper came in with only seven events to his name – the lowest number of any leading player. He hasn't chased the money, but instead he and his admirably understated coach James Trotman have worked to peak for the big events, already claiming a maiden Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells and then reaching the final in Madrid. Unless he becomes the French Open champion, the likelihood is that he will go into the grass-court season ranked at No 4 in the world. Jack Draper, the 2025 edition, is already a vast improvement on the version who lost in the first round of last year's French Open to world No 176 Jesper De Jong. As long as he continues to refine his game, and stays clear of serious injury, he has all the ingredients that make up a major champion.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
French Open Won't End American Men's Tennis Drought, McEnroe Says
The last time an American won the men's final at the French Open was in 1999, when Andre Agassi put the finishing touches on his career grand slam with a victory over Andrei Medvedev. And while it's unlikely that the long Roland Garros drought will end come June 8, John McEnroe believes that one of his fellow countrymen will break through in a major. Eventually. If the odds of an American male claiming one of tennis' four marquee titles have improved somewhat in recent years, that's largely a function of the dissolution of the Big Three. In the 20 years between Roger Federer's first big win at Wimbledon in 2003 and his retirement in September 2022, the Swiss legend and rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic claimed 63 of the 77 majors staged, or 82% of the sport's most high-profile events. When these three men were dominating the circuit, the rest of the field were reduced to scrabbling over the crumbs. 'We are getting closer, [although] some of that is because, you know, Roger and Rafa aren't there and Novak's 38, and so the door is open for a lot of players,' McEnroe said Friday during a Zoom call with reporters. 'Obviously, the key thing is, we gotta get a Ben Shelton to win one. We gotta get some American men to win some majors. And that would make it, to me, much more interesting, if [Frances] Tiafoe, or Tommy Paul [stepped up].' McEnroe has logged on to talk up TNT Sports' first go-around in Paris, an opportunity that became available after parent company Warner Bros. Discovery snatched up the rights to the Open in a 10-year, $650 million deal. And while the host network is new—prior to WBD's acquisition last June, NBC had aired the men's and women's finals since 1983—there's nothing particularly novel about America's disappearing act. The last time a Yank won a men's major was in 2003, when Andy Roddick beat Juan Carlos Ferrero in straight sets at the U.S. Open, just 63 days after Federer claimed his first singles title. McEnroe likened the U.S. men's hard-luck streak to the interregnum between the end of the NBA's Jordan Era and the dawn of all things LeBron James. 'Maybe the ratings aren't quite as high as when Magic and Larry and Jordan were dominating, but basketball's continued to remain popular,' McEnroe said, before adding that, like the NBA in the immediate aftermath of MJ's final retirement, tennis could sorely use a new stateside superhero. 'We need a fresh generation in our sport, big time,' McEnroe said. 'It's a transition period where we have to do a much better job [of] marketing ourselves, and hopefully this is … the beginning of something where we can do just that, with this tournament.' For all that, the road to victory would seem to run through defending champ Carlos Alcaraz and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, although it'd be folly to count out the last active member of the old trio of greats. (That said, Djokovic has struggled on clay of late.) On the women's side of the ledger, the U.S. field is far more formidable, with four Americans—Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys and Emma Navarro—coming in ranked among the global top 10. And while McEnroe was quick to acknowledge that 'we never had the same problem with the women' during Serena Williams' reign, no dominant player has emerged since she won her last major eight years ago. No fewer than 18 different women have earned a major title since Williams' 2017 Australian Open capper. Per ATP rankings, the top American men's contender is worldwide No. 4 Taylor Fritz, who has never seemed in his element on clay. A deep run by No. 12 Paul, meanwhile, would likely culminate in a showdown with Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. McEnroe acknowledged that TNT could use a strong showing from the American camp if it's to improve on last year's ratings. Despite the transition from big-reach network TV to cable, TNT doesn't have a terribly daunting task ahead of it. NBC's coverage of the 2024 Alcaraz-Alexander Zverev final averaged 1.62 million viewers, while the Iga Świątek-Jasmine Paolini championship round scared up just 756,000 viewers over the course of a grueling five-hour broadcast. 'It would be nice for us here, obviously, if we were able to get an American male—which hasn't happened in over 20 years—to win a major,' McEnroe said. 'Taylor, Tommy: Someone's going to break through.' Almost immediately after making this pronouncement, McEnroe walked it back a bit, acknowledging the parallels between the Big Three and what he calls the 'New Two.' 'Jannik and Alcaraz are not going to win every title … but then again, I didn't think the other three guys were going to win as much as they did,' McEnroe said. 'So, I don't know.' When asked if he'd like to try his hand at a different form of televised self-expression now that he's 33 years into his broadcast career, McEnroe said he's been pushing to do a ManningCast-style sidecar show with his brother, Patrick. 'I've been pushing for that, so one of these networks someday will hopefully listen,' McEnroe said. 'Maybe it'll be TNT. … That would be absolutely where I'd like to be headed. But with tennis we haven't had that luxury where, 'oh, the ratings are so good that we're going to do [a simulcast].'' McEnroe went on to say that he and his brother had discussed adapting the Bros. Manning formula for an ESPN tournament, before revealing that the idea was shelved. 'We did discuss this … but then Serena was playing her last one, it was the third round, and we canceled it. But yes, I would love to do something like that.' TNT Sports' 300 hours of live coverage from Roland Garros begins Sunday, May 25 at 5 a.m. ET on TNT, truTV and the soon-to-be-rebranded streaming service, Max. Among the tennis luminaries that will be calling the action include the McEnroes, Agassi and Jim Courier, as well as Chris Evert, Venus Williams and Linsday Davenport. More from Advertisement Best of Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Associated Press
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Goosen, Cabrera, Cink and Harrington headline a star-studded Senior PGA leaderboard through 3 rounds
BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — Stewart Cink looked over at the leaderboard late in the third round of the Senior PGA Championship on Saturday and flashed back to younger days for him and many of the other big-name players in the mix. 'It feels like a major out there,' Cink said. 'Those names up there have all had some success.' Retief Goosen and Angel Cabrera were among those tied for first going into the final round, with Cink and Lee Westwood one stroke back and a group including Padraig Harrington, Vijay Singh and Y.E. Yang two back. The 11 golfers on or close to the lead have combined to win 13 major championships. 'The people up there are the people that have a lot of experience,' Cabrera said after getting to 5 under for the tournament. 'Most of them have been in many majors, and you can see that.' Goosen has two U.S. Open championships on his resume and Cabrera one of those to go along with the 2009 Masters. Harrington won the British Open in '07 and '08 and Cink in '09, while Singh has two PGA Championship victories and another in the Masters. That kind of sustained winning over the past few decades certainly helped prepare those guys for windy conditions at Congressional Country Club, which has hosted three U.S. Opens and one PGA Championship. 'A tough golf course — all the guys that have really done it on hard golf courses really rise to the top and seem to grind it out more maybe a little bit more than certain players,' said Goosen, who shot a 4-under 68 to surge up the leaderboard. 'I certainly grinded it out.' So did Harrington, whose opening tee shot went right of the cart path in an inauspicious start to an eventful afternoon. The 53-year-old from Ireland birdied 18 to bounce back from some back-nine struggles and put himself in contention. 'I'm happy to be two shots back,' Harrington said. 'I haven't really thought too much about my round, to be honest. Just tried to play. With the wind, sometimes it's good that you just play each hole as it comes.' Cink, now 52 joked, 'This kind of wind is for young people.' But he and his contemporaries mostly handled it without the third round going off the rails. Ernie Els, who was 3 under Thursday and two back of the lead, had a second consecutive rough round, shooting a 4-over 76. 'This course is really demanding, with the wind especially,' Cink said. 'Every hole, there's a place you just cannot go, and you have to know where that is and game plan for it and you have to execute. That's just major championship golf.' Some of the best play at the PGA Champions major also came from some of the less heralded golfers, including Phillip Archer and Jason Caron, who matched Goosen and Cabrera at 5 under. Caron was paired with Harrington, and it was yet another chance for the club pro at Mill River Club on Long Island, to feel like he is not out of place surrounded by a star-studded cast. 'A year ago, I definitely would have said, 'Whoa, this can't happen,'' Caron said. 'Now that I've played maybe 20 events, I feel much more comfortable.' Archer, who played a long time on the European Tour, said this is why he has spent so much time in his life on the driving range hitting ball after ball — to be in it against the likes of Goosen, Cabrera, Cink and Harrington. 'You've grown up watching these guys win tournaments and majors, and yeah, you're in their company, and you've got to tell yourself you belong there,' Archer said. 'I'm there by credit, and I'm playing nice stuff.' Archer would like to see the wind continue Sunday to make it tough on anyone chasing the lead. The forecast calls for much less of it and weaker gusts, which could bring even more golfers into the already crowded fray. 'If it's not windy, there's so many people up there, somebody is going to shoot 66, 65,' Harrington said. 'You've got to expect if it's a nice day (Sunday), somebody is going to shoot a good score.' ___ AP golf:
The Independent
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
The outlook is bright for Scottie Scheffler after good Charlotte outcome
The last time Oakmont hosted the US Open in 2016, a 19-year-old amateur by the name of Scottie Scheffler held the clubhouse lead after bad weather brought the first day to an early end. Nine years on, Scheffler will return to Oakmont as a heavy favourite to win back-to-back major titles following his US PGA Championship triumph, and with it the third leg of a career grand slam. It is hard to imagine the world number one will not give himself at least the chance to emulate Rory McIlroy in joining golf's most exclusive club by winning all four majors at some point, although the man himself insists he does not harbour such lofty ambitions. 'Not really. I don't focus on that kind of stuff,' Scheffler said. 'I love coming out here and trying to compete and win golf tournaments, and that's what I'm focused on. 'After this week I'm going to go home and get ready for next week's tournament and the show goes on. If I show up and miss the cut next week, I'm going to have to answer questions of what went wrong and just start over again on Thursday. 'That's one of the things that can be frustrating about our game, and it's also what's great about our game. 'If I had a tough day today and came in with a loss, I could step back up on the tee Thursday next week and have another chance to win a tournament. 'It's an endless pursuit, and it's a lot of fun. It's definitely one of the great joys of my life to be able to compete out here.' Scheffler's dominant victory at Quail Hollow came a year and a day since he warmed up for his second round of the US PGA in a jail cell after being arrested and charged with four offences, including second-degree assault of a police officer, following an incident outside Valhalla. The start of play had been delayed following a fatal accident near the entrance to the course and it was the traffic jam caused by that accident which Scheffler was attempting to get around. ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington was among those stuck in the traffic and described on air how Scheffler had been instructed to stop his car by a police officer, but had continued with the officer 'attached' to the vehicle. A mugshot of Scheffler was later published which showed he had been released after an hour and 12 minutes, allowing him to make his delayed tee time. All charges were later dropped. Asked about the contrast between this year and last, Scheffler said: 'It's definitely very sweet sitting here with the trophy. I definitely have a few jokes that I want to say that I'm probably going to keep to myself (laughter). 'Last year sometimes, it still doesn't almost feel real. It really doesn't. It's just one of those deals that I really don't know how to describe it.' For the record, Scheffler carded a second round of 78 at Oakmont in 2016 to miss the cut by a single shot, while fellow amateur Jon Rahm survived with a shot to spare and went on to finish 23rd. Rahm overturned a five-shot deficit to share the lead with seven holes remaining on Sunday and although a nightmare finish saw him slide down the leaderboard, Scheffler will not be the only man relishing a return to Pennsylvania next month.
CNA
19-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Rahm on late PGA Championship collapse: 'pretty fresh wound'
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina :Jon Rahm gave Scottie Scheffler a bit of a scare during the final round of the PGA Championship on Sunday and, while he walked away empty-handed after a stunning collapse, he said he is taking plenty of positives from his performance. In his best showing at a major since joining LIV Golf in December 2023, Rahm held a share of the back-nine lead with world number one Scheffler but was unable to produce the shots he needed when the stakes got higher. The Spaniard missed birdie putts at the 14th and 15th and then completely came apart as he played the treacherous water-lined three-hole closing stretch known as the Green Mile where he followed a bogey with two double-bogeys. "Am I embarrassed a little bit about how I finished today? Yeah. But I just need to get over it, get over myself. It's not the end of the world," said Rahm. "It's not like I'm a doctor or a first responder, where somebody if they have a bad day, truly bad things happen. I'll get over it. I'll move on. Again, there's a lot more positive than negative to think about this week." Rahm, looking to add a third major after winning the 2021 U.S. Open and 2023 Masters, seemed to have all the momentum early on the back nine. Even when Scheffler jumped back in front the Spaniard had his chances. When Rahm looks back at his final round, he will certainly regret the two birdie putts he badly misread at the 14th and 15th holes which offered the last great chance to make a move before the Green Mile. "If there's ever a time where it felt like it was slipping away to an extent, it was not birdieing 14 and 15; that was definitely the mistake, before, obviously, finishing poorly," said Rahm. Despite a closing two-over-par 73 that dropped him into a share of eighth place, seven shots back off Scheffler, Rahm said it was the most fun he's had on a golf course in a while and is already looking forward to the June 12-15 U.S. Open. "A lot of positive to take from this week," said Rahm.
