Latest news with #sportsman
The Independent
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Jack Draper's ‘UFC' regiment that has Alexander Bublik at a loss on how to beat him
Alexander Bublik doesn't know how he will be able to overcome Jack Draper after admitting intimidation at the British No 1's fighter-like training regiment. Draper has put the tennis world on notice across the past 12 months and will soon go to fourth in the world rankings, having surged up the charts from 40th this time last year. He claimed his first ATP Masters title at Indian Wells earlier this year and has continued in fine stead at the French Open, taking Roland Garros by storm. On his way to the fourth round, he has convincingly dispatched Mattia Bellucci and Joao Fonseca as well as putting on arguably the match of the tournament so far with home favourite and eternal entertainer Gael Monfils. And Bublik, who will be the next to try and derail Draper, has become the latest to hail his rise ahead of their clash on Court Suzanne Lenglen. "Jack, for me, is insane," said Bublik. "I saw him first day here. I'm like, are you getting ready for UFC? 'I mean, last year the guy is 40 in the world. This year he is top five in the world. That's a crazy achievement. He doesn't seem to stop, so I mean, what do I have to do to beat him? I don't know. "I will just go there, enjoy the time, show what I'm capable of showing, and we all know what I'm capable of doing on court and then we see how it goes. 'This is the approach I have now, and Jack is a great sportsman, great person.' Draper is looking to go even better than his best Grand Slam performance to date, which came last year at the US Open where he reached the semi-finals. There, he was beaten by eventual champion and World No 1 Jannik Sinner. This will be the third time Draper and Bublik, ranked 62nd in the world, will face off, with the Brit coming out victorious in both previous meetings at Queen's Club in 2021 and in Adelaide in 2024. "I know him since I played him in the qualifiers of Queen's in 2018 or something (a three-set win for Bublik in 2019). He was a little kid," Bublik added. "Then when he beat me in Queen's, and he told me 'I finally got you'. I said 'let's speak when you're in the top 50', because he was like 300 in the world, and now he's top five. "So now I have to have some courage to play, and we'll see how it goes."
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I'm an award-winning skydiver and woke up one day to find my left leg GONE... I'm itching to jump out of a plane again
An award-winning skydiver who recently woke up to find his leg had been amputated has recounted the horrific details of his ordeal - while revealing his plans to take to the skies for a world-record attempt this summer. German sportsman Olav Zipser, who lives in Thailand, visited the doctors after his toe turned blue and he was struck by a 'sudden and intense pain' in his foot. Medics diagnosed a blocked artery and removed a clot, but just hours after being discharged the 59-year-old was in agony again. Mr Zipser was rushed back to hospital but despite being in 'excruciating pain' he was denied entry because his insurance had not paid for the previous day's procedure. The Sports Emmy told MailOnline: 'From that point, things become a blur. I was left untreated in a foreign country, in a vulnerable and dangerous state. 'Over the next several days, I was shuffled through the public hospital system in Pattaya, heavily medicated with morphine, surrounded by chaos: overcrowded wards, patients lying on the floor, overwhelmed staff with no time and little to no English.' 'My foot turned black. My leg began to die. I woke up days later to find my left leg had been amputated above the knee.' Following the surgery in April Mr Zipser - known internationally as the pioneer of FreeFly - a skydiving discipline involving falling free in various vertical orientations – was discharged to be cared for by a friend. But, his torment was far from over as he still faced a gruelling and agonising road to recovery. 'I couldn't walk. I had no equipment. I crawled to the bathroom, balancing through the fog of pain and disbelief,' he recalled. Mr Zipser has now returned home to his studio by the sea in Cape Mae Pim where he continues to heal. 'The wound is healing well. The stitches have been removed, and I'm preparing to start rehabilitation, he said. 'One of the most surreal aspects has been the phantom limb pain. My brain refuses to accept the leg is gone. It hums constantly, like a great church bell ringing inside my nerves,' he added. Now, the sportsman has revealed he intends to defy all odds to take part in a daring world record attempt. Despite having to crawl to the bathroom just weeks ago Mr Zipser is planning to travel to Chicago to be involved in 'the most complex human formation ever attempted in the sky'. The extraordinary feat will see Mr Zipser try to link hands with 200 elite skydivers while free falling at nearly 300 km/h. If successful he will be the first amputee to take part in such a record. However, Mr Zipser will need to overcome many challenges to achieve his goal and has just weeks to adapt to a new way of flying. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover his medical expenses which include a new prosthetic leg. An extract from the page read: 'We adapt. We overcome. We fly again. And this isn't the end of the journey—it's just a new chapter. I will continue as a FreeFly Pirate of the sky. Ra ra ra! 'There's still sky to dance through, clouds to carve, and minds to free.
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The untold story of Oscar Piastri's rise from Stirling Moss's boarding school to F1 title favourite
Oscar Piastri is practically the only sportsman in the world known to have turned up early for an interview. It is a punctual trait that seems to underline the observation made by Damon Hill that the world championship leader was the kind of schoolboy to have his pencils sharpened in front of him on his desk.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Zane Smith earns first Cup Series pole at Talladega
Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis reflects on 'life-changing' year Mondo Duplantis won his second straight pole vault Olympic gold medal last year at the Paris Games in part of what he described as a 'life-changing' year. While at the Laureus World Sports Awards where he was named Sportsman of the Year, the 25-year-old sat down with CNN World Sport's Amanda Davies to reflect on his past year and his hopes to continue raising the bar ahead of the LA 2028 Summer Olympics. 4:25 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
