Novak Djokovic acknowledges Virat Kohli’s ‘gladiator’ compliment; says ‘thank you’
Novak Djokovic had a surprise fan, cheering him during his dramatic fourth-round win at Wimbledon—Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli. Djokovic, fresh off a gutsy comeback against Australia’s Alex de Minaur, took a moment to acknowledge Kohli’s Instagram shoutout in the most Djokovic way possible: with quiet gratitude and laser focus. Kohli, clearly captivated by Djokovic’s resilience on Centre Court, called the Serb a “gladiator” after watching him claw his way back from a one-set deficit, eventually taking the match 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. The Aussie looked dominant early and even led 4-1 in the fourth set, seemingly pushing the match towards a fifth. But in true champion fashion, Djokovic reeled off five straight games to seal his place in the quarterfinals. Djokovic saw the message and responded simply but meaningfully with a four-word post of his own: “Thank you for supporting,” acknowledging Kohli’s tribute on social media.
Andreeva’s dream comes true with a maiden Wimbledon victory in front of Roger Federer!
Mirra Andreeva’s Centre Court debut on Sunday was unforgettable. The 18-year-old Russian, one of the sport’s most promising young talents, reached her first Wimbledon quarterfinal in a dazzling fashion. But her elation came after the match was not only due to winning. It was more than she fulfilled a lifelong dream that the win came in front of tennis legend Roger Federer! Andreeva stormed to a 6-2, 6-3 victory in just over an hour against World’s 10th-ranked Emma Navarro. “I saw Roger and Mirka. Honestly, it means a lot to me that you came and watched my match. It’s been one of my dreams to see you in real life,” stated Andreeva. However, the teenager, so focused on her rhythm and composure, failed to realize she had converted a match point. Instead of celebrating, she stepped back to prepare for another Navarro serve, until the umpire’s call and the crowd’s applause finally brought her back to reality. Just two days earlier, after her third-round win, Andreeva was asked by the Tennis Channel who she’d most like to see watching from the Royal Box. Unable to choose just one, she named three: Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Ryan Gosling. With Federer and his wife Mirka watching from the Royal Box, Andreeva not only delivered her most commanding Wimbledon performance to date, but did so under the watchful eye of her lifelong hero. “I really tried my best not to look over there,” she said during her on-court interview. “I knew as soon as I looked, I would completely lose my focus. So I did – at 4-1.”
Mbappe to play against PSG on Wednesday for the first time after his ‘controversial’ departure
Kylian Mbappe will come up against Paris Saint-Germain for the first time since leaving the French club a year ago as Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid revolution gets its biggest test yet in Wednesday’s Club World Cup semifinal. Mbappé should be remembered as a PSG legend, having spent seven prolific campaigns there and eventually departing as the club’s all-time top scorer with 256 goals in 308 matches. However, his legacy was tarnished by the manner of his departure, as the sense among many was that for the last half of his time in Paris, he was merely waiting for the right moment to move to Madrid, the club he had dreamed of representing as a young boy. PSG, under its Qatari president Nasser al-Khelaifi, was not happy with the way in which Mbappe chose to run down his contract to sign for Real in 2024, denying it a transfer fee. A bitter legal dispute has gone on between the parties for much of the time since, with Mbappe claiming he is owed 55 million euros ($64.4 million) in unpaid wages and bonuses from his spell in Paris. The latest twist came just this week when one of Mbappe’s lawyers told AFP that the France captain had withdrawn the complaint of moral harassment against his former club. He believes he was sidelined by PSG and made to train with players the club was looking to offload after refusing to agree to a new contract. Mbappe missed a pre-season tour to Japan and the start of the next campaign before eventually being reintegrated into Luis Enrique’s squad. All of that should have been behind Mbappe long ago, given the way his first season at Real has gone on a personal level.
