The two top male tennis players, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcatraz, have been closely matched in 2022. Alcatraz won the Madrid Open in May, but unlucky draws, upsets, injuries, and Djokovic's refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19 prevented them from meeting again. However, if the tennis gods are kind, they will bless the sport with multiple matchups between these two in the most important tournaments in 2023, starting with the Australian Open in January. Alcatraz is a creative talent in a hurry to take his place among the greats, while Djokovic, 35, persists at the top of the sport in his twilight of his career. He relishes holding off young upstarts like Alcatraz and has been doing it for a while now. Tennis is all about rivalries, with Rafael Nadal likely playing a role in this. 2023 seems to be all about Alcatraz vs. Djokovic, and it seems like it might be the most exciting match between the past and the future of men's tennis. Super Bowl LVII will take place at State Farm Stadium in Arizona, where the last Super Bowl was held in 2015. In 2015, the Patriots intercepted Russell Wilson's pass with 20 seconds left, just 1 yard from winning a second straight championship. Seven years earlier, the underdog Giants defeated the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XII, thanks to an improbable play by receiver David Tyree. While the stadium is not particularly special, it was the setting for moments that forever changed NFL history, including the end of the Patriots' quest for a perfect season, the only gap on Tom Brady and Bill Belching's football resumes, and the unraveling of Seattle's would-be dynasty. It is interesting to envision what might take place alongside these past chapters in NFL lore in February. The selection of teams for Super Bowl LVII is not about the teams, but about the location. Jordan Stole, an 18-year-old from Wisconsin, may be the next great American speed skater. He competed in the Olympics earlier this year, but did not finish in the top 10 in either of the races he entered. Stole tore up the World Cup circuit this fall, winning three gold medals and two silver, and lowering his national and some of his world junior records. His diet of pizza every day before training and the elk and moose meat his family hunts seems to fuel him just fine. Stole has drawn comparisons to Eric Heiden, a fellow Wisconsinite who won five gold medals at the 1980 Games.
In February, Stole will compete at the world junior speed skating championships, and from March 2 to 5, he will take on the adults at the world speed skating championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands. He will be in contention for three gold medals, among the many he may eventually win. Dawn Stanley's bid for another N.C.A.A. title will mean more than a celebratory ritual for Coach Dawn Stanley. When she became the second Black coach to win an N.C.A.A. women's basketball title in 2017, she carried in her wallet a strand of net given to her by the first, Carolyn Peck, who guided Purdue to the 1998-99 championship.
You must be logged in to post a comment.