Australian Margaret Court believes she doesn’t get as much credit as she deserves for her 24 Grand Slam singles titles, more than anyone in the tennis world these days, least of all, Serena Williams.
Williams was hailed by many quarters as the greatest tennis player of all time when she retired on Saturday after her third-round loss at the US Open, a title shy of a record court title from 1960 to 1973.
“Serena, I admired her as a player,” Court, 80, told Britain’s Daily Telegraph in a rare interview.
“But I don’t think he ever admired me.”
Court said she had become a non-person in the tennis world because of her Christian beliefs, which led her to oppose same-sex marriage when it was proposed in Australia.
The 80-year-old defended her achievements against suggestions that she could not be compared to Williams as she played mostly in the amateur era.
Court said, “Serena has played seven years more than me.” “I finished in my early 30s. People forget that I took two years off. I retired for the first time … when I was 25, thinking I would never return to tennis.
“I got married, had a baby, but then I had my best year, winning 24 tournaments out of 25.”
Court reminded her critics that she had an even better record after becoming a mother during Williams’ career.
“I came back after two kids,” she said. “After having my first child, I won three out of four Slams. And Serena hasn’t won a Slam since” when she had her baby.
Court also hit out at suggestions that her 11 Australian Open singles titles were less than Williams’ seven.
“I often hear Billie Jean (King) saying that people didn’t come to Australia in my early years,” she said.
“But Maria Bueno, world number one, came down. Christine Truman, Ann Hayden, Darlene Hard. Plus, Australia had some amazing players. We had five girls in the top 10. Leslie Borey won two French Opens. ”
easy life
Court said that she felt that the life of a top tennis player was really difficult in her days.
“I would love to play in this era. I think it is very easy,” she said.
“How would I love to take family or friends with me. But I couldn’t. I had to go by myself or with the national team. People don’t see it all.
“We didn’t have psychologists or coaches with us. It’s a completely different world. That’s what frustrates me – that players today don’t respect the past of the game.”
Court said he was disappointed that Williams made little mention of Australian Ajla Tomljanovic after the final match of his career.
“I thought it was bad that Williams didn’t mention her opponent more when she spoke,” she says. “We were taught to respect our opponent. We respected each other.”
The court said that the displeasure from the tennis world did not disturb his sleep, but he did feel sad.
“Today a lot of the press and television, especially in tennis, don’t want to mention my name,” she said.
“There hasn’t been respect for what I did. In my own country, I’ve been given titles, but they still won’t mention me.”
Virat Kohli revealed that only Mahendra Singh Dhoni had sent him messages of support during a challenging period of mental struggle after relinquishing the Test captaincy. Many people have my number and say something on TV, but no one has messaged me. So if you want to give me suggestions, let them give me one by one.
Strategically superior Pakistan caught India completely off-guard with a punt from Mohammad Nawaz in a thrilling Super 4 match of the Asia Cup here on Sunday as they took sweet revenge with a five-wicket win.
Chasing a tough target of 182, the always dependable Mohammad Rizwan (71 off 51 balls) led Pakistan’s innings, but it was left-handed batsman Nawaz, who is more known for his conservative left-arm spin. Who played the decisive innings of the match.
His 42 off 20 balls was something India didn’t notice and had no gameplan for as Khushdil Shah and Iftikhar Ali completed a deserved win with a ball to spare.
Rizwan-Nawaz’s 73-run partnership in just 6.5 overs in the middle leg of the innings left the Indians stunned.
Yuzvendra Chahal (1/4 in four overs) and Hardik Pandya (1/4 in four overs), two bowlers who were brilliant last Sunday, were on foot that day as Nawaz took both to the cleaners.
His cumulative 87 runs in eight overs turned the match in Pakistan’s favor as Nawaz hit six fours and two sixes.
While Pandya’s short-ball strategy failed, Chahal was taken to the cleaners by both Rizwan and Nawaz as the crease on Rohit Sharma’s forehead grew with each passing over.
By the time Nawaz was deep out off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, he had done a lot of damage to the psyche of the Indian attack.
India’s chances were also hampered by the absence of Avesh Khan as a substitute fast bowler in the main team, although to be fair to Ravi Bishnoi (1/26 in 4 overs), he gave it his all.
In the end, it all came to an end when Bhuvneshwar conceded 19 runs with only seven in Arshdeep’s final over in the 19th over, with Pakistan with a ball to spare.
Earlier, the much-awaited top-order batsmen finally showed what they are capable of as India posted 181 for 7 after batting.
Captains Rohit Sharma (28) and KL Rahul (28) were excellent in the powerplays, while Virat Kohli (60) played one of his most spectacular innings in recent times to take India to a more than respectable total. gave a glimpse of
What everyone wanted from India’s top order was a change of mindset and strike rates of 175 (Rohit), 140 (Rahul) and 136 (Kohli) were proof of that.
Kohli deserves most of the credit for the total India achieved against the Pakistan spinners, especially leg-spinner Shadab Khan (2/31 in four overs), who took the crucial wickets of Rahul and Rishabh Pant (14).
His innings included four fours and a six, as well as his signature running between the wickets, where he effortlessly converted two boundaries.
After being bullied for his slow-paced approach in the Powerplays, skipper Rohit signaled his intention in the very first over when he charged Naseem Shah and got a one-bounce-four over cover point. After this the signature pull-shot hit a six.
Rahul, who had been suppressed against Hong Kong, picked up the cue beautifully in Naseem’s next over when he read it for a slow six to deposit it at long-off, but the innings shot was off the last ball. . It was a helicopter shot that was a pure reactionary action from the vice-captain of India.
As the two settled down well, Rohit launched Haris Rauf for 50 in the fifth over and India went out of the block for the first time in the last three matches against Pakistan at this venue.
The grammar of T20 cricket has changed and Rohit’s 28 off 16 balls and Rahul’s 28 off 20 balls had the right intentions and impact which is required in high pressure games.
Though Rohit made a slow mistake from Rauf and Rahul failed to clear Shadab’s long-on fence, he had provided the necessary platform for Kohli to settle well in a groove before he could start playing his shots.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam cleverly used his spinners Shadab and Mohammad Nawaz (4-0-25-1) to stop the flow of runs within the first 10 overs and his move was only partially successful.
Thanks to Kohli and his positive attitude, Pant got some breathing space before Hasnain freed himself with a pull.
Naseem had another cover drive as the former captain would repeatedly come down to sabotage the bowlers’ rhythm while at the other end he lost his teammates.
Kohli’s 50 came off 36 balls when Hasnain was deposited in the mid-wicket stand.
Fakhar Zaman made back-to-back outfield bloopers to give Ravi Bishnoi some lucky boundaries at the fag end.
Along with those three chilling words from ABC sportscaster Jim McKay, the worst possible news was delivered on the fate of the 11 Israeli hostages at the Munich Olympics.
Five decades later, those images of a masked Palestinian terrorist lurking on the balcony of the Olympic Village are still hard to shake. It’s still hard to see how absurd and unnecessary all this was.
And then there are some who get left behind, to live a life full of hurt in their hearts and questions that can never be answered as to why this happened and what could have happened.
Like the family of David Berger, a Jewish American weightlifter who joins the Israeli team in pursuit of his dreams and is murdered.
He was only 28 years old.
“We were six years apart,” his sister, Barbara Berger, recalled Friday evening by telephone from her home in Maine. “But the year before his death, I had spent a summer with him in Israel. He was witty, and stubborn, and goal-oriented, and incredibly intelligent.”
When Barbara had a son, she named him after her brother.
“He looks exactly like David,” said Barbara, a hint of wonder in her voice. “He reminds me a lot of my brother. His personality, his looks. I love that about it. It’s like my brother is alive.”
Monday is the 50th anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack ever on the sports world.
There will be a commemoration in Munich, which will be attended by the presidents of both Germany and Israel.
There will also be a ceremony Tuesday at the Mandel Jewish Community Center in Cleveland, site of the David Berger National Memorial, a heartwarming steel tribute that depicts five Olympic rings, each of them broken in half, but pointed upwards. while, towards a more peaceful world.
Berger was a Cleveland native who went to high school in Shaker Heights.
“All I can say is that David Berger is very much alive in our community,” said Tracey Felder, the Cleveland Center’s chief development officer. “As a person, he was all about dedication and commitment not only to sport but to education.”
Felder pointed to Berger’s enduring legacy through an education endowment established by his mother and father.
Over the past five decades, the tragic events in Munich have been commemorated with documentaries and films, with plaques and memorials, and finally, last year, with the moment of silence at the Tokyo Games.
They also led to a more locked-down world in our stadiums and arenas, with security costs now a huge part of the budget for any city that wants to host the Summer or Winter Games.
Of course, there’s no chance of completely shutting down those who harm others – especially on the high-profile platform that the game offers – in pursuit of their perverse goals.
a bombing in 2013
Three people died in the marathon. In 2010, three people were killed in an attack on a bus carrying the Togo national football team to a major African tournament. In 2009, terrorists opened fire on a Sri Lankan cricket team on their way to a match in Pakistan, resulting in the death of half a dozen police officers and two civilians, while injuring six Sri Lankan players.
I saw after another gruesome attack.
In 1996, while working at a media center adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park, a bomb exploded at the epicenter of the Atlanta Summer Games. One person died in the explosion; The other later died of a heart attack.
It could have been very, very bad.
It was bad as it was.
“I felt the ground shaking,” Desmond Edwards, an Atlanta schoolteacher who told me as he fled the scene that chaotic night. “There were rivers of blood.”
Sadly, 50 years after Munich, we still live in a world where there are rivers of blood and many of the same grievances that led to the Olympic massacre.
Barbara Berger said, “I don’t think anything good has come out of it given the state of the world today.” “One can hope, but I really think things are worse.”
Then she says the saddest possible words to someone who lost a loved one: “I would say he died in vain.”
Even more disheartening, the recognition of the genocide and the many mistakes it allowed to happen, proceeded at an unforgivably slow pace among those in power.
It took the International Olympic Committee 49 years to so simply accept Munich as that brief moment of silence during Tokyo’s opening ceremony.
Just this week, the families of those 11 Israeli victims finally settled with Germany’s government over a long-disputed compensation claim, threatening to boycott Monday’s ceremony.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, welcomed the long-pending agreement, which is reportedly worth around $28 million.
“Agreement cannot heal all wounds. But it does open doors for each other,” the leaders said in a joint statement.
The agreement was struck again after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas refused to condemn the 50-year-old Olympic massacre. He countered that he could point to “50 holocausts” by Israel.
In the midst of political grandeur, we lose sight of the individual suffering on all sides.
The family that has an empty seat at the dinner table. Survivor who is haunted by guilt. The viewer who will never forget what he saw.
Fifty years ago, Barbara Berger was in Munich with another brother, Fred, to see her brother compete. He remembers that he had asked David to stay with him, but he wanted to be with his Israeli comrades. She also remembers the weak security that allowed her to meet David at the Athletes’ Village.
But Barbara refuses to get caught up in the what-ifs. He saw it eating his parents’ whole life.
“It’s a total waste of emotions,” she said. “I have enough self-discipline not to go there. There’s no point.”
Fifty years later, it doesn’t seem to make sense.
Yet we try our best to keep his name alive.
David Berger.
Zeev Friedman.
Yosef Gutfreund.
Eliezer Halfin.
Joseph Romano.
Mark Slavin.
Amitjur Shapira.
Why the noise
Andre Spitzer.
Yaakov Springer.
Moshe Weinberg.
Hopefully, his very short life will someday inspire us to be a better person, a better world.
