Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray 6-3, 7-6 (2) in an one-off match at Madison Square Garden on Monday, with the pair mixing the usual exhibition hijinks with some long rallies reminiscent of their epic Grand Slam meetings.
A born showman, Djokovic always has fun with the New York crowd at the US Open. When on a game point on Monday, he shanked an overhead into the net, the Serb did push-ups in penance.
It was the first time playing at the Garden for both.
Photo: AFP
“I was amazed by the size of it,” Djokovic said. “With the history in the world of sports and entertainment and music, it’s probably the most impressive and most important indoor facility in the world.”
Murray grimaced more than once after an unforced error as if he were a few miles away at Flushing Meadows. Yet he also high-fived a fan after hooking in a winner down the line. And the Brit provides plenty of entertainment value simply with his ability to run down nearly every ball.
Chasing a drop shot in the first set, Murray wound up all the way on Djokovic’s side of the court, bumping into a television camera along the way. Djokovic went over and jokingly massaged Murray’s quad, lest he need a medical .
During one changeover, they pulled their mobile phones out of their bags and met at the net to take a couple of selfies. Both tweeted them during the next break.
“We might never get the chance to play here again,” Murray said. “Wanted to enjoy it. Hope everyone who came along had a good time as well. That was the whole point today.”
And he is in a good mood after his surgically repaired back held up well following four matches in four days in Acapulco last week.
There were the obligatory exhibition shenanigans: between-the-legs shots, pulling a kid from the crowd to play a point. In a bit of a twist, Djokovic invited reigning Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli, who has since retired, from the stands to briefly take his place.
Murray welcomed her by launching a serve as hard as he could that had the Frenchwoman ducking.
Bartoli then ably exchanged groundstrokes with Murray in high-top canvas sneakers that were more fashion than function.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and