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      Skepticism Greets Novak Djokovic’s Vaccine Exemption

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      The world No. 1 received an exemption to a rule that players be vaccinated to play in the Australian Open. Government officials said they had the power to overturn it.Was there ever a doubt that Novak Djokovic, jab or no jab, would end up in Melbourne this month to defend his Australian Open title?Not seemingly among his competitors. Many of them figured as soon as the tournament announced late last year that players could apply for a medical exemption from the Covid-19 inoculation requirement that officials would find a way for Djokovic, the vaccine-averse, 20-time Grand Slam tournament champion, to compete for a record 10th title in Australia.And when that exemption came through on Tuesday, and Djokovic, a Serb ranked No. 1, posted a picture of himself on Twitter announcing his imminent departure for Australia, reaction among the pro tennis elite ranged from skeptical to inspired.Happy New Year! Wishing you all health, love & joy in every moment & may you feel love & respect towards all beings on this wonderful planet.I’ve spent fantastic quality time with loved ones over break & today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let’s go 2022! pic.twitter.com/e688iSO2d4— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 4, 2022
      There was this exchange from Alex de Minaur and James Duckworth, both of Australia, after they lost their singles matches in the ATP Cup, a team tournament in Sydney.“If he’s fit the criteria, then, yeah, he should be able to come,” Duckworth said.“That’s very politically correct of you,” de Minaur said with a laugh. “As James has very wisely put out there, I think he’s said all the right things there. Look, I just think it’s just very interesting, that’s all I’m going to say.”By Wednesday, Australian politicians were weighing in. The minister for home affairs, Karen Andrews, released a statement that suggested the government could revoke Djokovic’s exemption, and the country’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, said health officials expected to see evidence that Djokovic merited his exemption, and threatened to put the tennis star “on the next plane home” if he did not meet the strict requirements for one.“We await his presentation and what evidence he provides us to support that,” Morrison said. “If that evidence is insufficient, then he won’t be treated any different to anyone else and he’ll be on the next plane home. There should be no special rules for Novak Djokovic at all.”Djokovic, who is tied with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer for the most Grand Slam men’s singles titles, has long held some nontraditional views of science and medicine (he once asserted that prayer and belief could purify toxic water) and has had a complicated relationship with the pandemic.In June 2020, when sports were still largely shut down, and long before experts deemed it safe for people to gather and for large events to take place, Djokovic organized a series of exhibition matches in Serbia and Croatia and invited several of the world’s top players to participate. They obliged, and several of them became infected with the coronavirus, including Djokovic.Eventually, vaccines became available and a debate ensued about requiring tennis players to get inoculated, to protect themselves, tennis fans and tournament organizers, since the tours are an 11-month journey around the world. Djokovic was adamantly against this. He has long said vaccination is a private and personal decision that should not be mandated.This placed him at odds with his chief rivals, Federer and Nadal, who are vaccinated. Just last month, Nadal said he did not have a position on a mandate but deferred to the experts who said vaccines were the best way to protect everyone.“I don’t pretend to know more than what the authorized people say,” Nadal said last month during his preparation for the Australian Open in the United Arab Emirates. He tested positive for the coronavirus upon his return to Spain. “If the people who really know about it say that we need to be vaccinated, who I am to create a different opinion?”Throughout last year, the WTA, the professional women’s tour, and the ATP, the men’s circuit, did not require a vaccination, though players often have had to adhere to staying within a strict bubblelike environment as they hopscotched the world.But then the Australian Open announced a vaccine would be required to gain entry into the country. Djokovic’s father referred to the mandate as “blackmail.” A confrontation between tournament organizers and Novak Djokovic appeared inevitable, producing mixed emotions at the top of the game.The Coronavirus Pandemic: Key Things to KnowCard 1 of 6The global surge. More

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      Djokovic Granted Covid-19 Vaccine Exemption to Play in Australian Open

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      Novak Djokovic, the world’s No. 1-ranked male tennis player and his sport’s most prominent vaccination skeptic, said on Tuesday that he would play in this month’s Australian Open after receiving a medical exemption.Djokovic, the men’s tournament’s defending champion, revealed his plans in a post on his Instagram account alongside a photograph of himself with luggage on an airport tarmac. “I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission,” he wrote. “Let’s go 2022.”Tournament officials confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that Djokovic had received a medical exemption after a review of his application by two independent panels, a procedure that strongly suggests he remains unvaccinated.Djokovic’s participation in the Australian Open, the tennis season’s first major, was in doubt as recently as last week, when he reportedly withdrew from an event in Sydney. Djokovic, who has had Covid, has consistently refused to say whether he has been inoculated or intends to be.According to the rules for the Australian Open, all participants must be vaccinated against the coronavirus or apply for and receive a medical exemption from an independent panel of experts.In December, Djokovic’s father, Srdjan Djokovic, raised new questions about his son’s participation, and his vaccination status, when he suggested that Djokovic was unlikely to play in Australia “under these blackmails and conditions.”Those comments came only days before Novak Djokovic was named as a participant in the Australian Open by the tournament’s organizers when they released the entry list for the main draw.“Defending champion Djokovic will play for an incredible 10th Australian Open trophy — and a men’s record 21st major singles title — and will be the favorite in a draw which showcases 49 of the world’s top 50,” the tournament said in a statement announcing the field.But Craig Tiley, the chief executive of Tennis Australia, which hosts the tournament, quickly moved to clarify that Djokovic’s inclusion in the entry list was not a confirmation that he had agreed to be vaccinated, or that he would be allowed to enter Australia, which has some of the world’s most strict coronavirus protocols for foreigners.“As a matter of course, everyone goes on the entry list,” Tiley said in a local television interview at the time. “It’s not a commitment list about who’s exactly in the draw. That comes in several weeks’ time, when the actual list, and draw, gets finalized for the Australian Open.”The Open’s draw will be held Jan. 10. The tournament begins on Jan. 17. More

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      in Boxing

      Raducanu won a stunning US Open, Olympians triumphed in Tokyo and England had everyone on board before Euros turned ugly

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      IT was a weird and wonderful sporting year which served up a fairytale in New York, a robbery in Abu Dhabi, the Ghost Games of Tokyo and the familiar agony of penalty shootout defeat for England.The year began with fans being sorely missed, as the behind-closed-doors era dragged on.
      Emma Radacanu stunning the sporting world by claiming the US Open titleCredit: Reuters
      Adam Peaty played a part in Team GB’s gold rush in Tokyo in the summerCredit: PA
      Then football supporters were lauded for their leading role in smashing the hated breakaway European Super League.
      But as stadiums began to fill, England was shamed by a drink-and-drugs-fuelled mob which severely tarnished the national team’s first major tournament final in 55 years.
      The vandalism at Wembley before that Euros final defeat by Italy was as depressing as the breathtaking arrogance of 12 clubs — including the Premier League’s Big Six — threatening to shred the fabric of football with their roped-off Super League.
      The scheme met with revulsion and ridicule, as it was torpedoed in little more than 48 hours — even managing to overshadow Tottenham sacking Jose Mourinho six days before their Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.
      That grubby Super League plot laughed in the face of the idea that anything can happen in sport.
      But in September, at Flushing Meadows, the very essence of the impossible dream arrived when an 18-year-old tennis player from Kent became the first qualifier to win a women’s Grand Slam singles event and the first British woman to claim a major title since Virginia Wade in 1977.
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      Emma Raducanu’s extraordinary campaign at the US Open stands alone as a British sporting story — in this, or any other year.
      Ten matches, ten straight-sets victories, culminating in a 6-4 6-3 final triumph against Leylah Fernandez — a nerveless exhibition from a youngster whose first Grand Slam, at Wimbledon, ended with a medical retirement and her mettle being doubted.
      How wrong could they have been?
      Ireland’s Rachael Blackmore became the first woman to win the Grand National at Aintree, aboard Minella Times, having already become the first female to be leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival.
      The only possible contender to Raducanu as Britain’s sportsperson of the year ought to have been Lewis Hamilton, who contested a Formula One title fight for the ages with the young Dutch upstart Max Verstappen, 24.
      Yet Hamilton’s bid for a record eighth world crown was scuppered by the anarchy and farce of a final-lap run-off with Verstappen in Abu Dhabi, as race director Michael Masi fancied himself as a Hollywood director rather than a guardian of the rulebook.
      Raducanu, made an MBE in the New Year Honours list, was not the only English teenager thrust into extreme pressure — Bukayo Saka’s decisive penalty, saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, meant England’s Euros ended with the cruellest shootout defeat.
      The then 19-year-old, along with fellow subs Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, suffered sickening online abuse after failing from the spot — although the Arsenal kid felt the warmth of the vast majority of fans and was even given a standing ovation by Spurs supporters in a pre-season friendly.
      Sir Lewis Hamilton missed out on a record eighth Formula One titleCredit: Splash
      Hamilton was controversially pipped to the F1 title by Max VerstappenCredit: GETTY
      England defeated Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Ukraine and Denmark on their glorious march to the final.
      Gareth Southgate proved himself the most successful Three Lions boss since Sir Alf Ramsey, with Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane leading from the front, Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice indomitable in midfield, while John Stones, Harry Maguire and Kyle Walker formed a formidable all-Yorkshire defensive three.
      And Luke Shaw was the surprise feel-good hit of the summer, enjoying an outstanding tournament and opening the scoring inside two minutes of the final.
      The atmosphere had been joyous and raucous as Southgate’s men came from behind to defeat the Danes in the semi-final.
      But that was in contrast to the carnage of the final, which meant the Three Lions were punished by having to face Italy behind closed doors in the Nations League next year.
      Major sport was plunged back into silence at the Olympics in Tokyo — delayed by a year, yet still unable to provide a crowd’s authentic soundtrack.
      Team GB managed 22 golds, down on their tally from Rio and London but still a mighty achievement compared to a generation ago.
      Adam Peaty became the first Brit to retain an Olympic swimming title and, like his team-mate Tom Dean, clinched two golds.
      Jason and Laura Kenny entered the record books by claiming yet more medals in TokyoCredit: PA
      Cycling spouses Jason and Laura Kenny entered the record books. Fifteen Olympic medals now reside in their Cheshire home — a dozen of them gold.
      After 13 years of trying, diver Tom Daley finally topped the podium, alongside Matty Lee, in the ten-metre synchronised.
      The Olympics also brought mental health into sharp focus as its brightest global star, American gymnast Simone Biles, pulled out of the women’s team final, claiming she felt ‘the weight of the world’ on her shoulders.
      That same week, Ben Stokes — perhaps England’s most fiercely-competitive sportsman — took a four-month break from cricket to prioritise his mental health.
      Biles and Stokes were bold with their honesty, proving even the greatest are vulnerable, especially when living under stifling Covid restrictions.
      In football, Thomas Tuchel inherited a mid-table Chelsea side from Frank Lampard, smashed up Pep Guardiola’s hopes of a Quadruple and delivered a second European Cup to Stamford Bridge.
      Manchester City regained their Premier League crown with ease but Tuchel’s team beat Guardiola’s men in three different competitions, climaxing in a Champions League final victory in Porto.
      Bukayo Saka missed the all-important penalty in England’s Euro 2020 final with ItalyCredit: Getty
      The match was marred by trouble before and after the final whistleCredit: AP
      Leicester defeated Chelsea to win a first FA Cup, five years on from their title glory, but for the second successive year a late collapse saw them miss out on the Champions League.
      Manchester United, meanwhile, shambled on — despite pulling off the league’s most eye-catching signing of 2021 with the return of Cristiano Ronaldo.
      Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a caretaker who should never have been a permanent boss, was replaced by a caretaker in Michael Carrick, then an interim in Ralf Rangnick who wants to be the permanent manager.
      Outside of Old Trafford the year’s biggest letdown was the failure of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury to get it on and settle the undisputed world heavyweight boxing crown.
      When American judges ordered Fury to complete his trilogy against Deontay Wilder, that much-anticipated all-British contest was toast.
      Joshua was outclassed by Oleksandr Usyk at Tottenham — not the only comprehensive away win there during Nuno Espirito Santo’s reign — as he lost his three belts.
      After that, the prospects of Joshua-Fury ever happening were reduced further still.
      Anthony Joshua suffered a lopsided points defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in SeptemberCredit: REUTERS
      At least Fury and Wilder served up a third epic, with the Gypsy King stopping the Alabama slugger in the 11th round in Vegas.
      The British and Irish Lions were defeated by world champs South Africa, Europe were thrashed by the United States in the Ryder Cup and England’s cricketers have already lost The Ashes.
      But the greatest disappointment of all were the dark clouds of Covid gathering as the year draws to a close — threatening our lives, our freedom, and that most important of unimportant things, our sport.
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      in Boxing

      Mike Tyson claims TENNIS has ‘changed my life’ and reveals daughter Milan, 13, is budding star with his elite mentality

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      BOXING legend Mike Tyson has revealed that TENNIS has ‘changed his life’ after seeing daughter Milan become obsessed with the sport.The Baddest Man on the Planet is a regular attendee of tennis matches and has been spotted front and centre at the US Open and Indian Wells on numerous occasions.
      Boxing legend Mike Tyson meets tennis superstar Novak DjokovicCredit: GETTY
      The Baddest Man on the Planet is a regular attendee at tennis tournamentsCredit: GETTY
      Iron Mike was turned on to the sport by his daughter MilanCredit: GETTY
      Tyson, however, wasn’t turned on to the sport by chance – it was daughter Milan who helped him develop a love for the game.
      During a podcast with Serena William’s head coach Patrick Mouratoglou, he admitted: “It broadened my horizons and I’m grateful to be involved and meeting everybody.
      “It changed our life. Our whole life has changed over tennis.
      “I thought we were doing well and everything and everything we were doing was making money, but that’s not bigger than my daughter playing tennis.
      “She’s bigger than everything in our life now.
      “I see her transcending into something she would never have before if she hadn’t got involved in tennis.
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      “She has confidence. At 11/12 years old, she has confidence in herself.”
      Tyson believes Milan is chip off the old block when it comes to her dedication to the sport.
      He continued: “She is disciplined in her own.
      “She gets up, cooks her meals, takes a shower and goes to the gym every day at 7 or 8am.
      “She stays there until 4pm. She is very diligent and she wants to do this.”
      Milan’s dedication at such a young age is a source of great pride for Iron Mike.
      The dotting dad said: “I’m very proud to have someone in my family who understands that sometimes things don’t go your way.
      “That’s what life is about, sometimes things don’t go your way and you handle your situations and misfortunes.”
      Just as he does in boxing, Tyson has several favourites in tennis.
      World No.1 Novak Djokovic is Mike Tyson’s favourite playerCredit: GETTY
      World No.1 Novak Djokovic is the former undisputed heavyweight champion’s must-watch player at this moment in time.
      He said of the Serbian: “Novak Djokovic is my favourite at the moment. If he is okay, I really like to watch him.
      “He is my favourite because the way he has come back from injury and beaten guys like Nadal and Federer is amazing. He is a true fighter.”
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      Michael Owen congratulates Raducanu on SPOTY win with photo of HIMSELF in 1998 sparking hilarious throwbacks from fans

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      MICHAEL OWEN bizarrely congratulated Emma Raducanu on her Sports Personality of the Year win… by posting a photo of HIMSELF in 1998.And that opened the floodgates to a barrage of hilarious throwback replies from fans.
      Emma Raducanu was crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021
      Michael Owen tweeted his message of congratulations in a strange way
      Raducanu, who turned 19 in November, was crowned BBC SPOTY champ on Sunday night in a public vote following her scintillating US Open victory.
      But in typical Owen fashion, the former striker made it all about him.
      For some reason, he decided the best way to mark the occasion was to use a picture from 1998 – four years before Raducanu was born – when he won the prestigious gong after his World Cup heroics aged 18.
      Self-centred Owen, now 42, wrote: “Congratulations to Emma Raducanu who thoroughly deserves to be crowned Sports Personality of the Year 2021.
      “Makes me feel very old that she’s the same age as I was waaaaay back in 1998.”
      And that, ladies and gentlemen, led to literally THOUSANDS of sensational responses mocking Owen with their own random achievements from yesteryear.
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      Here are some of the best… Enjoy!
      Alex: “Congratulations Emma, here’s a picture of me winning the best tame tawny owl in Ferndale competition in 1982.”

      Connor: “Congratulations, Emma. Reminds me of the village fete waaaaay back when my mum decided to enter me and my sister as items [of] stationery in the fancy dress.”

      Nicole: “This is me when I won the Hotel Rosamar in Ibiza darts tournament in 2015 but there were only two of us in it!”

      Richard: “Congratulations Emma, here is my neighbour winning the biggest marrow competition in 1998, can’t believe how quick time flies, only seems 2 minutes since my dad who finished 2nd was smashing it over his head for cheating.”

      Marc: “Congratulations Emma, this is a picture of the trophy I bought myself after my daughter announced I was the worst parent ever during a tantrum.”

      Dan: “Congrats Emma. Here’s me after accidentally ordering two kilograms of fries in Japan.”

      Paul: “Congratulations Emma. Here’s a picture of a Daewoo Nexia, similar to the one my mum won in a prize draw in 1996.”

      Alex: “Congratulations Emma, here’s a picture of my dog after winning his first British amateur canine boxing title in 2006.”

      V Twin: “Congratulations Emma! Here’s a picture of me which was taken in a cupboard about an hour before I won a hide and seek contest when I was your age.”

      Sammy: “Congratulations Emma, here’s a picture of me winning the hotel darts tournament in Mallorca in 2013.”

      Peter: “Congratulations Emma. Here’s me when I was mascot for Crystal Palace in the 1989 play-off final first leg, away at Blackburn. We lost 3-1 but won the second leg 3-0, so I consider myself a winner, just like you. PS – I’m the small one in yellow.”

      Daniel: “Congrats Emma! Here’s a photo of me when I was probably 16 or 17. I had a Paul Merson style curtains haircut. Paul Merson played alongside Michael in the 1998 World Cup.”

      Matthew: “Congratulations Emma, here’s a picture of me with the Sky Bet Championship trophy in 2019. I didn’t actually win it, but thought you’d like it…”

      Ex-Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara: “Congratulations @EmmaRaducanu on winning sports personality of the year, here’s a picture of me when I was 6 winning my first egg and spoon race.”

      Tim: “Congratulations on the win, Emma. Here I am with my Ransomes hat I won in May for a lawn completion called Patch of the Day.”

      HgteCook: “Congratulations Emma. Here is me aged 16 with the Barclays Bank Fastest Goal Award. I didn’t win it though it belonged to York City player Ian Blackstone.”

      Coombsy: “Great achievement @EmmaRaducanu. Here’s me as Shirt Collar Champion of Wansdyke Primary in the 70s. How times flies.”

      Tim: “Congratulations @EmmaRaducanu. Thoroughly deserved as was my players player, supporters player and top goalscorer awards at Kingstonian FC in 2002. Interesting fact – I wasn’t the same age. Here’s a picture.”

      Matthew: “Many congratulations Emma…and thank you Michael for enriching my life. Just so you feel involved in mine, here’s a picture of a chipolata I recently cooked that looks like a dog. I called it a hot dog…how we laughed…”

      Now, let’s hope Emma wins the Ballon d’Or next year…! More

    • 113 Shares189 Views

      in Tennis

      Peng Shuai, Chinese Tennis Player, Denies Sexual Assault Claim

      by

      Peng Shuai said in an interview with a Singaporean newspaper that she had been misunderstood. She also said, “I’ve been very free all along.”Peng Shuai, the Chinese tennis star whose account of sexual coercion by a former Communist Party leader ignited weeks of tensions and galvanized calls for boycotts of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, has reversed her assertion that she had been sexually assaulted by the official.Ms. Peng made the comments in an interview that was published on Sunday by a Singaporean newspaper. But the retraction appeared unlikely to extinguish concerns about her well-being and suspicions that she had been the target of well-honed pressure techniques and a propaganda campaign by Chinese officials.The controversy erupted last month when Ms. Peng wrote in a post on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, that she had maintained a yearslong, on-and-off relationship with Zhang Gaoli, now 75, a retired Chinese vice premier. She said that in an encounter with him about three years ago, she had “never consented” and that she was “crying all the time.”She then abruptly dropped from public view, and global concern for her whereabouts grew. In a written statement later, she appeared to seek to pull back the accusation, and the Women’s Tennis Association and other professional players rallied to her side, saying they believed that her statement had been written under official duress.The tennis association suspended playing matches in China while seeking to establish independent contact with Ms. Peng. Last week, the leaders of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee criticized China’s handling of Ms. Peng’s case.In the interview with Lianhe Zaobao, a Chinese-language Singaporean newspaper, Ms. Peng, 35, said, “First, I want to stress a very important point — I never said or wrote that anyone sexually assaulted me.”“There may have been misunderstandings by everyone,” she said of her initial post on Weibo.Ms. Peng also denied that she had been under house arrest or that she had been forced to make any statements against her will.“Why would someone keep watch over me?” she said. “I’ve been very free all along.”Her denial drew skepticism from human rights advocates, who have said that Chinese officials appear to have corralled her into rehearsed video appearances.Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, said on Twitter that Ms. Peng’s latest statement was “only deepening concerns about the pressure to which the Chinese government is subjecting her.”Last month, video clips of her at a Beijing restaurant were posted on the Twitter account of the chief editor of The Global Times, an influential newspaper run by the Communist Party. The editor described them as showing Ms. Peng having dinner with her coach and friends. She also appeared in live video calls with the president of the International Olympic Committee and other officials with the organization.The Chinese authorities are likely to seize on Ms. Peng’s latest statement, recorded on video, to push back against calls for a full investigation of her claims and to oppose the tennis association’s suspension of matches in China.The minutes-long interview with Ms. Peng, which took place at a skiing competition in Shanghai, left many key questions unasked and unanswered.She was not asked directly about her relationship with Mr. Zhang, who was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, the Communist Party’s highest body. Nor was she asked how her understanding of sexual assault squared with her earlier description of what had happened with Mr. Zhang.Understand the Disappearance of Peng ShuaiCard 1 of 5Where is Peng Shuai? More

    • 213 Shares149 Views

      in Boxing

      SPOTY 2021 winner: Who should win out of six nominees Fury, Raducanu, Sterling, Daley, Peaty and Storey?

      by

      TENNIS sensation Emma Raducanu is the bookies’ favourite to win this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year.But not everyone agrees.
      Emma Raducanu is the favourite to win BBC Sports Personality of the YearCredit: PA
      Boxing icon Tyson Fury doesn’t even want to be nominated.
      And there has been outrage that Sir Lewis Hamilton was left off the shortlist altogether.
      Here SunSport reporters give their opinion on who should win and why out of the BBC’s shortlist of Tom Daley, Sarah Storey, Raheem Sterling, Adam Peaty, Emma Raducanu and Tyson Fury.
      Martin Lipton
      EMMA RADUCANU
      There is only one winner, as far as I am concerned. When I watched Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon, I thought I could see a top 20 player in the making.
      I could never have imagined she would be a Grand Slam winner within a couple of months. Her victory at Flushing Meadows was magnificent.
      Now she will shoulder the burden of carrying British tennis for a decade.
      But there is something about her that makes me confident she will handle it.
      And even if she cannot, nobody will ever be able to take away her achievement in New York.
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      Dave Kidd
      EMMA RADUCANU
      LISTEN, we all know Emma Raducanu is nailed on for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award — and so she absolutely should be.
      But after a shortlist (with an emphasis on the ‘short’) which failed to include Britain’s greatest ever sportsman Sir Lewis Hamilton, after arguably his most impressive year, are the Beeb actively trying to sink their own flagship?
      We can talk until the cows come home about how the SPOTY show is not what it used to be, given the BBC’s dwindling sports portfolio.
      And we can bang on about whether the word ‘personality’ should even be included, when personality has rarely been a factor.
      We can argue that it’s a programme watched by your Nanna, rather than genuine sports fans. Or that it always was a messy apples-and-oranges comparison business.
      And, yes, nobody seems able to get anything right any more.
      Yet the idea of crowning the nation’s sportsperson of the year remains a worthy one.
      Wally Downes Jr
      TYSON FURY
      WHAT better way to put the final nail in the coffin of the BBC’s poxy SPOTY award than awarding it to a bloke who threatened to sue the Beeb for even nominating him.
      WBC heavyweight king Tyson Fury is at war with Auntie after Gary Lineker stitched him up on stage at the 2015 version and does not want to use his huge global appeal to help publicise the corporation in any way.
      So hopefully the boxing superstar runs away with the voting, snubs his red carpet invite and leaves some poor sap to stumble up on the stage and accept the award without it even being on his behalf!
      Tyson Fury has threatened to sue the BBC after they nominated him for SPOTY against his willCredit: PA
      Rob Maul
      EMMA RADUCANU
      What Emma Raducanu accomplished in September — winning the US Open on her debut aged 18 and as a qualifier — was truly astonishing.
      Arguably it was the most incredible British sports story of the 21st Century.
      I’d be gobsmacked if she doesn’t win the BBC SPOTY Award on Sunday. She is the most deserving winner in my opinion.
      I’m surprised cycling’s golden couple, Jason and Laura Kenny, were left off the shortlist but I’d expect fellow Team GB gold medallists Tom Daley and Adam Peaty to receive plenty of backing in the public vote.
      Andy Dillon
      TOM DALEY
      An enduring sporting hero and admirable human being, overcoming deep personal grief to maintain a presence in a discipline which demands immense mental and physical strength, balance, power, co-ordination and sheer courage.
      He has not stopped smiling despite standing before the whole world in budgie smugglers for almost 30 years.
      Andy Dillon reckons Tom Daley deserves to be crowned SPOTYCredit: PA
      Phil Thomas
      EMMA RADUCANU
      AS much as I’d love to see Tyson Fury win purely for the chaos that would follow, it has to be Emma Raducanu.
      The other candidates have been responsible for some of the most outstanding sporting moments of the year…she produced one of a lifetime.
      Duncan Wright
      EMMA RADUCANU
      For a British female to win a Grand Slam tournament is massive – for a qualifier to do so without even dropping a set is something that may never be done again.

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      Tom Daley deserves respect for finally getting the gold after so many years, while Adam Peaty is supreme in his sport.
      But due to the magnitude and manner of the win, Raducanu has to get the nod.
      NEIL CUSTIS
      EMMA RADUCANU
      Raducanu was not just the sports story of the year but one of the greatest ever.
      When the pressure got to her in the fourth round of Wimbledon last June we thought we were seeing another plucky Brit trier whose 15 minutes of fame was done.
      Just a few months later she went from qualifying to lifting the US Open trophy without losing a set.
      She also gave us one of the great women’s grand slam finals in beating fellow teen Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3.
      To think just 12 months earlier she had still been hitting the ball against the wall of her house.
      She had a wonderful back story too coming from a working class background.
      An only child of a Romanian father and Chinese mother both of whom made sure she achieved academically as well as in sport.
      She spoke in fluent mandarin and then Romanian in addressing her supporters around the world post-US Open.
      And then she showed off a perfect golf swing we began to wonder if there was anything she couldn’t do.
      The best thing of all is that in every interview she has done the 19-year-old, who still mixes with the mates she grew up with, comes across as so down to earth.
      Not easy in the tennis world.
      Jordan Davies
      EMMA RADUCANU
      Forget about Sports Personality of the Year, try Sports Personality of the Decade.
      What Emma did has never and will never happen again in many of our lifetimes, and for that she should be recognised.
      Ending a 44-year wait for a British women’s Grand Slam singles champion, as a qualifier, is what dreams are made of not just in tennis, but sport as a whole.
      Add to that she was just 18 at the time, with a personality and media presence way beyond those years, this has to be Raducanu’s title at SPOTY.
      Nothing else comes close.
      Illustration by Lovatto More

    • 225 Shares199 Views

      in Soccer

      SPOTY 2021 winner: Who should win award out of six nominees Fury, Raducanu, Sterling, Daley, Peaty and Storey?

      by

      TENNIS sensation Emma Raducanu is the bookies’ favourite to win this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year.But not everyone agrees.
      The six candidates, from left, Tom Daley, Sarah Storey, Raheem Sterling, Adam Peaty, Emma Raducanu and Tyson Fury – Illustration by Lovatto
      Emma Raducanu is the favourite to win BBC Sports Personality of the YearCredit: PA
      Boxing icon Tyson Fury doesn’t even want to be nominated.
      And there has been outrage that Sir Lewis Hamilton was left off the shortlist altogether.
      Here SunSport reporters give their opinion on who should win and why out of the BBC’s shortlist of Tom Daley, Sarah Storey, Raheem Sterling, Adam Peaty, Emma Raducanu and Tyson Fury.
      Martin Lipton
      EMMA RADUCANU
      There is only one winner, as far as I am concerned. When I watched Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon, I thought I could see a top 20 player in the making.
      I could never have imagined she would be a Grand Slam winner within a couple of months. Her victory at Flushing Meadows was magnificent.
      Now she will shoulder the burden of carrying British tennis for a decade.
      But there is something about her that makes me confident she will handle it.
      And even if she cannot, nobody will ever be able to take away her achievement in New York.
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      Dave Kidd
      EMMA RADUCANU
      LISTEN, we all know Emma Raducanu is nailed on for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award — and so she absolutely should be.
      But after a shortlist (with an emphasis on the ‘short’) which failed to include Britain’s greatest ever sportsman Sir Lewis Hamilton, after arguably his most impressive year, are the Beeb actively trying to sink their own flagship?
      We can talk until the cows come home about how the SPOTY show is not what it used to be, given the BBC’s dwindling sports portfolio.
      And we can bang on about whether the word ‘personality’ should even be included, when personality has rarely been a factor.
      We can argue that it’s a programme watched by your Nanna, rather than genuine sports fans. Or that it always was a messy apples-and-oranges comparison business.
      And, yes, nobody seems able to get anything right any more.
      Yet the idea of crowning the nation’s sportsperson of the year remains a worthy one.
      Wally Downes Jr
      TYSON FURY
      WHAT better way to put the final nail in the coffin of the BBC’s poxy SPOTY award than awarding it to a bloke who threatened to sue the Beeb for even nominating him.
      WBC heavyweight king Tyson Fury is at war with Auntie after Gary Lineker stitched him up on stage at the 2015 version and does not want to use his huge global appeal to help publicise the corporation in any way.
      So hopefully the boxing superstar runs away with the voting, snubs his red carpet invite and leaves some poor sap to stumble up on the stage and accept the award without it even being on his behalf!
      Tyson Fury has threatened to sue the BBC after they nominated him for SPOTY against his willCredit: PA
      Rob Maul
      EMMA RADUCANU
      What Emma Raducanu accomplished in September — winning the US Open on her debut aged 18 and as a qualifier — was truly astonishing.
      Arguably it was the most incredible British sports story of the 21st Century.
      I’d be gobsmacked if she doesn’t win the BBC SPOTY Award on Sunday. She is the most deserving winner in my opinion.
      I’m surprised cycling’s golden couple, Jason and Laura Kenny, were left off the shortlist but I’d expect fellow Team GB gold medallists Tom Daley and Adam Peaty to receive plenty of backing in the public vote.
      Andy Dillon
      TOM DALEY
      An enduring sporting hero and admirable human being, overcoming deep personal grief to maintain a presence in a discipline which demands immense mental and physical strength, balance, power, co-ordination and sheer courage.
      He has not stopped smiling despite standing before the whole world in budgie smugglers for almost 30 years.
      Andy Dillon reckons Tom Daley deserves to be crowned SPOTYCredit: PA
      Phil Thomas
      EMMA RADUCANU
      AS much as I’d love to see Tyson Fury win purely for the chaos that would follow, it has to be Emma Raducanu.
      The other candidates have been responsible for some of the most outstanding sporting moments of the year…she produced one of a lifetime.
      Duncan Wright
      EMMA RADUCANU
      For a British female to win a Grand Slam tournament is massive – for a qualifier to do so without even dropping a set is something that may never be done again.

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      Tom Daley deserves respect for finally getting the gold after so many years, while Adam Peaty is supreme in his sport.
      But due to the magnitude and manner of the win, Raducanu has to get the nod.
      NEIL CUSTIS
      EMMA RADUCANU
      Raducanu was not just the sports story of the year but one of the greatest ever.
      When the pressure got to her in the fourth round of Wimbledon last June we thought we were seeing another plucky Brit trier whose 15 minutes of fame was done.
      Just a few months later she went from qualifying to lifting the US Open trophy without losing a set.
      She also gave us one of the great women’s grand slam finals in beating fellow teen Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3.
      To think just 12 months earlier she had still been hitting the ball against the wall of her house.
      She had a wonderful back story too coming from a working class background.
      An only child of a Romanian father and Chinese mother both of whom made sure she achieved academically as well as in sport.
      She spoke in fluent mandarin and then Romanian in addressing her supporters around the world post-US Open.
      And then she showed off a perfect golf swing we began to wonder if there was anything she couldn’t do.
      The best thing of all is that in every interview she has done the 19-year-old, who still mixes with the mates she grew up with, comes across as so down to earth.
      Not easy in the tennis world.
      Jordan Davies
      EMMA RADUCANU
      Forget about Sports Personality of the Year, try Sports Personality of the Decade.
      What Emma did has never and will never happen again in many of our lifetimes, and for that she should be recognised.
      Ending a 44-year wait for a British women’s Grand Slam singles champion, as a qualifier, is what dreams are made of not just in tennis, but sport as a whole.
      Add to that she was just 18 at the time, with a personality and media presence way beyond those years, this has to be Raducanu’s title at SPOTY.
      Nothing else comes close.
      Illustration by Lovatto More