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| Axios Sports |
| By Kendall Baker · Jun 06, 2022 |
| 👋 Good morning! Another epic sports weekend in the books. Let's do it again in five days. ⛳️ Coming soon: Professional golf is in a state of upheaval, with the Saudi-backed LIV series teeing off this week. Special edition coming soon. We'll explain everything. Today's word count: 1,635 words (6 minutes). Let's sports... |
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| 1 big thing: 👑 Nadal is still king |
| Photo: STF/AFP via Getty Images Rafael Nadal defeated Casper Ruud in straight sets Sunday to win his 14th French Open championship and 22nd Grand Slam title. The big picture: The Spaniard's first triumph in Paris came in 2005 at age 19. Now 36, he becomes the oldest champion in the tournament's history. The backdrop: Nadal has had a miraculous 2022 season after sitting out much of 2021 — missing Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and the U.S. Open — due to a chronic foot problem that had him weighing retirement. - He won the Australian Open in January to break a three-way tie at 20 majors with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer and opened the season with a personal-best 20-0 record.
- But then he suffered a rib injury in March, and the foot was clearly bothering him at last month's Italian Open. During his run in Paris, he needed multiple injections to dull the pain.
- Yet, as was proven once again, "there is no tonic quite like Parisian red clay for Nadal," writes NYT's Christopher Clarey. He's now 14-0 in French Open finals — and he's never even been pushed to a fifth set.
Between the lines: This was the first time Nadal had to beat four top-10 opponents to win the title at Roland Garros, overcoming No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime (coached by his uncle Tony), No. 1 Novak Djokovic, No. 3 Alexander Zverev (in a walkover) and No. 8 Ruud. "For all that drama, Nadal was at his Nadal-est on Sunday, doing what he usually does: breaking serve — he took Ruud's serve apart in six of the first 10 service games; bringing his lefty funk to bear; and simply owning this court as if it is his own, which of course it is." What's next: "I don't know what can happen in the future, but I'm going to keep fighting to try to keep going," said Nadal on Sunday. And we'll keep cheering — not wanting this ride to end. Go deeper: 50 parting thoughts from the French Open (SI) |
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| Bonus: 🤯 Mind-blowing dominance |
 Table: Axios Visuals This chart will never not blow my mind. The Big Three have won 62 of the last 75 Grand Slams, and 19 of the last 21. Looking ahead: Who will end up with the most major singles titles? - Serena Williams, age 40 (23 titles)
- Rafael Nadal, age 36 (22 titles)
- Novak Djokovic, age 35 (20 titles)
- Roger Federer, age 40 (20 titles)
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| 2. 🏆 "Third Quarter Warriors" strike again |
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| Steph Curry celebrating with Jordan Poole. Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images |
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| Steve Kerr has never trailed 2-0 in 23 playoff series as a head coach. That streak will continue after the Warriors blew out the Celtics, 107-88, on Sunday to draw even in the NBA Finals. Between the lines: As has become tradition, the Warriors did their most damage in the third quarter, outscoring the Celtics 35-14 and forcing more Boston turnovers (five) than field goals allowed (four). - Steph Curry (29 points in 32 minutes) eclipsed 70 three-pointers for the fifth postseason of his career.
- The rest of the league has done that twice in NBA history, both by his teammate Klay Thompson (11 points).
Looking ahead: The Warriors are now 5-0 this postseason following a loss, outscoring their opponents by 15.4 points in those games — the fifth-highest point differential over the past 50 postseasons. - Fourth on that list? This year's Celtics (+15.5), who get a chance to respond on Wednesday.
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| A message from Axios |
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| 3. ⚽️ Ukraine's fairy tale ends in Wales |
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| Photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images |
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| Wales beat Ukraine, 1-0, in front of their home crowd on Sunday to clinch Europe's final spot in the World Cup. Why it matters: Ukraine's fairy tale has ended, a crushing blow to the war-torn country. For Wales, it's their first trip to the World Cup since 1958, ending the longest drought in Europe. - 🎥 Highlight: Gareth Bale's free kick in the 34th minute found the back of the net after deflecting off Ukrainian captain Andriy Yarmolenko (scored an own goal).
- 📸 Snapshot: Referee Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz rushed over to Ukrainian star Oleksandr Zinchenko after the match and consoled him after the loss. Bigger than sports.
Rewind: Wales' last World Cup match was in the 1958 quarterfinals against Brazil, during which a 17-year-old Pelé scored his first World Cup goal in a 1-0 victory. Looking ahead: World Cup Group B's schedule is now set, with Wales playing the U.S. on the first day of competition in Qatar. - Nov. 21: England vs. Iran; U.S. vs. Wales
- Nov. 25: Wales vs. Iran; England vs. U.S.
- Nov. 29: Wales vs. England; Iran vs. U.S.
Go deeper: Full World Cup schedule (ESPN) |
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| 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |
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| Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz in 2006. Photo: Chuck Rydlewski/Getty Images |
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| ⚾️ Wanna feel old? David Ortiz's son, D'Angelo, drove in Manny Ramirez's son, Manny Jr., on Sunday for the Brockton Rox of the Futures Collegiate League. Also on the roster: Pedro Martinez's son. 🏀 Snyder steps away: Jazz coach Quin Snyder has resigned after eight seasons (372-264 record). My guess: He takes a year off then succeeds Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. ⚽️ Canada on strike: Canada's men's national soccer team went on strike over player compensation, forcing Sunday's friendly against Panama to be called off. ⚾️ 44 runs: Oklahoma State bounced back from a 12-0 deficit to beat Missouri State, 29-15, on Sunday in the highest-scoring NCAA tournament game ever. 🏆 Must-see sport: Post-it notes, but make it competitive. |
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| 5. 🏳️🌈 Rays players opt out of Pride logos |
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| Photo: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images |
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| A few Tampa Bay Rays players chose not to wear rainbow-colored logos on their uniforms as part of the team's annual "Pride Night" on Saturday. What they're saying: Jason Adam, one of the players who elected to remove the logo, told the Tampa Bay Times it was a "faith-based decision." "Ultimately we all said what we want is them to know that all are welcome and loved here. But when we put it on our bodies, I think a lot of guys decided that it's just a lifestyle that maybe ... we don't want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who's encouraged us to live a lifestyle that would abstain from that behavior." The other side: Here's Rays veteran outfielder Kevin Kiermaier, who did wear the rainbow logo: "My parents taught me to love everyone as they are, go live your life, whatever your preferences are, go be you. ... We just want everyone to feel welcomed and included and cheer us on. No matter what your views on anything are." The backdrop: The Rays are one of three MLB teams to incorporate Pride Night logos on their uniforms, along with the Giants and Dodgers. - Both those teams had full participation, and the Dodgers honored the late Glenn Burke on Friday, the first major leaguer to come out as gay.
- Of note: The Rays have a long track record of LGBTQ+ support. In 2015, they joined the Giants and Patriots in signing an amicus brief filed to the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage.
Go deeper: Rays' advocacy efforts get mixed reviews (Axios Tampa Bay) |
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| 6. 🇺🇸 Photos across America |
| Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. — Australian Minjee Lee won the U.S. Women's Open by five strokes, netting her $1.8 million, the largest payout in women's golf history. Palát's game-winner. Photo: Mike Carlson/Getty Images TAMPA, Fla. — The Lightning rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the second period to beat the Rangers, 3-2, on Sunday and avoid falling into a 3-0 hole in the East Finals. Photo: Kyle Rivas/Getty Images KANSAS CITY — The USMNT played Uruguay to a 0-0 draw on Sunday in their second of four World Cup warmup matches this month. Horschel on the 18th green. Photo: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images DUBLIN, Ohio — Billy Horschel won the Memorial by four shots, sealing the deal with a gorgeous eagle putt on the 15th. - Wild stat: At one point on Sunday, Horschel had gone 49 consecutive holes without a bogey. Same.
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| 7. 🌍 Photos around the world |
| Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images PARIS — 21-year-old Iga Świątek beat Coco Gauff, 6-1, 6-3, to win the French Open and become the youngest two-time major champion since Maria Sharapova in 2006. Photo: Derek Leung/Getty Images EDMONTON, Canada — The Avalanche beat the Oilers, 4-2, on Saturday to take a 3-0 lead in the West Finals but lost Nazem Kadri in the process. - By the numbers: Colorado already has seven comeback wins this postseason, three shy of tying the all-time record.
Photo: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images MELBOURNE, Australia — Oakland native Devin "The Dream" Haney, 23, beat George Kambosos Jr. by unanimous decision to become the youngest undisputed champion in the four-belt era (lightweight). Photo: Joan Cros Garcia/Corbis via Getty Images BARCELONA, Spain — A multi-bike accident at the start of Sunday's Catalunya MotoGP saw two riders taken to the hospital for checkups. |
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| 8. 📺 Watchlist: Sooner State in the spotlight |
| Photo: Image Holdings/Corbis via Getty Images Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are one win away from an all-Oklahoma Women's College World Series final in Oklahoma City, where fans are turning out in record numbers. - The slate: No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 5 UCLA (12pm ET, ESPN); No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. Texas (7pm, ESPN) ... The Sooners and Cowboys must lose twice, so double-headers will be played if necessary.
- The teams: The reigning champion Sooners, led by HR queen Jocelyn Alo, have outscored opponents 529-51 (!!!) ... The Cowboys, who've never won a title, are off to their first 2-0 start in the WCWS since 1993.
More to watch: |
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| 9. 🏀 NBA trivia |
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| Photo: Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images |
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| The trio of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green has won 18 NBA Finals games together. - Question: Who's the only trio with more over the last 50 seasons?
- Hint: They won 19.
Answer at the bottom. |
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| 10. 🎥 Top plays: Weekend edition |
| Source: Giphy - ⚽️ Gorgeous goal
- ⚾️ Banana Ball!
- 🥏 How did he do that?
- ⚾️ Full extension
- ⚽️ Insane header
- ⚾️ Ridiculous range
- ⚾️ Web gem
- 🥍 Behind-the-back
- ⚾️ Glove flip
- 🏀 Poole from deep
Watch all 10. |
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| A message from Axios |
| Advertise in Axios Sports |
| |
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| Are you a marketer looking to reach decision makers who care about sports? Consider advertising with us: - Reach hundreds of thousands of people daily.
- Achieve your KPIs around business development, awareness, and product sales.
- Over 60% of our audience earns six figures per year and makes business purchasing decisions.
Let's Chat |
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| Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Rafa forever" Baker Trivia answer: Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili 🙏 Thanks for reading. Follow us on Twitter: @kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. Tell your friends to sign up. |
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