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The past 24 hours saw World No. 1 booking his spot in the semifinals of the US Open 2023 after defeating Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals. Not only this, but the football great Cristiano Ronaldo missed out on a place in the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or award for the first time in 20 years. In addition to this, Ronaldo also said that the rivalry that he and Lionel Messi shared for 15 long years came to an end.
We have talked about them and a lot more in today's sports wrap; have a look.
Cristiano Ronaldo fails to earn Ballon d'Or award nomination for first time in 20 years
Football great Cristiano Ronaldo failed to find himself a spot in the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or award for the first time in 20 years. The Portuguese has won the award five times, out of which his last award came in 2017. His snub from the award came a year after his long-time rival Lionel Messi also failed to earn a nomination for the award, however, the Argentine has returned to the Ballon d'Or 2023 nominations.
Cristiano Ronaldo says rivalry between him and Lionel Messi is over
The Portugal football team and Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo said that the long rivalry between him and Argentina captain Lionel Messi is over. Ronaldo was in an interview with a Portuguese newspaper, Record, where he said that the rivalry he shared with Messi for the past 15 years has come to an end. Ronaldo said, "I don’t see things like that, the rivalry is gone. It was good, the spectators liked it. If you love Cristiano Ronaldo, you don’t have to hate Messi. We have both changed the history of world football."
Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Aryna Sabalenka advance to the US Open semifinals
World No. 1 tennis player and reigning US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz secured his semifinal berth in the US Open 2023 on Thursday, September 8. The 20-year-old took down the Olympic champion and 2020 runner-up Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. In the semifinals, he will lock horns with Daniil Medvedev, who is coming on the back of a win over Andry Rublev.
Medvedev defeated the compatriot 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to reach his 4th US Open semi-final. On the flip side, in women's events, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka defeated Qinwen Zheng 6-1, 6-4, and made it to the next stage of the tournament. Sabalenka will clash with the winner of the USA's Madison Keys vs. the UK's Marketa Vondrousova.
Naomi Osaka joins Michael Phelps to talk about mental health at US Open 2023
Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka joined 23-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps at the US Open 2023 to talk about mental health. The athletes talked about loneliness, connecting to others via a 'buddy system', the role of social media, and more. Osaka, on returning to the US Open said, " For me coming back here, it means a lot. This room, in particular. There were some tears shed. A lot.
High court grants Bajrang Punia exemption to appear in court
Wrestling instructor Naresh Dahiya had filed a criminal defamation suit against wrestler Bajrang Punia, and on Wednesday, a Delhi court granted Punia an exemption from making a personal appearance. After Punia's attorney requested an exemption on medical grounds, stating the wrestler was unable to appear because of a fever, Metropolitan Magistrate Yashdeep Chahal, who had summoned Punia before the court, gave him the concession.
The complainant was also told by the judge to give a copy of the complaint to Punia's attorney. The wrestler was called before the court because it was believed "prima facie" that the case for defamation against him was established.
