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Indian para shuttler Pramod Bhagat who recently equalled Chinese badminton icon Lin Dan’s record of five World Championships titles said that he wants to defend his Paralympic gold medal at Paris Olympics 2024. In the realm of tennis, Andy Murray secured his 500th hardcourt victory to enter the elite group alongside legends like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and more.
Read below to learn the latest happenings of the sporting world in the last 24 hours.
Badminton
I wanted to go into Paris without any mental barrier: Pramod Bhagat on competing at Paris Olympics 2024
Indian para shuttler Pramod Bhagat who recently equalled Chinese badminton icon Lin Dan’s record of five World Championships titles said that he wanted to remove all the mental barriers to defend his Paralympic gold. Talking about his recent win at the Para World Championship, Bhagat said, “It was an important win for me, not only because I wanted to equal Lin Dan’s record but also because the Olympics is the next big event, and I wanted to go into Paris without any mental barrier. It will help me to retain my gold, and that is the goal now.”
Badminton Asia uploads map of India without Jammu and Kashmir on official website
Badminton Asia, the hosts of the recently concluded Badminton Asia Championships 2024 in Malaysia, uploaded a map of Asia on their official website. What was controversial about the map was that it had distorted the boundaries of several nations, including India. The map didn’t show the entire Jammu and Kashmir as part of India, and Aksaid Chin was subsumed into China’s map. Not only this, but the map of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan wasn’t properly bordered as well.
Indian national badminton coach Mathias Boe to marry long-time girlfriend actress Taapsee Pannu in Udaipur: Reports
Danish badminton player Mathias Boe, who is currently coaching the Indian national badminton doubles team, is reportedly set to marry long-time girlfriend, Bollywood actress Taapsee Pannu. The wedding is set to take place in an intimate ceremony in the Lake City of India, Udaipur in March 2024. As per the rumours, the couple will tie the knot in a Sikh-Christian wedding, which will only be attended by close family and friends. As per the reports by NDTV, the wedding ceremonies will be extremely intimate, and no big Bollywood faces are expected to attend the ceremony. Taapsee and Mathias have been in a relationship for more than 10 years now.
Tennis
I'm still disappointed because Rafael Nadal one was close: Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev is yet to get over his loss to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open 2022 final. Medvedev is currently in the UAE to defend his Dubai Tennis Championships title. Reflecting upon his loss to Nadal in 2022, Medvedev said, "I don't know, because for sure I'm still disappointed because that one was close. Closer than the Jannik match. Also mentally with the crowd and this and that. Somewhere in the match, I felt like I'm there, not that I have to win it, but I was really close in my mind.”
Andy Murray wins 500th tour-level hard court match at Dubai Open 2024
Andy Murray beat Denis Shapovalov 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 in the first round of the Dubai Open 2024. With this, Murray secured his 500th hard-court victory to enter the elite group alongside legends like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi, and Rafael Nadal. Talking about his accomplishment, Murray said, “Obviously, hardcourt has been a great surface for me over the years, and 500 is a lot of matches, so I am very proud of that.” However, the former world number one also hinted that this could be his last season on the ATP Tour.
Football
Mason Greenwood "reluctant" to accept potential return to Manchester United: Reports
Mason Greenwood, who is currently on a season-long loan with Getafe, was sacked by Manchester United last summer after a backlash from fans. Recently, the Premier League giants under new ownership are reportedly looking to bring back Greenwood, however, the 22-year-old forward is reportedly "reluctant" to return to Old Trafford.
According to The Athletic, Manchester United's new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe renewed the possibility of Mason Greenwood's potential return to the Premier League giants. Ratcliffe told The Athletic, "He’s a Manchester United footballer so we are in charge of football. So the answer is yes, we have to make decisions.”
No suspension for Cristiano Ronaldo after X-rated gesture towards 'Messi' chants: Reports
Al-Nassr and Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will escape the probable suspension from a game amid his reactions to Al-Shabab fans, according to reports. According to a Saudi Arabian reporter, the 39-year-old forward will not be punished for even a single minute of the game. It was speculated after Al-Alami’s game against Al-Shabab that the veteran footballer would be suspended for two matches over his X-rated reaction to the latter’s supporters when the crowd was raging with the chants of another football legend and Ronaldo’s rival Lionel Messi.
With the theories and views only increased with each passing day, a Saudi Arabian journalist Al-Harbi feud such claims on his social media account and revealed that the star player will feature in the match against Al-Hazem.
It’s not the end of the world: Anthony Elanga reveals advice received from Cristiano Ronaldo
Nottingham Forest footballer Anthony Elanga revealed the advice he received from Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at Manchester United. The Sweden international was in a conversation with The Times, where he revealed how Ronaldo consoled him after he missed a penalty in a game. Elanga revealed, “There was a time when I missed a penalty and after that, he kept speaking to me and telling me, ‘It’s not the end of the world, I’ve missed loads before and you’ve shown character and professionalism taking one at your age.’ I took that on board and that’s really helpful."
Major football results
England- FA Cup
- Bournemouth 0-1 Leicester
- Blackburn 1-1 Newcastle
- Luton 2-6 Man City
India I-League
- Aizwal FC 0-1 Real Kashmir FC
Spain Copa del Rey SF
- Real Sociedad 1 (5-6)-1 Mallorca
