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In the world of football, Bayer Leverkusen have created a new Bundesliga record of staying 33 games unbeaten, putting themselves a step closer to their first league title in history. Iga Swiatek blamed the Dubai Tennis Championships semi-finals defeat on fatigue and admitted that she didn’t have power. Novak Djokovic said that he is done chasing records and is at that point when he wants to create new ones. In the realm of badminton, several para Indian shuttlers made it to the final of the BWF Para Badminton World Championships 2024.
Read below to learn about latest happenings of the sporting world in the last 24 hours.
Football
Bayer Leverkusen set Bundesliga record of 33 games unbeaten
The high flying Bayer Leverkusen, under the manager Xabi Alonso, has set a Bundesliga record of 33 games unbeaten after getting the better of Mainz by 2-1 at the BayArena. With this epic win, Bayer Leverkusen are 11 points clear of the second-place and the defending champions Bayern Munich on the league table, eyeing their first Bundesliga title in history.
Pep Guardiola believes Manchester United “will be back” under new investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe
The Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes that Manchester United “will be back” under their new investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who had his 27.7% stake in the club completed on February 20. In response to Ratcliffe’s comments about knocking Manchester City “off their perch,” Guardiola said, “When we were below and United were winning, we were watching them, admiring them. That's why, for these type of comments, that I have the feeling that they will be back.”
Manchester City to demand at least £100m for selling Kevin de Bruyne: Reports
Manchester City are reportedly going to demand at least £100m for selling their star midfielder Kevin de Brunye, who is expected to get bids from multiple clubs from the Saudi Pro League, as per talkSPORT. Notably, the current contract for Kevin de Bruyne is set to expire at the end of next season, and he is yet to have talks over fresh terms with the reigning treble winners.
Chelsea to sell Robert Sanchez for bringing in Aaron Ramsdale: Reports
Chelsea are reportedly willing to sell their goalkeeper Robert Sanchez in the upcoming summer, to bring in the Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale as his replacement, as per HITC. After Robert Sanchez arrived to the West London club in the summer of 2023 for a big money deal, he hasn’t been quite convincing for the Chelsea team management, which is why they could move him on.
Some major results in football are as under:
La Liga 2023-24
Real Sociedad 1-3 Villarreal
Bundesliga 2023-24
Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Mainz
Serie A 2023-24
Bologna 2-0 Hellas Verona
Ligue 1 2023-24
Metz 0-1 Lyon
Eredivisie 2023-24
FC Utrecht 1-0 Heracles Almelo
Saudi Pro League 2023-24
Al-Riyadh 1-0 Al-Raed
Tennis
I didn’t have power anymore: Iga Swiatek after losing Dubai semi-finals
World number 1 player Iga Swiatek blamed fatigue after losing the Dubai semifinals to Anna Kalinskaya on Friday, February 23. Swiatek blamed it on fatigue and admitted that she didn’t have power. Kalinskaya ended Swiatek’s seven-match winning streak by commanding a 6-4, 6-4 victory. After the match, she said, “I didn’t have power anymore to give even more, which doesn’t happen often. I felt out of control a little bit because of that. Usually when I tell myself what to do, I can improve my game. Today I was so out of power and tired that I couldn’t.”
Elena Rybakina withdraws from Dubai Tennis Championships after complaints of physical exhaustion
Elena Rybakina withdrew from the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships citing stomach illness after she complained of physical exhaustion. Rybakina was diagnosed with gastrointestinal issues leading her to bowing out of the tournament. In an on-court interview, she said, "It's just the beginning of the year. Of course, it’s a great start, but it's not easy. Most important is to stay healthy. With every match, it's getting tougher and tougher physically but really happy with the start of the year, hopefully, I just can continue like this.”
Best opponent you’ll ever play against: AB de Villiers on Roger Federer’s latest training sessions
Former South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers reacted to Roger Federer’s practice session. Recently, the 42-year-old treated his fans with a short clip on Instagram featuring him practising his forehands and backhands against a wall. Reacting to the video, De Viliers suggested that the wall is the best opponent Federer ever played against. Mr 360 commented on X (formerly Twitter), “The best opponent you’ll ever play against.”
When Young Guys Start Kicking My Butt: Novak Djokovic on retirement plans
World number 1 tennis star Novak Djokovic said that he is done chasing records and is at that point when he wants to create new ones. He said, "I don't feel like I'm chasing anything now. I feel like I'm creating. That's kind of a mindset I have.” Talking about his retirement plans, Djokovic said, "Maybe the moment will become closer once I start not to win the Grand Slams and not to be able to be one of the main contenders for major titles. And once the young guys start kicking my butt, then I'll probably start to rethink and question whether I should keep going. But for now, it's all good.”
Badminton
Bhagat, Yathiraj, Nagar reach BWF Para Badminton World Championships 2024
Indian badminton para star Suhas Yathiraj, Pramod Bhagat and Krishna Nagar advanced to the finals of the Para Badminton World Championships on Saturday, February 24. Yathiraj defeated French shuttler Lucas Mazur of France 21-16, 21-19 in the men’s singles SL4 semifinal to reach his maiden final. Lucas is the reigning world champion and paralympic gold medalist.
He will lock horns against Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan who beat Sukant Kadam 13-21, 19-21 in the other semifinal. In SL3 class, Pramod Bhagat defeated compatriot Manoj Sarkar 23-21, 20-22, 21-18 to book a final date with England’s Daniel Bethell. In SH6, Krishna Nagar defeated Vitor Tavares of Brazil 21-16, 21-17 to advance to the final to clash against China’s Lin Naili.
