“I’ve worked with Alexi for 10 years,” says Stu Holden, Fox Sports analyst and former United States men’s national team midfielder. “He’s one of the first people that I am asked about. They say: ‘What’s that guy like off-camera?’.”

It is a thought many may share while watching Alexi Lalas, the formerly goatee-bearded U.S. central defender who rose to prominence at the 1994 World Cup, now best known for his tinderbox contributions on American soccer television.

He comes with a significant soccer pedigree, recording almost a century of caps for his country and playing in Italy’s Serie A and Major League Soccer. A signpost of his influencer status came in 2021 when the world governing body, FIFA, undertook a feasibility study as part of a failed attempt to introduce a biennial World Cup. Lalas was invited along to a seminar hosted by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as part of a cohort that included Brazilians Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, former Denmark and Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel and Australia’s Tim Cahill.

On U.S. television, Lalas, 54, a studio analyst for Fox during the European Championship and Copa America this summer, is bold and direct in his opinions. This week, he has already compared the England national team to the Dallas Cowboys, saying the English are as “insufferable as they are talented”.

And over 40 minutes in a Manhattan coffee shop, he is no different. Topics cut across the future of Gregg Berhalter as coach of the U.S. men’s national team (“We’re letting the players off the hook”, he insists), or his “video game” approach to social media. This is a dose of pure, undiluted Lalas. Sitting beside him, ordering a piccolo coffee (“Don’t encourage him,” Lalas says, when I ask what a piccolo involves), is the more reserved Holden, 38, who also packs a punch in his analysis.

I tell Lalas that some people took a deep breath when I mentioned I was due to interview him. He smiles. First and foremost, Lalas says he sees his studio role as “hopefully having an interesting and informative take, and doing it in an entertaining way”.

He stirs. “But I’m in the entertainment business. I am a performer. When you say that, sometimes people cringe. By no means am I saying that I can’t be authentic and genuine. But I recognise the way I say something is as important as what I say.

“When I go on TV, I put on a costume and when that red light goes on, I don’t want people changing the channel. I don’t care if you like me or you don’t. I am as human as I possibly can be with the recognition that, on television, things have to be bigger and bolder.”

Holden interjects: “He’s one of my good friends. People ask me: ‘Does he believe everything he says?’. And I say, ‘We have the same conversations at the bar that we have on air’.

“I’ve learned from Alexi that you have to be interesting in this business to have longevity. Whether that’s the role that he plays, still authentic to who he is and the opinions he carries — but maybe a little bit of juice on there to fire it up — you never want to be in between. You never want to be in the middle of it, where people are just like, ‘Ah, that guy’s fine’. So be on one side, be bold, don’t care about opinions, but be authentic to who you are. And that’s who he is — on and off camera.”

Holden made 25 appearances for the USMNT but a career that included Premier League spells at Sunderland and Bolton Wanderers was cruelly cut short by injury. He and Lalas apply diligence to their output, often meeting with coaches, players or front-office staff the day before the match to explain to viewers what the team is seeking to achieve.

As time passes, they are more distant from a modern locker room but Holden says it’s important “to take people inside the tent”.

“It’s not as common in England,” he adds, “but it is ingrained in American sports television where they will go to NFL practice, sit with the coaches, get exclusive breakdowns of play. Europeans have a hard time understanding this when they come here. Patrick Vieira (when he was manager of New York City FC) didn’t want to meet with us. Frank de Boer (at Atlanta United), too. Often the European or South American coaches are like, ‘Why are you guys in here?’.”

They believe that being that little bit detached, in terms of age, allows them to come down harder, when appropriate, on those they analyse. I suggest that many within the sports industry police themselves carefully when on television or radio these days, cautious about a public backlash.

“Life’s too short and f*** them,” Lalas says, bluntly.

“Ultimately, I’m talking about soccer. I know we get incredibly passionate and emotional about these things — something I love about sports. I try to be honest and sometimes it comes off in different ways and people perceive it differently. It’s one thing over a keyboard but it’s a very different type of interaction in normal life. There are people that come up to me who disagree with me but we have a cordial, civil and respectful conversation, even if we vehemently disagree about things on and off the soccer field.”

His on-screen character, he says, takes inspiration beyond sports broadcasting. “It is an element of a shock jock, an element of political commentary, an element of late-night television host. And then when it came to actual sports, I grew up in the ESPN age where the hot take was happening, but then I also like Gary Lineker (the former England international striker and long-time presenter of the BBC’s football coverage in the UK).

“The way he talks about things, you almost forget that he was a player — and not just a player, but a f***ing great player. When I hear him talk about the game and life, even if I agree or disagree with the way he does it, it makes me forget that he was once this great player because it’s interesting, informative and entertaining in the way he does it. And so I have a lot of respect for what he’s carved out.”

Lineker and Lalas share another thing in common, in that both men appear to be in a love-hate relationship with social media. Lineker’s show Match of the Day, the BBC’s Premier League highlights programme, was plunged into crisis last year after the corporation took a dim view of his political commentary on Twitter, now known as X.

If Lineker is on the centre-left, Lalas appears to be a political antidote, recently announcing on Twitter that he will be attending the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Like Lineker, he seems unable to resist being sucked into the vortex of culture war politics. He shared posts recently that appear sympathetic to Donald Trump and is in regular playful combat with his social media detractors. Yet he has already said that he places so much more value on in-person interactions. So why bother with X?

“I’m sure there’s an element of addiction that I will cop to,” he acknowledges. “It’s just the world in which we live. There is an element of ego. But I’m also under no delusions that I’m not solving the world’s problems. Nobody gives a s*** what the hell I have to say about most of this stuff. First off, Twitter is an information machine.”

But it can also be a misinformation machine.

“At times,” he laughs. “It depends on who you ask or where you look. I look at it almost as a video game that I play.

“There’s an element of poking the bear and being provocative that I enjoy. When it comes to things off the field, like politics, there is a cathartic release to being honest, especially in this day and age. There was a time we were all so bold. And now we live at times, unfortunately, in fear of the real backlash that can come from just saying something people disagree with. Whether it’s politics or sports, I don’t want to live in a world like that. Maybe this is just the way I retaliate.

“I’m not saying that it’s smart or prudent, especially if it can be alienating to people. When it comes to separating the sports and the personal, sometimes they blur and sometimes they infect or affect the other side. But I will only live once and I’d rather just be as honest as I possibly can, regardless of whether anybody listens or cares.”

During this summer’s Copa America, with the USMNT looking for signs of substantial progress under Berhalter, Lalas will be as direct as ever. Holden, too, makes clear the expectations.

How to follow Euro 2024 and Copa America on The Athletic…

“Passing the group stage is not negotiable,” Holden insists. “If we don’t get out of a group containing Panama and Bolivia, then what are we doing? That becomes the time to make a change.”

Lalas cuts in: “Is it untenable? Maybe from the outside and how we look at it. But ultimately it’s (U.S. Soccer’s technical director) Matt Crocker who will make that decision. And he had the opportunity (Berhalter was reappointed as USMNT coach in June 2023).

“Nobody would have begrudged cleaning house and getting rid of everybody. And yet he (Crocker) didn’t. So something really bad has to happen for U.S. Soccer to make a change.

“But there are a lot of people sitting with their arms folded saying, ‘All right, Gregg, you got a long leash, you got a second opportunity, we need to see something different, we need to see something that makes us believe that come the World Cup 2026, there’s the possibility for the first time ever, that a U.S. men’s national team could win a World Cup.’ And we haven’t had those moments. He needs a statement type of game and statement type of summer to mollify some of that.”

Holden points out the USMNT, who exited the last World Cup in the round of 16 against the Netherlands, had the second-youngest team in Qatar and cites the draw against England, where he says the USMNT went “toe-to-toe”, as evidence of what might be possible.

Lalas says: “We’re letting the players off the hook a bit when we constantly talk about the coach. They have been given every benefit, every resource. Nothing has been spared from an early age. It is fair for us to expect more out of them individually and collectively. They’re no longer teenagers. Some of them play for the best teams and in the best leagues in the world. It’s time to put up or shut up.

“We put a lot of emphasis on coaching — and I’m not saying they can’t have an effect — but this is a players’ game. When that whistle blows, you get to decide what happens and the onus is on you. And if you want it, that’s great. If you don’t, then don’t blame the coach.”

Holden grins: “If the U.S. wins the Copa America, it’s the greatest thing they’ve ever done as a soccer nation on the men’s side — hands down.”

(Top image: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

INDIANAPOLIS — Athletes often speak in generalities as a defense mechanism. Rather than go in-depth on a potentially controversial topic, or even address the issue at all, they provide non-answers, using cliches and pre-programmed talking points to stay at a safe distance.

A part of me would like to believe that that’s what Caitlin Clark did Thursday morning when I asked if she was bothered by fans using her name as a weapon in the culture wars dividing the country. The Indiana Fever’s star guard didn’t close the door on the subject; she refused to even open it.

“No,” she declared. “I don’t see it. I don’t see it. That’s not where my focus is. My focus is here and on basketball. That’s where it needs to be, that’s where it has been, and I’m just trying to get better on a daily basis.”

I asked #IndianaFever’s Caitlin Clark directly about her name being weaponized for racism/misogyny (as Dijonai Carrington alluded to):

“It’s disappointing. … Everybody in our world deserves the same amount of respect. The women in our league deserve the same amount of respect.” pic.twitter.com/gyAWBqGG8c

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) June 13, 2024

It’s not surprising that Clark would initially attempt to avoid the topic. She’s a rookie struggling to find her way on a new team in a new league, at a time when the shots that fell so consistently in college are now missing the mark with greater frequency. Instead of being the go-to closer, which contributed to her massive popularity at Iowa, she sometimes is on the bench in the waning moments because of turnover issues.

But you don’t get to hide behind basketball when you’ve been anointed the transcendent, rising tide who will lift the WNBA to greater prosperity. And you definitely don’t get to do so when people are using your name as a means of pushing racism, misogyny, homophobia and other societal ills. To whom much is given, much is required, indeed.

There is a tradition in professional sports that high-profile rookies are to be tested. Veterans go at them hard to see what they’re made of. Doesn’t matter the sport or the gender. But when Carrington fouled Clark and mocked the rookie for what she perceived to be an embellishment of the contact, much of the social media commentary was predictable. “Caitlin Clark was targeted by black players again Monday, this time in Connecticut,” one person wrote. “Suns (sic) guard DiJonai Carrington violently checked Clark then mocked her after the blatant foul. The crowd booed. If the races were reversed Carrington would’ve been ejected.”

Clark did not make the comments, but I was curious about her feelings about people using her name as a divisive tool. Her initial response Thursday morning: “It’s not something I can control, so I don’t put too much thought and time into thinking about things like that. And, to be honest, I don’t see a lot of it. Like I’ve said, basketball is my job. Everything on the outside, I can’t control that so I’m not going to spend time thinking about that. People can talk about what they want to talk about, create conversations about whatever it is, but I think for myself, I’m just here to play basketball. I’m just here to have fun. I’m trying to help our team win. … I don’t pay much mind to all of that, to be honest.”

But is she being forthright? It must be said that Clark is 22 and dealing with tremendous demands and expectations. That definitely should provide her with a level of grace. Still, her comments were troubling because they lacked awareness and empathy toward Black peers who do not have the privilege of distancing themselves from the isms they are regularly confronted with.

Carrington likened her silence to luxury. I see it as complicity.

Perhaps she didn’t want to fully address it because of the sensitivity involved? Or maybe she was following the advice of her inner circle, including advisors who might believe it’s more profitable to say nothing? It worked well for Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, though it sent the message that money was more important than morality. But the initial unwillingness to stand against hate and harassment was always going to be problematic in a league that is predominately Black, and has a sizable LGBTQ+ population.

By happenstance, her comments came on the same day the Women’s National Basketball Players Association posted a column on The Players’ Tribune that highlighted how proud its members are of their history of fighting against social injustices. “Our work has always been bigger than basketball,” it stated at one point.

That’s why it was important that Clark revisited her comments late Thursday, an hour or so before tipoff against the Atlanta Dream. She ran the danger of losing the respect of some of her peers, particularly at a time when more and more prominent White players are speaking out as allies in the fight against racism and homophobia.

It would have been conspicuous and problematic for a league that prides itself on inclusion and acceptance to have its most visible player standing silent on the sideline when legendary WNBA guard Sue Bird spoke out in a 2020 CNN piece, or UConn guard Paige Bueckers addressed it during her 2021 ESPYs acceptance speech, or former LSU guard Hailey Van Lith last March called criticism of her Black teammates racist, or with Los Angeles Sparks rookie Cameron Brink last week saying, “I will acknowledge there’s a privilege for the younger White players of the league.”

No one is asking Clark to be a social activist or to be a prominent face in the fight for respect, but it is important for her to at least denounce those who might use her name to espouse hate and division.

“It’s disappointing, it’s not acceptable …,” she said before tipoff of people using her name to push agendas. “This league is a league I grew up admiring and wanting to be a part of. Some of the women in this league were my biggest idols and role models growing up. … Treating every single woman in this league with the same amount of respect is just a basic human thing that everybody should do. Just be a kind person and treat them how you would want to be treated.”

It may have taken her time to express those sentiments, but that should not overshadow that she ultimately got to the right place. It was a positive step for her and the league.

(Photo: Greg Fiume / Getty Images)

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will represent Spain as a tennis doubles pairing at the Paris Olympics, which begins on July 26.

David Ferrer, the former world No 3 and current national selector for Spain, announced at a Royal Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET) press conference on Wednesday that Spain’s men’s team will include Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion, Alcaraz, the three-time Grand Slam champion, Pablo Carreno Busta, and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Marcel Granollers, a doubles specialist whose partnership with Argentinian Horacio Zeballos is currently the best in the world by combined ranking, is also included.

Ferrer said that he believes Nadal and Alcaraz “have the capacity to win a medal in doubles” after the team announcement.

This will be Alcaraz’s first Olympics, coming after his title defence at Wimbledon, which begins on July 1, and his recent victory over Alexander Zverev in the Roland Garros final last Sunday. Nadal is currently on the entry list for Wimbledon, using his protected injury ranking of 10, but said after exiting Roland Garros that playing “wouldn’t be a good idea.”

Nadal, who already holds a singles gold medal from Beijing 2008 and a doubles gold medal from Rio de Janeiro 2016 with Marc Lopez, will compete in his last Games. Although he has not announced his retirement date, he has not ruled out a return to the French Open in 2025 after losing to Zverev in the first round this year.

Paula Badosa, meanwhile, will not feature due to WTA rules. Badosa has chosen to use her protected injury ranking to enter the next two Grand Slam tournaments, at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, which begins in late August; the former world No 2 was not permitted to use that ranking for both tournaments and the Olympics. Sara Sorribes Tormo and Cristina Bucsa will be Spain’s representatives on the women’s side.

(Candice Ward/Getty Images)

Sitting down for a routine pre-match interview with the in-house media team at Barnsley a few years back, Callum Styles decided there was something he was going to drop into conversation.

It was, in the football reporter’s lexicon, a come-and-get-me plea.

But this one, in October 2020, was different. Rather than fluttering his eyelashes at suitors in the transfer market, Styles, a promising young English midfielder, wanted to make it known that he was eligible to play international football for Hungary or Ukraine — “just putting it out there,” he recalls to The Athletic, “and hoping something comes of it”.

For weeks, nothing did. “And then… you know how everything spreads these days with social media?” he says. “That’s basically how it was. It caught fire.”

The story was picked up by a sports website in Budapest. The Hungarian FA got in touch with Barnsley and was put in contact with Styles’ agent, who verified the story and gave more details of the player’s ancestry. Hungary started to monitor him — remotely at first, due to Covid-19 travel restrictions — and then, suitably impressed, started to explore further.

Styles imagined the first step would be a call-up to Hungary’s under-21s. But once the various administrative hurdles were cleared, he was drafted straight into the senior squad, making his international debut against Serbia in Budapest in March 2022. Three months later, he was part of a Hungary team that thrashed England 4-0 in the Nations League — “a unique moment where you kind of have to pinch yourself afterwards and be like, ‘Wow, did that actually happen?’.”

Now 24, having spent the past season on loan to Sunderland, he has 22 caps for Hungary. Everything, he said, has worked out very nicely. He is firmly in contention to start their opening game against Switzerland in Cologne on Saturday, having overcome an injury scare in their final warm-up against Israel last Saturday (a 3-0 win).

He loves playing for Hungary. He cannot wait for the Euros. But he is not going to pretend he grew up eating goulash and listening to tales of Ferenc Puskas while Franz Liszt’s rhapsodies played in the background.

On the contrary, he grew up without knowing about any links to the country he is now proud to represent.

GO DEEPER

The Radar – The Athletic’s 50 players to watch at Euro 2024

Growing up in Middleton, Greater Manchester, Styles was aware that his mother’s parents, Jan and Magdolna, had originally been from somewhere in Eastern Europe. But he didn’t know where.

“As a kid, I didn’t really look at any of that,” he says. “I was just playing and enjoying life. You’re playing with your toys or you’re out with your friends. None of those conversations really happened until later.

“I always used to go round to my nan’s house because she only lived around the corner from my mum and dad. I would go around twice a week and she would always be cooking a chicken noodle soup. But she passed away when I was just at the end of primary school.”

He was a professional footballer in his late teens, making a strong impression in Barnsley’s first team, by the time he started to find out more about how Jan and Magdolna had moved to the UK from Ukraine and Hungary respectively “in their early twenties”. Details of Jan’s past in Ukraine were sketchy — “we couldn’t find his old passport” — but more was known of Magdolna.

Styles and his girlfriend wanted to visit Hungary during the international break in March 2020. But that plan was scuppered by the pandemic. By the time he finally made it to Budapest two years later, his first time on Hungarian soil, it was to join up with the national team.

It was daunting at first, particularly since he could not speak a word of Hungarian (something he has since begun to rectify on Duolingo). But his new team-mates welcomed him from the start. They didn’t expect him to know the national anthem — he can sing it now — but were impressed when, during an initiation ceremony, he performed Candy Shop by 50 Cent.

He wasn’t the only player in the squad who had qualified via dual nationality; Hertha Berlin winger Palko Dardai was born in Germany, as the son of former Hungary international Pal Dardai, who played for and coached Hertha); RB Leipzig defender Willi Orban was born in Germany but had a Hungarian father; Le Havre full-back Loic Nego played for his native France from under-16 to under-20 level but became a Hungarian citizen after more than five years playing there; and Bournemouth full-back Milos Kerkez was born in Serbia but, like Styles, had a Hungarian grandmother.

“And our manager (Marco Rossi) is Italian,” Styles says. “He explained to me about the welcome he received even though he wasn’t Hungarian or having Hungarian roots. And a lot of the meetings are in English, which helped me a lot. The lads talk to me and they’re really welcoming.

“But just going to the country for the first time was a beautiful experience. Making my debut made it even better. Settling in was a lot easier than I thought it might be. I felt at home straight away.”

GO DEEPER

Hungary Euro 2024 team guide: Solid foundations and Szoboszlai magic cause for hope

For much of the recent past, a player discovering he was eligible to play for Hungary would still have had little or no chance of competing in a major tournament.

One of the giants of world football in the ‘Magical Magyars’ period of the 1950s and 1960s, Hungary’s appearance at the 1986 World Cup was their last in a major tournament for three decades.

But this will be their third consecutive European Championship. Qualification has been made easier by the competition’s expansion to 24 teams, but Hungary’s upturn in performance is undeniable. They won their qualifying group without losing a game. In total, they had gone 14 matches without defeat until they were beaten 2-1 by the Republic of Ireland in their penultimate warm-up game.

When UEFA launched its Nations League competition in 2018, Hungary were in the third tier with, among others, Estonia and Lithuania. In the most recent campaign, they finished second in a first-tier group, winning away to Germany (1-0) and beating England home (1-0) and away (4-0). Qualification for the Euros was secured with a stoppage-time equaliser in Bulgaria. They flew back to Budapest, headed into the city centre and partied all night — players and supporters alike. “Crazy,” Styles recalled.

“We’ve been doing so well as a team, improving game by game, year by year,” he says. “When we beat England, it was a bit like, ‘Wow’. The manager (Rossi) has changed a lot. There’s been a lot of progression since he started. I feel like we’re a good team.”

The team’s star is Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai. “He’s a world-class player, a leader,” Styles says. “In the camp, he’s quite chilled. But on the pitch, he brings that extra percentage, that X factor that you sometimes need when it’s a bit stale in the game and you need someone to create some magic and force a 1-0 win or whatever.

“But we’re a team. We’re not going to get carried away, but we should be quietly confident because we’ve shown we can go up against the top teams. Obviously, with the pressure of the Euros, those games can swing either way, but we’ve got a really good team. Hopefully we can progress.”

GO DEEPER

Euro 2024 Group A guide: Germany’s narrow No 10s, resolute Hungary and Scotland’s set pieces

Styles will be in the shop window in Germany, looking to build on a positive loan spell at Sunderland by securing a permanent transfer from Barnsley — who lost to Bolton Wanderers in the League One play-off semi-finals — this summer.

He enjoyed his time at Sunderland but is unsure of their plans as they are yet to appoint a new manager. If not Sunderland, then he hopes to be back in the Championship with another club.

Callum Styles spent last season at Sunderland but his long-term future is uncertain (George Wood/Getty Images)

But club aspirations are on hold. “International football is what I’m focusing on: the Euros and doing my best for Hungary,” he says. “The rest will take care of itself.”

His parents, his girlfriend and several friends will also be travelling out to Germany. Are they all learning the national anthem? “They already know it,” he says. “We’ve been singing it.”

One of his aunts, who lives in Hungary, has been to some of the home matches but he is unsure whether she will be able to get to Germany. He hopes so. Either way, Styles is looking forward to the experience — on a deeper personal level as well as professionally.

A flag of convenience? Initially perhaps, but he has embraced his second nationality. When he pulls on the Hungary shirt, he thinks of his grandmother and wonders what she would have thought of him wearing her country’s colours.

“It’s special for my mum’s side of the family to see me representing our bloodline,” he says. “It’s an honour to play for Hungary. It’s in my DNA.”

There was a point towards the end of last year when there was a genuine feeling that Daniel Ricciardo was lining up to take Sergio Pérez’s Formula One seat at Red Bull for 2025.

Ricciardo made clear upon his mid-season return to the grid with AlphaTauri (now RB) that getting back in the Red Bull, the same seat he vacated back in 2018, was his ultimate target. As Pérez struggled through the second half of the season, suggestions of that happening only grew.

But, Ricciardo did very little to press his case in the early part of 2024. He frequently trailing teammate Yuki Tsunoda and, besides his run to P4 in the Miami sprint qualifying and race, had not delivered a points finish ahead of Canada and sat 14th in the driver standings. Meanwhile, Pérez performed well enough to secure a contract extension through 2026, ending Ricciardo’s hopes of moving up anytime in the near future.

Off the back of Pérez’s confirmation, Ricciardo acknowledged he had to “hold myself probably accountable for not doing anything too spectacular” this season. “When you’re trying to fight for a top seat, you need to be doing some pretty awesome things,” he said.

By the Canadian Grand Prix, Ricciardo’s tough start to the season had changed his aim from fighting for a top seat to fighting for his current seat.

No one went further in questioning Ricciardo’s future than Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 F1 world champion who was part of Sky Sports’ broadcast team for his home race in Montreal.

“Why is he still here?” Villeneuve said of Ricciardo, asking why he continued to struggle with his cars and declaring that “his image has kept him in F1 more than his actual results.” A brutal takedown, one that quickly went viral given how rare it is for a pundit to be so outspoken on an English-language F1 broadcast.

Villeneuve was harsh — perhaps too harsh — but few would dispute the element of truth in what he said. Ricciardo has been clear throughout this year he knows he’s not been doing a good enough job, and has plenty more performance to find.

Just 24 hours later, he found it. In tricky, windy conditions, Ricciardo not only made it through to Q3 for just the second time this season, but he stuck his RB car fifth on the grid, within two-tenths of pole position. Perfect timing, particularly off the back of Tsunoda’s confirmation at RB for 2025 only 90 minutes earlier.

It meant Ricciardo entered the media pen after qualifying with some of his old swagger and sparkle. He knew the questions that were about to come, that Villeneuve’s name would come up. Ricciardo hadn’t fully listened to what had been said about him, he said, only that he “heard he’s been talking s—.”

“But he always does,” Ricciardo continued. “I think he’s hit his head a few too many times, I don’t know if he plays ice hockey or something. But yeah. Anyway. I won’t give him the time of day.” Then came a “but…” and a lean in close to the microphones: “All those people can suck it! I want to say more, but it’s alright. We’ll leave him behind.”

It was only qualifying, after all. We’d seen this kind of flash from Ricciardo in Miami in the sprint, only for it to disappear when it mattered in the grand prix sessions. This was nevertheless a perfectly timed clapback to Villeneuve’s criticism.

But to directly link the two would do Ricciardo a disservice. He revealed that after Monaco, he made a concerted effort to try to understand why things weren’t working, going beyond his on-track performance and data such as braking points or corner speeds. It required calling on not only the team’s management and engineers, but also his inner-circle off the track, and asking them to be open books with their feedback.

Ricciardo qualified P5 and finished P8 over a rainy weekend in Montreal. (Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

“It was like, OK, what are maybe some other things that are affecting my performances?” Ricciardo said. “Am I coming into a race weekend not feeling energized or not feeling this or that?

“I think I just had a little bit of good self-therapy after Monaco, and just sat back and had a look at maybe the things I’m doing wrong away from the track. Or giving too much of my time to people and by the time I get to race day or something, I’m a little bit more flat.

“Deep down, I know what I can do, and it’s just making sure I’m in this spot to be able to do it more often.”

And making sure that those flashes of pace turn into something valuable when it matters on Sunday. Ricciardo’s Canadian Grand Prix was far from straightforward, with a creeping car on the start line — which Ricciardo suspected was due to a clutch issue — triggering a jump start and a five-second penalty. He managed to survive the chaos and benefit from some late incidents to grab four points for P8, nearly doubling his total for the season. That alone in the high-pressure conditions felt like a success to Ricciardo.

“All in all, (I’m) happy,” he said. “These races, it’s hard to be perfect. I made mistakes, obviously we were just trying to survive at times. So (I’m) just happy we got there in the end.”

Canada marked the first points-scoring grand prix for Ricciardo. (Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

The greater takeaway for Ricciardo from the Montreal weekend was that it went well from the moment he turned his first laps in FP1 right to the race. For the first time this season, every single session felt positive.

“It’s nice just to be competitive from Friday through to Sunday,” Ricciardo said. “I’m happy. (I’ve) just got to keep it rolling.”

Ricciardo has time on his side when it comes to proving to Red Bull what he can do and securing an extension with RB. If it wants to make a change, then reserve driver Liam Lawson is ready to step up, as the young Kiwi proved through his five-race stand-in when Ricciardo was injured last year. But there’s no reason for the team to rush into making that call yet.

Ricciardo will hope Montreal serves as a turning point in his season, a breakthrough after the earlier lifts to better understand where he was going wrong. Importantly, he also wants to ensure he keeps the feeling he brought to last weekend.

“That little energy, that little bit of a chip on my shoulder I brought into the weekend, I’ve got to make sure that stays there, and just keep that level of intensity,” Ricciardo said.

“Sometimes being a little bit… I don’t know if I need to be a bit angry or just get my testosterone up. But I think it helps me.”

(Lead photo of Daniel Ricciardo: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

The best Latin American starting pitcher in baseball signed out of Venezuela for just $25,000. He never ranked as a Top 100 prospect, he’s never made an All-Star team, and like many of his peers, turned to pitching as a matter of pure practicality.

“The thing is, there are too many position players in Latin America,” Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Ranger Suárez said. “So, I went opposite. A pitcher. It helped me stand out a little bit.”

Suárez, 28, leads the Majors with a 1.70 ERA. After 13 seasons of professional baseball, he has slowly but surely traced an increasingly rare path: one that goes from Latin America to the top of a Major League rotation.

Numbers from the league office show roughly 25 percent of Major League players come from Latin America and the Caribbean, but less than 15 percent of starting pitchers belong to that demographic. The position player leaderboard is loaded with Latin American superstars (20 of the top 50 according to FanGraphs WAR), but only eight of the top 50 starting pitchers in ERA are Latin American.

The imbalance defies surface-level expectations. In the age of Juan Soto, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Elly De La Cruz, baseball lacks an obvious heir to Félix Hernández and Pedro Martinez as the next great Latin American ace. Twelve of the 25 hardest-throwing position players are Latin American, and so are 11 of the 25 hardest-throwing pitchers, so why aren’t more of them starting pitchers?

The top American players tend to both pitch and hit at least through high school, and many emerge as legitimate pitching prospects only after their bodies and skills further develop in college. Justin Verlander, who grew up in Virginia and is now one of the best starting pitchers of his generation, went undrafted out of high school but was the second overall pick after three years at Old Dominion University.

Few Latin American players have an opportunity to follow that path. They often sign as young as 16 years old, and many Latin American big leaguers — even the ones with the strongest arms — tell stories of choosing a position when they were very young, then staying there. As long as they can hit, even the strongest throwers are shunted away from the mound.

Today Kenley Jansen is one of the most accomplished relief pitchers of all time with the fifth-most saves in Major League history, but when Jansen was signed out of Curacao as a 17-year-old in 2004, he was a catcher, and remained so for years despite his electric arm. When he finally moved to the mound in 2009, he was in the big leagues within a year.

“If I were an American kid, I would not be a catcher in the minor leagues,” Jansen said. “Some coach would have already turned me into a pitcher. I would have never hit in professional baseball. They would have recognized the arm.”

Although his career has been wildly successful – four-time All-Star, two-time National League Reliever of the Year – Jansen said he wonders if he might have become a starter had he converted sooner with more time and instruction to develop his secondary pitches. He’s surely not alone. The league’s numbers show that 45.3 percent of Latin American players are pitchers, but a disproportionate number are relievers. Some of that disparity is a financial issue.

Two decades ago, elite Latin American pitchers generated some of the largest signing bonuses on the international market. Hernández, Ervin Santana, Francisco Rodriguez and Francisco Liriano signed for nearly seven figures at a time when such hefty deals were rare. Bonuses of that size have dwindled since Major League Baseball and the MLBPA agreed to cap international amateur spending at $5 million per club in the collective bargaining agreement struck after the 2016 season. The new rules caused teams to become more risk-averse, a calculus that favors hitters.

Executives involved in international scouting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to discuss the issue,  say position players — especially when they’re scouted and signed as teenagers, which most Latin American players are — are seen as far safer bets than pitchers. If a young hitter loses athleticism, he can still advance as a bat-first outfielder or first baseman. If his bat doesn’t develop, he could carve out a role as an elite defender or versatile utility man. There’s little fallback plan for pitchers, and even the most promising young arms can flame out quickly if they get hurt or develop poorly.

“The position players are the ones that are getting the signing bonuses,” said one big league executive with experience scouting in Latin America. “They become pitchers because they didn’t hit enough, or they can’t run enough, or they didn’t move well enough.”

In baseball, there’s a popular saying often attributed to players from the Dominican Republic: “You don’t walk your way off the island.” It speaks to a mentality that Latin American players have to hit to be signed. Plate discipline alone won’t do it, and these days — especially for those who want to sign for big money — neither will pitching. We’ll never know, but the best Latin American pitcher today just might be the guy playing shortstop or right field.

“It’s sort of funny,” San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis said. “In (the Latin American academies) everyone is a shortstop. They just get a couple pitchers to bring in so they can throw to you.”

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, from the Dominican Republic, is 6-foot-5 with one of the strongest arms in baseball, but said he hasn’t pitched since he was very young. Rays center fielder Jose Siri, also from the Dominican and another of the hardest throwers in the game, was more specific: He hasn’t pitched since he was 9. Mets Dominican-born right fielder Starling Marte was once asked to pitch at an amateur tryout but refused.

“I was never interested in that,” Marte said. “I saw other pitchers get hit hard, and I didn’t like that. I remember a couple games where I was in the outfield and I saw guys get hit, and I said, ‘Damn, I don’t want to go through that.’”

Why would he? This January, more than 35 international amateurs received signing bonuses of at least $1 million, but none were pitchers. The big money went to hitters, while even the most highly touted arms settled for six or even five figures.

“Teams are afraid to invest money on pitching, because of the injuries, the risk factor,” one executive said. “You end up signing a lot of good, decent arms. But most of them are throwers or relievers, guys that throw hard.”

This thinking extends to the domestic amateur draft, where only three high school pitchers have ever been selected first overall, and two of them never reached the majors.

On the international market these days, teams tend to splurge on a few promising hitters while spreading smaller bonuses to a handful of young pitchers in hopes that one or two will eventually emerge.

The handlers, known as buscones, who train and promote amateur Latin American players – and also receive a cut of their signing bonuses – recognize this spending disparity and, according to several executives and players with knowledge of the international market, sometimes push elite Latin American players away from the mound. A player like Verlander, had he been born in the Dominican Republic, might have been showcased as a center fielder with the size to hit for power and the arm strength to handle right field. He might never have been guided to the mound.

“They try to train position players so they can get more money,” Cincinnati Reds Dominican-born starter Frankie Montas said. “If you can hit, they’re going to want you to stick with hitting as long as you can.”

Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu, who has another of the strongest throwing arms of any position player in the majors, said he was initially scouted in his native Venezuela as a two-way player, and for a while he thought he might sign as one, but around the time he turned 16 and the scouting intensified, the various people running showcases and workouts told him to stop wasting time on the mound.

“With time, the scouts just told me they didn’t want to see me any more as a pitcher,” Abreu said. “Just focus on being a position player, and that’s when everything changed.”

Abreu was the age of an American high school sophomore, throwing left-handed, with a fastball that some scouts already clocked at 90 mph. Yet there was little interest in seeing how far he could go on the mound. Abreu is now 24 years old and said he can’t remember which offspeed pitches he threw because it’s been so long since he even tried.

Had Abreu stayed on the mound, his opportunity to develop his secondary pitches might have been limited outside of America. The developmental infrastructure — both in facilities and personnel — simply isn’t the same. Driveline, which stands at the leading edge of American pitching development, has a minimal presence in Latin America, and few Latin American players end up pitching for elite college programs that have state-of-the-art facilities and technology for pitching development.

“You’re asking a 15, 16-year-old kid to be at the same level, in a different country, as an American guy who has been to college (and) learned so much,” Mariners star center fielder Julio Rodriguez said. “It’s different. It’s definitely different.”

The imbalance can create even greater disparity.

“It’s also part of the culture,” said retired slugger Nelson Cruz, who served as the general manager for the Dominican Republic in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. “When you grow up, you want to [play] shortstop or center field. That’s the beauty of hitting home runs and playing defense and all that. A lot of it is having someone to look up to in the big leagues.”

Mexico counts former Los Angeles Dodgers ace Fernando Valenzuela among its most iconic baseball players, and since 2000, nearly 65 percent of the Mexican major leaguers have been pitchers. In Puerto Rico, though, right fielder Roberto Clemente is a national hero and there’s a proud tradition of catchers (Ivan Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, the Molina brothers) and middle infielders (Roberto Alomar, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa), but Puerto Rican pitchers are far less iconic. Puerto Rican players are draft-eligible and thus unaffected by the rules and quirks of international free agency, yet since 2000, 73 percent of Puerto Rican-born players (107 of 146) have been position players. Jansen said he sees the same thing in his native Curacao, where kids once dreamed of following the footsteps of center fielder Andruw Jones and now want to be the next Andrelton Simmons or Ozzie Albies in the middle infield.

“I think everybody in Curacao now wants to be a shortstop or a second baseman,” Jansen said. “Nobody wants to pitch, and we have so much great arm talent.”

There is considerable value, though, for teams that successfully tap into that talent pool.

In recent years, the Houston Astros have leaned on a slew of low-cost Latin American starters — Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, José Urquidy, Luis Garcia and Ronel Blanco — to keep their rotation competitive amid a streak of seven straight American League Championship Series appearances. The Phillies (Suárez), Atlanta Braves (Reynaldo López) and Chicago Cubs (Javier Assad) have benefited from strong seasons from Latin American starters this season.

Those are outliers, though. Since 2015, only one Latin American pitcher has won an ERA title and only two rank in the top 25 in starting pitcher WAR. The Astros, New York Mets and Miami Marlins are the only teams to have used as many as three Latin American starters this season; the vast majority of teams have used one or zero. The entire National League West has used only three Latin American starters this season, and two of those were one-game-only spot starters.

Even those who have thrived on the mound might secretly wish they still had a chance to hit.

“I liked (pitching),” said Mets starter Luis Severino, who converted from the outfield as a 15-year-old. “I liked the adrenaline, the competition.

“But if I had to choose, I would definitely be a position player.”

The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, Britt Ghiroli and Trent Rosecrans contributed to this story

(Top image: Daniel Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photos: Ron Vesely / MLB Photos via Getty Images; Matt Thomas / San Diego Padres via Getty Images; Rich Storry / Getty Images)

Jaylon Johnson finally emerged with a contract extension from the Chicago Bears in March.

The Bears asked him to come to Halas Hall to announce the $76 million deal with $47.8 million guaranteed, the second-highest amount ever given to a defensive back. Johnson was willing, but only if the team commissioned a private jet to fly him and his loved ones from his hometown of Fresno, Calif. The Bears agreed.

At the news conference, nine of his people — including father John Johnson Sr., mother Carmella Warren Johnson, brother, housemate and trainer Johnny Johnson, agent Chris Ellison and girlfriend Janessa McFadden — accompanied Johnson. He walked in wearing a long-sleeved Prada shirt with mother-of-pearl buttons and hand-crafted fringes on the shoulders. The red-and-black pattern looked like it came from an exotic butterfly.

Johnson had prepared an opening statement. Then he amended it. “My spirit was like, you can’t do that without talking about what you went through,” he says. “You have to put it all out there.”

He started the news conference by thanking God, then said abruptly, “I went to therapy last season for sexual addiction.”

Nobody knew he would say that, not even the people he brought with him. And few could understand why.

This wasn’t a contract signing as much as a metamorphosis.

For a while, Johnson was defined by what he didn’t have — interceptions, a new contract and self-control.

In early 2022, the Bears hired a new general manager and head coach. Johnson, a second-round pick in 2020, didn’t show up for voluntary offseason workouts. When mandatory workouts began, he had been demoted to second string. He regained his starting spot quickly, but some hard feelings lingered, especially while Johnson acclimated to coach Matt Eberflus’ push for more intensity.

Since his rookie training camp, Johnson has not been shy about questioning or challenging authority, and that has not changed over time.

“Clearly, I was one of the top guys on the team, so with that should have come a sense of respect,” Johnson says. “I shouldn’t have had to prove myself in everything. Don’t play with me. We’re grown men. I didn’t feel valued from the coaching staff.”

Takeaways are priority No. 1 in Eberflus’ defense, and given that Johnson had no interceptions and missed six games with injuries in 2022, “they were probably questioning what I could do,” he says.

Johnson had just one interception over 39 games in his first three NFL seasons, but part of his problem may have been that he’s so sticky in man-to-man that quarterbacks avoided throwing to the players he covered. “He’s got elite quickness,” Eberflus says. “He has elite ability to stay attached to receivers. And he’s uber-intelligent.”

The Bears’ faith in him remained in question. Johnson was hoping for an offseason contract extension. There were talks, but the two parties remained far from a middle ground. They agreed to see how Johnson played in the early season and revisit it.

In the spring of 2023, Johnson was baptized. The church has always been a part of his life. Years ago, he had “Proverbs 16:3” tattooed on his arm: “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.”

He didn’t need to be baptized, but he wanted to be.

“I didn’t want to keep being what I say is a lukewarm Christian, reading Bible verses but living your life a different way,” he says. “I wanted to make a commitment and an outward expression of my faith to the world.”

He also needed to redirect himself. He had been unfaithful to Janessa, his girlfriend since 2021. Again. And he was watching a lot of pornography.

Johnson says he lost his virginity at 16 and then adopted the mindset that more is better. In high school, he was a four-star recruit. In college at Utah, he was all-conference. Things came easily for the big man on campus.

“Playing a manly sport drew girls to me,” he says. “It wasn’t hard to go to a party, get a number and have sex. I got lost in a sense of who I was created to be versus whatever felt good to me.”

Johnson graduated in two and a half years, and the Bears drafted him in the second round in 2020. As a pro, he was afforded an unhealthy combination of time and celebrity.

“I could just have fun, sleep with whomever I wanted,” he says. “Anytime there was nothing going on, it would revert to girls. It got to the point where I wasn’t able to shake it.”

He justified it. He wasn’t doing anything different from a lot of people like him.

He downplayed it. Nobody was getting hurt, right?

By the summer of 2023, Johnson started to see more clearly. He wouldn’t want his 4-year-old daughter, Zaveah, to end up with someone who behaved like him. McFadden was special, he believed, and he didn’t want to lose her. He was ashamed.

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Finally, he admitted to himself and to McFadden that he had a problem. He spent an hour or two in therapy almost every week during the season. It was, however, a struggle. He had to tear down walls, talk about his childhood and accept blame.

What he was going through had nothing to do with football.

And everything to do with football.

On a sunny fourth quarter at Soldier Field, Johnson watched the eyes of Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Brian Hoyer. Johnson hung back, waiting for wide receiver Davante Adams to break. As Hoyer cocked his arm, Johnson jumped the route, stepped in front of Adams and came up with the interception — his first in 28 games. He brought it back 39 yards for a touchdown, then intercepted another pass five plays later.

Jaylon Johnson’s interception return for a touchdown against the Raiders in October 2023 helped send him on his way to the Pro Bowl. (Todd Rosenberg / Getty Images)

The Bears reopened negotiations, but their respective opinions of his value still differed.

“Their offers were very disrespectfully low,” Johnson says. “The players they compared me to, there’s no way you can compare me to these players. One of them was (Minnesota’s) Byron Murphy.”

Johnson was frustrated, and not just because of his contract situation. The Bears lost seven of their first nine games after a 3-14 record the year before.

“We kept losing, losing, losing,” he says. “And then they weren’t showing interest in bringing me back. I wasn’t happy with the culture and how we were losing, so I asked for a trade.”

The Bears declined. Then in late October, as the trade deadline approached, he asked a second time. Chicago gave his agent, Ellison, permission to shop Johnson but said they would accept nothing less than a first-round pick in return, according to Johnson. Ellison says seven or eight teams were interested. According to Johnson, the Bills, 49ers, Raiders and Steelers were among them. The Bills and 49ers tried hard to strike a deal but ultimately were not willing to meet the Bears’ demands.

So the trade deadline passed, contract talks were tabled and Johnson committed to making the Bears realize he was worth what he thought he was.

“I didn’t want to talk about it anymore,” he says. “I didn’t want to think about it anymore. It was, let’s just go play football.”

Johnson finished the season with four interceptions — he dropped two more potential picks — 10 passes defensed and one touchdown allowed. He was voted second-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler and was given Pro Football Focus’s highest grade among cornerbacks.

On March 5, Chicago placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Johnson. Two days later, the sides agreed on terms for his four-year extension.

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They say money like his is life-changing, but it’s not like he bought a chateau on a cliff or a gold chain heavy enough to prevent a hot air balloon from taking off.

Teammates tease him because he still drives a Honda Accord.

“Hey, it’s sporty, clean, all black,” he says. “It gets me to and from where I need to go.”

The money is, however, affirmation. And so are words.

“Jaylon has exhibited everything we want in a Chicago Bear,” says Eberflus, who plans to use Johnson in new ways this season. “It’s how we draw it up in terms of him loving football, being a very talented player and having the desire to try to master his craft. He’s a really good teammate. And he’s one of ours.”

Falcons receiver Darnell Mooney, Johnson’s former teammate in Chicago, calls him the best cornerback in the NFL. “He always gives me problems,” Mooney says. “Every time I line up against him, I’ve got to be focused.”

At only 25, Johnson has become the elder statesman of the Bears’ secondary and a cornerstone of a young team. Johnson says his relationship with the coaching staff has improved over time. He’s pleased to be a Bear and invigorated by the challenge of living up to his contract, as well as earning the next one, which he will have a chance to sign before his 30th birthday.

Befitting his new status, Johnson has a new uniform number: 1. Johnson switched from 33 back to the number he wore in high school and college when it became available after the trade of quarterback Justin Fields. He says he loves the new vibe.

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson and girlfriend Janessa McFadden are expecting a child. (Courtesy of Jaylon Johnson)

Therapy did what he hoped it would, enabling him to regain control and enhancing his perspective. “I learned that giving yourself away should be sacred to someone you are going to spend the rest of your life with,” he says. Going public with his addiction may benefit others with similar problems, he believes, so he has no regrets.

His relationship with McFadden is in a good place, a really good place. Last month, he proposed. She said yes. He is convinced that her honesty and support are making him better. He loves the way she cares for his daughter. And in September, they are expecting a child.

He also is expecting more interceptions — at least five this season.

As far as Johnson could tell, his previous interception failures weren’t because of anything he did wrong. It was as if his karma was out of whack.

And then 2023 happened.

“He had a nice glow to him walking around last year,” says Mooney, who considers Johnson a brother. “He just had some lovely energy every time you were around him.”

Johnson says he wasn’t doing anything different on the field. “What changed was God gave me the opportunities,” he says.

He thinks he knows why.

“When you have your mind and spirit on a certain level, the physical takes over and doors start to open up,” he says. “As I was trying to improve who I am as a man, all of a sudden, things I was hoping for happened.”

(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; photo: Quinn Harris / Getty Images)

Follow live coverage of the 2024 French Open women’s final today

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have been the future of men’s tennis for a little while already.

Their first meeting, at the Paris Masters in October 2021, gave a glimpse into the highlight-reel tennis the pair produce when sharing a court.

The following year, there was a hugely exciting match in the Wimbledon round of 16 that caught the eye of the casual tennis watcher, followed by an entertaining final in Umag, Croatia, and then the late night/early morning barnstormer at the U.S. Open that announced their brand of tennis as the next great thing at the top of the sport. Then came the seminal Miami Open semifinal in 2023, then another classic in Indian Wells in 2024.

They did all this in long shadows. First two, and then increasingly one — those of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Even as they won their first Grand Slam titles, Alcaraz two and Sinner one, both beating Djokovic along the way, the mythos created by 20 years of domination hung over them.

As they stepped on to the red clay of Roland Garros on Friday, that mythos had lifted. And in a see-saw French Open semi-final that Alcaraz edged in five sets to reach the French Open final, it was he who moved a step ahead of his opponent in what is looking like being a similarly see-saw rivalry.

With Djokovic expected to miss at least Wimbledon following knee surgery, suddenly this is not just a rivalry in men’s tennis, but the rivalry in men’s tennis. They are the two best (fit) players by a distance, with Sinner to be anointed as world No 1 in mere days and Alcaraz on the heels of the stricken Djokovic, ready to overtake him as world No 2.

This is one of those tennis quirks: the match that feels like a final but isn’t one, because of the way the draw has panned out. On the other side of the draw, Casper Ruud faces Alexander Zverev — Ruud, a two-time French Open finalist and Zverev, the form player in the last few months — but Sinner and Alcaraz have been operating at a different level the last year or so (longer, in Alcaraz’s case).

It’s early days in the rivalry, but there are a few things to assess already. It should be close, with both men winning four of their first eight matches against one another, before Alcaraz triumphed 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 at Roland Garros to move into the French Open final.

This is not like the early stages of the Roger Federer-Nadal rivalry, which began with the latter winning six of their first seven encounters, or the one going on between two of the best women’s players in the world, with Iga Swiatek leading Coco Gauff 11-1 in their head-to-head.

Carlos Alcaraz prevailed to move 5-4 up in the head-to-head. (Tim Goode / Getty Images)

Nor does there appear to be a surface issue for either player against the other. Alcaraz has wins on indoor and outdoor hard, Sinner on outdoor hard, grass and clay. But they’ve only met once on those latter two surfaces and Alcaraz became Wimbledon champion in 2023 after four matches at SW19 the year prior, and also won at Queen’s. The clay rivalry, too, should be close if Alcaraz can emulate what he did on the slow hard courts Indian Wells, using his ability to vary spin, speed, and depth to throw Sinner off the metronomic, bludgeoning consistency that is a hallmark of his baseline tennis.

This was, ultimately, how things played out on Friday, with Alcaraz’s win making it one victory apiece on clay. Sinner led by two sets to one, but some mesmerising lobs and drop shots, coupled with impossible-looking winners from the baseline, eventually swung the match in Alcaraz’s favour.

The closeness in their head-to-head is mirrored by the closeness of their relationship. They are not best friends off the court — few tennis players are with one another — but they get on very well and love playing against each other. How long that will endure as they face off over time and the stakes get higher is another question, and it was interesting to see the differing dynamics pre-match on Friday compared to how friendly they were together while waiting to enter the court for that Indian Wells semifinal.

On that occasion they greeted each other as if meeting at a cocktail party; on Friday in the tunnel before going on Chatrier, the mood was altogether different. There was a handshake, followed by as serious an expression as you get from Alcaraz, and then both men found their own space and started going through their routines.

This was strictly business. Previously, there’s been an almost exhibition feeling to some of their encounters.

Carlos Alcaraz applauded his rival off after the match. (Tim Goode / Getty Images)

After that first meeting at the Paris Masters, a defeated Sinner said to Alcaraz: “I hope we play a couple more times.” A beaming Alcaraz responded: “Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.”

Something happens when they play each other — there’s an electricity and a chemistry that sees both players raise the other’s game. In the Indian Wells semifinal in March, there was a sweet moment when after a mind-bending rally that Sinner somehow won, the pair looked at each other and laughed. It was as if they were saying, “Would you look at what we just did?” It, and other on-court interactions the pair have had, give off the feeling you sometimes get in life when meeting a kindred spirit. Wait, you like that band too? You support that team as well? You can also sprint at full pelt and then somehow flick away an angled crosscourt forehand?

“I am quite fast already, and he is much faster than me,” Sinner has said of Alcaraz, sounding like someone who is excited to have finally met their match.

This mutual improvement was a hallmark of the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic triumvirate. Nadal dominated Federer, so Federer figured out how to beat him. Nadal figured out grass. Djokovic figured out clay. Their finals, some of the greatest matches men’s tennis has ever seen, demonstrated this in real time, forcing each other to even greater heights and creating a closed-loop training camp that took them further and further away from the field below.

Time will tell if the rivalry takes each player to greater heights (Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)

Who knows whether Alcaraz and Sinner retain their fondness for one another if the rivalry becomes less even, either in the head-to-head or in the number of Grand Slams won, or both.

They seem to genuinely enjoy the way the other raises their game. This is not like Federer admitting in the 2018 documentary Strokes of Genius that, rather than welcoming the threat Nadal posed when he burst onto the scene, he was much happier winning major titles pretty much unopposed, thank you very much.

It’s hard to see either Sinner or Alcaraz streaking away from the other and there are cases to be made for either having the upper hand. Alcaraz is better at changing things up to suit the surface, whereas Sinner typically plays his own game and makes the surface almost irrelevant. This works almost all of the time against pretty much everyone, apart from Alcaraz and Djokovic, and it didn’t work all that well in Paris, with Alcaraz’s greater variety making the difference.

In Sinner’s favour is his momentum, which although checked, has taken him past Alcaraz to claim the No. 1 spot, as of Monday, as Alcaraz predicted would happen back in November at the ATP Finals, where Sinner reached the final. But now Alcaraz is the one into another Grand Slam final, on course to have won three of the four with Sinner on one.

It’s tempting to try and say that Friday’s match was somehow definitive or hugely revealing, but that would be a stretch.

Sinner won more total points in the match, but Alcaraz stepped up when it mattered. We’re going to need a much bigger sample size to predict where this rivalry might end up, and there’s a level of pressure that comes with being the flag-bearing rivalry for a sport, as Alcaraz and Sinner suddenly are.

At times on Friday they hit the heights expected; at others there was understandable tension — shown most clearly in the cramps afflicting Sinner in the third set, which Alcaraz said afflicted him too.

Alcaraz said before Friday’s meeting that “it’s the match everybody wants to watch.”

As Djokovic recuperates, it promises to be this way for a while longer.

(Top photo: Dan Istitene / Getty Images)

Gareth Southgate has been mocked for his Loro Piana sweater in his recent shoot for GQ magazine, but there has been nothing beige about his squad selections this summer.

First, he made headlines by leaving out Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford from his initial 33-man group, handing call-ups to a quintet of uncapped players.

Then on Thursday, Southgate named his final 26. One of those uncapped players, Adam Wharton, made it — but the omissions of Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire sent shockwaves through a section of the England squad.

To understand why, one must understand the culture of the England camp. Southgate has fostered a club mentality, a sense of togetherness and team spirit. Part of that has been a consistency of selection. The core of the group has largely remained the same since Euro 2020. To be without Henderson, Rashford, Grealish and Maguire makes for a seismic change.

For some players, the England get-togethers are not only about the honour of playing from their country. They represent a break from the stress and acrimony of club football, and an opportunity to connect with friends.

It extends beyond the players. Partners and families travel together to tournaments and socialise. There is a wider extended network who will feel the absence of familiar faces.

But Southgate can have no room for sentiment. He has already demonstrated that with the ruthless omission of Henderson — once one of his most trusted lieutenants — from his initial 33. England aren’t going to Germany for a good time: they’re going there to win.

Southgate intended to select Maguire but said the centre-back’s recovery from a calf injury has been “complicated”.

The decision to leave Grealish behind was, for some in the England camp, more shocking. Certain players were upset, others angry and disappointed. Some close to the squad — who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships — pondered whether cutting out Grealish altogether makes things simpler during the tournament, as Southgate does not have to handle public clamour for his selection or risk the TV cameras watching Grealish’s every move on the bench.

There was also concern in the camp about whether England would miss Grealish’s creativity — an issue compounded by the omission of James Maddison. Many anticipated Southgate choosing between the two playmakers. Few imagined he would cut both.

“We’re a close team and everybody — the players, staff — felt it in the last couple of days,” Southgate said on Thursday. “We knew this decision was looming. We’ve still felt we’ve been able to make better decisions in terms of injuries and availability by giving ourselves more time.

“But, of course, that means that you’ve got this difficult scenario where people are having to wait for bad news, and trying to do it as respectfully and with as much human side as possible. But I also know that for the players that I’m coming to with this, that’s a devastating blow.”

On the other hand, this was good news elsewhere in the squad. Wharton and Eberechi Eze joined their Crystal Palace team-mates Dean Henderson and Marc Guehi in the final 26. Southgate was expected to choose between Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney. Instead, both will go to Germany.

“We know that Harry Kane is the starting guy, but Ollie and Ivan have different attributes and strengths that we might need at any given time,” Southgate said. “We’ve got different profiles of players, different options and we’ll use them.”

Having named a preliminary squad of 33 players, Southgate knew he would have to cut seven players to meet the 26-man criteria before Friday’s 11pm (BST) deadline.

Typically, Southgate makes a point of speaking to those who won’t make the final cut, rather than telling players they are “in”.

Maddison was informed he would not be going to Germany late on Wednesday night. Some players and staff had already begun heading to bed when Southgate informed the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder of his decision.

The 27-year-old has seven England caps and was part of Southgate’s squad for the 2022 World Cup, although he did not make an appearance in Qatar. He released a statement on X in which he described himself as “devastated” to miss out on Euro 2024. Maddison is a popular figure among the England squad, several of whom said that he will be missed in camp.

Many thought Southgate would axe Maddison or Grealish — not both (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Curtis Jones was also spoken to by Southgate on Wednesday evening. The England manager emphasised how pleased he had been with Jones’ contribution in training since his first senior call-up.

Having had a taste of the international setup, Jones will hope a full pre-season under Arne Slot at Liverpool will provide a platform for further opportunities with England. Jones’ Liverpool team-mate, Jarell Quansah, was also informed he will not make the final squad but is staying with the group to experience his first England international at Wembley.

Jones and Maddison had both left the camp by mid-morning on Thursday, while the remaining players stayed at Tottenham’s Hotspur Way facility in north London.

England trained with 27 players on Thursday lunchtime. Lewis Dunk, Luke Shaw and Maguire followed individual programmes as they sought to recover from injury. Jude Bellingham is not scheduled to join up with the squad until Saturday after his involvement in Real Madrid’s success in the Champions League final at Wembley on June 1.

It was only after that session that Southgate trimmed down his squad further.

☀️ pic.twitter.com/BSCET6294w

— England (@England) June 6, 2024

Grealish, spoken to by Southgate shortly after training, was caught off-guard by his omission. He expected to continue with the squad, and had been preparing to face Iceland tonight (Friday).

Southgate’s decision makes for a hugely disappointing end to what has been a difficult season for Grealish. Within the England squad, there is a lot of admiration for Grealish’s talent, as well as great affection for his personality. He has received conciliatory words and messages of support from several senior England players.

“It’s been really tough,” admitted Declan Rice in Thursday’s press conference. “’Madders’ and Jack are probably two of my best mates in the squad. I have spent most of my time with them since I’ve been here. To see them guys (down), it’s not a nice feeling.

“We’re so close as a group and there’s no one that’s feeling really bitter about being left out. It’s more about the team. Those guys wished us all the best, as did all the others.

“I’m gutted but it is one of them things.”

As for Maguire, injury has proved the determining factor in his omission. He missed the last four games of the Premier League season with a calf problem, but England and Manchester United staff were optimistic he would return in time to participate in the tournament.

☀️ pic.twitter.com/BSCET6294w

— England (@England) June 6, 2024

In the past week, however, his recovery has not developed as hoped. When England played Bosnia and Herzegovina at St James’ Park, there were already serious concerns over Maguire’s ability to make the European Championship. He was doing some running in training on Thursday and believed he was capable of contributing in Germany, but it was not enough to convince Southgate.

“We definitely wouldn’t have had him in the group stages,” said the England manager. “There were too many hurdles to get through without really being clear on where we might get to.”

Maguire will return to the supervision of the Manchester United medical team to prepare for next season.

Maguire’s absence is a significant loss, certainly in terms of experience. Aside from John Stones (71 caps), there is a dearth of international experience at centre-back. Between them, Joe Gomez (14), Lewis Dunk (six), Ezri Konsa (three) and Marc Guehi (10) have just 33 caps. Maguire has 63.

Inexperience is ultimately what counted against Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, too. Southgate may have deemed a player with a solitary England cap too big a risk when shorn of one of his most experienced defenders. Selecting 32-year-old Dunk, assuming he can get fit, suggests Southgate felt a need for a veteran presence among his defensive group.

Jarrad Branthwaite, right, had an excellent season for Everton (Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)

“It’s a bit early for Jarrad,” the England manager told the media. “He had a fabulous season, and it was good to get him on the pitch the other night.”

James Trafford took part in goalkeeper coach Martyn Margetson’s session on Thursday, but will not be retained for the game against Iceland. That means Southgate has found a place for Dean Henderson, who was not included in the squad for the 2022 World Cup.

Third-choice goalkeeper is, in some respects, an awkward position to fill: they are the player in the squad least likely to play. Southgate has not always believed that role was suited to Dean Henderson’s temperament.

Taking Trafford and Aaron Ramsdale, however, would have meant selecting two goalkeepers who finished the Premier League season on the bench. Henderson’s match sharpness has ultimately proved integral to his inclusion.

These decisions have not been easy, and yet this is still an England squad with some injury concerns. “Lewis Dunk won’t be available tomorrow (against Iceland) but can train from next week,” confirmed Southgate yesterday.

Then there’s Luke Shaw. The left-back hasn’t played since February, but his unique profile within the group meant he was always likely to be selected. “It’s a calculated risk,” said the England manager, saying Shaw might have “some involvement” in the second group game against Denmark on June 20.

Shaw scored during the last Euros final for England in July 2021 but has only played 15 international games since (Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

Southgate also intimated that picking Shaw may have been what ruled out his club team-mate Maguire. “You can take one gamble and that’s a gamble that we’ve got enough evidence to believe can pay off,” he said.

Realistically, it may be the third group game against Slovenia on June 25 before Shaw is ready to start. His absence will have significant implications for Southgate’s starting XI for the opening game against Serbia on June 16.

Guehi stands to be the major beneficiary. The Crystal Palace defender is in line to start the tournament at centre-half with Stones, flanked by the experienced pair of Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier.

Behind them, Jordan Pickford is an automatic pick in goal, with Ramsdale in line to be his immediate deputy.

Rice and Bellingham will play in midfield, but their partner is yet to be determined. The two players believed to be foremost in Southgate’s mind are Kobbie Mainoo of Manchester United and Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher. Given the speed of his ascent, Wharton will also feel he has a chance of forcing his way in.

Ahead of them, Southgate is likely to select a front three of Kane, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden.

Southgate’s decisions made for a dramatic day. The hope will be that when the dust settles, the changes invigorate this group.

“Sometimes you regenerate the group more than you were expecting a couple of months ago, but that’s gonna bring — and has already brought — a hunger and competitiveness,” said the manager, who called upon his players to move beyond a difficult day in camp, starting with today’s friendly against Iceland.

“The key now is we’ve got to bond as a group. There are some players that have been with us for a long time, where those bonds are really strong.

“We’ve got to find that and the group have got to work together. The atmosphere around the hotel, the way we are on the training ground — these are the key things of success in tournaments.”

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England Euro 2024 squad in full

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).

Defenders: Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).

Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace) Declan Rice (Arsenal).

Forwards: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).

Additional reporting: David Ornstein, Rob Tanner, Patrick Boyland and James Pearce

(Top photo: Eddie Keogh/The FA via Getty Images)

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Fans in the outfield turned their gaze toward left field as Oklahoma’s Kelly Maxwell jogged out of the bullpen. The Sooners were four outs away from a national championship, and Maxwell’s entrance was met with enthusiasm and a collective deep breath.

The Sooners already felt in control of their fate, but coach Patty Gasso was putting in her ace to close this championship series against No. 1 Texas. Maxwell, later named the Women’s College World Series most outstanding player, did just that, clinching the Sooners’ 8-4 win to sweep the championship series and make Oklahoma the first team to four-peat as national champions in college softball history.

Oklahoma is familiar with this stage, but the players and Gasso are sure to point to the challenges that come with reaching this level of success again, and again, and again. This season especially, the pressure mounted, senior outfielder Jayda Coleman said.

“As we went on, if we lost one game, two games, lost to Texas, everyone had an opinion about us,” Coleman said. “It was frustrating just to see everyone on Twitter, TikTok hoping anybody else but us.”

She shrugged. “Well … that didn’t happen, so …”

With eight national titles and 17 WCWS appearances since 2000, Oklahoma’s dynasty has been building for some time. In the past four national championship seasons, OU has compiled a record of 235-15.

Coach Patty Gasso and Kelly Maxwell led Oklahoma to a fourth straight national title. (USA Today)

As the wins stacked, skepticism followed. Oklahoma lost more games this season (seven) than it did since 2017. Texas dethroned the Sooners as the top seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years. Doubters pointed to these as signs of vulnerability, while comments about the home crowd advantage OU enjoys by playing the WCWS 20 miles up the road from campus stirred frustration and conversations about rotating the event.

“It’s probably the hardest coaching season that I’ve had in a while because of a lot of the naysayers,” Gasso said. “Heavy is a head that wears the crown is the one thing that really stuck out. I heard someone say that. That really has felt true. It’s been exhausting.”

But as the noise around the team increased, Oklahoma maintained its identity on the field.

“Love us or hate us, I feel like there has to be some level of respect there from what we’ve done for softball, for women’s sports,” senior pitcher Nicole May said. “It’s just crazy to see the growth of this sport, and I just hope to see it keep growing.”

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Texas coach Mike White pointed to Oklahoma’s ability to “reload and continue to get premier players into their program” as one of the factors that continuously puts the Sooners on top. Freshman outfielder Kayden Henry and sophomore infielder Viviana Martinez pointed to the Sooners’ veteran roster as the biggest difference: Oklahoma’s 10-player senior class has anchored each championship run.

In that class are Coleman, Tiare Jennings, Rylie Boone, Alyssa Brito and Kinzie Hansen, who all rank in the top 10 in program history in career batting average. The trio of Maxwell — who transferred to OU this season from rival Oklahoma State — May and Karlie Keeney anchor the pitching staff. Infielder Alynah Torres and utility player Riley Ludlam close out that dynastic senior class. The five who have been at OU since the start of their careers — Coleman, Jennings, Boone, Hansen and May — never went through a postseason without a national title.

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“They’ll go down in history — not just at OU — but I personally would say across the country as one of the best classes softball has ever seen. I’m proud of that,” Gasso said. “It would be easy to say we’ve had enough. This is hard and we’ve had enough. But they’re elite athletes. Whether they want to or not, they grind, they work hard.”

But what Gasso has built in Norman won’t end with their departure. That’s where the freshmen come in. Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering were the two newbies who jumped into the starting lineup this season, and neither shied away from the postseason spotlight.

Parker went 3-for-4 in the Sooners’ elimination game against Florida — hitting the game-tying RBI that took the game to extra innings. She ended the season with a .415 batting average, best on the team. Pickering hit a home run in each championship series game. Both freshmen were named to the WCWS All-Tournament team.

“I give all the credit to the seniors,” Pickering said. “Every at-bat a senior came up and talked to me before and helped me with my mentality for these upcoming at bats so I give everything to them.”

When asked if she feels any pressure in taking over what the seniors leave behind, Pickering quickly answered no.

On the horizon for Oklahoma is a move to the SEC, which just sent all of its 13 teams that compete in softball to the NCAA Tournament. The realignment will introduce a new level of competition. The Sooners also welcome an eight-player class in the 2024 recruiting cycle that ranks first in the country per Extra Innings Softball. Of course, an unprecedented five-peat will be top of mind, too.

“We need (the freshmen). They’re doing some great, great things offensively,” Gasso said. “There’s a lot of pitchers that are young that are watching and learning and waiting for their number to be called. The future is going to continue to be bright even without these 10 seniors.”

Hansen, Keeney and Jennings will return as graduate assistants next year, Gasso said. But even as the players who formed the dynasty move on, the figure behind each championship run remains in Gasso.

“I’m ready to start coaching again because I don’t have to coach this,” Gasso said, gesturing to the of seniors beside her. “They know it. They’ve got it. They coach each other. I’m really excited about what’s coming.”

Oklahoma’s parade to the outfield Thursday night to celebrate with tearful eyes and championship trophies in hand felt equal parts familiar yet exhilarating. Like an ace entering a game at a pivotal moment, the last hurrah finally arrived. This chapter in OU history closed with a sense of accomplishment and relief for making history once again.

“This one, to me, I definitely felt a little bit more sentimental. We grew up together,” Hansen said. “It was never one hero at the plate or on the mound or anything like that. This was a team effort. We fought all season. Everybody had something to say about us all the time. People counted us out. It was just a grind. All in mentally, physically. We fought the whole year. It was all so worth it in this moment.”

(Top photo: Tyler Schank / NCAA Photos via Getty Images)