Five-time Grand Slam doubles champion Pierre-Hugues Herbert has revealed he will not be playing at the Australian Open in January, partly because he is unvaccinated. The tournament will only allow fully jabbed players to compete.
“Personally, I am not vaccinated and the trip to Australia was not an option for me,” Herbert told French media outlet L’Alsace.
World doubles number eight Herbert and partner Nicolas Mahut won the title in Melbourne in 2018 – one of five they have scooped at Grand Slams. They also claimed the ATP Finals title in Italy in November.
They will not have a shot at the season-opening major in Melbourne after organizers ruled that only fully vaccinated players could compete.
Herbert, 30, said that the decision was also partly down to his ranking in the singles, which has slumped to 100, meaning he would likely have had to emerge through qualifying at Melbourne Park.
“I do what I can. But because of my singles ranking, it may have been a bad thing (to go to Australia) for a good start,” he said.
It’s unclear whether doubles partner Mahut will make the trip to Australia as he is believed to have received only one dose of a Covid vaccine, having already tested positive for the virus.
Speaking earlier this year on his vaccine status, Herbert said it was a “personal choice.”
“I don’t know how long it will last. I don’t know if it’s feasible today to be a tennis player without being vaccinated,” said the Frenchman.
“There is not only Australia. Today, there are the United States, Austria… it is a rather complex topic.”
Herbert is believed to be the first star to pull out of the event due to his vaccination status, although the biggest speculation surrounds men’s world number one Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic has refused to publicly state whether or not he has had or will have the Covid jab.
Tennis Australia recently doubled down after suggestions that loopholes could be used as a way for nine-time champion Djokovic to appear, saying that “all players, participants and staff at the Australian Open have to be vaccinated.”
“Any suggestion that Tennis Australia is seeking ‘loopholes’ within this process is simply untrue. Adjudicating on medical exemptions is the domain of independent medical experts. We are not in a position to influence this process and nor would we,” it added.
Suggestions that Djokovic, 34, could yet defend his title in Melbourne were fueled when his name was included in the tournament draw and also on the teamsheet for Serbia for the ATP Cup in Sydney in January.
If the 20-time Grand Slam winner wants to appear at that tournament, he would need an exemption from the New South Wales government and also complete a mandatory 14-day quarantine on arriving in Sydney.
Prominent figures from Russian chess have reacted with shock to the news that one of their countrymen helped to prepare Magnus Carlsen for his world title match against Ian Nepomniachtchi.
Carlsen wrapped up a dominant defense of his crown by beating Nepomniachtchi in Game 11 of their best-of-14 series in Dubai on Friday.
That gave the Norwegian an unassailable 7.5-3.5 lead as he emerged victorious in a fifth world title match to cement his legacy as one of the greatest ever to play the game.
Nepomniachtchi – known as ‘Nepo’ – had held Carlsen to five draws to open their showdown before cracking in a marathon Game 6.
The Russian never fully recovered and made several big blunders on his way to defeat, including a reckless attack on Carlsen’s rook with his 23rd move on Friday, paving the way for his resignation.
While the result was on the cards, there was shock afterwards when an online clip revealed the team who had helped Carlsen prepare for his meeting with Nepomniachtchi.
Among them was Russia’s Daniil Dubov, the 2018 world rapid chess champion.
“It’s kind of important for [Carlsen] to actually like the guys,” Dubov, 25, says in the clip as Carlsen introduces his team.
“For instance, the Russian team it’s exactly the opposite. Normally they would bring all the biggest guns in, it doesn’t matter if they’re fighting or they are friends, or whatever. You just use all the power.
“Here it’s a European approach, mostly you care about the atmosphere and so on, and only then you need people to work well.
“Still, sometimes I feel like I’m responsible for the chess part. All these guys are nice guys, and I’m not a nice guy, but someone has to work. It’s a kind of a problem, otherwise I would never be in the team. I’m joking of course, in general I think [Carlsen] kind of likes us and tends to trust us.”
The news stunned some fans online, with one replying: “Dubov is a big surprise to me.”
There was disappointment among some in the Russian chess community that Dubov had aided a foreigner for such a vital showdown with one of their own.
“Oh, Danya, Danya… Why? How much for? Why could you not take a break for one match or commentate on it on any internet stream – brightly and talentedly!”wrote Russian grandmaster Sergey Shipov on his Telegram account.
“And now the seeds of discord have been sown in the Russian team. It’s turned into a classic situation of a ‘stranger among his own’. PS. I think that now Dubov won’t play for the Russian team. And that’s correct,” he added.
Russian chess star Sergey Karjakin, 31, was similarly dubious about Dubov’s actions.
“The idea wouldn’t even come to my head. I wouldn’t even consider it, just as I would not try to entice any of the Norwegians [to my team],”said Karjakin, whose own world title defeat against Carlsen was settled by rapid tiebreaks in New York in 2016.
“I would never do that in my life, but let it be on his conscience. Danya is a strong grandmaster, but I don’t understand his actions.
“It’s hard to say how much this affected Carlsen’s victory – he has a large team. But Dubov was on the team, he made a contribution – that’s for sure.”
Former Russian Chess Federation president Ilya Levitov said he had struggled to digest the news.
“Yesterday evening it became known that Daniil Dubov helped Magnus. To be honest, first of all I didn’t believe it, but it turned out to be true,” Levitov wrote.
“I can’t get this idea into my head. Daniil loves to say how proud he is to represent Russia, that we are a great chess superpower and that we should always win.”
However, speaking to Championat, Dubov himself played down the row.
“The fact that someone might not like it isn’t news,” he said.
“This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered this. I take this relatively calmly.
“It’s not a problem for me. I don’t think [it’s a problem] for Ian either.
“I don’t know where the idea comes from that a Russian should not help a foreigner prepare for a title match with a Russian. Not from a great mind, perhaps.”
“There are some imperial ambitions – everyone is against us, everyone is enemies. Especially if something doesn’t work out for us.”
“In general, logically, you can look at all this differently. From the point of view of the Russian national team: one of the best Russian chess players, relatively young, worked with the best chess player in history – he gained experience that will help in his career.
“For example, after my previous collaboration with Magnus, I won the World Rapid Chess Championship. This is also how you can look at the situation. Or you can see it in the context of ‘your own and strangers’.”
Carlsen bagged 60% of the €2 million ($2.26 million) prize money for his victory and said he was “satisfied” with his performance.
“It’s hard to feel that great joy when the situation was so comfortable to begin with, but I’m happy with a very good performance overall,” said the 31-year-old.
“You can point to things you could have done differently in every game of course, but overall I’m happy with my play, very proud of my effort in the sixth game, and that sort of laid the foundation for everything.”
Nepomniachtchi, 31, rued a missed opportunity but said he would learn from the experience.
“These things which happened here, they have never happened to me at basically any events… In my career I lost quite some stupid games but not as many in such a [short] time,” said the Russian.
Broadcaster Sky Sports has been forced to pull a ‘disrespectful’ TV advert which wished F1 fans a “Merry Christmas” while showing footage of Max Verstappen’s shocking crash at the British Grand Prix earlier this season.
Red Bull racer Verstappen and Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton are gearing up for a thrilling finale this weekend as they head into the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix level on points.
The build-up to the race has been tense with challenger Verstappen accused of reckless driving last time round in Saudi Arabia, where Hamilton took the checkered flag to move onto 369.5 points alongside the Dutchman.
The pair have clashed frequently throughout their title battle this season – including at Silverstone back in July, when a collision resulted in Verstappen plowing into the trackside barriers.
The Dutchman reportedly lost consciousness in the impact and was airlifted to hospital for precautionary checks before being cleared.
Predictably, there was outrage among some F1 fans when Sky Sports used the incident in an advert aired during a practice session at Abu Dhabi on Friday.
After a slow-motion reply of the crash, a “Merry Christmas” message appeared on screen, making clear Sky’s loyalties to British star Hamilton as he seeks to win a record eighth world title.
Who thought of this?? Who edited this?? WHO APPROVED OF THIS??? @SkySportsF1 this is so disrespectful to use a crash as a Christmas greeting?? pic.twitter.com/O1nzlSq8wm
“Who thought of this? Who edited this? Who approved of this? This is so disrespectful to use a crash as a Christmas greeting,” tweeted one angry fan who shared the ad.
Red Bull officials are said to have complained to the broadcaster, which pulled the ad from its coverage.
“A 51G crash where the driver was airlifted to hospital being used as a Merry Christmas message is very poor taste indeed,” a team spokesperson told Racing News 365.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has already accused rivals Mercedes of waging a smear campaign against the 24-year-old Verstappen in a bid to portray him as a reckless racer and face more scrutiny from stewards.
“Of course it’s been a concerted campaign by Mercedes. Totally,” said Horner.
“It’s been part of a narrative to put as much pressure on the stewards to act differently from any other race.
“This is a campaign that’s been driven covertly to put the spotlight on Max, give him a tag-line, portray him as this mad, irresponsible driver, put as much pressure as you can on him, on the team, and ultimately on the governing body.
“We saw in Brazil, the comments about the penalties being laughable, or Lewis being persecuted. Mercedes have got one of the smartest media arms in the paddock and they use every tool they can.”
In the event that neither Hamilton nor Verstappen finishes Sunday’s grand finale at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit, it would be the Dutchman who claims a maiden championship as he has won more races throughout the season.
Perhaps in anticipation of some heated racing, governing body the FIA has emphasized that rules are in place for points to be deducted from drivers in the event of “unsportsmanlike” racing or actions which are “contrary to sporting ethics.”
“I think with all the controversies we had in the last few races, it is very good that the FIA have come out with a reminder of what the ISC [international sporting code] stands for,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
Hamilton, 36, is targeting a fifth world title in a row and an unprecedented eighth overall, which would move him ahead of German legend Michael Schumacher at the top of the all-time list.
The response to the domination of transgender US college swimmer Lia Thomas proves that female athletes are facing a very real threat from male-born rivals. Suggesting anything otherwise is downright dangerous.
Competing in a debut season as a member of the women’s team at the University of Pennsylvania, trans swimmer Thomas has proceeded to blow her rivals out of the water.
A host of records have tumbled. In one particularly embarrassing episode, the 22-year-old former man beat a female-born teammate by 38 seconds at a race meet in Ohio last weekend.
After dishing out one beatdown in the pool, Thomas is alleged to have bragged: “That was so easy, I was cruising.”
Then known as ‘Will’, Thomas spent three years on the Penn men’s team before transitioning.
At least in the swimming pool, she has rarely looked back since.
More record-breaking feats seem likely before season is out, and Thomas is unabashed in the face of any criticism.
“I’m proud of my times, my ability to keep swimming and to continue competing,” Thomas told SwimSwam.com this week.
“They’re suited up times. I’m happy with them and my coaches are happy withthem.”
UPenn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas says it's completely fair to compete against women:
“Everybody is able to compete in the category they’re most comfortable with unless there’s a proven unfair advantage that they have.” pic.twitter.com/JGzeUZ0SnG
Restricted to US college sport, the splash surrounding Thomas might seem minor – but in reality, it says much about how those in power are negligently turning a blind eye to the harm being done.
That damage starts with Thomas’ teammates. They are said to have been “strongly advised” not to talk to the media about the situation, even though some are clearly upset.
That policy is typical among advocates for the unfettered rights of trans athletes: stifle any debate, ignore any evidence, and slander any critics.
Nonetheless, at least two UPenn swimmers have bravely spoken out – albeit on condition of anonymity for fear of backlash from the university or activists.
“Honestly, this is so upsetting to us because we want to be acknowledged for our hard work, but it seems like this just keeps overshadowing us,” one swimmer told OutKick.
“Put Lia out of the picture, we have a really good team this year. We have one of the best teams we’ve had in years, and that’s being overshadowed…
“We train every single day and give up so much for this sport. And I love swimming. I do it because I love it. It’s been a part of my life forever, and this is a slap in the face that the NCAA doesn’t care about the integrity of women’s sports.”
That’s exactly it: a sucker punch for women’s college sports. Yet all the while, the authorities appear to be blindly sticking to the line that Thomas is eligible to compete.
NCAA rules state that trans women are free to do so, provided they have completed one year of testosterone suppression treatment.
That requirement of 12 months has already been questioned by some – including in a British Journal of Sports Medicine paper published in December 2020.
Thomas is said to be two-and-a-half years into hormone replacement therapy, but some have wondered whether any amount of testosterone suppression is enough to reverse the inherent benefits that passing through puberty as a male can confer.
Shamefully, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has stuck its head back in the sand on the debate over trans participation in sport.
New guidelines in November suggested that testosterone reduction should not be an automatic requirement for trans women, while passing the buck to individual sports to make decisions on where the line should be drawn – if at all.
Commenting on the situation at UPenn, Sports science specialist Ross Tucker said: “This is a volatile situation that will only get worse and expand.
“It’s happened because those in charge have ignored the science (and often the law) and failed to protect women’s rights. But instead of fixing it, they bow to threats and advise those directly affected to stay silent.”
Meanwhile, Thomas’ teammates and rivals from other colleges are the ones losing out.
“Pretty much everyone individually has spoken to our coaches about not liking this,” a source told OutKick.
“Our coach [Mike Schnur] just really likes winning. He’s like most coaches. I think secretly everyone just knows it’s the wrong thing to do.”
Thomas will keep on winning in the pool – but at what cost to women’s college sports in the US?
By Liam Tyler
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
Premier League star Raul Jimenez has been widely mocked on social media after receiving a bizarre red card for two incidents in 31 seconds that were his own doing.
Away at champions Manchester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers were holding their own approaching half time with the score tied at 0-0.
In added minutes, however, Jimenez put obstacles in his team’s way by reducing them to 10 men in a moment of madness.
First booked for fouling Rodri around the halfway line, as City boss Pep Guardiola was caught on camera throwing his arms around in disbelief, the Mexican then stood in the Spaniard’s way and prevented him from taking the resulting free kick.
Just going to leave this here for when the footage is copystriked so I know what Jiminez did for future references pic.twitter.com/jVKdd5dWse
— Has the Referee or VAR made a poor decision? (@PoorEPLreferees) December 11, 2021
— Has the Referee or VAR made a poor decision? (@PoorEPLreferees) December 11, 2021
Referee Jon Moss had seen enough by that point, and gave him a second yellow which sent Jimenez for an early bath.
Ridiculed by the home crowd, the striker applauded them sarcastically. Online, the reception was no warmer.
Called an “idiot”, Jimenez was blasted for a “stupid mistake from an international footballer”, though Rodri had been “very clever” in setting him up for his fall.
Stupid mistake from an international footballer tbh, but very clever from Rodri.
A more articulate review was that Jimenez had provided the perfect example of “the existential red card”.
“Watching Raul Jimenez being sent off for Wolves against Manchester City was almost like watching someone go through the five stages of athletic grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. It was epic and spiritual,” the popular Twitter user added.
31 – Only 31 seconds separated Raúl Jiménez's first and second yellow cards (45:50-46:21). It's his first red card in his 102nd Premier League appearance, while he's the first Mexican to be sent off in the competition. Orders.
Watching Raúl Jiménez being sent off for Wolves against Manchester City was almost like watching someone go through the five stages of athletic grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. It was epic and spiritual.
The anti-City brigade accused the Abu Dhabi-backed giants of “buying” the referee, and found the dismissal “harsh”.
What is happening at this game. Jimenez wrongly getting sent off , the first yellow he clearly got the ball cleanly then a plenty because the ball hit Wolves player armpit. Makes you wonder why City always get this kind of decisions hmmmm #MCIWOLpic.twitter.com/Z2MDUYZinm
Holding the fort until almost halfway through the second half, Wolves eventually succumbed to their hosts.
This happened when Moss awarded a controversial penalty after Joao Moutinho was struck in the armpit by the ball, which did nothing to calm down the conspiracy brigade.
And with Raheem Sterling converting from the spot, City went four points clear at the top of the table with title rivals Liverpool and Chelsea still yet to play later this afternoon.
