Sports

Politicians launch attack on Federer and Nadal over call to strip Wimbledon of ranking points

Published

1 week ago

May 11, 2022

politicians-launch-attack-on-federer-and-nadal-over-call-to-strip-wimbledon-of-ranking-points

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal told to 'come clean' after players call for Wimbledon action — Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal told to ‘come clean’ after players call for Wimbledon action

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been told to “come clean” about what part they played in men’s top tennis players calling for Wimbledon to be stripped of ranking points over its ban on Russians and Belarusians entering the tournament.

The ATP Player Council on which Federer and Nadal sit has also been accused of undermining the global response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine following a major escalation of the row over the All England Club’s decision to exclude the likes of Daniil Medvedev from the sport’s biggest event.

Federer, set to miss Wimbledon through injury, has yet to comment on the decision, while Nadal last week branded it “very unfair”, warning: “We will have to see the measures that we take.”

Chris Bryant MP, the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Russia, told Telegraph Sport the pair needed to disclose whether they had been involved in crisis talks over the Wimbledon ban and what position they had taken.

“Federer and Nadal should come clean,” Bryant said. “Do they want Vladimir Putin to fail or don’t they care?”

Recommendations by the 10-strong player council are not binding on the ATP – which condemned the Wimbledon ban when it was imposed last month.

But insiders feel its board has little choice but to take their advice on this issue ahead of a meeting on Wednesday at which a vote could take place.

Bryant added: “The men’s tour are behaving appallingly. It’s like they haven’t heard what is happening in Ukraine or don’t care.”

Clive Efford MP, a leading member of the Digital, Culture, Media & Sport select committee and a former shadow sports minister, said: “The ATP needs to take a look around and appreciate how the rest of the world outside its bubble will view it for sanctioning Wimbledon for supporting Ukraine.”

Nadal on Wednesday refused to disclose details of what he said had been “private conversations on the council” or reveal whether he backed the position arrived at.

He added: “[The] only thing we can do is be in touch with Wimbledon and the rest of the ATP management to do the things that work better to protect every single player in the ATP.”

Telegraph Sport has been told the All England Club has no intention of reversing its decision and that it views stripping Wimbledon of ranking points as a clear attempt to penalise it for its stance.

The player council could have instead called for Russian and Belarusian players’ points to have been frozen in the same way as if they were injured.

Daniil Medvedev will not be able to compete this summer - PA — Daniil Medvedev will not be able to compete this summer – PA

A source with knowledge of the council’s position said it had been arrived at with the “integrity of the rankings” in mind but was unable to explain how stripping Wimbledon and the UK’s other grass-court tournaments of ranking points better achieved that than a freeze.

Another source with knowledge of crisis talks between the All England Club and the ATP on the matter questioned the motives behind what appears an act of self-harm by players.

“This feels like penalising the many for the sake of the few, just to make a point.”

The All England Club suffered a blow last week when Sir Andy Murray, himself a member of the ATP Player Council until recently, refused to back its ban, saying: “I don’t support one side or the other.”

A representative of Murray has been approached for comment on the council’s position.

In an interview with the Evening Standard conducted before news of that position emerged, sports minister Nigel Huddleston said: “We completely supported the decision that Wimbledon made.

“While I understand there is some pushback from some players and governing bodies, I can tell you it’s got overwhelming support from the population. People understand exactly why they’ve done that.”

He added: “I don’t think we can be any clearer that Russia and Belarus are pariahs on the world sporting stage.

“And they will continue to be so as long as Putin continues to behave in the way he has.”

The WTA Tour has been approached for comment about its own stance on stripping Wimbledon of ranking points.

Sports

Ely Sussman’s Top 30 Marlins prospects: Tier 2

Published

15 mins ago

May 19, 2022

Miami Standard News Staff

ely-sussman’s-top-30-marlins-prospects:-tier-2

Prospects within the same tier are largely interchangeable—considering their ceiling, floor, injury risk, position, room for development, ability to adjust and intangibles, I expect them to have similar career value.

The ranking of these players and the notes below were last updated on May 19, 2022.

2) RHP Max Meyer

Max Meyer had extraordinary results in 2021 despite slightly lower fastball velocity than what was advertised coming out of college. In his second professional campaign, he’s lighting up the radar gun, sitting in the mid-90s deep into his starts. Just imagine how much his stuff could play up even more out of the bullpen.

To shut up the skeptics who see middle reliever as a possible major league outcome for him, Meyer has developed a competent changeup. There are games where it legitimately earns him extra outs and others where it at least distracts opposing batters with its ample arm-side movement.

Beginning in early May 2022, I believed that Meyer was prepared to contribute to the Marlins starting rotation. His special slider will be effective against most lefties regardless of whether he has a feel for the changeup. However, the Marlins aren’t in a hurry to bring him up.

Meyer plays with a combination of awareness, athleticism and competitiveness that should allow him to overachieve relative his conventional pitching skills. All things considered, I have significantly more trust him in then I do Miami’s next-best prospects, justifying a one-man tier.

Max Meyer’s Fastball

Max Meyer’s Slider

Max Meyer’s Changeup

Sports

Ely Sussman’s Top 30 Marlins prospects: Tier 3

Published

15 mins ago

May 19, 2022

Miami Standard News Staff

ely-sussman’s-top-30-marlins-prospects:-tier-3

The notes below were last updated on May 19, 2022.

3) INF Kahlil Watson

Kahlil Watson was a top-five talent in last year’s amateur draft class who fell into the Marlins’ lap at No. 16 overall. He is more physically mature than the typical high school pick and has grown to 5-foot-11 after being listed at 5-foot-9 entering the draft.

Watson’s outrageous swinging strike rate early in the 2022 season is gradually trending in the right direction. His quality of contact has been elite whenever he does put the ball in play. I do not use that term casually—Watson’s hard-hit rate with the Hammerheads is above 50%, a threshold only cleared by the finest major league players.

How much longer will Watson stick at shortstop? He has about the same number of errors committed as he does double plays turned—even in the low minors, that ratio makes me uncomfortable.

4) RHP Edward Cabrera

The similarities between Cabrera and Sandy Alcantara are undeniable, from their Dominican roots and 6-foot-5 stature to their plus-plus velocity and deep pitch mixes to their minor league results. Cabrera will occasionally be able to silence major league lineups on pure stuff alone.

But Alcantara evolved into a top-of-the-rotation pitcher as his command improved. That’s the unknown with Cabrera, who threw far too many non-competitive pitches during his initial call-up in 2021. That got him into undesirable counts, culminating in a disastrous combination of walks and loud contact.

Cabrera can accomplish a lot with his breaking balls alone, dropping curveballs into the zone to steal strikes early in the count and turning to sliders in putaway situations. The key is going to be locating his fastballs with more precision.

5) OF Peyton Burdick

I want to begin with Peyton Burdick’s defense. During his first summer in the minors, Burdick was used almost exclusively in left field. Since then, he’s been getting about half of his innings in center, and it’s not just a gimmick! His arm strength, route-running and decision-making compensate for his limited top-end speed. He can fake it there in MLB games depending on his supporting cast.

Burdick is a “three true outcomes” hitter—he produces a lot of home runs, walks and strikeouts…and not much else. His steep upper-cut swing path makes it difficult for him to connect with pitches above his waist.

He’s an imperfect player, but a valuable one.

6) OF JJ Bleday

JJ Bleday has bulked up and now physically resembles Burdick far more than he used to. He understands the benefits that come with elevating the ball, hitting fewer grounders than any other Marlins minor leaguer over the last few seasons. Even while slumping, he demonstrates great selectivity at the plate.

However, Bleday does not scorch the ball as regularly as Watson or Burdick. The former top draft pick has had a mid-.200s BABIP in the upper minors and that’s unlikely to improve in The Show if we continue to live in a world where infield shifting is permitted.

I doubt there’s a path to Bleday becoming an All-Star, but he is a sophisticated hitter who can diagnosis his issues and make adjustments.