Page 22 - Aruba Today
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SPORTSTuesday 3 November 2015
Djokovic wants to cap ‘best season’ in style in Paris
JEROME PUGMIRE Tennis player Novak Djokovic arrives for the 2015 MTV European the No. 1 in the world and be able to repeat ... but this
AP Sports Writer Music Awards in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015. defending champion there year out of 14 tournaments
PARIS (AP) — Novak is an extra responsibility to I’ve played in 13 finals. It’s
Djokovic wants to finish Associated Press do well. People watch you an unbelievable season,”
“the best season I’ve ever play, pay for their tickets. ... he said. “I feel more bal-
had” in the perfect way by the second round in ing up, if only out of respect I love this sport and I have anced in my professional
successfully defending his Paris, where he faces ei- for the fans. lots of passion to play it.” and private life being a
titles at the Paris Masters ther Philipp Kohlschreiber “If I don’t do as well the last Djokovic’s insatiable drive father and a husband. It
and season-ending ATP fi- of Germany or Brazilian two tournaments of course to keep going even when all makes more sense and
nals. Thomaz Bellucci for his 79th it wouldn’t ruin my season, the body is crying out for I feel more fulfilled, more
The 28-year-old Serb’s list of match of an exhausting because I still think it’s the rest keeps him focused. mentally and emotionally
highlights for 2015 already season. best season I’ve ever had,” “It has a lot to do with your stable.” Second-seeded
includes winning nine tour- He has no intention of eas- Djokovic said Sunday. “As mindset. In terms of the Andy Murray is one of the
naments, beating a resur- mental part it’s just being few to have beaten him
gent Roger Federer in the able to find new ways of this year, and the Briton’s
U.S. Open final for his 10th motivating yourself,” he second-round opponent
Grand Slam title, and dis- said. “What allows me to will be 18-year-old Borna
mantling Rafael Nadal in play well consistently in Coric of Croatia — a rising
the French Open quarter- these parts of the season star — or Spaniard Fernan-
finals. is that, when the Grand do Verdasco.
Just like in 2011, he has won Slams are over, I still val- Federer, the 2011 winner,
every major of the year ex- ue the Masters events. It and Nadal — who has nev-
cept for the French Open, doesn’t make too much er won the tournament —
posting a 73-5 record. difference to me stepping are also competing.
If he wins in Paris next week on the court for a Grand With six titles this year, Fe-
and then in London for Slam final or the Paris Bercy derer poses perhaps the
the fourth straight year, final.” biggest threat.
Djokovic will have 59 ca- Surpassing his astonishing The 34-year-old Swiss star
reer titles, eight fewer than form from 2011, where he withstood Nadal’s come-
Nadal. But Federer, who beat Nadal in six finals and back to win 6-3, 5-7, 6-3
beat Nadal in the final of won a career-high 10 titles, on Sunday and end a five-
the Swiss Indoors on Sun- takes some doing. match losing streak against
day, is some way ahead of “Winning something like the Spaniard, whose three
them with 88. 40-plus matches in a row is titles so far is his equal-low-
Djokovic has a bye into something I don’t know I’ll est since 2004. q
Continued from Page 17 Yet no one is calling for Pat- In this Nov. 1, 2015, file photo, Joey Logano (22) and Matt Kens- knockout Chase for the
rick to be suspended, and eth (20) tangle in Turn 1 during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Cup championship
Sure, Kenseth’s act had few seem even the least auto race at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va. It’s the format that the line be-
massive playoff implica- bit bothered by her act. wild west in NASCAR right now, and it’s not clear if that’s good tween right and wrong has
tions for Logano. He had So beside the obvious or bad for this championship battle. Drivers are doing whatever been blurred - and NAS-
been carrying the grudge championship implica- they have to do to make it to the finale, to mixed reactions. CAR has no idea how to
for two weeks and ev- tions, what is the differ- clear it up.
eryone expected him to ence? Associated Press “The structure in which we
act. It’s how the game is Kyle Busch has been won- have around us is not very
played, Kenseth lives by a dering just that. He was Busch said. “It’s boys being likely eliminated him from strong as far as an author-
driver code and he said parked for a Sprint Cup boys right now. You’ve got the playoffs. Denny Ham- ity figure saying, ‘No, you
he’d have lost respect in race in 2011 for deliberate- to be consistent. I definitely lin and Kenseth minced no cannot do that anymore,’
the garage had he not re- ly wrecking Ron Hornaday feel NASCAR is very consis- words in their accusations “ Hamlin said. “It’s just
taliated. Jr. in a Truck Series race. tent in being inconsistent of Harvick, and both suf- tough for us because this
“Growing up, Terry Labon- Carl Edwards avoided sus- on calls. I think it’s BS.” fered for Harvick’s act. Har- is what’s been created.
te, Ricky Rudd, those are pension in 2010 for return- It can’t be one way for vick responded by saying I love Brian France, but
guys you just did not mess ing a wrecked car to the some drivers and another he simply did what he had when he says that drivers
with because you knew track to crash Brad Kesel- way for the rest. to do. are doing what they have
they would retaliate. Matt owski. Harvick knew his engine After Sunday’s race, with to do, it seems like he’s pro-
Kenseth is in that same When NASCAR turned its was failing but failed to get Logano steaming, Ham- moting this type of racing,
category,” said former back on the Harvick inci- out of the way at Tallade- lin wondered if the stakes so that’s tough to crown
teammate Jamie McMur- dent at Talladega, Busch ga because it would have are so high in the current a true champion when
ray. “Matt races everyone griped that it was because things go like this.
fair and he races hard. If officials would never punish “It’s a no-holds-barred
he thinks that there could the reigning series cham- wild, wild West. Sure, when
have been better deci- pion. After his teammate people crown the state-
sions made (by Logano), wrecked Logano, Busch ment that a driver’s do-
then so be it.” said he had no idea what ing what he’s got to do
Then so be it, too, for Dan- punishment might come and they became OK with
ica Patrick. She chased because it changes on a that statement, you’re just
David Gilliland up the track case-by-case basis. opening up Pandora’s box.
Sunday to wreck him as “I think it all depends on Everyone is just doing what
payback for an earlier in- whose name is above the they have to do I guess. It’s
cident. Again, the crowd door on whether or not a bad statement. It’s an
cheered. you’re allowed to do it,” ugly statement.”q
