Sheriff123, Author at The News Track

Naomi Osaka’s new biography, written by journalist Ben Rothenberg, has made some surprising claims about the aftermath of her 2018 US Open final win against Serena Williams.

While both players were very close in the rankings heading into the match, Williams, with experience of 30 Grand Slam finals, was the overwhelming favorite against the then-first-time Major finalist Osaka.

Osaka, however, rose to the occasion and registered a dominant win. She needed just 79 minutes to wrap up the 6-2, 6-4 victory at the Arthur Ashe Stadium and become Japan’s first Major singles champion.

Williams, on the other hand, fell one win short of two records: tying Margaret Court’s all-time Grand Slam title record and becoming the first mom to win a Major since Kim Clijsters in 2011.

While Osaka looked calm and composed that night in New York, Williams allegedly let her emotions get the best of her. During the match, she incurred a point penalty after receiving a coaching violation and breaking a racquet.

The 23-time Major winner then got a code violation for verbal abuse, which triggered an automatic game penalty. After the match, Williams spoke about trying to remain positive and move forward.

“I don’t know how I’m feeling yet. Haven’t had time to really process everything. But I’m just trying to stay positive and to look at all the bright things and all the good things and just keep going forward with that,” she said during the trophy presentation.

In Osaka’s new biography, titled ‘Naomi Osaka: Her Journey to Finding Her Power and Her Voice’, journalist Rothenberg has stated that Williams remained angry after going back to the locker room and also threw the runner-up trophy in the dustbin.

“Once she was behind closed doors, Serena made her feelings about the relic of her loss clear, dumping the platter into a trash can,” he said in the book. (via Tennis Channel)

He has also stated that when someone attempted to retrieve the trophy and give it to her, Williams refused to take it back, saying:

“I. Don’t. Play. For. Second. Place.”

“Serena Williams never has kept her runner-up trophies” – Agent Jill Smoller

Serena Williams is a 23-time Grand Slam champion.

Serena Williams’ disdain for runner-up trophies has been well-documented over the years.

Her agent Jill Smoller once stated that coming second has always been unacceptable to the tennis great. She added that since Williams does not like being reminded of all the finals she lost, a lot of her runner-up trophies have ended up in her office.

“Winning is always the most important thing for her. There is not a lot of gray with Serena Williams; she understands winning and losing and second place is not acceptable. I have a lot of runner-up trophies in my office underneath in cabinets; she never has kept her runner-up trophies. She’s always felt like ‘why do I want to be reminded that I wasn’t the best?” Smoller said on an episode of The GOAT: Serena podcast.

Williams has also been vocal about her feelings for coming second. During a tour of her home with Architectural Digest in 2021, she spotted a Grand Slam runner-up plaque in her trophy room and joked:

“Yeah I see a second place trophy but I’m gonna put that one in the trash, it shouldn’t be in there. We don’t keep second place.”

BOXING

Gervonta Davis ‘Is The Real Deal’ Says Arum, Ready To Make Tank vs. Stevenson, Lomachenko & Lopez Fights

Top Rank boss and Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum is ready to pit his top pugilists against Gervonta Davis.

The Baltimore-bred knockout artist Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) has been dominating his dance partners, but the cupboard of high-profile, in-house opponents PBC could present moving forward is running dry.

Tank has bulldozed the likes of Leo Santa Cruz, Mario Barrios, Isaac Cruz, Rolando Romero, Hector Luis Garcia, and Ryan Garcia since 2020.

Many of the mega payday fights that the WBA lightweight champion would want to entertain would involve Davis and his team working with Arum, who promotes lightweights Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko as well as super lightweight Teofimo Lopez Jr.

“Tank Davis is an excellent fighter and a big attraction. So sure we’d like to match [Stevenson, Lomachenko, and Lopez] against Tank Davis and see how well they would do. I like our guys to win the fight … All three would beat Davis. I really believe that … but that’s why they do the fights, right? Again, we’re open to any of that,” Arum told BoxingScene.com in an interview.

“I think [Davis] is the real deal. That’s why we’re talking about him. He’s a helluva performer. A terrific athlete, and a terrific boxer, but so are the other three [Stevenson, Lomachenko, and Lopez.]”

Arum alluded that a cross-promotional fight involving Davis would likely need to be financed by the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia and its chairman, Turki Alalshikh.

Top Rank’s shows are produced for ESPN platforms; PBC struck a deal with Amazon Prime last month.

“The way it will probably happen, where everything is happening, is the Saudis … [they] might decide to do the fight, after Ramadan this summer and cut the checks to the fighters. And that ends any kind of discussion of who gets what percentages,” said Arum.

“The stuff about A-side and dictating terms, that’s total and complete nonsense. Once you settle on the money and work out the percentages, then everything else is easy. Everything else is nonsense. But again, if we start talking about A-side and B-side, then nothing happens, they just trade insults with each other, and that’s childish. That’s why a lot of fights haven’t happened because people involved in the sport, sometimes even us, have been very childish arguing about stuff that doesn’t even matter.”

Lopez will next fight Jamaine Ortiz on Feb. 8.

Lomachenko is slated to fight George Kambosos Jr. in the coming months for the vacant IBF lightweight title.

Davis and Stevenson do not have any known fights lined up at the moment.

TENNIS

Look of the Week: Coco Gauff’s new Australian Open kit is giving fans ‘Serena vibes’

Even the American was fooled when a fake quote about her New Balance outfit went viral—but the bold spin on a heritage look is all Coco.

Reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff is ready for impact in Melbourne, after unveiling her new kit for the upcoming Australian Open gave tennis fans plenty to talk about.

New Balance designed a bold look to follow up the neon tennis-ball-inspired look Gauff wore in New York on the way to the title. “Primary Power” is the newest colorway of her signature Coco CG1 shoe—as the name implies, it takes inspiration from colors like blue and yellow with pops of red against a classic white background.

“The nostalgic use of primary colors and contrast trims holds the designs authentic to the spirit of tennis with a modern twist, specific to Coco,” said Jane Park, New Balance apparel designer, in an interview with *Forbes*.

“We wanted to energize her with a confident look on court for her to look and feel great.”

The new Coco CG1 colorway "Primary Colors" features—you guessed it—pops of yellow, red and blue. — The new Coco CG1 colorway “Primary Colors” features—you guessed it—pops of yellow, red and blue.

New Balance also unveiled two coordinating on-court looks to match the new CG1 colorway featuring her familiar crop top and skort combo: one in yellow with a pop of blue along the hem, and a reversed colorway in blue with a yellow contrast.

The skirt also features exposed elastic and mesh inserts at the waistline that create a criss-cross pattern and exaggerate the look of the curved crop top—a youthful touch that’s all Coco, according to New Balance designers.

Gauff's matching on-court outfit comes in two colorways. — Gauff’s matching on-court outfit comes in two colorways.

But online, tennis fans were reminded more of a different look altogether: Serena Williams’ 2016 Australian Open outfit by Nike. The American also rocked a yellow crop top and skirt with contrasting hems during her run to the final in Melbourne, where she lost to Angelique Kerber.

Soon there were memes galore on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, with one in particular featuring a tongue-in-cheek fictional quote that fooled even Gauff herself:

“With this kit, I definitely wanted to channel my inner Serena,” wrote user Cas (@AO_SW19), along with a side-by-side comparison of the outfits. “She is an inspiration on and off the court so this one is for her… it even has the lil crop top she had [giggles].”

Even though the user’s bio warns fans “don’t take anything seriously”, the tweet had already racked up thousands of interactions and had been widely shared before Gauff saw it.

you had me fooled😭 I even sent the tweet to my agent and I was like “I don’t remember ever saying this?” nothing wrong with it ya’ll know I love Serena it wasn’t inspired by her kit. she is a fashion queen tho!! I just literally thought I was going crazy for two mins hahaha😂

— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) January 8, 2024

“You had me fooled 😭 I even sent the tweet to my agent and I was like ‘I don’t remember ever saying this?’” Gauff told her followers.

“Nothing wrong with it, (y’all) know I love Serena (but) it wasn’t inspired by her kit,” Gauff added. “She is a fashion queen (though)!! I just literally thought I was going crazy for two mins hahaha 😂”

As New Balance continues to strengthen its ties to tennis, the Boston-based sportswear giant recently became the official performance apparel and footwear sponsor of the Australian Open, which kicks off on Sunday, January 15. Gauff will be the No. 3 seed as she seeks her second Grand Slam title.

TENNIS

2024 Australian Open women’s singles seeds: Iga Swiatek leads way as Elena Rybakina pips Coco Gauff

Iga Swiatek will be the No 1 seed at a Grand Slam for the eighth consecutive time as the world No 1 has received top billing for the 2024 Australian Open.

Four-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek has been top seed at every single major since the 2022 French Open with the now retired Ashleigh Barty the last player other than the Pole to achieve the top seed status as she was No 1 for the 2022 Australian Open.

Organizers of the Australian Open use the official WTA Rankings to determine the seeds and Swiatek tops the list ahead of defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. It means the top two won’t face each other before the final, but they could potentially face either Elena Rybakina or Coco Gauff in the semi-final.

Last year’s runner-up Rybakina is seeded third as she replaced reigning US Open champion Gauff at No 3 in the WTA Rankings on Monday on the back of her title run at the Brisbane International.

Gauff retained her Auckland Classic trophy last week, but the New Zealand event was a WTA 250 tournament while Rybakina’s title run was worth 500 points.

The top four are followed by Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur, Marketa Vondrousova, Maria Sakkari, Barbora Krejcikova and Beatriz Haddad Maia.

Last year’s French Open finalist Karolina Muchova was due to be the No 9 seed, but she is missing due to injury.

Meanwhile, two players in the top 20 – two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and reigning Olympic champion Belinda Bencic – will also miss the tournament as they are pregnant while world No 18 Madison Keys is out injured.

As a result, Chinese duo Zhu Lin and Wang Xinyu as well as Marie Bouzkova from the Czech Republic and Canadian Leylah Fernandez have received a boost as they are among the top 32 seeds despite being ranked lower.

2024 Australian Open women’s seeds:
1. Iga Swiatek Poland
2. Aryna Sabalenka –
3. Elena Rybakina Kazkhstan
4. Coco Gauff United States
5. Jessica Pegula United States
6. Ons Jabeur Tunisia
7. Marketa Vondrousova Czech Republic
8. Maria Sakkari Greece
9. Barbora Krejcikova Czech Republic
10. Beatriz Haddad Maia Brazil
11. Jelena Ostapenko Latvia
12. Zheng Qinwen China
13. Liudmila Samsonova
14. Daria Kasatkina
15. Veronika Kudermetova
16. Caroline Garcia France
17. Ekaterina Alexandrova
18. Victoria Azarenka
19. Elina Svitolina Ukraine
20. Magda Linette Poland
21. Donna Vekic Croatia
22. Sorana Cirstea Romania
23. Anastasia Potapova
24. Anhelina Kalinina Ukraine
25. Elise Mertens Belgium
26. Jasmine Paolini Italy
27. Emma Navarro United States
28. Lesia Tsurenko Ukraine
29. Zhu Lin China
30. Wang Xinyu China
31. Marie Bouzkova Czech Republic
32. Leylah Fernandez Canada

GOLF

How much does Tiger Woods Nike earns compared to Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Roger Federer

Tiger Woods has earned hundreds of millions of dollars from his deal with Nike over the course of 27 years but announced on Monday that the partnership will come to an end

Tiger Woods announced on Monday that he will be ending his multi-million dollar contract with Nike.

Tiger Woods announced his partnership with Nike will come to an end.

The golf legend first signed a contract with the world-famous sports manufacturer in 1996 when he was still an amateur. Woods has gone on to win 15 major championships, all of which have seen him wear the Nike logo.

However, Woods and Nike both announced in statements that their respective partnerships would be coming to an end after 27 years. In the time that the agreement has been in place, Woods has earned hundreds of millions of dollars from Nike.

“Over 27 years ago, I was fortunate to start a partnership with one of the most iconic brands in the world,” Woods wrote in his statement on Monday. “The days since have been filled with so many amazing moments and memories, if I started naming them, I could go on forever.”

“[Former Nike CEO] Phil Knight’s passion and vision brought this Nike and Nike Golf partnership together and I want to personally thank him, along with the Nike employees and incredible athletes I have had the pleasure of working with along the way.”

“People will ask if there is another chapter. Yes, there will certainly be another chapter. See you in LA! Tiger.”

Tiger Woods
Joe Pompliano of Huddle Up reported that Woods’ earnings in the past 27 years from Nike are between $500 million and $660 million. In that time, Woods has signed four separate deals with Nike to remain one of the brand’s star sponsors for nearly three decades.

In 1996, Woods reportedly signed a five-year deal worth $40 million – that increased to $100 million over another five years in 2001. In 2006, Woods then agreed an eight-year extension that was worth between $160 million and £320 million. The most recent deal Woods signed was in 2013 worth $200 million over 10 years.

But how does that money compare to other sports icons who wear the brand?

LeBron James

In the NBA, LeBron James is currently one of the main stars of the sport that wears Nike.

James became the first active NBA player to be worth a billion dollars back in 2022. In terms of Nike earnings, Forbes reported in 2019 that the Los Angeles Lakers star earns $32 million per season with the brand.

Michael Jordan

Before James, Michael Jordan wore the Nike brand during his career in the 1980s and 1990s. Jordan also has the ‘Air Jordan’ brand within Nike that sees him earn millions of dollars every year.

Jordan first signed a deal with Nike in 1984 after he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls. That deal, which has been running for nearly 40 years, has reportedly seen Jordan receive $1.8 billion in total from Nike.

Roger Federer

In tennis, Roger Federer was one of the biggest stars of the sport to be sponsored by Nike during his career which saw him win 20 Grand Slam singles titles.

In 2018, Federer signed a 10-year $300 million deal with Uniqlo. Before that, Federer had spent more than two decades with Nike, with Pompliano also claiming that deal saw the tennis star earn $10 million per year – that would equate to around $200 million in total earnings from the brand.

FORMULA 1

Lewis Hamilton situation clear to Jenson Button as time runs out for F1 title

Lewis Hamilton desperately wants to add an eighth F1 world title to his collection, but at 39 time is running out for the Mercedes driver and Max Verstappen is dominating right now

Jenson Button is adamant Lewis Hamilton still has what it takes to finally secure that elusive eighth Formula 1 crown.

The Brit thought he’d done it in 2021 but was controversially denied in Abu Dhabi, Max Verstappen taking the glory instead. And the two seasons since have been all about the Dutchman and his Red Bull team.

Mercedes, meanwhile, have been off the pace. They have struggled to provide Hamilton and team-mate George Russell with a car capable of competing with Verstappen and so the seven-time world champion has gone more than two full years without a single race win.

That is the hurdle he must get over first, to add to the 103 F1 victories he has already garnered in his remarkable F1 career. After that, Hamilton might still be able to dream of what would be a record-breaking eighth title.

If Mercedes can up their game, then Button is adamant his old McLaren team-mate still has what it takes to do it. “When you’ve won for so many years and then suddenly that’s taken away from you, it can work in two different ways,” said the 2009 world champion.

“One, you are just like, ‘Well, there’s no point anymore, I want to retire, I’ve been at the peak for so long and now I’ve not won a race in two years’. But also it can make you more hungry to get back to that, and Lewis is in that position right now, I think.

“Lewis is as good as ever I would say in terms of his outright speed, but also now he seems much more comfortable in himself and confident in his ability, so he makes fewer mistakes. So he’s even better now than he was five or six years ago.

“That’s tough [for his rivals]. If he gets a car that’s competitive enough to fight for victories, when someone is that strong and that confident in themselves it’s difficult to beat, as you can see with Max Verstappen right now.”

Former F1 racer Christijan Albers, on the other hand, has spotted signs of Hamilton losing patience with his current situation. “Hamilton looked quite frustrated at the end of the [2023] season. I can imagine that too,” he wrote in Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.

“Sure, he’s had years where he beat everyone, but has now gone two full seasons without a win – that’s going to eat at you. He wants [to win] more and more, but struggles with the fact that the Mercedes is not going faster. Then, at the end of the year, you are exhausted and tired. He hasn’t had that boost that you need for a while.”

Uncategorized

Ronda Rousey, Damian Priest, and other top names react to Liv Morgan’s heartfelt message to AEW star

Many current and former WWE personalities, including Ronda Rousey, Jade Cargill, and Damian Priest, have reacted to Liv Morgan’s heartfelt message to an AEW star. The name in question is Ruby Soho, formerly known as Ruby Riott.

Morgan and Soho have an enriched history together as both stars made their main roster debuts alongside Sarah Logan, now known as Valhalla, on the same day in World Wrestling Entertainment. The trio were known as The Riott Squad. However, the stable was disbanded during the 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up as Liv moved to SmackDown Live and Ruby went on a hiatus due to a shoulder injury.

The duo were reunited in 2020 and wrestled many matches together, but in 2021, Ruby Soho was released from her WWE contract. After a few months, Soho joined AEW.

Liv Morgan recently took to her Instagram to post several photos alongside her former tag team partner, Ruby Soho, wishing her a Happy Birthday. Morgan also expressed her love for Soho in the caption of her post.

Many WWE personalities liked Liv’s Instagram post, including Ronda Rousey, Damian Priest, Raquel Rodriguez, Samantha Irvin, Angelo Dawkins, Natalya, CJ Perry, formerly known as Lana, Kayla Braxton, Nikki Bella, now known as Nikki Garcia, Jade Cargill, Chelsea Green, Valhalla and others.

You can check out a screengrab of their likes on Liv Morgan’s Instagram post below:

WWE Hall of Famer believes people should not be making a big deal out of Liv Morgan’s recent arrest
During a recent episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling’s The Wrestling Time Machine podcast with host Mac Davis, WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long said that he does not understand why people were making a huge deal out of Liv Morgan’s arrest because of possession of marijuana as it was legal in a lot of states in the USA.

“I know that there are some dispensaries there [Florida]. What I’m saying is that I don’t know why people are making such a big deal of her possession of marijuana. And in ten states the stuff’s legal. You know what I mean? So, if she isn’t selling weed or wasn’t caught with pounds or kilos, then who cares? I don’t understand the problem,” Teddy Long said.
Morgan is currently out with an injury, and some fans believe she might return at the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble Match. What the Stamford-based promotion has in store for her future remains to be seen.

When do you think Liv Morgan will return to WWE television? Let us know in the comments section below.

Uncategorized

Rhea Ripley asserts backstage power to set up two blockbuster matches for next week’s WWE RAW

Rhea Ripley has been leading the WWE RAW women’s division as the Women’s World Champion. The Judgment Day member used her backstage power to set up two big matches for the upcoming episode of RAW.

Judgment Day has been upset with their recent failures on the red brand. Ripley was seen discussing the same with the faction on last week’s show. However, things did not go as planned, as the group lost a few more matches on the show.

The Miz defeated JD McDonagh even though the latter had R-Truth by his side. Meanwhile, Tommaso Ciampa got the better of Finn Balor to inch closer to an Undisputed Tag Team Championship match opportunity.

It looks like The Eradicator used her backstage power to get the men of her faction into a couple of big matches for RAW. WWE’s official Twitter handle tweeted out two match graphics to announce the matches for next week, and Rhea Ripley replied with the following message:

“Glad talking to you @ScrapDaddyAP wasn’t a full waste of my time 🤝🏽,” Mami wrote.

Check out her tweet below:

https://x.com/RheaRipley_WWE/status/1745328201314820505?s=20

It looks like Mami had a chat with RAW General Manager Adam Pearce to get the matches on the card. JD McDonagh and Dominik Mysterio will team up to face DIY on Monday. Meanwhile, the Undisputed Tag Team Champions will compete in a non-title match against The Miz and R-Truth.

Rhea Ripley could turn babyface heading into WWE WrestleMania 40
Many fans expect to see Mami walk into WrestleMania 40 with the World Women’s Championship still around her waist. That could be a possibility, keeping in mind that she will likely go into the Elimination Chamber as the champion and retain her title.

Last week’s RAW saw Mami get a huge cheer from the crowd. This was against her heel character, and the WWE creative could turn her face right after Elimination Chamber.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling’s UnSKripted podcast, legendary wrestling journalist Bill Apter mentioned that Ripley’s last entrance showed a new side of her on WWE RAW.

Rhea Ripley was such a master also of interviews that same night. A master of interviews. She came out and for the first time, we found the fans cheering her in a more fan-favorite type of style, not the Rhea Ripley that comes out with Judgment Day… This was a different tone to Rhea Ripley, and I absolutely loved it,” Bill Apter said.

Fans could see Mami split from Judgment Day and go on a babyface run. It could turn out to be a good move for the WWE Superstar and the brand.

Do you want to see Ripley as a babyface in WWE? Sound off in the comments section below.

TENNIS

Like father, like son! A beaming Rafael Nadal gives his baby boy Rafa Junior a tennis racquet and dotes on the one-year-old in Australia

Grand Slam legend Rafael Nadal has been pictured spending quality time with his father and baby son in a Brisbane park before flying back to Spain to get medical attention for the injury that ruined his comeback at the Australian Open.

Rafael Nadal was spotted in a Brisbane Park with his adorable son Rafael Junior (pictured together) and his father Sebastian

Nadal, a 22-time grand slam winner, injured his hip during his loss to Aussie Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International last week, forcing him to return home to Spain instead of attempting to win his third title at Melbourne Park.

The 37-year-old initially said he would fly to Melbourne and rest ahead of the Australian Open, but a scan revealed he had suffered a micro tear in the same hip that ruled him out of action for nearly a year.

The former world No.1 was spotted in heartwarming scenes with his father Sebastian and one-year-old son Rafael Junior just before the injury surfaced.

Rafael Junior, who was born in October 2022, amused himself with a tiny tennis racquet - at one stage appearing to hit his father with it — Rafael Junior, who was born in October 2022, amused himself with a tiny tennis racquet – at one stage appearing to hit his father with it

The trio soaked up the sun while Rafael Junior played with a tiny white tennis racquet.

Rafael Junior was born in October 2022 his father recently spoke about the impact his first child has had on his life and game after arriving in Sydney for the United Cup tournament.

‘The first event I play like a father without the baby with me, I lost first round. Second event, traveling with the baby, I was out of the group stage. At the end I won my last match, but I need to keep improving, no?’ he said.

The heartwarming scenes with three generations of Nadals - (from left to right) grandfather Sebastian, father Rafael and Rafael Junior - came just before the 22-time grand slam winner was forced out of the Australian Open because of injury — The heartwarming scenes with three generations of Nadals – (from left to right) grandfather Sebastian, father Rafael and Rafael Junior – came just before the 22-time grand slam winner was forced out of the Australian Open because of injury

‘We have some help. No problem at all. Just I need to organise little bit my life, as everybody needs to do when you have a child in your life.’

The latest injury setback to the tennis superstar has many fans fearing he won’t appear again at the Australian Open and Mats Wilander believes his latesy injury may even lead to the legend’s retirement.

‘It’s extremely sad news,’ Wilander said on Eurosport.

If these photos are anything to go by, Rafa Junior will play tennis right handed, unlike his southpaw father

‘Obviously it’s the most sad news for himself, because I saw the first three matches that he played in Brisbane. He looked extremely good in the first match against Dominic Thiem.

‘He looked even better in the second round against Jason Kubler.

‘And then, having three match points in the third round against Jordan Thompson. He looked great.

Nadal has previously joked about how he and wife Maria had to reorganise their lives when their son came into the world

He can miss those match points. We all have done that in our careers.

‘The older you get, maybe the more pressure you put on yourself but I think it’s a little bit of a wake-up call in one way.

‘We’ve been woken up all the time by rough injuries on others, but the injury that he has now, when you hear the description of it – micro, I mean the injuries he gets and has gotten are so different from other players.

‘You just realise that it’s not just his ankle and his knee and the big part of his muscle, it’s also the smaller muscles in his body.

‘Either he’s trained so hard over the years, or he tries so hard over the years that he breaks. And it’s so unusual.’

TENNIS

Simona Halep’s latest training video could reveal her future plans

Simona Halep is training to return to the WTA Tour while she awaits her appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CASA) scheduled for February 7-9, 2024.

Simona Halep is back on the tennis court training for what she hopes is a return to the WTA Tour after her February 7-9 hearing with the Court of Arbitration of Sport. Halep is fighting two doping charges that have kept her out of the game since August 2022. Darren Cahill and Chris Evert have come to her defense saying that Halep would never knowingly use a banned substance.

As it stands now, Halep is banned until August 2026; however, the fact that she is training publicly could indicate she is optimistic about her chances at next month’s hearing.

Even more intriguing is the backdrop where she is training. Could Halep be sending a message when tennis fans could see her again if the CASA hearing goes well?

Simona Halep’s training video has her hitting balls in front of a large Roland Garros sign
Is Halep sending a message to the tennis world that she plans to come back to the 2024 French Open if she receives a favorable ruling at the CASA hearing? Some do not think her video is that calculated, and it is just a coincidence.

While I honestly dont think Simona is the type to think that hard about it and do it on purpose to send a message, I do love the symbolism of her training in front of a large Roland Garros logo. pic.twitter.com/v8IYmnHhUW

— Romanian Tennis (@WTARomania) January 8, 2024

It was not the only training video publicized from her first hit of 2024, but it is the most eye-catching. The other did not show the Roland Garros sign.

Halep has stayed in shape during her suspension, and at 32 years of age, she feels a sense of urgency to get back out on the court to compete as soon as possible. Time has not been on her side; she has already lost 17 months of her career awaiting the resolution of her case.

The video is probably not an overt message, but it could be possible that Halep, the 2018 French Open champion, is hoping to return to Roland Garros in a few months. At this point, her tennis future is not in her hands so it is hard to predict what will happen.