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Sport shorts: Dominic Thiem is tipped to break the big three’s dominance and Patrick Mahomes is America’s new hero
Ten things from the world of sport on Monday 3 February
Novak Djokovic may have won his eighth Australian Open title, and 17th grand slam in total, but the player he beat in yesterday’s Melbourne final, Dominic Thiem, is being tipped as the man to break the dominance of the “big three” in men’s tennis.
She wrote: “He may well have been a slow burner at the slams outside of the French Open, but his run to the final in Melbourne proved he is ready to take the next step in his career and has the potential to upset the apple cart among the big three, who are all desperate to finish as most decorated grand slam champion.”
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After the women’s final 21-year-old Kenin said: “I want to say my dream has officially come true! I cannot describe this feeling, it’s so emotional, I am so grateful to stand here - dreams come true, so go for it, if you have a dream it is going to come true.”
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3. England suffer brutal defeat in Paris
It was a weekend to forget for England’s rugby union team who were beaten 24-17 in their Six Nations opener against France yesterday.
Before the match England head coach Eddie Jones had warned the young French side of the “brutality” of Test rugby, but it was the visitors who were given a hiding in Paris.
In Saturday’s Six Nations matches Wales hammered Italy 42-0 in Cardiff and Ireland edged past Scotland 19-12 in Dublin.
While England’s rugby union team were suffering in Paris, the country’s rugby league side were naming a new boss.
It has been announced that ex-Wigan chief Shaun Wane has been appointed coach of England’s rugby league team on a two-year contract.
The 55-year-old, who replaces Australian Wayne Bennett, has spent the last year working as a high-performance coach for Scottish Rugby.
5. A new Maldini for Milan
AC Milan have a new Maldini in their first-team ranks. Following in the footsteps of his legendary father, Paolo, and grandfather Cesare, Daniel Maldini made his Milan debut yesterday in the 1-1 Serie A draw against Hellas Verona.
While Paolo and Cesare were both defenders, 18-year-old Daniel is an attacking midfielder.
(Image credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
6. Mahomes is the comeback kid
The Kansas City Chiefs, led by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, produced another thrilling comeback to win Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers this morning.
Trailing 20-10 going into the final quarter, the Chiefs scored 21 unanswered points to seal the 31-20 win in Miami.
Described as “America’s new hero” by the Daily Mail’s Mike Keegan, 24-year-old Mahomes “displayed ice in his veins” as he was named Super Bowl MVP.
Keegan said: “With Mahomes, you always have a chance. Always. Even when you are 10 down to the meanest offense in the NFL. Even when you have spent three quarters effectively on the run. Even when those marauding, vicious 49ers are coming in for the kill. Always.”
Donald Trump has been left red-faced after slipping up while praising the Kansas City Chiefs for their victory in the Super Bowl.
Writing on Twitter, the US president congratulated the newly-crowned NFL champions and the “Great State of Kansas” after the 31-20 win. The only problem being that the Chiefs are based in Kansas City, Missouri.
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8. Williams reveal launch date for FW43
Williams Racing will unveil their new car for the 2020 Formula 1 season on 17 February at 8am. The FW43 will be revealed two days before pre-season testing starts at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.
9. Ronaldo’s spot on as he hits 50th goal for Juve
Cristiano Ronaldo scored two penalties, his 21st and 22nd goals of the season, as Juventus beat Fiorentina 3-0 yesterday.
The Portugal captain, who turns 35 this week, has now scored ten goals in his last six games for the Italian champions. He also becomes the first Juventus player since David Trezeguet in December 2005 to score in nine successive Serie A matches.
Since moving to Turin from Real Madrid in 2018 Ronaldo has played 70 games for Juventus and has scored 50 goals.
Liverpool are 22 points clear at the top of the Premier League table following Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat at Tottenham yesterday.
The Daily Mirror is one of several papers to carry the admission from Pep Guardiola that the title race is officially over.
City’s Spanish boss said: “They [Liverpool] are far away so they are unstoppable. They have a lot of points, we have dropped points quite similar to today. Our targets are to win the remaining competitions and qualify for the Champions League next season.”
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