Noticiero El Big Picture del Deporte: Thiem derrota a Nadal en duelo de titanes

Increíblemente Dominique Thiem le ganó los 3 tie-breaks a Rafael Nadal. En un PARTIDAZO, de esos que dejan huella, Thiem supo dominar a Nadal en el plano mental. Una de las características de esta leyenda del tenis, Nadal, es que en los momentos de máxima tensión su excepcional fuerza mental lo lleva a hacer la diferencia. Esta vez no. La balanza a su favor la inclinó un maravilloso Thiem que llega como gran favorito a la semifinal contra Alexander Zverev.

Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem - Match Highlights (QF) | Australian Open 2020

ESPN, Dominic Thiem knocks out top seed Rafael Nadal at Aussie Open, Associated Press, Jan. 29, 2020. 

Outplayed at his own brand of physical tennis for much of the match, Rafael Nadal finally claimed a set to try to start a comeback against Dominic Thiem. Thiem's 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (6) victory over the top-seeded Nadal lasted 4 hours, 10 minutes because of so many lengthy, electrifying points. One rather memorable one featured Thiem stumbling onto his backside before popping up and keeping the ball in play until Nadal made a mistake.

Noticiero El Big Picture del Deporte: Medios, Coco Gauff, En su camino de FUERA de SERIE es eliminada por Sofia Kenin en el Australian Open

Coco Gauff no tiene techo. Su talento es maravilloso y su progresión imparable. Deja el Australian Open habiéndose ganado el corazón del público. Jugó de local. Fue derrotada por una brillante Sofia Kenin, 21 años, 14 en el mundo, quien supo mantener su excelente juego a lo largo de los tres sets. Coco arriesgó, jugó ofensivamente, y cometió errores que la llevaron a la derrota. Es todo aprendizaje para Coco. En su rueda de prensa confirma que su mente y su comportamiento están al nivel de su talento de FUERA de SERIE. La industria deportiva del tenis tiene en Coco Gauff a una súper estrella global en potencia. 

Coco Gauff falls to Sofia Kenin, who reaches 1st Grand Slam QF | 2020 Australian Open Highlights

Coco Gauff: "I really, truly love it here!" | Australian Open 2020 Press Conference R4

ESPN, How Sofia Kenin halted Coco Gauff's run in the Australian Open round of 16, Peter Bodo, Jan. 26, 2020. 

Coco Gauff has been in the middle of another electric ride, this time at the Australian Open. Given how poised she is and the maturity of her game, it's easy to overlook the fact that she's still just 15, came into this match off matches against three tough opponents -- including Venus Williams and defending champion Naomi Osaka -- and did her best to handle all the hype surrounding her remarkable progress.

• Both of these young women have versatile games, but where Gauff can back up her skills with explosive athleticism, Kenin must live by her wits. Kenin showed in this match how fluent she is with the entire tennis hymnal. In addition to 21 forehand unforced errors, Gauff also misfired with the backhand 17 times. By contrast, Kenin made just 12 unforced forehand errors and miscued on the backhand side a paltry five times. 
• ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe put it best late in the first set of the round of 16 match between 15-year-old Coco Gauff and Australian Open No. 14 seed Sofia Kenin. After a compelling rally filled with crisp shot selection by both players, he observed: "Both of these women have high tennis skills and high tennis IQs."
• Forget those seven Gauff double faults that seemed to jump out of the television screen. She likes to go big on both serves, and the damage she did with powerful second serves more than compensated for the errors. The bigger service problem for Gauff was a so-so first serve conversion percentage against a player who's highly capable of exploiting second serves. Gauff put just 56% of her first serves into play yet won just 44% of her second-serve points. Kenin converted an outstanding 73% of her first-serve chances, which helped keep Gauff at bay. That ensured Gauff was able to convert just one of her break points, while Kenin made good on 5 of 12. Gauff's serve was more dangerous, but Kenin's was effective.

Noticiero El Big Picture del Deporte: Medios, Coco Gauff en su camino de Fuera de Serie derrota a Naomi Osaka

Es realmente increíble. Coco Gauf (15 años) ha eliminado a la FUERA de SERIE Naomi Osaka (22 años), campeona del Abierto de Australia 2019, en dos sets, 6 - 3, 6 - 4. En este duelo de tenistas FUERA de SERIE teóricamente toda la ventaja (e.g., experiencia, madurez física y mental) la tenía la prodigio japonesa. En la realidad del partido, Coco Gauff dio una exhibición de talento, osadía, estrategia y fuerza mental excepcional. La industria deportiva del tenis femenino no puede estar más feliz. Solamente estas dos FUERA de SERIE le garantizan un crecimiento maravilloso. Sus próximos duelos van a marcar la historia del tenis. 

Naomi Osaka vs Coco Gauff - Match Highlights (3R) | Australian Open 2020

Coco Gauff: "What is my life?! This is crazy!" | Australian Open 2020 On-Court Interview R3

Naomi Osaka: "This one hurts a little bit more" | Australian Open 2020 3R

ESPN, Coco Gauff upsets defending champion Naomi Osaka at Australian Open, Jan. 24, 2020.

American Coco Gauff became the youngest player in the professional era to eliminate the reigning women's champion at the Australian Open, beating former No. 1 Naomi Osaka 6-3, 6-4 in the third round at Melbourne Park on Friday.

• She is also the youngest player to beat a top-five opponent in a women's tour-level match since American Jennifer Capriati did it at 15 in 1991.
• Osaka made 30 unforced errors, Gauff merely 17. This was a rematch from the third round at the US Open last September; Osaka won that one in straight sets, then consoled a crying Gauff afterward and encouraged her to speak to the fans.

The New York Times, Coco Gauff Defeats Reigning Champion Naomi Osaka at Australian Open, Kurt Streeter, Jan. 24, 2020.

Coco Gauff is only 15, still growing in every way, and still fresh to the world of professional tennis, but she can win this Australian Open. The precociously gifted young American once again flashed her prodigious moxie and talent on the biggest of stages. This time it was here at the Australian Open on a warm Friday night, Gauff plowing easily past No. 3-seeded Naomi Osaka on the very court where Osaka won the title last year.

Fox News, Coco Gauff upsets Naomi Osaka in third-round rematch at Australian Open, Jan. 24, 2020.

Coco Gauff plays nothing like what her age, still just 15, or her ranking — 67th and rapidly rising — would suggest. Everyone keeps finding out that no matter an opponent's experience or accolades, no matter the stakes or the stage, Gauff plays with determination and delivers the goods.

CNN International, Coco Gauff stuns defending champion Naomi Osaka to reach Australian Open fourth round, Matias Grez, Jan. 24, 2020. 

Teenager Coco Gauff stunned defending champion Naomi Osaka with a 6-3 6-4 victory to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open. The 15-year-old American needed just 67 minutes to beat the No. 3 seed and set up a meeting with either China's Zhang Shaui or compatriot Sofia Kenin. Gauff was totally dominant for large periods of the match and perhaps even surprised herself with the ease of her victory.

Business: Media, Rafael Nadal, a tennis legend, has created a dream academy to form integral successful tennis players

Wikipedia, Nadal has won 19 Grand Slam singles titles, the second-most in history for a male player

Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera (born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player currently ranked world no. 1 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).

Nadal has won 19 Grand Slam singles titles, the second-most in history for a male player, as well as a record 35 ATP Tour Masters 1000 titles, 20 ATP Tour 500 titles and the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles. In addition, Nadal has held the world no. 1 ranking for a total of 200 weeks, including being the year-end no. 1 five times. In majors, Nadal has won a record twelve French Open titles, four US Open titles, two Wimbledon titles and one Australian Open title, and won at least one Grand Slam every year for a record ten consecutive years (2005–2014). Nadal has won 84 career titles overall, including the most outdoor titles in the Open Era (82) and a record 59 titles on clay. With 81 consecutive wins on clay, Nadal holds the record for the longest single-surface win streak in the Open Era. 

Nadal was a member of Spain's winning Davis Cup team in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019, and has a 29-win streak and 29–1 record in singles matches at the event. In 2010, at the age of 24, he became the seventh male player and the youngest of five in the Open Era to achieve the singles Career Grand Slam. Nadal is the second male player after Andre Agassi to complete the singles Career Golden Slam, as well as the second male player after Mats Wilander to have won at least two Grand Slams on all three surfaces (grass, hard court and clay). He has received the tour Sportsmanship Award two times and has been named the ATP Player of the Year five times and the ITF World Champion four times. In 2011, Nadal was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year.

Reference:

Wikipedia, Rafael Nadal.

ATPTour, Nadal Officially Opens Academy In Manacor

Rafael Nadal officially opened the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar in his hometown, Manacor, Mallorca, on Wednesday. The high-performance centre combines tennis and education, so that students can continue their pathway to professional tennis without having to neglect their academic studies.

“My future is here,” said Nadal. “I don’t imagine myself living away from Mallorca. The sport is my passion and creating this tennis academy is the most important part. You can also play lots of different sports here. I believe this is a centre that kids need. I will be very involved.

The Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar is equipped with the latest technology, including supervised residency exclusively for students, an American International School for children aged 10 to 18 years of age, and a clinic specialising in sports medicine, physiotherapy and nutrition. There are also 26 indoor and outdoor tennis courts, a fitness centre, two swimming pools (indoor and outdoor), mini-football pitches, three regulation multi-sport courts, 10 paddle tennis courts, a restaurant and café bar, pro shop and gardens.

Reference:

ATPTour, Nadal Officially Opens Academy In Manacor, October 15, 2016.

Official Web Site, Toni Nadal, The people that excel in life are those that persevere

Rafa Nadal International School

Rafa Nadal has always been concerned by the fact that it is difficult to prepare for life as a professional tennis player at the same time as continuing studies and going to university. Many tennis players are forced to leave school before they ever reach the stage where they are ready to take university entry access courses, and this can turn out to be a long-term handicap, limiting their future options. For this reason, Rafa was keen to create an international school that offers the necessary flexibility for tennis and studies to be truly compatible.

Furthermore, Rafa has always been loyal to a set of values that have helped him throughout his career, and which he considers essential for both personal and Athletic development. Incorporating these values to the educational program of the Academy has been a priority since the conception of the project.

The fruit of these concerns is the Rafa Nadal International School, which is situated within the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar and allows athletes to combine tennis and studies. Each student will be prepared to face the university entrance system – including access to American institutions through scholarships. The mission and philosophy of the school incorporate the very values that have propelled Rafa during his career.

Reference:

Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, Official Web Site, Rafa Nadal International School.

WorldTennisMagazine, Bjorn Borg loves the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar

Just two days after leading team Europe in the Laver Cup, world tennis legend Björn Borg has visited the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar for the first time. During his three-day stay, the ex-world number 1 and winner of 11 Grand Slams also had the chance to enjoy the facilities at the Rafa Nadal Sports Centre.

“I’m very happy to have come to the Rafa Nadal Academy. I’d heard good things about this place, but spending three days here has confirmed it, it’s incredible. I have really enjoyed myself. I would invite you all to come and see it and to play here. The quality of the training is very good and I think they’ve done a great job. This is why my son has come here, I’m very happy about that and I hope that many others come in the future because the Academy is very good”, said the six-time French Open champion.

His son, Leo Borg, who is currently training at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar for a few weeks, is considered (at just 16 years of age) to be one of the young promises of Swedish tennis and one of the players destined to lead the new generation of tennis in his country.

Reference:

WorldTennisMagazine, Bjorn Borg Visits Rafa Nadal Academy In Mallorca, September 27, 2019.

TennisWorldUSA, Rafael Nadal to open tennis academy in Kuwait in 2020

Opened in 2016, Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar has gathered some of the leading juniors in the world, offering them a chance to work at the top-tier facility with best coaches and under the close eye of the 19-time Major champion Rafael Nadal himself.

Besides the Academy, Nadal also launched the "Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre" in Mexico and Greece, with Kuwait as the next destination where he wants to improve the level of tennis and open it for kids and professionals. 

Joining forces with property developer Tamdeen Group, Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar provides a brand-new Shaikh Jaber Al Abdullah Al Jaber Al Sabah International Tennis Complex in Kuwait, one of the most significant sports initiative developed with Kuwait Public Authority for Sport.

State of the art complex will include 18 courts, eight outdoor, eight indoor, open court with 1,500 seats and covered arena with more than 5,000 seats. A five-star hotel, restaurants and diverse selection of retail outlets will also be a part of the complex that should become the gathering point of the Kuwait tennis federation, giving them a chance to provide a future champion from this region.

Reference:

TennisWorldUSA, Rafael Nadal to open tennis academy in Kuwait in 2020, Jovica Ilic, November 28, 2019. 

The Big Picture of Sport News: Total Sportek, 25 World’s Most Popular Sports (Ranked by 13 factors)

Sports journalists have been facing this conundrum of ranking sports for some time now.  For ranking any sport’s popularity it is imperative that we set the criteria for ranking first. For us (Total Sportek) TV viewership isn’t the only criteria for a sports popularity rather it should be the number of other factors combined to get the best popularity ranking.

• These are the factors we consider in ranking the top 25 sports in the world. So lets begin our countdown for the biggest, most popular sports in the World.
• CRITERIA USED.
1. Global base & audience
2. TV  Viewership numbers
3. Number Professional leagues around the world
4. TV rights deals
5. Endorsement & Sponsorship deals
6. Average athlete salary in top league
7. Biggest competition & (number of countries represented)
8. Social media presence
9. Prominence in sports headlines on media outlets (websites, tv)
10. Relevancy through the year
11. Regional dominance
12. Gender equality
13. Accessible to general public worldwide

#1. Football/Soccer

With over 4 billion followers of football, it is by far the most popular sport in the world. Football is one of the most accessible sport in the world and there is hardly anyone in this world who has not kick a ball at some point in their life. Football dominate sports headlines in some of the major countries in the world including almost all European nations like United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain etc. In South America football is more than just a game, it represent dreams and joy for kids in Brazil, Argentina and other latin countries.

Most watched competition in the world: Football World Cup is by far the most watched sports competition in the world. 3.9 billion people tune in at some point during the FIFA World Cup 2014 making it by far the biggest sport competition. While the final of 2014 world cup was watched by as many 700 million people all around the globe.

Highest paying sports competitions: $1.5 Billion is awarded in prize money and bonuses every year in UEFA Champions league, which is the european elite club competition where clubs from 54 countries participate. in fact four of the top 5 competitions with highest prize money are football events (Champions League, FIFA World Cup, Europa League, UEFA Euro).

Most expensive sports TV rights deal: English Premier League (English top football division) is the most watched professional sport league in the world. it broadcast in 212 territories across the world with over 5 billion viewer tuning in to live action at some point every season. SkySports and BT Sports paid over £5.3 billion to get premier league rights in the UK for three years while another £3 billion will be generated from international rights.

Highest Paid Athletes: Top players like Ronaldo and Messi are paid around £300,000 a week in salary by their respective clubs while Ronaldo and Messi also feature in the top 5 of the most endorsed athletes in the world.

Richest Sports Teams: If we talk about the richest sports team in the world, around 30 clubs feature in the top 50 list of most valuable sports teams.

#2. Basketball

Basketball has over 1 billion followers. Its a major sport in USA with NBA generating over $4.75 billion a year in revenue. Established Professional leagues in Spain, Greece, Turkey, Italy, France, Argentina, China and more leagues getting setup every year makes it the fastest growing sport in the world.

Third most powerful sports league in the world: NBA (American basketball league) is the third biggest professional league in all sports behind NFL (American football) and Premier League (Football/Soccer) in terms of revenue over $4.75 billion was generated in 2014 in terms of revenue.

Highest Average Salary: NBA average yearly salary for athlete is around $4.4 million a year, thats second highest average wage of any sport league in the world. While top 40 players in NBA earn more than $13 million a year in salary while top 10 earn more than $22 million a year with Kobe Bryant earning as much as $25 million a year.

Endorsement Deals: Lebrone James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant features in the top 10 list of highest paid athletes with their massive salaries and endorsement deals with take their yearly income well over $50 million a year.

Fastest growing sport: Basketball is also the fastest growing sport on every scale from revenues, to competitions/leagues. More and more professional leagues are getting established in countries across the world, specially in easter european countries like Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Serbia, Lithuania where basketball is easily the second favorite sport.

#3. Cricket

Estimated 2 billion+ followers makes cricket one of the most popular sport mainly in commomwealth countries like England, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand, Carribeans and South Africa.

Cricket is a dominating sport in many countries specially from indian-sub continent. Pakistan, Indian, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh while England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are other big cricketing nations with cricket as second favorite sport. Cricket is also very popular in Caribbeans with international team callled West Indies is comprised of players from different countries across Caribbeans. Cricket also has its roots in countries like Ireland, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Holland.

#4. Tennis

A global reach and over a 1 billion followers makes Tennis the most popular individual based sport. It comes up triumph in many of our criteria factors.

Highest prize money in individual sport: All four grand slams, Australia Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US offer huge prize money and the prize money given to winners mens and women singles event is the highest in any of the individual sport.

The most global calendar year: Tennis events divided in four categories (ATP 250, ATP 500, ATP Masters and Grand Slams) takes place around the world throughout every years. Only football has more global venues than Tennis which is coverage in almost every part of the world.

Most prestigious sport event: Wimbledon is not only the most prestigious tennis event but also in all sport. Over 1 billion people tune in at some point during Wimbledon 2015 and 2014. While 17.3 million viewers tuned in to BBC One only in UK in 2013 Wimbledon final.

#5. Athletics

Athletic is by far the most global sport of them all which include several disciplines of course with Running, long jump and other track/field events. Athletics is also the high point of Olympic games as Athletics based sports are the most watched during any Olympic event.

Most countries represented in Athletics: Athletics is the most represented sport in the olympics with athletes from almost all countries participating in some form of the diciplines in Athletics.

Most watched single olympic event: 100m final gold medal sprint race in 2012 Olympics was the most watched event in Olympic history with over 1 billion tv views across the world.

#6. Rugby

Rugby is a major sport in some of the most economical developed countries like All four home nations of United Kindom (England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland) in souther hemisphere countries like Australia, New Zealand and South africa also boost huge popularity in Rugby.

Second most lucrative Sports World Cup: 2015 Rugby World Cup was the biggest Rugby event in history which took place in England and Wales. It generated in access of £250 million in revenue which was alot more than what was expected.

Second most watched & Attended competition: Rugby world cup 2015 was the most attended sports event behind FIFA World cup 2014. Over 2.47 million tickets were sold with around half a million (480,000) fans traveling from oversees (24 countries).

Highest ever TV ratings in UK: ITV’s coverage of opening ceremony and opening England match was watched by 8.7 million UK viewers on average making it the most watched sports event in UK.

#7. Formula 1

550 million people tune in every year at some stage of Formula 1 season which runs from March to November. F1 is by far the most popular motoSport in the world.

Most lucrative motor-sport: As far as the yearly revenue is concerned Formula 1 generate somewhere between $1.5 to $2 billion a year. Which is soundly distributed among 10 f1 teams who in return spend between $100 million to $500 million a season on elite level motor engineers, research & development and of course on driver salaries.

Massive driver contracts: On formula 1 drivers makes around $5 million a year while the top drivers like Sebastian Vettel who has a $50 million a year contract with Ferrari, current world champion Lewis Hamilton who signed a new deal worth $40 million a year two of the highest paid athletes around.

#8. Boxing

Only combat sport in the list, boxing is truly global just like Tennis and Athletics. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao has dominated the rich list in last 10 years while boxing also boost some of the greatest athletes to have ever lived. Boxing is major sport in countries like USA, Mexico, Latin America, United Kingdom, Philippines, Japan, Russia and some eastern European countries like Ukrain, Poland, Romania.

Highest grossing fight of all times: Floyd Mayweather vs Many Pacquiao was the highest grossing boxing fight of all times generating over $400 million in revenue. While Mayweather took home record $250 from nights work while Pacquiao earned $120. Both fighters has kind of dominated forbes athlete rich-list for best part of last 8 years.

#9. Ice Hockey

By far the biggest winter sport in the world and although it is popular or played in specific countries like Canada, Russia, USA, Scandinavian countries like (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden) some easter european countries like Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic it can still boost huge popularity specially during the world championships and european championships.

#10: Volleyball

With no intricacies involved, this sport is as simple as you like. And probably it is the simplicity of this sport that makes it so famous among its fans. Take a trip to the hunger struck African countries or try going to the beaches of Australia, you will find people playing this sport everywhere. On professional level, players with tall heights are preferred because of the extra reach they have so if your height is somewhere to the north of 6 feet, you should fancy your chances in this sport.

Most popular in developing countries: It is quite popular in some of the developing countries with the likes of Brazil, Turkey, South Korea, some easter european nations like Poland, Ukrain other european countries like France, Italy and even in Asian region like China, Japan.

#11. Golf

Just lagging by few million fans, golf is the 8th most famous game. A very docile sport involving no real physical competition and can be played by people of all ages. For too long American Golf Star, Tiger Woods, overawed all his competitors through his exquisite playing abilities but now the sport has got some more representatives who are spreading this game to the farthest of places.

Massive earning potential: Golf’s very own Tiger Woods dominated the athlete rich-list for best part of last 15 years largely down to his very lucrative sponsorship deals with Nike, EA Sports, Gillette and countless other endorsement deals. 

Most Popular Sports In The World (Countdown 11 to 17)

11 Baseball

Most lucrative sport in USA and Japan. MLB (US) and Nippon League (Japan) are two of the top 10 biggest pro league of all sports

12 American Football 

Biggest sport in USA and the most lucrative and powerful professional sport league of all sports is NFL which generates over $10 billion a year in revenue. Super bowl is the most watched sport event in US.

13 MMA 

Mixed Martial Arts is getting more and more popular with the emergence of UFC. Its a big sport in Brazil, USA while spreading across Europe slowly. It highly rewarding financially and might overtake Boxing in a few years.

14 MotoGP 

It is one of the motorcycle racing series. MotoGP is the premium class competition with huge TV following around the world. Mostly popular in Spain, Italy, Netherlands but growing in England, USA, Germany and Middle-east.

15 Field Hockey

Field Hockey has fallen from grace even where it was most popular India, Pakistan. It still has some varied interest but nothing like 20 years ago where it was major sport in India, Pakistan and fairly popular in Australia, Malaysia, Holland, Germany, England and South Africa.

16 Badminton

Huge popularity in Asia specifically countries like Malaysia, China, India, Korea etc. Its more of a hobby sport in Europe and Americas.

17 Cycling 

Very popular in some major european countries like France, Germany, Italy, Spain, England and Netherlands. Tour de France is one of the most watched competition in the world. Cycling is part of school games around the world.

References:

Total Sportek, 25 World’s Most Popular Sports (Ranked by 13 factors).

Noticiero El Big Picture del Deporte: Marca, Toni Nadal describe cómo formó a la súper estrella Rafael Nadal

De la mano de Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal consiguió 17 de los 19 Grand Slam que brillan en su palmarés. Alabó el maestro las cualidades del alumno y destacó el camino a seguir para diseñar a un gran campeón. 

• "Para mí el reto nunca fue ganar Roland Garros o Wimbledon sino mejorar. Nunca estuve satisfecho con lo conseguido y siempre intenté dejar en él ese punto de instisfacción para que siguiera mejorando".
• "Cuando Rafael comenzó a jugar al tenis había pista, raqueta y bolas. Ahora necesitas videoanálisis, estudios bicomecánicos, estudios estadísticos, nutricionistas, ... y cuando fallamos cuatro bolas tenemos que recurrir al psicólogo deportivo en vez de ir a entrenar un poco más".
• Rafa se formó con solo tres datos: golpea lo mas fuerte que puedas, tira la pelota donde no esté el rival y si es posible dentro de la pista que fuera no va muy bien. Y así llegó al número 1".
• "Yo procuré que mi sobrino estuviera siempre alerta para los cambios que se pudieran producir. Nos acostumbramos a eso".
• 'Nunca una excusa nos hizo ganar un partido' es la frase que Toni escribió en uno de los vestuarios de la Rafael Nadal Academy que ahora dirige y que resume a la perfección la relación de exigencia, trabajo, sacrificio que llevó a Nadal de las pistas de Manacor a ejercer de número 1.

MARCA Sport Weekend 2019: Fabricando una Estrella con Toni Nadal EN DIRECTO​ I Marca

Marca, Toni Nadal: "En 2005 me dijeron que Rafa tendría que retirarse y en 2019 es el número 1 más veterano de la historia", David Menayo, 16/11/2019. 

Inolvidable 9/1/2019: Naomi Osaka y Coco Gauff llenaron de magia y crecimiento la industria del tenis

Naomi Osaka, 21 años, prodigio japonesa, número 1 del mundo, ganadora del US Open 2018, y del Australian Open 2019, se enfrentó a Coco Gauff, prodigio estadounidense, 15 años, en la  tercera ronda del abierto de los Estados Unidos.

El partido fue maravilloso, pleno de talento, de profesionalismo, de entrega y de esfuerzo. 

Ganó el partido Osaka en una verdadera exhibición de madurez de un talento excepcional, de concentración, de tomar riesgos con mucho acierto, y de no permitir que una jovencita maravillosamente talentosa tomará mucho impulso porque podía peligrar su triunfo. Osaka lo dijo al final, jugó extraordinariamente concentrada. Como si fuese la final. Y se disculpó por ello con Coco. 

Naomi Osaka dominates Coco Gauff in third round straight-sets win | 2019 US Open Highlights

Ganó Coco porque aunque el marcador diga que perdió 3 - 6 y 0 - 6, en el primer set estuvo en un nivel extraordinariamente cerca de una Osaka jugando en modo killer, en modo número 1 mundial. El primer set lo perdió Coco por detalles en momentos clave. Y en el segundo set los 6 años de madurez extra que tiene Osaka le impidieron a Coco encontrar ese punto de apoyo para revertir la tendencia. 

Ganó Coco porque Osaka le dio un curso intensivo del camino que le falta por recorrer para llegar a ser número 1 del mundo. 

Ganó Coco porque durante el partido aprendió que en el futuro próximo puede vencer a la mejor jugadora del mundo.

Ganó la industria del tenis porque esta dos jovencitas pueden marcar una época. Osaka ya es una estrella global y Coco tiene todo para serlo muy pronto. 

Y ya en lo estrictamente humano, qué belleza de gesto de Osaka cuando invitó a Coco a participar con ella en la entrevista protocolaria que le hacen a la ganadora. Y Coco en medio de las lagrimas de una leyenda en ciernes aceptó. 

Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka give emotional joint postmatch interview | 2019 US Open

Y la magia fue completa. 

Ni el mejor director de cine hubiese podido crear un momento maravilloso de esta clase y autenticidad. Fue una pequeña película de excelencia humana y deportiva, de respeto al rival, de enseñanza para todos de los valores del deporte. 

Queda para la historia las hermosas declaraciones de Coco y Osaka en la rueda de prensa posteriores al partido, plenas de sabiduría, de reconocer que todos los seres humanos somos únicos, y que cada uno construye su camino a su ritmo, paso a paso.

Coco Gauff: "She was crying, I was crying, everybody was crying!" | US Open 2019 R3 Press Conference

Naomi Osaka: "I want Coco to know she's accomplished so much" | US Open 2019 R3 Press Conference

Business: Forbes, The U.S. Open Is More Lucrative Than Ever. So Why Is It So Hard For Players To Make A Buck?

John Isner, Contributor, SportsMoney
I’m a professional tennis player on the ATP Tour.

John Isner is the world’s 14th-ranked men’s singles player and the top-ranked American man. He opens play at the U.S. Open on Tuesday.

Unlike athletes in a league like the NFL or the NBA, who can rely on their teams to cover most of their playing-related expenses, I’m a one-man company. The members of my support team—coaches, trainers, agents and more—are paid their salaries and fees directly out of my pocket, and I cover their flights, meals and accommodations for tournaments, not to mention my own travel expenses.

The Open’s Escalating Prize Money

This year, the men’s and women’s singles champions will make $3.85 million. The 2007 Open purse was $19.6 million, and that was after the largest single-year increase in the tournament’s history; this year, the total player compensation will be $57.2 million. And players will be guaranteed $58,000 just for stepping on the court, up from the $17,500 Jarkko Nieminen received when I beat him in the first round in 2007.

In danger of losing money for competing

The expenses can really add up, particularly at tournaments like Wimbledon and the French Open. In those cases, if I don’t win a match, I’m actually in danger of losing money for competing.

You do well as a pro tennis player when you’re ranked in the top 20

Don’t get me wrong, you do well as a pro tennis player when you’re ranked in the top 20. But that can be short-lived. Brands are paying you to get their logos on televised show courts, so if your matches aren’t being featured on broadcasts because your play has fallen off—or because the ATP Tour or a Grand Slam event has struck a broadcast agreement that diminishes visibility, or because you’re injured and not playing at all—they’re going to stop calling.

Prince supplies my rackets in exchange for the exposure of being connected to one of the biggest servers in the game; when I line up along the baseline, the “P” stencil on my strings is clearly visible. 

Players might also make more or less than their competitors depending on where they’re from and how many big potential sponsors they have back home. But even in the U.S., which loves its sports and its stars, we have our challenges.

Tennis’ Off-The-Court Juggernauts

Because of their success on the court and the places they call home, tennis’ five highest earners make considerably more in endorsement income than their competitors. Most players in the next tier, which includes John Isner, can hope to make $3 million or $4 million in a good year.

I just want players to be able to make a fair living

I certainly don’t want to turn tennis players into walking billboards, but I also want to make it easier to make a living in a sport where no real part of my income is fixed. Remember, too, that even the “old-timers” of tennis are retiring before 40. (Right, Roger? Serena?) You’d better hope you made enough money and managed it well enough that you can support your family for the next 50 years of your life. Tournaments and tours could make some small changes to let us sell the small amount of space we have to work with on our hats and our sleeves to give my colleagues and future players a better chance of finding sustainable financial success. It just doesn’t seem fair for players to be restricted in how they earn money by the same groups that profit off the product we deliver on and off the court.

References:

Forbes, John Isner, Contributor, SportsMoney, The U.S. Open Is More Lucrative Than Ever. So Why Is It So Hard For Players To Make A Buck?, Aug 26, 2019. 

Business: Forbes, The AI Transformation Of Sports, Wimbledon 2019 Broadcasting

The Future Impact of A.I. on Sport

A.I. technology not only enhances the experience for the viewing public but also impacts sport itself. Coaches are utilizing A.I. in decision making and training to improve athletic performance. Regardless of whether you're a tennis fan, the ground-breaking use of A.I. at this years Wimbledon marks the start of a shift in how the public view sporting events.

A.I. Powered Highlights at Wimbledom

• Sam Seddon, IBM Sports and Entertainment Sponsorship lead for the U.K., mentioned "What we've created is a system that is incredibly well-versed at understanding tennis from an excitement point of view. That's 'excitement' defined in a way that an A.I. can understand it. We humans may appreciate tennis; the A.I. is looking at the same thing in terms of data." So how can the excitement of a tennis game be broken down into data points that A.I can process? 
• The A.I. development team had the task of establishing the elements of what makes an excellent highlight. To build a framework for identifying the exciting moments from matches, the team utilized player reactions, the excitement of the crowd, and on-court actions as data points. A.I. can analyze theses elements and identify the crucial moments of each match. From player gestures to crowd noise, the data points enable A.I. to rank every point of a game in order of excitement and compile those moments into a highlights package. 
• Like every A.I. technology project, tackling bias is an issue that must be overcome. While the player's facial expressions could be used as a data point, the unique variations of individual player's reactions could harm accuracy and distort results. Instead, physical gestures like handshakes and arm raises were used as visual recognition data points. This still provides a challenge for technology. 
• Without extensive training, the system would struggle to distinguish the difference in significance between two gestures. One could be a crucial moment of a game, the other a mundane and insignificant action. 

References:

Forbes, The AI Transformation Of Sports: Wimbledon 2019 Broadcasting, Ilker Koksal, Jul 26, 2019. 

Opinión: Las industrias deportivas son motores de crecimiento que necesitan estrellas

El Big Picture del Deporte como un motor de crecimiento es como un árbol gigante con unas raíces muy sanas y fuertes. Las estrellas del deporte forman una parte crucialmente importante de esas raíces. Ese árbol genera prosperidades de todo tipo, por ejemplo, salud física y mental. Esa prosperidad también es económica. Y gracias a la prosperidad económica todo se hace viable y sostenible. Como a todo árbol debe cuidársele. Protegerlo. Alimentarlo.

Las Industrias deportivas estadounidenses tan poderosas como la NBA, la NFL, la MLB y la NHL cuidan extraordinariamente a sus estrellas, porque sus estrellas forman una parte muy importante de la raíz de su éxito. 

Las estrellas en cualquier deporte atraen a los aficionados, los hacen soñar, les crean ilusiones.

Millones de aficionados en el mundo viven al tanto del desempeño de sus estrellas. Las siguen, las estudian y en algunos casos las idolatran.

Hay estrellas locales, nacionales y un selecto grupo son súper estrellas globales.

La prestigiosa revista de negocios Forbes ha seguido a las principales estrellas de los deportes para, por ejemplo, establecer el ranking de los que tienen los ingresos anuales más altos.

Forbes ha hecho ese seguimiento a las estrellas del deporte durante tres décadas, y sólo siete han aterrizado en el primer lugar desde 1990 (Tiger Woods tiene el récord con 12 veces en el No. 1). El icono del fútbol mundial Lionel Messi añade un octavo nombre a la lista de rollos este año y, después de su rival cristiano Ronaldo, es sólo el segundo jugador de fútbol en clasificarse en primer lugar.

El top 100 de las estrellas mejor pagadas en 2019 abarca 10 deportes e incluye atletas de 25 países. Sus $4 mil millones de dólares en ganancias combinadas de premios en metálico, salarios y endosos entre junio de 2018 y junio de 2019 se ha incrementado un 5% con respecto al año pasado, cuando Floyd Mayweather fue el primero con $285 millones.

A continuación contenido que hemos creado sobre la parte Business del Big Picture del Deporte.

Business: Forbes, The World's Highest-Paid Athletes, 2019 

Business: 2018 PwC Outlook for the sports market in North America through 2022, Summary

Business: 2018 PwC Outlook for the sports market in North America through 2022, Opportunities

Business: Deloitte Annual Review of Football Finance 2019, Some key points

Business: PwC, Next gen consumer demands— Graduating from toys to tools

Business: The future of sports media rights and the digital revolution impact according to PwC

Business: Sports gambling opportunity in the North American market

Business: En España según El País (2015) el Big Picture del deporte es un motor de crecimiento que aporta riqueza y es inmune a la crisis

Business: Forbes, The World's Highest-Paid Athletes, 2019

Forbes is an American business magazine. Published bi-weekly, it features original articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. Forbes also reports on related subjects such as technology, communications, science, politics, and law. Its headquarters is located in Jersey City, New Jersey. Primary competitors in the national business magazine category include Fortune and Bloomberg Businessweek. 

The magazine is well known for its lists and rankings, including of the richest Americans (the Forbes 400), of the world's top companies (the Forbes Global 2000), and The World's Billionaires. 

Forbes has tracked the leading earners in sports for three decades, and only seven athletes have landed in the top spot since 1990 (Tiger Woods holds the record with 12 times at No. 1). Global soccer icon Lionel Messi adds an eighth name to the roll call this year and, after longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo, is only the second soccer player to rank first.

The top 100 spans 10 sports and includes athletes from 25 countries. Their $4 billion in combined earnings from prize money, salaries and endorsements between June 2018 and June 2019 is up 5% from last year, when Floyd Mayweather was first with $285 million.

The Top 10 are:

1. Messi (Soccer)
2. CR7 (Soccer)
3. Neymar (Soccer)
4. Canelo (Box)
5. Federer (Tennis)
6. Wilson (NFL)
7. Rodgers (NFL)
8. LeBron (NBA)
9. Curry (NBA)
10. Durant (NBA)

The Top 11 to 20 are:

11. Tiger (Golf)
12. Roethlisberger (NFL)
13. Hamilton (Formula 1)
13. Joshua (Box)
13. Mack (NFL)
16. Westbrook (NBA)
17. Djokovic (Tennis)
17. Trout (MLB)
19. Mickelson (Golf)
20. Harden (NBA)

The Top 21 - 100 are:

Newcomers Delight

NFL contracts for elite stars carry huge upfront signing bonuses, pushing this quartet of gridiron greats to career-high paydays and their first appearances on the top 100. They are joined by Philadelphia’s new $330 million slugger.

Basketball Rules

Thirty-five NBAers made the cut, with cumulative earnings of $1.3 billion. Credit basketball’s skyrocketing player salaries driven by a near doubling of the salary cap over the past five years. Tennis players make four times as much from endorsements and appearance fees as from prize money.

USA vs The World

More than half of the top 100 earners play in the NFL or the NBA, giving Americans the advantage on total earnings, but the rich endorsement portfolios of international tennis and soccer stars mean higher average earnings for those outside the U.S.

Rising Tides

The top earner in sports has regularly banked more than $100 million annually since Tiger Woods rose to prominence in the 2000s, but the major shift is the rise of the next class of paychecks. The earnings for the tenth-highest-paid player is up 150% in 15 years.

Elite athletes are earning more than ever thanks to soaring salaries driven by ever-richer TV contracts. The cutoff to crack the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes is $25 million this year, compared with $17.3 million five years ago.

Here is a breakdown of the sports, nationalities, sponsors and more for the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes.

Sport

Athletes from 10 sports made the top 100. NBA stars led the way with 35 players (down from 40 last year), headed by LeBron James at $89 million.

The NFL was the next-best-represented sport with 19 athletes. Russell Wilson ($89.5 million) and Aaron Rodgers ($89.3 million) are well ahead of their peers after signing new deals with signing bonuses worth a combined $115 million.

Baseball (15 athletes); soccer (12); golf, boxing and tennis (5 each); and racing (2) also landed multiple stars in the top 100. For the fourth straight year, Virat Kohli ($25 million) and McGregor were the lone representatives from cricket and mixed martial arts. No NHL player or Nascar driver earned $20 million during the past year.

Nationality

There are 25 countries represented in the top 100. The United States had 62 athletes make the cut, thanks to the sky-high salaries in the major U.S. sports leagues, although the tally was down from 65 in 2018. Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and boxer Anthony Joshua (both at $55 million) led the U.K contingent of five athletes. France and Spain each had three athletes while Brazil, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Serbia and Venezuela all had two. 

This is the list of the countries with one athlete in The World's Highest-Paid Athletes:

• Argentina (Lionel Messi, 1).
• Chile (Alexis Sanchez, 53).
• Cuba (Yoenis Céspedes, 62).
• Egypt (Mohamed Salah, 98).
• Greece (Giannis Antetokounmpo, 26).
• India (Virat Kohli, 100).
• Ireland (Conor McGregor, 21).
• Japan (Kei Nishikori, 35).
• Kazakhstan (Gennady Golovkin, 95).
• Mexico (Canelo Alvarez, 4).
• Portugal (Cristiano Ronaldo, 2).
• Philippines (Manny Pacquiao, 92).
• Switzerland (Roger Federer, 5).
• Wales (Gareth Bale, 79).

Sponsors

The top 100 earned $986 million from endorsements, memorabilia and appearance fees, up 12% from last year, as companies focused their marketing budgets on elite talent. Nike has the most athletes under contract, with 51 of the top 100.

Nike’s chief rival, Adidas, endorses 17 athletes in the top 100, including those under its Reebok brand. PepsiCo, along with its Gatorade and Mountain Dew brands, is affiliated with 13 athletes by Forbes’ count.

Surprise

The biggest surprise is that not a single Chinese superstar is found in The World's Highest-Paid Athletes. China is a global powerhouse in multiple areas (e.g., business, science, and technology). From now on I anticipate that we have to count on China on the next list.

References:

Forbes, 2019 The World's Highest-Paid Athletes Earnings, Kurt Badenhausen, Forbes Staff, June 11, 2019, link: https://www.forbes.com/athletes/#46e6132055ae.

Forbes, Behind The Numbers Of The Top-Earning Athletes 2019, Kurt Badenhausen, Forbes Staff, June 11, 2019, link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2019/06/11/behind-the-numbers-of-the-top-earning-athletes-2019/#6d0742f86bbe.

Kurt Badenhausen, Forbes Staff: 

• I cover sports business with rare dips into b-schools, local economies. 
• I am a senior editor at Forbes and focus mainly on the business of sports and our annual franchise valuations. I also spend a lot of my time digging into what athletes earn on and off the field of play. I've profiled a bunch of athletes that go by one name: LeBron, Shaq, Danica and others. I also head up our biennial B-School rankings and our annual features on the Best Places for Business (metros, states and countries). I joined Forbes in 1998 after working 3 years at Financial World magazine.

Wikipedia, Forbes, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbes.

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