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‘I fought Daniel Dubois and knocked him down – Anthony Joshua is spot on about him’

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Daniel Dubois Anthony Joshua

Kevin Lerena has admitted that Daniel Dubois will not back down without a serious fight against Anthony Joshua in their September scrap

Kevin Lerena confesses that Anthony Joshua was right about his rival Daniel Dubois’ ‘no-quitter’ attitude in the ring.

Dubois is set to fight Joshua next month and Lerena has claimed that the match will be “very 50/50” between them. Speaking on the Seconds Out podcast, the South African boxer shared that Dubois has a serious kind of spirit that could turn the fight in his favour.

Anthony Joshua Daniel Dubois

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Lerena and Dubois fought in late 2022 and the South African knocked his opponent down three times – but Dubois got back up every time and eventually won the fight by knocking Lerena down. Back in 2020, Dubois had been dealing with backlash from the public after he chose to take a voluntary knee against Joe Joyce during a fight – as people labelled him a ‘quitter’.

Dubois’ decision to step out of the ring after sustaining a fractured eye socket and nerve damage was defended by fellow Brit Joshua, who told the Sun: “If Daniel needs someone to speak to, he should call me. It is easy for people to criticise from outside the ring – but some people have been out of order. Daniel took a massive risk in taking that fight, as did Joe Joyce. They both knew the dangers and they both put it all on the line.

“I hear people talking respectfully about tapping out in MMA fights. Then when a boxer stops because his eyeball is about to fall out, they call him a ‘quitter’ – are they serious?

“Daniel’s time will come. I believe I will fight both him and Joyce. Joyce is underrated. He had a top amateur pedigree and it shows. This is a great time for British heavyweight boxing – it has never been stronger – and those two guys are both a huge part of it.”

Lerena was in agreement with Joshua on Dubois attitude, and admitted that the 26-year-old was justified in protecting his physical health. He said: “When you look back at his fight with Joe Joyce, I don’t think you can call that quitting. I think he had a very serious injury, you know, the man’s got to realise we’re in there to make a living and to get back to our families, and if he felt the injury was limiting his performance then he did what he needed to do.

“At the end of the day, I say look where Joyce is now and look where Dubois is. Dubois has surpassed what Joyce has achieved and he’s gone on to do a lot more. He’s in mega fights so it just shows you to never give up. I don’t think he’s a quitter to be honest.”

Lerena also weighed up Dubois’ chances against Joshua, as the 32-year-old added: “Since he beat me, he’s lost to Usyk. He’s overcome adversity – in the fight with me he had to overcome adversity getting off the canvas and rallying back to beat me.

“He overcame adversity there, he fought Usyk in a fight that many thought he beat him with a body shot. Whether it was a body shot or not, who knows, but he overcame adversity again because he got stopped in that fight. He then came back, he beat Jarrell Miller, he smashed Jarrell Miller and he smashed Hrgović.

“And to be honest, I thought when he fought Hrgović, I genuinely thought Daniel Dubois will beat him, but I didn’t think [he would beat him] like that. He showed a lot of grit and he’s come into himself.”

Dubois and Joshua are set to face off on Saturday, September 21 at Wembley Stadium for the IBF world heavyweight title – an hour that Joshua is keen to reclaim after losing his heavyweight titles to Oleksandr Usyk.

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GOLF

PGA V LIV GOLF: Rory McIlroy disagrees with Jon Rahm on divisive PGA Tour topic as LIV star’s stance clear

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Rory McIlroy Jon Rahm

Three-time FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy has defended the PGA Tour format ahead of the St Jude Championship at TPC Southwind

Rory McIlroy has launched a defence over the PGA Tour format ahead of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

The FedEx Cup is a season-long competition to crown the best PGA golfer, with players accumulating points from events throughout the year. The top 70 golfers from January to August qualify for the first FedEx Cup playoff at the St. Jude Championship, which tees off on Thursday.

Jon Rahm calls out commentator over Rory McIlroy comments that 'absolutely burned me' | Golf | Sport | Express.co.uk

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The field is whittled down to 50 for the BMW Championship, with winners of each playoff event adding 2,000 points to their existing total; quadruple the number for a full-field PGA event. The season finale then sees the top 30 battle it out in the PGA Tour Championship, which features a staggered-stroke system and allows the FedEx Cup leader to start on 10-under-par, two shots ahead of second place.

It is designed to help ensure that there is no runaway winner before the Tour Championship, with the FedEx Cup champion pocketing a £19.4million ($25m) jackpot. Several top stars, including LIV Golf ace Jon Rahm, have branded the format unfair – but three-time winner McIlroy believes the FedEx Cup allows the season to end with a flourish.

“I love this format because if it wasn’t this format, then none of us would have a chance against Scottie [Scheffler] because he’s so far ahead,” McIlroy said ahead of the St. Jude Championship.

“He’s so far ahead, and you don’t expect Scottie to finish outside the top five, either. By the way – I think it makes the Tour Championship more exciting from a consumer standpoint.”

McIlroy did at least admit: “Is it the fairest reflection of who’s been the best player of the year? Probably not. But I think at this point we’re not in for totally fair, we’re in for entertainment and for trying to put on the best product we possibly can. The first year that it was the starting strokes at Tour Championship in 2019, I was able to win that one, and then in ’22 again.

“I like this format. It sort of feels like it’s a bit of a reset after the regular season,” McIlroy added. “Everyone is not quite on a level playing field, but it feels a little more like that.”

While acknowledging the entertainment value for fans, ex-world No. 1 Rahm previously laid into the play-off system, arguing that it overlooked his success on the PGA Tour. Rahm no longer has to deal with those issues, though, as his switch to LIV Golf in December makes him ineligible to compete in the FedEx Cup.

“I don’t like it, I don’t think it’s fair,” Rahm said in 2021. “I don’t like that at all. I think you have the play-offs itself and win the first two, and if you don’t play good on the last one, you can end up with a really bad finish.

“You could win 15 events, including both playoff events, and you have a two-shot lead,” he continued. “I understand it’s for TV purposes and excitement and just making it more of a winner-take-all, and they give you a two-shot advantage, but over four days that can be gone in two holes.”

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TENNIS

Sinner v Alcaraz: Jannik Sinner makes injury confession as he edges towards Carlos Alcaraz clash in Cincinnati

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Jannik Sinner Carlos Alcaraz Cincinnati Open

Jannik Sinner may be heading into the US Open as the world No 1, but he also has plenty of questions hovering over him.

After losing against Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals of last week’s Montreal Masters event, fresh concerns over Sinner’s hip injury were raised.

The Italian was struggling with a hip injury during the European clay court season in April and May and then suffered with tonsilitis as he lost in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon against Daniil Medvedev.

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He was then forced to pull out of the Olympics due to illness, so all eyes were on the Italian as he played his first match at the Cincinnati Open against American Alex Michelsen.

While Sinner sealed a 6-4, 7-5 win, this was not a convincing performance for a player who extended his record on hard courts in 2024 to a hugely impressive 25-2.

“It was a tough match. He played already some matches but for me, it was the first match here, so I tried to feel the conditions a bit more,” said Sinner.

“I’m very happy to be in the next round. For me this is a place where I used to struggle a lot in the past years, so let’s see what I can do this time.

“I’m trying to stay in a positive mindset, positive moment, and I think that today also brought me the win.”

When asked if he was physically fit, he offered up a less than convincing reply as he said: “For sure not 100 per cent yet, but I’m trying to get used to these conditions.”

Sinner saved three break points in the opening set and five in the second as he was pushed by Michelsen, with the sparkling form Sinner showed as he won the Miami Open on US hard courts back in March not in evidence in this latest outing.

With French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz also in the draw in Cincinnati, Sinner will be hoping his body stands up to the demands in the hot conditions in Ohio as he will need to play better than he did against Michelsen as this was not a display that suggested the world No 1 is peaking ahead of the last major of the year.

Meanwhile, Britains’ Jack Draper battled back from the brink of defeat and required a medical time-out before beating Jaume Munar 7-5 3-6 7-6 (5) in the first round in Cincinnati.

The British No 1 struggled alarmingly the latter stages, but dug deep after treatment on his abdomen in the deciding set and will play Greece’s world number 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the next round.

Draper recovered from 4-2 down in the opening set to twice break Munar, but the Spaniard, ranked 89, levelled it up by taking the second.

Both players broke serve early in the decider and after Draper saved a break point to lead 6-5, the 22-year-old left-hander called for the trainer.

Munar comfortably held serve to take it to a tie-break, but Draper, who became British number one earlier this summer after winning his first career ATP Tour title in Stuttgart, defied waning energy levels to take it 7-5.

Tsitsipas beat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6 6-4 6-3, while Denmark’s Holger Rune and Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime also progressed.

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TENNIS

Iga Swiatek closes in on Serena Williams record after opening Cincinnati win

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Iga Swiatek Serena Williams Cincinnati Open

Iga Swiatek could be in line to break a Serena Williams record after surviving a second-set wobble to reach round three at the Cincinnati Open.

After receiving a round one bye, Swiatek saw off French qualifier Varvara Gracheva 6-0, 6-7(8), 6-2 to keep her quest for a first title at the tournament alive.

However, the scoreline, while showing it was a battle at stages, does not tell the full story outright.

French Open 2022: Iga Swiatek takes down Serena Williams record - Yahoo Sport

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The world No 1 led 6-0, 5-2 at one stage and held five match points in the second set, though was pegged back and forced into a decider.

But the five-time major winner held her ground and bounced back in the decider to set up a round three clash versus 15th seed Marta Kostyuk.

“Honestly, I knew I had the game to win it because I had five match points,” she said on court afterwards.

“It was my fault that I didn’t close it – but it happens.

“I didn’t want to have any regrets. I looked forward and tried to take a lesson from what happened and start playing differently, in the same way I played the beginning of the match.”

Victory for Swiatek continues her fine form at WTA 1000 events in 2024, with four titles at that level to her name coming into Cincinnati.

The Pole was triumphant at Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid, and Rome, and other strong results include a semi-final run in Dubai.

She now has 28 wins at that level this season, eclipsing her previous best total of 27 from 2023.

And that has put her in striking distance of Williams’ record for most WTA 1000 wins in an individual calendar year.

The American picked up a staggering 36 WTA 1000 match wins in 2013, in one of the most impressive seasons of her legendary career.

However, Swiatek now has a genuine chance of beating that tally.

The world No 1 has an opportunity to potentially pick up another four wins in Cincinnati – hypothetically winning the title in the process – and then has two more WTA 1000 events to play in 2024.

Swiatek will go into the China Open as the defending champion in September, before the return of the Wuhan Open the following week.

Meanwhile, the 23-year-old also extended her current record for the highest percentage of sets won 6-0 at WTA 1000 tournaments.

Swiatek has now picked up a bagel in 11.2% of sets she has played at WTA 1000s, well ahead of the likes of Williams, Victoria Azarenka, and Garbine Muguruza in the all-time standings.

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BOXING

Mike Tyson KO fears grow ahead of controversial Jake Paul boxing fight

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Mike Tyson Jake Paul

Mike Tyson will take on Jake Paul in November in his first fight in four years – and his first professional bout since 2005

UFC star Michael Chandler admits nobody wants to see Mike Tyson knocked out by Jake Paul.

Tyson will lock horns with YouTuber Paul in November after their fight was pushed back from its original July date when Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up in May. Tyson has not fought professionally since he quit on his stool after five rounds against Kevin McBride in 2005. His last outing was a bore draw in an exhibition bout with Roy Jones Jr in 2020.

Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson to be a professional fight | wfaa.com

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Paul has won 10 of his 11 professional bouts and most recently stopped bare-knuckle boxer and former UFC Mike Perry in the sixth round last month. He is the favourite to beat Tyson and will enjoy a 30-year age advantage in the ring in Texas later this year – and Chandler fears fans will be left disappointed if the social media star wins by stoppage.

“Jake Paul fought Mike Perry, who he outweighed by 20 pounds or so and had four inches of height on. And now it’s Mike Tyson, who is 30 years older. Mike Tyson’s about 60, and Jake’s about 30,” Chandler told Lucky Block. “I love Mike Tyson. Nobody wants to see Mike Tyson get knocked out. But everybody wants to see Mike Tyson catch Jake Paul and knock him out. So I mean, you’re going to watch it. I’m going to watch it. It’s great for a fun—not taking boxing seriously, if you will—fight night, and I’ll probably watch it.”

Paul stopped former UFC stars Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley early in his career and Chandler didn’t rule out seeking revenge for his fellow mixed martial artists. “It was tough to see them both lose; I was pumped to see both of them. But Jake Paul knew exactly who he was picking for these fights. He knows exactly the age, the size, the skill level,” he added. “It has been said by many people that there’s only one more Mizzou Tiger that Jake Paul needs to get through, and obviously, I’m the smallest one out of them all, so I’m sure he would love to fight a guy who outweighs by 30 pounds.”

“I’ve got nothing against Jake Paul. I think what he’s done has been great. Obviously, him and Dana have their little tiff, but I think Jake Paul’s just doing Jake Paul. He loves to be the problem child. He loves to promote. And he loves what he is doing. He is living a dream, but I would never rule it out, so to speak. But, man, I am fully focused on winning UFC gold. Whether that’s running through Conor [McGregor] or that is pivoting and finding somebody else to get to that gold. So right now, I’m a UFC fighter, and I very much enjoy it, because it is the most legitimate fighting organisation and style of fighting in the world today.”

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BOXING

‘It’s a great fight’ declares Brit world champion as he calls out Deontay Wilder for bout

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Deontay Wilder

DEONTAY WILDER has been challenged to a bridgerweight bust-up with a Brit world champion.

The Bronze Bomber’s future at heavyweight is in limbo following four defeats in his last five outings, the most recent of which was a brutal sixth-round KO at the hands of Zheili Zhang.

Despite his brutal and long reign as WBC king, fight fans have long thought the tall and wiry Wilder would be better suited to fighting at lighter weight.

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The recently formed bridgerweight division would be an ideal new home for the American should he try to breathe new life into his career.

And WBC titleholder Lawrence Okolie would happily welcome him to the weight class, telling Betway: “I think it would be a great fight

And he’ll always have what leaves people late and that’s his punching power and the name – Deontay Wilder.”

Unlike most of Wilder’s opponents, Okolie wants to feel the full force of Wilder’s cannon-like right hand.

He continued: “If I’m boxing Wilder, no matter what I say, I’m going to be a little bit apprehensive and think, ‘Okay let’s see what his power is like’.

“I think it’s a great fight.”

Wilder’s run of form has, understandably, sparked calls for him to hang up his gloves.

The most costly of those losses was last December’s defeat to Joseph Parker, which scuppered a two-fight series with long-time rival Anthony Joshua worth a whopping £100million.

AJ, however, refuses to join the growing list of fighters telling the Alabama slammer to call it a day.

The former two-time unified heavyweight champion said: “Come again if you want, but he’s got his family and there’s a life outside of boxing for him.

“I enjoy fighting in London, I enjoy fighting out here [Saudi Arabia], I enjoy fighting in America.

“It’s a blessing, and it doesn’t last forever.

“That’s why I say it with Wilder if he wants to go again, give it another crack.

“But sooner or later, Father Time will catch up with you – with everyone.”

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BOXING

Gervonta Davis vs Shakur Stevenson possible for Nov 2 in Vegas

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Gervonta Davis vs Shakur Stevenson

Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson could be on a collision course for a massive Pay Per View showdown on November 2 in Las Vegas.

World Boxing News understands promoter Tom Brown has penciled Davis in for the date after putting a hold on the T-Mobile Arena. However, Stevenson’s participation in the blockbuster depends on several factors.

At present, Stevenson is a free agent and has been meeting with prospective collaborators, one of which is thought to be Premier Boxing Champions. The multi-weight champion is being called out publicly to sign with Oscar De La Hoya and Eddie Hearn. Still, the Davis fight is undoubtedly the most significant paycheck Stevenson can land. Whether Stevenson wants the Davis fight immediately or further down the line is the only sticking point to giving fans a vast Nevada event.

Shakur Stevenson boldly claims Gervonta Davis doesn't come close to him in one category | Marca

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Stevenson has to mull over whether to join forces with Matchroom, Golden Boy, PBC, or Turki Alalshikh for his next bout, which the fans hope will be Davis now that Al Haymon has a date and venue secured.

If a deal can’t be agreed with Stevenson, Davis will be forced to look elsewhere again after Vasiliy Lomachenko initially turned down the offer. Lomachenko showed initial interest before deciding not to fight until 2025.

Davis wants to stage a huge PPV headliner in the desert to round off another successful year. Earlier in 2024, Davis spectacularly knocked out Frank Martin to secure his place as a bonafide lightweight champion following a spell as a secondary titleholder.

Facing Stevenson would allow Davis to become a unified king at 135 pounds, which was the original plan with the Lomachenko negotiations. The only other champion left would be WBO ruler Denys Berinchyk, who may be content to hold off on facing another strap holder until fellow countryman ‘Loma’ becomes available.

Lomachenko vs Berinchyk would be a massive fight for Ukraine and ensure one of their favorite sons becomes a two-belt unified champion.

Right now, without Lomachenko in the mix, the division needs a kickstart after stars Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney moved up in weight, with Davis vs Stevenson the only fight to get over the line in the minds of the boxing public.

Las Vegas would be the perfect place to stage an event between two fighters rated in the Pound for Pound Top Ten.

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GOLF

It does NOT end well: U.S. Amateur players try to recreate Tiger Woods’ ‘greatest shot’

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Tiger Woods USGA

The U.S. Amateur returns to Hazeltine National this week for the first time since 2006, as the best amateurs in the world take to the Minnesota brute, whose narrow fairways and small greens make it a ball-striker’s delight.

One guy who may not view Hazeltine as fondly is Tiger Woods, who narrowly lost the PGA Championship at the course in 2002 and 2009, the latter of which the only time he lost a major after being the 54-hole leader.

That said, the course is the site of what Tiger has said is the greatest shot of his life. That came in 2002 on the 18th hole in the second round, when Woods was nestled under the lip of a fairway bunker, with the ball below his feet, over 200 yards from the hole, with wind howling off the left and towering trees between him and the green. He took 3-iron, picked it off the sand and hit it inside 20 feet. Oh, yeah, and he made the putt for birdie.

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Immediately after, announcers called it “one of the best shots” they had ever seen, and last year, Tiger confirmed to TaylorMade that it was his best ever, saying he’s “never felt contact that solid in his life.” Given all the remarkable shots that he’s hit over his career, that Tiger picked this one should be proof enough of how incredible it was, but if you needed any more confirmation, the USGA has us covered.

A day before the opening round of the U.S. Amateur, the USGA asked a few competitors to try and recreate the remarkable shot. Take a look to see how it went.

Woof. By our rough count, that’s seven shots into the lip, seven cleared the lip but judging by the tracers and reactions, none found the green. And these guys had it easier than Woods, with what seemed like much less wind, far fewer trees between them and the hole, and the assist of 22 years of club technology advancements.

Judging by these attempts—and fails—let’s consider any debate about Tiger’s best shot over.

The U.S. Amateur began Monday with a field of 312 players competing over two rounds of stroke play at Hazeltine and co-host Chaska Town Course. After Tuesday’s second round, the field will be cut to 64 and six rounds of match play will determine the national champion.

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TENNIS

Iga Swiatek makes ‘scary’ admission as she highlights concerning tennis issue

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Iga Swiatek Paris Olympics

Iga Swiatek has described the tennis calendar as “probably the toughest one in sports” and declared it is “scary” that the schedule is “getting more crazy every year.”

The world No 1 also discussed the need to reset after a “pretty stressful” Paris Olympics experience and outlined her plan to treat the Cincinnati Open as a “practice tournament.”

Swiatek was the strong favourite to win the women’s singles gold medal at the 2024 Games, with the tennis event staged on the clay at Stade Roland Garros — where she has won four French Open titles.

Paris 2024 favorite Iga Swiatek loses in Olympic women's tennis semifinal

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The Polish star suffered heartbreak in the semi-finals as she fell to a 2-6, 5-7 loss to world No 7 and eventual gold medallist Zheng Qinwen.

The 23-year-old bounced back from the disappointment admirably to defeat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2, 6-1 in the bronze medal match.

Swiatek will play her first tournament since the Olympics at the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati after she missed the Canadian Open in Toronto.

In her pre-tournament press conference, Swiatek brought attention to the relentless tennis schedule and expressed concern it is getting more challenging each season.

“Our calendar is crazy, probably the toughest one in sports,” said the Pole.

“There are sports that are really tough because, physically, you might get beat up. But most sports have four months off, sometimes even six. Our schedule is crazy, and it’s getting more crazy every year, which is scary. You just have to train wisely.”

The five-time Grand Slam champion also reflected on her Olympics campaign and highlighted the importance of resetting.

“It was pretty stressful and it wasn’t easy,” Swiatek explained.

“But I’m happy that I could leave Paris with a medal and with a lot of knowledge about myself. The most important thing for me was to learn from this experience.

“I was proud of myself and I was happy that I could deal with all this pressure and still get a medal. It wasn’t like a normal tournament, for sure.

“I literally felt after the Olympics that I need to kind of reset and also just focus on getting my technique back together and just grinding on court.

“Here is the perfect place to do it. It feels a little bit less crazy, but on the other hand, even before the tournament, there are many people and a lot of fans. So you still feel that it’s an important tournament anyway.”

Swiatek then looked ahead to her campaign in Cincinnati, where she is looking to win a first title.

“I know that the first tournament on hard court is not going to be easy,” she added.

“So I’m going to try to treat it as a practice tournament, but not in a way that I don’t care – more in a way that I want to implement all the stuff that I practised on. I think it’s the best approach for me now. We’re taking it easy, doing everything step by step.

“For sure, it’s not going to be perfect from the beginning but I had a couple days to really get used to the surface, so I’m trying to do the best job possible every day and entering the court next day knowing I can do something better.”

Swiatek will face Ajla Tomljanovic or Varvara Gracheva in her opening match in Cincinnati. She reached the semi-finals in 2023, which is her best result at the WTA 1000 tournament to date.

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TENNIS

Jannik Sinner makes ‘struggle’ confession ahead of Cincinnati Open

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Jannik Sinner Cincinnati Open

Jannik Sinner issues injury update ahead of Cincinnati Open as he makes ‘struggle’ confession

Jannik Sinner has allayed fears that his recent injury woes will keep him out of the Cincinnati Open, but he does acknowledge that the event is one where he usually “struggles”.

The world No 1 missed the Italian Open in May due to a hip injury he sustained at the Madrid Open and two months later he was forced to skip the Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis.

Jannik Sinner on hip scare: 'I'm not afraid' | ATP Tour | Tennis

READ: Carlos Alcaraz sends Jannik Sinner warning as he reveals big goal ahead of Cincinnati Masters

After making his comeback at the Canadian Open last week, Sinner was once again troubled by his hip during quarter-final defeat to Andrey Rublev.

It raised doubts over his participation at this week’s ATP Masters 1000 event in Mason as well as the US Open, but the Italian has given a positive update.

“I feel quite good. Obviously I made nearly one week without practising before and then after playing for two, three days in a row, a bit more than usual, [that] could [have had] a potential impact to the hip,” he said.

“But I’m not afraid. I feel good with the hip, and I’m just looking forward to go back on court here.”

Missing out on Paris 2024 was a big disappointment, but the 22-year-old knows you have to accept the good with the bad where sport is concerned.

“This year I felt like because I was playing well, also in Paris, in Roland Garros, and knowing that Olympics are there that I can play good on that court or quite well, trying to give myself a chance for medals,” Sinner said.

“But sometimes you have to accept it. Obviously it goes also in your mind after now that you missed this because you wanted to prepare it. But it’s all part of the sport, and I also have to be happy with what I have, not always looking on the negatives.

“I believe that my season is going in a very, very positive way, and we just keep building on that.”

The Cincinnati Open is the last big event before the US Open and Sinner doesn’t have the best of records at the Lindner Family Tennis Centre as he hasn’t made it past the third round.

Last year he lost in the second round against qualifier Dusan Lajovic and he acknowledges that it is not his best event.

“Here usually I struggle a little bit to play because of the conditions, but I’m looking forward to see my reaction this year, because it’s a great test for me,” the top seed, who faces either Alex Michelsen or Tallon Griekspoor in the second round, said.

“I believe that this tournament can give you a lot of confidence then for the US Open, which is the last Grand Slam we have throughout the year. So in my mind, this is a very important tournament.

“We go day by day. Today is my first practice day. Let’s see how it feels… I have a couple of days to prepare and hopefully show some good tennis.”

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