Zverev wins the US Open title, Norris criticizes the Madring Arena, and the death of goalkeeper Ludek Mikloszko

German Alexander Zverev sat in the middle of the almost empty Arthur Ashe Stadium next to his brother Misha, enjoying a rare moment of calm after one of the most important victories in his career. In front of them was the US Open Tennis Championship (Flushing Meadows) Cup, which he won after defeating American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2 in the final match on Sunday evening, to win his second title in the tournament. The four Grand Slam tournaments, after winning the French Open this year.

“I can enjoy this title much more than I did in (Paris),” Zverev said after the match. I was very nervous there, but now I feel very happy. "I am very happy."

Zverev, born in Hamburg, became the second German player to win the US Open title after his compatriot Boris Becker. However, his celebration of the title was not without a funny situation, as in the fourth set it seemed as if he did not realize that he had already won the match. After he scored the last point, he acted as if the match had not ended and prepared to play the next half, before looking at the scoreboard and realizing that he had achieved victory.

He said with a smile: “I thought the score was 5-1, not 6-2. I think I simply forgot the score.”

Aside from this funny situation, the coronation moment carried much deeper meanings for Zverev, after he used his speech after the match to recall some of the milestones of his career and send a touching tribute to his mother, Irina.

Addressing his team, which is led by his father, Zverev said: “We have not won a Grand Slam title for 30 years, and now we have won two titles in 3 months.”

He added: “I think God saw how hard we worked, how much we suffered, and how much pain we put in for it.”

It was not easy for Zverev to forget his previous experience in New York, when he was only two games away from winning his first major title 6 years ago, but he lost to Austrian Dominic Thiem after leading by two sets to no response.

In his confrontation with Shelton, the German player showed a greater degree of maturity and toughness, and maintained his calm in the decisive moments despite the enthusiastic atmosphere created by the American fans in the largest tennis stadiums in the world.

The crowd went from enthusiastic encouragement for Shelton to warm applause for Zverev when he spoke about his mother, whom he described as “the most important woman” in his life.

The German player recalled memories of being diagnosed with diabetes when he was four years old, saying that his mother showed great strength during that period. She left the doctor's office saying: “My son will achieve everything he sets his mind to.” “If he wants to be a tennis player, he will become a tennis player.”

After achieving his second Grand Slam title, Zverev faces another major goal, which is to reach the top of the world rankings. The gap separating him from Italian Jannik Sinner has shrunk from more than 5,000 points to less than 2,000 points, in light of Sinner's absence from the US Open due to injury.

Zverev said: “I will remain focused during the remainder of the year, and I will do everything in my power to achieve results that give me a chance to become number one in the world.”

Boris Becker, who currently works as a television analyst, believes that it is “a matter of time” for his compatriot to reach the top of the world rankings.

Becker said: “I have always said that he can easily win five Grand Slam titles if he can adjust his mentality and playing style. This young man knows how to play tennis, and the question relates to how he mentally deals with pressure situations, and he succeeded this year in dealing with them.”

Zverev thus crowned an exceptional season in the Grand Slam tournaments, after he reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, then won the Roland Garros title, and reached the Wimbledon final before losing to Sinner.

At the level of German players, only Becker, who has six titles, surpasses him in the number of Grand Slam titles.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated Zverev on the X platform, describing his victory in New York as a “deserved victory.”

World champion Lando Norris said that the Madring Circuit, the newest track in the Formula 1 World Championship, and the rules of the virtual safety car need to be changed, after he threw away a win that was within his reach in the Spanish Grand Prix, yesterday (Sunday).

Fears of crashes and red flags did not materialize in a race at the highest level of motor racing, but the first Formula 1 race on the Madring circuit in the Spanish capital turned into a procession, and some drivers said it almost made them fall asleep.

Norris, who finished third, said: “Turns 18 and 19 should be eliminated, they are useless.”

He added: “Just make the path straighter before the sharp turn. “I don’t know how someone could look at this design and say, ‘Wow.’”

He continued: “I am excited to come back here next year if they can make these changes, because I think it is a very fun track to drive and it can be a great race track. But for me, it is not a special race track.”

*The virtual safety car under the microscope

The lack of overtaking opportunities also made the early virtual safety car period change the outcome of the race.

The timing of the use of the virtual safety car, after intervening to move Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll's car off the road after it stopped, allowed all drivers who were behind Norris to enter the pit lane and gain some time, but it actually punished him for being too far ahead of the pit lane entrance.

By the time he was able to enter the pits, the virtual safety car was no longer present, and he was unable to regain the lead due to the nature of the track.

Norris said that yesterday's race was likely the first time he had lost a win due to the virtual safety car, which commits all cars to a certain speed for a short period, unlike the actual safety car, which stays on the track for several laps.

A pit stop using the virtual safety car saves about 11 seconds of race time compared to a normal stop.

"There was nothing I could have done as a driver to do a better job," Norris told reporters. “I started from pole position and led the race, then lost it for a reason beyond my control, and I don’t think that was the way the race should have ended.”

He added: “I think there are things (that can be done), because we have talked several times in the past about how to cover the situation at least for one lap or give everyone the opportunity to stop in the pit area, or simply close the entrance to the pit area so that no one can enter unless there is a flat tire or something like that.”

He continued: “I think there are some things that can be done to make the matter simpler and fairer for everyone, but this is an issue that deserves broader discussion.”

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen, a Red Bull driver, who finished second behind Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader with the Mercedes team, expected the issue to be discussed in the next media meeting.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella said any change would be a long process “unless there is significant pressure from the institutions, whether the FIA ​​or Formula 1, to say ‘we need to change this’.”

Norris acknowledged the possibility of some complications, such as the need for drivers to change soft tires and use rain tires, but stressed that the matter needed to be addressed.

“I think everyone wants the same thing, which is justice for everyone,” he said. "I have to accept it with open arms, but I hope this doesn't happen to anyone again, because that's not the way you should lose a race."

The former goalkeeper for the Czechoslovakia and Czech national teams, Ludek Mikloško, died at the age of 64 after a busy career with West Ham in England.

Miklushko's family and the Czech club Banik Ostrava announced his death on Monday.

Miklushko spent 8 years with Banik Ostrava before moving to England. He also assumed the position of sporting director of the club despite suffering from cancer during the last five years.

Miklushko joined West Ham in February 1990, becoming the first Czech player to leave a mark in English football after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, which ended communist rule in Czechoslovakia. He played 373 matches with West Ham, and was chosen as the club's best player after his first season, after contributing to the team's rise to the English Premier League.

Miklushko was very popular among West Ham fans, who used to sing a song with his few words in English in the stands, saying: “My name is Ludek Miklushko... I come from near Moscow... and I guard West Ham’s goal.”

West Ham said in a statement: “Rest in peace, Ludek. “Our beloved and inspiring goalkeeper, and a gentle giant of a man.”

West Ham announced that it would commemorate Miklushko before the match against Fulham on Tuesday in the third round of the League Cup, as well as before facing Queens Park Rangers in the second division on October 9.

Miklushko moved to Queens Park Rangers in 1998 before retiring in 2001, then returned to London to coach West Ham's goalkeepers until 2010.

Miklushko played 42 international matches with the Czechoslovak and Czech national teams.

During his last visit to England in December 2024 to attend West Ham’s match against Liverpool at the London Stadium, Miklushko revealed that he had cancer and announced his decision to stop receiving treatment.

He said at the time: “I decided not to undergo chemotherapy; Because I want to live a normal life. I have great people around me, I have my job and football, which is my life and everything I've ever known. “I want to keep doing this as long as possible.”