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In 2022, sport continued to be therapeutic for a world still trying to find its feet in the aftermath of a pandemic. India maintained its reputation as a growing power with its athletes scaling new heights.

In this issue

04-02-202314 STORIES

Emotional: Roger Federer is in tears even as Rafael Nadal is unable to control his emotions during the Laver Cup match. Federer announced his retirement, ending an illustrious career that included 20 Grand Slam titles and a role as a statesman for tennis.

Tennis in 2022: End of Federer-Serena era and the rise of a dynamic wunderkind

The year 2022 started with the exciting GOAT race deadlocked— Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer all boasted 20 Grand Slam titles, a once

Wise decision: Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr football club in Saudi Arabia for a reported salary of 200 million dollars a year for three years guarantees the footballer useful pocket money as his career winds down. Ronaldo turns 38 this year, and you can’t begrudge him his bonus.

Last Word: Normalisation is the name of the game

Many top European football clubs are owned by countries in the Middle East. That caused an eyebrow or two to be raised initially, but it’s a picture t

Sky is the limit: Neeraj Chopra conquered new frontiers in 2022, breaking the national record in javelin twice.

Scaling new heights: Top four performances by India sportspersons in 2022

Neeraj Chopra, Sharath Kamal, the Indian men’s badminton team and the Indian Lawn Bowls teams brought joy to the country in 2022 with their magnificen

Scientific approach: The concept of KPIs helps you discern how you need to train your athletes at every stage of their road map.

What are Key Performance Indicators in sports, why are they needed and how do they work

KPIs are useful in allowing athletes to train specifically for a particular outcome. Establishing KPIs depending on age, sport and skill makes it easi

Long awaited: Tallon Griekspoor became the first men’s singles hard-court titlist from the Netherlands since Sjeng Schalken in Stockholm way back in 2001. He triumphed over France’s Benjamin Bonzi in his first Tour-level final.

Tata Open Maharashtra: New dawn for the Dutch, same old story for India

Tata Open Maharashtra recaptured its proud place in the calendar, but it couldn’t do anything to change the sad and unsettling story that Indian tenni

Focus of attention: Ranbir Kapoor (left) with Alia Bhatt at the Mumbai Football Arena on January 8. A passionate football fan, Ranbir makes it a point to attend the team’s matches regularly and cheer for the players.

ISL notebook: Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt make the evening special for Mumbai City FC

Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt made it an evening to remember at the Mumbai Football Arena.

Action packed: Napoli’s Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen goes for a header against Sampdoria in the Italian Serie A at the Luigi-Ferraris Stadium in Genoa.

European leagues: Napoli bounces back, Real Madrid stumbles

Napoli, despite its defeat to Inter, bounced back with victories against Sampdoria and Juventus and is on top of the Serie A table.

A great start: Shivam Mavi (centre) celebrates during the first T20I against Sri Lanka in Mumbai. Mavi took four for 22 in his four overs.

Statsman: Shivam Mavi becomes third Indian bowler to take four wickets on T20I debut

Shivam Mavi joined an elite group of cricketers — Barinder Sran and Pragyan Ojha — when he picked up four wickets on his T20I debut against Sri Lanka

Rishabh Pant being shifted from Max Hospital in Dehradun on January 4 to be airlifted to Mumbai for further treatment. He is all set to miss the Test series against Australia in March and perhaps even the IPL.

Sunil Gavaskar: Rishabh Pant’s accident a wake-up call for speedsters on the road

Rishabh Pant’s accident drove home the point that it need not be your error that causes a calamity involving you on Indian roads.

Dejected: After the quarterfinal exit in the world Cup, Tite, the self-proclaimed humanist coach of Brazil stormed away, alone to the dressing room, his apparent act of cowardice prompted by the disintegration of his team — so balanced for so long but just not when it mattered most.

How can Brazil recreate the football glory days of yore

The 2022 World Cup was supposed to be Tite’s redemption and Brazil’s conquest of a sixth star, but rather Qatar proved a new disillusion.

Tayyab Ikram...“It has been a hectic time but I am happy with the things I have seen in the last two months.”

Hockey World Cup diary: FIH president lists his priorities

Tayyab Ikram knows the challenges he faces as hockey fights for relevance and popularity in a changing world.

Revolutionaries: England has profited spectacularly with its new approach to Test cricket. Here, captain Ben Stokes (left) and Brendon McCullum, who are at the vanguard of this change, celebrate winning the first Test in Rawalpindi of a three-Test series against Pakistan. England went on to become the first visiting team to Pakistan to win three matches in a series.

Cricket in 2022: The year of English renaissance and Kohli’s resurgence

In 2022, England dared to change the way Test matches are played. Success in red-ball and white-ball cricket made it a year to remember.

Numero Uno: Max Verstappen won the championship at a canter, finishing on top in 15 out of 22 races.

Motorsport in 2022: Verstappen prospers, Mercedes flops

In 2022, the two premier championships in motorsport witnessed sensational racing and hard-fought title battles. Here’s a look at some of the highligh

Can you hear me? The anticipation at the FIFA World Cup revolved around Messi, and for once, he didn’t disappoint, showing prowess, desire, creativity and even pugnacity to bring home the Cup for Argentina.

Football in 2022: Messi rediscovers his magic, Indian football returns from the dead

Lionel Messi leading Argentina to the FIFA World Cup title in his fifth and final appearance was the highlight of 2022. Messi may have struggled at ti

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