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Paul Annacone , former coach of Roger Federer , believes Carlos Alcaraz lost some of his joy after his loss in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics. The 21-year-old Spaniard is already seen as one of the top players in men’s tennis, alongside stars like Italy’s Jannik Sinner . Alcaraz had a remarkable 2024 season, winning two of the four Grand Slam titles for the first time in his career. He claimed the French Open by defeating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in a thrilling five-set final. He then defended his Wimbledon title, beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6. You have to find what motivates you and stick with it. And I think Carlos Alcaraz is a joyful player. I think this year he lost a little bit of that joy, for a multitude of reasons. I think one of his greatest accomplishments was one of the biggest obstacles he had to overcome this year, which was getting ‘only’ a silver medal. That’s a great accomplishment, but I think it broke his heart a little bit at the Olympics, and I think it messed him up a little bit for the rest of the summer. Despite his strong start, Alcaraz struggled in the second half of the season. His form became inconsistent, and he ended the year with a disappointing performance at the ATP Finals. There, he failed to reach the semifinals after losing two of his three group-stage matches. In the second half of the season, Alcaraz only won one title, which was at the China Open. The Spaniard beat Sinner in three high-quality sets in the final to secure his fourth title of the season. However, despite the two Grand Slams and an Olympic medal , he wasn’t able to secure a top 2 finish in the ATP rankings. Former American tennis player makes bold prediction about Carlos Alcaraz in 2025 Former tennis player Sam Querrey recently shared his thoughts on Carlos Alcaraz ’s 2024 season during the Nothing Major Podcast. He found it surprising that the four-time major champion ended the year outside the top two, despite winning two Grand Slam titles. Querrey praised the 21-year-old for already having four Grand Slam victories and expressed confidence that Alcaraz would continue to add to that tally in the coming years. This might sound crazy but I am selling a bit of my Alcaraz stock. I have lost a little faith in him, he has thrown in some bad losses. I can see him ending next year at like five in the world. Not like two or three, five! Alcaraz had a strong season overall, with notable wins at the French Open and Wimbledon. These achievements showcased his skill and solidified his status as one of the best players on the ATP Tour. However, inconsistency in the latter part of the year hurt his rankings and momentum. The Spaniard finished third in the year-end rankings, behind Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev . At the ATP Finals in Turin, he managed a win against Andrey Rublev but suffered losses to Zverev and Casper Ruud , resulting in an early exit. Meanwhile, Sinner claimed the title and cemented his position as the world No. 1. Querrey noted that Alcaraz faces a tough challenge ahead, with Sinner showing no signs of slowing down. While the Spaniard has already accomplished a lot at a young age, staying competitive in a field that includes rising stars like Sinner will require even greater consistency and focus in 2025. This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

MUNICH (AP) — Harry Kane is the quickest player to score 50 goals in the Bundesliga after scoring a hat trick on his 43rd appearance on Friday. Kane’s three goals – including two penalties – gave Bayern a 3-0 win over Augsburg , stretching the Bavarian powerhouse’s lead to eight points ahead of the rest of the 11th round. Kane scored 36 goals in 32 league appearances last season, his first for Bayern after joining from Tottenham. It was also the first season since 2012 that Bayern failed to win the title, as Bayer Leverkusen went undefeated to snap Bayern's winning run. As well as 14 league goals this season, Kane has scored five in the Champions League and one in the German Cup. Against Augsburg, he had to be patient as Augsburg goalkeeper Nediljko Labrović and his defenders stood firm. “It was somehow typical Harry Kane,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said. “It was close in the first half, close, close, close, and then it happens, I think three goals in 15 minutes. Of course, he can do that. But for such a player, I have to say, he had a lot of chances that he could maybe make more of. Then, in an instant, everything is perfect and he can score many goals.” AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerHyderabad: The Kalapather police arrested a couple who had stolen valuables and cash from a house at Ramanathapura under Kalapather police station limits. The arrested persons are identified as Zakiya Sultana, 46 years old and Mohd Abdul Saleem, 47 years old, both residents of Mailardevpally. ACP Falaknuma, Mohd Jaweed said on December 14, Sultana and Saleem came to Kalapather and observed the gate of a house open. Sultana went outside the house and on noticing no one was around in the building went inside, Saleem, went away and stood at a distance watching the movement of people. “Sultana went into a room in the house and opened the cupboard. She gave away gold ornaments that included bangles, necklace and gold chains and escaped,” said ACP Jaweed. The theft came to light later and the family lodged a complaint with Kalapather police. The crime team under the supervision of Kalapather Inspector Mohd Asif collected footage of the closed circuit and after examination identified the woman. The police arrested Sultana and Saleem. The property was recovered from them. They are previously involved in eight cases in Bhavaninagar, Madannapet, Santoshnagar and Kamatipura police station limits.

BEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents' stunning march across Syria accelerated Saturday with news that they had reached the suburbs of the capital and that government forces had withdrawn from the central city of Homs. The government was forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The loss of Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Assad. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base. The pro-government Sham FM reported that government forces took positions outside Syria’s third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies have withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels have entered parts of it. The capture of Homs is a major victory for insurgents, who have already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama , as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said Homs falling into rebel hands would be a game-changer. The rebels' moves around Damascus, reported by the monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad's government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. For the first time in the country's long-running civil war, the government now has control of only three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus. The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad's chief international backer, said he feels “sorry for the Syrian people.” In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria's border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.” It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution. Assad's status Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he is performing his duties in Damascus. He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine . Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad's forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015, and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria. No details were immediately available. The insurgents' march Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a “salvation government” to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama , the country’s fourth largest city. Opposition activists said Saturday that a day earlier, insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra including the main Baath City, activists said. Syrian Observatory said government troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces. The Syrian army said in a statement that it carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by “terrorists." The army said it was setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area,” apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011. Diplomacy in Doha The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels. Qatar's top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there is a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity.” He said the war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to start a political process. ____ Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria and Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed to this report. Bassem Mroue And Zeina Karam, The Associated Press

'Favorite event': Veterans salute senior neighbors around Aiken CountyOlga Evtushkova SNOW's Rally Has Been Overly Fast & Furious - Expensive Valuations Offer Minimal Margin Of Safety We previously covered Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW ) in October 2024, discussing the stock's ongoing meltdown, attributed to the decelerating topline growth trend and Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of NVDA, TSM either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. The analysis is provided exclusively for informational purposes and should not be considered professional investment advice. Before investing, please conduct personal in-depth research and utmost due diligence, as there are many risks associated with the trade, including capital loss. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.