CAMPBELL ANSWERS TOOPI SOS
WHEN his mates ask for help, Preston Campbell has a hard time saying no.
So when Clinton Toopi, the new Helensvale Hornets Agrade coach, asked his former teammate Campbell to join the club at training, his answer was, “I’ll definitely be there to help them out”.
Toopi told the Bulletin earlier this month his pursuit
of Campbell was “no secret” but, with a smile, Campbell said his answer “got lost in communication”.
“I said, ‘I’ll come up and do some work with the boys, do some specialty stuff if you want, do some kicking with them and be part of drills’,” Campbell recalled. “I think to Clinton and some people at the club, that was me saying I would come and play football.” As Helensvale
prepares for a long-awaited foray into the Rugby League Gold Coast A-grade competition, Toopi said having someone of Campbell’s calibre would do wonders for the players.
Campbell said he would be happy to help out, just not on the field.
“Rugby league is a young man’s game. If I’m there playing football at 43 years old, I’m taking an opportunity
from a young person,” he said. “If I can help and develop and be part of that club, I’d like to be there, but there has to be a time when you pull up (from playing).”
As for Toopi, Campbell gave his former teammate his full support. “The thing with Toops is … it’s not just about the football. He really cares about people. He encourages and instils confidence,” Campbell said.
SPORT
NOVAK Djokovic will leave Melbourne Park with half of his bid for historical domination complete.
On March 8, the 32-yearold will end the great Roger Federer’s record of most weeks as world No.1 – a mark he’s likely to extend well into 2021.
Djokovic has won 17 grand slams, 81 singles titles and $145m in prizemoney, but he recently revealed the two carrots that could drive him to keep playing until the age of 40.
“I believe that I can win the most slams and break the record for (most weeks) at No.1. Those are definitely my clear goals,” Djokovic said in May.
As Djokovic was dismantling French veteran Jeremy Chardy in the opening round of this year’s tournament, Nick Kyrgios was asked who he thought was the greatest tennis player of all time.
His answer? Federer. “But Novak,” Kyrgios added,
“obviously, what he’s doing now ... look, I’m just watching him play Chardy and Chardy doesn’t even believe that he can win, and when you reach that status, you must be pretty good.”
Rafael Nadal missed a chance to close the 2160-point gap in the rankings when defeated by Stefanos Tsitsipas on Wednesday night.
However, Nadal, level with Federer on 20 grand slams, may hold one ace in the GOAT debate: the clay courts of
Roland Garros. Three years ago, former world No.1 Gustavo Kuerten forecast Nadal would win 15 French titles. Nadal has since won three. If Kuerten’s bold prediction comes true, Nadal would reach at least 22 grand slam titles, meaning Djokovic would need six more to tick off the last item on his grand slam bucketlist.
And “generation next” is finally looming as a serious threat to the Big Three, with Daniil Medvedev and Stefano Tsitsipas surging into the semifinals of this year’s Open. That might be why Djokovic, who turns 33 in May, feels the finish line is not in sight.
“I don’t believe in limits. I definitely want to go for a long time,” Djokovic said.
“I will not be able to play at this intensity, with this many tournaments, and this much travelling, for a long time.
“I might be playing at 40, but then there will probably be a focus on the biggest tournaments and the tournaments that mean the most to me.”