The Guardian (Charlottetown)

American Mattek-Sands injures knee at Wimbledon

- NASCAR

Wilbert, inducted into the P.E.I. Sports Hall of Fame in 2015, trained many a champion and quality athlete at the national, university and internatio­nal level before his death in October of last year.

Robin Enman from Lennox Island and Chris Townsend from Summerside coached Perry while he was at nationals in Calgary so Perry’s had topshelf support for which he said he’s thankful for all the coaches who’ve helped.

Perry is a mature tween, listens with both ears, runs drills like he’s competing and saves the smiles for after the fact.

He’s a good example of instinct and thought linked together.

It’s not unnoticed by Hardy, who’s worked with Perry for two years.

“He’s reserved and focused, (when he fights) he’s got a plan in his head and he’s very aware of his body,” said Hardy. “That’s his big plus.”

It’s obviously worked as Perry is set for a week-long stint next

A few days and a few replay reviews have given Chase Elliott a new perspectiv­e on last weekend’s crash at Daytona.

Now he believes there’s only one driver to fault.

“I’ll take the blame,” Elliott said Thursday at Indianapol­is Motor Speedway. “I don’t have an issue with it.”

That’s a stark contrast to Elliott’s profanity-laced tirade on the radio Saturday night. Back then, Elliott let his Hendricks Motorsport­s team know exactly who he thought was responsibl­e for the contact — Michael McDowell.

McDowell fired back Wednesday on Twitter.

i* XPOEFS JG !rDIBTFFMMJ­PUU watches the replays and realizes he wrecks himself,” McDowell wrote. “That is Twice now.”

On Thursday, during a trip to the 2.5-mile Brickyard, Elliott Mikey Perry is all smiles after winning the national under-16 judo gold at the nationals in April in Calgary, Alta.

month at the national training centre in Montreal. It means In this Saturday, July 1 photo, Chase Elliott slides through the grass off the backstretc­h after he was involved in a crash during the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Daytona Internatio­nal Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.

acknowledg­ed what was said Saturday night came in the heat of the race and time had helped him reach a different opinion one that may help him produce a better result at Kentucky this weekend.

It wasn’t the first time Elliott and McDowell have tangled this season. They also were involved

he’s on the Team Canada radar. Which is perfect for Perry’s

in a pit crash at Kansas in May. And, like many drivers, Elliott doesn’t have a problem with a little controvers­y.

“My assessment in regards to Daytona is that you’ve got to keep on moving down the road but I do appreciate all the sponsor plugs it’s gotten us,” he said.

Another up-and-comer, Kyle

ultimate goal.

“I want to get to the Olympics.”

Perry plans to attend the same tournament­s next season plus the Nova Scotia provincial­s and the Ontario Open, both missed because of injury. Larson, remains the points leader, but many believe the 21-year-old Elliott could be NASCAR’s next big thing.

Two years ago, he started five times for Rick Hendricks, prep work for replacing Jeff Gordon in the No. 24.

The plan worked perfectly. Elliott won two poles, finished 10th in points and was named NASCAR’s rookie of the year in 2016. This year, while Elliott has endured some obstacles, like Saturday’s mistake, he’s No. 6 in points.

Elliott was visiting Indy to visit with drivers during the Battle of the Brickyard, a quarter-midgets race on part of the track’s road course. It’s sanctioned by the U.S. Auto Club.

Though he never competed in quarter-midgets growing up, the son of former Cup champion Bill Elliott did get to drive go-karts at the track that will host the Brickyard 400 on July 23. The screams were startling. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, a 32-year-old American who came to Wimbledon eyeing a fourth consecutiv­e Grand Slam doubles title, fell to the grass when her right knee buckled as she moved toward the net in a second-round singles match Thursday.

She immediatel­y clutched her knee and, down on the turf, wailed loudly, imploring for someone to “Help me! Help me!”

Her opponent, Sorana Cirstea, immediatel­y climbed over the net to check on MattekSand­s, who after about 20 minutes was removed from Court 17 on a stretcher and taken to a hospital.

“Her knee was in a very weird position. I’ve never seen anything like this, probably, except in the movies. And, yeah, I panicked a little bit, as well,” Cirstea said. “Then I called for help, but no one was coming. Then tried to comfort her as much as I could. But, I mean, you could feel the pain.”

The extent of Mattek-Sands’ injury, which came in the third set’s opening game, was not immediatel­y known. But word quickly spread around the grounds, generating concern among players.

She’s popular on tour, known for her gregarious personalit­y, loud laugh and original fashion choices.

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