Axios Sports

June 12, 2023
👋 Happy Monday! Welcome back.
Today's word count: 1,657 words (6 minutes).
Let's sports...
1 big thing: 🎾 Novak stands alone


Novak Djokovic beat Casper Ruud, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 7-5, in Sunday's French Open final to win his record 23rd major men's singles title, breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal and moving three ahead of Roger Federer.
By the numbers: In January 2011, Federer had 16 major titles, Nadal had nine and Djokovic had one. 12 years later, the 36-year-old Serb stands alone, perhaps cementing himself as the GOAT.
- Djokovic (23 titles): Australian (10), Wimbledon (7), French (3), U.S. (3)
- Nadal (22 titles): French (14), U.S. (4), Wimbledon (2), Australian (2)
- Federer (20 titles): Wimbledon (8), Australian (6), U.S. (5), French (1)
The big picture: Djokovic's 23 Grand Slam titles ties him with Serena Williams for the second-most of any player. They trail only Margaret Court, who won 24 titles (though 13 came before the Open Era).

What they're saying: "The man who fell to clay earth, splayed there and gazed skyward early Sunday evening had journeyed so improbably across the past 12-plus years that it almost hadn't made any sense," writes WashPost's Chuck Culpepper.
Looking ahead: Djokovic is halfway to a calendar Grand Slam, which he barely missed in 2021. He's the clear favorite at Wimbledon and can compete in the U.S. Open after the Biden administration lifted its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for foreign air travelers last month.
Go deeper: Ranking Djokovic's 23 major titles (ESPN)
2. ⛳️ Stricker's streak
Photo: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
When Tiger Woods was at the height of his powers (2000-2001), he completed a then-record 52 consecutive rounds at even par or better. That record now belongs to Steve Stricker.
Driving the news: Stricker, 56, won this weekend's American Family Insurance Championship in his native Wisconsin and has now recorded 55 straight rounds at even par or better at PGA Tour-sanctioned events.
Between the lines: Stricker plays on the PGA Tour Champions (formerly known as the Senior PGA Tour), which is open to golfers age 50 or over.
- Stricker was quite good on the PGA Tour, winning 12 times and peaking at No. 2 in the world in 2009. Since joining the PGA Champions in 2018, he's been an absolute force, winning 15 times already.
- Since recovering from an illness last year, the Illinois grad has won four of the 13 events he's entered, finished outside the top five just once and finished outside the top two just four times.
What he's saying: “I think I'm more consistent now than [on the PGA Tour],” Stricker said Sunday, while acknowledging that the courses are easier.
- "I read some social media stuff that … I shouldn't have that record over Tiger, and I kind of agree, really. Two different tours. Two different styles of golf courses. ... Much harder out on the PGA Tour than it is here."
- Yes, but: "You still have to do it," added Stricker, whose wife, Nicki, caddied for him all week. "Otherwise there would have been somebody else on this tour breaking that record before, too."
State of play: The last time Stricker played an over-par round of golf was nearly a year ago, when he shot a one-over 73 in the third round of the U.S. Senior Open at Saucon Valley (Bethlehem, Pa.) on June 26, 2022.
His 55 consecutive rounds of par or better since then…
June/July 2022
- 65 (-6)
- 70 (even)
- 65 (-5)
- 68 (-2)
- 68 (-2)
August 2022
- 68 (-4)
- 72 (even)
- 72 (even)
- 70 (-2)
- 64 (-8)
- 67 (-5)
September/October 2022
- 67 (-4)
- 65 (-6)
- 69 (-2)
- 68 (-2)
- 64 (-6)
- 64 (-6)
- 69 (-3)
- 64 (-8)
- 69 (-3)
January/February 2023
- 68 (-4)
- 60 (-12)
- 65 (-7)
- 67 (-5)
- 69 (-3)
- 66 (-6)
March/April 2023
- 70 (-2)
- 66 (-6)
- 71 (-1)
- 66 (-5)
- 68 (-3)
- 67 (-4)
- 69 (-3)
- 68 (-4)
- 69 (-3)
- 68 (-4)
- 72 (even)
- 65 (-7)
May 2023
- 70 (-2)
- 67 (-5)
- 68 (-4)
- 68 (-4)
- 68 (-4)
- 64 (-8)
- 65 (-7)
- 70 (-2)
- 67 (-5)
- 64 (-8)
- 69 (-3)
June 2023
- 64 (-8)
- 68 (-4)
- 68 (-4)
- 65 (-7)
- 64 (-8)
- 69 (-3)
💭 My thought bubble: This is truly remarkable, regardless of how much easier the PGA Champions courses are than the PGA Tour courses. 55 straight rounds! 55!!! Anybody who has played golf knows how utterly insane that level of consistency is. Hard to even fathom.
3. ⚽️ Women's World Cup: Prize money way up
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Last year, a global group of women's soccer players petitioned FIFA for more guaranteed prize money at the Women's World Cup. Their call has been answered, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes.
Driving the news: FIFA has announced its payment structure for the upcoming Women's World Cup, and the changes are significant.
- Every player is guaranteed a minimum of $30,000 and can earn up to $270,000. Plus, the total prize pool for teams and players is now $110 million, up from $30 million four years ago.
- For context: The average annual salary globally for women's professional soccer players is just $14,000, according to FIFA.
Why it matters: There was no guarantee in past Women's World Cups that players would see a single dollar. Now, players are guaranteed to earn at least 30%, and up to 60%, of their nation's prize money.
How it works: In the past, FIFA gave each team a lump sum based on where they finished, and national federations distributed that money how they saw fit. Now, there are two separate payouts: one for players, one for federations.
- Player payouts: $30,000 (group stage), $60,000 (round of 16), $90,000 (quarterfinal), $165,000 (fourth place), $180,000 (third), $195,000 (second), $270,000 (champions).
- Federation payouts: $1.56M (group stage), $1.87M (round of 16), $2.18M (quarterfinal), $2.46M (fourth place), $2.61M (third), $3.02M (second), $4.29M (champions).
The big picture: Add it all up, and this summer's champions will receive a total of $10.5 million, up from $4 million in 2019.
Looking ahead: Over 1 million tickets have already been sold for the 2023 Women's World Cup, which kicks off in Australia and New Zealand on July 20 — 38 days from now.
4. ⚡️ Lightning round
Photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
⏱️ World record smashed: Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen ran the fastest two miles in history at Friday's Diamond League meet in Paris. His time of 7:54.10 shattered the previous record of 7:58.61, which had stood for 25 years.
⚾️ Six tickets punched: No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 2 Florida, No. 5 LSU, No. 7 Virginia, Oral Roberts and TCU advanced to the College World Series over the weekend. The final two tickets will be punched today.
🏀 Raised to the rafters: The Storm hung Sue Bird's No. 10 jersey in the rafters on Sunday in an emotional ceremony. A similar scene took place in Minneapolis, where the Lynx retired Sylvia Fowles' No. 34 jersey.
⚾️ Took one for the team: John Sterling, the Yankees' legendary play-by-play voice, took a foul ball to the head on Saturday. Fortunately, the 84-year-old was okay and returned to the booth on Sunday.
5. ⚾️ Don't let the A's get hot...


The 17-50 Athletics — on pace to be one of the worst teams in MLB history — have the longest winning streak in baseball (five straight). I love this weird, beautiful sport so much.
In related news ... The 40-25 Diamondbacks, also winners of five straight, are tied for the best record in the National League on June 11. Didn't have that one on my 2023 bingo card!
6. 🇺🇸 Photos across America

ELMONT, N.Y. — Arcangelo won the 155th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, making Jena Antonucci the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race, a series that spans more than a century.

SUNRISE, Fla. — Vegas took Game 4 on Saturday to inch closer to a title. It doesn't look great for Florida — only one team has come back from a 3-1 hole in the Stanley Cup Final, and that was 80 years ago (1942 Maple Leafs).

MIAMI — MMA star Conor McGregor sent Heat mascot Burnie to the emergency room in a bit gone wrong during halftime of Game 4. But don't fret: Burnie will be ready for a potential Game 6.
7. 🌍 Photos around the world

PARIS — Iga Świątek, 22, won her third French Open title on Saturday, becoming the youngest woman to win four Grand Slams since 20-year-old Serena Williams in 2002. Let the tears flow, legend.

LE MANS, France — LeBron James served as the honorary starter for the 100th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which saw Ferrari dethrone five-time reigning champ Toyota and notch its first victory in 58 years.

VANCOUVER — Amanda Nunes, one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, retired on Saturday night after beating Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in one of her most dominant performances in years.
8. 📺 Watchlist: Game 5 in Denver
Mark Jackson (L), Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Breen. Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
The Nuggets (up 3-1) host the Heat tonight (8:30pm ET, ABC) in Game 5 of the NBA Finals with a chance to win their first championship.
- Fun fact: Tonight will be the 100th NBA Finals broadcast for ESPN's Mike Breen, the most of any announcer. Congrats to Mr. "Bang!"
- By the numbers: The Nuggets are 9-1 in their last 10 games, averaging 114.4 points per game. The Heat are 4-6, averaging 103.4 points.
More to watch:
- ⚾️ Super regionals: Southern Miss vs. Tennessee (6pm, ESPN2); Texas vs. No. 8 Stanford (8pm, ESPN)… Winners advance to the College World Series.
- ⚾️ MLB: Eight games (6:40pm) … Light day across baseball, with roughly half the league enjoying the day off.
- ⚽️ Soccer: Germany vs. Ukraine (12pm, FS2/Fox Sports app) … Friendly in Bremen, Germany, that will raise funds to support the defense of Ukraine.
9. ⚾️ MLB trivia
Photo: Justin Berl/Getty Images
Andrew McCutchen recorded his 2,000th career hit on Sunday, the fifth active player to reach that milestone.
- Question: Who are the other four?
- Hint: Two are Venezuelan, one is Dominican, one is Canadian.
Answer at the bottom.
10. 🍿 Top plays: Weekend edition
Photo: Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
Nick Taylor sunk a 72-foot eagle putt to beat Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff and become the first Canadian since 1954 to win the Canadian Open. Sports!!!
Talk tomorrow,
Kendall "Click this link, just trust me" Baker
Trivia answer: Miguel Cabrera (3,111 hits), Joey Votto (2,093), Nelson Cruz (2,043), Elvis Andrus (2,027)
🙏 Thanks for reading! Follow us for more (@kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy). Friends can sign up here. Thanks to Matt Piper for copy edits.
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