The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>John Raoux/Associated Press After losing out on the starting job, Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts is reportedly planning on redshirting this season, according to Aaron Suttles of the Athletic (via Pat Smith of the The Paul Finebaum Show). He will reportedly only avoid a redshirt if Tua Tagovailoa is injured this year. While head coach Nick Saban had been secretive about the quarterback battle throughout the summer, Tagovailoa started for the Crimson Tide in Week 1 against Louisville and has been announced as the Week 2 starter, via Alex Scarborough of ESPN. "Everybody knows that Tua's gonna start and we're gonna use Jalen's skill set in the future," Saban said this week. Hurts finished 5-of-9 for 70 passing yards plus nine rushing yards on three carries against Louisville. While it's clear the coaching staff would want him active all season, redshirting could allow him to play a bigger role in the future. Thanks to recent rule changes by the NCAA, players are allowed to appear in up to four games during the regular season without burning a redshirt. This could allow the junior to play three more games while still maintaining a year of eligibility. Video Play Button Videos you might like The quarterback had been Alabama's starter for the past two seasons before being benched for Tagovailoa in last season's national championship game. Fans still continue to support the now-backup quarterback, however, displaying positive signs before Saturday's game against Arkansas State: There was speculation before the season that Hurts would transfer if he lost the starting job, something he vehemently denied. Unfortunately, Tagovailoa is only a sophomore, so he could be around for the duration of Hurts' college career even with a redshirt season.<doc-sep>Sometime Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Jalen Hurts will play in his fourth Alabama football game of the 2018 season. Before he reaches that redshirt threshold, he is due an apology. Alabama football fans, allow me to be clear. In the title of this post, “we” is used and it is not meant to apply to all Alabama football fans. The “we” does not even apply to everyone affiliated with Bama Hammer. Instead of “we” I should have said, “I owe Jalen an apology.” It matters not that Jalen does not know me. Nor does it matter my previous posts about the high probability of a redshirt for Jalen did not chastise him for such a decision. I became convinced a redshirt year, protecting two-years of eligibility, was in Jalen’s best interest. Like several others who report on Alabama football, I believed a few credible insiders who stated a redshirt decision had been made. I was wrong to presume I knew what was in Jalen’s best interest. I was wrong to assume I understood his priorities. That there was ample indication Jalen would make such a choice is no excuse. Though he is not likely to ever read this, I must say – Jalen I am sorry. Please accept my apology. There is now zero indication from anyone, particularly Nick Saban, that Jalen came close to a redshirt decision. Except for a few short minutes of public frustration during fall camp, Jalen has said nothing publicly. He is to be commended for such restraint. The apparent bond he and Tua have cannot go unrecognized. With each passing day, it becomes more clear Jalen values a commitment to his teammates. In what has to have been a struggle for him, he has continued to toil away. Against Ole Miss, the continued development of Jalen as a passer was evident. Alabama football fans should be thankful for his toughness and determination. Sometime Saturday, when he enters the Texas A&M game, I expect he will be glad to get that fourth game behind him. All of us should not wait another week until he plays in the Louisana-Lafayette game to fully thank him. We should thank him and not because he may be needed to take over for an injured Tua at some point. We should thank him for sticking, in a situation where many walk away. For the record, here are the earlier posts I wrote about Jalen and a redshirt. What follows a Jalen redshirt decision Why Jalen should sit against ASU I am happy to have been wrong. Alabama football fans need no reminder of the microscope Crimson Tide quarterbacks live under. We are fortunate to have such fine young men on the roster.<doc-sep>
Four games into Alabama's terrific start this season, junior quarterback Jalen Hurts has apparently made his decision on whether he'll redshirt or stay put as the Crimson Tide's primary backup, CBS Sports analyst Gary Danielson says. Danielson shared his opinion on Hurts' future after he checked into Saturday's win over Texas A&M and played in the second half, meaning the next time he trots on the field will burn any possibility at a redshirt season under the NCAA's new rule. “I actually think the die was cast in Game 2,” Danielson said during Hurts’ first appearance on the live broadcast. “Nick looked at Jalen Hurts and said, ‘I’ve got to get a backup quarterback ready and I want it to be you.’ And he needed him to be all-in. Jalen Hurts gets about half the snaps in practice. I’ve been watching Thursdays practices (at Alabama) for 10 years. Starters usually get 75 percent (of the snaps) and now they split it a lot differently. "The other factor is he wants to be an NFL quarterback, I think his thinking is, ‘I’m going to spend a year here getting good coaching from Dan Enos and Mike Locksley and throw to these great receivers and be a part of this wide open offense. If I redshirt, I learn nothing this year. But if I go somewhere else, are they going to make me a running QB? I don’t want to run. I know I can run.’ It’s an interesting dilemma for him and he decided on Alabama.” CBS Sports co-analyst Brad Nessler agreed with Danielson's take and alluded to the fact that maybe Hurts wanted to play with elite players around him, rather than try his hand elsewhere with unknown personnel over the next two years (if he transfers after the season as a graduate). Alabama coach Nick Saban was asked about his quarterback play after the game and like he's done throughout offseason and first four weeks, backed Hurts and his essential role to the Crimson Tide's success. "We have a tremendous amount of respect for (Jalen Hurts) and what he’s done to contribute to the program and our team," Saban said. "And I think our players respect him. But I think the players also know that Tua is playing very, very well and deserves the opportunity to play." Hurts went 3-for-3 with 28 yards passing against the Aggies in relief of Tua Tagovailoa, who posted a brilliant 387-yard, four-touchdown outing. Saban tempered his excitement with regards to Alabama's unstoppable offense after Tagovailoa's big afternoon. "I think that the diversity and the number of playmakers this team has certainly ranks it up there with one of the best,” Saban said. “We knew this was the kind of team that we were going to have ... Now, we may throw it as well as anybody that we’ve ever had, but that’s not all there is to it.”