Peter Lundgren coached Roger Federer between 2000 and 2003
The famous tennis coach Peter Lundgren died at 59, with his children announcing the news. Peter was Roger Federer’s coach between 2000 and 2003, leading the future world no. 1 to his first Major title at Wimbledon 2003. After Roger, Peter coached Marat Safin, Marcos Baghdatis, Grigor Dimitrov and Stan Wawrinka.
Lundgren lost his left foot due to an infection in October last year and could not leave for another year, leaving the world of tennis in deep sadness. The Swede competed between 1983 and 1995, winning three ATP titles from six finals and becoming world no.
25 at 20 in 1985. After his career as a player, Lundgren worked with Marcelo Rios before embracing a job at the Swiss Tennis Federation, taking care of the promising juniors. Roger Federer was among them, and they started their solo journey in 2000.
Roger’s first ATP title came in Milan in February 2001, backed by back-to-back Major quarter-finals in Paris and London.
The young gun stunned Pete Sampras at Wimbledon and wrapped up the year in the top-15. Federer spoke about Lundgren at the US Open that year, praising his coach and his role in making him more relaxed on the court. Roger and Peter forged a strong friendship on and off the court, translating that into notable results.
The Swiss conquered Sydney, Hamburg and Vienna, lifting his first Masters 1000 trophy and embracing his first Masters Cup.
Roger wrapped up the year in the top-10 and prepared for an even better run in 2003. Federer collected 78 ATP wins in his final season with Lundgren as his coach, winning seven ATP titles and finishing second on the year-end ranking list behind Andy Roddick.
Roger conquered Marseille, Dubai and Munich in the opening four months of the season before losing the Rome Masters final. The Swiss excelled his game to a higher level during the grass season, lifting the trophy in Halle and embracing his first Major crown at Wimbledon.
Federer wrapped up the year with the Masters Cup title in Houston, playing his last tournament with Lundgren as his coach.
Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian have been married for seven years next month, but their relationship began with an interesting first date.
Serena Williams and husband Alexis Ohanian have been together since September 2017 (Image: GETTY)
Serena Williams and her entourage “interrogated” her Reddit co-founder husband Alexis Ohanian during their first date.
Williams and Ohanian have been married for seven years. The pair welcomed their first child, daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., in September 2017 before adding their second daughter Adira River in August 2023.
In the latest installment of her ESPN+ docu-series, “In The Arena,” Williams revealed she brought her current agent Jill Smoller, and her assistant at the time to her first date with Ohanian. The Reddit co-founder recalled how the group fiercely interviewed him, and he appeared to pass the test.
“Serena, her assistant, her agent, and then me on the other side of the table, and they just bombarded me with questions,” Ohanian recalled.
“It was like two hours of interrogation and questions. Do I have kids, am I married? Nothing was off limits.”
Williams and Ohanian now have two children together, including eldest Alexis Olympia (Image: GETTY)
“I totally tried to get the book on him right away,” said Smoller, who also appeared in the episode. Williams recollected Smoller’s intensity as she quizzed Ohanian on his dating history
“Jill asked him straight up like, ‘What’s up with your girlfriend?’ and he’s like, ‘I don’t have a girlfriend,’” Williams said. “He was saying that he had broken up with her. It changed things when he said that because I was like, ok, now he’s not being this beast.”
Ohanian even showed the original text exchange between the couple. He texted: “Look, let me take you out to dinner.”
Williams’ reply read: “Okay, but I’m gonna bring my agent and my assistant.”
In the interesting docu-series, Williams shares a personal account of her most meaningful Grand Slam appearances and milestones on and off the court. The seventh episode highlights when they first met during the 2015 Italian Open, their engagement in January 2017, and the Australian Open that month.
Williams went on to win her 23rd Grand Slam while pregnant at the Australian Open. The 42-year-old called time on her career following the US Open in 2022.
Novak Djokovic has endured a difficult year on and off the court and it has been revealed that he has been dethroned as the highest-earning player in the sport.
Novak Djokovic has been overtaken as tennis’ top earner (Image: (Image: Getty))
Carlos Alcaraz has surpassed Novak Djokovic in the tennis wealth rankings. Despite a challenging year, Djokovic managed to secure his first Olympic gold medal.
However, his absence from the Grand Slam winners’ circle this year has allowed Alcaraz to overtake him. The young Spaniard became the highest-earning tennis player this year, raking in a whopping $42.3m.
Last year, Djokovic led the financial leaderboard, earning $5.1m more than Alcaraz. While attention is often given to those with the largest bank balances, it may come as a surprise that women’s tennis sensation Coco Gauff secured the No.3 spot on the list, surpassing Rafael Nadal and Jannik Sinner.
Forbes reports that Alcaraz dominated this year, amassing an impressive $42.3million. His on-court earnings amounted to a remarkable $10.3m, while his off-court earnings contributed an additional $32m to his balance – quite the achievement for a 21-year-old.
Carlos Alcaraz has emerged as tennis’ next superstar (Image: Getty)
Meanwhile, Djokovic found himself playing second fiddle to this year’s French Open and Wimbledon champion, earning $37.2m. Although Djokovic’s on-court earnings of $12.2m slightly exceeded those of Alcaraz, his off-court earnings were significantly lower at $25, leaving him trailing his new rival
Despite Alcaraz’s superior campaign to the Serbian, these figures may not come as a surprise to many. However, it may shock tennis enthusiasts to learn that Gauff was the sport’s third-highest earner.
The American netted an impressive $27.1m this year. This sum includes $7.1m from on-court winnings and an additional $20m from off-court earnings.
Reigning U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff also earned huge money (Image: Getty)
Gauff has risen as one of the most skilled and marketable stars in tennis. Her stock began to climb in 2023 when she made her mark by clinching the US Open title.
She maintains 11 long-term partnerships with brands such as hair care company Carol’s Daughter, Naked Brand Juices, Fanatics, and fashion collection companies like American Eagle. Her popularity also led her to serve as the USA’s flag-bearer alongside LeBron James.
Currently, Gauff ranks as the World No. 3 in singles and the World No.15 in doubles. Given her recent performances and the financial power she’s starting to amass off the court, her ranking is expected to rise.
Her earnings this year surpassed rivals Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, and world No 1 Iga Swiatek, who all made the top-10 list, but also outpaced male players Nadal, Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Casper Ruud.
Following the top three, Swiatek ranked fourth with earnings of $26.7M (£20m), Sinner was fifth with $26.6M (£20m), Nadal came in sixth with a cool $23.3M (£17.6m), Medvedev was seventh with $20.3M (£15.3m), Osaka eighth with $14.6M (£11m), Ruud ninth with $13.9M (£10.5m) and Sabalenka rounded out the top ten with $13.7M (£10.4m).
Chris Evert isn’t so high on Naomi Osaka’s US Open chances as the American tennis legend thinks the Japanese may be “too happy,” which can lead to relaxation and losing the required intensity and fierceness.
The 2024 season has been one of the most specific seasons of Osaka’s career since this is her first year of playing as a mother but also the year in which she is battling to rediscover her old game. But while Osaka has looked happy throughout the year, she is just 18-15 this year and hasn’t yet come anywhere near the results she would prefer to have – she hasn’t yet made it past the quarterfinal stage since launching her post-pregnancy comeback.
And failing to make a really great result may have impacted Osaka lately as she is just 3-5 in the last two months and she even lost to Ashlyn Krueger in the Cincinnati qualifying final round in her last match played.
At the US Open, Osaka is a two-time champion and that’s where she became a Grand Slam champion in 2018. But she is not in good form at the moment and drawing fellow Slam champ and world No. 10 Jelena Ostapenko in the US Open first round didn’t help either.
Evert on Osaka: Being too happy can’t always be good
Shortly after winning her fourth Grand Slam title at the 2021 Australian Open, it looked like something started changing with Osaka. And after ditching press conferences at the 2021 French Open before abruptly withdrawing from the tournament, the former world No. 1 revealed she was battling depression and anxiety.
After the revelation, Osaka was out of action for two months to address her mental health. After returning, the Japanese appeared in just three tournaments before shutting down her season after the US Open that year.
Since then, a lot has changed for the better as Osaka has often credited becoming a mother for her changed perspective. But while Osaka now seems much happier in her life and is not thinking about retiring anymore, titles aren’t coming yet.
Osaka was negatively impacted by the Cincinnati qualifying loss
After Krueger beat Osaka 6-3 2-6 6-3 in what was the Japanese’s first qualifying appearance since 2018, the four-time Grand Slam champion said she “don’t feel like I’m in body” and suggested that she was struggling with her feel and touch on the court.
“I’ve been trying to figure out how I feel for the past several hours. In a weird way I’ve come to appreciate losses, you don’t play tennis for 20+ years without your fair share of them. You learn from a loss and then eagerly await your next opportunity to put what you learned to test,” Osaka wrote in a message posted on her Instagram.
“My biggest issue currently isn’t losses though, my biggest issue is that I don’t feel like I’m in my body. It’s a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn’t miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to. I try and tell myself ‘it’s fine you’re doing great, just get through this one and keep pushing’, mentally it’s really draining though.Internally I hear myself screaming ‘what the hell is happening?!?!’
“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve played a handful of matches this year that I felt like I was myself and I know this moment is probably just a small phase from all the new transitions (clay, grass, clay, hard etc), however the only feeling I could liken how I feel right now to is being postpartum.
“That scares because I’ve been playing tennis since I was 3, the tennis racquet should feel like an extension of my hand. I don’t understand why everything has to feel almost brand new again. This should be as simple as breathing to me but it’s not and I genuinely did not give myself grace for that fact until just now.”
If Osaka can start her US Open campaign by beating Ostapenko, it could potentially set her up for a really positive run.
The former world number 1 wants to claim his 25th Grand Slam title, but it won’t be easy to win at Flushing Meadows. The Serbian champion has not played a tournament on the hard court since the Indian Wells Masters 1000 and took a rest period after winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
Winning the gold medal in Paris, the 37-year-old from Belgrade completed the puzzle and realized one of his greatest dreams. Novak has not yet won a Major this year and was defeated by young Spaniard champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Nole is considered the second favourite of bookmakers behind Carlitos Alcaraz but ahead of Jannik Sinner, who has had some physical problems recently and was shocked by the doping case (in which he was found innocent by ITIA).
During the latest edition of the AO Show’s The Sit-Down podcast, former ATP ace Michael Chang paid tribute to Nole: “I’m not sure Novak’s going to stop yet, actually. Actually I don’t think he’s going to ever stop. What he’s done is just absolutely incredible. We’ve had this generation of players; Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal is winding his career down, Andy just retired, Serena retired not that long ago. I mean, you’ve got these incredible players.
And thankfully, we’ve got great young talent that are able to take their place, and they’re doing a great job. I mean, how can you not enjoy watching Alcaraz out there? He’s winning, but he’s smiling at the same time. Jannik Sinner is just an incredible talent, very humble, and has got all the different kinds of shots. So how do you not enjoy watching this new generation kind of grow and mature and really start to take their place?”
Nole is very relaxed
Recently, Djokovic has confessed that he would like to continue playing for many more years and that he would also like to participate in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Before the start of the 2024 US Open, some tennis players – including Nole Djokovic, Elena Rybakina, Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Madison Keys, Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz had fun playing pickleball in front of American legend John McEnroe.
The Serbian champion has also been playing with former Argentine player Juan Martin del Potro on the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Argentine – who won the US Open in 2009 – said he was moved when Nole won the gold medal in Paris: “Djokovic moved me on the day of the final, when he won the gold medal. It was the first time I cried for a tennis match. I have a very close relationship with him, I was very moved because I knew how badly he wanted to win that gold medal. Before the tournament started, I remember he made a video passing in front of the medals, begging to win it. He completed the puzzle.”
Hardly anyone thought that the Serbian legend would be able to beat Alcaraz in the final of the Paris Olympics, especially after the result of the Wimbledon Championships. Novak has shown exceptional mental strength, which makes him one of the best athletes ever.
After the Olympic final, Carlitos paid tribute to the Big 3: “There is one detail that defines them, it is how hard they work. People believing when you are on top of any sport, it is [due to] talents and skills. But what would define (them) is they work harder than the other ones, they prepare better than the other ones. They are the best. They are never satisfied, and how they accept the defeats, and how they accept during the games that they are playing bad. I think they can because they work harder than the other ones.”
Another tennis player, former world number 355, tested positive like the young Italian: also in this case an ITIA trial immediately declared him innocent
The issue about the positivity to Clostebol that involved Jannik Sinner – later found innocent by the independent court – was certainly one of the most controversial situations of the season.
A situation that inevitably sparked a discussion on those who maintain the innocence and absolute extraneousness to the facts of the Italian player and those who, instead, maintain that Jannik should have been banned.
The situation – as a whole – is very complicated to analyze on very different cases that involve other types of doping substances, without considering the infinitesimal quantity (less than a billionth of a gram) actually found in the Italian’s body. However, there is a case that can actually be compared to that of the 23-year-old Italian and the reason is linked to the same substance to which the player tested positive after the test.
It is Marco Bortolotti, an Italian former number 355 in the world and in the top-100 in the doubles ranking, who this year discovered that he had come into contact with Clostebol. The story was followed and explained in detail by Riccardo Bisti on Tennis Magazine Italia, who summarized the chronology of the facts and what happened.
The positivity was found at the ATP Challenger in Lisbon in October 2023 but the Italian was informed of the matter on January 30, 2024. He refused the counter-analysis and on February 1 he provided his explanation as to why Clostebol had entered his body.
The ITIA verified his version, deemed scientifically credible and plausible, and on February 7 closed the case (the provisional suspension would have started on the 13th). Therefore, Bortolotti was able to continue playing on the Tour without problems, even if in this case there are several little-known details, such as the tennis player’s explanation which was obscured, probably due to private information that could not be disclosed.
The Argentine tennis player said he cried after the Serb won the gold medal in Paris
In tennis, there are champions who manage to gain appreciation from each other thanks to their undisputed human qualities: this is the case of Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro, who have always had an excellent friendship. And the two players also had a training session together in New York, where the US Open will start on Monday.
There was also a nice conversation between the two. Delpo asked Nole if his greatest achievement was winning an Olympic gold medal. Djokovic responded by saying – laughing – that his greatest achievement was beating Juan Martin in the final of the 2018 US Open.
“My greatest achievement was beating you in Rio de Janeiro 2016,” reveals Delpo.
But Del Potro’s response later surprised everyone. Juan Martin followed with particular emotion what happened at the last Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
“Djokovic moved me the day of the final, when he won the gold medal. I cried when he won the gold. I have a very close relationship with him, I was very emotional because I knew how much he wanted to win that gold medal. Before starting the tournament, I remember he made a video passing in front of the medals, begging to win it. He finished the job,” said Del Potro.
Now it’s time for Novak Djokovic to think about the US Open: in New York the Serbian will face the defense of the title he won in 2023.
Djokovic while practicing with Juan Martin del Potro at the US Open
“Was winning the gold medal your greatest achievement?”
Novak: “My greatest success ever was beating Juan Martin del Potro in the final of US Open in 2018.” 😂
Juan: “My biggest success was beating you in… pic.twitter.com/OKMBEaqLJm
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 21, 2024
Novak Djokovic has dominated the ATP ranking list since 2011, achieving 428 no. 1 weeks and eight year-end no. 1 finishes. No one has come close to Djokovic’s numbers, and the Serb has many other ranking achievements. The latest came this week, as Novak notched his 597th week in the top-2, leaving his great rival Rafael Nadal on 596 and standing alone at the top.
Carlos Alcaraz could have kept two legends tight, as he would have passed Djokovic and entered the top-2 with the quarter-final in Cincinnati. However, the young Spaniard suffered an early loss and kept the Serb in the elite company, allowing him to achieve the record that will take some beating in the future.
At 37 years and three months, Djokovic is still among the world’s best competitors, standing as the second-oldest top-2 player after Ken Rosewall. Novak showed his full potential in 2007, lifting his first Masters 1000 trophies and playing in a Major final, becoming Roger Federer’s and Rafael Nadal’s closest rival.
The Serb had a couple of chances to split the legends and crack the top-2 in the upcoming years. However, he could not make that step in February 2010, adding his name to the list of top-2 players at 22.
Djokovic had three stints in the top-2 that year before finishing as the year-end no. 3 ahead of his brilliant run in 2011. Novak left all the opponents behind that year, settling in the top-2 in March and conquering the ATP throne in July after Wimbledon.
Djokovic kicked off his era, embracing 325 consecutive top-2 weeks and almost breaking Federer’s record. Novak accomplished incredible things during those years before an elbow injury halted his progress. Djokovic could not challenge the rivals from the top in the next 12 months, dropping out from the top-20 before embracing his comeback in the spring of 2018.
Novak Djokovic is the first player with 597 top-2 weeks.
Djokovic returned to top-2 in October and added 169 weeks to his tally until June 2022, moving closer to Nadal’s record.
Novak missed two Majors that year and returned stronger in 2023, embracing one of his finest years and lifting three Major titles from four finals! Djokovic wrapped up the year at the top for the eighth time since 2011, keeping much younger opponents behind.
Novak spent almost an entire season in the top-2, looking good to catch Rafa’s tally in 2024. Djokovic achieved that despite not playing at his best in the opening five months of the season. Novak lost the Australian Open crown to Jannik Sinner, losing to the Italian in the semi-final after failing to create a break point!
Jannik controlled the pace and grabbed five breaks, ousting the legend in four sets and delivering Novak’s first loss in Melbourne after passing the quarter-final stage. The Serb lost to Luca Nardi in Indian Wells and collected the Monte Carlo semi-final, falling to Casper Ruud.
Djokovic did not play better in Rome and Geneva, suffering defeats to the lower-ranked opponents and not looking good ahead of Roland Garros. The veteran felt the pain in his right knee, passing two five-setter marathons against Lorenzo Musetti and Francisco Cerundolo before withdrawing ahead of the quarter-final.
Novak reacted promptly and underwent surgery on June 5, battling against time ahead of Wimbledon. Djokovic hit the gym a week later and appeared in London, hoping for a good draw in the opening rounds. Novak passed two challenging rivals en route to the last 16, avoiding five-setters and giving his knee a chance to recover further.
Djokovic played better against Holger Rune, beating him in straight sets and receiving a walkover from Alex de Minaur, taking more days off the court ahead of the semi-final. Novak defeated Lorenzo Musetti in three tight sets, moving into another Wimbledon final.
The young gun ousted the veteran 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 in two hours and 27 minutes, defending the trophy and keeping Djokovic with the runner-up prize.
Given the circumstances, Novak drew positive signs from his campaign, turning his focus on the Olympic Games, the last missing trophy in his collection. The Serb made a convincing start against Matthew Ebden, losing one game and sealing the deal in 53 minutes.
Djokovic battled against Rafael Nadal for the 60th time in the second round, delivering a 6-1, 6-4 victory and moving through. Novak defeated Dominik Koepfer 7-5, 6-3 in the third round, breaking the German three times and booking a place in the quarter-final.
Djokovic ousted Stefanos Tsitsipas after a 6-3, 7-6 win, feeling the pain in his knee in the second set and trailing 5-2. Stefanos wasted three set points on his serve, and Novak performed a comeback, moving over the top in straight sets and resting his knee.
Djokovic chased his first victory in the Olympic Games semi-finals against Lorenzo Musetti. The Serb beat the Italian 6-4, 6-2, delivering five straight breaks from the closing stages of the opening set and arranging the title clash against Carlos Alcaraz.
Novak prevailed 7-6, 7-6 in two hours and 50 minutes, earning the missing title and accomplishing all 15 notable trophies as the first player in history. They defended all 14 break points and stayed neck and neck from start to finish.
Novak took charge in both tie breaks, sealing the deal in straight sets and securing the most desired title of his career. Djokovic skipped Montreal and Cincinnati and will enter the US Open, seeking his 25th Major title.
Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky are playing a spicy game against the Connecticut Sun. A physical matchup between both teams started with Chennedy Carter hitting Marina Mabrey in the face and continued when Reese taunted Alyssa Thomas on the offensive end.
Carter was given a flagrant foul for her act against Mabrey in the first quarter.
Reese then followed that tenacity and aggressiveness with her own teasing act.
The talented rookie drove into the paint against WNBA All-Star and Team USA member Alyssa Thomas, who many view as one of the strongest players in the league.
Despite Thomas’ track record, Reese was able to force her way into the paint and find the bottom of the net against the WNBA veteran.
She backed down Thomas, missed her first attempt at a layup, grabbed the offensive rebound and then followed it with a made basket. After she scored the ball, Reese turned back to Thomas and hit the talented forward with the “too little” celebration.
Reese’s smack talk against Thomas has already been posted by over 20 fan accounts, with over 30k combined views.
Reese’s ability to clean the glass has made her one of the best players in the WNBA.
She’s currently averaging 13.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, leading all rookies in average rebounds while being the only first-year player to average a double-double.
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5)
Owen Ziliak/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
The rookie didn’t just taunt a role-player. She was talking smack to one of the most talented players in the WNBA.
Thomas recently secured a gold medal with Team USA after they knocked off France in the Olympic Final. She added to her lengthy resume in the women’s basketball community, having already been named to five WNBA All-Star teams.
The 32-year-old is currently averaging 11.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy suspended his campaign on Friday and threw his support behind Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
“In my heart, I no longer believe I have a realistic path to an electoral victory,” he told supporters and press at an event in Arizona. “I am not terminating my campaign. I am simply suspending it.”
Kennedy accused the Democratic Party of “abandoning democracy” and claimed that if it had been “an honest system,” he would’ve won the election.
Kennedy’s name will remain on the ballot in Democratic-leaning states and he will withdraw his name from battleground states, to not divert votes from Trump and inadvertently give Vice President Kamala Harris a greater chance at winning.
“Many months ago, I promised the American people that I would withdraw from the race if I became a spoiler,” he said. A “spoiler” is a third-party candidate who draws votes away from candidates from one of the two major parties, thereby spoiling their chances of winning.
Trump, who will also be in Arizona today, told CNN on Tuesday that he would consider giving Kennedy a position in his administration if he’s elected.
Here is a timeline of Kennedy’s presidential campaign so far.
• April 5, 2023: Kennedy files his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.
• April 19, 2023: Kennedy announces his campaign to the public at Park Plaza Hotel in Boston. In his speech, he referenced his long-held belief that drugs and vaccines are “poison[ing] our children and our people with chemicals and pharmaceutical drugs.”
• June 15, 2023: In an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, Kennedy said he thought the CIA might “kill him” and repeated popular conspiracy theories regarding his uncle John F. Kennedy and his father Robert F. Kennedy’s assassinations. He also claimed Wi-Fi causes cancer and “leaky brain.”
• July 15, 2023: The New York Post publishes an article about how Kennedy made racist and conspiratorial comments about COVID to guests at a dinner party.
• Aug. 13, 2023: At the Iowa State Fair, Kennedy said he would support a national ban on abortions after the third month of pregnancy. A campaign spokesperson later claimed Kennedy “misunderstood” the question.
• Sept. 23, 2023: Reports circulate that Kennedy will no longer run for president as a Democrat, but as an independent.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his campaign for president on Friday. (Thomas Machowicz/Reuters)
• Oct. 9, 2023: Kennedy announces he will run as an independent. His campaign manager, Dennis Kucinich, steps down and Kennedy’s daughter-in-law, Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, takes over.
• Dec. 22, 2023: The American Values PAC announces it will be focusing its efforts on securing Kennedy a spot on ballots in Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New York and Texas.
• Jan. 2, 2024: Del Bigtree, a well-known anti-vaccine activist, is announced as Kennedy’s communications director.
• Jan. 3, 2024: Utah becomes the first state to grant Kennedy ballot access.
• Jan. 23, 2024: Kennedy says he has enough signatures to appear on the balot in New Hampshire
• Jan. 29, 2024: Kennedy claims the Trump campaign contacted Kennedy about serving as his vice president. “I would not take that job,” Kennedy told NewsNation. “I’m flattered that President Trump would offer it to me, but it’s not something that I’m interested in.”
• Feb. 11, 2024: During the Super Bowl, the American Values PAC runs a 30-second ad in support of Kennedy — the only campaign ad that aired nationally during the game. It reportedly cost $7 million and was a shot-by-shot recreation of a John F. Kennedy campaign ad from 1960.
• March 12, 2024: The Kennedy campaign shares its shortlist for Kennedy’s running mate, which includes former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Republican Sen. Rand Paul, former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, former Democratic presidential candidate and New York City mayor candidate Andrew Yang and professional football player Aaron Rodgers.
• March 26, 2024: Kennedy announces philanthropist and attorney Nicole Shanahan as his running mate.
• April 1, 2024: In an interview with CNN, Kennedy claims Biden is a greater threat to democracy than Trump.
• April 18, 2024: Kennedy secures ballot access in Michigan.
• May 8, 2024: The New York Times reports that in a 2012 deposition, Kennedy said doctors found a dead worm in his brain. Kennedy responds to the article in a post on X writing, “I offer to eat 5 more brain worms and still beat President Trump and President Biden in a debate.”
• June 10, 2024: The Kennedy campaign claims they got access to enough state ballots to exceed the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. The campaign also claimed Kennedy therefore should qualify for CNN’s presidential debate on June 27. CNN did not verify this was the case.
• June 11, 2024: New York voters, backed by the Democratic National Committee, sue to keep Kennedy off of the state’s ballot. Clear Choice Action, another Democrat group, also claimed that Kennedy had lied about his New York residence on campaign filings.
• June 27, 2024: Kennedy is not invited to CNN’s presidential debate with Biden and Trump. Instead, Kennedy hosts a rival event in Los Angeles and attempts to respond in real time to the same questions Biden and Trump were getting.
• July 2, 2024: Vanity Fair publishes a history of the Kennedy family with a focus on past allegations against Kennedy, including an allegation that he sexually assaulted a family babysitter. There is also a photo of Kennedy posing with a cooked animal carcass, thought by many to be a dog. Kennedy claimed it was actually a goat.
• July 16, 2024: Kennedy apologizes after his son leaks a private phone call between Kennedy and Trump. In the call, Trump appears to try to coax Kennedy to join his ticket.
• Aug. 4, 2024: In an apparent attempt to get ahead of a New Yorker story, Kennedy shares a video on X where he tells comedian Roseanne Barr about the time in 2014 when he discovered a dead bear off the side of the road, put it in his car and then left it in Central Park as a joke.
• Aug. 7, 2024: In an interview with the New York Post, Kennedy shares more about his interest in roadkill. “I’ve been picking up roadkill my whole life,” he said. “I have a freezer full of it.”
• Aug. 12, 2024: Judge Christina Ryba rules that Kennedy’s name should be removed from the New York ballot, claiming Kennedy misrepresented his residency as New York when it should’ve been California. The Kennedy campaign said they would file an appeal.
• Aug. 20, 2024: Kennedy running mate Nicole Shanahan hints that she and Kennedy might drop out of the presidential race. “We run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency as we draw votes from Trump,” she said in an interview. Kennedy posts on X: “I am willing to talk with leaders of any political party to further the goals I have served for 40 years in my career and in this campaign.”
• Aug. 21, 2024: The Kennedy campaign announces Kennedy will hold a press conference about the campaign’s “path forward” on Aug. 23 in Phoenix.
• Aug. 22, 2024: Kennedy withdraws from the Arizona ballot.
• Aug. 23, 2024: Kennedy announces during a press conference that he will be suspending his campaign. His name will remain on ballots in Democratic states, but he will be withdrawing from battleground states in order to not take voters away from Trump.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News: photos: Alex Brandon/AP, Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In the United States, winning the most votes nationwide isn’t enough to win you the presidency. Just ask Hillary Clinton, who bested Donald Trump by nearly 2.9 million votes in 2016 — and still lost the election.
The real trick is to rack up the most votes in the right places.
So which states will be this year’s battlegrounds? And which forces — local or otherwise — will determine whether each battleground state ultimately sides with Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee?
Here’s a handy Yahoo News guide to the 2024 map.
Why do battleground states matter?
To win a U.S. presidential election, you don’t necessarily need to win the popular vote (i.e., the combined tally across all 50 states). You need to stockpile electoral votes by finishing first in individual states.
With minor exceptions, the candidate who gets the most votes in a particular state on Election Day is awarded all of that state’s electoral votes, which are proportional to its population. Whoever finishes first in enough states to secure at least 270 electoral votes — a majority — wins the Oval Office.
Because of these winner-take-all rules, candidates tend not to campaign in states that consistently vote Democratic (blue states) or Republican (red states). Instead, they focus on the small number of states (known as swing states, battleground states, toss-up states or purple states) that could go one way or the other.
How do we know which states will be battlegrounds in November?
History helps. Certain demographic groups tend to vote Democratic or Republican, and certain states tend to have a 50/50 mix of Democratic- and Republican-leaning groups. The vote in those states tends to be close.
But state demographics can change over time. The political preferences within each demographic group can change too. As a result, a former battleground state might start to lean red or blue.
Ohio is a good example. From 1900 to 2012, the Buckeye State accurately chose the winning presidential candidate 93% of the time (including in every election from 1964 to 2016). But as white, working-class voters increasingly gravitated toward Republicans, so did Ohio. In 2020, Trump won there by a comfortable 8-point margin — even though Joe Biden won the election.
Missouri followed the same trajectory; Florida has been trending rightward as well. New Mexico, Colorado and Virginia, on the other hand, have veered to the left.
So to figure out this year’s battlegrounds, you can’t just cut and paste the previous list. You need to look at which states are too close to call right now. And to do that, you need to consult the latest polls.
Can we trust state polls?
To a degree. National polls tend to be more reliable; on the state level, it’s hard for pollsters to drill down on the most representative mix of respondents (i.e., one that will have the same demographic characteristics as the eventual electorate).
But you can still get a fairly accurate sense of where things stand by averaging together the most trustworthy state polls — and you can further improve that average by incorporating it into a statistical model that includes campaign “fundamentals” as well (such as how the economy is performing and how the state has voted in the past).
Data journalist Nate Silver, formerly of the New York Times and FiveThirtyEight, does just that with the latest version of his Silver Bulletin election forecast. It’s the most comprehensive ranking of 2024’s battleground states to date.
Former President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally in Bozeman, Mont., on Aug. 9. (Rick Bowmer/AP)
So what are the numbers saying right now?
The Silver Bulletin model currently projects that Harris and Trump could finish within 3 points of each other in seven states. Here’s how those states rank in terms of closeness, along with how they voted in 2020:
1. Arizona (Trump +0.6% in 2024; Biden +0.3% in 2020)
2. Georgia (Trump +0.9% in 2024; Biden +0.2% in 2020)
3. Pennsylvania (Harris +1.0% in 2024; Biden +1.2% in 2020)
4. Nevada (Harris +1.1% in 2024; Biden +2.4% in 2020)
5. Wisconsin (Harris +1.9% in 2024; Biden +0.6% in 2020)
6. North Carolina (Trump +2.0% in 2024; Trump +1.4% in 2020)
7.Michigan (Harris +2.6% in 2024; Biden +2.8% in 2020)
These were the seven closest states in 2020 as well. But under the surface, key dynamics seem to be shifting.
Before Biden dropped out in July, polls showed Trump cutting into the president’s 2020 margins among several traditionally Democratic groups: Latino voters, Black voters (especially Black men) and younger voters.
Previously, Biden had been outpacing his Democratic predecessors with some groups that usually favor Republicans, including college-educated white voters and senior citizens (especially white seniors).
That kept him in the hunt.
But the president’s swing-state numbers started to crater after his worrisome debate performance on June 27, and Trump pulled ahead nearly everywhere. Lacking a clear path to victory, Biden was finally forced to step aside.
Since entering the race, Harris has largely reversed the damage, taking narrow (forecasted) leads in the Rust Belt states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
Yet Trump remains relatively strong — compared to 2020 — in the younger, more diverse Sun Belt states.
The big question going forward is whether Harris — a younger, more diverse candidate than Biden — can surpass Trump in the Sun Belt as well. Unlike Biden, Harris now leads Trump in the Nevada forecast, and she’s partially closed the gap in Georgia, Arizona and North Carolina.
Who would win if the election were held today?
The national polls now show Harris edging Trump by an average of about 2 to 3 percentage points. She was trailing when she entered the race.
In 2020, Biden beat Trump with electoral votes to spare: 306 to 232. If 2024’s eventual results match today’s Silver Bulletin forecast — with Arizona and Georgia flipping to Trump; with North Carolina remaining red; and with Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania staying blue — Harris would win with 279 electoral votes.
But that’s a big if. Another way to think about the election is in terms of probabilities. The Silver Bulletin model currently thinks Harris would win the Electoral College 55 times out of 100; Trump would win the other 45 times. It’s hard to get much closer than that.
What might change between now and Election Day?
In general, voter demographics and distribution determine the vast majority of each state’s eventual outcome. College-educated white Pennsylvanians, for instance, don’t vote in a wildly different way than college-educated white Arizonans. The question is how many of them live and vote in each state.
But when the winning margins are narrow — like they were in 2020 — local dynamics can make a difference. A few to watch between now and November:
Battleground states with key Senate and gubernatorial elections, including Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Why? Because high-profile statewide races can affect who turns out to vote for president. Battleground states with hot-button ballot measures, including (potentially) abortion in Arizona and Nevada and immigration in Arizona. Why? Because such measures can get otherwise unmotivated voters to show up on Election Day to vote for or against the new policy — then cast a ballot for president while they’re at it. Battleground states where Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is on the ballot, including Nevada, Michigan and North Carolina (and possibly Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania as well). Why? Because RFK Jr. could play the spoiler, siphoning just enough votes to put Harris or Trump over the top. Battleground states with their own idiosyncrasies, with Michigan being the prime example. Home to the nation’s biggest bloc of Arab Americans, the Great Lakes State could prove unpredictable if opposition to the Biden-Harris administration’s Gaza war policy disrupts that group’s usual Democratic voting patterns.
Could Harris or Trump expand the battleground map by putting other states in play?
That’s unlikely. If some big event or force — such as an economic collapse or a federal Trump conviction — were to alter the fundamental dynamics of the race in favor of one candidate or the other, then yes, the next tier of states could become battlegrounds.
These include Florida (Trump +4.7%, according to Silver Bulletin), Virginia (Harris +5.5%), New Hampshire (Harris +5.8%), Texas (Trump +6.8%), Maine (Harris +7.6%), New Mexico (Harris +8.0%) and Ohio (Trump +8.1%).
But even then, the current, core group of seven battleground states would still prove decisive, because the margins there are closer — so they would break for Trump or Harris first. Piling up extra electoral votes elsewhere would just be icing on the proverbial cake.
