LONDON: As the new tennis season gets underway this weekend, several top players are in flux with questions over their form and fitness. We look at the varying fortunes of seven big names.
SERENA WILLIAMS
The American great is attempting one of the great comebacks in sport as she returns to the court just four months after becoming a mother. Williams, who welcomed her first child, Alexis Olympia, in September, lost her comeback match yesterday, an exhibition match in Abu Dhabi against French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. Williams, who hasn’t played since she won the Australian Open 11 months ago — while pregnant — is expected to defend her title in Melbourne next month. Williams, 36, has won an Open-era record of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, and now stands to equal Margaret Court’s all-time mark of 24. She will take heart from the example of Belgium’s Kim Clijsters, who retired for two years and started a family before winning the 2009 US Open, in what was dubbed the “mother of all comebacks.”
MARIA SHARAPOVA
Russia’s Sharapova will look for a strong start to her season at the Shenzhen Open after a mixed return to the circuit in April following a 15-month drugs ban. The five-time major-winner, one of the highest earners in women’s sport, suffered a string of early defeats before she broke through to win the Tianjin Open in October — her first title since 2015. Next month, Sharapova will play her first Australian Open since 2016 after improving her ranking to 59th. Her best Grand Slam performance of 2017 was reaching the last 16 at the US Open.
RAFAEL NADAL
Defying all expectations, Nadal brilliantly revived his glory days in 2017, winning his 10th French Open and third US Open title, and finishing the season as world No. 1. But familiar injury doubts have made for an uncertain start to the new campaign as Nadal, 31, pulled out of the Brisbane International saying he was “not ready.” Reports have cast doubt over Nadal’s recovery from a right-knee injury after he earlier withdrew from an exhibition appearance in Abu Dhabi. However, Nadal said he’ll play the Australian Open and he has made a habit of overcoming fitness problems throughout his long career.
ROGER FEDERER
The 36-year-old also rolled back the years in 2017 and is showing no signs of slowing down as he builds toward his Australian Open title defense. Federer said he’s fit and ready after a “great” off-season and he made a winning return to action at the Hopman Cup in Perth yesterday. Much will depend on the health of his Big Four rivals, but Federer could continue to set new standards for longevity this year.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
Can the “Djoker” regain his smile? King Novak ruled tennis for nearly two years until a sudden loss of form, coinciding with speculation over his private life, in mid-2016. The 12-time major-winner hasn’t played since retiring from the Wimbledon quarterfinals with an elbow injury in July, and he shapes as an unknown quantity heading into the new season. Djokovic, who has Andre Agassi in his coaching team, has his first hit-out against Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
ANDY MURRAY
Fitness doubts linger over the British former world No. 1, who has also been off the circuit since July after suffering a hip injury. Murray, 30, began last season as the world No. 1 but he has far more modest goals heading into 2018. “I want to get back to playing tennis, I want to be fit and healthy and that is what is driving me just now,” he told Sky Sports this week. “I was pretty unhealthy for most of this year and I am getting there but it is a slow process.”
VICTORIA AZARENKA
Azarenka’s return from maternity leave this year was complicated by a custody battle over her one-year-old, which forced her to miss much of the season. With her ranking down at 210, the Belarusian former world No. 1 has been handed a wildcard to play the Australian Open, a tournament she has won twice. However, as the legal case drags on, Azarenka announced her withdrawal from next month’s Auckland Classic for personal reasons, casting doubt over her participation in Melbourne.
Plenty to ponder for tennis' big guns
Plenty to ponder for tennis' big guns
Prabhsimran powers Punjab to IPL win over Lucknow
- Punjab chased down the target of 172 set by Lucknow with nearly four overs to spare
- Lucknow started poorly, losing in-form opener Mitchell Marsh for a golden duck in the first over
LUCKNOW, India: Wicketkeeper-batsman Prabhsimran Singh scored an explosive 69 off 34 balls as Punjab Kings cruised to an eight-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday for their second win this IPL.
Punjab chased down the target of 172 set by Lucknow with nearly four overs to spare, and captain Shreyas Iyer remained unbeaten on 52 off 30 balls.
Playing their first home game of the season, Lucknow Super Giants started poorly, losing in-form opener Mitchell Marsh for a golden duck in the first over of the match to Arshdeep Singh.
Marsh’s opening partner Aiden Markram hit Arshdeep for three boundaries in his next over but fell for 28 off 18 soon after to New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson, who was playing his first match for the Kings.
Captain Rishabh Pant’s stint at the crease was short-lived getting out for just two runs from five balls, leaving Lucknow reeling at 35-3 just prior to the end of the powerplay.
Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni steadied the innings with a 54-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but Pooran eventually fell to spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the 12th over after an entertaining 44 off 30 balls.
The attacking David Miller who came in next did not last long either, falling to fellow South African Marco Jansen for 19 off 18 deliveries.
Badoni (41) and Abdul Samad (27), both of whom were dismissed by Arshdeep in the last over of the match, provided some late momentum to Lucknow, propelling them to a total of 171-7.
In response, Punjab lost opener Priyansh Arya cheaply for eight runs off nine balls to spinner Digvesh Rathi in the third over.
But Lucknow’s bowling attack only again tasted success in the 11th over when Prabhsimran fell, courtesy of a spectacular catch at the fence.
By then, Iyer and Prabhsimran’s quickfire partnership of 84 — powered largely by the latter — had taken the match away from Lucknow.
Left-handed batter Nehal Wadhera (43) then teamed up with Iyer to take Punjab over the line without any further setbacks.
Rathi (2-30) was the only Lucknow bowler to be among the wickets.
Premier League to introduce semi-automated offside technology
- The league said it worked with referees and Genius Sports to develop the system
LONDON: The Premier League will begin using semi-automated offside technology from April 12, the league announced Tuesday.
The technology, which debuted in English soccer in the FA Cup, is designed to enhance “the speed, efficiency, and consistency of offside decision-making,” the league said in a statement.
“It provides more efficient placement of the virtual offside line, using optical player tracking, and generates virtual graphics to ensure an enhanced in-stadium and broadcast experience for fans,” the league’s statement added.
Besides the FA Cup, there was also “non-live testing” of the technology in the Premier League.
The league said it worked with referees and Genius Sports to develop the system.
The early game on April 12 is Crystal Palace at Manchester City.
Bayern reportedly against giving club favorite Thomas Müller another season
- SportBild and Kicker magazine were reporting that Bayern would prefer to save his considerable wage packet than offer him a new one
- Müller made his Bayern debut under Jürgen Klinsmann in 2008
BERLIN: Bayern Munich favorite Thomas Müller could be about to end his career as media reports suggest the club will not extend his contract at the end of the season.
The 35-year-old Müller’s current deal runs only through June and both SportBild and Kicker magazine were reporting that Bayern would prefer to save his considerable wage packet than offer him a new one.
Müller made his Bayern debut under Jürgen Klinsmann in 2008 and his breakthrough came under Louis van Gaal the following season. He has since made more appearances than any other player at the club, 742 across all competitions (with 247 goals) including super cups and club world championships.
He has gone on to win a record 12 Bundesliga titles and two Champions Leagues – and he may win more because Bayern lead the former by six points with seven games remaining, and faces Inter Milan in the Champions League quarterfinals. Munich hosts the final in May.
Müller, who joined Bayern’s youth setup in 2000, brings vast experience and intelligence to the team, but his playing time has been limited. Of his 23 Bundesliga appearances, 15 were as a substitute this season. It’s similar in the Champions League with just three starts from 10 appearances. If he plays at all it’s often just for the final minutes. Last weekend, he went on in the 85th against St. Pauli, and the 87th against Stuttgart last month.
SportBild reported that Bayern’s board member for sport Max Eberl informed the player’s representatives two weeks ago that the club decided not to renew his deal, in contrast to the new contracts for teammates Manuel Neuer, Alphonso Davies, Jamal Musiala and Joshua Kimmich, all recently announced.
Müller reportedly wanted to play on for another season.
Bayern may opt to give the player a short contract extension so he can play at the inaugural Club World Cup in the United States this summer, but Müller will likely have to be content with “just” 13 Bundesliga titles.
Müller retired from international soccer after the European Championship last year, having clocked 131 appearances for Germany. He wore No. 13 for Germany, and always said it was his lucky number.
Two Moroccan fighters set for ONE Fight Night 30 in Bangkok
- Mouhcine Chafi will face in-form Englishman George Jarvis in a lightweight Muay Thai bout at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium
- Elmehdi El Jamari will be making his promotional debut on the same fight card against Thailand’s Thongpoon PK Saenchai
DUBAI: Two fighters will represent Morocco at global martial arts organization ONE Championship’s upcoming show ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles in the morning hours of this Saturday, April 5.
Mouhcine Chafi will face in-form English counterpart George Jarvis in a lightweight Muay Thai bout inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium.
Nicknamed “The Assassin,” Chafi will need to lean on his rich experience to bounce back from two consecutive defeats against top opposition, including former world title challenger Sinsamut Klinmee.
Despite his difficult start at ONE Championship, the 27-year-old Moroccan has all the skills needed to revive his career in the organization.
Chafi, who owns a 31-7 Muay Thai and kickboxing record, has beaten some of the most talented strikers in the world and picked up international Muay Thai titles, including the WBC Light Heavyweight Muay Thai championship.
Meanwhile, Chafi’s opponent, Jarvis, hopes to claim his fourth consecutive win in ONE Championship and to raise his 26-4 overall professional record.
After a split-decision debut loss, the 24-year-old English fighter went on to pick up two decision wins against Iraq’s Mustafa Al Tekreeti and Argentina’s Ricardo Bravo before scoring a knockout win against Thailand’s Rungrawee Sitsongpeenong.
While Chafi will enter his third fight in ONE Championship, Elmehdi El Jamari will be making his promotional debut on the same fight card.
El Jamari, who is the younger brother of ONE athlete Zakaria El Jamari, will face Thailand’s Thongpoon PK Saenchai in a strawweight Muay Thai bout.
The 27-year-old Moroccan fighter has won Muay Thai titles at the national, regional, and international levels. He is a seven-time Morocco Muay Thai champion, a two-time Arab Muay Thai champion, and a former world champion at reputable martial arts organizations WBC and K-1.
The 27-year-old Thai fighter had opened his promotional account with four consecutive wins — including three knockout victories — before losing to his next opponent’s older brother, Zakaria.
Most recently, Saenchai recovered from a decision loss against Rui Botelho with an impressive technical knockout victory against former world title challenger Danial Williams.
ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles will be headlined by two world title bouts. In the main event, Ukraine’s two-sport, two-weight division ONE world champion Roman Kryklia defends his ONE Heavyweight Muay Thai world championship against fellow England’s WBC Muay Thai heavyweight champion Lyndon Knowles.
Two-sport ONE world champion Regian Eersel will also defend his ONE Lightweight Kickboxing world championship in the show’s co-main event against former divisional titleholder Alexis Nicolas. The two stars are eying a decisive win in an exciting trilogy with the score tied with one win for each fighter against the other.
The show will also witness the returns of fan-favorite Seksan Or Kwanmuang, undefeated Uzbek star Sanzhar Zakirov, the debut of BJJ star Fabricio Andrey, and a pivotal featherweight Muay Thai contest between Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong and Nico Carrillo with the latter hoping to recover from his heart-breaking first promotional loss against Algeria’s Nabil Anane in their ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai world title bout at ONE 170 in January.
Saudi winger Al-Saad eyes PSG upset in French Cup semifinal
- The USL Dunkerque player spoke to Arab News about his time at Al-Ettifaq, the move to France and playing for his country
LONDON: Muhanad Al-Saad knows what it is like to make history. In February, he became the first player from Saudi Arabia to score in the French league when he headed in USL Dunkerque’s second goal in their Ligue 2 victory over Clermont Foot 63. It was a surreal moment for Al-Saad, one few — himself included — could have predicted.
Now Al-Saad faces another momentous occasion, as second-tier Dunkerque face the might of Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de France semifinals on Tuesday.
Al-Saad and his team-mates are aiming to become the first club outside Ligue 1 to reach the final since Les Herbiers in 2018; only once has the 107-year-old competition been won by a side from outside the top flight, and that was Le Havre back in 1959.
“It’s definitely a tough match,” Al-Saad told Arab News in an exclusive interview. “You’re talking about one of the biggest clubs in France and Europe. But we’re excited and confident — we’ll give it everything we have (to) try to secure a spot in the final and make history.”
It is the first time since 1929 that Dunkerque have reached the last four of the Coupe de France and a spot in the final would break new ground for the club.
The match has been moved from Dunkerque’s 5,000-capacity Stade Marcel-Tribut to Lille’s 50,000-seater Stade Pierre Mauroy. The “hosts” are targeting a major cup upset but PSG have already shown they will not cave to romantic footballing dreams; in the quarterfinals, Luis Enrique’s side thrashed fourth-tier Stade Briochin 7-0.
That 21-year-old Al-Saad will line up against the likes of Achraf Hakimi, Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola is a remarkable turn of events. The Mecca-born winger initially played for the Al-Ahli academy but was released at the age of 15.
He was picked up by Al-Ettifaq much later — in 2023 — and found himself promoted to the first-team squad by then-coach Steven Gerrard.
“In my first session with Steven Gerrard, he asked why I hadn’t joined the pre-season camp,” Al-Saad recalled. “He told me, ‘From today, you’re with the first team.’ Everyone knows what a great player and leader he was at Liverpool.”
However, after featuring for just 30 minutes across five games during the 2023-24 campaign, Al-Saad reassessed his options and decided to embark on a new challenge at NEOM.
“I don’t know the exact reason for my limited playing time but during pre-season in Spain, my agent spoke to me about a good offer from NEOM and I decided to make the move,” he said.
Al-Saad became a regular for the team in the first half of the 2024-25 season, scoring five goals in 15 games as NEOM laid down a marker for promotion from the Saudi First Division.
“It was a short stint, but a very special one,” Al-Saad said. “I got the chance to play with high-level players like Ahmed Hegazi, Salman Al-Faraj, Romarinho and many others. It was a great experience, and we did our part as a team.”
Despite helping NEOM into pole position for promotion to the Saudi Pro League next season, Al-Saad — who also impressed with two goals in four games for the Saudi U-21s in 2024 — opted to leave the Kingdom in January.
Dunkerque, who have former Chelsea and Newcastle United striker Demba Ba as their sporting director, were in the midst of their own bid for top-flight promotion. Both Ba and Portuguese coach Luis Castro saw great potential in Al-Saad and swooped to sign him on loan.
“I’m not sure if there were other clubs involved, but Dunkerque showed real interest and made it clear they wanted me,” Al Saad said. “I was excited about the opportunity and eager to play in Ligue 2.
“I’m so proud to have become the first Saudi player to score in the French league. It was a great feeling and a moment of pride for me and my country.”
Al-Saad has started six of Dunkerque’s past seven games and the team currently lies fifth in the Ligue 2 table; the clubs finishing in third, fourth and fifth qualify for the Ligue 1 promotion play-offs.
While the young Saudi is fully focused on facing PSG in the Coupe de France on Tuesday, he also admits he has been thinking carefully about his future — and is keen to stay in France to further his development.
“Yes, I’m on loan, but I’m really enjoying the experience and feel that it’s helping me grow. If you ask me, I’d say yes - I’d love to stay. Playing abroad at this stage of my career is teaching me a lot.”
The lessons Al-Saad has already learned, coupled with his stellar performances for Dunkerque, were recognized in March when he received his first call-up to the Saudi Arabia national team.
Although he didn’t feature in either of the Green Falcons’ FIFA World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan, Al-Saad relished the experience of working with coach Herve Renard and hopes he will continue to feature in the squad.
“It was my first call-up to the senior national team, and I was very proud to represent my country,” Al-Saad said.
“My relationship with Hervé Renard was great — he spoke to me often and showed genuine interest in both the local and international players. He’s a strong personality and a top-level coach.”
