Stefanos Tsitsipas sorry for disparaging Andrey Rublev, still positive about 2022 season

Exclusive Stefanos Tsitsipas sorry for disparaging Andrey Rublev, still positive about 2022 season
At 24, Stefanos Tsitsipas is now facing a new generation of talent rapidly rising through the ranks. (AFP)
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Updated 05 December 2022
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Stefanos Tsitsipas sorry for disparaging Andrey Rublev, still positive about 2022 season

Stefanos Tsitsipas sorry for disparaging Andrey Rublev, still positive about 2022 season
  • Greek has failed to make top 3 this year
  • Player now readying for Mubadala champs in UAE

Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas feels he owes fellow top-10 player, Russia’s Andrey Rublev, an apology.

After losing to the world No. 8 in the ATP Finals last month in Turin, Tsitsipas said he felt like he was the better and more creative player on the court that day compared to his opponent, adding that Rublev “prevailed with the few tools that he has.”

Rublev’s group-stage triumph secured him a ticket to the semifinals in Turin and spelled the end of Tsitsipas’ 2022 season.

Tsitsipas, understandably, drew lots of criticism online for the statements he made about Rublev’s game and in response taunted his critics in an Instagram post that read: “Dear haters, I have so much for you to be mad at, just be patient.”

Two weeks have passed and the Greek now admits he regrets what he said about Rublev and explained why he made such comments in the first place.

“What I said in that press conference against Rublev was very unfair towards him and not correct,” Tsitsipas told Arab News in an interview on Thursday ahead of his upcoming participation in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.

“I saw it from a sort of different approach; I wanted him to be mad going into his next match (against Casper Ruud), trying to play even better. I’m not going to declare the reasons why because I think it’s quite obvious the situation I was dealing with in the next match if (I) had played that opponent.”

 

 

Tsitsipas had wanted to finish the year ranked in the world’s top three but that loss in the ATP Finals, coupled with Rublev’s subsequent defeat to Casper Ruud in the semifinals, meant the Greek fell just short of his goal and concluded his campaign in the No. 4 spot behind Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal and Ruud.

“I really wanted Andrey to win the next match and my approach was to add fuel to the fire a little bit, to make him want to be more hungry and more concentrated on his next match,” Tsitsipas continued.

“I think that was wrong to do, because it felt like, I don’t know, he wasn’t able to perform, I saw the match, I don’t think he performed as good as I would have expected him to perform. That was my only way to finish in the top three if he had won that match.

“I just played a little bit with it and tried to use my chances as much as I could. But of course the best thing would have been to win my match.”

Tsitsipas and Rublev have established a tight on-court rivalry over the last four seasons and they have evenly split their 10 tour-level meetings so far.

“Andrey is an excellent player. He has a great array of weapons that he uses extremely well on the court. He can hit the ball really hard, he’s sort of like the Marat Safin of the new generation,” said Tsitsipas.

“I don’t think he’s limited in his game, I think he’s put himself over many years now on the tour that he’s capable of competing against the best. He’s one of the most disciplined guys out here, who is very professional towards his work. He’s a very funny guy, a very nice soul, I enjoy being around him. He’s extremely friendly and likes to make fun of himself.

“So if I regret saying that? I do regret saying that, yes. It was not very good for me, I was extremely hurt that I wasn’t able to go all the way at the ATP Finals, it hurt me a lot, I tried to let some bad energy out but that wasn’t the responsible or the good way, even if I wanted something out of it, it wasn’t the right way to do it.

“Definitely if I would see him I would like to apologize to him for thinking like this about him because it’s definitely not how I think about him in reality.”

This is the fourth consecutive season that Tsitsipas has ended inside the top six and the Monaco resident is not dwelling too much on the fact he missed out on a top-three finish.

“There are a few things I can improve and manage better in order to get there, but overall if you think about it, I was literally two matches away (from) finishing (as) world No. 1,” he said.

“If I would have won 63 instead of 61 matches — but of course selective, if I had to select which matches I should have won, I could have ended No. 1 this season. So that is to show that I was extremely close to get that privilege of being world No. 1.”

 

 

Tsitsipas, who will face Cameron Norrie in his Abu Dhabi opener on Dec. 16, amassed a 61-24 win-loss record in 2022, including two title runs in Monte Carlo and Mallorca.

“I think maintaining that kind of base and taking the right initiatives tournament after tournament is eventually going to give it to me one day,” he said of the No. 1 ranking.

“But I’m not here really for the sprint, I’m here for the marathon. I’m going to be on the tour for many more years and finishing in the top 10 is no easy feat, and it’s extremely challenging to be doing it year after year.

“You need consistent good results to get there, you need to be very focused on your job and have zero to no distractions during the year and you have to be a soldier. You have to wake up thinking about tennis and be extremely disciplined in what you do and include that with some hard work and some dedication to your craft. It never gets easier.

“You might want to make it easier in your mind, you try to find small exits and ways to make this process easier, but trust me it never gets easier. You cannot cheat codes on the ATP tour to make your way through.”

Not so long ago, Tsitsipas was the young up-and-comer trying to pose a threat to tennis’ “Big Three” of Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

He has posted wins against all three of them but has yet to secure a maiden Grand Slam title — his runner-up showing at Roland Garros last year was his best result at a major so far.

At 24, Tsitsipas is now facing a new generation of talent rapidly rising through the ranks with 19-year-old Alcaraz occupying the No. 1 spot and 19-year-old Holger Rune cracking the top 10 last month (he is a combined 0-5 head-to-head against them).

Djokovic, 35, and Nadal, 36, are also still around and winning majors and Tsitsipas finds himself grappling with both generations, the teenagers and the veterans.

“They’re extremely talented and good at what they do,” he said of the younger crew.

“They’re the most challenging thing we have ahead of us going forward. They can hit the ball extremely well, move very good around the court, athletic, have good intuition when it comes to their tennis.

“Of course I was kind of the new generation when I walked in facing Novak and Roger and Rafa the very few first times. I felt like I didn’t have much to lose because I was young and I kind of realized it early on and I was able to perform well against them.

“But now we have to deal with the even younger generation, I’m not 18 anymore, I’m 24 years old and that’s a different phase in my career now, a different step and a different approach that I need to take.

“I see it as a color index, before I was in the blue index where I’m really young and getting to know the tour and now I’m more like in the yellow index. And the next index, which will probably come at the age of 27 or 28, it will be the red index where more experience kicks in, you’ve been around and you’ve seen a lot of things. So I’m still somewhere in-between the middle I would say.”


Al-Ahli and Ettifaq goalless depite ex-Liverpool legends

Al-Ahli and Ettifaq goalless depite ex-Liverpool legends
Updated 01 October 2023
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Al-Ahli and Ettifaq goalless depite ex-Liverpool legends

Al-Ahli and Ettifaq goalless depite ex-Liverpool legends

RIYADH: While nine-man Liverpool were unlucky to lose to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday in the English Premier League, in the big game of the Roshn Saudi League, there were a number of ex-Liverpool legends in action as Al-Ahli drew 0–0 at home to Ettifaq. 

As the clash — not as dramatic as the one that took place in London — kicked-off, Ettifaq were in fifth with 16 points from seven games, a point and a place above Al-Ahli. In terms of positions, that’s where they stayed after the stalemate. A win would have taken Ettifaq just a point — or two in the case of Ahli — behind league leaders Al-Hilal after eight games of the season. As it is, both are within touching distance of pole position.

The fact that this was such an eagerly-awaited clash was  a measure of how far both have come since last season. The visitors Ettifaq may have finished seventh in May but were just nine points clear of the relegation zone and 22 behind third place. At the same time, Al-Ahli were in  the second tier and fighting for promotion, a struggle that was ultimately successful. Much has changed in the months since. Finishing in first is unlikely but both have ambitions of a top four spot.

So far this campaign the men from Dammam have been revitalised under head coach Steven Gerrard and they are now four games unbeaten in the league. His fellow former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is still playing in midfield alongside Gini Wijnaldum, also with the Reds as they became champions of Europe in 2019. 

On the opposite side in Jeddah was another Anfield legend in Roberto Firmino. The Brazilian now leads the line at Al-Ahli along with former Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez and Allan Saint-Maximin, who arrived in Jeddah from Newcastle United. There are few teams in the world that have such attacking talent at their disposal.

Despite that, there was not much action to speak of though Al-Ahli will feel that they did enough to get a goal or two.

Saint-Maximin set up Firmino for what seemed to be the opening goal after just 17 minutes. The flair-filled French star picked up possession just over the halfway line, advanced to the edge of the area to square the ball for the South American to sweep home. It was a fluid move but Saint-Maximin was adjudged by VAR to have been just offside during the build-up.

There is also talent at the other side of the pitch for the Jeddah giants. Just before the break, Edouard Mendy showed why Al-Ahli had splashed the cash to sign him from Chelsea. Ali Hazazi crossed from the right for Moussa Dembele to connect with a firm header. The French striker had already scored six league goals for Ettifaq this season so far but his effort was tipped over by the Senegalese shot stopper.

With 18 minutes remaining, the Liverpool connection almost put the visitors ahead. Henderson found Wijnaldum in the area and the Dutch midfielder shot over from close range. It was perhaps the best chance of the entire game as was shown as all Ettifaq players had heads in hands as it was not taken.

Both teams pushed for the winning goal but it was not to be and Ahli and Ettifaq had to settle for a point each.

Elsewhere, Al Fateh defeated Al-Wehda 5-1 to move into seventh above the visitors.


Klopp slams ‘crazy decisions’ after nine-man Liverpool’s Spurs loss

Klopp slams ‘crazy decisions’ after nine-man Liverpool’s Spurs loss
Updated 30 September 2023
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Klopp slams ‘crazy decisions’ after nine-man Liverpool’s Spurs loss

Klopp slams ‘crazy decisions’ after nine-man Liverpool’s Spurs loss
  • Refereeing body PGMOL issued a statement less than an hour after the final whistle conceding Diaz’s first-half goal should have stood
  • Klopp was incensed by the decisions, with Jones dismissed after his crunching challenge into Yves Bissouma’s ankle

LONDON: Jurgen Klopp blasted the “crazy decisions” that led to nine-man Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat against Tottenham as referees’ chiefs admitted the Reds were denied a legitimate goal in Saturday’s dramatic clash.
Klopp’s side had Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota sent off in north London, while Liverpool forward Luis Diaz had a goal wrongly disallowed by VAR.
Refereeing body PGMOL issued a statement less than an hour after the final whistle conceding Diaz’s first-half goal should have stood.
“PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool,” the statement read.
“The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials. This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene.
“PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error.”
Liverpool paid the price for the controversial calls as Joel Matip’s last-gasp own-goal condemned them to a first Premier League loss this term.
Klopp was incensed by the decisions, with Jones dismissed after his crunching challenge into Yves Bissouma’s ankle.
It was initially ruled a booking by referee Simon Hooper, only for the official to upgrade it to a red card when he reviewed the foul on the pitchside monitor.
Liverpool thought they had taken the lead despite that blow when Diaz fired home from Mohamed Salah’s pass, but VAR ruled it out after a surprisingly quick check.
Son Heung-min put Tottenham ahead before Cody Gakpo’s equalizer for the visitors, then Jota was sent off for two fouls in quick succession on Destiny Udogie after the break.
“I was never more proud of the team than today. I never saw a game like this with the most unfair circumstances, crazy decisions,” Klopp said.
“The first red card, Curtis steps on the ball and goes over. Not a bad tackle.
“It looks different in slow motion. He steps full throttle on the ball and goes over the ball. That is unlucky.
“For Jota, first yellow was not a yellow. Then he gets a second and to defend with eight outfield players is tricky.”
On Diaz’s disallowed goal, Klopp raged at VAR, saying: “The offside goal. That is not offside when you see it, they drew their lines wrong.
“The ball is between Mo’s legs, they drew the line wrong and didn’t judge the moment when Mo passed the ball right. It is so tough to deal with it.”
Liverpool missed the chance to go top of the table after their defeat, but Klopp saluted the way his nine men kept in-form Tottenham at bay until the last moments of stoppage time.
“You want to build something you need players with mentality and I saw them today, they fought. Pretty special tonight,” he said.
“We scored an own goal, that is really tough to take but I am really proud.”


Bayern Munich ride their luck to draw at Leipzig 2-2 in Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen move top

Bayern Munich ride their luck to draw at Leipzig 2-2 in Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen move top
Updated 30 September 2023
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Bayern Munich ride their luck to draw at Leipzig 2-2 in Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen move top

Bayern Munich ride their luck to draw at Leipzig 2-2 in Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen move top
  • Bayern needed goalkeeper Sven Ulreich to deny Benjamin Šeško what looked like was going to be a late winner for Leipzig in injury time
  • Bayer Leverkusen delivered a lesson in efficiency by making the most of their chances in a 3-0 win at Mainz

BERLIN: Harry Kane and Leroy Sané scored for Bayern Munich to fight back and draw at Leipzig 2-2 in the Bundesliga on Saturday, preserving the 11-time defending champion’s unbeaten start.
But Bayern needed goalkeeper Sven Ulreich to deny Benjamin Šeško what looked like was going to be a late winner for Leipzig in injury time.
Ulreich was the central figure as Bayern rode their luck at times.
The goalkeeper almost gifted Leipzig the opener when he had emerged from goal to stop Xavi Simons, then passed the ball straight to Emil Forsberg. The Leipzig midfielder’s shot drifted to the right and wide.
Loïs Openda scored with the next real chance for Leipzig in the 20th, and Castello Lukeba made it 2-0 six minutes later after Ulreich failed to gather a corner that Openda laid back for his teammate.
Ulreich had a let-off before the break after bringing down Openda who was through on goal in the penalty area – the Leipzig forward was flagged offside and VAR confirmed the call. The Bayern goalkeeper might have been shown a red card otherwise.
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel sent on Mathys Tel and Raphaël Guerreiro for the second half and his team was given a way back when Benjamin Henrichs was penalized for handball through VAR after a free kick struck the back of his arm.
Kane duly scored from the spot in the 57th. Jamal Musiala set up Leroy Sané to equalize on a counterattack in the 70th.
Bayern were fortunate again when defender Dayot Upamecano did not see a second yellow card for a foul on Xavi in the 73rd.

THREE GOALS, FEW CHANCES
Bayer Leverkusen delivered a lesson in efficiency by making the most of their chances in a 3-0 win at Mainz that lifted Xabi Alonso’s team back to the top earlier Saturday.
An own-goal from Sepp van den Berg gave Leverkusen an 18th-minute lead. The Mainz defender was trying to cut out Jeremie Frimpong’s cross but only deflected the ball past his own goalkeeper.
Alejandro Grimaldo made it 2-0 with a free kick in the 59th, six minutes before Jonas Hofmann sealed the win with what was just the visitors’ second effort on target. There had been another attempt off target before that.
Leverkusen are one of three remaining unbeaten teams along with Bayern and Borussia Dortmund.

UNION BERLIN WORRIES GROW
Jan-Niklas Beste scored with a brilliant free kick just before the hour-mark for promoted Heidenheim to beat Union Berlin 1-0 and stretch the visitors’ losing streak to five games across all competitions.
It was Heidenheim’s second-ever Bundesliga win.
Deniz Undav scored twice for Stuttgart to win in Cologne 2-0, and Jonas Wind did likewise for Wolfsburg to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 at home. Frankfurt’s Mario Götze was sent off with yellow cards either side of the break.
Borussia Mönchengladbach defeated Bochum 3-1 away. The game started late because emergency exits in the visitors’ end were covered by banners and flags before kickoff.


Bellingham impresses again as Real Madrid deal Girona their 1st defeat of season to go top of league

Bellingham impresses again as Real Madrid deal Girona their 1st defeat of season to go top of league
Updated 30 September 2023
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Bellingham impresses again as Real Madrid deal Girona their 1st defeat of season to go top of league

Bellingham impresses again as Real Madrid deal Girona their 1st defeat of season to go top of league
  • Bellingham fueled Madrid’s 3-0 victory on the road after passing for Joselu Mato’s 17th-minute opener
  • Madrid climbed over Girona and Barcelona to the top of the standings

BARCELONA, Spain: Jude Bellingham scored one goal and set up another as Real Madrid dealt Girona their first defeat of the season to move ahead of the hosts at the top of the Spanish league on Saturday.
Bellingham fueled Madrid’s 3-0 victory on the road after passing for Joselu Mato’s 17th-minute opener. He then rounded off the scoring with his league-leading sixth goal in eight games after Aurélien Tchouaméni doubled the advantage.
Madrid climbed over Girona and Barcelona to the top of the standings. Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid now lead Barcelona by one point and Girona by two.
Girona, which are partly owned Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi ownership, had entered the round leading the league after winning six straight games for the first time in club history.
Madrid lost defender Nacho Fernández in injury time when he saw a direct red for a studs-first tackle on Girona’s Cristian “Portu” Portugués. Portu had to be carried off on a stretcher. The foul led to a brief confrontation between players.


Athlete Yousef Masrahi claims Saudi Arabia’s 1st gold at 19th Asian Games

Athlete Yousef Masrahi claims Saudi Arabia’s 1st gold at 19th Asian Games
Updated 30 September 2023
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Athlete Yousef Masrahi claims Saudi Arabia’s 1st gold at 19th Asian Games

Athlete Yousef Masrahi claims Saudi Arabia’s 1st gold at 19th Asian Games
  • Saudi pole vaulter Hussein Al-Hizam wins first bronze in Asian Games with a jump of 5.65m
  • Hamoud Al-Elwani qualifies for long jump finals with 7.46m leap in first group semifinals

HANGZHOU, China: Saudi athlete Yousef Masrahi has claimed the Kingdom’s first gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou with victory in the 400-meters final on Saturday.
The Asian record holder won with a time of 45.55 seconds, repeating his victory in the 17th Asian Games in Incheon in 2014 when he won Saudi Arabia’s first gold medal in the same race.
Saturday’s victory marks Masrahi’s third medal in Asian Games. He won his first bronze in the 400-meters in Guangzhou in 2010 before winning gold in Incheon in 2014.
“The support of the Saudi audience was a great incentive for me to achieve the gold medal. I thank my parents for their support. I also thank my national coach Hamdan Al-Bishi, who worked hard to prepare me for this edition for over a year,” Masrahi said following his victory.
He also thanked Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee president, and his deputy Prince Fahd bin Jalawi for their support for Saudi sports.
Saudi pole vaulter Hussein Al-Hizam won his first bronze medal in the Asian Games with a jump of 5.65 meters on Saturday.
Al-Hizam said he is confident his Saudi teammates will win more medals in the remaining days of the Games, being held in Hangzhou in China.
Athletes Raed Al-Jedaani and Faisal Al-Subaiei qualified for the finals of the 1,500-meters race. Al-Jedaani finished first in the semifinals with a time of 3:51 minutes, while Al-Subaiei finished fourth with a time of 3:56 minutes.
Hamoud Al-Elwani qualified for the finals of the long jump with a 7.46-meter jump in the first group semifinals.
Injury forced sprinter Nasser Mahmoud to pull out of the 100 meters semifinals. His teammate Abdullah Abkar finished fourth with a time of 10.21 seconds.
In the 10,000 meters, Tareq Al-Omari finished seventh with a time of 28:46 minutes.
In the hammer throw final, Mohammed Al-Dubaisi finished 10th with a throw of 65.95 meters, while his teammate Mohammed Al-Zayer finished 12th with a distance of 62.5 meters.
Basketball:
The Saudi basketball team defeated the UAE 74-67 in the first group and qualified for the second round after finishing second behind Iran in first group. Iran defeated Kazakhstan 86-60. Each group’s first two teams will qualify in addition to the top four teams that rank third.Asian