This week, the highest-ranked male tennis players 21 and under have been assembled in Milan to play a year-end tournament. These included the 18-year-old Denis “Shapo” Shapovalov, the flashy, long-locked Canadian who bulldozed into the fourth round of the U.S. Open this year; 20-year-old Russian Andrey Rublev, who became the youngest U.S. Open quarterfinalist in 16 years; and a handful of others. It’s a fine idea for an event: drum up some enthusiasm around a sport that may well suffer a minor PR crisis once Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer eventually slow down in next two decades. But it did not begin on an auspicious note on Sunday night. Prepare yourself to cringe with every part of your body from the ends of your hairs to the tips of your toenails, then take a look: The players were asked to select models, who would then reveal either letter “A” or “B” to indicate what round-robin group they’d compete in. The letters were often hidden on parts of the women’s bodies. The young men—who are, collectively, a good-natured but low-key bunch—appear tense as they are led around by the hand and danced at by the not-very-clothed women. It’s not pictured in the above video, but 21-year-old Korean Hyeon Chung was apparently asked to remove a model’s glove with his teeth; he looked much more comfortable playing Rafa on clay in Spain this spring. After complaints of tastelessness from current players, former players, parents of players, and journalists, the tour issued an apology: ATP and Red Bull apologize for the offence caused by the draw ceremony for the Next Gen ATP Finals. The intention was to integrate Milan’s rich heritage as one of the fashion capitals of the world. However, our execution of the proceedings was in poor taste and unacceptable. We deeply regret this and will ensure that there is no repeat of anything like it in the future. The actual tennis part begins tomorrow.
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Julian Nagelsmann has given his approval to RB Leipzig s choice of Jesse Marsch as his successor and future Bundesliga rival.
American coach Marsch will arrive from Salzburg, close affiliates of the German side, at the end of the season to take over from Bayern Munich-bound Nagelsmann.
The 47-year-old has spent two years as Salzburg boss and previously worked as an assistant coach with Leipzig so knows the club well.
Marsch was also head coach of New York Red Bulls from 2015 to 2018, and Nagelsmann sees him as an easy fit at Leipzig.
I m very happy that RB Leipzig have been able to quickly find a successor in Jesse Marsch, Nagelsmann said. It was important to me that the club find a good coach and that they wouldn t have to deal with too much uncertaint…
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank says that Ivan Toney will not be leaving the Bees on transfer deadline day.
England striker Toney has been linked with Premier League rivals such as Arsenal and Chelsea in the January window.
The 27-year-old has scored 34 goals in 68 top-flight games for Brentford and Frank insists Toney will stay put after a month of speculation.
“This will be breaking news, OK – but Ivan will stay,” Frank said at his press conference previewing Monday’s clash with Manchester City.
Composed finishing from
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC)
Elsewhere, there were few big early moves from top-flight clubs – although Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Newcastle all completed deals to strengthen their squads.
Paris St Germain boss Luis Enrique has admitted his team’s start to the season has not been good enough as they prepare to host Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League opener on Tuesday.
PSG have won just two of their opening five league games and suffered their first defeat on Friday when they were beaten 3-2 at home by Nice, leaving the reigning champions three points behind leaders Monaco.
Having taken charge in the summer, Enrique admits he is still getting used to his new side so has no cause for concern about developments so far, and promised that improved performances and results will start to come.
Matchday 1. Expect fireworks |
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague)
He told a press conference: “It is true it hasn’t bee…
Lionel Messi begins his latest quest for international glory on Monday when Argentina start their Copa America campaign against Chile.
Twice a losing finalist in 2015 and 2016 each time to Chile the Albiceleste came third at the tournament two years ago after losing in the semi-finals to Brazil.
While they did at least defeat La Roja in that bronze-medal match, those two penalty shoot-out losses were tough to swallow for Messi, who has been unable to match his remarkable club success for his country.
Only Uruguay (15) have won this tournament more often than Argentina (14), but their last title came in 1993 and they have lost four consecutive finals, having also been beaten in 2004 and 2007.
300 Barcelona s Lionel Messi has scored in 300 different LaLiga …
With all eyes falling on the Spanish capital on Sunday night, Real Madrid and Atletico played out a dramatic 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu.
Getting off to a flying start on home soil as one-time Manchester City starlet Brahim Diaz opened the scoring after 20 minutes, it appeared that Carlo Ancelotti’s side were sat in pole position to make a crucial statement in the title chase.
However, while Los Blancos might have dominated large spells of the first half, it was ex-Real Madrid ace Marcos Llorente who came back to haunt his boyhood club.
Producing a smart header late in injury time and silencing a sellout crowd at the Bernabeu, Real Madrid missed out on the chance to widen their advantage at the top of the La Liga table to four points.
In what was an expec…
Republic of Ireland captain Katie McCabe has urged the squad to harness the spirit of the underdog ahead of Thursday’s World Cup opener against Australia.
The World Cup debutants begin their Group B campaign against the co-hosts, who are 12 places above them in the FIFA rankings and will be backed by the majority of the 80,000 crowd at Sydney’s Stadium.
It will be only the second match between the nations but Ireland won 3-2 when they met back in 2021, thanks to a goal from Denise O’Sullivan, who has been declared fit for the fixture.
…
Liverpool came back from a goal down against Southampton at St. Mary s to earn the three points they needed to keep their Premier League title hopes alive, as Takumi Minamino cancelled out Nathan Redmond s 13th-minute opener in the 27th, and Joel Matip struck the winner in the 67th.
The game
As expected, Liverpool dominated the game completely and the numbers prove it; 71% possession, 24 shots compared to Southampton s four, 734 passes with 89% accuracy over 300 and 75% by the Saints, nine corners taken to one.
However, the actual scoreline is a bit closer to hitting the nail on the head in terms of reflecting things seen on the pitch. Ralph Hasenhuttle s side had excellent periods of their own, particularly in the final minutes of the game when they pushed the title c…
“While today is an extremely difficult day for me, it is also one filled with reflection and immense gratitude. Playing for and representing England has been the greatest honour.
“During my eight years as a Lioness, I’ve always pursued success and winning football matches, while playing and training with the highest standards of competition, passion and perseverance.
“It has been the greatest honour to represent my family, my team-mates and the entire country. I have a lot of incredible memories during my time with England that have been pivotal moments.
“Winning the EUROs and then reaching the World Cup Final changed a lot for me, not only as a footballer but as a person. I’m so fortunate that I’ve been able to share that with so many remarkable pe…
Arsenal fought back from three goals down to claim a 3-3 draw with West Ham in a thrilling London derby on Sunday.
David Moyes side had carved out a three-goal lead with just over half an hour gone as Jesse Lingard, Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek capped off a blistering start.
But a Soucek own goal late in the first half swung momentum toward the Gunners, who set up a thrilling finish by forcing Craig Dawson to put through his own net with 30 minutes remaining.
And Alexandre Lacazette completed the comeback late on as he headed home from close range to steal a share of the points.
An exhausting encounter at London Stadium and it ends with the points being shared!
3-3 (FT)
— Arsenal (@Arsenal)
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Milan legend Paolo Maldini has dismissed suggestions Zlatan Ibrahimovic is bigger than the club.
Ibrahimovic has been a revelation since returning to Milan for a second spell in late December 2019, with the evergreen 39-year-old spearheading the club s Scudetto charge this term.
The former Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain striker – out of contract at the end of this season – has scored 14 Serie A goals in 2020-21 to help Milan up to second position, six points adrift of city rivals Inter.
Maldini is now technical director at Milan and rates Ibrahimovic as a huge resource , but he believes the club sit well positioned to withstand the Swede s departure if he does not extend his contract at San Siro.
The truth is, the club is above any play…