Djokovic must remain a 'standing man'
With regard to the report Novak Djokovic must 'deal with reality' as Jannik Sinner sets up Wimbledon title showdown with Carlos Alcaraz (July 12): It was sad to see Novak Djokovic lose in the semi-finals at Wimbledon. He is a very talented player, who has inspired countless young players globally. He said in Dubai over a decade that he could top the tennis world by defeating the reigning heroes. I was present in the Dubai tennis stadium at that time and had seen him play and win. Very few believed him then. Federer and Nadal were undefeatable. They were icons of tennis. And, yet Novak rose to the top.
Novak is a great inspiration in achieving and not giving up. I hope that he will continue playing tennis and will not retire. The Wimbledon defeat is miniscule, compared to his manifold crowns. So, he should just tie his laces tightly again.
Novak should remember that defeat and setbacks come to all of us, in every field of human endeavour. Yet, we cannot ever give up. Defeat happens, but does not necessarily happen again. Even if it does, we have to remain standing. A fighter is described as a Standing Man by Mark Rylance in the film Bridge of Spies. We should always be standing men who never give up, be it in tennis or any other field of human pursuit.
Rajendra Aneja, Mumbai, India
The UAE's remarkable transformation
In reference to John Dennehy's report Rare aerial archive images of UAE capture nation's transformation (May 23): Be very proud, what an example of nation building. The country's had a remarkable growth from coastal settlements to a country now of 11 million people.
Tarja Katrina, Dubai
The necessity of intelligent urban planning
About The National editorial Smart planning is the key to solving traffic congestion as the UAE grows (July 16): As a country experiencing rapid growth, tackling traffic has become a vital priority for the UAE. With a growing population comes an inevitable increase in the number of vehicles on the roads, making congestion a pressing concern.
The UAE is making commendable efforts in managing its expansion through smart planning and infrastructure development. The government's decision to invest millions in road safety and transportation infrastructure is a laudable step towards ensuring safer and smoother travel for all.
By continuing to implement intelligent urban planning and sustainable transport solutions, the country is moving in the right direction.
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The National
14 hours ago
- The National
Ruben Amorim on getting tough to change Man United culture, European football target and using up his credit
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim sat down with The National at Chicago Fire's training facility ahead of the third and final game of their preseason tour of the US. Amorim took questions from the travelling media with a pivotal campaign for him and the club on the horizon. Q: How are you feeling about the new season, Ruben? A: Confident. When I see the team training and the team playing, my humour – you call it humour – it goes with the team. If I feel that everything is aligned, I feel more excited. If I feel more excited, I see more video, I see more football, I have more ideas. So, I'm confident in this moment. You look quite animated and excited. At times last season, you didn't look that way. Did you ever have any doubts about what you'd taken on at this club? It's not the case of not knowing what to do to change the club. I felt last season in some moments I just needed to survive to the end. Because everything I need to do, I will need to do with a new start, with more time, with some changes that I cannot do now. And that is even people around the staff and players. My goal in that moment, three months to the end, was trying to win the Europa League. We struggled a lot, trying to save players, to play 60 minutes. You play against Newcastle, all these clubs, and you must perform. Or else we will have problems, but you need to take one guy 60 minutes. And you cannot do it in Manchester United. You cannot think like that. I cannot change three guys because I must try to maintain the team's fitness to win the Europa League. I had that feeling during the season that I'm so frustrated, I can do nothing and I acknowledge that, so I must wait. And to wait, and being manager of Manchester United, is like going to a fight with my hands like this [puts hands down his side]. That was the frustration. Did you have conversations with the club in that period? Because you were so much about surviving, it felt fragile at that point, that you might even walk away? No, walk away is more an ego thing. I'm like that. If you saw Sporting: I won the league and we had the second place in the next year, in the third year, when we lost Matheus Nunes, [Joao] Palhinha and all these guys, we were fourth in the league, and I put my place [job for review]. So, it's a thing that my agent says, you don't need to sign a big contract because when things go bad, I put my place [for review], because it's maybe an ego thing. I'm maybe romantic about things. I think people appreciate that emotional side to you, that you've got that connection with the club and with the fans. How do you translate that into making this a successful season? We need to be a little bit more emotional in this team. With the emotion, we have more sacrifice, more pace, more energy. And I think we are improving on that. I think competition is going to help. If [Matheus] Cunha is playing, Mason [Mount] is on the bench. Bruno [Fernandes] and Kobbie [Mainoo] are in the same position. Of course, Bruno can do different positions and even Kobbie. So these things are going to help us. And I think it's a perfect year to do that without European competition. How important was the cultural change that you've implemented? The players we talked to on tour said you made it clear – you're either with us or not with us. I think it's important, especially when you are losing. Sometimes you have that feeling that we are losing, let's change a little bit the standards just for them to be with me. I didn't feel that last season and they also saw that. So they understand that when I say one thing, I will do it. That is important. And I think the change of culture is more a club thing than a manager thing. I cannot do everything by myself. But I think we improved in every department. Medical department, nutrition, we have a new chef, we have new rules. We have rules, and the rules are not to treat the players as babies. They have sons. I treat them as men, but they have rules now. And that can change the way you train. If you don't train in the right way, I have footage to show you. And I show you in front of everybody. So I'm always on top. And we have a leadership group now. It's not just Bruno. It's not just Harry [Maguire]. It's six guys now. They are responsible for the group. Who is in the leadership group? We have Bruno, we have Licha [Lisandro Martinez], we have Harry, we have Diogo [Dalot], we have Tom [Heaton] and we have Nous [ Mazraoui ]. So it's not just the oldest one, Nous is in the group because he's a character that I like. And I try to understand the dynamic of the group. Try to reach every space. They are the guys that are responsible to keep everyone in line. You made a couple of big signings this summer. But Liverpool have made significant signings. Manchester City have done a similar thing. Is there a concern that gap is only going to increase? If we were in a different moment, I would be more concerned about that. We have so many big issues here that I'm so excited to change all these things that I'm not thinking in that way. If we had maybe a better season, we are looking at less problems, I would look at the opponents. I'm just focused on what we need to improve here. I'm happy with the players that we bring. They proved in the Premier League, so I'm not concerned about the physical aspect. I think it personally, I think Jason [Wilcox, technical director] and Omar [ Berrada, chief executive ], that all the players that we want to bring to Manchester, any coach will want them. And I can guarantee you, if you bring any manager here, they will say, Bryan [Mbuemo], thank you. Matheus Cunha, thank you. And the target next season? We spoke to quite a few of the players who said that an immediate return to Europe must be the priority. Whether that's top four or not. I know that is a massive gap, where we finish and Europa. But it's Manchester United. We need to return to Europe. Do you still hope to sign a striker and a goalkeeper? We are always looking to improve the team. And we have some characteristics that we would like to have. But again, it depends on the market. It depends on the sales. We'll see. But I'm happy. How confident are you that even if there are challenges this season, Jim [Ratcliffe], Omar and Jason realise that the club can't keep changing the manager? I always felt that. In some moments in the last season, I was more concerned about me than them. They always show the support. And if you try to remember one team, one big team, massive team, that lost so many games and the manager kept their job, you will not find it. So that shows more than words that they support me. It's important to say to the fans that this is a club thing. Of course the manager is important, but all this idea of the culture, how we want to buy players, what kind of players we want, is a club thing. In the meetings with Bryan, with Cunha, we said that. Don't go to a club because of the manager. Go because of the idea of the club. And they are here because of the idea of the club. Ratcliffe spoke very enthusiastically about you. Can you talk about how often you speak? We speak on the phone, he sends me messages, he sends me gifs. You call it gifs? Jokes. So we have this kind of relationship. It's easy to deal with Jim. Easy in the sense that if you know your stuff, if you know how to explain any decision, you'll be fine with him. If you try to use some big words with him, he's going to knock you. So for me it's easy. I will say whatever I need to say with, of course, a lot of respect, like with everybody, I know that he's the owner of the club, I know my place. But when I need to say something, I will say it naturally. I'm not around the subject, I'm direct. It's something that he likes a lot. The average span of a manager is two or three years now. Except for Guardiola, Klopp, Ferguson and Wenger before. What makes you confident that you can stay here long term? One of the things is the experience that I had. I know that it's different. But if you look, Sporting was the same thing. They said that in three months I'm out. They said that I had three per cent chance of winning one title with Sporting. It was the same thing. I know that the pressure is different. But I truly believe in that and I don't like to change club. I like to bond with people and carry on. So, I took, I don't say five years because I was not thinking about leaving during the five years but the last years I was waiting for the right club. I know it sounds crazy. But I chose this club. I had the feeling. Is there a chance we might see Mbeumo in a United shirt on Sunday for the first time? He's going to play [on Sunday v Everton in Atlanta]. How excited are you about seeing him and how he works with Cunha, Bruno or whoever he plays with? I'm really excited to see him playing. What he can give to our team. But I was really excited to see the team playing the last game. You maybe look at the starting XI and say, nothing to see today. And I was so excited because I know we can do better. So, I'm always excited, especially in this moment. You've made some big decisions. With Alejandro [Garnacho], it seemed like there was a willingness from your side and his side to make it work. But it did not work out. I think Garnacho, you can understand and you can see, he's talented, he's a talented boy. And sometimes things don't work out. You cannot explain specifically what it is. But I have the feeling, I think it's clear that Garnacho wants a different thing with a different leadership. And I can understand that. So I think it's not a problem. Sometimes you adapt to one guy, you have the connection. Other times, you want a new challenge. So, we try to make everything OK to all the parts. To the club, to the coach and to the players. So, it's a natural thing in football. When you arrived at United, what was the culture like and what have you done to try to change it? First of all, I think it's one thing that is all about the club. It's not one person that arrives and says we need to change everything. Omar and Jason, they were aligned about everything we need to change. Of course, the manager is an important piece. Because if the manager doesn't want [it], it's hard. But I feel that we are more organised nowadays. Everybody knows their places. You know that this is my job. Everyone knows that. And that looks like a small thing, but it's a big thing. We improved in even the medical department, the nutrition. We are so much better. What we eat, the way we behave on tour, on the pitch. The rules. Everything is important. I know that they are not kids and I don't treat the players like kids. But these small rules can help a group to be strong. Do you feel like you've been given the authority to make all those changes you've just made? And that it's your way? I don't know, but all the managers that come here can change things and can dictate some things around the team. That is clear. But the manager cannot do that by himself. Because I cannot change, I cannot contract people. There are some things that I don't know. So I need to have top people around me to help me to change the culture. So it's not the question of if I have the authority. It's my job. They [the club] want that. But it's bigger than that. I need all the club in the same direction. Was there a point last season where you thought 'I don't know if I can change this'? It's not that feeling. There was mostly a feeling that I'm disappointing all these people. That was the feeling that made me think 'what should I do?'. There were some moments last year that were hard on me. I know what to do to change the club … but I'm disappointing all these people. And I know that in football, when you lose so many games, it's hard on everybody to believe in one idea and all the changes. So there were some moments last year that I was really, really frustrated. Many have said 'we trust Ruben to get it right'. And you say it will be better. Is that a pressure? Yeah. It's not … sometimes you are right or wrong. But if I say it, it's because I believe it. And that is clear. Again, we cannot control the results. But the way we play, the way we perform, the way we connect with the fans, all these small things, we are going to do it no matter what. And so that is going to improve our club and is going to improve our team. And I know that all the credit that I had when I arrived, I know that last year was used on that. Now we must perform. And I really like the pressure. I will be OK. If I have the feeling that before the game that we are going to be competitive, we'll be OK. I just don't want to return to that feeling that it's not a 50-50 game. Do you think this club can still be Premier League, Champions League winners? I have no doubts, because there are some things that you cannot buy. And this club has: the pedigree, the history, the fans. We have that, that is clear. Then the money. We have money. We have money without the Champions League. So we can, we'll have money and more money in the future. And we are doing everything. You talk with Omar and all these guys, they are making all the strategy to have more money in the future. So that will not be a problem. And then I think it's clearly the culture. If we have a different culture, with all that, with all the pedigree, the money, all these things, we can return to our place. And that is clear. Alex Ferguson was here for ever. Everybody that's followed … David Moyes went very quickly, but everybody else lasted two years. Yeah, I want to stay. I want to stay 20. That is my goal and I truly believe in that. Something will happen. Always does. In some moments I will be lucky. I had a lot of luck during my career as a manager and my idea is to stay for many years. But again we know that the results will dictate that. I know that last season I used all the credits but I'm ready to start fresh. You have four players that you didn't bring on tour. You go back to Carrington on Wednesday. What do they do? What do you do? How does that interaction work? I think it's like we just need to follow the markets. So the market is open. There are players that clearly show that they don't want to be here and that is normal. They are not bad and I'm good. I'm not bad and they are good. It's not that situation. It's a simple situation that they want new challenges. So we will try to use this space to prepare the team that I think is going to be here. If the market closes and then they are Manchester United players, we as a club must treat them in the same conditions. But in this moment I'm just working with the players that I think are going to stay and the other guys are trying to find a solution for their careers.
Gulf Today
18 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Holder Pegula sent packing by Sevastova, Swiatek through; Fritz ends Canadian hopes with Diallo romp
Twice defending champion Jessica Pegula crashed out of the Canadian Open after losing to Anastasija Sevastova 3-6 6-4 6-1 in the third round on Friday, while six-times major winner Iga Swiatek marched on with a dominant 6-2 6-2 win over Eva Lys. The 35-year-old Sevastova, ranked 386 in the world, will next face four-times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who took out Latvian 22nd seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4. 'I don't know,' Sevastova said after upsetting third seed Pegula. 'Somehow, I was down 2-0 in the second set and started to play better and better. Third set, I played really good. Just trying to stay on the court as long as possible.' Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova, seeded fifth in Montreal, carved out a comfortable win over Emma Raducanu, beating the 2021 US Open champion 6-2 6-1. Iga Swiatek hits a return in Montreal on Friday. AP Anisimova's win over Raducanu is her first, having lost their previous two encounters. She will next face Ukrainian 10th seed Elina Svitolina. In the men's draw, American second seed Taylor Fritz made light work of local hope Gabriel Diallo, beating the 27th seed 6-4 6-2. Fritz, who is eyeing a third title of the season after triumphs in Eastbourne and Stuttgart, will next take on Czech 19th seed Jiri Lehecka. 'Even the games that I didn't serve my best in, I felt like I backed it up really well from the baseline, so I'm happy with that,' Fritz said. American fourth seed Ben Shelton, however, was made to work hard by countryman Brandon Nakashima before managing a 6-7(8) 6-2 7-6(5) win. 'It was back and forth,' Shelton said. 'There were a lot of huge moments, like being able to break back after getting broken in my first service game of the third set. I feel like I showed a lot of perseverance tonight.' Next up for Shelton is Italian 13th seed Flavio Cobolli. Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz ended Canadian hopes at the ATP Toronto Masters on Friday as he crushed Gabriel Diallo 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the fourth round. Taylor Fritz hits a ball to Gabriel Diallo during their third round match at the Tornto Masters. Reuters The American second seed needed just 77 minutes to dispatch the the 37th-ranked local and book a meeting with Jiri Lehecka, a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 winner over France's Arthur Fils. Fritz is aiming to at least reach the quarter-finals north of the border, the only Masters where he has not gone that far. He broke once in the opening set against a nervous opponent and dominated from there. 'It was important not to let him get into the match and get the crowd fired up,' Fritz said. 'I knew the momentum could shift at any time. 'I'm super happy with it, considering how I felt on the court two nights ago in my first match,' Fritz added. 'I felt way more comfortable, confident, just hitting the ball, being aggressive, just striking it. I did well to be up an early break in the sets. I did well to just hold. 'Played really solid from the baseline as well. I backed it up well from the ground, and just did a good job of not letting him back in the sets.' Brandon Nakashima won his first set against American Ben Shelton before the fourth-seeded Shelton rallied to finish off a 6-7 (8/10), 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) win. Shelton had trailed by a break in the deciding set and Nakashima saved four match points before Shelton sealed the victory with his 19th ace. Shelton finished with 46 winners to improve to 5-0 against Nakashima and will fight for a quarter-final berth against Flavio Cobolli, who downed Fabian Marozsan 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. 'I've got to find my fire from somewhere,' Shelton said of the late-night crowd support in Canada. 'I live off of that. 'Night matches are never easy, the temperature cools down and conditions are different. I showed a lot of perseverance. it's difficult being down against a big server. To come from behind takes a bit of luck.' The seeded pair of Andrey Rublev and Frances Tiafoe were tested over three sets before also making their way into the fourth round. Agencies
Dubai Eye
2 days ago
- Dubai Eye
Pegula sent packing, Swiatek through at Canadian Open
Twice defending champion Jessica Pegula crashed out of the Canadian Open after losing to Anastasija Sevastova 3-6 6-4 6-1 in the third round on Friday, while six-times major winner Iga Swiatek marched on with a dominant 6-2 6-2 win over Eva Lys. The 35-year-old Sevastova, ranked 386 in the world, will next face four-times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who took out Latvian 22nd seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4. "I don't know," Sevastova said after upsetting third seed Pegula. "Somehow, I was down 2-0 in the second set and started to play better and better. Third set, I played really good. Just trying to stay on the court as long as possible." Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova, seeded fifth in Montreal, carved out a comfortable win over Emma Raducanu, beating the 2021 U.S. Open champion 6-2 6-1. Anisimova's win over Raducanu is her first, having lost their previous two encounters. She will next face Ukrainian 10th seed Elina Svitolina. In the men's draw, American second seed Taylor Fritz made light work of local hope Gabriel Diallo, beating the 27th seed 6-4 6-2. Fritz, who is eyeing a third title of the season after triumphs in Eastbourne and Stuttgart, will next take on Czech 19th seed Jiri Lehecka. "Even the games that I didn't serve my best in, I felt like I backed it up really well from the baseline, so I'm happy with that," Fritz said. American fourth seed Ben Shelton, however, was made to work hard by countryman Brandon Nakashima before managing a 6-7(8) 6-2 7-6(5) win. "It was back and forth," Shelton said. "There were a lot of huge moments, like being able to break back after getting broken in my first service game of the third set. I feel like I showed a lot of perseverance tonight." Next up for Shelton is Italian 13th seed Flavio Cobolli.
