BJK Cup withdrawals 'a tennis, not a player, problem'
One solution is to play the Finals earlier in the season - and as Keothavong was speaking it was confirmed they will take place from 16-21 September, rather than the traditional November date.November, when the WTA Tour season is over for the year, has often proved unpopular with players, and it will now take place at the start of a seven-week run of tournaments in Asia.GB's team includes world number 40 Katie Boulter and 60th-ranked Sonay Kartal. Harriet Dart and Olivia Nicholls are also involved, with Jodie Burrage added when Raducanu withdrew last week."Obviously it's disappointing we don't have her on this team, but I totally understand what she needs to do,' Keothavong said of Raducanu."A player has got to do what a player has got to do - what is best for them. "She has given a lot to this team and she may not be with us this time round but I hope in the future she will be."
Boulter, who suffered a stress fracture of the back on national team duty in 2019, also emphasised the importance of managing your workload."I made that mistake once when I went out and played and got injured, so I've always said number one thing is your body," British number one Boulter said."You have to look after it, or else unfortunately you're not going to be playing week in week out, and that's the most important thing for me."Representing your country is an honour and a privilege and I do my very best with my body to be here every time."I think that's all we can ask of any person."Boulter will lead the British team on the clay - a surface on which she has relatively little experience.Boulter had not played a tour-level match on clay before the Madrid Open last April.Kartal is likely to make her debut by taking the second singles role. She will be buoyed by her run to the last sixteen in Indian Wells last month and playing on a surface which "enhances my game style even more".GB reached the semi-finals last year, losing to eventual runners-up Slovakia.
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Daily Mirror
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
10 players who went on strike and what happened next as Alexander Isak makes Newcastle return
Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak has returned to the club's training ground, having missed out on the club's pre-season action and returned to Spain to train With less than a fortnight to go until the start of the Premier League season, Alexander Isak's future is far from certain. He's back at Newcastle for the time being, though, and that's a start. The Swedish striker sat out Newcastle's recent pre-season responsibilities with a minor injury. He would also quite like a move away from Tyneside - ideally to Premier League champions Liverpool. Isak went back to Spain to train with former club Real Sociedad, nominally to work his way back to full fitness. While he was away, Liverpool made their first bid and Newcastle decided it wasn't enough to convince them to cash in. He has been spotted at the Magpies' training ground ahead of what could be some awkward talks regarding his future. If things don't go to plan, the nuclear option might involve going on strike - but that too is no surefire thing. Over the years, other players have gone on strike with mixed results. Here, Mirror Football takes a look at how some of those other players got on. George Best If you thought this was a new phenomenon, you'd be wrong. Back in 1974, Manchester United legend George Best was dropped by boss Tommy Docherty - reportedly after the manager dropped him for going on a three-day bender. Best made it clear he was done with United, and it turned out he was done with the English top flight. His career continued in the lower leagues - via spells in the United States and South Africa - but he never played in the old First Division again. Diego Costa Costa twice fired Chelsea to Premier League glory, first under Jose Mourinho and then under Antonio Conte. However, things didn't go quite as well in his second season under the Italian boss. Conte let Costa know by text that he wouldn't be part of the Blues' plans in the 2017-18 season, prompting the striker to head to Brazil while his team-mates returned for pre-season training. He did eventually get the exit he desired, rejoining Atletico Madrid, but not until January 2018. Clint Dempsey Dempsey refused to play for Fulham against Norwich at the start of the 2012-13 Premier League season amid reports of interest from Liverpool. "At first we didn't want to get rid of him, later on we had to change our position. But our view is that we won't let Clint Dempsey go on the cheap, that's for sure," manager Martin Jol said. Fulham let the American join Spurs, not Liverpool, for £6m. We'll leave it to you to decide what "on the cheap" meant back in 2012, but it's worth noting that Dempsey would later return to Fulham on loan - albeit when Jol was no longer in charge. Julien Faubert Julien Faubert was desperate to leave Bordeaux in the summer of 2007, with Rangers and West Ham both keen. In the end it was the Premier League club who won the race, and te French international would later argue his case. "Sometimes you have to take extreme measures. I used that to show my unhappiness," he told RMC. "It was not a lack of respect towards the club. I will never disassociate myself from Bordeaux, because they are a club who have been enormously useful to me in my career, who made me progress and allowed me to become an international." Pierre van Hooijdonk Dutch striker Van Hooijdonk fired Nottingham Forest to promotion before playing in the Dutch side which reached the World Cup semi-finals in 1998. When he returned, though, he didn't see his future lying at the City Ground. After asking for a transfer but failing to secure a move away, he went back home to train with former club NAC Breda (sound familiar?). He eventually returned to the Forest line-up, but left in the summer of 1999 after suffering relegation. A number of other moves would follow, including two stints with Feyenoord. He even had time for a second official spell in Breda, separate from that brief foray in 1998. Riyad Mahrez In the summer of 2017, Algerian winger Mahrez told Leicester he wanted to leave the club. He did the same the following January, having failed to seal a summer exit, and stayed away from Foxes training. "I was away from here because I needed some time to think," he said after returning to first-team action. "You'll always have regrets but at that time I thought it was the best thing to do." Mahrez did eventually get his move in July 2018. He would end up spending five years with Manchester City before leaving for Al Ahli, where he still plays today. Matheus Nunes Speaking of Manchester City players, Nunes made sure his move to the Etihad Stadium would come to fruition in 2023. And his decision to go on strike wasn't exactly well-received. "I was disappointed with how it ended, it wasn't necessary the stance Matheus took, but we ended with a good resolution for everyone," Wolves transfer chief Matt Hobbs said. "Matheus is a hugely talented player but would admit that last season he didn't hit the heights he expected, but it was a tough season for the team, so maybe he wasn't allowed to do that." Nunes has found things tricky in his two seasons with City. However, he did score a crucial late winner against Aston Villa last term to help his team qualify for the Champions League. Paul Scholes Scholes has legendary status at Manchester United but that wasn't always a guarantee. Back in 2001, the academy graduate was left out for a league game and reacted by refusing to play against Arsenal in the League Cup. "Yeah, that was a stupid thing to do, I know that now," Scholes said a decade later. "At the time you think it's right - you're young and you're not as experienced as you should have been. Thankfully for the midfielder, he wasn't left regretting it too long. Less than two years later, he was celebrating another league title with United - having scored a career-best 14 league goals along the way. Sebastien Squillaci Sure, Squillaci might not be the player you think of first when discussing strike candidates, but football is full of surprises. Not only did he refuse to play for Sevilla amid interest from Arsenal, but he did so after being named in Antio Alvarez's XI for a game against Braga in the Champions League qualifiers. 'I knew if I played against Braga then I would not have been able to play for Arsenal in the Champions League,' Squillaci said. He played just eight Champions League games for Arsenal, and just 39 in total - you can't help but wonder if he still thinks it was worth it. Carlos Tevez Early in the 2011-12 season. Tevez refused to come off the bench for Manchester City. The club took disciplinary action, and he was out of the picture for months, though he would later argue he didn't go on an effective strike - claiming it was all a misunderstanding. After six months away from the team, Tevez returned to action in March and later scored big goals to help City win the title. That was enough for pretty much everyone to put the whole affair behind them.
BBC News
12 minutes ago
- BBC News
'I needed to get myself together' - Fitzpatrick on finding form
Golf is a demanding and successful day job, but football is former US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick's sporting passion - to the extent that he wants to work in the may happen one day but for now, digging his way out of the biggest slump of an otherwise glittering golf career has been the 30-year-old's has been a difficult and emotional process, but proof that he is back came with a career-best tie for fourth at last month's Open. He was the leading UK golfer that week on the Antrim coast and it was a fine way to end the men's major more so given where Fitzpatrick's game was when it began at April's Masters. The previous month he had missed the cut at the Players, parting company with caddie Billy Foster - with whom he won the 2022 US miserable early spring confounded expectations, after taking time to reset his career following a disappointing 2024. He felt ready to contend again, but his game remained in disarray."I just didn't have it," Fitzpatrick told BBC Sport. "I'd put in a tonne of work, my coaches had put in so much work and it just didn't happen."There's no stone left unturned for me, but it's hard when you're intending to hit a shot and missing it by quite a lot. I just didn't know what was coming."And that's when confidence hits an all-time low and you feel like you can't progress." By the end of the Masters, where he finished in a share of 40th place, the former world number six was 75th in the was not sure what to do to arrest the decline. And sometimes stuff happens away from the course as vicissitudes contributed to what had been previously unthinkable - splitting with Mike Walker, his coach and confidante since Fitzpatrick's mid works alongside fellow South Yorkshireman Pete Cowen and helped his protege win the US Amateur in 2013 before turning professional."My relationship with Mike is more important than golf really," Fitzpatrick said. "He's someone I've looked up to since I was 14 or 15."I could tell him anything and my respect for him is so high. At the same time I wasn't playing well and things probably needed to change."It's my job and I needed to get myself together."The week after the Masters, Fitzpatrick started to work with the Alabama-based coach Mark Blackburn."It was the first time I've ever had anyone look at my swing, or get a lesson off someone not named Mike Walker or Pete Cowen in 15 years," Fitzpatrick wanted to know his new pupil's physical capabilities and his level of flexibility. They soon discovered Fitzpatrick possesses unusually long arms."Which is not great for hitting irons because its harder to control the depth of the club, and you are going to hit it heavier more often than not," he said."The other thing was I don't have great shoulder flexion and because of that, as soon as I swing it too long I come out of posture and my swing is all out of whack."While finishing 11 under par at Portrush it was noticeable that before every shot Fitzpatrick would pull back his shoulders and push out his chest. "It's me trying to pinch my shoulder blades together," he said."It is basically to create the radius of my arms, which means I can just rotate there and I don't need to stretch or move my arms." The work is paying off. Fitzpatrick was eighth in May's US PGA at Quail Hollow, one of five top 10s since the Masters - including finishing fourth at the Scottish Open the week before Portrush, and a share of eighth at the Wyndham last he is looking to push to finish top 30 on the PGA Tour and grab a place in the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta. He currently lies 41st and competes in the first play-off event, the FedEx St Jude, which starts in Memphis this who he credits for helping him through the toughest stretch of his career, Fitzpatrick says: "My mum and dad and wife Katherine."She was constantly reminding me that I won the US Open; 'you're a great player, you're going to get it back'."It really is true, you've got to have the right people around you and I feel very lucky that I've always had that." Football tactics fascinate Fitzpatrick The other constant has been his love of football. This conversation began with Fitzpatrick seeking contact details for a tactical expert who had appeared on the BBC Sport website."People think its a joke but I love football way more than golf," Fitzpatrick smiled. "I'm obsessed with football. It's brilliant for me."I love supporting Sheffield United, over here in the States they show every game I could wish to see, which is amazing."Fitzpatrick has visited Premier League side Brentford and spoken face-to-face with the performance team at champions Liverpool to glean insights. His voice lights up while recalling the people he met and the chats that was like a sponge absorbing information. "How they use data, how culture is so important," he said. "Just fascinating."Finding little things that maybe we could take into golf - I feel like we've taken a lot from it."But not just golf. He claims there could come a day when he might switch sports."I don't know when I'll ever get time to do this, but I'd love to work in football if the opportunity ever arose in some way, shape or form," Fitzpatrick said."That's extremely wishful thinking, but I just find it so interesting to be part of. I love reading about it and everything about it."More pressing is a golf career that is back on the up. Along with trying to make it to East Lake for the Tour Championship, he wants to retain his place in Europe's Ryder Cup team for next month's trophy defence at Bethpage in New York."It is nice to play well at the crunch time; the play-offs and the Ryder Cup," Fitzpatrick said. "To be part of that would be very special again."He has played three Ryder Cups but his record of only one win in eight matches is a frustration, and poor reflection of the talents of someone with 10 tournament wins in his professional career."Despite my record I still want to be part of it to give myself a chance to improve on it," he he makes Luke Donald's team, Fitzpatrick will bring plenty of perspective to the European team."In the last 15 months there's been an extra effort to try and be a little bit more forgiving to myself and understanding my own psychology really," he admitted."My biggest thing I would take away from the slump is catching things earlier. I can't afford to get to that stage again."It was a tough time for me and the problem was it went on for so long. You can't afford to be behind the eight ball and you need to catch those things as early as you can, and turn them round as quickly as you can."Spoken like a golfer who might one day deliver half-time team talks.
Rhyl Journal
14 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Mohamed Salah scores as Liverpool unleash £270m new signings against Athletic
Florian Wirtz's first look at Anfield gave fans a glimpse of why the club made him their – and with add-ons potentially a British – record signing with some clever touches and interplay and almost the opening goal. Head coach Arne Slot believes the Germany international will replace the creativity they lost from the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid. 'I think there is always room for improvement in every department and we have added a few, in my opinion, extra weapons,' said the Dutchman. Hugo Ekitike relished his first experience of Anfield and cannot wait for much more after becoming a Red 👇 — Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 4, 2025 'Florian has a lot of creativity in the final third and we have lost with Trent a lot of creativity from the back. 'Trent's crosses and picking out runners was so special – Flo has this quality in a totally different position. He brings that creativity.' Wirtz's fellow new signings also showed they were settling in well as Jeremie Frimpong linked up well with Salah, fellow full-back Milos Kerkez was solid and Hugo Ekitike showed flexibility across the forward line. Wirtz headed onto the crossbar before Ekitike crossed for Salah to fire home and Gakpo scored twice after the break after Oihan Sancet had levelled. Liverpool went into the double-header with just one recognised centre-back with Virgil van Dijk ill and Joe Gomez injured and looked vulnerable at set-pieces, with Maroan Sannadi heading an equaliser from a corner. 'The other games pre-season we have conceded a few too many chances but today we hardly conceded anything at all and that pleased me as well,' added Slot. First appearances as Reds at Anfield for our summer arrivals ✊🔴 — Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 4, 2025 'So to concede two set-piece goals in the second game is not what you want, especially if you play Crystal Palace next week who are a team who are very strong on set-pieces. That's another thing to work on.' In both matches Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash last month, was remembered with fans standing and clapping and singing the forward's song. When the clock showed 20, action on the pitch also halted as players and officials joined in the applause. Liverpool's second string won 4-1 earlier, after an erroneous fire alarm had evacuated the Main Stand before kick-off, with 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha continuing his impressive pre-season form with a goal after just 87 seconds. Ben Doak, three years his senior, also scored while there were goals for Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott, two players whose futures appear to be away from Anfield. Nunez, who has been linked with Al Hilal for a while with AC Milan also opening talks over the Uruguay international, thumped the badge on his shirt in front of the Kop while Elliott was the last to leave the pitch having blown kisses to all four sides of the ground.
