Ons Jabeur continues to capture hearts of Arab tennis fans

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Despite not taking part in the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Tunisian tennis superstar Ons Jabeur remains as popular as ever among tennis fans in the region. (Supplied)
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Despite not taking part in the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Tunisian tennis superstar Ons Jabeur remains as popular as ever among tennis fans in the region. (Footage and images in the video is courtesy of STF, WTA, and Getty Images)
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Updated 07 November 2024
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Ons Jabeur continues to capture hearts of Arab tennis fans

  • Tunisian tennis superstar may not be taking part in the WTA Finals, but turns heads everywhere in Riyadh

RIYADH: It only takes a few moments shadowing Ons Jabeur around Riyadh to realize what a rock star she is in this part of the world.

After becoming the first Arab in history to qualify for the WTA Finals in 2022, and replicating that feat in 2023, the Tunisian struggled with injuries this campaign and did not make the cut for the season finale in Riyadh.

Still, as an Arab icon and history maker, Jabeur was invited to attend the inaugural Riyadh edition of the tournament and got to witness firsthand the biggest women’s sports event to be staged in Saudi Arabia.

Whether she was taking part in a meet and greet, tennis clinic or the opening ceremony, Jabeur was met with huge fanfare, which has only made her hungrier to qualify for the Finals in 2025.

“I’m very happy to be here in Riyadh, the WTA Finals is happening here. I think it’s a great thing for women’s sport, for Arab women’s sport as well. It’s the biggest event that ever happened for women in Saudi. It’s an amazing step,” Jabeur told Arab News.




Ons Jabeur was invited to attend the inaugural Riyadh edition of the WTA Finals. (Supplied)

“I’m not very happy that I’m not playing, but also at the same time I’m happy that I’m here to check everything out. It will be my motivation to qualify for next year.

“I had time to rest my shoulder, I’m feeling much better than before. It allowed me to also recover mentally. It’s been a tough couple of years going on tour, so to breathe in for a couple of months was really awesome and I can’t wait to come back in Australia.”

A shoulder injury forced Jabeur to pull the plug early on her season. Her last match of 2024, in early August, was an opening round defeat to Naomi Osaka in Toronto.

The former world No. 2 is already in training. “I’m ready and very motivated and honestly hungry to play matches. I feel 2025 is going to be an amazing year,” said the 30-year-old.

 

 

“I listened to my body for sure. I should have done that way before. But as a professional tennis player, as an athlete, you always try to push yourself to do more.

“For me, it was a bit tough, and thankfully it wasn’t too late to stop and take a break.

“I’ve learned with my experience and definitely still learning. The most important thing that I have learned is how to listen to my body and to know when to stop, when to take a break.

“And it’s okay to take a month or two off because it will help you have a deep breath and push for the next tournaments.”

During her time in Riyadh, the three-time Grand Slam finalist interacted with many young aspiring tennis players, who were keen to pick her brain on what it takes to become a professional athlete.

“I had a meet and greet with young girls, they were very nice to me, they asked me a lot of questions. They were amazing questions to answer,” said Jabeur with a smile.

 

 

“We talked a little bit, I got to know them more. They seem very motivated and hungry to become professional tennis players. I hope to see a bright future for them.

“They were different questions about my routines, about how I prepare for the match, how I decided to become a tennis player, what kind of advice I’d give them.

“And they were really on point questions, I’ve got to say. It was fun interacting with them, seeing that they’re truly interested in becoming professional.”

Jabeur also kept her eye on the court and enjoyed following the battle for the year-end No. 1 ranking between Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek.

Sabalenka leapfrogged Swiatek and reclaimed the year-end top spot ahead of these WTA Finals, for the first time in her career.

“It’s been amazing watching both fighting for this No. 1 spot. I think at the moment Aryna deserves it the best. She’s such a great friend and a great competitor. It’s nice. I hope they’ll keep fighting and get tired so I can take the first spot,” laughed Jabeur.

 

 

Jabeur was speaking to Arab News at the Kayanee flagship store in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, where her new collection is being launched.

The Saudi Arabia fitness and sports lifestyle brand signed a partnership deal with Jabeur at the start of 2024 and believes she perfectly aligns with Kayanee’s philosophy of fostering health, well-being, and personal growth.

“It’s an honor to be the ambassador of Kayanee. I feel like the perfect language for a woman is through fashion. And I wanted to share my ideas, how I am on the court, how I’m feeling comfortable with my outfit and share that with the rest of the world,” said Jabeur of her new collection.


Amorim after his shocking claim about Man United: ‘I won’t promise I won’t do it again’

Updated 22 January 2025
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Amorim after his shocking claim about Man United: ‘I won’t promise I won’t do it again’

  • “If you want, I can be delusional and say different things,” Amorim said
  • Amorim’s shocking comment came after a 3-1 home loss to Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday

MANCHESTER: Ruben Amorim has acknowledged he might have made a mistake when he went public in describing his team as “the worst, maybe, in the history of Manchester United.”
Just don’t expect him to hold back his opinions going forward.
“If you want, I can be delusional and say different things,” Amorim said Wednesday at his first news conference since his remark that captured headlines and widespread attention.
“I say it as I saw it. I said it to the players and I said to you,” he told reporters. “I think it’s a good thing to be honest. If you want me to say different things — you saw one thing, I saw one thing — I can start to do that. It’s easier for me. But what I’m seeing, they know. If you are in the stadium, you can understand. Let’s face it and work on it.”
Amorim’s shocking comment came after a 3-1 home loss to Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday.


It was a fourth loss in United’s last five home games in the league, and a seventh defeat in 15 games in all competitions since Amorim took charge in November as the replacement for Erik ten Hag.
United, the record 20-time English champion, are 13th in the 20-team Premier League and closer to the relegation zone than the European qualification spots after 22 of 38 games.
Amorim denied that he was shifting blame toward his players. The 39-year-old Portuguese coach said: “I am (most) responsible for the performances and the results.
“I am a young guy and sometimes I make a mistake. This time I needed to talk. Maybe it was a mistake and I get more nervous and go to the (media) conference really nervous, and then you say things you shouldn’t say … I won’t promise I won’t do it again but I will try to improve.”
Amorim was speaking ahead of United’s Europa League game against Scottish rival Rangers at Old Trafford on Thursday. He said his players were “more nervous” and “anxious” playing at home and that was making it harder for the team to pick up results.
“If you have a little inexperience when you fall into this type of context, it’s hard to go up — especially when you are in a massive club,” Amorim said.
“That was my only point in saying it after that loss. The way I do it? Maybe not but it is what it is. I am like that all the time.”


Australian Open: Ben Shelton will face defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals

Updated 22 January 2025
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Australian Open: Ben Shelton will face defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals

  • “I’m relieved,” said Shelton, who will meet No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy on Friday
  • Sinner looked and played much better than he did — hand trembling, head dizzy — during a four-set struggle against Holger Rune in the fourth round

MELBOURNE: Ben Shelton’s Australian Open quarterfinal foe, Lorenzo Sonego, produced the shot of the tournament — diving to his left for a volley with so much spin that the ball bounced on one side of the net, then floated back over to the other — but it was the American who ended up with the victory Wednesday.
The left-handed Shelton did some entertaining of his own, including earning cheers by doing a couple of push-ups after tumbling in the concluding tiebreaker, and he reached his second Grand Slam semifinal at age 22 by beating the unseeded Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4).
“I’m relieved,” said Shelton, who will meet No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy on Friday for a spot in the final. “Shout out Lorenzo Sonego because that was some ridiculous tennis.”
Sinner, the defending champion at Melbourne Park, completely overwhelmed the last Australian in the men’s bracket, No. 8 Alex de Minaur, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 at night.
“It’s been too many times playing him and seeing the same thing. So I’m not even surprised anymore when I face him,” said de Minaur, who is now 0-10 against Sinner over their careers. “Matches like these happen.”
Sinner looked and played much better than he did — hand trembling, head dizzy — during a four-set struggle against Holger Rune in the fourth round. After giving himself a bit of a break on Tuesday, sleeping in and only hitting on court for about 30 or 40 minutes, Sinner said his body was much better.
“For sure, was (my) best match of the tournament so far,” said Sinner, who stretched his unbeaten winning streak to 19 matches dating back to last season.
Shelton, who is seeded 21st, closed the first set against Sonego with a 144 mph (232 kph) ace, tied for the fastest serve over the past 1 1/2 weeks, and flexed his left arm after smacking a powerful forehand to close a 22-stroke point and earn a break in the second. His father Bryan, a former tour pro who is Ben’s coach, grinned, too, while patting his own right biceps.
A few points from the end, Shelton sprinted to get his racket on a seemingly unreachable ball, and fell into a courtside advertising board as Sonego hit an easy winner to take the point.
Shelton stayed on the ground for a bit, then earned applause for his effort — and post-fall calisthenics.
When Shelton closed things with a 26th forehand winner — he had zero via backhands — he flexed again and sneered until his expression morphed into a smile.
At his news conference, Shelton offered some unprompted comments critical of some of the people handling on-court post-match interviews.
As good as Shelton is with his serves and forehands, his improving return game is a significant part of what carried him to the final four at the Australian Open for the first time.
He did just enough in that department, accumulating 11 break points and converting three, against Sonego, an Italian ranked 55th. Shelton entered the match coming through on 52 percent of his break chances, the highest rate among the eight men’s quarterfinalists.
Shelton lost to Novak Djokovic in the 2023 US Open semifinals.
The other semifinal will be Djokovic vs. No. 2 Alexander Zverev. Djokovic continued his pursuit of an 11th Australian Open title, and unprecedented 25th major trophy, by overcoming a leg injury and Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in a quarterfinal that began Tuesday night and ended at nearly 1 a.m. on Wednesday.
The women’s semifinals Thursday night are No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the tournament winner in each of the last two years, against No. 11 Paula Badosa, and No. 2 Iga Swiatek against No. 19 Madison Keys.
The crowd-pleasing factor was high for Shelton vs. Sonego, who never before had made it this far at a major.
Sonego went 67-for-90 on trips to the net, and his highlight-reel volley came at the outset of the second set. It was so remarkable that Shelton acknowledged the effort by offering a congratulatory handshake.
There was another terrific shot by Sonego in the fourth set, when he raced with his back to the net and spun to hit a hook shot of sorts that resulted in a winner.
It’s Shelton, though, who will get to keep playing in Melbourne this year.


Lewis Hamilton waves to fans as he drives a Ferrari F1 car for the first time

Updated 22 January 2025
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Lewis Hamilton waves to fans as he drives a Ferrari F1 car for the first time

  • Hamilton was behind the wheel of a 2023-specification Ferrari SF-23 bearing his racing number, 44, at the team’s Fiorano test track
  • The 40-year-old British driver set out for his first lap at 9:16 a.m. local time in light fog and twice waved to a crowd of around 1,000 spectators

MODENA, Italy: Lewis Hamilton greeted a crowd of waiting fans on Wednesday as he drove a Ferrari Formula 1 car for the first time since joining the Italian team for the 2025 season.
Hamilton was behind the wheel of a 2023-specification Ferrari SF-23 bearing his racing number, 44, at the team’s Fiorano test track, and wore a new helmet design in yellow with a prominent Prancing Horse logo.
The 40-year-old British driver set out for his first lap at 9:16 a.m. local time in light fog and twice waved to a crowd of around 1,000 spectators, who had gathered on a nearby bridge despite the cold and wet weather.
Part-way through the day, Hamilton headed over to fans who had waited for hours in the wet conditions since early morning for a glimpse of him behind the wheel. Wearing a jacket in Ferrari red, he waved, gave a thumbs-up gesture and put a hand to his heart.
There was excitement Wednesday from one of Italy’s biggest sports stars, too.
After reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open, top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner was asked by an Italian reporter if he had seen anything on social media about Hamilton’s Ferrari debut.
“It’s still pretty strange to see him in red,” Sinner said, “but it’ll be a great season.”
Hamilton has shaken up F1 with his move to Ferrari after 12 years with Mercedes, where he won six of his seven world titles. He has said he’s fulfilling a childhood dream.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have achieved things in my career I never thought possible, but part of me has always held on to that dream of racing in red. I couldn’t be happier to realize that dream today,” he said Monday after arriving at Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters for his first day at work with the new team.
F1 tightly restricts teams from testing current-specification cars but the rules are more loose for older cars like the SF-23 that Hamilton drove Wednesday. The F1 regulations for 2025 allow Hamilton to drive up to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) over four days in older F1 cars under the “testing of previous cars” rule. The SF-23 is the most recent Ferrari that’s eligible.
Pre-season testing for the new season’s cars is from Feb. 26 through 28 in Bahrain.


India win toss and bowl first against England in first T20 as fit-again Shami left out

Updated 22 January 2025
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India win toss and bowl first against England in first T20 as fit-again Shami left out

  • India is the reigning world champion at the T20 format

KOLKATA: India won the toss and chose to bowl first in the series-opening T20 against England’s cricketers in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Mohammed Shami missed out for India despite the fast bowler being available after more than a year on the sidelines.
India is the reigning world champion at the T20 format.
It is Brendon McCullum’s first white-ball match since becoming England’s all-format coach.
Teams:
India: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Azar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy.
England: Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.


Struggling Dortmund sack coach Sahin after four-game losing run in 2025

Updated 22 January 2025
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Struggling Dortmund sack coach Sahin after four-game losing run in 2025

  • “Borussia Dortmund have released head coach Nuri Sahin with immediate effect,” said the club
  • Dortmund said current Under-19 coach Mike Tullberg would be in charge

BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund have fired coach Nuri Sahin, the German soccer club said on Wednesday, after Tuesday’s shock 2-1 loss to Bologna in the Champions League that stretched their losing run to four games across all competitions.
“Borussia Dortmund have released head coach Nuri Sahin with immediate effect following an internal analysis of recent sporting developments,” said the club in a statement.
The Ruhr valley club, last year’s Champions League finalists, conceded two goals in two minutes in the second half against the Italians after taking a 15th minute lead.
They have also lost all three league matches in 2025, dropping down to 10th place in the Bundesliga and putting their participation next season in Europe’s premier club competition at risk.
“After four defeats in a row and only one win from the last nine games ... we have unfortunately lost faith in being able to achieve our sporting goals in the current constellation,” Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken said in the statement.


“This decision also hurts me personally, but it was no longer avoidable after the game in Bologna.”
Dortmund said current Under-19 coach Mike Tullberg would be in charge for their league game against Werder Bremen on Saturday.
Sahin, 36, leaves the club just a little over half a year after being appointed to replace Edin Terzic as the new coach.
The German-born former Türkiye international was a former youth and senior player at the club. He became an assistant coach at Dortmund in 2024 after a two-year coaching spell at Türkiye’s Antalyaspor. He had signed a contract to 2027.