LIVERPOOL: Trent Alexander-Arnold is fully committed to Liverpool, manager Arne Slot said Friday, amid interest in the England right back from Real Madrid.
Alexander-Arnold’s contract with Liverpool expires at the end of the season so he is now free to sign a pre-contract agreement with another club if he wishes.
Madrid reportedly wants to sign him and the European champions were reportedly rebuffed when they made an initial enquiry about Alexander-Arnold in late December.
Slot was asked about the defender’s situation in a news conference ahead of Liverpool’s match against Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, and he said he had had a conversation with Alexander-Arnold but would not divulge any details.
Asked if Alexander-Arnold would be staying at Liverpool beyond January, Slot only said: “I can tell you he is playing on Sunday, and hopefully he brings the same performances he brought in the past half-year.
“Because everybody saw how great a first half of the season he had, how much he is here, how much he wants to win here. I see him on the training ground every day ... he is fully committed to us.”
Slot is sure Madrid’s pursuit of Alexander-Arnold isn’t affecting the defender.
“If it would destabilize players at Liverpool that other people talk about them, then we would really have a problem,” Slot said, “because if you play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, everybody always, for 12 months long, will talk about you, sometimes in relation to other clubs.
“That happens so, so, so many times for our players, so if that destabilizes them then we really would have had a problem, not only now but the past six months.”
Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk also are out of contract at Liverpool at the end of the season.
Slot says Alexander-Arnold ‘fully committed’ to Liverpool amid Real Madrid interest
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Slot says Alexander-Arnold ‘fully committed’ to Liverpool amid Real Madrid interest
- Madrid reportedly wants to sign him and the European champions were reportedly rebuffed when they made an initial enquiry about Alexander-Arnold in late December
Carlos Alcaraz wins third-round match but loses ‘drop-shot battle’ at Australian Open
- The left-handed Moutet mixed things up for Alcaraz in an almost festival Friday vibe
- “When you play someone like Corentin you don’t know what’s going to be next,” Alcaraz said
MELBOURNE: Carlos Alcaraz had to acknowledge that while he won the third-round match, he lost the battle of the drop shots against Corentin Moutet.
That could be a first for the 22-year-old Spaniard, who grew up relentlessly practicing his drop shots and is now at the Australian Open chasing a career Grand Slam.
The left-handed Moutet mixed things up for Alcaraz in an almost festival Friday vibe on Rod Laver Arena, his blend of drop shots, slice, lobs, tweeners, volleys and even an underarm serve keeping the world’s No. 1-ranked player on his toes.
“When you play someone like Corentin you don’t know what’s going to be next,” Alcaraz said after his 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 win over the No. 32 seed. “I had so much fun on the court. As you could see, we both pulled off great shots. Great points.”
Late in the first set, he said he was already fed up with tracking down drop shots and told his support team “I’m not going to run to get those.”
“I thought we were in a drop-shot competition,” Alcaraz added, laughing, “but he won!”
Ever the showman, Alcaraz chimed in with some of his own tricks and tweeners.
In the first round, Moutet was booed by the crowd for his underarm serve on match point. For his main arena debut, there was much more love from the crowd.
After a winning volley late in the match, he celebrated by extravagantly doffing his cap.
Alcaraz will next play Sunday against No. 19 Tommy Paul, who advanced when Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired with an injury after dropping the first two sets 6-1, 6-1.
In night matches, No. 3 Alexander Zverev, the runner-up here last year, advanced 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 over Cameron Norrie and No. 6 Alex de Minaur ousted Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. De Minuar next plays No. 10 Alexander Bublik.
Sabalenka, Coco Gauff advance
No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 3 Coco Gauff had tough routes through the third round.
Sabalenka said there were times she felt like her head, her hands and her racket were not connected but she still had just enough to squeeze past Anastasia Potapova 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7).
Gauff weathered early trouble against Hailey Baptiste before advancing 3-6, 6-0-6-3, cutting down her unforced errors and not serving any double-faults in the second set. She next plays No. 19 Karolina Muchova.
Sabalenka , chasing her third Australian Open title in four years, led 6-5 and 40-0 in her opening set but Potapova saved all three set points to send it to a tiebreaker.
In the second set, Potapova recovered two service breaks and again force a tiebreaker. She then had three set points but Sabalenka rallied when the pressure was on.
“She played incredible tennis,” Sabalenka said. “I was always on the back foot. There are days where you just have to fight — it was such a fight.”
Sabalenka won the Australian Open title in 2023 and 2024 and was the runner-up a year ago to Madison Keys.
She next faces 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, who was one of three teenagers advancing on Day 6.
Great’s advice
The 18-year-old Iva Jovic beat No. 7 Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 7-6 (3), after getting some advice from 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic.
“He gave me some very attentive tips for my game,” the American said. “That was one of the things in the forefront of my mind, because I think when Novak gives you some advice, you follow it.”
She’ll next play Yulia Putintseva, who shrugged off a vocal crowd to end Turkish player Zeynep Sonmez ‘s run, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3.
No. 8 Mirra Andreeva, who at 18 is into the fourth round in Australia for the third straight year, will next play No. 12 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, who beat Diana Shnaider of Russia 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Tien-Medvedev revisited
Daniil Medvedev rallied for a 6-7 (5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-0, 6-3 victory over Fabian Marozsan, the fifth time he’s rallied from two-sets down to win a Grand Slam match.
The 2021 US Open champion next has a rematch with Learner Tien, who upset him here last year.
Heating up
Play will begin an hour earlier than initially scheduled Saturday because of high temperatures expected at Melbourne Park. The forecast is for a high of 40 degrees Celsius (104 F).
