Fabregas shuts down Inter speculation and vows to continue at Como
Cesc Fabregas pledged his immediate managerial future to Como on Wednesday amid increasing speculation that the Spaniard is the main target for Inter Milan to replace the recently departed Simone Inzaghi.
Fabregas — former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder — has attracted the attention of several top clubs after leading promoted Como to a 10th place finish in Serie A last season. Fabregas is also a shareholder in the club where he ended his playing career.
ALSO READ | FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers: Italy's Gabbia ruled out before Norway clash, Rugani named replacement
'I really believe in Como's long-term project, I arrived here as a player and I'm very, very happy because I can work here the way I want,' Fabregas said at the SXSW (South By Southwest) conference in London.
Italian media said that Inter want to speak to Fabregas after Inzaghi left by mutual agreement on Tuesday, days after their 5-0 defeat by Paris St Germain in the Champions League final, and with the Club World Cup less than two weeks away.
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The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
French Open 2025: Plotting the contours of the Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry - Men's tennis' new main-event
In the autumn of 2022, when 20-time Major winner Roger Federer announced his retirement, the world of tennis slipped into a state of near-eternal lament. There was the disappointment of not being able to watch one of the greatest players live anymore, but it was also about the end of the famed 40-match Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry which had defined the sport. Nadal, by then, had started hobbling again because of multiple injury setbacks and, in a curious twist of fate, did not go on to add to his then record 22 Majors. The other member of the 'Big Three', Novak Djokovic, was — and still is — around, prancing his way to the biggest titles, but the sport had seemingly lost the emotional hook that fans had hung on to for a good part of the previous two decades. Changing equation The Grand Slam tournaments — the crown jewels — where the 'Big Three' had long established fiefdoms, appeared ripe for new wannabe monarchs to battle it out. Men's tennis was expected to be chaotic, capricious and full of surprises, a far cry for those who had grown accustomed to having at least two members — if not all three — of the 'Big Three' routinely at the business end of big-ticket events. That none of this has come to pass thus far is primarily because of how seamlessly Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have filled the space and established a firm duopoly. Blessed with great court-presence and fast-developing aura, they are now the top-two players in the world, and the match-up is 11 contests young, with Alcaraz leading 7-4. The Spaniard, all of 22, and the Italian, 23, have accounted for seven of the 10 last Slams, including a clean sweep of the most recent five. There is indeed a churn one rung below, at the ATP Masters 1000 level, where 11 different victors have emerged in the last 16 tournaments. But the much anticipated — and feared — turmoil at the top has proved a chimera. History suggests that rivalries thrive when there is a dint of differentiation — right versus left; attack versus defence; net-lover versus baseline-hugger; serve bot versus return machine. But in this era of homogenisation of courts, where clay and grass are closer than ever, a one-size-fits-all style is bringing increased levels of success, and sports science and improved nutrition techniques are universally accessible, such stark contrasts seldom exist. Yet, the Alcaraz-Sinner duel works, primarily because of the sheer competitiveness the two bring to the table, the tactical excellence and subtle differences in playing styles. Of the two, Alcaraz is the more flamboyant, trick-shot-loving showman who treats the court as his own theatre of dreams. After winning his first Major on the hard courts at the US Open in 2022, he has gone on to master clay and grass and their abundant unpredictabilities, even completing the arduous French Open-Wimbledon double in 2024. Sinner, in contrast, presents a staid and emotionless persona on court, and his repeatable technique is more suited for truer surfaces, as seen from the fact that he has won the last three Slams to be held on synthetic courts. Such has been his dominance that starting from the Toronto Masters in 2023, Sinner has won 13 of 20 hard-court events he has entered (including two Davis Cups) and finished runner-up in two others. When 'opposites' collide In the recent 'Served with Andy Roddick' podcast, former World No. 1s Andre Agassi and Roddick laid this out beautifully, with Agassi calling Alcaraz 'still so raw' and Roddick likening Sinner to an 'algorithm' and 'a piece of software that went: input output input output'. 'It is amazing how little his speed diminishes on clay and grass,' Agassi said of Alcaraz. 'Most people who are fast go to grass and their speed comes down 5% just because you have to be careful in the corners. But his doesn't. I think he should maximise [his potential], and we should enjoy watching him before he maximises, because there is so much fun for the fan. 'Sinner is the exact opposite,' the eight-time Grand Slam titlist went on. '[He's] constantly maximising and never hits a ball he doesn't need to. When he does let one rip, it makes you wonder … what that gear would really look like, because he's taking 85% cuts all the time.' It is then no surprise that when these two collide, it makes for mesmerising action. Alcaraz may have the head-to-head advantage, with four consecutive wins leading into the 2025 French Open, including the Rome final last month in Sinner's first tournament back after serving a doping suspension. But at no point has the match-up suffered from one-sidedness. It helps that both have started peaking nearly at the same time — seven of their most recent matches have been semifinals or finals. Unlike the Federer-Nadal equation, or the more recent Swiatek-Gauff face-off, their initial combats were far from lop-sided. Where Nadal won six of their first seven meetings and Swiatek 11 of 12, Alcaraz and Sinner were locked at 4-4 until Roland-Garros 2024. The two are also not limited by the dynamics of the surface, thus broadening the scope of their rivalry and presenting a larger canvas to work their magic. Legends of the past such as John McEnroe and Pete Sampras were iffy on clay, and Ivan Lendl struggled on grass. Alcaraz and Sinner may have their preferences, but are consummate all-courters. They have mostly met on hard courts, fleetingly on clay and once on grass. But each has beaten the other on acrylic and dirt, with Sinner edging the lone match on grass at Wimbledon 2022, before either had won a Slam. At the 2022 US Open, Alcaraz's first Major, Sinner even had a match-point in their pulsating five-set quarterfinal, which established him as a near-equal. However, since the start of 2024, wherein Sinner has been the best in the world, conjuring an astonishing win-loss record of 85-7 (until Rome 2025), Alcaraz has beaten him four times. 'The thing with Sinner is he strikes the ball so hard and also without making too many mistakes,' former World No. 1 Mats Wilander told 'Tennis365' recently. 'That is too much for a lot of people, but not Alcaraz. When Sinner has a forehand and time to hit it, other players have to guess left or right. Carlos doesn't have that problem as he is super fast.' Thrust, parry, counter All of which suggests that the two have areas to unlock and space to grow. Alcaraz did that most recently in the Rome final by pinning Sinner deep in his backhand corner and forcing the Italian to generate his own pace. The triumphant Spaniard later called it 'tactically, my best match'. Sinner's response will likely help write the next glorious chapter. 'I wake up in the morning trying to understand the ways to beat him [Alcaraz],' Sinner had said in October 2024 after the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia. 'These rivalries, these kinds of players, they always push us to our 100%. Hopefully this rivalry will last as long as possible.'
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First Post
2 hours ago
- First Post
French Open: Sinner denies Djokovic 25th Grand Slam win with semi-final victory, faces Alcaraz for title
World number one Sinner held off a record-chasing Djokovic with an impressive 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) win on Court Philippe Chatrier to reach his maiden Roland Garros final, where he faces defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. read more World No 1 Jannik Sinner shakes Novak Djokovic's hand after defeating the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the semi-finals of the French Open on Friday, 6 June. AP Jannik Sinner battled past Novak Djokovic in a gripping French Open semi-final on Friday to book a first Grand Slam final meeting with reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz after the Spaniard saw off Lorenzo Musetti. World number one Sinner held off a record-chasing Djokovic with an impressive 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) win on Court Philippe Chatrier to reach his maiden Roland Garros final. 'He is the best player in the history of our sport, playing against him here is amazing,' said the 23-year-old Sinner. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Of course I try to not think about this but before coming on court you feel the tension.' Djokovic showed his trademark fighting qualities in a dramatic contest that lasted three hours and 16 minutes, but three missed set points late in the third set ultimately put paid to his hopes of a comeback. The 38-year-old will next attempt to win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon next month. 'Obviously Wimbledon is next, which is my childhood favourite tournament,' said the world number six. 'I'm going to do everything possible to get myself ready. I guess my best chances maybe are Wimbledon, to win another Slam, or faster hard court, maybe Australia or something like that.' Alcaraz earlier booked his place in Sunday's final when opponent Musetti retired with a leg injury in the fourth set of their last-four tie. Sinner, who is yet to drop a set in the tournament, will be hoping to gain revenge on Alcaraz after losing to the Spaniard in five sets in the semi-finals last year. Alcaraz has won his last four matches against Sinner, including in the Italian Open final in May when Sinner returned from a three-month doping ban. 'Sunday is going to be very difficult, I know my head-to-head lately doesn't look great against Carlos but let's see what I can do,' added Sinner. Djokovic's exit ensures that a sixth successive major title will be lifted by either Sinner or world number two Alcaraz, in what appears increasingly likely to be a permanent changing of the guard. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'This could have been the last match ever I played here, so I don't know,' said Djokovic. 'I don't know really what tomorrow brings in a way at this point in my career. You know, I'm going to keep on keeping on.' Sunday will see the first Grand Slam final to be played between two men born in the 2000s. Neither Sinner or Alcaraz have ever lost a major final. It is also the first Grand Slam tournament in which the top two seeds will contest both the men's and women's finals since the 2013 US Open, with Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff set to face off for the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen on Saturday. Djokovic had his chances, but Sinner consistently proved too strong in the key moments, including when breaking immediately after failing to serve out the second set. The Italian hit 44 winners in total over the gruelling three sets, showing excellent resilience to stave off three set points in the 10th game of the third. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Musetti retires injured Earlier, world number two Alcaraz was leading 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-0, 2-0 under the Court Philippe Chatrier roof when Italian Musetti called it quits due to a thigh injury. 'It's never great to go through or win a match when it's like this,' said the 22-year-old. 'He's done an incredible clay season. I wish him all the best, a quick recovery and that he'll be back soon.' Alcaraz will aim to win his fifth Grand Slam title in two days' time. 'It's been three intense weeks and now I have one step to make,' he said. 'I'll give everything on Sunday, I've been playing great tennis this tournament.' Musetti saved break points in the first and seventh games before grabbing a one-set lead with a break in the 10th game. The Spaniard raced through a second-set breaker, though, taking his third set point when Musetti fired an attempted passing shot into the net. Musetti could not deal with the power coming from the other side of the net in the third set and briefly received treatment on his left thigh. Alcaraz went on to romp through the set, in which eighth seed Musetti mustered only five points, in just 22 minutes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Musetti surrendered another break early in the fourth set as Alcaraz thumped a forehand return into the corner, and the 23-year-old immediately headed to the net to shake his opponent's hand.
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers: Donnarumma says Italy's form unacceptable after drubbing by Norway
Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma offered no excuses for his side's poor showing in their 3-0 defeat at Norway in the World Cup qualifiers on Friday, saying their form was not acceptable and the fans deserve better. Playing the first match of their qualifying campaign, Italy was stunned after a ruthless first-half performance by Norway, which put three past the visitor thanks to Alexander Sorloth, Antonio Nusa and Erling Haaland. Italy sits fourth in Group I, while Norway leads the group with nine points from three matches. Estonia, Moldova and Israel are also in Group I. 'I have no explanation at the moment. You just have to go inside and realise the performance tonight. Our fans don't deserve this,' Donnarumma told Italian TV channel Rai Sport. 'We all have to come out of these games together, we need to examine our conscience.' The four-times World Cup winner has not qualified for the global showpiece event since 2014. Italy manager Luciano Spalletti said his team was going through a difficult patch and that he would speak with the Italian Football Federation about the situation. ALSO READ: Haaland scores as Norway thrashes Italy in FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers 'From us, it has to come from us first of all. We are Italy and these matches are not acceptable... We must be more united than before,' said Donnarumma, who won the Champions League, Ligue 1, French Cup and French Super Cup titles with Paris St Germain in the recently concluded season. Italy next hosts fifth-placed Moldova on Monday.
