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Japan Times
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
Sinner happy to return after doping ban but keeping expectations low for Italian Open
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner said on Monday that he was heading into the Italian Open with low expectations as he makes his comeback after serving a three-month ban for doping. Sinner agreed to a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency in February and began an immediate three-month suspension after authorities accepted that the anabolic agent clostebol had entered his system via massages from his physiotherapist. The three-time Grand Slam champion, who has not played since winning the Australian Open in January, will now hope to leave the doping saga behind him and build momentum for the French Open, which runs from May 25 to June 8. The Italian was cleared to return to training from April 13, with his suspension ending on May 4. "It's a very, very low expectation tournament in general for me, it's talking also results wise," Sinner told reporters ahead of the Italian Open. "What's missing is the complete feedback of where my level is. That's going to come then slowly with the time of playing, after the first round match I'm going to have a good picture of myself — where I am at." Despite missing out on three months of action, the 23-year-old was assured of retaining the top ranking for his home tournament after his closest challenger, Alexander Zverev, crashed to an early defeat at the Monte Carlo Masters. "For me personally good news that the Grand Slams were not included. ... This kind of agreement, I didn't want to do it in the beginning. It was not easy for me to accept it because I know what really happened, but sometimes we have to choose the best in a very bad moment," Sinner said. "It's all over now, so I'm happy to play tennis again." Sinner said last year was very difficult for him. "I was in a tough situation and in the beginning of the Australian Open I struggled a lot. So, it was nice also to take a small break," he added. "But I could feel that I'm not playing for quite a long time. The body still has to adjust the times ... the blisters in hands they come again because you're not used to it anymore." A silver lining of Sinner's absence for Italian tennis was that it gave other players in the country's golden generation a chance to shine. Sinner was joined in the top 10 of the men's world rankings on Monday by Lorenzo Musetti, who is at No. 9 after reaching the Monte Carlo final and the last four in Madrid. Meanwhile Luciano Darderi and Flavio Cobolli won tournaments in Marrakesh and Bucharest in April, further underlining the strength in depth that Italian tennis has behind Sinner. Italian tennis players Lorenzo Musetti (left), Matteo Berrettini (center) and Jannik Sinner during a ceremony to celebrate Italy's 2024 Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup victories, ahead of the Italian Open in Rome on Monday. | AFP-JIJI Filippo Volandri, captain of an Italian team that won the last two editions of the Davis Cup, said that "Italian tennis is clearly in a golden age." "But it's been a long time coming, we're seeing the fruits of work which was started some time ago," he added. Volandri, who has been in charge of top-level male players for the Italian Tennis Federation (FITP) for the last nine years, pointed to a graphic that illustrates Italy's recent progress. Between 2005 and 2015 Italian players won eight ATP titles — with seven of those in the lowest 250 category — but since 2016 the tally of tournament wins has more than trebled to 31. Five of those 31 wins have come in top-level Masters 1000 tournaments, with another three being Sinner's Grand Slam triumphs. Sinner is responsible for 19 of Italy's ATP wins since 2016. "Jannik is the product of a movement which had already given us Matteo Berrettini reaching the Wimbledon final (in 2021). He is the result of a system that works," said Volandri. Michelangelo Dell'Edera, the director of the FITP's Higher Training Institute, said that the federation runs a geographically decentralized system which was put in place at the end of the 1990s. "Every province has a coach from the federation for children between 8-10 years old, while each region has a manager in charge of players between the ages of 11 and 16," explained Dell'Edera. Players were for a long time obliged to move to the national training center in Tirrenia, just up the Tuscany coast from Livorno, but that is no longer the case. "Decentralization means making our skills available to young players and their coaches," said Volandri. "We're reaching out to them rather than tearing them away from their families and their lives." Dell'Edera said the renaissance in Italian tennis has also come via a change in training philosophy and playing style. "To make a comparison with another sport, we've gone from the marathon, where players were slugging forehands and backhands, to the 100 meters, a sort of 'speed tennis' where the emphasis is on the serve and return, two shots which determine whether a point can be won," he said. Every year for the past seven years, just before the Italian Open, the FITP invites its 12,000 coaches to a seminar at the picturesque Foro Italico where the major clay court tournament is played. The seminar is held to discuss training, physical preparation and tactics, with guest appearances from big foreign names in the field such as Emilio Sanchez and Brad Gilbert, who were there on Saturday. Gilbert, the former coach of tennis icon Andre Agassi, is impressed with the work being done in Italy. "They're getting to the top, they have Sinner. Sometimes you get to the top and you rest. If anything, they are spending more," said Gilbert. "They've made an incredible commitment and they've got a great supporting team. Sinner is the reward. "But they started this thing 10, 15 years ago and they're still producing. I just watched this kid. ... Federico Cina. He is special." Cina could have the chance to show how special he is as he will play Sinner in the second round in Rome if he gets past Argentinian Mariano Navone in his opening match.
Japan Times
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
'Lucky number seven' for Ruud after beating Draper to clinch Madrid Open
Casper Ruud joked seven was his lucky number after claiming the most important trophy of his career in his seventh big final as he beat Jack Draper on Sunday to win the Madrid Open. The Norwegian, a three-time Grand Slam runner-up, earned his first Masters 1000 triumph with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Draper in a 2½ hour tussle at Manolo Santana stadium. Rising star Draper, who will move up to fifth in the world rankings on Monday above Novak Djokovic, was hoping to add to his Indian Wells title in March, but Ruud outlasted him in his third Masters final. "This was my seventh big final if you count them all, so seven is a lucky number, I guess," laughed Ruud. "So it was worth the wait in the end. I've never really been too close in any of the finals when I look back — I've lost the majority of them in straight sets." After his prior struggles on big occasions, also losing in the 2022 ATP Finals showpiece to Djokovic, Ruud was grateful to triumph in the Spanish capital. "It is a mix somewhat of a relief and happiness and just pure joy," he explained. "I know, based on the last years that I've had on tour, how tough it is to do well at the biggest tournaments, and I've never been able to get over the finish line as a champion, but today I was able to." Draper had been looking for the first clay court title of his career. "Congratulations to Casper on this win, you really deserve it — you were braver than me in the key moments," said Draper. "This sport is brutal but I will keep trying, I think this loss will make me better." The 26-year-old Ruud, ranked 15th, blinked first with back-to-back double faults to give Draper a break for 2-1 in the first set. However, in a seventh-game hold, the Norwegian upped his power and showed his quality, hinting at the fightback that was to follow. Britain's Jack Draper hits a return to Casper Ruud during the final of the Madrid Open on Sunday. | AFP-JIJI Serving for the set, Draper was unable to polish off his opponent, who broke to tie the set at 5-5. Ruud held and then broke to claim the first set as Draper mishit a forehand. It was the first set Draper had dropped at the tournament and he ranted aloud to his team to release his frustration. Draper's tactic seemed to work as he produced his best tennis in a brilliant second set in which he made just one unforced error and let his rasping forehand shine. Draper broke in the seventh game for a 4-3 lead, saved two break points in the eighth and then broke again himself to claim the second set, with his third set point. In the decider, Draper saved three break points to hold in the hard-fought third game, which lasted over 10 minutes. Ruud broke in the fifth game and consolidated for a 4-2 lead, with his first title of this stature in sight after 12 ATP titles at the 250 and 500 levels. The tiring Draper saved a break point in the seventh game despite being docked a first serve for a time violation, and Ruud held for 5-3 to leave Draper serving to stay in the match. The 23-year-old found a second wind and held to love to make Ruud serve it out. Ruud powered through his final service game, opening up three match points and taking the first, with Draper sending a reply into the stands to end it. "I honestly feel like I'm at the start of my journey," said Draper. "I'm going to keep on improving and keep on pushing hard and keep these sort of tough moments in my head to keep on driving myself to be better."
Japan Times
29-04-2025
- Japan Times
Power outage brings chaos to Spain and Portugal
Lights flickered back to life in Spain and Portugal early Tuesday after a massive blackout hit the Iberian Peninsula, stranding passengers in trains and hundreds of elevators while millions saw phone and internet coverage die. More than 60% of Spain's national electricity supply had been restored by the end of Monday, the REE power operator said. Lights came on again in Madrid and in Portugal's capital. Barely a corner of the peninsula, which has a joint population of almost 60 million people, escaped. But no firm cause for the shutdown emerged, though wild rumors spread on messaging networks about cyberattacks. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said the source of the outage was "probably in Spain." Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said "all the potential causes" were being analyzed and warned the public "not to speculate" because of the risk of "misinformation." Sanchez said about 15 gigawatts of electricity, more than half of the power being consumed at the time, "suddenly disappeared" in about five seconds. Sanchez was unable to say when power would be completely restored in Spain and warned that some workers would have to stay home Tuesday. Montenegro said Portugal's power would be back "within hours." The outage rippled briefly into southwest France while Morocco saw disruption to some internet providers and airport check-in systems. People were "stunned," according to Carlos Candori, a 19-year-old construction worker who had to exit the paralyzed Madrid metro system. "This has never happened in Spain." "There's no (phone) coverage, I can't call my family, my parents, nothing: I can't even go to work," he said. Cash queues In Madrid and cities across Spain and Portugal, panicked customers rushed to withdraw cash from banks, and streets filled with crowds floundering for a phone signal. Long lines formed for taxis and buses. With stop lights knocked out, police struggled to keep densely congested traffic moving and authorities urged motorists to stay home. A police officer controls a tram being towed at downtown Lisbon after the lights were restored following a massive power cut affecting the entire Iberian Peninsula and the south of France, in Vigo on Monday. | AFP-JIJI In Madrid alone, 286 rescue operations were carried out to free people trapped in lifts, regional authorities said. Trains were halted across the country, and late Monday, the transport minister said there were still 11 trains with stranded passengers who needed help. Railway stations in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Seville and four other major cities were to be kept open all night so that stranded passengers could sleep there. Spain's nuclear power plants automatically went offline as a safety precaution, with diesel generators maintaining them in a "safe condition," the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) said. 'Serious disruption' Sanchez said the blackout, which hit just after midday, caused "serious disruption" for millions and "economic losses in businesses, in companies, in industries." The European Commission said it was in contact with Spain and Portugal over the crisis. European Council President Antonio Costa said on X: "There are no indications of any cyberattack." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered support in a call to Sanchez, noting his country had become specialized in such emergencies after three years of Russia attacking its electrical grid. "No matter what happens, we are always ready to assist and support our friends," he said on X. The huge power cut disrupted flights to and from Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon, European air traffic organization Eurocontrol said. France affected Transport chaos also gripped Spain's second city, Barcelona, where locals and tourists alike flooded the streets in an attempt to find out what had happened. Student Laia Montserrat left school when the lights went out. "As the internet wasn't coming back, they told us to go home ... (but) there weren't trains either," she said. "Now, we don't know what to do." The internet activity monitoring site Netblocks said the blackout caused a "loss of much of the country's digital infrastructure." It said web connections plunged to just 17% of normal usage. Spain's El Pais newspaper reported that hospitals used back-up generators to keep critical wards going, but some units were left without power. Massive blackouts have affected other countries around the world in recent years. Huge outages struck Tunisia in September 2023, Sri Lanka in August 2020, and Argentina and Uruguay in June 2019. In July 2012, India experienced a vast blackout. In Europe, in November 2006, 10 million people were left without power for an hour in France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. That was caused by a failure in Germany's grid.
Japan Times
28-04-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Chinese tea hub branches into coffee as tastes change
At a mountainside cafe in southwestern China, Liao Shihao brews handfuls of locally grown beans into steaming cups of coffee, a modern twist on the region's traditional drink. For centuries, Pu'er in Yunnan province has given its name to a type of richly fermented tea — sometimes styled "pu-erh" — famous across East Asia and beyond. But as younger Chinese cultivate a taste for punchy espressos, frothy lattes and flat whites, growers are increasingly branching out into tea's historic rival. "People are coming to try our hand-drip coffee ... and more fully experience the flavours it brings," Liao, 25, said. "In the past, they mostly went for commercialised coffee, and wouldn't dabble in the artisanal varieties," he said. Liao's family has run the Xiaowazi, or Little Hollow, coffee plantation for three generations. Nestled in a shady valley, spindly coffee trees line its steep hillsides, their cherry-like fruit drying on wooden pallets outside. During a visit this month, clusters of tourists were seen sipping boutique brews in the airy cafe overlooking its verdant slopes. "It's very good," said Cai Shuwen, 21, as he perched on a bar stool, lifting sample after sample to his lips. "Even though some beans are more astringent than I imagined, others have exceeded my expectations." Brewing success Every year, Pu'er's plantations sell tens of thousands of tons of coffee to major Chinese cities, according to government data. In metropolises such as Beijing and Shanghai, a thriving cafe scene has emerged in recent years, driven by people between the ages of 20 and 40. To Liao, a trained roaster and barista, coffee from his home region possesses a creamy flavor "with a silky, viscous mouthfeel." A staff member pours coffee at the Tianyuzhuang coffee plantation in Pu'er on April 1. | AFP-JIJI Modern commercial plantations only sprang up in Pu'er in the 1980s, and the area is still better known for its centuries-old tea trade. Liao's grandfather, Liao Xiugui, said "nobody knew anything about coffee" when he arrived in Pu'er a few decades ago. At the time, the older man was one of very few people in China who had studied coffee cultivation. But the region's relatively high altitude and temperate climate were well-suited to the unfamiliar crop, the now 83-year-old said. "The quality of the coffee we plant here is strong but not too bitter, floral but not too heady, and slightly fruity," he added. Free from artificial pesticides and interspersed with other species for biodiversity, Little Hollow yields about 500 tons of raw coffee fruit per year. Liao Xiugui himself drinks two or three cups a day, and credits the caffeinated beverage for keeping him spry in his advanced years. "Drinking coffee can make you younger and healthier ... and prevent aging," he smiled. "Also, everyone is tired at work these days ... and they want to give their brains a boost." Richer pickings China's coffee output has risen dramatically in recent years, though it still lags far behind traditional powerhouses such as Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia. Yunnan, which borders three Southeast Asian nations, accounts for virtually all of China's coffee production, much of it concentrated in Pu'er. On a visit to the province last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping said its coffee "represents China," according to state media. Keen to further expand the sector, officials have rolled out policies to improve production, attract investment and boost exports, according to government statements. They have also merged coffee production with tourism, dovetailing with a central government push to increase domestic consumption. Longtime farmer Yu Dun, 51, said she had opened new income streams with plantation tours, homestays and a restaurant fusing coffee with the cuisine of her native Dai ethnicity. Her prospects were bright, she said, adding that she also earned "10 times" more revenue from her beans since learning to process and roast them herself. "We used to say only rich people could drink coffee, but that's all changed now," she said.
Japan Times
28-04-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Ishiba pledges deeper economic ties with Vietnam as Trump tariffs bite
Japan has stepped up its charm offensive in Southeast Asia by pledging deeper economic cooperation with Vietnam, as both countries face unprecedented economic turmoil as a result of U.S. tariffs and are seeking ways to mitigate potential damage. In a two-day visit to Hanoi, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met with Communist Party officials and state leaders to discuss U.S. tariffs. They talked about the effects of these measures on the global economy and the effects of China's retaliatory tariffs, according to the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo. Ishiba touched on Japan's offer to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in the areas of security, economy and people-to-people exchanges. On the economic front, Japan will help Vietnam train half of the 500 Ph.D. candidates the Southeast Asian country aims to have in semiconductor-related fields, the prime minister announced at a news conference in Hanoi on Monday with his Vietnamese counterpart, Pham Minh Chinh. A total of 600,000 Vietnamese currently live, study and work in Japan. Both countries pledged to advance $20 billion in decarbonization efforts and clean energy cooperation projects, as well as promote future collaboration in city infrastructure, disaster prevention and agriculture. Defense and security were also among topics of discussion. Japan and Vietnam agreed to establish a communications framework at the vice ministerial level between their foreign and defense ministries, Ishiba and Chinh said. They also agreed to deepen security cooperation in defense equipment and technology. No consensus was achieved on Japan's Official Security Assistance initiative — a program that provides equipment and supplies to strengthen security and deterrence capabilities of partner nations. A 'constructive exchange of views' took place on Japan's proposal, Ishiba said at the news conference. Vietnam's Chinh expressed appreciation for Ishiba's commitment to develop ties, and vowed to make continued efforts to facilitate foreign investment, including that from Japan. The streets of Hanoi on Thursday. For Vietnam, the United States is the No. 1 destination for its exports. | AFP-JIJI Ishiba's visit comes less than two weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Vietnam from April 14 to 15, during which the Chinese leader presented fresh offers to import more agricultural products from Vietnam and boost investment in the country's infrastructure. Xi told Communist Party General Secretary To Lam that the countries should jointly oppose unilateral and bullying acts, uphold the global free trade system, and keep industrial and supply chains stable. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has rolled out a series of tariffs on almost all imports from nearly every country since early March. Vehicles, steel and aluminum imports are now dutied 25%, and all other goods — with a few notable exceptions — incur a 10% tariff. Higher rates could come into effect if deals with individual countries are not struck by July, with Japan set to be hit with 24% 'reciprocal" tariffs that were briefly put in place on April 9. Vietnam would be subject to 46% tariffs. Vietnam was quick in reacting to Trump's flip-flop on tariffs. Lam personally called Trump only two days after the U.S. president's 'Liberation Day' tariff announcement on April 2 — three days before Ishiba managed to get Trump on the line . It was also one of the first countries in the world to send an envoy to Washington to kick off trade negotiations. Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc, who traveled to Washington on behalf of Lam, met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on April 10 — only one day after Trump abruptly announced a 90-day pause of the higher tariffs imposed on individual countries. The United States accounted for 27.4% of Vietnam's total exports in 2023, making it the No. 1 destination for goods produced in the Southeast Asian country. Ishiba is set to depart Hanoi for the Philippines on Tuesday. He will meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Manila before returning to Tokyo on Wednesday.
