The Times - UK (2022-05-28)

Fernandez’s fighting spirit was evi-
dent in the way she battled back from
2-0 down in the deciding set for a 7-5,
3-6, 7-5 victory. She has pleasant mem-
ories of the Roland Garros courts as a
former junior champion in 2019, and is
now playing with more freedom after
learning to handle the flurry of expec-
tation that followed her Flushing
Meadows run. At January’s Australian
Open, she was knocked out in the first
round by Maddison Inglis, a local wild
card then ranked No 133 in the world.
“I think after the US Open I did put a
little bit more pressure on myself,” Fer-
nandez said. “That’s normal because I
want to reproduce what I did in the US
Open over and over again. After the
first few tournaments, I accepted that I

will not be playing the same way every

single time. I will just have to find solu-

tions and keep working hard. Over the

course of the year I have been sticking

to that, just putting my head down and

grinding it out every day.”

Fernandez has not played Raducanu

since their memorable New York

encounter 8½ months ago but the pair

regularly exchange pleasantries at

tournaments.

Admirably, there is no bitterness on

the part of Fernandez, more a sense of

pride that she was involved in the first

grand-slam final between two teen-

agers since 1999.

“I think we just have mutual respect

for each other,” Fernandez said. “We

both came from different paths, and

Newcastle United’s non-playing staff

have received their first pay rise in

several years after an independent

review of salaries was undertaken by

the club’s new owners.

Administrative and office staff and

scouts at the Premier League club

received the rise in April, in some cases

of up to 20 per cent, after a four-month

consultation period. It is thought that

some employees had only received one

pay rise in ten years.

Fernandez and Gauff live up to the hype

the times | Saturday May 28 2022 2GS 7

Sport

Row over Mbappé’s decision

to stay may end up in court

The row over Kylian Mbappé’s

decision to stay at Paris Saint-

Germain has become so bitter

that the French league president

has warned of possible legal

action against his Spanish

counterpart, Javier Tebas.

Mbappé, right, rejected a

move to Real Madrid

prompting Tebas,

who had hoped La

Liga would land

football’s brightest

young star, to say

it was “an insult to

football” that oil

money — PSG is

owned by Qatar —

had triumphed.

Vincent Labrune has

written to Aleksander

Ceferin, the Uefa president, to

complain about Tebas — who is

also a Uefa executive committee

member. Labrune’s letter says:

“We are going to study legal

action that we could initiate in the

face of Mr Tebas’ behaviour

which has been going on for too

long and which is causing obvious

damage to our championship.

“Mr Tebas’ repeated denigrating

statements constitute acts of

unfair competition by La Liga.

They discredit a flagship club of

our championship and

they are directly aimed

at disrupting the

relationship of trust

with our economic

partners, precisely

at a time when we

are carrying out a

plan of very

ambitious

development.”

Labrune’s letter

also makes the point

that no French clubs took

part in the “dissident Super

League”, adding: “Obviously, it is

not the same for La Liga, whose

most powerful clubs wanted to

free themselves from the

control of Uefa and were the

driving forces.”

ected a

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part in the“dissid

Evert is on board

The former Wimbledon

champion Chris Evert has

welcomed the news that the All

England Club is changing its

honours boards.

The changes mean that her

1981 singles title will be recorded

as “C Evert Lloyd” instead of

“Mrs J M Lloyd” — abandoning

the practice of giving married

women the initials and surname

of their husbands.

Evert hailed the report in The

Times via her Twitter account.

Wimbledon is also removing

“Miss” and “Mrs” before the

names of female winners on its

honours boards to replicate the

men’s boards.

Meanwhile, Wimbledon is

losing its esteemed

communications and marketing

director Alexandra Willis in

August as she is taking up a

newly created role at the

Premier League as director of

digital media and audience

development.

Chelsea’s big bill

The supplier of rail seating to

Chelsea for their “safe standing”

area at Stamford Bridge have

blamed sanctions imposed against

Roman Abramovich for it going

into administration, with the

club’s £498,000 bill still unpaid.

The administrators’ report for

Alderdale Seating Ltd states the

sum is “potentially irrecoverable”.

The sports minister Nigel

Huddleston said this week he was

“minded to change the all-seater

policy” to allow safe standing.

Sinfield’s story

An autobiography of the former

rugby league player Kevin Sinfield

that will focus on his friendship

with Rob Burrow, his team-mate

at Leeds Rhinos who developed

motor neurone disease, is to be

commissioned.

Paul Hayward, the writer and

journalist, has been lined up for

the book with Sinfield, who is

now defence coach at Leicester

Tigers. Hayward has completed a

biography of the England men’s

football team which is coming out

just before the World Cup.

BBC home service

The BBC is not sending any of its

rugby union commentary team to

cover England’s three-Test tour of

Australia this summer despite

having the radio rights.

The commentary will be done

back in the UK via TV pictures.

BBC insiders say the decision on

whether to send staff to events is

based on several factors, including

cost, sustainability and other

events in the sporting calendar at

the time.

Karaoke, anyone?

The Premier League’s annual

summer meeting will take place

next month at Rudding Park near

Harrogate, a hotel that also

happens to be a client of the law

firm run by Peter McCormick, the

league’s interim chairman and

long-time legal chief.

The meeting involves an

overnight stay but the club

executives may have to make

their own evening entertainment

as it seems unlikely that Helen

MacNamara, the league’s director

of policy and corporate affairs

named in the Sue Gray report

over a lockdown breach when she

was a senior civil servant, will

bring along her karaoke machine.

SPORT

NOTEBOOK

Martyn Ziegler

Chief Sports Reporter

SPORTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

Pay rise for Newcastle staff

Martin Hardy

Northern Football Correspondent

On the pitch, Newcastle have

prioritised the signing of a central de-

fender this summer and will renew

their interest in Sven Botman.

Lille turned down a £27 million offer

from Newcastle in January for the

22-year-old Dutch defender, but are

now prepared to let the player leave.

Newcastle also have an interest in

James Tarkowski, who will become a

free agent at the end of June when his

contract with Burnley expires.

Dan Ashworth is expected to join

Newcastle next week as director of

football after an agreement with Brigh-

ton & Hove Albion was finally reached.

what she did is tremendous. It’s just

great for the sport what we both did.

“When we do see each other crossing

the halls, practice courts, we always

smile at each other because we both

know what we did was incredible. We

just want the best for each other and

hopefully both of us can keep going for

many years to come, and we can both

play beautiful matches like that and just

put on a good show for the fans.”

Gauff’s victory was notable for the

sight of her tucking into a bowl of fruit

salad during one change of ends.

“It was really good,” Gauff said.

“Thanks to my dad for packing it. Even

at this age, my dad still packs my lunch.”

Gauff has won all three of her

matches so far in straight sets.

US investor in talks over

stake in relegated Norwich

Football Norwich City are in
investment talks with the US tycoon
Mark Attanasio. The 64-year-old is
the owner of the Milwaukee Brewers
baseball team and part-owner the
Milwaukee Admirals ice hockey team.
Attanasio attended Norwich’s 5-0
thrashing at home by Tottenham
Hotspur on the last day of the season.
Fans have called for the co-owner,
Delia Smith, to stand down after
Norwich finished bottom of the
Premier League, but an influx of
American dollars could quell their
unrest. Attanasio was accompanied at
the game by his sons, Mike and Dan,
plus three Brewers executives.

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND

French

Open

Today from 10am.

Night session: 8pm

TV: Eurosport 1,

Eurosport 2