Michael Carrick remained at the helm of Manchester United, the competitor in the English Premier League, and led the training session at Carrington, giving the coach, who is under intense pressure, and his players another opportunity to save a season that is heading in a worrying direction.
It seemed that Carrick's continued leadership of United was in great doubt after the team's 3-0 loss to its guest, Bournemouth, on Sunday.
That loss extended United's winless streak to 8 matches in all competitions, and put the team only one point away from the relegation zone.
Senior club officials held talks yesterday (Monday), amid growing speculation about Carrick's situation, and reports linked several names to succeed him. But no decision was announced, and the former Manchester United midfielder reported to work as usual, overseeing preparations for Saturday's match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Japanese Naomi Osaka qualified for the second round of the Pan Pacific Women's Tennis Championship, in Japan, after defeating Italian Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 7-6, today, Tuesday.
Osaka, seeded seventh in the 500-point tournament, avenged her loss to Paolini at the Miami Open, the only other match between them.
Osaka, winner of four Grand Slam titles, has been performing strongly since her return to competition, after giving birth to her daughter, Shay, three years ago.
But Osaka said this week that she would step away from tennis if her daughter, Shay, asked to do so.
Elena Rybakina, ranked first in the tournament and number one in the world, will not participate in the first round.
In the rest of the matches, Maya Joynt defeated Sorana Cristea 6-3, 7-6, Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated Ann Lee 6-4, 6-4, Yulia Putnitseva defeated Maria Sakkari 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, and Christian Busca defeated Diane Perry 7-5, 6-1.
Aliaksandra Sasnovich also defeated Nikola Bartonkova 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, Leila Fernandez defeated Himeno Sakatsumi 6-2, 6-4, and Mia Bukhankova defeated Teresa Valentova 6-1, 6-4.
Frenchman Terrence Attman's admission that he suffers from mental health issues after a tantrum during the Shanghai Masters this month has highlighted the pressures faced by low-ranked tennis players as another difficult season draws to a close.
Attman threw his racket into the stands and nearly hit a fan in a qualifying match, before publicly apologizing for his behavior and detailing the psychological pressure resulting from his sharp drop in ranking to the edge of the top 100.
The final weeks of a grueling 11-month season can be particularly difficult for low-ranked players, as fatigue and poor results coincide with the pressures of competing for ranking points and prize money that could change their future.
Atman said at the Almaty Open Championship last week, where his arrival to the 8th round helped him advance to 90th place in the rankings: “I received a lot of hate, which is very normal because I deserve it. “My behavior was very bad.”
He added: “I was suffering, the season was very long. “I was having problems with my mental health, so it wasn't easy, but I was trying to start over.”
Former player and sports psychologist Jeff Greenwald said: “A long season can cause players to become tired, lose mental alertness, think negatively, or react emotionally, with players in lower-ranked positions facing a particularly difficult psychological and financial equation.”
He added to Reuters: “Unlike well-known players who may have an entire team managing their schedules, travel, training arrangements, and other logistical matters, low-ranking players often receive limited support.”
He continued: “The financial pressure could be enormous. Their resources are limited and they may feel that they only have a specific period of time to reap the benefits of their investments in professional tennis. Each tournament represents an opportunity to earn points, improve their ranking and potentially qualify for more profitable tournaments.”
He continued: “This creates a vicious circle.” A player may be exhausted, suffering from a lack of confidence, or showing signs of fatigue, yet he feels compelled to participate in another tournament because taking a break seems fraught with financial and professional risks.”
Atman is not alone. His compatriot, Giovanni Mbechi Bricard, spoke about depression and fatigue, and said that he traveled to North America after the “Wimbledon Championship,” even though he did not feel mentally prepared to compete.
Indian player Sumit Nagal, ranked 269, also suffered from a difficult period during which he played many tournaments this year without being fully fit, before shifting his focus towards enjoying the game instead of seeking results.
As for the women's competition, German Eva Liss ended her season early to focus on her physical and psychological health.
The Professional Tennis Players Association has proposed changes starting in 2028 that would reshape the men's tournament schedule and classification to reduce the incentive to play excessively, while allocating a $25 million fund at the end of the year to enhance financial support for players who finish the season in the top 250.
Although these plans may alleviate the pressure on players, Greenwald said: “Recovery is still an underappreciated part of professional tennis and should be viewed as a vital component of maintaining performance throughout the season.”
He added: “Pressure often goes beyond mere physical and mental exhaustion, as a long series of disappointing results may lead to the erosion of confidence when the player’s sense of self-confidence becomes closely linked to winning and losing.”
Greenwald continued: “Tennis players’ thinking can become very extreme; They either win or lose. They either succeed or fail. “As losses pile up, they may begin to doubt not only their performance, but also themselves.”
One way to protect players' confidence is to shift the criterion of success toward aspects of performance that they can control.
Greenwald continued: “Instead of measuring success exclusively through victories, defeats, rankings or financial prizes, we focus on their commitment to developing their playing style.”
“This shifts their attention from outcomes they cannot fully control to behaviors they can influence,” he added. “It also allows them to build a more stable sense of confidence based on mastery and commitment rather than the result of the last match they played.”
