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Chinese Jing Chenwen, who was recently crowned champion of the “Beijing 1000 Points Tournament,” withdrew on Monday from participating in the “Wuhan Tournament” held on her home soil, citing fatigue and an injury to her right shoulder.

Jing became the first Chinese player to win the “Beijing Championship” title, on Sunday, after she defeated Russian Mira Andreeva, the Roland Garros title holder, in the final, 7-5, 6-4.

This was Jing's first crown in the WTA 1000 category tournaments, and her first title since winning the Tokyo tournament two years ago. “I deeply regret announcing my withdrawal from this year’s Wuhan tournament,” Jing said in a statement.

She added: “Wuhan is the place where my dream of playing tennis began, and the Wuhan tournament is the place where I made my start at the WTA 1000 tournament level. “I always looked forward to playing in front of my hometown fans.”

She continued: “But since my return from injury, I have played an intensive program of matches over the past month and a half, with my participation in the (US Open Championship), (Billie Jean King Cup), and (Beijing Tournament). “My body feels very tired after this intense series of matches.”

Jing, who won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics and was previously ranked No. 4 in the world, underwent elbow surgery last year and was absent from the field for about 8 months. Which led to its decline to 160th place in the rankings this season. But the player; The 24-year-old has regained her brilliance over the past few weeks. It reached the quarter-finals of the US Open, the last of the four major tournaments, before lifting the Beijing Championship trophy. She is now among the top 25 players in the world again, but she will not score any points in “Wuhan,” which began on Monday and concludes next Sunday.

Andreeva, runner-up in the “Beijing Tournament,” also withdrew from the “Wuhan Tournament,” citing a change in her program, at a time when the promising Russian player is seeking some rest before her first participation in the singles competition in the final “WTA” Masters tournament in Indian Wells next month.

Jing and Andreeva joined a growing list of prominent absentees from the “Wuhan Games,” which also includes the Kazakhstani Elena Rybakina, ranked first in the world, the American Coco Gauff, who held the “Wuhan” title last year, and the Czech Linda Noskova, the current “Wimbledon” champion.

For the French director of the Red Bull team, Laurent Mequies, “nothing is ever guaranteed” in Formula One, during his cautious expression on Sunday in Singapore of his happiness at the return of Dutchman Max Verstappen’s car to competition, and his achievement of two successive victories in Asia, after a very difficult first half of the season, which reached its seventeenth round out of 23.

The four-time world champion rediscovered himself, achieving a perfect weekend after winning the Singapore award for the first time on Sunday at the “Marina Bay” circuit, where he also started from first place, similar to the “Sprint” race, which he also won.

This achievement came in a remarkable way on a track that the Dutchman had never won, or even started from the pole position in, during nine previous attempts, since his first appearance with the Toro Rosso team in 2015.

Like his compatriot Mekis, Red Bull's technical director, engineer Pierre Ochet, warned in an interview with Agence France-Presse on the eve of the two night races on Saturday and Sunday on the street circuit in this country - a rich tropical city - saying: “There is no magic, only bad surprises” in motorsport.

Red Bull, which is based in Milton Keynes, north London, has been building the car's chassis and hybrid engine since this year in partnership with Ford.

The Austrian team with a Mercedes engine dominated the championship for more than 15 years, winning six constructors’ titles (2010-2013 and 2022-2023) and eight drivers’ titles with German Sebastian Vettel (2010-2013) and Verstappen (2021-2024).

The 29-year-old Dutchman, who is considered one of the highest-paid drivers in the championship, was almost crowned world champion for the fifth time last year, but lost the title by only two points to British driver Lando Norris, driver of McLaren.

But even this summer, it was an arduous road in terms of developing the Red Bull car, driving it, and getting it to the podium for the engineers, Verstappen, and his young French colleague, Isaac Hajjar, who comes from Racing Bulls, the second team of the energy drinks giant.

The Dutchman, known for his sharp frankness, exploded in anger in the spring over a car he described as “undriveable.” He compared it to the video game “Mario Kart” and to a “Formula E on steroids,” referring to the engine, which is composed half of electrical energy and half of thermal combustion.

He even threatened to leave Formula One, before renewing his contract with Red Bull this summer under an agreement estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars annually.

Then came the transformation, as “Mad Max” and Hajjar finished second and third on the Baku street circuit in late September, before Verstappen won last Sunday in Malaysia under heavy monsoon rain, and then last weekend in Singapore.

Verstappen said to the media, including Agence France-Presse, on Sunday night in Singapore: “Our car has already made a wonderful leap forward. It's easier to drive, and more predictable (in terms of grip and performance). “I wanted us to find this final improvement to compete at the top, and I hope we can maintain this momentum.”

He admitted that the championship lead was out of reach, as Italian Kimi Antonelli (20 years old) was ahead by 102 points over his closest competitor, his British Mercedes colleague George Russell.

But Verstappen is now fourth in the drivers’ standings, 119 points behind Antonelli, which prompted Waschet to say that the “goal” is to finish the season in “second place” among the manufacturers, ahead of McLaren and Ferrari.

Mikies believed that “the car should continue to provide competitive performance after what it showed during the last three races” in Asia.

But he warned, saying: “Nothing is ever guaranteed,” citing “McLaren’s successive victories before it suffered later.”

The British team won the drivers' and constructors' titles last season, but this season it ranks third, while its British champion, Lando Norris, comes sixth despite achieving two victories.

“It's a battle in every race,” Mikies added.

In an interview with Agence France-Presse before Verstappen’s victories in the races on Saturday and Sunday in Singapore, Washé explained the “challenges” and “improvements” that had been made to the Red Bull car since last winter, including innovations in terms of “weight, aerodynamics, and mechanical aspects.”

However, he stressed that “performance is never comprehensive, but rather relative compared to others... and we did not find the secret weapon!” “There is no magic in this sport, only bad surprises!”

As for Hajjar, the 22-year-old driver who is known for his great speed behind the wheel and his limited talk, he considered that he has “the style that allows him to compete for victory,” after he worked his way from last place on the starting line from the pit lane to tenth place on the Marina Bay Circuit on Sunday.

The Frenchman has reached the podium twice this season, but he is still searching for his first victory in the championship.

Manchester City emerged unscathed from a hostile reception at Anfield during their first match since a ruling in a wide-ranging financial misconduct case, but their 3-0 win over Liverpool highlighted the uncertainty surrounding the English Premier League season.

Italian coach Enzo Maresca's team is at the top of the standings after achieving 6 consecutive victories, including remarkable victories away from home over its biggest rival, after it had also defeated its neighbor and traditional rival, Manchester United, last month. However, these points may be worthless unless City succeed in their appeal against the decision of an independent committee that found them guilty of more than a hundred violations directed by the Premier League.

No punishment has been determined yet. But if City's appeal fails, a large number of points, which could lead to relegation or even expulsion from the English Premier League, remains on the table.

There is also the possibility of withdrawing three league titles won by City between 2009 and 2018, the period to which the accusations relate. For a league that constantly boasts of its huge global fan base, the possibility that the appeals procedures will continue for several months, with a question mark remaining over every result achieved by City and what it means for the rest of the English Premier League clubs, constitutes great harm.

Former Manchester United captain and current sports analyst, Gary Neville, told Sky Sports: “This is not good for the English Premier League at the moment.” This is what I realized today.” He added: “This is very bad for the league, and it will continue for a few months.”

For his part, Liverpool's Spanish coach Andoni Iraola stressed that "a state of uncertainty is not good for anyone." The defeat left Liverpool 9 points behind City in ninth place. Even if it turns out that Liverpool is not strong enough to compete for the title, the three points it lost on Sunday may be decisive in the struggle for a seat in the Champions League.

The potential penalty against City may also affect the battle to avoid relegation. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports: “This match today, what does it mean for the future?” adding: “This matter must be resolved before the end of the season.” It cannot continue until the end of the season; Because everyone is deceived.

Liverpool feels that it is one of those most affected by the revelations of City's violations, after finishing runner-up behind them three times during the past twelve years. City's rivals believe that illegal spending during the period between 2009 and 2018 also established a golden era that is still bearing fruit today.

The Premier League leaders spent a record £460 million ($609 million) during a single transfer window just a few months ago, and reaped the gains immediately. Liverpool seemed helpless offensively in the absence of the injured: Hungarian Dominik Soboslai, Swede Alexander Isak, and Dutchman Cody Khakpo on Sunday, which forced Iraola to give 21-year-old Welshman Luis Comas his first participation in the English Premier League as a spearhead.

On the other hand, Marisca had the luxury of bringing Belgian Jeremy Doku off the bench, early in the second half, in a substitution that changed the course of the match. Moments later, the Belgian winger caused Dutchman Ryan Kravenberg to receive a second yellow card, and Liverpool were unable to regain their balance after that.

Doku contributed to City's first and third goals, which were scored by Norwegian Erling Haaland and Frenchman Rayan Chergui, and between them he himself scored a wonderful goal into the top corner of the goal.

This depth in the squad has been a key factor in City's rise to become the dominant force in English football since the club's takeover in 2008. As the chants, banners, flags and scarves at Anfield demonstrated, City now face accusations that they clawed their way to the top through cheating.

But the repercussions left the rest of the English Premier League clubs also in a state of waiting and stagnation, anticipating the end of a case that began 8 years ago.