Former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero said yesterday (Sunday) that he will join the coaching staff of American Ben Shelton before the start of the 2027 tennis season, after the coach separated from Spaniard Carlos Alcarras late last year.
The Spanish coach, who helped Alcarras win six major titles, will join Shelton's father, Brian, in the American's squad.
“Ben has exceptional talent, strength and character,” Ferrero said. “I am very excited to join Brian and the team in this exciting new chapter.”
Shelton, 24, won titles in Dallas, Munich, Stuttgart and Montreal before reaching the US Open final this year.
The world number four is currently preparing to compete in the Paris Masters and the season-ending tournament this month.
He will begin working with Ferrero during the break after the end of the season.
“Juan Carlos is one of the great minds in tennis,” Shelton said. “His experience in winning at the highest level and developing champions will be a tremendous addition to our team.”
The Mercedes team relieved its driver, George Russell, of his media duties following the Mexican Grand Prix, which was held yesterday, Sunday. Team president Toto Wolff said that his driver was in a deplorable state following the race in which his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, was crowned the youngest champion in the history of the Formula 1 World Championship.
Russell, who was summoned to appear before the FIA race stewards, finished sixth after a good start from the front row, but suffered a "sudden lack of power" on the first straight, which cost him several places.
Wolff said that the British driver, who was also subjected to a 10-second penalty due to his collision with Red Bull driver Isaac Hajjar, had already left the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit.
The International Automobile Federation imposed a fine of 5,000 euros ($5,579) on the team.
“I saw George after the race and he was clearly very frustrated with the situation,” Wolff said. Him going to see Kimi (afterwards) was a great show of sportsmanship. “As an athlete, I realize that he is going through a very difficult time.”
He added: “I saw it, and for a racing driver, this is a catastrophic moment. Today's race was perhaps a microcosm of his season. This was a race he had to win. "The car was fast, but we let him down in the first straight."
He continued: “I deeply sympathize with him at this moment.” I have been through situations that were very difficult to deal with. “So his not speaking to the media or leaving the ring is completely understandable.”
Russell was Antonelli's (20-year-old) closest pursuer before yesterday's race, despite being 123 points behind, but he fell to fourth place in the overall drivers' standings, while Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, who won the race, rose to second place in the overall standings, and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton maintained third place after finishing the race in second place.
Before the start of the season, Russell was the most prominent candidate to win the title as the most experienced driver, while the Italian had a difficult start in 2025 and did not achieve any wins in Formula 1.
But the Italian has won nine races out of 19 so far this season.
Slavia Prague, the Czech Republic, is looking to avoid an unwanted number when it hosts Arsenal, England, on Wednesday, in the unified group competitions of the European Champions League football competition.
The Czech champion achieved only one win in 23 matches he played in the Champions League, and that was in his first appearance against Romanian Steaua Bucharest in September 2007.
Since then, he has achieved only eight draws against 14 defeats during four participations in the main continental competition, including the current version.
His coach since 2017, Jendrich Trapischowski, said: “It certainly becomes more annoying the longer it goes on,” adding: “The series is long, and as we continue to talk about it, I have begun to think about it more than I did before.”
Greece's AEK Athens remains the longest streak of matches without a win in the competition, having failed to achieve any victory in 24 consecutive matches between 1992 and 2006, while Steaua, currently known as FCSB, played 23 matches without a win between 2006 and 2013.
Slavia faces Arsenal and the latter is in the best possible morale situation after defeating Liverpool in the latter's stronghold of Anfield 1-0 in the Premier League, in a result that will raise concern for most teams, before the Czech champion meets the Spanish Villarreal at home and the German giant Bayern Munich outside its bases in the next two rounds.
Trabischowski said: “We certainly know how difficult European matches are, and how much effort is required to achieve victory. In some matches we were the better side and we lost. This is the beauty of football.”
Slavia faced Arsenal three times in the Champions League, achieving a draw and two defeats, including a humiliating 7-0 loss in London in 2007.
Vladimir Schmetzer, the former Slavia striker who won the Champions League title with Liverpool in 2005, said, “Slavia is simply facing the best teams, and their (Arsenal) quality is clear to everyone,” adding in an interview with Agence France-Presse: “I think they (Slavia) were unlucky sometimes.”
Slavia was close to putting an end to this problem in its opening match this season against Lens, France, as it led 2-1 in the 89th minute despite playing with ten players, but it wasted the opportunity and lost in the end 2-3.
Schmetzer, who won the Champions League title with Liverpool in 2005, said: “This is really bad luck.” But the series is annoying anyway, and they are now facing teams like Arsenal and Bayern, in matches that Slavia are not expected to win.”
Schmetzer considered that Slavia should have won against lower-ranked teams, such as Azerbaijan's Sabah, against whom they lost 0-2 in Baku last month.
He said: “Slavia has a deep squad that allows the coach to adapt to the opponents’ playing style, but in the end it is about quality,” adding: “In Baku, they were simply below the level, as happened in other matches, and this is what prolonged the series of matches without a win. They should have won some matches, but unfortunately that did not happen.”
Slavia will face Arsenal on Wednesday, exactly a year after losing 3-0 to the Gunners at home in the Champions League.
Defender David Zema described the tournament as “university football,” saying: “It is the highest possible level, and you should not feel pressure because you have to win now.” This is simply football, and you can't always win. "You just need a little luck."
Trapischowski pointed out that everything must go perfectly if his team wants to have a chance against the English giant, adding: “Everything must go in our favor, and we must give 100 percent of our level, and then we can succeed in any match.”
