Rudi Föller, sporting director of the German national team, gave hope to Werder Bremen striker Niklas Volkrug about the possibility of being called up again to the ranks of the national team.
Volkrug (33 years old) was excluded from the accounts of the new coach of the German national team, Jurgen Klopp, in the European Nations League matches, but he continued to score against the opponents for the fourth match in a row, in a confrontation that ended in a 2-2 draw with Borussia Dortmund, on Friday.
Föller said on the Sport 1 channel on Sunday: “Why not?” in response to the possibility of Volkrug being called up again for the German national team, noting that the Bremen striker scored 14 goals in 24 international matches.
He added: “We made sure during the Euro 2024 tournament that the presence of a great striker who is good at heading strikes is very important.”
He continued: “Volkrug’s return to the German League on loan from English West Ham United, and his participation as a starter with Bremen, will enhance his chances of returning to the national team.”
Volkrug, the former Dortmund and Milan striker, scored his last goal for Germany in September 2024, while his last international participation was in June 2025.
Volkrug ruled out the possibility of being summoned to participate in Germany's European Nations League matches in November, after scoring a fatal goal that earned Bremen a draw with Dortmund on Friday.
The German striker said: “I think Klopp took a different path and chose other players.”
Chinese Geng Chenwen, ranked 54th in the world, won her first title in the 1000-point WTA tournament, after defeating young Russian Mira Andreeva, fifth, 7-5, 6-4, on Sunday, in the final of the Beijing Tennis Tournament.
The 24-year-old Olympic champion in the Paris Games decided the match in an hour and 43 minutes against Andreeva, who was playing in her first final since winning the Roland Garros title at the beginning of last June.
Chenwen became the first Chinese player to win the 1,000-point title in the Beijing tournament, which began in 2004, and she also confirmed her return to her best levels by winning the sixth title in her career in the WTA tournaments.
The native of Hubei Province in central China had reached fourth place in the world 16 months ago, but she fell outside the top 100 after undergoing elbow surgery in the summer of 2025 and with fluctuating results during the first half of the 2026 season.
In early September, Chenwine reached the quarter-finals of the US Open after working her way through the qualifiers.
The runner-up in the Australian Open and Masters tournaments, the final of the 2024 season, was competing in her second final on Sunday in the WTA 1,000-point tournaments.
In 2024, she lost the final of the Wuhan tournament in the 1000 category to Aryna Sabalenka, ranked second in the world, and she may meet the Belarusian again in the second round of the Wuhan tournament (October 12-18) this year, according to the draw that was held on Saturday.
Chenwin took advantage of the “wild card” granted to her by the organizers of the Beijing tournament to enter directly into the main table, becoming the fourth player to win a title in this category with a wild card, after the Russian Maria Sharapova (Cincinnati 2011) and the Canadians Bianca Andreescu (Indian Wells 2019) and Victoria Mpoko (Montreal 2025).
On the other hand, Andreeva lost her second final in this category this season, after her defeat in the Madrid final in early May.
The Russian player won her first two titles in this category in 2025, in Dubai and Indian Wells.
On Monday, Andreeva will rise to third place in the world, which is the best ranking she has achieved in her career.
German Alexander Zverev narrowly defeated Frenchman Quentin Alles 6-4, 6-7 (8-10), 6-3, on Sunday, in the third round of the Shanghai Tennis Tennis Masters, continuing his approach to topping the world rankings.
The German, ranked first in the tournament, succeeded in resolving the confrontation against the Frenchman within two hours and 18 minutes, reaching the round of 16, although he seemed a little uncomfortable in his movements during the final stages of the match.
Zverev, 29 years old, can end the year at the top of the world rankings if he reaches the semi-finals.
He said about his opponent who defeated him: “He plays in an amazing attacking style and has a very strong serve,” adding: “This year I was choosing my tournaments and the places where I wanted to reach my best levels, and I did not do that at the beginning of my career.”
He continued: “This paid off, as I won two Grand Slam titles and reached the Wimbledon final.”
Zverev seemed frustrated at some points; He was directing his criticism at his team even while it was clinching the first set against Alice, ranked 48th in the world, within 38 minutes.
The second set was much closer, after both players held their serves to force a tiebreak.
Zverev saved himself from a 6-4 deficit in the tie-break with a brilliant backhand down the line, but later wasted a match point when he missed a forehand return.
The third set seemed likely for a new battle, but Zverev broke his opponent's serve to lead 2-0, then relied on his strong and stable serve to seal the victory.
Zverev poses a direct threat to the lead of Italian Jannik Sinner, knowing that the US Open and French Open champion has never topped the world rankings.
Sinner will miss the Shanghai tournament due to injury, which opened the door for Zverev to snatch first place from him.
Frenchman Artur Jia, ranked 56th in the world, ousted American Ben Shelton 7-6 (7-5) and 6-7 (7-3), becoming the Flushing Meadows runner-up, the most prominent victim of the Chinese tournament so far.
The 21-year-old Frenchman achieved the biggest victory in his professional career.
Shelton, ranked fourth in the world, told reporters: “He clearly outperformed me today.”
He added: “My body was not ready,” in his first tournament in Shanghai since his participation in the US Open, with the exception of the Davis Cup competitions last month.
He had withdrawn from the Japan tournament, which concluded last week, due to concerns regarding his physical fitness.
He continued: “This is how things are sometimes on this tour,” adding that travel fatigue and the time difference also affected him.
In the next round, Gia will meet either Argentine Francisco Cerundolo or Czech Jakub Menchik.
“It's amazing, frankly,” the Frenchman said after his first victory over a top-10 player.
He explained that his performance depended on “focus and attention” and remaining “ready for every point.”
Jia added that he has become “more confident on the field” after a distinguished year that saw him win the first professional title in his career last July in the Los Cabos 250 points tournament.
The Frenchman started strongly to lead 5-3 in the first set, before the 24-year-old American returned and tied the score at 5-5.
The two players remained equal in the tie-break until Jia succeeded in taking the lead and winning the first point of the set in his favor.
Shelton, ranked third in the tournament, imposed a new tie-break in the second set after the match exceeded the two-hour barrier, but he retreated in the face of the rush of Jia, who sealed the victory from the first opportunity he had.
