Andre Agassi gave advice to Emma Raducano, the former US Open champion, urging her not to link her evaluation of her efforts to results alone, and to be more reconciled with herself, after the British player revealed that the American star’s biography inspired her in her attempts to break out of the spiral of decline that has been following her in the four major tournaments for five years.
Agassi, the winner of eight major championship titles, suffered a four-year drought of titles between winning the Australian Open in 1995 and the French Open in 1999, during which his ranking fell to 141st in the world.
The American player documented his struggle to regain his level in his autobiography in 2009. British Raducano (23 years old) has not qualified for the quarter-finals in any major tournament since her surprising coronation of the “US Open” title in 2021.
Agassi told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) today (Wednesday): “I urge her to focus on being the best she can be on a daily basis, without evaluating this by results or believing in the necessity of reaching the peak of 100 percent readiness.”
He added: “You must adapt to give your best, whatever your level of readiness, and be comfortable with your identity in light of that, away from what others say.”
Japanese Naomi Osaka, who won her fourth major title in 2021, also drew inspiration from Agassi's book last year, when she reached the semi-finals of the US Open for the first time in five years.
Virgil van Dijk, captain of the Dutch national football team, is looking forward to seeing his former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp, but he wants to spoil his first match as coach of the German national team.
“I look forward to seeing him,” Van Dijk said before facing the Dutch and German teams tomorrow (Thursday) in the European Nations League. He is a very important person in my career as a player.”
He added: “I am excited to see him, but I hope that we will succeed in defeating him in his first match as coach of the national team.”
Klopp and Van Dijk worked together at Liverpool between 2018 and 2024, winning the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League the following season.
Van Dijk said: “He is a complete coach.” “It will be a difficult match, but we are ready.”
The Dutch national team also has a new coach, Xavi Hernandez, who replaced Ronald Koeman, who resigned after the Dutch national team was eliminated from the round of 32 in the World Cup following a loss to the Moroccan national team.
Xavi also said that he was looking forward to the match against Germany, which also exited the World Cup in the round of 32.
He said: “Jurgen is one of the best coaches in the world in recent years. It will be a great challenge for me personally, and a great challenge for the team. We must perform at our best because we are facing a great team.”
Manchester United expected today (Wednesday) an increase in its revenues in the fiscal year 2027 after qualifying for the European Champions League this season, despite its continued financial suffering by recording an annual loss for the seventh year in a row, in light of the continuing fluctuations surrounding the club’s performance on and off the field.
The club, which won the English Premier League title 20 times, spent more than a decade trying to restore the glories it achieved under the leadership of legendary coach Alex Ferguson. Since British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe acquired a minority stake in the club, a series of measures have been taken, including cutting jobs and raising ticket prices, as part of a plan aimed at reducing debt and restoring profitability.
CEO Omar Berrada said in a statement: “We will continue to follow a disciplined approach to ensure the sustainability of our financial conditions.”
Manchester United expects to achieve revenues ranging between 740 and 760 million pounds ($982.8 million to $1.01 billion) during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, compared to revenues amounting to 677.6 million pounds sterling in the fiscal year 2026.
In contrast, the club recorded a net loss of £43 million during the last financial year, compared to a loss of £33 million in the previous year.
