Tearful Nishikori calls time on career with defeat at Japan Open

Tokyo: Japan's Kei Nishikori, Asia's most decorated men's tennis player, brought the curtain down on his pioneering career on Thursday, losing 6-4, 6-4 to Frances Tiafoe on home turf. saltysenoritaaz.org

The 36-year-old announced his retirement in May, having notched a string of professional accolades but falling just short of the game's elite names due to persistent injury.

Fans packed Tokyo's Ariake Colosseum and showered the former world number four with cheers and applause as he fell to the second-seeded Tiafoe in the opening round of the Japan Open.

"Playing in Japan is always special," Nishikori told the crowd during an on-court ceremony after the match.

"I wish I could show a bit more and better performance. But I am happy that in my spirit I remained competitive until the end," he said with a boyish smile while fighting back tears.

"I am proud that I didn't give up and played until the end."

Nishikori became the first Japanese player to reach a Grand Slam final, losing the 2014 US Open to Croatia's Marin Cilic.

He was the first Japanese man to make the top 10 in the ATP world rankings and won 12 titles on tour, including two victories in Tokyo.

Nishikori also won bronze in the men's singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

He has been dogged by injuries for years and said this year that he was "barely hanging on" in terms of physical fitness.

He produced the best season of his career in 2014, winning four ATP titles and upsetting then world number one Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the US Open on the way to defeat by Cilic.

At his last Grand Slam tournament in August, he was beaten by his much younger compatriot Rei Sakamoto, 20, in the third round of qualifying at the US Open.

Copenhagen: Uncertainy surrounds the future of Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in the national team after the 41-year-old walked out on the squad following an announcement from coach Jorge Jesus that he would not start Thursday's game against Denmark.

Ronaldo announced late Wednesday that he had left the team, shortly after a press conference in which Jesus confirmed the five-time Ballon d'Or winner would be left out of his starting line-up for a second consecutive game.

The former Real Madrid forward had been due to train with his teammates at the Parken Stadium on the eve of the UEFA Nations League match against the Danes, but walked out following the announcement by Jesus.

"After the press conference of the national team coach, and following a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, I have made the decision to leave the role of the national team," Ronaldo wrote on Instagram.

Ronaldo had already spent the entirety of Sunday's 2-1 Nations League win in Norway on the bench, having captained the side in the 1-0 home victory over Wales last Thursday.

It is commonplace for national team coaches to rotate their squads for these matches, which do not carry the same level of importance as a World Cup or European Championship.

However, Ronaldo appeared to indicate that the reasons behind Jesus's decision ran deeper.

"In due time, I will tell the Portuguese people the truth about the reasons that motivated my departure from the national team, to which I have always dedicated myself," he added in comments that hinted at a permanent withdrawal from the international stage.

"Now is time to wish Portugal and all my teammates the very best for the future, without exception."

Spanish sports daily Marca said Jesus and Portuguese federation president Pedro Proenca followed Ronaldo to Copenhagen airport in an attempt to persuade him to stay with the squad, before the player boarded his private jet.

Jesus insisted earlier Wednesday that there was no rift between him and Ronaldo, although the 72-year-old -- appointed coach in July -- acknowledged that his captain was disappointed to remain on the bench against Norway.

The news sparked a wave of memes on social media and furious backlash from Ronaldo's sister, Elma Aveiro.

"They don't deserve to have the best of anything," she said about the Portuguese people on Instagram.

"We are envious, scornful, and ignorant, and we deserve to return to the mediocrity that defined us in the pre-CR7 era of football."

'Nothing to make a fuss about'

The game in Oslo was the first time since November 2024 that Ronaldo had not featured for Portugal while not being either injured or suspended.

"There was no incident whatsoever," Jesus, who coached Ronaldo at Saudi club Al-Nassr for a year before taking the Portugal job, told reporters after that match.

"Any player -- and I was a player myself... when you spend 20 or 30 minutes warming up and then don't get on... no one is happy about that," Jesus added on Wednesday.

The Portuguese coach also said he had told Ronaldo before the match that he would not be in the starting line-up, but that he might bring him on.

"Afterwards, as coach, I decided not to bring him on. It's nothing to make a fuss about," Jesus insisted.

"Preparation for the two matches against Denmark and Norway... continue as planned with the 24 remaining squad members," the Portuguese federation said after Ronaldo's departure.

"The entire delegation remains totally focused on the national team's next fixtures and on achieving the established objectives."

Jesus said earlier that against Denmark he again intended to start AC Milan striker Goncalo Ramos, who scored the winner in Norway.

"If everything goes according to plan, it will be Goncalo who plays," he said, before adding regarding Ronaldo: "If I need him, he'll come on. If I don't need him, he won't."

Ronaldo recently announced that this season would "probably (be) my last year in football".

He is Portugal's leading goalscorer and most capped player, with 146 goals in 234 appearances.

The former Sporting, Manchester United, Real and Juventus striker made his international debut aged 18 in 2003.

The following year he played in the Portugal side that lost the Euro 2004 final as hosts to Greece.

He later reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2006 and captained his country to glory at Euro 2016.

Ronaldo and Portugal went out of this year's World Cup in the last 16 to Spain.

أثنى الدكتور مشعل النصر رئيس الاتحاد القطري للرماية والقوس والسهم، على الإنجاز الجديد الذي حققه رماة الأدعم بعد الحصول على فضية منافسات التراب للفرق مختلط بدورة الألعاب الآسيوية العشرين آيتشي-ناغويا 2026.

وقال النصر في تصريح خاص لوكالة الأنباء القطرية قنا: نشعر بالفخر بعد تحقيق أدعم الرماية 4 ميداليات بواقع ذهبيتين وفضيتين في هذه النسخة من الألعاب الآسيوية ليستحق اتحاد الرماية بالفعل أن يطلق عليه الاتحاد الذهبي، مشيرا إلى أن هذا النجاح جاء ثمرة الدعم الكبير الذي تحظى به الرياضية القطرية من القيادة الرشيدة، ومن اللجنة الأولمبية القطرية برئاسة سعادة الشيخ جوعان بن حمد آل ثاني.

ونوه رئيس الاتحاد القطري للرماية والقوس والسهم بكافة الجهود التي بذلت من أجل تحقيق هذا الإنجاز المشرف ورفع علم قطر عاليا، مضيفا: نبارك للثنائي محمد الرميحي وراي باسيل بعد حصولهم على الميدالية الفضية في مسابقة التراب للفرق مختلط.

Beijing: Hardly any professional tennis players support shortening men's Grand Slam matches, world number two Alexander Zverev said on Thursday, coming out strongly in favour of the "history" behind the format.

Some around the sport, including the chief executive of the organising body that runs the Australian Open, have suggested in recent weeks that the four majors may eventually explore cutting early-round matches to the best-of-three sets from the current best-of-five.

Proponents argue the change would help audiences, particularly younger ones, engage better with a sport that can run to several hours in a tightly contested five-set match.

But Zverev shot down the idea at the China Open on Thursday, defending the format by saying: "It's history."

"It's the toughest thing to win in our sport because we play best-of-five sets," the reigning French Open and US Open champion said.

"It's physically one of the most extreme things that you can go through."

Zverev played two five-setters en route to his US Open win, ending his first and second rounds well past midnight.

"I don't know a single player who would like to play best-of-three sets," the 29-year-old German said.

"Maybe Novak (Djokovic) wants to play best-of-three because, of course, he's getting a bit older now," he joked.

"But I think if you would have asked him this 10 years ago or 15 years ago, for sure not."

Djokovic, 39, is a 24-time Grand Slam champion but a record 25th has eluded him so far.