CCRICKETRICKET | Page 3 FFOOTBALLOOTBALL | Page 7 ‘Hungry’ Can Morgan sets Guardiola sights on T20 salvage Man WCup success City’s season? Tuesday, February 4, 2020 SUPER BOWL Jumada II 10, 1441 AH Comeback king GULF TIMES Mahomes sparks Chiefs to victory SPORT Page 5 TENNIS Djokovic aims for Federer’s Slams, ranking record ‘Grand Slams are one of the main reasons why I am still competing... trying to get the historic number one (record)’ AFP Melbourne, Australia ovak Djokovic put Roger Federer on no- tice as he won his 17th Grand Slam title at the NAustralian Open and warned he was going all-out for the Swiss’s record of 20 — and his mark for weeks as world number one. Djokovic, who came through a mid-match slump to win his eighth title in Melbourne, is relentlessly totting up the vic- tories that could soon end the debate over who’s the greatest in history. The fi ve-set victory over Do- minic Thiem was his eighth in eight fi nals in Melbourne, putting him alongside Federer and Nadal as the only men to win the same Slam eight times. It makes Djokovic, 32, the fi rst man in the Open era, and only the second in history, to win Grand Slam titles in three diff erent dec- ades — and as a not-insignifi cant bonus, returns him to world number one. In an ominous sign for his ri- vals, the Serb has started the year unbeaten with Wimbledon, the French Open, the Tokyo Olym- pics and the US Open all lying in front of him as tantalising oppor- tunities. He is clear-sighted about his Australian Open champion Serbia’s Novak Djokovic poses with the trophy during a photo shoot at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria yesterday. (Reuters) goals: overtaking Nadal’s 19 Ma- jor titles and Federer’s 20 to be- “Obviously at this stage of my get the historic number one of the Big Three. er for a year in which he could “But the door is open for him to way I started the season. It kind come the all-time Grand Slam career, Grand Slams are the ones I (record). That’s the other big The latest rankings tell the sweep all before him. start climbing through it and talk of sets the tone for the rest of the king, and outdoing the Swiss value the most. They are the ones goal,” he said. story at the top of men’s tennis: “At the end of the year, we about being the greatest ever.” year,” he said. master’s record 310 weeks in the I prioritise,” said Djokovic, add- Djokovic is number one, Nadal, could have two players on 20 or As he jets out of Melbourne, “To start off the season with top ranking. ing “there’s a lot of history on the ‘HUGE WIN’ one year older at 33, is second and two on 19 or even more because his name etched yet again on the a Grand Slam win signifi cantly Djokovic has so far clocked up line”. With fi ve Major titles in just over 38-year-old Federer is a relative- Novak can win all four,” he said. Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, boosts your confi dence and your 276 weeks as number one and “Grand Slams are one of the two years, and unbeaten by Nadal ly distant third. “This is a huge win for him go- Djokovic warned that his con- expectations are quite high for could pass second-placed Pete main reasons why I am still and Federer at the Grand Slams Seven-time Major winner ing forwards. A loss here would fi dence and expectations were the rest of the season. Sampras’s 286 in April, and Fed- competing and still playing since 2014, there’s no question Mats Wilander said Djokovic’s have been very diffi cult to get soaring. “But whatever happens, this erer’s 310 on October 5. full season, trying to obviously who’s now the leading member win in Melbourne sets a mark- confi dence and come back. “I’m super-happy with the season is already successful.” CRICKET Future stars on show as India meet Pakistan in U-19 World Cup AFP And now it is the turn of the “In this World Cup, I bowled Potchefstroom, South Africa youngsters, the future stars of very well in the fi rst game but got international cricket, to go up no wickets,” fast bowler Tyagi, against each other in South Af- whose four for 24 did for Austral- ndia head into today’s Un- rica’s North West province, close ia in the last round, told Cricinfo. der 19 World Cup semi-fi nal to the Mooi river. “Then the next two games, I against Pakistan in Pochef- The Indians won their group bowled poorly but I took wickets. stroom as slight favourites beating New Zealand and Japan And fi nally, against Australia, I Ibut cricket matches between in the process before going on to bowled well and got rewarded for these two sides are seldom hammer Australia by 74 runs in them. straightforward. the quarter-fi nal. “Ups and downs are the reali- “When you talk about India- Pakistan’s group match against ties of life, so I’ve stopped think- Pakistan (matches) that brings Bangladesh — who meet New ing about the wickets column. out an extra edge to the whole Zealand in the second semi-fi nal I have just been focusing on the competition,” said former India on Thursday — was abandoned process.” Test player Zaheer Khan in the with Bangladesh in desperate For all the players at this World Indian media. trouble at 106 for nine. The Paki- Cup, there remains the dream not “I am sure the boys will be stanis beat Scotland and Zimba- just of winning but doing enough geared up for the big occasion bwe to set up a quarter-fi nal with to start forging a professional ca- and they will do well.” Afghanistan. reer in the game. With political relations on That was another comfortable Some big names have trodden a knife-edge, there has been win in spite of the Twitter storm this path before: current interna- no Test series between the two over Afghan spinner Noor Ahmed tional captains Virat Kohli, Eoin countries since 2007/2008 running out Mohamed Huraira Morgan and Kane Williamson and no white ball series since when he marginally backed up all fi gured at the tournament in 2012/2013. too far at the bowler’s end. the past along with some of the The only time they have come The Indian quartet Yashasvi greats of the recent past, players together of late is at international Jaiswal, Ravi Bishnoi, Akash such as Brian Lara, Yuvraj Singh, tournaments. Singh and Kartik Tyagi have al- Chris Gayle and Steven Smith. In 2019, they met at Old Traff ord ready found their way into the The stage in Potchefstoom is set during the ODI World Cup in Eng- IPL, each of them making im- to see who if any young Indians land — Rohit Sharma’s 140 ensur- portant contributions in South or Pakistanis are likely to join this ing a comfortable India win. Africa. elite band in the decade ahead. The Pakistani and Indian players get ready for a training session during the ongoing Under 19 World Cup in South Africa. (ICC) Gulf Times 2 Tuesday, February 4, 2020 SPORT TENNIS FOCUS Kenin breaks into Hugs, veg diet, a tree: top 10; Djokovic Djokovic’s unusual back on top route to the top From doubts over his longevity to $140mn in prize money, he has come a long way AFP Melbourne, Australia strict vegetarian diet, spiritual guru and family hugging-ses- sions aren’t methods Sofia Kenin of the US poses with the 2020 Australian Open winner’s Aemployed by most athletes, but trophy in the locker room. (AFP) they have helped Novak Djok- ovic turn himself into one of AFP on the all-time list. the best players ever — and now Paris, France And Djokovic now tops the Australian Open champion for rankings on 9,720 points, with an eighth time. Nadal demoted to second on The Serb has distinguished ofi a Kenin’s rise to a ca- 9395 and Federer remaining in himself with his willingness to reer-high seventh in the third on 7,130. turn to the unusual, from hyper- world after her surprise Nadal was beaten by Thiem, baric chambers to meditation Australian Open triumph who moves up a place to fourth, and Spanish guru Pepe Imaz, Swas confi rmed yesterday, even in the quarter-fi nals with Djoko- a former journeyman player as Novak Djokovic’s latest Mel- vic sweeping past Federer in the whose “love and peace” philos- bourne Park heroics lifted him semis. ophy drives his teachings. past Rafael Nadal to the world Djokovic last occupied the Life has been a journey for number one spot in the latest rankings summit at the end of the Serbian star, who grew up in WTA and ATP rankings respec- October. war-torn Belgrade and practised tively. in a disused swimming pool but The unheralded American WTA TOP 10 is now based in the millionaire’s jumped eight places into a top 1. Ashleigh Barty (AUS) 8367 pts playground of Monte Carlo with 10 headed by Ashleigh Barty fol- 2. Simona Halep (ROU) 6101 more than $140mn in prize lowing Saturday’s stunning 4-6, 3. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 5290 money — a record — to his name.