Brentford’s Eriksen Relishing ‘Special’ Reunion with Spurs

Football - Premier League - Brentford v West Ham United - Brentford Community Stadium, London, Britain - April 10, 2022 Brentford's Christian Eriksen applauds fans after the match. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Brentford v West Ham United - Brentford Community Stadium, London, Britain - April 10, 2022 Brentford's Christian Eriksen applauds fans after the match. (Reuters)
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Brentford’s Eriksen Relishing ‘Special’ Reunion with Spurs

Football - Premier League - Brentford v West Ham United - Brentford Community Stadium, London, Britain - April 10, 2022 Brentford's Christian Eriksen applauds fans after the match. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Brentford v West Ham United - Brentford Community Stadium, London, Britain - April 10, 2022 Brentford's Christian Eriksen applauds fans after the match. (Reuters)

Brentford midfielder Christian Eriksen said he is looking forward to a "special" match against his former club Tottenham Hotspur in Saturday's Premier League clash.

The Denmark international spent seven seasons at Tottenham from 2013 to 2020 before joining Italian club Inter Milan, where he played under current Spurs boss Antonio Conte and helped them win the Serie A title.

Eriksen joined Brentford as a free agent in January, nearly eight months after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a European Championship match.

"I can't wait. It's going to be special," Eriksen told Sky Sports on Friday.

"First of all, it's just being back playing football, then there's always the small bits in between of what is the goal. I'm definitely looking forward to Saturday for sure."

Eriksen has bagged one goal and two assists for Brentford in six appearances this season.

Asked if he would celebrate against Tottenham if he scores on Saturday, Eriksen said, "Probably not!"

Tottenham are fourth in the league on 57 points after 32 matches, while Brentford are 12th on 39 points after 33 games.



Swiatek: Losing at French Open Lifted the Pressure for Wimbledon

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 10, 2025 Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates after winning her semi final match against Switzerland's Belinda Bencic REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 10, 2025 Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates after winning her semi final match against Switzerland's Belinda Bencic REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
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Swiatek: Losing at French Open Lifted the Pressure for Wimbledon

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 10, 2025 Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates after winning her semi final match against Switzerland's Belinda Bencic REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 10, 2025 Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates after winning her semi final match against Switzerland's Belinda Bencic REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

There are few benefits to losing in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam but when Iga Swiatek had her fingers prised off the French Open trophy, it had one unexpected benefit -- it lifted the pressure off her shoulders heading into Wimbledon.

Swiatek crushed Switzerland's Belinda Bencic 6-2 6-0 to reach the Wimbledon final on Thursday after years of trying and failing to make a major impact at the grasscourt Grand Slam.

She has made no secret of her preference for clay courts and her four French Open titles were clear evidence that Paris's red dirt was more to her liking than Wimbledon's lawns, Reuters reported.

Yet her defeat to Aryna Sabalenka in the French Open semi-finals in early June ended her chances of a fourth straight title in Paris and ensured few were tipping her for a career-best run at Wimbledon.

"I think I'm not going to have seasons where the pressure is not going to be kind of forced on me from the expectations from the outside anymore," she said after setting up a Saturday showdown against American Amanda Anisimova.

"Every year I guess it's kind of the same but I feel sometimes I can handle it better or ignore it. Sometimes a bit worse.

"I don't know. Like, honestly, I think it's easier if you haven't won Roland Garros and also if you had more time to practice.

"If I win Roland Garros and then I come here and everybody ask me already about... They put, like, super high expectations."

Five-times Grand Slam winner Swiatek was in a league of her own on a scorching Centre Court on Thursday, blitzing past Tokyo Olympic champion Bencic in the blink of an eye.

She has dropped only one set in her run to the final and suddenly looks at home on grass, a surface she has previously struggled to master.

"Every point is different and every match I need to adjust my game but for sure I feel like I improved my movement," she said, summing up what had changed for her on the surface. "I’m serving really well and I feel really confident, so I’m just going for it and it’s working so I will keep doing that."