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Spurs Still Believe They Can Finish in Top Four, Says Stellini

Tottenham Hotspur's Italian assistant head coach Cristian Stellini reacts during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on April 15, 2023. (AFP)
Tottenham Hotspur's Italian assistant head coach Cristian Stellini reacts during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on April 15, 2023. (AFP)
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Spurs Still Believe They Can Finish in Top Four, Says Stellini

Tottenham Hotspur's Italian assistant head coach Cristian Stellini reacts during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on April 15, 2023. (AFP)
Tottenham Hotspur's Italian assistant head coach Cristian Stellini reacts during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on April 15, 2023. (AFP)

Tottenham Hotspur are confident they can finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League as long as it is still mathematically possible, interim manager Cristian Stellini said on Friday.

Spurs dropped out of the top four following the sacking of Antonio Conte last month and sit fifth in the league standings with 53 points having played a game more than fourth-placed Newcastle United, who have 56.

Spurs' hopes of playing in the Champions League next season were dented last weekend after they lost 3-2 at home to Bournemouth and Stellini said the game at St James' Park will not make things any easier.

"I think until the maths gives us reason to stop believing, until that moment we will continue to believe, continue to push and play to reach (the top four)," the Italian told reporters ahead of Sunday's trip to Newcastle.

"We've had one week to recharge after the last game and we had a good week.

"This is one of the worst stadiums to play in terms of the atmosphere power, but we have a good squad and I believe in the players at the club. We are prepared to play."

Spurs have had a rough season with only a top-four league finish to challenge for having been knocked out of the FA Cup and Champions League last month.

"It is a long history, this season, because many things happened and we lived a difficult period with a lot of situations, humanly and with many injured players," Stellini said.

"It was a difficult season but I think also that we fight all season against fate, against all our problems and this is important to grow like a man, like a team. For me the players are continuing to fight to reach the target."

Stellini said Spurs were aware of the many threats posed by Eddie Howe's Newcastle, who have won five of their last six games.

"When you play against a team like this you have to prepare well for the game because they have a lot of options to use and a lot of good players," Stellini said.

"You have to take care of many aspects but we are strong enough to be prepared and to play a good match."

Stellini said defenders Ben Davies and Clement Lenglet are back in training but are not ready to play this weekend.

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Daniil Medvedev Destroys TV Camera Attached to the Net During 5-Set Australian Open Win

Daniil Medvedev of Russia smashes his racket while in action against Kasidit Samrej of Thailand during their Men's Singles first round match during the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
Daniil Medvedev of Russia smashes his racket while in action against Kasidit Samrej of Thailand during their Men's Singles first round match during the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
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Daniil Medvedev Destroys TV Camera Attached to the Net During 5-Set Australian Open Win

Daniil Medvedev of Russia smashes his racket while in action against Kasidit Samrej of Thailand during their Men's Singles first round match during the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
Daniil Medvedev of Russia smashes his racket while in action against Kasidit Samrej of Thailand during their Men's Singles first round match during the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 14 January 2025. (EPA)

Daniil Medvedev used his racket to smash a tiny camera attached to the net at the Australian Open while he was trailing someone ranked 418th before eventually avoiding a monumental upset and winning 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the first round at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday.

The No. 5-seeded Medvedev earned the title at the 2021 US Open and is a three-time runner-up at Melbourne Park, including a year ago, but was hardly playing his best in the second and third sets against Kasidit Samrej, a wild-card entry from Thailand who was making his Grand Slam debut.

“I know I play better when I play more tennis,” Medvedev joked afterward. “So I was like, ‘Why play 1 hour, 30 (minutes)?’ Need a minimum of three hours, at least, to feel my shots better.”

The camera-destroying racket swings happened in what would be the last game of the third set, which Samrej claimed to take a two-sets-to-one-lead in the best-of-five match.

Medvedev's display of anger came after he lost a 13-stroke point to trail 40-15. Samrej hit a shot that clipped the net, altering its trajectory and throwing off the Russian's balance, before a cross-court forehand passing winner left Medvedev unable to make contact.

Medvedev went up to the net and brought his racket forward with full force five times, breaking his equipment while shattering a small black camera and sending pieces of it flying. That earned a code violation warning for racket abuse from the chair umpire.

Soon enough, Medvedev had dropped the set, leaving him with plenty of work to do to avoid a massive upset in his first match of the 2025 season. Medvedev quickly did turn things around, though, claiming 12 of the remaining 15 games, and 61 of the remaining 94 points.

He finished with 24 aces and fewer than half as many unforced errors as Samrej, 34 to 69.

“In the end of last year, this match, I probably would have lost it,” said Medvedev, who went 3-1 in five-setters at the 2024 Australian Open. “New year, new energy.”

Samrej got treatment from a trainer because of a problem with his left leg late in the fourth set.

He was trying to become the lowest-ranked man to eliminate one of the top five seeded players at a Grand Slam tournament since the ATP's computerized rankings began in 1973, according to the International Tennis Federation.

The biggest such result entering Tuesday was when No. 234 Alex Kim beat No. 4 Yevgeny Kafelnikov at the 2002 Australian Open.

Samrej earned his way into this year's Australian Open bracket by going through four rounds of a wild-card playoff for the Asia-Pacific region in November. He never had played against someone ranked higher than 78th until Tuesday and never has beaten anyone ranked higher than 157th.

“I watched his matches, and I didn't see this level, so I was surprised,” Medvedev said. “If he plays like this every match, his life will be good.”