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Saudi League 'Completely Changed The Market'

Asharq Al-Awsat AR
Asharq Al-Awsat AR
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Saudi League 'Completely Changed The Market'

Asharq Al-Awsat AR
Asharq Al-Awsat AR

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Saturday that the Saudi Pro League had "completely changed the market" and he expects more and more high-profile players to move there.

City winger Riyad Mahrez this week became just the latest big name to move to Saudi football, following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and numerous others from Europe's top leagues.

"The Saudi league completely changed the market," Guardiola said in Seoul.

"A year ago when Cristiano Ronaldo was the first player, no one could imagine how many top, top quality, extraordinary players were going to play in the Saudi league.

"In the future, it will happen more and more."

Guardiola said that he had a "special relationship" with Mahrez, even though the attacker fell from favor towards the end of his time at the English and European champions.

"He's one of the players I've seen in my career I enjoyed the most.

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Djokovic and Kyrgios Lose in Doubles at Brisbane International

Novak Djokovic (R) of Serbia and Nick Kyrgios (L) of Australia react during their doubles match against Nikola Mektic of Croatia and Michael Venus of New Zealand at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Queensland Tennis Center in Brisbane, Australia, 01 January 2025. EPA/JONO SEARLE
Novak Djokovic (R) of Serbia and Nick Kyrgios (L) of Australia react during their doubles match against Nikola Mektic of Croatia and Michael Venus of New Zealand at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Queensland Tennis Center in Brisbane, Australia, 01 January 2025. EPA/JONO SEARLE
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Djokovic and Kyrgios Lose in Doubles at Brisbane International

Novak Djokovic (R) of Serbia and Nick Kyrgios (L) of Australia react during their doubles match against Nikola Mektic of Croatia and Michael Venus of New Zealand at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Queensland Tennis Center in Brisbane, Australia, 01 January 2025. EPA/JONO SEARLE
Novak Djokovic (R) of Serbia and Nick Kyrgios (L) of Australia react during their doubles match against Nikola Mektic of Croatia and Michael Venus of New Zealand at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Queensland Tennis Center in Brisbane, Australia, 01 January 2025. EPA/JONO SEARLE

The new doubles team of Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios are out of the Brisbane International in the second round, The Associated Press reported.
The pair, granted a wild-card entry by tournament organizers, lost 6-2, 3-6, 10-8 Wednesday to the top-seeded team of Nikola Mektic of Croatia and New Zealander Michael Venus.
A Djokovic double-fault with the duo leading 8-6 in the match tiebreak was key to the defeat as they lost the last four points of the match.
“Incredible,” Mektic told the sold-out crowd. “I was very happy when I saw them, I could play them on the first of January. It’s an amazing feeling to start the year like this and we knew there would be points like that against players like this.”
Djokovic and Kyrgios won their opening doubles match, a crowd-pleasing, fist-pumping affair by both players at Pat Rafter Arena.
Kyrgios lost his opening singles match on Tuesday after an 18-month absence from the tour due to injuries. Djokovic won his first singles match on the same day and will next play Gael Monfils, who he has a 19-0 record against.