Forest FA Cup Semi No Different to Other Games, Says Nuno

Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Nottingham Forest - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 21, 2025 Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo celebrates after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Nottingham Forest - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 21, 2025 Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo celebrates after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)
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Forest FA Cup Semi No Different to Other Games, Says Nuno

Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Nottingham Forest - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 21, 2025 Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo celebrates after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Nottingham Forest - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - April 21, 2025 Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo celebrates after the match. (Action Images via Reuters)

Nottingham Forest compete in their first FA Cup semi-final since 1991 this weekend, but with the club also aiming for Champions League qualification, the tie holds no more importance than their other games, manager Nuno Espirito Santo said on Friday.

Forest won that last semi-final but have not lifted the FA Cup since 1959, while their most recent trophy win was a League Cup success in 1990 which came during the club's golden era under Brian Clough.

Clough's Forest won the league title in 1978, back-to-back European Cups and four English League Cups, but were relegated in 1993 in his last season at the club.

Nuno has brought the good times back to the City Ground, and does not feel the need to change his approach ahead of Sunday's quarter-final clash with Manchester City.

"Inside our preparation, this game is not different from any other one," the Portuguese coach told reporters.

"So we have retained our normal cycle of preparation and we approach the same, knowing that it's going to be a tough match but it's a special occasion, we have to enjoy it.

"The importance of the game is exactly the same as the previous one, and the next one. So the approach is exactly the same."

Forest are fourth in the league standings, one point behind Manchester City, and aiming for a return to Europe's premier club competition for the first time since 1980.

After suffering two consecutive league losses, Forest bounced back with a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Monday, which was also a much-needed confidence boost ahead of the Cup semis.

"It helps a lot. The best way to prepare the match is when you perform well in the previous one," Nuno said.

"And I think we did, we bounced back from previous performances and the players were good, so we are confident."

Forest reached the semi-final with three consecutive penalty shooutout wins against Exeter City, Ispwich Town and Brighton & Hove Albion, and the winner of Sunday's game will meet either Crystal Palace or Aston Villa who play on Saturday.



Sabalenka Apologizes to Gauff for Post-Match Comments After French Open 

Second placed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts with the trophy after the final match of the French Tennis Open against Coco Gauff of the US at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Saturday, June 7, 2025. (AP) 
Second placed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts with the trophy after the final match of the French Tennis Open against Coco Gauff of the US at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Saturday, June 7, 2025. (AP) 
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Sabalenka Apologizes to Gauff for Post-Match Comments After French Open 

Second placed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts with the trophy after the final match of the French Tennis Open against Coco Gauff of the US at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Saturday, June 7, 2025. (AP) 
Second placed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts with the trophy after the final match of the French Tennis Open against Coco Gauff of the US at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Saturday, June 7, 2025. (AP) 

Aryna Sabalenka says she has written to Coco Gauff to apologize for the “unprofessional” comments she made following her loss to her American rival in the final of the French Open.

Speaking to Eurosport Germany, the top-ranked Sabalenka said her remarks after her 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 loss to Gauff at Roland-Garros this month were a mistake. In her post-match press conference in Paris, Sabalenka had suggested that the result was more due to her own errors than to Gauff's performance.

“That was just completely unprofessional of me,” Sabalenka said. “I let my emotions get the better of me. I absolutely regret what I said back then. You know, we all make mistakes. I’m just a human being who’s still learning in life. I think we all have those days when we lose control. But what I also want to say is that I wrote to Coco afterward — not immediately, but recently.”

Sabalenka hit 37 winners but finished the final with 70 unforced errors, compared to Gauff’s 30.

She said she wrote to Gauff to apologize and “make sure she knew she absolutely deserved to win the tournament and that I respect her.”

“I never intended to attack her,” Sabalanka added. “I was super emotional and not very smart at that press conference. I’m not necessarily grateful for what I did. It took me a while to go back and think about it, to approach it with open eyes, and to understand. I realized a lot about myself. Why did I lose so many finals?”

Sabalenka, a three-time major champion, also lost to Gauff in the 2023 US Open final, where she also won the first set.

“I kept getting so emotional,” Sabalenka added. “So I learned a lot. Above all, one thing: I’m the one who always treats my opponents with great respect, whether I win or lose. Without that respect, I wouldn’t be where I am today. So it was a tough, but very valuable lesson for me.”