MANCHESTER, England — Pep Guardiola confirmed Friday what Manchester City fans had been fearing. The club’s most successful manager is leaving, bringing to a close a trophy-laden, 10-year spell in which he established City as a force in Europe and changed the face of English soccer.
Guardiola had a year left on his City contract but will take charge of his final game on Sunday against Aston Villa in the Premier League.
“Don’t ask me the reasons I’m leaving. There is no reason, but deep inside I know it’s my time,” he said.
City said Guardiola will become a global ambassador and it was naming its newly developed stand at Etihad Stadium after him.
Enzo Maresca — the former Chelsea manager who was previously assistant to Guardiola at City — is the favorite to take on the daunting task of filling the Catalan’s shoes after a decade of unprecedented dominance.
Since joining City in the summer of 2016, Guardiola has led the Abu Dhabi-owned team to six Premier League titles and a first Champions League crown in 2023.
He won 17 major trophies including a domestic double this season of the English League Cup and the FA Cup. He has won 35 major titles across his coaching career including at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
City was by far his longest job in management, having never previously stayed more than four years in a role.
“I will not train for a while,” the 55-year-old Guardiola said. “I feel I would not have the energy that is required to daily... with the expectations to fight for the titles.” AP
PARIS — Aryna Sabalenka said Friday she is ready, in body and mind, to conquer clay and take a first Roland Garros title.
“I know how to play on clay, and it’s all about being physically and mentally healthy, to go for it, and to be ready to fight,” she said at the media day ahead of the tournament’s start on Sunday.
Sabalenka, the top-ranked woman for approaching two years, has only won three titles on clay, all in Madrid. Her best showing in the clay-court Grand Slam was last year when she lost the final in three sets to Coco Gauff.
“All I can say is that I’m ready to fight, and, of course, I hope to do a little bit better than I did last year,” said the Belarusian, who turned 28 earlier in May.
Earlier this spring, Sabalenka completed a victorious ‘sunshine double’ on the hard courts at Indian Wells and Miami, before losing momentum on clay.
At Madrid, she lost in the quarter-finals to Hailey Baptiste. In Rome, she only won one match before falling to Sorana Cirstea.
“I struggled the beginning of the clay season physically, to be honest,” she said on Friday. “Right now I feel 100 percent.
“I’m healed everywhere and I’m ready to go.”
Asked if she would be satisfied if she did not win, Sabalenka’s answer showed a No. 1’s mindset.
“I think all of us are here just for one reason, you know.”
Sabalenka said that her improved consistency is not only the product of physical health but also of overcoming her tendency to melt down mentally on court when things didn’t go her way.
“My emotions were destroying my game, and my level was dropping dramatically when I would just start overreacting on everything,” she said.
