Virgil van Dijk highlighted the importance of Champions League football for Liverpool in their bid to improve the squad for next season.

Jurgen Klopp's side suffered elimination from Europe's elite competition with a resounding 6-2 aggregate defeat against Real Madrid in the last 16.

Sitting six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham in the Premier League with a game in hand over the north London side, Liverpool face a fight to secure their spot in next season's competition.

Significant departures may also be on the cards, with Roberto Firmino already announcing he will leave upon the expiration of his contract, and Van Dijk understands being able to offer Champions League football may be crucial in the hunt for new additions.

"Obviously, players are going to leave. That's been announced, so, if we want to be where we have been the last five years, we need quality imports, especially with those players leaving," he told reporters.

"Everyone knows that's going to be very difficult. It is going to be very difficult to find the right players, but the club has to do their job in this case.

"We still have a lot of games to play and we want to be in the Champions League. I think that will also help to attract the best players in the world. Not all the time but it will definitely help."

Due to Fulham's involvement in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Liverpool are not in Premier League action this weekend and have plenty of time to prepare for a crucial run of fixtures.

Following the upcoming international break, Liverpool face back-to-back away matches against Manchester City and Chelsea before welcoming league leaders Arsenal to Anfield in a stretch that could define their season.

"It's going to be very defining and that's something we all know," Van Dijk added.

"It's been a season where we can't find the consistency that we have had for the last few years, but we need to get it back.

"It sounds very simple but it's the most difficult part of football. The most difficult part of being a footballer is to stay consistent in each and every game.

"We will give it absolutely everything because I want to play in the Champions League, we all want to play in the Champions League. The fans want to play in the Champions League.

"We are the players on the pitch, we have to perform, and we have to show it, but we need also our fans. They have stuck with us in the good times, and we need them probably even more in this time. We will fight."

Max Verstappen will arrive late to Saudi Arabia due to illness and missed pre-weekend media duties on Thursday.

The back-to-back Formula One world champion took to social media to confirm he had been battling a stomach bug and will not arrive in Jeddah until Friday.

"Feeling fine again, after not being fit for a few days because of a stomach bug," he wrote on Twitter.

"Therefore, I unfortunately had to postpone my flight for a day, so I won't be on the track until Friday. See you in Jeddah!"

Red Bull later issued a statement confirming that the FIA granted permission for the Dutchman to miss Thursday's pre-race media duties.

Verstappen tops the early championship standings after victory in the opening race of the season in Bahrain last time out, finishing ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez.

Lewis Hamilton has no desire to leave Mercedes but urged the team to make "bold decisions" to close the gap upon their Formula One rivals.  

Having won the Constructors' Championship for eight consecutive seasons from 2014, Mercedes conceded their crown to Red Bull last year.

Hopes of reclaiming that honour in 2023 already seem to be dead in the water after just one race, with Mercedes adrift of Red Bull and Ferrari, while also falling behind Aston Martin.

Those disappointments have led to speculation regarding Hamilton's future, with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, and post-race comments in Bahrain added fuel to the fire – having told Mercedes to "own up" to their mistakes.

Hamilton has since admitted his words were not chosen wisely and, speaking ahead of Sunday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, he expressed his commitment to Mercedes.

"In hindsight, it wasn't necessarily the best choice of words. Of course there are times when you're not in agreement with certain team members but what's important is we continue to communicate, we continue to work together," he told a press conference.

"I still have 100 per cent belief in this team. It is my family and I've been here a long time, so I don't plan on going anywhere else.

"But we all need a kick, we all need to get in. The proof is in the pudding; we've seen what the performance is and how people are extracting the performance. We've got to now start making some bold decisions, some big moves in order to close the gap to these guys.

"[Red Bull] will run away with it, most likely, this year, unless Ferrari can stop them, which we'll wait and see. But as I said, we're hopeful we'll be able to close the gap, but at that point it will probably be too late in terms of fighting for a championship, but we can still turn some heads."

Hamilton likened Mercedes' position to the one they found themselves in last year and, having seen the team improve slowly throughout that campaign, is optimistic of a similar response.

"We're in a similar mentality to what we were last year, where we're just working as hard as we can as a team, try to remain positive. Obviously it's a shock when you work out the car is not where you want it to be," he added.

"But everyone is working on the solution and I have 100 per cent confidence in everyone doing their job. You don't all of a sudden lose the ability to build great cars. We're just not where we need to be, where we want to be, and we have to keep working on it.

Manchester United great Andrew Cole expects Erik ten Hag to act decisively on Harry Maguire's future at the end of the season, having found a "brilliant" defensive duo in Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.

Maguire has struggled for regular minutes since Ten Hag took charge last year, only making five starts during an encouraging Premier League campaign for the Red Devils.

The defender – who was named in Gareth Southgate's England squad for games against Italy and Ukraine on Thursday – has been linked with an exit after seeing Varane and Martinez establish themselves as regulars.

Ten Hag has taken several big decisions since arriving at Old Trafford – not least to allow Cristiano Ronaldo's departure – and Cole expects him to be similarly firm with Maguire.

Asked about Maguire's future, Cole told Stats Perform: "That's ultimately down to the manager. I think Manchester United for many years have really struggled to find defensive partnerships. 

"If you look at the money they've spent on centre-halves… Maguire, [Victor] Lindelof, [Eric] Bailly, obviously Varane and Martinez now.

"That's five, and if you look at the money they've spent, it's easily over £200million on centre-halves. I think now they've finally got a partnership which looks right. 

"For Maguire, it has been difficult. He struggled at the backend of last season, went to the World Cup and did well, came back and struggled at Manchester United. 

"The manager has made a decision to go with these two, Varane and Martinez, who have been absolutely brilliant."

On Ten Hag's style of management, Cole added: "With the way football is now, it's about managing people.

"You're managing and massaging egos, that's what football is about. 

"It's not like you can treat every individual the same. They're not all the same, some react to things better than others.

"From the outside looking in, it looks like he [Ten Hag] is very disciplined. The players respect him, he respects the players and he is getting the best out of them, that's what you want."

United face Real Betis in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday, before a home Premier League match against Fulham on Sunday.

Jalen Carter has avoided jail after pleading no contest to misdemeanour driving offences relating to a crash that killed a Georgia teammate and a football staff member.

The defensive lineman, one of the most highly rated prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, was charged with reckless driving and racing after an investigation, with arrest warrants leading to his early departure from the NFL Combine.

He returned to Georgia after the arrest warrants were issued, and his attorney announced on Thursday that Carter had pleaded no contest to the charges.

Carter was sentenced to 12 months' probation, a $1,000 fine and 80 hours of community service, as well as being ordered to complete a defensive driving course.

Chandler LeCroy, who worked in recruitment for the Bulldogs, died along with offensive lineman Devin Willock in the January 15 crash when the car they were travelling in left the road and hit nearby power poles and trees.

Carter's attorney, Kim T. Stephens, issued a statement that detailed the punishment imposed on Carter.

Stephens also addressed a number of claims regarding the incident and said the state was forever barred for bringing any additional charges against Carter regarding the crash.

"The investigation, the warrants taken for misdemeanour traffic charges, and the accusation filed against Mr Carter in the Athens-Clarke County Municipal Court demonstrate some key facts that should debunk false information that spread online and in the media after Mr Carter's arrest," the statement read.

"First, Jalen Carter's actions on January 15, 2023, did not cause the tragic accident involving Chandler Lecroy, Devin Willock, Victoria Bowlers and Warren McClendon. If the investigation had determined otherwise, Mr Carter would have been charged with far more serious offences of vehicular homicide and serious injury by vehicle under Georgia law, both felony offences, and would have faced a lengthy prison sentence.

England manager Gareth Southgate had doubts over his future ahead of the World Cup but is now targeting Euro 2024 success.

The Three Lions reached the quarter-finals in Qatar, losing 2-1 to eventual runners-up France, though had up to that point been one of the most impressive teams in the tournament.

Yet his position had been called into question in some quarters given England's poor form prior to the World Cup.

After starting 2022 with friendly wins over Switzerland and Ivory Coast in March, England failed to win any of their six Nations League matches, with their campaign including a humbling 4-0 home defeat to Hungary.

A 3-3 draw with Germany in September gave Southgate cause for optimism, but he conceded he came close to calling it a day.

"The doubts I had came before the [World Cup], really," Southgate told reporters after naming his squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine.

"I spoke about this a couple of months ago so I'm going over old ground, but I never wanted to be a divisive figure, in terms of me doing the job affecting the performance of the team.

"Then there would be a debate where people say 'I'd rather you lose so you're gone'. I did worry before the World Cup whether I should say I was going at the end, to allow the team the freedom to play.

"I decided not to do that, because when we left Wembley after the Germany game there was an uplift with the mood, and we've always known where we stand with the players.

"I also wanted to show that you've got to come through tough spells as a manager, I'm not going to duck a challenge just because there's criticism.

"But if there's not the level of support and it starts to affect the team, that's something I'm conscious of and that was my thought well ahead of Qatar."

Having committed to staying on for the Euros in Germany next year, Southgate is now looking for a fresh start as he set out his aim for England to go a step further than they managed in the delayed Euro 2020 tournament, when they lost to Italy on penalties in the final.

"I think it's right to assess after a tournament," he added. "We have to start from scratch.

"We have some great experiences over the last few years, which mean being European champions is a realistic aim.

"But we're starting from the beginning again, and we've got to find the hunger to qualify.

"We've got two crucial games and we need everybody firing for two really difficult qualifiers."

Southgate stuck with the majority of his World Cup squad for the first fixtures of 2023, though Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ben White both missed out, with Conor Coady replaced by March Guehi.

Ivan Toney was included despite an ongoing Football Association (FA) investigation into alleged breaches of gambling rules, while Raheem Sterling was absent due to injury.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has set a target for prize money at the 2027 Women's World Cup to be equal to payouts at the men's tournaments.

Infantino, who was re-elected at Thursday's FIFA congress after running unopposed, also denied there is a deal for Visit Saudi to sponsor the 2023 Women's World Cup, to be held in Australia and New Zealand.

The prize money for the 2023 World Cup is set to be $150million (£124m), a rise of 300 per cent from the 2019 tournament, with the number of competing teams increasing to 32 from 24.

The 2022 men's World Cup in Qatar involved prize money totalling $440m (£365m).

Infantino said that "broadcasters and sponsors have to do more" and be willing to pay more into the women's tournament, adding: "FIFA is receiving between 10 and 100 times less from public broadcasters for the women's World Cup than the men's World Cup. Do you think that is normal?

"At the same, these public broadcasters who are paid by the taxpayers' money, they criticise FIFA, a bit less the others, for not guaranteeing equal pay to men and women.

"You pay us 100 times less but your viewing figures are very similar, maybe 20-25 per cent less, not 100 per cent less. Well offer us 20 per cent less or 50 per cent less, but not 100 per cent less. How can we do it, otherwise?"

Regarding reports Saudi Arabia's tourism arm was due to sponsor this year's tournament, which sparked concern from football authorities in Australia and New Zealand, Infantino confirmed talks had taken place but said a deal was not reached.

"I can clarify that there were discussions with Visit Saudi," the FIFA president said. "At the end, this discussion didn't lead into a contract. How do you say it? It was a storm in a water glass. A storm in a teacup."

Infantino expressed his belief there had not been as much backlash around trade deals between Saudi Arabia, which has been criticised for alleged human rights violations, and Australia.

"This doesn't seem to be a problem," Infantino said. "But between a global organisation like FIFA and Visit Saudi this would have been an issue. There is a double standard here, which I really don't understand."

He added: "There is no issue and no contract. There are discussions and of course we want to see how we can involve Saudi sponsors in women's football generally, how we can involve Saudi sponsors in men football, or we can involve Qatari sponsors in women's football and men's football, and all other sponsors from all over the world."

The chief executive of Football Australia, James Johnson, was pleased to hear Infantino's comments, saying: "Equality, diversity and inclusion are really deep commitments for Football Australia, and we'll continue to work hard with FIFA to ensure the Women's World Cup is shaped in this light."

Kylian Mbappe is a leading candidate to become captain of France, head coach Didier Deschamps confirmed on Thursday.

Deschamps will need a new skipper for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland after Hugo Lloris retired from international football.

Lloris stepped down from national team duty after the World Cup, where France lost to Argentina in the final, and tournament top scorer Mbappe is considered to have leadership qualities.

"There are some that I consider possible," said Deschamps. "Kylian is one of them.

"This will go through discussions with them before I make my decision. There is a responsibility in relation to being captain, with a little more important responsibility, but I want to have this discussion internally before I make my decision."

Deschamps cast doubt on Adrien Rabiot being in the picture to lead Les Bleus.

He said of the Juventus midfielder: "Even if he has some experience, we know him well, as it is he has a possible form of leadership. But the captaincy, I don't know if he really wants it deep down. To let him stay as he is already will be very good."

Deschamps left out Axel Disasi and Matteo Guendouzi as he named a 23-player group for the games at home to the Dutch on March 24 and away to the Irish on March 27.

He could hand first caps to Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana, Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram and Lens goalkeeper Brice Samba, who all earned call-ups.

Khephren Thuram joins brother Marcus in the squad, with the sons of France great Lilian in contention to feature alongside each other in the national side.

Deschamps summoned Milan veteran Olivier Giroud, with the 36-year-old having elected not to retire from France duty after the World Cup, where he became the team's all-time record scorer.

"As long as he maintains his level of performance with his club and remains eligible for selection, he is there," Deschamps said.

A string of players Deschamps could have called upon are sidelined due to injury, including Ousmane Dembele, Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante and Christopher Nkunku.

Deschamps said of Pogba and Kante: "I always remain positive and knowing NG and Paul, they will do everything to become competitive again."

Looking at the qualification task facing France, Deschamps said: "We must not tell ourselves that we are already qualified for the Euros because we were in the final of the World Cup. We must not rest on our laurels."

France squad:

Alphonse Areola (West Ham), Mike Maignan (Milan), Brice Samba (Lens); Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Wesley Fofana (Chelsea), Theo Hernandez (Milan), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich); Youssouf Fofana (Monaco), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Khephren Thuram (Nice), Jordan Veretout (Marseille); Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen), Olivier Giroud (Milan), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Randal Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Marcus Thuram (Borussia Monchengladbach).

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend is confident his side can cope without injured backs Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg against Italy this weekend.

Townsend's side welcome bottom team Italy to Murrayfield on Saturday in their concluding fixture of a mixed 2023 Six Nations campaign.

After kicking off with back-to-back wins for the first time in their tournament history, Scotland have since tasted defeat to strong France and Ireland sides.

Townsend has made four changes from last weekend's 22-7 loss to Ireland, with Ollie Smith and Blair Kinghorn set to start in place of Russell and Hogg.

Richie Gray is replaced by Sam Skinner at lock and openside flanker Hamish Watson is in for the benched Matt Fagerson.

Asked if his back-line can step up in the absence of two key men, Townsend said: "Absolutely. We had a similar situation in the summer when players stepped up in attacking roles.

"They also stepped up in general play and in terms of our defence. We've got that experience when going up against a top team, and that's what we're going up against this week."

Scotland have not started without either Russell or Hogg in a home Six Nations game since the opening match of the 2012 edition against England.

Townsend's men are third heading into the final round of games, nine points better off than Italy, who require a win to have any hope of avoiding an eighth straight wooden spoon.

Kieran Crowley has also made four changes from last week's 29-17 home loss to Wales, with 21-year-old Zebre winger Simone Gesi in line for his debut. 

Alessandro Fusco makes his first start of the year at scrum-half, while Edoardo Iachizzi and Marco Riccioni also return

"We were disappointed with the performance against Wales," Crowley said. "We addressed that in the week and are looking forward to Saturday's match against a very good side."

Teams:

Scotland: Ollie Smith, Kyle Steyn, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Blair Kinghorn, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, George Turner, Zander Fagerson, Sam Skinner, Jonny Gray, Jamie Ritchie, Hamish Watson, Jack Dempsey.

Replacements: Ewan Ashman, Rory Sutherland, WP Nel, Scott Cummings, Matt Fagerson, Ali Price, Ben Healy, Cameron Redpath.

Italy: Tommaso Allan, Pierre Bruno, Juan Ignacio Brex, Tommaso Menoncello, Simone Gesi, Paolo Garbisi, Alessandro Fusco; Danilo Fischetti, Giacomo Nicotera, Marco Riccioni, Edoardo Iachizzi, Federico Ruzza, Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro, Lorenzo Cannone.

Replacements: Marco Manfredi, Federico Zani, Pietro Ceccarelli, Niccolo Cannone, Giovanni Pettinelli, Manuel Zuliani, Alessandro Garbisi, Luca Morisi.

Ivan Toney has been called up by England for this month's Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine, with Trent Alexander-Arnold missing out.

Toney was handed his first senior call-up ahead of Nations League fixtures against Italy and Germany in September, though the Brentford striker failed to get any minutes in those games and did not make England's World Cup squad despite his excellent form.

The 27-year-old scored in Brentford's 2-0 win over Southampton on Tuesday, taking his tally of Premier League goals this season to 16 – a total bettered only by Erling Haaland (28) and Harry Kane (20) – but his inclusion this time around comes as something of a surprise after he was charged with 262 alleged breaches of the Football Association's (FA) gambling rules.

Gareth Southgate, however, remains willing to select the striker as long as he is available to feature for his club. 

"The fact is he's available for his club, there hasn't been a trial or any judgement, so I don't know on what basis we wouldn't pick him," Southgate said after naming his squad on Thursday.

"He's playing really well, I like his presence in games and he deserves his opportunity."

Alexander-Arnold is among the most notable absentees, having attracted criticism for his performances in an underwhelming campaign for Liverpool.

With Reece James returning to the fold after missing the World Cup with a knee injury, Southgate believes selecting Alexander-Arnold – as well as fellow absentee Ben White – would have been wasteful.

"The three boys that are in as right-backs, we've got them ahead of those two [Alexander-Arnold and White]," Southgate said. "It's the hardest position to pick, it's always shifting around on form.

"Kyle [Walker] and [Kieran] Trippier were obviously the ones that played at the World Cup, and Reece, coming back, is another top player.

"In the past we've maybe taken more players in that position, but it's the stage of the season where you don't want to carry too many who are not going to play. All the players who haven't made the squad know the reasons why."

Raheem Sterling has also missed out but Southgate put his absence down to a muscle injury.

Asked whether Sterling would have made the squad if he was fully fit, Southgate responded: "Yeah, absolutely."

Conor Coady, who has lost his place in Everton's team under Sean Dyche, has been left out, with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi coming in, while Harry Maguire has retained his place despite limited game time at Manchester United. 

Maguire's club-mate Jadon Sancho has not earned a recall, though in-form Marcus Rashford joins Toney and Harry Kane among England's striker options.

England travel to Naples to face Italy in a re-run of the Euro 2020 final next Thursday, before hosting Ukraine at Wembley Stadium three days later.

England squad: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal); Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City); Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), James Maddison (Leicester City), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Declan Rice (West Ham); Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford).

Thierry Henry has turned down the chance to become the next coach of France following Corinne Diacre's dismissal, FFF committee member Jean-Michel Aulas confirmed.

The former striker, widely considered one of the country's all-time greatest players, has been out of a coaching job since the end of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, where he was an assistant with Belgium.

Following Diacre's exit amid a player boycott for the women's team however, the FFF are seeking to find a successor ahead of the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand later this year.

It will not be Henry however, with the former Montreal Impact boss declining the chance to take the reins heading into the tournament.

"He considered it, Thierry," Aulas told Le Figaro. "I personally asked him the question, but the response was not positive.

"He was obviously very flattered that he was asked. We did it because we were told he might be interested.

"But it will not be Thierry Henry. I think he is moving on to other projects."

France's World Cup preparations were dealt a major blow when former captain Wendie Renard announced she would sit out the tournament, along with several other key players, in protest against Diacre.

Though the FFF initially stood by their coach, they elected to sack the former Clermont boss after acknowledging her relationship with players had "reached a point of no return which harms the interests of the national team".

France open their campaign against Jamaica on July 23 before further games against Brazil and Panama.

Tennis will never see a "big three" with the quality of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer again, believes Juan Martin del Potro.

The trio, who have combined for a total of 64 men's singles grand slam titles across a near-two-decade-long period of dominance, have come to define the sport's modern era.

Federer retired last year and while Nadal and Djokovic continue, both are well into the twilight of their careers, despite astonished continued success.

Del Potro, the 2009 US Open winner, also retired in 2022, and he thinks the trio's dominance is unlikely to be replicated going forward, even though he sees Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune as three players who could possibly go on to enjoy great success.

"The only thing I lacked was being number one [in the ATP Rankings]," he said. "It was always a dream, and I always worked for it. I never made it because there was either Federer, or Nadal, or Djokovic.

"When I look at the rankings and the years of my career and who was fighting to be number one I see that it was beautiful that these were the ones who didn't let me make it, this dream."

"One day, the big three will end. We have Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner [and] Holger Rune, other young people who will mark the circuit.

"But for me, [for] many years, [it was] the big three. There will not be anything similar."

Del Potro reached a career high-mark of third in the ATP Rankings in 2018, with Andy Murray the only man other than Nadal, Federer or Djokovic to top the charts between 2005 and 2021.

Maria Sakkari prioritised a pedicure after earning a shot at Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in the Indian Wells Open semi-finals.

Thursday was to be a recovery and re-setting day for Greek Sakkari, one of the stars of the Netflix 'Break Point' series, who is through to her third semi-final of the year.

She booked a last-four spot thanks to a stunning fightback from a set and a break down to Petra Kvitova, but Sakkari's efforts this week in California have left her with bleeding toes.

It is hardly surprising, considering she has taken a long route through to the semi-finals, reeling off four consecutive three-set wins.

Sakkari has lost the first set in three of those four matches but found a way to battle back, but she will want to start strongly against a dialled-in Sabalenka.

After coming through 4-6 7-5 6-1 against Kvitova, Sakkari said in an on-court interview: "I need a pedicure because my feet are bleeding so badly."

Asked about that comment later, she said in a press conference: "It's just my nails. It's not ideal, but nothing bad, like I can properly play and run and everything, but it's not nice."

It sounds far from pleasant, yet Sakkari fights on, aware that despite not playing her top-level tennis so far this fortnight, resilience has pulled her through.

"It is strange, but at the same time, I'm just telling myself, look, you're not playing your best tennis and you're still winning and beating amazing players," Sakkari said.

"By just surviving and just finding ways, eventually I'm sure that my game is going to get better. I really want to see how it's gonna be when I will start feeling good with my game.

"But of course I don't want to say that like I was playing s*** and I won. That's not the case. That's also very bad for the opponent."

Considering Kvitova is a two-time Wimbledon champion and a 29-time singles title winner on tour, Sakkari ranked Wednesday's win as one to log alongside her finest victories.

"For me coming back against her, now that she's playing good, now that she has beaten so many good players, it's a bloody good win," Sakkari said. "The fact I found a way was one of the best comebacks of my life."

Sakkari trails 4-3 in the career head-to-head against Sabalenka despite winning their last two encounters, both at the WTA Finals in each of the past two seasons.

They have not faced each other since Sabalenka became a first-time grand slam champion in Melbourne at the start of the year.

Sakkari was runner-up at Indian Wells 12 months ago, losing to Iga Swiatek in the final, and she has designs on beating Sabalenka to earn another crack at the title match.

Asked about the Belarusian, Sakkari said: "She's an amazing player. I knew that she was gonna win a grand slam. It actually came, and I was very happy for her.

"She's very fun to be around. It's going to be very, very tough, because she's feeling the ball really well."