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‘No need’ to import sugar due to ample stocks

BUREAU OF CUSTOMS FACEBOOK PAGE

By Adrian H. Halili, Reporter

SUGAR inventories are considered sufficient until the beginning of the milling season later this year, producers said, rejecting the need to import.

Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations, Inc. (CONFED) President Aurelio J. Valderrama, Jr. said that the current rates of withdrawal from reserves indicate that inventory levels are ample, and can hold out until milling starts.

“We reiterate that any sugar import plan should be data-based, calibrated, totally transparent and fair, done in consultation with the industry and therefore immune from speculation and manipulation,” he added.

Last week, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said that the Department of Agriculture will clear imports of 200,000 metric tons (MT) of refined sugar to plug possible supply gaps during the milling offseason.

The national raw sugar inventory as of June 9 was up 29.3% during the 2023-2024 crop year to 436,229 MT, according to the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).

Stocks of refined sugar, meanwhile, rose 14.1% to 492,985 MT during the current crop year.

Roehlano M. Briones, a senior research fellow with the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, said the planned imports are limited and would not bring down sugar prices during the milling offseason.

“Even with a bigger harvest, there may be strong demand. The problem is, the amount (for import) is limited to what will keep prices from rising, rather than (volumes sufficient to) bring sugar prices down,” Mr. Briones said via Viber.

Calixto V. Chikiamco, Foundation for Economic Freedom president, said that the government should let the private sector determine the demand and supply situation and “let them import to stabilize supply.”

The SRA’s Sugar Order No. 2 allowed buyers of domestically produced sugar to participate in the government’s import operation.

CONFED’s Mr. Valderrama said that the SRA has yet to announce the start of the milling season of the 2024-2025 crop year.

He added that no crop estimates have been released for the new crop year, which has been affected by El Niño.

Last year, the regulator had estimated a 10-15% decline in sugarcane production due to the effects of El Niño.

SRA Administrator Pablo Luis S. Azcona said at the time that El Niño has inflicted damage on sugarcane due to be harvested in October.

It added that parts of Batangas, Southern Negros, and Mindanao have reported extensive sugarcane damage due to dry conditions.

“CONFED is asking SRA to begin consulting with the industry to discuss sugar policy for Crop Year 2024-2025,” he said.

Israeli companies see PHL as attractive destination — envoy

REUTERS

By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter

ISRAEL companies, particularly startups, view the Philippines as a viable gateway to Southeast Asian markets, according to the Israeli Ambassador and the head of Israel’s economic mission in Manila.

“Asia is a growing market, and Israeli companies are becoming more and more interested in the markets here,” Ambassador Ilan Fluss told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of an Israeli tech startup pitch event at his residence in Makati City.

“The Philippines is also an entry point to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,” he added.

He said the embassy is working closely with the Anti-Red Tape Authority to find ways to make it easier to do business in the Philippines.

“I think the important thing for an Israeli company is to have a good Filipino partner that will be able to guide them (in navigating) the economy,” Mr. Fluss said, noting the difficulties posed by bureaucracy.

Tomer Heyvi, head of the Israel Economic Mission to the Philippines, said more Israeli startups are showing interest in seeking investors from the Philippines.

“The Philippines is a rising star and there is a lot of interest from the Israeli companies in trade, commerce, but also, of course, in investment,” he told BusinessWorld.

Mr. Heyvi said there are more than 9,000 startups in Israel that are seeking partnerships to help them break through in various global markets, including the Philippines.

“Every year, we see an increase in the interest of Israeli companies. So, for me, it’s already an indication that they find this market interesting.”

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics of Israel, trade between the Philippines and Israel amounted to $532 million last year.

Israel’s Ministry of Economy and Industry said on its website that business services between both countries last year were mostly provided by Israeli startups and tech companies engaged in artificial intelligence-based platforms, cybersecurity, and financial technology solutions.

Dotan Sagi, chief executive officer of Israeli software development company Cinten, called for more support for tech accelerators.

“If the government invests in accelerators, hubs for young people that can work and understand the tech way of thinking and how to build a startup, it will be easier to work here,” he told BusinessWorld.

Rice imports hit 2.28 MMT as of late June

BW FILE PHOTO

THE PHILIPPINES imported 2.28 million metric tons (MMT) of rice as of June 20, running ahead of the first half 2023 pace by 22.6%, according to the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).

The Philippines imports about 20% of its rice requirement amid insufficient domestic production, but also to tame high rice prices.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. signed Executive Order No. 62, which reduced rice tariffs to 15% until 2028, as an inflation-containment measure. The new tariff regime is subject to review every four months.

The BPI said Vietnam remained the top supplier of rice as of late June, accounting for 73.2% of all imports in the year to date.

In January, the Philippines and Vietnam signed an agreement giving the Philippines a quota of 1.5 million MT to 2 million MT of rice annually for five years.

Thailand supplied 348,171.74 MT during the period, or 15.3% of the total, followed by Pakistan with 151,318.86 MT, or 6.6%.

Rounding out the top five were Myanmar and India which shipped 66,120 MT and 21,169 MT of rice, respectively.

The US Department of Agriculture projects Philippine rice imports of 4.6 MMT this year, upgrading its estimates from 3.9 MMT previously, citing high demand and the lowered tariffs.

The Department of Agriculture is projecting rice imports of 3.9 MMT this year. — Adrian H. Halili

BPOs seek better-prepared new hires to improve industry ‘conversion rate’

JASON GOODMAN-UNSPLASH

By Justine Irish D. Tabile, Reporter

THE information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry said it is seeking out better-prepared candidates to raise its “conversion rate” of new hires that become permanent employees.

IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines President Jack Madrid said talent remains the industry’s biggest source of competitive advantage, but added that the talent pool needs continuous upgrading.

“Our industry was built on the foundation of Filipino talent, and to preserve our market share and continue to grow our revenue and our headcount, we need to address the talent supply gap,” Mr. Madrid told reporters in a recent briefing.

“There is no short-term fix for this, but having said that, I think it should be relatively easy for incoming new hires to realize that to be attractive to the job marketplace, they need to increase their overall skill set,” Mr. Madrid said.

If properly addressed, however, he does not expect the skills gap to be a “very big issue.”

He said that upskilling the current workforce does not mean that employees have to redo their college degrees, but cited the need to update skill sets and learn new ones suited for the marketplace.

“The Philippines has the advantage of being a very relatively young country with an average age of slightly over 25, and we have a very healthy graduate class from universities of over 700,000,” he said.

“So, if we work together with the private sector and get these employees trained, I see no reason why we will not achieve our goals,” he added.

The 2024 World Competitiveness Ranking (WCR) compiled by Switzerland’s International Institute for Management Development indicated that business executives see the skilled Philippine workforce as one of the factors that make the country attractive.

Jamil Paolo S. Francisco, executive director of the Asian Institute of Management Rizalino S. Navarro Policy Center for Competitiveness, said however that the rankings revealed some issues with the Philippines, which experienced major drops in four indicators measuring the availability of skilled labor.

“They put a skilled workforce as the key attractiveness indicator, and yet we also had data revealing that there was difficulty in finding skilled labor,” Mr. Francisco said.

“Essentially, you’re saying that the best thing about this country is its skilled workers, but executives are having difficulty finding them,” he added.

The Philippine labor market ranked 32nd out of 67 economies this year in the WCR, a big drop from 21st last year. And despite ranking 12th in skilled labor, the country ranked 57th and 54th in the attracting and retaining talent and brain drain indicators.

To address this, Mr. Francisco said that the Philippines will have to improve its basic, digital, and human infrastructure.

“When you say infrastructure, it includes human infrastructure, which is the human capital part — education and health,” he said.

“If there is an issue of skilled labor not being readily available, and the jobs and skills mismatch that investors are seeing, then by improving our human capital development capabilities as well as efficiency, we can help address that,” he added.

He said it is important for the government to come up with skills mapping, as it will give a clearer picture of what skills are needed by the private sector.

“If we can coordinate the necessary skills needed and the skills that we teach our students in private and public education, then the friction in finding the right job skills matching is lessened,” he added.

In terms of basic and digital infrastructure, he said that improving the two will help ease traffic and internet connections, which are crucial to an employee’s productivity and access to remote work.

Realizing potential with GenAI

IN BRIEF: 

• Although most companies that adopt GenAI follow a similar implementation approach and methodology, expending large amounts of time, money and effort, many implementations fail.

• GenAI empowers corporate leaders to envision a new horizon for their organizations, leveraging this rapidly advancing technology well past the bounds of simple gains in productivity.

The significance of managing generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) initiatives is underscored by a white paper from Pactera Technologies, a leading global technology company, which indicated that a substantial 85% of these projects fall short. Forbes corroborates that the majority of GenAI projects do not meet expectations, underscoring a problematic trend in the field.

GenAI projects possess characteristics that differentiate them from standard software development undertakings. Consequently, the strategies employed in overseeing and realizing the potential of GenAI projects demand a tailored approach distinct from conventional software project management. To address this issue and enhance AI project management methodologies, this article will discuss the following fundamental principles designed to refine the management of GenAI-related projects.

ESTABLISHING CLEAR BUSINESS OBJECTIVES AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING
To fully harness the potential of GenAI, it’s essential to establish specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for the GenAI solution to achieve. This crucial step involves a deep understanding of the underlying business problem or challenge that the GenAI solution intends to address. It is also vital to consider whether GenAI is the most suitable solution, ensuring that the technology is not simply being used for its own sake.

Identify and rationalize potential use cases for GenAI that are in sync with core business objectives. This involves a process of prioritization — pinpointing which GenAI applications can deliver the highest value in alignment with the strategic direction of the organization. By focusing on areas where GenAI can make a significant impact, businesses can channel their resources more efficiently and create a tailored approach that maximizes its benefits. For instance, a common application of GenAI is in knowledge management, which could provide value across the enterprise.

Understanding the project life cycle is another fundamental aspect of managing and executing a GenAI project successfully. Establish the stages the project will go through, including a comprehensive methodology that covers various phases such as planning, developing, testing, deploying, and monitoring the GenAI solution. While each stage of the project is important, an emphasis on key differences in developing and monitoring traditional and GenAI solutions is important. For example, in developing GenAI solutions, model “training” directly impacts the performance of the solution in production. Likewise, monitoring performance for its accuracy and precision would be continuous throughout the use of the solution.

Selecting the appropriate tools and methodology is equally critical. Whether in terms of data processing software, programming languages, and platforms for deployment, these must be chosen with the aim of enhancing the productivity and effectiveness of the GenAI solution.

UNDERSTANDING DEPENDENCIES AND PREREQUISITES
GenAI solutions depend on a process often referred to as “learning,” which involves feeding them a substantial volume of historical business data. This data acts as the foundation upon which the GenAI model is adjusted and refined, making it crucial that this information is of high quality. The principle of “garbage in, garbage out” is applicable here, as any shortcomings in the data can lead to flawed results. As the system continues to process new data, its effectiveness is influenced by the accuracy, completeness, and overall integrity of the information it receives.

Another key aspect is the existing technological infrastructure and the broader system of the company. The current architecture and its capacities must be evaluated to determine how they might integrate with or support the effective deployment of the GenAI system. This includes considering the capability of current systems to communicate with the GenAI solutions and manage the additional workload. Scalability also cannot be overlooked. While GenAI can be a powerful business enabler, it requires the proper infrastructure to unlock its full potential. For example, GenAI solutions require significant computational power to function properly, thus, a powerful hardware component will accelerate “learning” of complex algorithms.

The implications of GenAI on existing business processes are profound. The adoption of GenAI systems can lead to a complete overhaul of current processes, possibly making some obsolete. This makes it essential to perform a meticulous gap analysis to understand the differences between current state and future state business processes. This helps businesses ensure they can capitalize on the advantages GenAI offers while mitigating any operational disruptions.

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COLLABORATION
GenAI initiatives will require cross-functional collaboration. A diverse team composition is necessary due to GenAI projects intersecting multiple domains, requiring a holistic understanding of each area to create solutions that are not only technically advanced but also practical and relevant to the business. For example, a GenAI solution includes business process, application, infrastructure, and data components. To be able to design the solution, it will require the business unit to define the business problem, legal unit to provide compliance requirements, IT unit to provide data, infrastructure and other system requirements, HR unit to manage change, and senior leaders to drive its adoption.

Adequate training will be crucial in ensuring that each team member can contribute effectively and understand the complexities of the tasks at hand. A data scientist, for example, must understand not just the intricacies of algorithms and model-building but also the business problems the technology is meant to solve. It is also imperative to involve cross-functional teams from the earliest stages. Collaboration should be established from the beginning, mixing technical expertise with business insights and ethical considerations. This allows every aspect of the project to be scrutinized from multiple perspectives, fostering an environment where technical feasibility, business viability, and ethical implications are all weighed and balanced.

This blended approach ensures that the solutions developed are realistic, beneficial for the business, and designed with a consideration of their impact on stakeholders and society at large.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT
One common issue in implementing a GenAI solution is resistance. While people may be hesitant to adopt new technologies in favor of established routines, it’s essential for companies to anticipate this resistance and prepare with strategies to address concerns and ease the transition for everyone involved.

To facilitate adaptation, the company should provide substantial training and dedicated support. Instructional programs designed to enhance understanding of the new GenAI system can empower employees. Additionally, a hypercare support system, which offers intensive post-implementation assistance, ensures that immediate help is available for any issues or questions that may arise during the initial stages of using the new technology.

Stakeholder management is also a critical component in ensuring a smooth transition. Clear and transparent communication regarding sunk costs associated with GenAI systems is necessary, as well as assurances that the investments are calibrated for long-term benefits. Stakeholders must also understand the timeframes involved, from the initial implementation phase to when positive returns can be expected. By managing expectations with clarity, the company can secure sustained commitment and support for GenAI initiatives.

PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND OPTIMIZATION
Determine baseline metrics that act as a standard against which the added value of the GenAI system can be measured. Once the system is operational, the company must assess its performance, leveraging both qualitative and quantitative methods in its evaluation while utilizing appropriate metrics and benchmarks. For instance, the company might compare the output generated by the GenAI system against previously established baseline metrics, such as output produced by humans prior to when the GenAI system was implemented.

In addition to monitoring technical GenAI metrics such as accuracy and precision, the company must measure the impact of the system through a business-focused lens. This means putting a spotlight on how the system influences business metrics, outcomes, and the overall impact on company operations.

REALIZING THE POTENTIAL OF GENAI
The potential of GenAI transcends simple enhancements in organizational efficiency. Its profound ability to generate, model, and interpret intricate data place it at the forefront of driving business innovation.

GenAI empowers corporate leaders to envision a new horizon for their organizations, leveraging this rapidly advancing technology well past the bounds of simple gains in productivity. Through GenAI, businesses are not just improving processes, but revolutionizing their approach to problem-solving and strategic planning, planting the seeds for long-term value.

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional advice where the facts and circumstances warrant. The views and opinions expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of SGV & Co.

 

Ryan Gilbert K. Chua is the business consulting leader and technology assurance leader of SGV & Co.

Solar Spikers pick Russian Marina Tushova and four veteran players

MARINA TUSHOVA — FIVB

CAPITAL1 Solar Energy has brought in a young and talented Russian and four new veteran recruits to beef up its roster with hopes of contending in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference unfurling July 16 after a rough debut a conference back.

Solar Spikers owners Mandy and Milka Romero welcomed in Marina Tushova, a long-limbed 6-1 outside spiker who had tours of duty in France and Switzerland, as well as battle-scarred Iris Tolenada, Shola Alvarez, Julia Ipac and Ayumi Furukawa with aspirations of adding more excitement to the league.

Ms. Tushova, who last saw action for Sparta Nizhny Novgorod back home, has arrived in the country as early as June 10 and has seamlessly bonded with the whole team and adapted to Capital1 coach Roger Gorayeb’s system.

“We hope to bring more excitement to the fans that’s why we took her and the four other local players,” said Mandy Romero, who is slowly but surely transforming the Solar Spikers into one championship squad.

Apart from the new recruits, Capital1 is banking on getting the best out of the second pick it has drawn a week ago in the history PVL rookie draft.

The rookie draft day is set July 8 at the Novotel.

Mr. Gorayeb had initially told The STAR he is interested in setter Julia Coronal or spiker Leila Cruz but may have to reconsider after tabbing an experienced setter in Ms. Tolenada.

“Whoever coach Roger (Gorayeb) and team will pick, we are certain she must be good,” said Milka Romero, oldest daughter of Rep. Mikee Romero (1Pacman) who once served as the godfather of PHL amateur basketball.

Meanwhile, Zus Coffee, formerly Strong Group Athletics, and Galeries Tower will have Japanese Asaka Tamaru and Brazilian Monique Helena as reinforcements, respectively.

Other clubs already with imports were Venezuelan MJ Perez of Cignal, Greek Zoi Faki of Choco Mucho and American Erica Staunton of Creamline. — Joey Villar

Gilas Pilipinas caps its Euro sortie with plenty of lessons

GILAS PILIPINAS — FIBA

GILAS PILIPINAS capped its pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) sortie in Europe without a win in two games but with plenty of lessons to bring to the actual battle.

The Nationals took the fight to world No. 15 Poland in Saturday night’s friendly in the Polish city of Sosnowiec, threatening until the very last second before yielding a close 82-80 loss.

Justin Brownlee and Dwight Ramos stepped up to the plate on offense with 30 and 16 points, respectively, as the Filipinos rallied from as many as 14 markers in the fourth only to run out of time to complete the steal.

The tough stand against a side that sits 22 places higher in the FIBA world rankings and boasting the presence of NBA player Jeremy Sochan came two days after a 73-84 defeat to No. 24 Turkey in an earlier tuneup in Istanbul.

The Nationals hope the twin gigs on the road against tough Euro squads have sharpened and equipped them better as they proceed to Latvia for the July 2 to 7 FIBA OQT against the host Latvians and Georgia.

“Now the real fight begins,” Gilas coach Tim Cone posted on Twitter as they flew out of Poland and into the Latvian capital of Riga.

In friendly No. 2 before a loud crowd of Filipino OFWs, the Nationals aimed the upset axe against the host Polish.

Mr. Cone’s charges controlled the game early, 23-16, before the home side countered with a 25-15 exchange in the second canto to get ahead, 41-38.

It was only a two-point contest at the start of the fourth until Poland unleashed a 9-0 outburst to create separation, 67-56, then extending it to 76-62.

During that period, Mr. Cone had to give the Nationals some tongue-lashing at the bench, to reawaken them.

“This is b___t! We are not even trying,” the multi-titled Mr. Cone was caught on camera shouting at his team. “Get your heads out there and let’s start playing.”

That pushed a button on Gilas.

With Mr. Ramos in takeover mode, the Pinoy dribblers outscored their rivals in the final 2:37, 8-0, to pull to within 80-82 with 2.3 seconds left. Poland wisely ran out the clock to escape with this rather surprisingly close win after a dominant 88-59 crushing of Asia-Oceania powerhouse New Zealand a couple of nights before. — Olmin Leyba

The Scores:

Poland 82 — Sokolowski 21, Balcerowski 10, Pluta 8, Sochan 8, Ponitka 7, Zyskowski 6, Dziewa 5, Milicic 5, Michalak 5, Niziol 5, Mazurczak 2, Zolnierowicz 0.

Philippines 80 — Brownlee 30, Ramos 16, Fajardo 10, Sotto 8, Newsome 6, Aguilar 4, Tamayo 4, Perez 2, Oftana 0, Quiambao 0.

Quarters: 16-23, 41-38, 58-56, 82-80.

Germany weathers storm to beat Denmark and reaches quarters

DORTMUND, Germany — Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala’s second-half goals sent Germany into the Euro 2024 quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Denmark on Saturday after their last-16 clash was delayed by thunderstorm.

The game was suspended for 20 minutes in the first half due to the weather before Danish defender Joachim Andersen went from hero to zero when his close-range finish was disallowed for offside and he conceded a penalty converted by Mr. Havertz in the 53rd minute.

Nico Schlotterbeck earlier had a goal ruled out for a foul in the build-up as Germany started strongly in front of an expectant crowd, but Denmark grew into the game and went close either side of halftime.

The hosts established an unassailable lead in the 68th minute, however, when Mr. Musiala ran on to a ball over the top and curled home his third goal of the tournament to put Germany into the last eight, where they will face Spain or Georgia.

Mr. Musiala equaled Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze as Euro 2024 top-scorer with three goals, as Germany recorded their first major tournament knockout win for eight years after being eliminated in the group stage at the last two World Cups and in the Euro 2020 last 16.

Germany started the game fast and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was forced to make several save as Denmark struggled to create any type of combinations, barely crossing the halfway line in the first 15 minutes.

Buried deep with a back five that was just trying to survive Germany’s onslaught, Denmark were lucky to avoid conceding in the opening half an hour.

They grew into the game, however, and Christian Eriksen almost scored from a counter-attack before the match was suspended in the 35th minute due to lightning and thunder as torrential rain poured down at the Dortmund BVB Stadion.

SCHMEICHEL SAVE
The game was stopped for over 20 minutes when referee Michel Oliver ordered the players to return to the pitch for a brief warm-up and Germany almost scored when Mr. Havertz’s header was brilliantly saved by Mr. Schmeichel.

Denmark thought they had taken the lead when Mr. Andersen fired in a lose ball inside the box after a free kick, but the effort was ruled out by the VAR.

Three minutes later, VAR intervened again to flag to the referee a handball inside the box by Mr. Andersen, who accidentally touched David Raum’s cross with his right hand.

Mr. Havertz scored with a tidy finish as the stadium exploded in joy and, with Denmark chasing an equalizer, they were often exposed to counter-attacks and Mr. Havertz and Leroy Sane missed good close-range chances.

Mr. Musiala did not waste his opportunity, however, as he burst on to a long pass and placed a calm finish past Mr. Schmeichel to secure Germany’s place in the quarterfinals where they will play Spain or Georgia.

Germany could have won by a larger margin, but Florian Wirtz had a late effort ruled out for offside and Mr. Schmeichel made a fine save to deny Mr. Havertz from close range.

“It feels really good,” Germany defender and player of the match Antonio Rudiger told German television station ZDF.

“I think everybody who watched the match will be of the opinion that we were dominant from the start. The only criticism you can have is that we missed too many chances.” — Reuters

Saso-Boutier tandem lost steam and sit at joint 29th at Dow Championship

FILIPINA-JAPANESE Yuka Saso and French partner Celine Boutier lost steam after their second-round sizzler, submitting a two-over 72 that virtually booted them out of contention for the Dow Championship crown Saturday in Midland, Michigan.

Reigning US Women’s Open titlist Mmess. Saso and Boutier, who tied the scoring record of 58 in Friday’s Round 2 played in four-ball (best ball) format, struggled once again in the foursomes (alternate) format on moving day and managed only a single birdie against three bogeys.

Counting their 74 in the opening foursomes Thursday, Mmess. Saso and Bouiter tote an aggregate score of 204, nine off the 195 of American leaders Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho.

They sit at joint 29th — seven places down from their Round 2 standing — and hope to deliver another hot performance in the culminating four-ball round Sunday to get a stronger finish in the $3-million team competition.

Mmess. Ewing and Kupcho, meanwhile, tallied four birdies against one bogey for a 67 that lifted them to solo first and one up against South Koreans Haeji Kang and In Kyung Kim (65) and Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul and China’s Ruoning Yin (66), who are at 196.

Paris Olympics-bound Filipinas Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina had missed the halfway cut last Friday. — Olmin Lebya

Novak Djokovic upbeat for Wimbledon after testing injured knee to maximum

LONDON — Seven-times champion Novak Djokovic says he has tested his troublesome knee to the maximum since arriving in London and is confident he will be ready for his opening match at Wimbledon on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old withdrew from the French Open before his quarterfinal with a torn meniscus and opted to have surgery in a bid to be fit for the year’s third Grand Slam.

“When that happened in fourth round of Roland Garros, I made a very quick decision to make surgery, I was very much in doubt of making Wimbledon,” Mr. Djokovic told reporters on Saturday.

“I arrived here on Sunday. It’s been a week of training. Very good week of training. I had, particularly the last three days, very intense tennis sessions. I had points, practice sets played with (Jannik) Sinner, with Frances Tiafoe, with (Daniil) Medvedev yesterday, and Emil Ruusuvuori and then today with (Holger) Rune, as well.

“Really top players that are playing great tennis on grass. High intensity. Lots of I guess situations on the court where the knee is tested to almost the maximum.

“The knee has responded very well to all of that so far, which of course then is a great sign for my participation in Wimbledon. That’s why I decided to be in the draw.”

Serbian Mr. Djokovic, who is bidding for a record 25th Grand Slam title, said he would have a better idea when he has tested the knee in a match situation.

“Obviously, once the tournament starts, I’ll have more sensations and more feedback from how my knee reacts to a best-of-five Grand Slam match,” he said.

“I wouldn’t call it a fear of missing out. I would just say it’s this incredible desire to play, just to compete,” he said.

“Particularly, because it is Wimbledon, the tournament that always has been a dream tournament for me when I was a kid. Just the thought of missing Wimbledon was just not correct.

“I didn’t want to deal with that. If I had one setback, I would be then questioning whether I should be here or not. But I haven’t had a single one. Why not give it a shot?”

Second seed Mr. Djokovic opens his bid for a men’s record-equaling eighth Wimbledon crown on Tuesday against Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva. — Reuters

Martinez, Argentina beat Peru to top Copa America Group A

MIAMI, Florida — Lautaro Martinez struck twice in the second half to help Argentina’s second string beat Peru 2-0 at the Copa America on Saturday and finish top of Group A, knocking Peru out of the tournament.

Argentina had already qualified for the quarter-finals before the match in Miami with wins over Canada and Chile, the other teams in the group.

That security allowed the defending champions to rest key players, including captain Lionel Messi, but despite making nine changes to their starting line-up, Argentina were largely untroubled by their opponents.

Mr. Martinez finished off a flowing move in the 47th minute, coolly chipping the ball over Peru keeper Pedro Gallese, and repeated the trick in the 86th minute, chipping Mr. Gallese again for his second goal after some sloppy defending by Peru.

Argentina had a gilt-edged chance to extend their lead when they were awarded a penalty for handball in the 72nd minute, but Leandro Paredes smashed his spot-kick off the post.

They will be joined in the knockout rounds by group runners-up Canada, who qualified for the last eight after holding Chile to a 0-0 draw in the other Group A match. — Reuters

New deal with Lakers

As expected, LeBron James has decided not to exercise his option on the final year of his contract. Even as it would have paid him $51,415,938 and made him an unrestricted agent after the 2024-25 season, he clearly felt negotiating a new deal would be to his best interests. Under the new collective bargaining agreement and on the willingness of the Lakers to grant him the maximum-allowable salary, he stands to earn a whopping $162 million through 2027. The numbers are unprecedented for a player about to turn 40, and who has — if slowly — been regressing.

To be sure, James’ value extends off the court, and the Lakers have historically taken care of the names on their marquee. In this context, his salary stands to be a bargain. There is likewise his eligibility to include a no-trade clause in his new accord to consider. Given recent pronouncements, however, he is evidently keen on using the opportunity to provide the purple and gold with not insignificant elbow room to latch on to desirable free agents. Per agent Rich Paul, he’s willing to take a pay cut in order to free up the $12.9 million midlevel exception for an “impact player.”

In other words, James is putting his money where his mouth is. For all his accomplishments, he has continued to cast moist eyes on the ultimate prize. In fact, it can be argued that he remains bent on pushing his limits despite his advancing age and recent susceptibility to injury in search of a fifth championship. With the Lakers’ roster already at 14 following the additions of draftees Dalton Kinect and Bronny James, the final arrival needs to be consequential if they are to keep pace with the National Basketball Association’s acknowledged elite.

Whether or not the likes of Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan, and Jonas Valanciunas are truly available remains to be seen. In any case, it’s clear that James understands he and the Lakers are at a crosswords. Only if they work together will they be able to overcome the significant challenges before them. Which is why they will be busy in the runup to the season opener in October. They know full well that their capacity to meet their immediate objective will effectively inform their future.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

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