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29 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 JUNE 2018 SPORTS TENNIS FOOTBALL FOOTBALL Liverpool great, Dalglish, awarded knighthood Brazilian tennis ace Bueno dies at 78 MARIA Bueno, the Brazilian tennis great who won seven grand slam titles in the 1950s and 1960s, has died after be- ing treated for cancer at a Sao Paulo hospital. She was 78. The elegant Bueno, South America's most successful player, shot to global fame when she claimed her maiden grand slam at Wimbledon in 1959 and her second at the US Nationals two months later. She successfully defended her Wimbledon crown the following year and claimed back-to-back US Nationals titles in 1963-64. She also reached the final of the 1964 French Champion- ships and the 1965 Australian Championships but lost to Margaret Court at Roland Garros and retired hurt against the Australian great at Kooyong. Bueno was also a pro- lific doubles player, claiming women's titles at all four of the grand slams from 1958- 68 and a mixed doubles championship at Roland Gar- ros in 1960. The 9 de Julho Hospital said she had been admitted for "oncological treatment" and asked for privacy. (Inset) Former No. 1-ranked tennis player Maria Esther Bueno carries the Rio 2016 Olympic torch during the torch relay in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Maria Bueno celebrating her Wimbledon victory LIVERPOOL great, Ken- ny Dalglish, was awarded a knighthood in the Queen's birthday honours list that was announced on Friday. Dalglish, 67, won three European Cups and six league titles as a Liverpool player and then managed the club in two spells. He secured three league titles as manager, including a league and cup double in 1986 and was the first person to ever achieve that feat as a player/ manager. He was also recognised for his work in supporting the victims of the Hillsborough stadium disaster. "Obviously it was for oth- ers with more education and knowledge than myself to decide whether or not I deserved a knight- hood, and it goes without saying that I am hugely grateful to them for the decision that they have made," said Dalglish. "All I can say from my own point of view is that I am defi- nitely no more deserving of an accolade like this than Jock Stein, Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley were. "I am just fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time and I would like to dedicate this honour to them because without the standards that they set at Glasgow Celtic and Liverpool, individuals like myself would not have been able to thrive as much as we did." Dalglish said on Liver- pool's website. In a glittering playing career that spanned more than 20 years, Dalglish represented Celtic and Liverpool and won major honours with both clubs. Internationally, he re- mains Scotland's most-capped player with 102 appearances. During his managerial tenure at Anfield, he secured three league titles, including a league and cup double in 1986 – the first person to ever achieve this feat as a player/manager. A further league title followed with Blackburn Rovers in 1995. "The most important thing to stress is that this honour is not a reflection of myself," he said. "It is a reflection of everyone who has played a part in my life and my career. Nobody achieves anything alone, es- pecially in football, and in my case any success I have enjoyed has been due to the contribu- tions made by my family, the players, coaches and managers that I was fortunate enough to work with, and the supporters who backed me. This instance is no different. "The enjoyment that I have derived from being involved in football for as long as I have is outstripped only by the sense that I've been hugely fortu- nate to have the right people around me at all times. "None more so than my fam- ily, whose support allowed me to focus on playing and man- aging, sometimes to the detri- ment of their own aspirations and ambitions. They share this honour as much as anyone else because without them none of this would have been possible. "Similar sentiments apply to those in football who believed in me sufficiently to give me opportunities and who backed me on and off the pitch in a multitude of ways. "At Milton Bank Primary, High Possil Secondary, Glasgow Boys, Cumbernauld United, Celtic, Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers and Newcas- tle United I was fortunate to be supported and accompanied by individuals who gave me a chance to do my job to the best of my ability, whether as a player or a manager. I have always appreciated the roles that they played in my life and that applies even more on this day as it does on any other." Dalglish's knighthood is also recognition for his contribu- tion off the pitch in support of the Hillsborough families and The Marina Dalglish Appeal. He has helped to raise more than £10million to improve cancer care across Merseyside. "Last, but by no means least, I would like to express my grati- tude to those who nominated me for a knighthood," the 67-year-old added. "I don't know exactly what the process is but obviously something like this couldn't happen unless someone puts your name forward, so thank you to whoever it was who holds me in sufficient esteem that they believe me wor- thy of such an accolade. It is extremely humbling to have people who think of you in this way."