The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>“I respect him,” Cora said. “He’s the president of the United States. But I don’t agree with a lot of stuff that he says about us.” At the end of his usual pregame news conference at Fenway Park, Cora said his homeland had suffered greatly. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that President Trump’s attempts to downplay how many people died in Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricane Maria last year were disrespectful. Via Twitter, Trump wrote earlier in the day that Puerto Rico “had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths” when he visited following the storm. “As time went by it did not go up by much,” Trump wrote. “Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3,000 . . . This was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico. If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list. Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!” Cora had many family members and friends affected by the storm. He does not see the island’s plight as a political matter. Advertisement “It’s actually disrespectful for my country,” Cora said. “We see it that way. I know he probably doesn’t feel that way. “Hey, man, thank you for helping us. He went down there; he did what he did. I hate talking about politics and all that. But I think this is more than politics. This is about a country that really suffered.” Maria formed last Sept. 16 and struck Puerto Rico four days later. The storm caused widespread damage and electrical and communications blackouts that lasted into the spring. Related: Alex Cora takes hands-on approach to Puerto Rico relief effort. Advertisement In late August, independent researchers estimated that 2,975 people died as a result of the hurricane. The study, commissioned by the Puerto Rican government, was conducted by George Washington University. The university released a statement Thursday standing by the methods used to produce its report. A study by Harvard University and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center published in May estimated that 4,645 deaths could be linked to the storm and its aftermath. “Three thousand, six, 18? I don’t know,” Cora said. “We will never know how many we lost. I hate that people make it a political issue. This is about human beings. The people that went through this, they know what happened.” On Wednesday, Trump wrote that the government “did an unappreciated great job in Puerto Rico.” Cora said the island’s elderly population suffered greatly in the weeks and months after the storm. “The aftereffects, people don’t talk about that,” he said. “When you don’t have food, you don’t have water, no communication, no medicine. Then this happens. “One thing for sure, the government helped. We do feel that they helped us. I don’t know if it was efficient, it was enough. I don’t know.” Cora was the bench coach of the Houston Astros at the time of the storm. Team owner Jim Crane dispatched a plane to bring supplies to the island and evacuate family members of team personnel, including Cora’s immediate family. In January, the Red Sox organized the delivery of 10 tons of supplies to Puerto Rico. Cora and several players made the trip to aid in distribution. Advertisement “We’re standing up on our own two feet,” Cora said. “Do we need help? Yeah, we do. We know that. But we’ve been battling through it. We’re not where we were but we will be there. It’s just a matter of time. “It’s a little bit, kind of like, frustrating the topic keeps coming and coming and coming. What’s the point, honestly?” Related: President’s words stoke the heartache that remains with Alex Cora Cora said some Puerto Ricans still have tarps serving as roofs on their homes and that recovery efforts will take years. “It’s been a struggle,” he said. “We’re better than last year, obviously. We’re better than yesterday. We keep getting better. It’s just a matter of time for us to be that enchanted island like back in the day.” Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.<doc-sep>Red Sox manager Alex Cora addressed President Donald Trump's comments on Thursday after the President tweeted he doubted the death toll in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit last year. The island formally raised the death toll from Hurricane Maria to an estimated 2,975 from 64 following a study by researchers at The George Washington University. Trump didn't think it was accurate. Cora, who is Puerto Rican, called the comments "disrespectful." "To be tweeting about 3,000 people and being efficient, it's actually disrespectful for my country," Cora said. "We see it that way. I know he probably doesn't feel that way. And like I said, hey man, thank you for helping us. He went down there, he did what he did. I hate talking about politics and all that, but I think this is more than politics." Trump tweeted Thursday morning about how the death toll had been exaggerated. Cora said that while Trump is president and respects him, he doesn't agree with "a lot of stuff that he says about us." He added that it shouldn't be a political issue. "You know, 3,000, six, 18. I don’t know. We will never know how many, how many we lost. I hate that people that make it a political issue. This is about human beings. The people that went through this, they know what happened."<doc-sep>
Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora called President Donald Trump's tweets about the death toll from Hurricane Maria "disrespectful" to his native Puerto Rico. "To be tweeting about 3,000 people ... it's actually disrespectful for my country," Cora said Thursday, according to ESPN.com. "We see it that way. I know probably he doesn't feel that way. And like I said, hey man, thank you for helping us. He went down there, he did what he did. "I hate talking about politics and all that, but I think this is more than politics. This is about a country that really suffered, we still ... you see the hurricanes forming now. Everybody's panicking. It's not easy. One thing's for sure, and I told (the media) before, one thing I'm proud, we're standing up on our own two feet. Like, do we need help? Yeah, we do. We know that." On Thursday morning, Trump tweeted his belief that the reported death tolls from the storm were fabricated by Democrats "to make me look as bad as possible." "3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico," he wrote. "When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths. As time went by it did not go up by much. Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000... ".....This was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico. If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list. Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!" Video Play Button Videos you might like According to CNN.com's Betsy Klein and Maegan Vazquez, the Puerto Rican governor "formally raised the death toll from Hurricane Maria to an estimated 2,975 from 64 following a study conducted by researchers at The George Washington University." George Washington University issued a statement Thursday standing by its findings: "Our results show that Hurricane Maria was a very deadly storm, one that affected the entire island but hit the poor and the elderly the hardest. We are confident that the number—2,975—is the most accurate and unbiased estimate of excess mortality to date."