TENNIS
Nadal pulls out of Open
Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal yesterday pulled out of the Australian Open with a “micro tear on a muscle” barely a week after making his comeback from a year-long injury absence, but said he remained positive. The 37-year-old had been out of the game since injuring his hip at last year’s Australian Open, undergoing surgery before making his comeback at the Brisbane International. “During my last match in Brisbane I had a small problem on a muscle that as you know made me worried,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Once I got to Melbourne I have had the chance to make an MRI [magnetic resonance imaging] and I have micro tear on a muscle, not in the same part where I had the injury and that’s good news. Right now I am not ready to compete at the maximum level of five-set matches. I’m flying back to Spain to see my doctor, get some treatment and rest.”
SOCCER
Brazil mourns Zagallo
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Saturday declared three days of national mourning for four-time World Cup-winning legend Mario Zagallo, a day after his death at age 92. Zagallo, who played alongside Pele in Brazil’s 1958 and 1962 World Cup-winning teams and later won the trophy as a coach, died on Friday of multiple organ failure, said the Barra D’Or Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, where he had been treated for a series of health problems in the past few months. Lula led a flood of tributes to the man known as the “Old Wolf,” who coached Brazil’s 1970 World Cup-winning side starring Pele — considered by many the greatest team in history — and served as assistant coach when the “Selecao” repeated the feat in 1994. “He was one of the greatest football players and coaches of all time,” Lula said in a statement. “Courageous, passionate ... [he] leaves a lesson of love, dedication and the will to overcome for our country — and for world football.” Current and former players also paid their respects, including Brazilian World Cup winners Ronaldinho, Romario, Bebeto, Taffarel and Cafu. “Thank you for everything, Professor!!! Rest in peace,” Ronaldinho posted on Instagram, alongside a photograph of him and Zagallo. “He’s as important as Pele,” Romario told journalists. “Today is a sad day for football.”
BASKETBALL
Draymond Green reinstated
The NBA on Saturday reinstated Draymond Green from his suspension after the Golden State Warriors star missed 12 games for hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face on Dec. 12. The league said Green “demonstrated his commitment to conforming his conduct to standards expected of NBA players” during his suspension, which began on Dec. 14. He has met with a counselor as well as had multiple joint meetings with representatives of the league, the Warriors and the National Basketball Players Association. Those meetings would continue throughout the season, the league said. The Warriors have gone 7-5 without Green, who also was suspended for five games in November last year for placing Minnesota center Rudy Gobert in a headlock. After agreeing to a new US$100 million deal with the Warriors in the summer last year, Green lost nearly US$1.9 million in salary during the suspension.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
RSS