The 17-year-old youth on the other side of the Wimbledon net looked like an easy match-up for Jiri Novak, but the five-setter made the grizzled Czech rethink the man who would become "exceptional and an icon".
Novak could breathe a sigh of relief as the scoreboard said he had beaten a certain Roger Federer of Switzerland 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 after two hours and 18 minutes in the first round in 1999.
Federer made his Wimbledon debut that day 20 years ago but few imagined that the youngster would eventually go on to be widely regarded as the greatest player of all time.
"I was in the top 100, I had no problem qualifying for Wimbledon and I played against Roger who was a junior and a wild card," Novak told AFP.
"I was thinking -- what a great draw, I wasn't too good on grass so I thought this was a good chance to win a match," added Novak, who was 24 at the time.
He bowed out of that edition of Wimbledon in the second round, seen off by American Todd Martin in straight sets, and was ..

Federer was 'great draw' on 1999 Wimbledon debut, says legend's first ever opponent

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Have you heard the one about the gunslinger, the assassin and the predator? Football fans in Salvador attending the Copa America quarter-final between Uruguay and Peru soon will because that's what's in store for them on Saturday.
Three of South America's most feared forwards will square off, weapons cocked and ready for battle.
Uruguay's Luis Suarez scored 25 goals for Barcelona last season and Edinson Cavani managed 23 for Paris Saint-Germain. Lining up opposite them will be Peru's Paolo Guerrero, a player who netted nine times for Brazil's Internacional since April after returning from a 14-month doping ban.
With that kind of firepower on the pitch, fans in the northern Brazilian city should be in for a feast of goals.
"Suarez and Cavani are irreplaceable," said Uruguay's coach Oscar Tabarez a few months ago.
"Given their incredibly high performance level, we can expect to achieve much more."
Only hosts Brazil scored more goals than Uruguay in the group stages -- in part thanks to .

The gunslinger, assassin and predator: Uruguay-Peru promises goal

Mohamed Salah scored his first goal of the Africa Cup of Nations as hosts Egypt secured a place in the last 16 on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ahmed Elmohamady prodded Egypt ahead on 25 minutes after a wicked Salah cross and the Liverpool star slammed in a second shortly before half-time to spark frenzied celebrations at a packed Cairo International Stadium.
Record seven-time champions Egypt rode their luck at times as DR Congo twice struck the crossbar in the first half but the Group A leaders held firm to join Nigeria as the first teams through to the knockout phase.
Egypt overcame the distraction of Amr Warda being banished from the squad earlier in the day over mounting sexual harassment allegations. The claims surfaced earlier this week on social media platforms. Multiple women posted screenshots and testimonies of Warda's alleged lewd comments.
"I think the team is strong and the squad is strong but we are not happy to lose a member of our ...

Salah sends Egypt into Cup of Nations last 16

Brazil coach Tite admitted on Wednesday he fears the injustice of a penalty shoot-out as the hosts prepare to face Paraguay in the Copa America quarter-finals on Thursday.
Brazil are haunted by the spectre of penalty shoot-outs against Paraguay having twice been eliminated by their western neighbors in that exact manner, at this very stage of the Copa America.
In 2011, Paraguay edged Brazil 2-0 on penalties and went on to reach the final in Argentina, losing to Uruguay in the title match.
And four years later in Chile, they repeated the trick, 4-3 on spot-kicks, although that time they were thrashed 6-1 by Argentina in the semi-finals.
"I'll never feel calm in a penalty shoot-out, I'll never change my mind on that," said Tite, at a press conference at the Gremio Arena in Porto Alegre, where Thursday's match will take place.
"Penalties are unfair, they personalize success or failure and that's not fair," he said.
"I don't know how but they should find another way."
Nevertheless, ...

Brazil's Tite fears spectre of Paraguay penalty woe

Joe Root expects emotions to run high against India on Sunday in a game England may have to win to reach the World Cup semi-finals in their home tournament.
A heavy defeat by Australia at Lord's on Tuesday was England's third defeat of the tournament and leaves their hopes of reaching the knockout stage in the balance.
England are in fourth place in the 10-team table but are now just one point ahead of Bangladesh and Pakistan and two clear of Sri Lanka. The top four sides qualify for the semi-finals.
Winning their last two group games would secure a semi-final spot but seeing off both India and New Zealand would require a sharp improvement from a side who have lost their way since starting the campaign as clear favourites.
When they walk out at Edgbaston this weekend, swathes of fans from Birmingham's big British Asian community will be backing India, heaping the pressure on the home side.
"I personally think we have to be very calm about how we approach the next couple of games ...

Root says England must keep cool heads in India World Cup match

North Korea on Thursday warned the South to stop "meddling" in talks between Pyongyang and Washington, repudiating its neighbour days before US President Donald Trump arrives in Seoul amid a nuclear deadlock.
Talks have been stalled since February when a second summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un collapsed, after they failed to agree on what the North would be willing to give up in exchange for sanctions relief.
The two sides have had minimal contact and Trump is due to fly to Seoul at the weekend for a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
The dovish Moon said Wednesday that "behind-the-scenes talks" were going on between the US and the North with a view to preparing for a third summit.
"Also underway is dialogue between the South and the North through diverse channels," he added in a written interview with leading media.
Seoul has also recently approved $8 million in food aid for the North.  But an official at the North's foreign ministry slammed the ..

N Korea slams South for 'meddling' in talks with US

G20 host Japan hopes world leaders will endorse a deal on marine plastic waste and find common ground on climate change, but its own environmental record is under increasing scrutiny.
Activists say Japan has fallen behind on reducing plastic consumption and is caving to US pressure to water down language on climate change to achieve a unanimous statement on the issue.
Japan, chair of this week's Group of 20 meeting in Osaka, has already secured agreement from environment ministers on a marine plastic waste deal that will be endorsed this week.
The deal commits G20 members to reducing plastic waste but includes few details on how that will be achieved, proposing only voluntary steps and yearly progress reports.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said last month the issue would be "one of the most important themes of the G20", adding that Japan "hopes to play a leadership role".
But while campaigners say the agreement -- the first on the issue bringing together rich and developing nations -- is .

Japan faces critics, conflict on environment issues at G20

Ten Democrats stepped into the national spotlight Wednesday kicking off their party's first debate of the 2020 presidential race, as Elizabeth Warren took centre stage to argue that her progressive policies can defeat incumbent Donald Trump.
The biggest American political debate since the 2016 presidential campaign is occurring over two nights in Miami, climaxing Thursday with former vice president Joe Biden squaring off against nine challengers, including number two candidate Bernie Sanders.
Despite the feverish political climate in Washington and heavy campaigning in early voting states, millions of Americans were tuning in to the 2020 race for the first time, eager to hear from some candidates who are only now introducing themselves to a national audience.
What they heard right off the bat was Warren knocking what she has routinely called a rigged economy, and quick clashes between candidates on issues like health care.
"Who's this economy really working for?" asked Warren, who ...

Democrats in spirited first debate of 2020 cycle

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar is suing an Australian sporting goods manufacturer for allegedly failing to pay him millions of dollars under an exclusive licensing agreement, his lawyers said Thursday.
Tendulkar entered into a worldwide exclusive sponsorship agreement with the Spartan Sports group in 2016 to promote Spartan's sporting goods and sportswear.
The lawsuit filed with the Federal Circuit Court in Sydney alleges Spartan failed to pay the cricketer royalties and endorsement fees and continued to use his name and image even after he terminated the agreement.
In addition to allowing Spartan to use Tendulkar's name and image on cricket bats and other goods, the cricketer attended promotional events for Spartan in Mumbai and London, the Sydney law firm Gilbert and Tobin said in a statement.
Gilbert and Tobin partner Siabon Seet said Tendulkar was claiming "substantial damages" against Spartan and its directors for breach of contract and misleading and deceptive ...

Sachin Tendulkar sues Aussie batmaker over licensing deal

Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido on Wednesday dismissed government claims of an attempted coup, and said he would continue calls on the armed forces to abandon President Nicolas Maduro.
"It is the same story for the umpteenth time, and the press has lost count of how many times the same accusations have been repeated," Guaido told reporters following government claims that it had derailed an attempted coup and a plan to assassinate his rival.

Venezuela opposition leader dismisses government 'coup' claim

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he does not want a war with Iran but warned that if fighting does break out, it "wouldn't last very long," even as Iran's president tried to tamp down soaring tensions.
Trump also hinted that any conflict would be waged with air strikes, saying there would be no US boots on the ground.
His remarks came after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani tried to rein in the crisis between the two archfoes, saying that Iran "never seeks war" with the United States.
Washington has ratcheted up crippling economic sanctions on Tehran after the Islamic republic's forces shot down an unmanned US drone in the Gulf region, following a series of attacks on tankers that Washington blamed on Iran.
Trump says he called off an air strike against Iranian targets at the last minute last week, having decided the expected death toll of 100 would have been a disproportionate response.
In an interview on Fox Business Network, Trump was asked if America is going to go to war with 

Trump warns any conflict with Iran 'wouldn't last long'

Venezuela's socialist government said Wednesday it has derailed an attempted coup, claiming the United States, Colombia and Chile colluded in a plot by officers to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro and install a general in his place, a minister said.
Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said the plan involved both active and retired army officers and was to have been executed between Sunday and Monday of this week.
He accused Colombia's right-wing President Ivan Duque of "planning coups, assassinations of the president" as well as implicating Chile's conservative President Sebastian Pinera and US National Security Advisor John Bolton in the plot.

Venezuela government says thwarts attempted 'coup'

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will be meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Japan but told journalists that the contents of the talks are "none of your business."
The keenly awaited meeting is overshadowed by a probe into Trump's relations with Russia and controversy that erupted the last time he held talks with the Kremlin leader in Finland in 2018.
"I'll have a very good conversation with him," Trump told reporters at the White House. "What I say to him is none of your business." Trump has been dogged throughout his presidency by allegations of suspicious ties to Russia.
A major probe led by special prosecutor Robert Mueller found there was an organized Russian campaign to influence the 2016 election won by Trump. It found contacts between Russian operatives and Trump's election campaign, but no evidence of a joint plot.
It also detailed Trump's interest in a big potential real estate deal in Moscow well into his election year of ...

Trump says his talk with Putin 'none of your business'

At least 16 people were crushed to death and dozens injured in Madagascar on Wednesday at a stadium hosting national independence day celebrations in the capital Antananarivo.
The bodies of sixteen victims, including three children, were stored at the mortuary of HJRA hospital in the city, AFP journalists said.  Hospital director Oliva Alison Rakoto had earlier reported 15 dead and 80 wounded.
According to witnesses at the hospital, the accident occurred in the afternoon outside the Mahamasina stadium, where several thousand people had gathered for a concert following the traditional military parade held to mark the national holiday.
At the end of a military parade, security forces opened the gates to allow spectators to leave the enclosure, causing the crowd to mass outside the stadium, witnesses said.
The police then immediately closed the gates and blocked the crowd, witnesses said, causing a deadly pile up.
"When the organizers opened the gate, we were in the front row, in the ...

16 dead in crush at Madagascar independence day rally

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he could soon talk with North Korea's strongman leader Kim Jong Un even if they don't meet.
The US president is headed to South Korea following this week's G20 summit in Japan.
"I'll be meeting with a lot of other people. Not him," Trump told reporters at the White House.
"I may be speaking to him in a different form.

Trump says may talk with Kim, without meeting

President Donald Trump accused US women's World Cup soccer star Megan Rapinoe of "disrespect" Wednesday after she swore not to visit his White House.
In the latest of his public feuds with high-profile athletes and celebrities, Trump sent multiple tweets complaining about Rapinoe, whose short, dyed hair has made her one of the most recognizable faces of the mighty US team.
"Megan should never disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her & the team. Be proud of the Flag that you wear," he tweeted.
In the same series of tweets, Trump announced he was inviting the US women's team to the White House and said "I am a big fan."
Rapinoe, however, "should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job!" he wrote.
The president's outburst followed the broadcast of a video clip in which Rapinoe dismisses the idea of visiting the White House.
Such events are a longtime tradition for successful sports teams and athletes but have run into a ...

Trump tells US women's soccer star Rapinoe not to 'disrespect' country

Steve Waugh says Australia are "gathering confidence and momentum at exactly the right time" after their comprehensive victory against hosts England guaranteed their place in the World Cup semi-finals.
There were plenty of doubts over the five-time winners' chances of retaining the trophy before the competition started, but, led by prolific openers Aaron Finch and David Warner, Australia have won six of their seven group games so far.
Australia also looked dangerous with the ball against England on Tuesday, with Mitchell Starc and Jason Behrendorff taking nine wickets between them while recalled off-spinner Nathan Lyon kept the run rate down.
"Without doubt this was a commanding performance by a team that is gathering confidence and momentum at exactly the right time," Waugh wrote in a column for the International Cricket Council.
"The Australian selectors must be congratulated for the bold selection of Jason Behrendorff and the faith they showed in presenting him with the new ball," .

Australia peaking at the right time in World Cup, says Waugh

Two rescuers were among nine civilians killed in Russian and regime air strikes Wednesday on violence-plagued northwest Syria, a war monitor said, in the latest attack against relief workers in the region.
The two civil defence workers, known as the White Helmets, were killed after Russian air strikes hit their ambulance in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The rescue group said a "double-tap attack" by Russian warplanes had "targeted" rescue workers repeatedly as they were evacuating injured civilians from the town.
Five other volunteers were also wounded, the group said.
The latest attack came nearly one week after regime air strikes on an ambulance in the town of Maaret al-Numan killed three rescue workers.
"The world continues to fail to protect us and other humanitarian workers," the group said in a statement on social media.
Seven other civilians were killed Wednesday in a series of regime air strikes on several parts of .

Rescue workers among 9 killed in Syria air raids: monitor

Kenya's environment court blocked Wednesday the construction of a coal plant along the country's idyllic coastline in a move hailed as a "big victory" by those waging a years-long fight against the project.
Judge Mohammed Balala "set aside" an earlier decision granting a licence to developers Amu Power, who wanted to build East Africa's first-ever coal-fired power plant near the Lamu archipelago.
Activists cheered and embraced in the National Environmental Tribunal in Nairobi as the order was given, halting the USD 2 billion (1.7 billion euros) fossil-fuel project championed by the Kenyan government from proceeding.
Judge Balala ordered Amu Power to re-conduct an environmental assessment of the plant's impact on Lamu, an Indian Ocean tourist haunt that includes a UNESCO World Heritage site and boasts vibrant marine life.
The company was given 30 days in which to appeal.
The tribunal also ruled that the public had been inadequately consulted about the initiative, which has been in the .

Kenya court blocks East Africa's first coal plant

Uber said Wednesday it has acquired computer vision startup Mighty AI to help advance its technology for self-driving cars.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but the ride-hailing giant said some 40 employees from the Seattle-based firm would join Uber's advanced technology group developing plans for autonomous taxis.
Mighty AI specialises in computer vision, a field within artificial intelligence that is used to better understand or "label" the surroundings of vehicles that will be deployed autonomously.
"The team at Mighty AI has built technology to label at scale using the latest AI and user experience techniques," said Jon Thomason, vice president of software engineering for the Uber division.
"Training our AI at increasing pace is critical to scaling our self-driving technology, and I look forward to bringing Mighty AI's technology together with our existing labelling automation expertise to help us move even faster."
Daryn Nakhuda, Mighty AI's chief executive, said in .

Uber buys AI firm to advance push on autonomous cars

Roger Federer has been seeded second ahead of great rival Rafael Nadal for Wimbledon despite trailing the Spaniard in the world rankings.
Nadal complained earlier this week that Wimbledon's unique formula for seeding that combines ranking points with form in grass-court competitions was disrespectful.
World number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic is the top seed.
Eighteen-time Grand Slam winner Nadal, ranked number two in the world, is therefore guaranteed to be in the same half of the draw as either Federer or Djokovic.
"Obviously it would be better to be two than three but if they think I have to be three I will accept three and fight to win the matches I have to win," Nadal told Spanish television channel Movistar on Monday.
"The only thing that doesn't seem right about this issue is that it is only Wimbledon that does it. If they all did it, it would seem more correct.
"It's not only about my particular case. There have been many occasions when players have played well ...

AFP

AFP

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