Page 1571 - Sports
Analysis: Italy's fresh election risks being referendum on euro
ROME (Reuters) - The euro looked to have dodged a bullet when Italy's would-be eurosceptic coalition government collapsed at the weekend, but it may turn out to have been the opening salvo in a war over Europe's single currency.
Moving out of Chennai was difficult: Fleming
After arriving in their home city post winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) title, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coach Stephen Fleming said relocating to a different venue was a tough decision for his side.
Roma confirms signing of Zagreb's Coric until 2023
Italian football club Roma on Monday announced the signing of Croatian midfielder Ante Coric for five years.
Djokovic advances to French Open 2nd round at Dutra Silva's expense
Serbia's Novak Djokovic on Monday defeated Rogerio Dutra Silva of Brazil 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of the French Open, the second Grand Slam tennis event of the season, held on clay court.
Arruabarrena upsets Babos, heads to French Open second round
Spanish tennis player Lara Arruabarrena Vecino, world No. 91, advanced to the second round of the French Open on Monday after pulling off an upset victory over world No. 37 Timea Babos of Hungary 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.
Garcia Lopez stuns Wawrinka in 1st round of French Open
Spain's Guillermo Garcia Lopez on Monday pulled off a big upset, stunning the 2017 French Open finalist Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 in the opening round of the Grand Slam event held on clay court.
World Cup's head organiser plays down hooliganism worries
Alexey Sorokin, director general of the organising committee for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, played down what he called overblown concerns about football hooliganism, while discussing stadium surprises and the new Video Assistant Referee.
Half of my career over, no point thinking about Test record: Rohit
India's limited overs run-machine Rohit Sharma today said there was no point fretting over his start-stop Test career as "half" of his playing days were over. Rohit now just wants to enjoy the remainder of his playing career. "There's limited time you have as a player and I have finished almost half of it. There's no point in spending the remaining half thinking whether I'll be picked or not. I am going forward with the theory of 'whatever time I have make it count'," said Rohit about his below-par record in international red ball cricket. Despite possessing an impressive record in limited overs cricket, Rohit has failed to justify his talent in the longer format of the game, scoring just 1479 runs at an average of 39.97 from the 25 Tests he has played. Due to his inconsistent performances in South Africa, Rohit has been dropped from India's squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Bengaluru, starting June 14. But he doesn't have any complain and said he is at such a stage of
Injury scare for Saha ahead of Afghanistan Test
A thumb injury to India's Test wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha has made him a doubtful starter for the one-off Test against Afghanistan starting in Bengaluru from June 14. Saha injured his right thumb while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL Qualifier 2 against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 25. "To determine the future course of injury management, Mr Saha will see a specialist and the BCCI Medical Team will continue to monitor his progress," said the BCCI in a statement. If Saha is unable to regain full fitness, Parthiv Patel or Dinesh Karthik could replace him for the Afghanistan's inaugural Test.
I'm a tennis player, get me out of here: Tomic lost for words
Australian firebrand Bernard Tomic was left winless this year after crashing out of the French Open on Monday and then rendered almost speechless when it came to his media duties. After losing 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to Argentinian Marco Trungelliti, who had driven 1,000km from Barcelona to play the first-round tie, Tomic then conducted a surly news conference with exasperated reporters. "So how do you assess that today?," asked a journalist. "Well, it was okay, no." What about Wimbledon where he was a quarter-finalist in 2011 and seemingly had the world at his feet? "Yeah, we'll see. We'll see what's next," replied 25-year-old Tomic, fiddling with his baseball cap and shuffling in his seat. His most considered reply on Monday stretched to a comparatively epic 11 words. That was when he was asked for his feelings on facing Trungelliti who was still referred to only as a 'lucky loser' on the schedule until he signed in as a replacement for original opponent Nick Kyrgios, the Australian ...
Spain's Carvajal fit for World Cup despite minor hamstring injury
Spain defender Dani Carvajal is likely fit enough to appear in next month's 2018 FIFA World Cup, despite suffering from a minor right hamstring injury, according to a statement from Spain's national team on Monday.
Wawrinka crashes out in Roland Garros first round, Djokovic through
Former French Open champion Stan Wawrinka continued to struggle with form and fitness as he was dumped out in the first round by Guillermo Garcia-Lopez on Monday, a defeat which will send his world ranking plummeting, but Novak Djokovic cruised through in straight sets. Wawrinka, who lost to Rafael Nadal in last year's final and won the 2015 title, was beaten in a five-set thriller 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 by the Spanish world number 67 on Court Suzanne Lenglen. The 33-year-old has been plagued by a knee injury and arrived at Roland Garros having won just one match on clay in Geneva last week, his first event in three months. The defeat means that the three-time Grand Slam champion will slip from 30th in the world to outside the top 250 after the tournament, having failed to defend the ranking points he gained in 2017. "There is no frustration (at rankings slip). It's just tough," said Wawrinka. "But again, I knew from the beginning that it will take a long, a lot of time to get .
Russian football chief asks: where are the stadium roofs?
The head of Russia's Premier League is not particularly happy with all the new stadiums the hosts have built for the World Cup. Russia spared little expense in either completely revamping or building from scratch 12 football-specific arenas for the June 14-July 15 showpiece. Yet only the one in Saint Petersburg has a retractable roof. All the others are open to the elements and Premier League chief Sergei Pryadkin is not pleased. "When we were holding test matches in the new stadiums, I kept asking myself: why didn't they put roofs on them? This is a question for those who were designing them," Pryadkin told a press conference. Pryadkin's comments marked the most explicit public criticism of Russia's preparations for its first World Cup to date. Russian football has suffered for generations from horrible pitches that are either covered in snow during winter or resemble sandpits in the spring and fall. The northern climate prompted the Soviet Union and then Russia to build indoor ...
Roma legend Totti announces autobiography on anniversary of final match
Roma legend Francesco Totti revealed on Monday he is writing his autobiography as he marked the anniversary of the day he played his final match for the Italian club. "I'm writing the story of my life, both football and extra-curricular," the 41-year-old said in an internet video post. "For me it's a very important project, slowly I will reveal the details," added Totti of the work co-written with journalist Paolo Condo which will be released in the autumn. On this day last year, Totti played his last-ever match for Roma after a 24-year career with the capital side as they beat Genoa to qualify for the Champions League. It was an emotional farewell for the forward who joined the club's youth team in 1989 and went on to become the all-time leading goalscorer with 307 goals during a record 786 appearances. Totti now has a director's role with the Italian club, who this season reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in 24 years where they lost to Liverpool over two ...
Ignored Rohit says he is at peace with his Test career
A formidable force in white ball cricket, India's limited overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma seems to have made peace with his below-par Test record, now that "half of his playing career" is over. By his own admission, Rohit now doesn't fret over his Test selection and just wants to enjoy the remainder of his playing career. "There's limited time you have as a player and I have finished almost half of it. There's no point in spending the remaining half thinking whether I'll be picked or not. I am going forward with the theory of 'whatever time I have make it count',"said Rohit about his stop-start Test career. Despite possessing an impressive record in limited overs cricket, Rohit has failed to justify his talent in the longer format of the game, scoring just 1479 runs at average of 39.97 from the 25 Tests he has played for India. Due to his inconsistent performances with the bat in South Africa, Rohit has been dropped from India's squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in ...
Under shadow of Tuticorin tragedy, CSK accorded rapturous welcome
Chennai Super Kings' return to the city following a fairytale IPL triumph received the rapturous welcome it deserved, even as murmurs of scaling down an elaborate reception plan swirled in the wake of the Tuticorin tragedy. CSK beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in an authoritative display in the final last night to win the trophy on its return after serving a two-year suspension. Australian all-rounder Shane Watson did the star turn with a blistering century. A large number of fans were waiting at the city airport to welcome the team members and went into raptures when the players emerged. CSK officials were at hand to receive the players. Later, the players were welcomed at Crowne Plaza hotel by the staff with garlands. Here too, a number of fans had gathered. Former BCCI president N Srinivasan greeted the players at the hotel. The players were to attend a private dinner later tonight. The team's players, including Harbhajan Singh and South African veteran Imran Tahir, ...
Spain's Carvajal still hoping to play at World Cup
Spain defender Dani Carvajal is still in contention to play at the World Cup, despite injuring his hamstring playing for Real Madrid against Liverpool on Saturday. A tearful Carvajal had to be substituted during the Champions League final in Kiev, prompting fears the right-back would miss this summer's tournament, which starts in less than three weeks' time. However, after undergoing medical tests with Real, a statement released by the national team on Monday indicated the 26-year-old will remain with the squad. "Carvajal this morning underwent medical tests with his club, with the doctors of the Spanish national team present," the statement read. "The tests showed an injury in the hamstring of the right thigh. He will begin the recovery process of this injury with the medical group of the national team, who will stay in close contact with his club." Spain play friendlies against Switzerland and Tunisia on June 3 and 9 respectively. Their first World Cup match will be against Portugal
Kvitova qualifies for French Open 2nd round
Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic on Monday beat Paraguay's Veronica Cepede Royg 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 to advance to the second round of the French Open.
Being dropped from ODIs gives me more time to prepare for England Tests: Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane is an eternal optimist, who is ready to find a silver lining in everything, including his rejection from India's limited overs team. He believes that being overlooked for the limited overs leg of the UK tour will give him more time to do his homework for the big-ticket five-match Test series against England, starting August 1. "It is important that you get time to prepare yourself and clarity is important, when you know that you are not in ODI squad and you just going to play Test matches in England. I will get good amount of time for the Afghanistan Test and after that for the England tour," Rahane told reporters on the sidelines of the CEAT Cricket Awards. Even if there is an element of frustration, Rahane doesn't want to show that. "No, I am not at all frustrated; actually the thing is I can tell you this is actually motivating me, because I am actually looking to make a comeback. Right now, my focus is on Test cricket. I still believe that I can come back and do ...
De Villiers retirement a blow to World Cup bid - Gibson
Coach Ottis Gibson admitted on Monday that the retirement from international cricket of AB de Villiers was a blow to South Africa's hopes of winning the Cricket World Cup next year. Gibson revealed that he had spoken to De Villiers the day before last week's announcement by the star batsman but had been unable to convince him to change his mind. "We had a conversation," said Gibson, who was briefing journalists ahead of the South African squad getting together to undergo their annual fitness and medical assessments. "He called me the morning before he made the announcement," said Gibson. "We had a long conversation around whether he was making the right decision. He reckons he is. He has spoken to the people in his close circle." Gibson said De Villiers' decision had been a shock to him. "He is one of the best players in the world. He could have made a huge difference in the World Cup and he knows that... he's chosen to walk away from the game at this time and it is what it is." ...