Page 2157 - Sports
Tomic doesn't need help to play at Australian Open
Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic, who was denied a wildcard for the Australian Open, has insisted that he didn't want a favour anyway and that would try to earn his own way into the main draw of home Grand Slam in Melbourne.Tomic was dropped to 142 in the world rankings after a disappointing 2017 season in which he admitted he was "bored" and not always giving his 100 percent.All eyes will be on Tomic when he along with 13 locals will look to make it to the main event of the Australian Open when qualifying begins on Wednesday.The 25-year-old will now have to win three sudden-death qualifying matches if he has to secure his Open entry for a 10th year in a row.Tomic, who successfully made his first appearance of the summer with a 6-3 6-3 fast-format loss to Japan's world No. 169 Yoshihito Nishioka at the Kooyong Classic on Tuesday, said that he never took Tennis Australia's help to achieve anything in his career."I'm not going to say anything [about not getting a wildcard. It's ...
Man held for organising betting racket
A man was arrested for allegedly running a betting racket in the city, police said today. On a tip-off that one person is collecting betting money from punters during a Big Bash League match near a hotel in Chaderghat area, the sleuths of Commissioner's Task Force, South Zone Team, Hyderabad, raided and apprehended him. They seized Rs 1,06,000 and three cell phones, the police said in a release. The accused person was getting updates of matches on mobile phones by contacting a bookie from Akola in Maharashtra, it said. "In turn, he informs the same to the punters through his three mobile phones. After completion of the match, he collects the betting amount from the punters and the collection amount is paid to the said bookie," the release said. BBL is an Australian cricket league.
Defender Umtiti returns to Barcelona training
French defender Samuel Umtiti has returned to training with Spanish football giants Barcelona following his injury on December 2.
Djokovic returns from injury layoff with thumping win
Former world number one and Serbian tennis maestro Novak Djokovic is bursting with joy after making a resounding return to the tennis court, following the longest injury lay-off of his career.Having remained sidelined for almost six months with an elbow injury, the 30-year-old made a successful comeback by thrashing world number five Dominic Thiem 6-1, 6-4 in the exhibition event at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne today.Djokovic looked in good form and full of optimism as he played the first competitive match since his withdrawal from the Wimbledon quarterfinal against Tomas Berdych due to injury.Following the match, Djokovic said that he is quite satisfied with his comeback, especially his serve, which had been most affected by the elbow injury."It was a fantastic test for me to see where I am, to see what we have done as a team and whether it works on the court and it works pretty well. Especially the serve - that was the biggest question mark because of the elbow, that shot in my .
Sunderland out of Dakar Rally, Villas-Boas crashes
British motorcyclist Sam Sunderland abandoned his Dakar Rally title defense Tuesday due to back pain, and Portuguese soccer coach Andre Villas-Boas was taken to a hospital after his car crashed against a sand dune. Rally organizers said Sunderland, the overall leader on a KTM, withdrew near the end of the 330-kilometer (205-mile) special around San Juan de Marcona when he was hurt after a jump. Adrien van Beveren of France won the fourth stage in about four hours. He also moved into the overall lead, taking a 1:55 advantage over Pablo Quintanilla of Chile. In the car race, the 40-year-old Villas-Boas was in 43rd position for team Toyota at the time of his accident. There was no word on whether the former Porto, Chelsea and Tottenham coach was staying in the competition. Another Frenchman, Sebastien Loeb, won the car stage after dueling with defending champion and Peugeot teammate Stephane Peterhansel. Loeb and Peterhansel swapped checkpoint leads. Loeb finally led ...
Aanchal hopes ski medal ends govt apathy for winter sports
Aanchal Thakur has just one wish after becoming the first Indian to win an international medal in skiing -- an end to the government's apathetic attitude towards winter sports. The response to her bronze medal winning performance in Turkey has been overwhelming to say the least. She still can't believe that none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated her on the achievement in a sport that usually begs for attention. "I never thought the Prime Minister would tweet for me. It is unreal. I just hope we are finally treated at par with athletes of popular sports. As of now, there has been no support whatsoever from the government," Aanchal told PTI from Turkey where she secured the bronze in Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup organised by the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS). "I just want to say that we too are fighting, working hard day in and day our for India," she said. Skiing runs in her blood but it has not been an easy ride thus far for the the 21-year-old, who
Sarita elected women boxers' representative in BFI EC
Former world and Asian champion L Sarita Devi was today elected representative of women boxers in the national federation's Executive Council. Sarita, who won a bronze medal at the Asian Championships last year, was voted in by 22 of the 31 team captains at the election conducted during the ongoing National Championships in Rohtak. She beat Railways Sports Promotion Board's Seema Punia, the lone candidate up against her in the polls. "I would be aiming to raise the problems faced by women boxers because I have practical experience of how things work," the Manipuri, who is a four-time Asian champion, told PTI. "I decided to contest the polls two days ago because as a senior boxer, I thought it is important that I give voice to girls and their issues," she added. Sarita joins former Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Manoj Kumar as a boxers' representative in the executive council. Manoj was elected to the position in 2016 during the national championships in Guwahati. "I ..
Danone India ropes in U-19 captain Prithvi Shaw for Protinex
French nutrition and dairy major Danone has roped in Prithvi Shaw, the captain of Under-19 Indian cricket team, as the brand ambassador for its protein brand Protinex in the country. "Prithvi will be the face of Protinex for the next five years and would feature in key brand campaigns and initiatives," Danone said in a statement. "With this association, Protinex intends to spread the message of protein across age groups with the influence of Prithvi Shaw," it added. Danone plans to double its business in India by 2020.
Andre Villas-Boas withdraws from Dakar Rally after crash
Portuguese football coach Andre Villas-Boas has withdrawn from the Dakar Rally after suffering a back injury on the fourth day of the event in southern Peru.
Devdhar scores ton as Baroda trounce Gujarat
Opener Kedar Devdhar struck a whirlwind 61-ball century as Baroda whipped Gujarat by 36 runs to leap to the top of the table in the West Zone Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 league at the SCA Stadium here today. Baroda rode on Devdhar's chanceless ton the first of the zonal league - to pile on 175 for 7. They then bowled out their rivals for 139 in just 18 overs to notch up their second win on the trot and boosted their points tally to 8 from two games. Gujarat, who suffered their third successive defeat in the league, are now left with no chance to make the knock-out even with a game still in hand in the five-team league. Batting first, Baroda were in deep trouble against leggie Piyush Chawla and medium pacer Jayweer Parmar and were reeling at 25 for 4 with the wickets shared equally by the two bowlers. Devdhar, who cracked exactly 100 runs laced with 4 sixes and eleven fours, and Swapnil Singh (44 in 28 balls) came together and rescued the innings with a blistering ...
PM congratulates skier Thakur
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Aanchal Thakur on winning India's first international medal in skiing in the Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup in Turkey.
Khali opines on what's holding Indian sportsmen back
Dalip Singh Rana, popularly known by his ring name The Great Khali, believes that the future of the Indian wrestling is bright, if basic facilities and proper training are provided.The former WWE Heavyweight champion, however, revealed what is holding the Indian sportsmen back in contrast with the players around the world.Talking to ANI, Khali insisted the mentality of the Indian sportsmen is too weak as many of them engage in doping to enhance their performance."The future of wrestling is very bright and it can be better if handled in a better way like if a coach is provided or if the facility of ground is given. The mentality of the Indian sportsmen is very weak. Many of them depend upon drugs. They feel that the consumption of drugs will help in enhancing their performance and will help them in clinching a medal. They receive too much of love after winning a medal that they forget to concentrate on sports," Khali said.The 45-year-old wrestler further called on his country's ...
We need to play enough matches away: India football captain Sunil Chhetri (IANS interview)
India captain Sunil Chhetri wants the national football team to play more away games this year as it prepares for the AFC Asian Cup in 2019.
Hyderabad: Cricket betting racket busted, 1 held
A cricket betting racket was busted here on Wednesday and a person was also arrested in this connection.The task force has also seized Rs. 1 lakh and three mobiles phones, said S. Chaitanya Kumar, additional deputy commissioner of police, Hyderabad's Commissioners Task Force.On a tip-off, the team raided the Nayagara Hotel in Hyderabad's Chaderghat area.According to the police, the accused, identified as Arun Kumar Rathi, had been conducting running the racket for the past six months and accepting betting amount on all formats of the game.Earlier also, the accused had been involved in cricket betting and arrested by police.
Atletico Madrid, Valencia advance in Copa del Rey
Yannick Carrasco, Kevin Gameiro and Vitolo Machin got the goals as Atletico Madrid beat Lleida 3-0 here to win a Copa del Rey round of 16 tie by a decisive 7-0 on aggregate.
Man City nip Bristol in 1st leg of EFL Cup semis
Sergio Agüero's stoppage time goal gave Manchester City a 2-1 victory here over second-division club Bristol City in the first leg of an EFL Cup semifinal tie.
Loeb wins Dakar Rally 4th stage
France's nine-time World rally champion Sebastien Loeb clinched his first stage win of the 2018 Dakar Rally as Peugeot claimed all three podium places in southern Peru.
Nigeria optimistic of securing U-20 WC ticket: official
Nigeria's U-20 female national team, the Falconets, is optimistic of securing one of the two African tickets to the FIFA World Cup, an official said.
Tevez hoping for Argentina recall ahead of World Cup
Carlos Tevez said that he hopes his return to Boca Juniors will help him earn a recall to Argentina's national team ahead of this year's World Cup.
42 Russian athletes banned for doping file CAS appeals
The Court of Arbitration for Sport has registered 42 appeals by Russian athletes against the Disciplinary Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the tribunal said.