Novak Djokovic loses to qualifier, says he's missing half-step - ESPN
Novak Djokovic was beaten by a Croatian qualifier 18 years younger than him at the Italian Open on Friday in his first match after two months out due to a right shoulder injury.
India Sport News
Djokovic falls in Italian Open second round to qualifier Prizmic
ROME: Novak Djokovic was eliminated from the Italian Open in the second round on Friday by Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was making his comeback from a shoulder injury in the last big tournament before the French Open. Djokovic was playing for the first time since losing in the last 16 at Indian Wells in March, having pulled out of tournaments in Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid. The 38-year-old had not been knocked out this early in a tournament since the Madrid Open last year, and looked a long way from the player who has won six Rome titles. Playing with a shoulder brace, Djokovic had breezed through the first set helped by Prizmic’s 13 unforced errors. But the world number four’s hitting started to look increasingly tentative as Prizmic rattled off four straight games at the start of the second set with his powerful ground strokes finding their mark. Prizmic came to the Italian capital with a career-high ranking of 79 after reaching the third round in Madrid — beating world number six Ben Shelton in the process — and had also dispatched Marton Fucsovics to set up his clash with Djokovic. The 20-year-old reached the third round of a second consecutive Masters 1000 event with the biggest scalp of his career to date. Djokovic is Prizmic’s idol, and a landmark win gives the young talent a match with either Ugo Humbert or Vit Kopriva and a chance to make the fourth round of a top-tier event on the ATP Tour for the first time.
Punjab slip from top spot after loss to Hyderabad
NEW DELHI, May 7 : Punjab Kings had hoped to tighten their grip on top spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday but a succession of dropped catches saw them fall to a third straight defeat and allowed Sunrisers Hyderabad to climb above them.
India opens door to Pakistani athletes for international events but no bilateral series
May 6 : Pakistani players and teams will be able to participate in multilateral events hosted by India but bilateral events remain off the table, India's sports ministry has said.
Emma Raducanu targets Strasbourg return to action after Italian Open withdrawal
Emma Raducanu is hoping to return to action at the WTA event in Strasbourg later this month following her withdrawal from the Italian Open.
Asia football fans sweat on broadcast rights as World Cup nears
HONG KONG: Swathes of football-mad Asia from China to India and Thailand are yet to confirm broadcast rights for the biggest-ever World Cup with kick-off barely one month away. Unsociable match times in the region is one reason why hundreds of millions of fans have been left sweating about whether they can watch from their sofas. Football’s showpiece is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and begins on June 11 when the Mexicans face South Africa. For fans in Beijing and Shanghai the opening match will start at 3:00 a.m., as will the final. In New Delhi that is 12:30 a.m., although some games will be better timing in Asia. Sandeep Goyal, chairman at advertising agency Rediffusion, told AFP that he was “privy to some discussions” between football’s governing body FIFA and Indian broadcasters. “The first problem is of match timings,” said Goyal. “The bigger, better matches are at 12:30 a.m. or 3:30 a.m.
Crunch time for Capitals after latest loss dampens playoffs hopes
NEW DELHI, May 6 : Delhi Capitals can afford no more slip-ups if they are to have any chance of making the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs for the first time in five years, coach Hemang Badani said after his side suffered a sixth defeat of the season on Tuesday.
IPL final moved from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad
NEW DELHI, May 6 : The final of this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) has been shifted to Ahmedabad, the country's cricket board said on Wednesday, citing operational and logistical issues at the original venue in Bengaluru.