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Real Madrid defender Rüdiger expected to miss the rest of the season after knee surgery

MADRID: Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger underwent knee surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Madrid said Rüdiger successfully underwent surgery on a meniscus tear in his left knee and will begin “his recovery process shortly.” The club did not give a timeline for his return. Rüdiger had to be replaced in extra time of Madrid 3-2 loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday. He made headlines for shouting at the referee from the bench and for apparently throwing a small bag of ice onto the field. Rüdiger apologized for his behavior but the incident prompted former Germany player Dietmar Hamann to call for the defender to be left out of Germany’s squad for the Nations League final four in June. German national team sporting director Rudi Völler also criticized Rüdiger, saying he needed to show “class” and respect for others. Germany plays Portugal in the Nations League semifinals in Munich on June 4.

Australian doubles player Purcell accepts 18-month doping ban

SYDNEY: Australia’s two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Max Purcell has accepted an 18-month doping ban, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Tuesday. The 27-year-old in December took a voluntary suspension, describing himself at the time as “devastated” and saying he had not intended to break anti-doping rules. Purcell has admitted receiving intravenous vitamin infusions of more than 500ml on December 16 and 20, 2023.

Coach Stefano Pioli confident as Al-Nassr prepare for AFC Champions League Elite semi showdown

JEDDAH: Al-Nassr coach Stefano Pioli declared his side injury-free ahead of Wednesday’s Asian Champions League Elite semifinal against Kawasaki Frontale in Jeddah as the Saudi Pro League side look to reach the final for the first time in almost 30 years.The Riyadh-based outfit last made the decider in 1995, but a brace from Jhon Duran and strikes by Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo sealed a 4-1 win over Yokohama F Marinos on Saturday to move the Saudi side to the cusp of a first title.“We are ready for the match, but in training we will decide which group is going to play,” Pioli said. “The team is ready to play the game with great spirit, high performance.”Al-Nassr are one of three Saudi Pro League sides in the semifinals, the first time a single nation has dominated the latter stages of the competition to such an extent.The huge injection of cash into the country’s leading clubs by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in 2023 which prompted the signing of numerous high-profile players from around the world is having a major impact on this year’s competition.Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli have also advanced to the last four and will meet on Tuesday.Japan’s Kawasaki are the only team from their half of the confederation left in the competition after their win over Qatar’s Al-Sadd, and the J-League side have been further disadvantaged by having one day less to recover than Al-Nassr.Frontale needed extra-time to defeat Felix Sanchez’s side and coach Shigetoshi Hasebe admitted he was concerned about his players’ lack of freshness ahead of the Al-Nassr clash.“All the players are tired because they played for 120 minutes, which is very difficult for us,” he said.

Power outage still affecting Madrid Open tennis tournament. Opening of the gates delayed on Tuesday.

MADRID: There was still no power at the Caja Magica tennis complex that is hosting the Madrid Open on Tuesday, putting in jeopardy the resumption of play a day after several matches had to be canceled. Tournament organizers said the opening of the gates for fans was delayed until 11 a.m. local time (0900 GMT) because of the outage.

Australia's Purcell gets 18-month doping suspension

Australia's two-times Grand Slam doubles champion Max Purcell has accepted an 18-month ban after breaching anti-doping rules, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Tuesday.

Play cancelled at Madrid Open over large-scale power outage

MADRID :Play at the Madrid Open was cancelled on Monday after a widespread power outage struck the Spanish capital, forcing 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov and his British opponent Jacob Fearnley off court as scoreboards went dark and overhead cameras lost power.

Play suspended at Madrid Open over large-scale power outage

MADRID :Play at the Madrid Open was suspended on Monday after a widespread power outage struck the Spanish capital, forcing 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov and his British opponent Jacob Fearnley off court as scoreboards went dark and overhead cameras lost power.

Casper makes it 2-0 to Ruud family after beating Korda in Madrid

Casper Ruud said gaining revenge for his family was on his mind during his win over Sebastian Korda at the Madrid Open on Sunday but the Norwegian could only grin sheepishly after learning his father Christian had actually beaten Petr Korda 26 years ago. Christian Ruud defeated former world number two Petr Korda in their only meeting on the ATP Tour at the Miami Open in 1999, a stat which surprised world number 15. “Honestly I thought he had lost to Petr before, so I was out here seeking revenge for the family, but this is an even better statistic for us,” he said after his 6-3 6-3 win on Sunday. “We’ll try to keep it alive for as long as possible.

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Tennis Sport News

Real Madrid defender Rüdiger expected to miss the rest of the season after knee surgery

Australian doubles player Purcell accepts 18-month doping ban

Coach Stefano Pioli confident as Al-Nassr prepare for AFC Champions League Elite semi showdown

Power outage still affecting Madrid Open tennis tournament. Opening of the gates delayed on Tuesday.

Australia's Purcell gets 18-month doping suspension

Play cancelled at Madrid Open over large-scale power outage

Play suspended at Madrid Open over large-scale power outage

Casper makes it 2-0 to Ruud family after beating Korda in Madrid