11 SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020 sports The tennis jet-set think local to reboot their sport

AFP | Paris his academy on the island of Mallorca available to players. s the weeks go by, the It will be difficult A statement by the acade - globe-trotting world of my said Nadal was discussing top-level tennis remains to start the tour with the ATP the possibility of A because our tour in limbo and the season looks creating “a campus where elite increasingly compromised by is every week in players can reside, train and the coronavirus pandemic. different countries. compete between themselves in A glimmer of hope is emerg- So I think there will matches that will be televised so ing however with plans for local be regional prize that fans around the world can tournaments to get the machine money tournaments, enjoy them.” up and running again as soon as possible. but probably not Twelve-month break “I think there will be more (rankings) points at Resuming the tours behind regional prize money tourna- the moment because closed doors has been suggest- ments. I think this is what’s go- it’s very complicated ed, but many tournaments need ing to happen very soon,” Novak NOVAK DJOKOVIC ticket revenue to break even. Djokovic said on Tuesday dur- Even for bigger tournaments, ing an Instagram live chat with cially as there will be no other playing in front of empty stands Fabio Fognini. live sports at the same time. is bad for the image. For the moment, the tennis is He plans 10 matches per “Can you imagine a Grand suspended until 13 July, though weekend for five weeks as part Slam final without anyone in few players believe it will re- of an event called Ultimate Ten- the stands?” Fognini asked sume at once. A general view of the new removable roof on the central court of Tennis complex of Roland Garros in Paris nis Showdown (UTS). Djokovic. Djokovic said the globe-trot- a photo on social media show- but a league, staring on May young on-line audience. To date, four players have The Tunisian Ons Jabeur, a ting nature of the tour would ing him at work on a clay court 16, behind closed doors at his Mouratoglou is a consultant been announced: David Goffin, 25-year-old who started the sea- work against a smooth re - and congratulating himself for academy in the south of France. for several television channels Fognini, Benoit Paire and Alexei son with a breakthrough run to sumption as nations come out “swapping the remote control promising “millions of dollars” and guarantees that the match- Popyrin. the quarter-finals at the Aus- of lockdown at different times for a racket”. in prize money and targeting a es will be broadcast on TV, espe- Rafael Nadal has also made tralian Open, has suggested that and with different rules. tennis might resume with team “It will be difficult to start the Unconventional proposals events in the autumn to allow tour because our tour is every In France, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga players to earn some money, but week in different countries,” and his coach, Thierry Ascione, added that the ranking tourna- he said. have suggested a summer tour ments take a break of exactly “I think there will be regional in the south of France. 12 months. prize money tournaments, but “The project will only see the “Let’s pretend that the end of probably not (rankings) points.” light of day in the event that the 2020 was never here,” she told Austria and Germany have tour is further postponed and Eurosport. announced plans for compe- if the government authorises “Then don’t start by playing titions in May and June with the organisation of this kind of the Australian Open since we 32 men, including Dominic tournament which will bring already played it this year and Thiem, Philipp Kohlschreiber together a bit of the public,” the other tournaments in the and Jan-Lennard Struff, and 24 Tsonga told Eurosport. beginning of the year, and then women. A more ambitious idea has start from Indian Wells, where In both countries, the players been put forward by Patrick everybody stopped. have already been allowed to Mouratoglou, who coaches “It’s fair for the other Grand resume training. Serena Williams. He proposes Slams, it’s fair for the points and Thiem, an Austrian, posted organising not a tournament The US National flag is seen before the opening ceremony before at the 2019 US Open (file photo) for everything.” Serie A season to be Bayern’s Coutinho undergoes extended until August 2 AFP | Milan ankle surgery, out for weeks Philippe Coutinho talian football chiefs on Thurs- Reuters | Berlin Germany and is reportedly Iday announced that the end a target for several English of the Serie A season will be ayern Munich midfielder Premier League clubs. pushed back from June 30 to Au- BPhilippe Coutinho underwent The German league is gust 2 to finish the season sus - minor surgery on his right ankle expected to restart some pended amid the coronavirus yesterday and will start his reha- time next month with pandemic. bilitation programme in about two games played without Federation president Gabriele weeks, the German champions spectators, though an Gravina said the FIGC would “adopt said. exact date will likely be a resolution in the coming hours to The 27-year-old Brazilian, on decided next week at a postpone the end of the 2019/2020 loan from Barcelona for one season, government meeting. sports season to August 2”. could be back fit for the remain - Bayern are four Serie A’s 20 clubs on Tuesday der of the Bundesliga campaign, points clear at the top voted unanimously to complete which has been suspended since of the table and in the the league season, but the final mid-March due to the coronavirus hunt for a record-ex- decision will be down to the Italian outbreak. tending eighth straight government. He has so far failed to impress in league crown.

SUDOKU CROSSWORD Across Yesterday’s solution Yesterday’s solution 1- First-stringers; 6- Sneaker or loafer; 10- It’s a thought; 14- Monte ___; 15- Minute opening; 16- Timbuktu’s land; 17- One recording the past; 20- Ballpark fig.; 21- Drat!; 22- Type of pitch; 23- Caesar’s wings; 24- Afflict; 25- Comprehensible; 32- So far; 33- Sea-going eagle; 34- Part of UNLV; 35- Friends; 36- Type of ray; 38- Mines; 39- Id’s counterpart; 40- Diamond cover; 41- Wash; 42- Make lurid; 46- Jurist Fortas; 47- Not much; 48- Bahamanian island; 51- Minor, in law; 53- Court cry; 56- Make urban; 59- Oklahoma Native; 60- About; 61- Approaches; 62- Quartz grains; 63- Ollie’s partner; 64- Law of Moses; Down 1- Aspirin target; 2- Mai ___; 3- Formerly, formerly; 4- High-pitched; 5- Small satellite; 6- Steeples; 7- Knee-slapper; 8- Assns.; 9- Alway; 10- Chevy model; 11- Writer Roald; 12- Gen. Robert ___; 13- Melodies; 18- The back end of something; 19- Digression; 23- Citrus coolers; 24- Editor Wintour; 25- Grammarian’s concern; 26- Thermoplastic yarn; 27- Rhythm; 28- Human limb; 29- Vigorous attack; 30- Shop shaper; 31- “___ quam videri” (North Carolina’s motto); 32- Gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans; How to play 36- Fence opening; 37- Uris hero; 38- Discharged a debt; 40- Forbidden; 41- Brazenly Place a number in the empty boxes in such obvious; 43- Consecrated; 44- Country; 45- Busy; 48- Old Testament book; 49- a way that each row across, each column Second letter of the Greek alphabet; 50- Like ___ of bricks; 51- Harbor; 52- Socialite down and each 9-box square contains all Maxwell; 53- Yarn spinner; 54- Book before Nehemiah; 55- New Ager John; 57- Not of the numbers from one to nine. neg.; 58- Classical starter;