CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Monday, April 20, 2020 | 19 SPORTS

Gettin’ their kicks Digest

SOCCER mission by his neighbors to play Pele, Maradona join beyond 8 pm local time, but he con­ applause for ‘heroes’ tinued a disastrous record against third­ranked Price who has now Pele, Maradona and Ronaldo were beaten him in all five meetings. among 50 global soccer icons to pay Luke Woodhouse beat Ted Evetts tribute to workers combating the by the same scoreline in a more coronavirus pandemic in a video scrappy encounter. posted by FIFA on Saturday. The video, which lasts almost one­ TENNIS and­a­half minutes, shows the past and present stars applauding Serena’s coach sets up “humanity’s heroes” from their independent league respective homes. Serena Williams’ coach, Patrick “Across the globe, staff and volun­ Mouratoglou, teers at medical facilities have been says he is risking their lives on a daily basis to starting an support humankind,” world soccer’s independent governing body said in an accompa­ tennis league nying statement. to have profes­ “Some have, sadly, paid the ulti­ sionals play mate price. People working or vol­ matches with­ unteering in law enforcement, out spectators Patrick pharmacies, shops, warehouses, starting in Mouratoglou delivery services, public transport, May at his and safety and security have also academy in Nice, France. been playing a key role in protecting The ATP and WTA professional our way of life. To all of these heroic tours are suspended at least until people: football thanks you, football mid­July because of the coronavirus remembers you and football sup­ pandemic. ports you.” Mouratoglou announced his ven­ Others to participate in the video ture on Saturday, calling it the Ulti­ included David Beckham, Gianluigi mate Tennis Showdown or UTS. Buffon, Cafu, Fabio Cannavaro, Iker He says the plan is to livestream Yury Zhukovsky aims a kick at Artur Makovsky during an MMA Belarusian Fight Championship bout in Minsk, Belarus, last Friday, Casillas, Zinedine Zidane, Carli 10 matches per weekend for five despite most sports being canceled around the world due to COVID­19 pandemic. REUTERS Lloyd and Marta, among others. weekends in May and June. The competition is slated to start Mineiro revives bid May 16. That is when 10th­ranked for Luneng’s Guedes David Goffin of Belgium, a three­ BASKETBALL time Grand Slam quarterfinalist, is Atletico Mineiro has rekindled its scheduled to face 103rd­ranked interest in Shandong Luneng striker Alexei Popyrin of Australia, whose Roger Guedes as it seeks to reinforce father is the co­founder of the UTS. its attack for the Brazilian Serie A The next Grand Slam tournament season. on the calendar is supposed to be Bogut’s career in the balance The Belo Horizonte­based club the US Open, which is planning to made a failed bid to sign the begin main­draw competition on After 15 years in professional bas­ training a week and lifting 23­year­old in January but soccer Aug 31 in New York. ketball, Andrew Bogut is close to weights.” director Alexandre Mattos has not The French Open’s start was post­ making a decision on when to end Bogut has never been one to hold given up hope of striking a deal with poned from May until September, his career. The coronavirus pan­ back on his opinions. After his Syd­ the Chinese Super League team. while Wimbledon was canceled for demic and subsequent postpone­ ney Kings refused to fly across Aus­ “There is interest from Roger in the first time since 1945. ment of the 2020 Olympics in tralia to play the Perth Wildcats in returning to Brazil,” Mattos said in a Tokyo isn’t making it any easier. the fourth game of the five­game local television interview. “We are E­SPORTS The 35­year­old Bogut, a 2005 NBL finals because of the coronavi­ going to try to reach an agreement Sterling among players No 1 draft pick by Milwaukee and rus, a series the Kings trailed 2­1, that is within our means. winner of an NBA championship the NBL awarded the title to Perth. “But first we have to come to an for FIFA 20 tournament with the Golden State Warriors in Bogut said the players were “used agreement with Shandong Luneng Several English top­flight players 2015, was planning to retire after like pawns” in the process. and it has to be a permanent move,” have signed up to represent their playing for Australia at the Tokyo He’s also had some dust­ups with Mattos added, ruling out the clubs in the ePremier League Invita­ Games — originally schedule to players and officials on Twitter, prospect of a loan deal. tional tournament this week to gen­ start in three months’ time but including fellow Australian and Guedes had an impressive loan erate funds for Britain’s National now delayed until July 2021. WNBA star Liz Cambage. But this spell at Atletico in 2018 with nine Health Service (NHS) during the But Bogut, who has played for past week in virus­forced isolation, goals in 12 Brazilian Serie A match­ coronavirus pandemic. Sydney in Australia’s National Bas­ he was more concerned with the es. He scored 13 times in 26 appear­ The inaugural edition of the ketball League the past two sea­ Andrew Bogut of Australia rises to the basket during the Boomers’ location of his television remote. ances last year for Luneng, with knockout tournament will see play­ sons, isn’t sure he can take the FIBA World Cup third­place playoff defeat to France in Beijing on Could he be mellowing close to a whom he is contracted until July ers test their FIFA 20 skills against training and discipline needed to Sept 15 last year. AP potential retirement? 2022. each other between April 20­25 from go another year. “OK, a TV remote has been lost. I the comfort of their homes. “I’m not doing much, I can tell have a 2 year old and 3 year old. DARTS Among the players who have con­ you that,” Bogut told the Australian mid­May.” Bogut, who played a key Bogut hopes Simmons is in the Turned whole kitchen and lounge Price right at home firmed their participation are Man­ Broadcasting Corporation’s Offsid­ role in Australia’s fourth­place fin­ squad, but whether Bogut is there room upside down. Any guesses to with kitchen victory chester City’s Raheem Sterling, ers program, aired on Sunday. “To ish at last year’s World Cup in Chi­ to partake in the experience is still where else these hoodlums could of Liverpool’s Trent Alexander­Arnold, be able to kiss your kids good night na, has been on the Australian up in the air. ‘placed’ the remote,” he first Gerwyn Price made light work of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Diogo and put them down every night ... team’s roster since the 2004 Athens “We’ve been tantalizingly close tweeted. Rowby­John Rodriguez in his open­ Jota and Crystal Palace’s Wilfried I’ve appreciated doing that.” Olympics. and the squad we’re going to have is Later there was good news as ing match on the second night of the Zaha. Bogut has two boys, Luka, 3, and The Melbourne­born Bogut was arguably going to be the best squad Bogut took to Twitter again: “Wow. PDC Home Tour. “The thoughts of everyone at the Nikola, 2, with his wife Jessica. named The Associated Press col­ in the history of the Boomers, on So older brother hid from little Welshman Price was in his kitch­ Premier League are with all those “I haven’t done any basketball lege basketball player of the year in paper at least,” Bogut told the ABC brother so he couldn’t change en in a hastily arranged setup for the directly affected by COVID­19,” Pre­ since the season ended and it feels 2005 while playing for Utah, just program. “To be part of that, self­ channel. Best hiding place: Behind tournament, where players are com­ mier League chief executive Richard good waking up, getting out of bed before being chosen No 1 in the ishly, is something I really want to drapes, on window sill in bedroom peting in their own homes and Masters said in a statement. and not feeling like I’m walking on NBA draft by the Bucks. do, but the body is what it comes near lounge room. Black remote streaming the video. “The league, our clubs and players glass,” Bogut said. “It’s (my career) The World Cup fourth­place fin­ down to. upside down, black window sill! 1.5 He averaged 97 in defeating Aus­ are providing valuable support for all been thrown into a washing ish for Australia came without NBA “I can get up for a basketball hours!” tria’s Rodriguez 5­2. communities and the NHS.” machine essentially ... but there’s a All­Star Ben Simmons, who could game any day of the week, but it’s Rodriguez was back at home in decision to be made probably by play for Australia at Tokyo in 2021. hard to get up for five, six days of AP VIA XINHUA Vienna and says he was given per­ XINHUA — AGENCIES