SPORTS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2016

Federer launches injury comeback at Hopman Cup

PERTH: makes his long-awaited “I’m really positive about how I’m feeling right something that I haven’t fully got my head around or return to tennis after six months out with a knee now, and practice is going well,” said Federer, who got used to, but what can I do?” Kyrgios said. injury in today’s mixed teams Hopman Cup in Perth was watched by 5,000 fans at a practice session in “As far as how I’ll deal with it, I’ll just keep my head ahead of next month’s . Perth on Thursday. down and go about my business as I have done the The Swiss 17-time champion has not “Expectations are low because I don’t have the past few Aussie summers.” played a match since July when he tumbled during matches yet and it’s going to be best-of-five from the Dual Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova had the final set of a loss to in the semi-finals get-go at the Australian Open. pulled out of the Hopman Cup before she was knifed at Wimbledon. “I’m happy I’ve got the Hopman Cup and I’ve got by a home intruder this month and required surgery Federer, 35, had surgery for the first time in his my three matches there to ease my way in.” on her racquet hand. career on his left knee in February and after the also makes his return in the Hopman Kvitova will be out for six months and has been Wimbledon set-back he did not finish the season, Cup, but from a playing ban, after his spectacular replaced in Perth by three-time doubles Grand Slam missing out on the US Open and Rio Olympics. meltdown at the Shanghai Masters in October result- champion Lucie Hradecka, who partners with Adam During his time out of the game and ed in an initial eight-week suspension. Pavlasek in the Czech team. fought out the world No.1 ranking A condition of the ATP reducing the ban to three , who teams up with Andrea and his Swiss compatriot won the US weeks meant the controversial 21-year-old had to Petkovic for Germany, says he is looking forward to Open. consult a sports psychologist to prepare him for the his matches against Federer and Frenchman Richard Federer makes his return with his world ranking new season. Gasquet in his pool. down to 16, his lowest since 2001. The Swiss legend, Kyrgios, who will partner with Daria Gavrilova in “It’s been a great event to start the year off. It who will partner with , said he was the Australian team, said he was now focusing on gives you a big advantage playing a few matches looking to ease his way back before the start of the better managing his schedule and time. here,” said Zverev, whose ranking has soared from 83 Australian Open in on January 16. “The added media interest is never easy and it’s at the start of the year to a current 24. — AFP Nadal to kick-start 2017 in Brisbane

BRISBANE: Spanish great insists he can still challenge for a to be 100 per cent ready to play at a will be hoping the season-opening Grand Slam title. good level,” he said. Brisbane International gives him the “My idea is to stay here for a few “I feel I’m healthy enough, and I’m chance to kick-start his career following more years and I feel enough motiva- very excited to be coming to Brisbane an injury-plagued 2016. tion to be here,” Nadal said after beat- for the first time in my life. I’m working The 30-year-old has won 14 Grand ing Tomas Berdych of the Czech hard enough to be competitive. That’s Slam singles titles in a glittering Republic 6-0, 6-4 at the Mubadala my main thing, to be competitive. AUCKLAND: United States’ , center, is career, the last coming at the French World Tennis Championship exhibition “I need a little luck at the beginning escorted to a car on her arrival at Auckland Airport in Open in 2014. tournament in Abu Dhabi. and to play matches, because I haven’t New Zealand, yesterday. Williams is in New Zealand for But his 2016 campaign was ruined by “I believe that I can compete for played much for the last four months.” the ASB Classic tennis tournament which starts on a wrist injury that forced him out of important things in the next three Nadal will be the fifth seed in Monday. —AP Roland Garros after the second round years.” Brisbane, behind world number three and saw him miss Wimbledon. Nadal will be making his first appear- and defending champion Milos Raonic gets He then lost to Frenchman Lucas ance at the Brisbane International, a of Canada, Switzerland’s three-time Pouille in the fourth round of the US major lead-up tournament to the Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka, Open and slipped to number nine in Australian Open, and one that boasts a Japan’s and rising Austrian engaged to Reddit the world rankings at year end. But high-class field. star . the Spaniard says he is fit again and “I’m ready to play in Brisbane-I hope The top eight seeds are rounded out co-founder Ohanian by Nadal’s fellow Spaniard , and French duo Pouille and . NEW YORK: World number two tennis player Serena Williams The women’s draw is headed by has become engaged to Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of the Germany’s , who won social media company Reddit. the Australian and US Opens in 2016 and “Down on 1 knee. He said four words. And/r/isaidyes,” the finished runner-up at Wimbledon on her 35-year-old American said on the social media site on way to taking over from Serena Williams Thursday. “I came home. A little late. Someone had a bag as world number one. packed for me. And a carriage awaited. Destination: Rome ... Kerber began her 2016 season in back to where our stars first collided.” The New York-born Brisbane where she reached the final, Ohanian, 33, confirmed the news on his Facebook page, writ- going down to . “It is ing: “She said yes”. the best way to start the summer of ten- Williams is the best player of her generation. She has won nis in Australia,” Kerber said. 22 grand slam singles titles, the same as German Steffi Graf “For me, Brisbane kick-started the and trailing only Australian Margaret Court (24). best season of my career this year. “You Meanwhile, the newly-engaged Serena Williams touched have to play tournaments that will pre- down in Auckland yesterday and quickly made her way to the pare you for the big moments, which for court to hit some balls ahead of the start of her 2017 season. me, was winning the Australian Open Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of the social media company and going on to be the number one Reddit, who accompanied her to New Zealand for the ASB player in the world.” Classic which starts on Thursday. Dominika Cibulkova is seeded second American Williams, 35, is top seed for the tournament, a and will head into the tournament full of warm-up event for the Australian Open grand slam later in confidence after beating Kerber to win January, and she was whisked through a crowded airport, the WTA Finals in Singapore in late telling reporters she was excited to be in New Zealand for the October, the biggest win of the first time. “It’s fun to go to new places,” the world number Slovakian’s career. two said. Serena’s older sister Venus is also competing in BRISBANE: This file photo taken on January 26, 2014 shows Spain’s Rafael The Czech Republic’s Karolina Auckland, an event she won in 2015, and said she was Nadal playing a shot against Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka during the Pliskova is third seed while Spain’s 2016 delighted to hear about her sibling’s engagement. men’s singles final at the 2014 Australian Open tennis tournament in French Open champion Garbine Serena said it was unlikely the duo, who have won 14 Melbourne. Spanish great Nadal will be hoping the season-opening Brisbane Muguruza is fourth. The tournament grand slam doubles titles together, would team up to play International gives him the chance to kick-start his career following an injury- begins at the Queensland Tennis Centre in New Zealand. “Probably not. I wish, we will see,” Serena plagued 2016. — AFP on New Year’s Day. — AFP said. — Agencies