TUESDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2019 SPORT 07 I am playing tennis because I US Open champion love to play tennis. I can’t just FOOTBALL think about Grand Slams. Rafael Nadal says after FOOTBALL European Championship Tennis is more than Grand securing his 19th Grand European Championship Qualifying, Group B: Slams. Slam title. Qualifying, Group A: ACTION Lithuania vs Portugal England vs Kosovo TODAY’S Legend Yao takes the blame for China’s setbacks AFP in need of an overhaul, raising popularity in China and raised Chinese basketball icon Yao BEIJING hopes of a resurgence in China’s expectations of a strong run at Ming watches the Basketball most popular sport. their home World Cup. Basketball legend Yao Ming said But the hosts failed to qualify “It is me who disappointed World Cup Group A game he blamed himself for host It is me who for the last 16 after losing to the fans,” NBA Hall-of-Famer between Venezuela and China nation China’s poor perform- disappointed the Poland and Venezuela before the Yao said after the game. in Beijing on Wednesday. ances at the Basketball World fans. The fans had Sunday’s reverse against the “The fans had great expec- Cup after their latest chastening great expectation for Africans in Guangzhou. tation for China at the World defeat on Sunday. Asked in a press conference Cup, but we could not make it.” Sunday’s 86-73 loss to China at the World after the Nigeria game who took “(The World Cup) is a Nigeria in the classification Cup, but we could not responsibility for China’s poor window for us to look out the round for teams outside the top make it: Yao Ming performance, a grim-faced Yao world. The gap between China 16 means China have failed to responded “Me”, before walking and the world-leading basketball qualify for the Tokyo Olympics away. countries has been enlarged.” directly from the World Cup, just became president of the Chinese Former Houston Rockets All- Holders the United States are days after the shock of crashing Basketball Association in 2017 Star Yao led China to some of through to the quarter-finals out at the group stage. pledging to reform a state devel- their best results in global com- after beating Greece in Shenzhen The popular former NBA star opment system he said was badly petitions, fuelled basketball’s on Saturday. Basketball World Cup Age-defying Scola propels Greece demand bans Argentina towards glory AFP Venezuela in the second round. medal, although Serbia will SHANGHAI Speaking in an unmis- present a mighty challenge takably American accent, a despite losing to Spain on for referees after exit Luis Scola is 39, his hair has product of spending a decade Sunday. That same day, Scola more than a few streaks of grey in the NBA up until 2017, Scola shared the court with the and at the Basketball World added: “I understand eve- youngest player in the tour- AFP Cup in China he has shared the rybody talking about my age, nament, Poland’s 18-year-old SHENZHEN court with rivals half his age. but my brain does not function Aleksander “Olek” But Argentina’s evergreen that way. Balcerowski. Greece are calling for the offi- captain is playing a big part in “I am not going to the court Scola had said that what cials who oversaw their final the country’s bid to win the and thinking, oh my god, I’m happens at the World Cup will game at the Basketball World world crown for the first time older than these guys, or, oh my dictate if he would carry on for Cup to be banned after NBA MVP since the first edition in 1950. god, these guys are five, 10, 15 the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Giannis Antetokounmpo and his He was named player of the years younger than me. Doing so would have a nice team exited the tournament game in Sunday’s 91-65 victory “To me, it’s natural.” symmetry because he is the amid rancour yesterday. over Poland, drilling 21 points However much he tries to only remaining member of the Greece’s coach said that star to propel Argentina into a avoid it, talk about his age and Argentina team that stunned man Antetokounmpo had been quarter-final showdown with how much longer he can plod the USA on the way to Olympic the victim of a lack of “respect” title-contenders Serbia today. on for is never far away. gold at Athens 2004. after being fouled out in the The forward was also Scola, who spent the last He was also in the team 84-77 victory over the Czech named best player against two seasons in Chinese bas- which won silver at the 2002 Republic. Nigeria for registering a ketball, is featuring in a record- World Cup. The Milwaukee Bucks double-double, scoring 23 equalling fifth World Cup. Asked what it was like to standout picked up a ques- points and 10 rebounds. Last week he reached now be the grandfather of a tionable, fifth foul midway Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (centre) goes to the basket The last member of Argen- another milestone when his team whose average age is 27, through the fourth quarter and during the Basketball World Cup match against Czech Republic tina’s so-called “Golden Gen- heroics against Nigeria moved younger than most other even though Greece won, it was in Shenzhen, yesterday. eration” who won the Olympics him up to second on the FIBA rosters at the World Cup, Scola not by the margin of 12 or more in 2004, Scola has won every World Cup all-time scoring list, replied: “This is not like a tour points that they needed. They reached the magic at the World Cup in China. FIBA major trophy in international trailing only the legendary Bra- or a goodbye week. A team spokesman con- 12-point lead, only for the Czechs on Sunday removed from the basketball, except the World zilian Oscar Schmidt. “This is a world champi- firmed that the Greeks were to immediately hit back to competition blundering match Cup. If that was a proud onship and we are trying to go writing to governing body FIBA narrow the deficit once more, officials who made an error in the “What age are you talking moment, there is the growing all the way to the medals. seeking a ban for the three ref- then came the loss of the dying seconds of Lithuania’s tour- about, I’m 28, right?” he joked prospect that Argentina could “We don’t do maths with erees in charge. 24-year-old Antetokounmpo. nament-ending loss to France, but after Argentina swatted aside be in for a shout of at least a the ages.” “Also (a ban) for those who He was seen remonstrating the result was allowed to stand. nominate the referees and also with the officials after Greece’s The crucial mistake occurred watch the video and announce fate was sealed, but overall, the with the French leading just The last member of Argentina’s Luis Scola the results,” the spokesman said reigning MVP was not on the top 76-75 at the time. Argentina’s so-called celebrates after victory over in a text message. of his game at the World Cup. The Czechs now need a USA ‘Golden Generation’ who Russia in Wuhan on Thursday. Greece, chasing the big win Antetokounmpo had 12 victory over Brazil later Monday won the Olympics in 2004, they needed to reach the points, nine rebounds and four to reach the quarter-finals. Scola has won every major quarter-finals, were up by 10 assists before his afternoon -- Skourtopoulos made the sur- points with just over eight and Greece’s tournament -- prising admission that he and his trophy in international minutes left. came to an early end. coaching team had failed to get basketball, except the “He came every day to fight the most out of the so-called World Cup. Greece are calling on the court, of course he did not “Greek Freak”. for the officials who get the respect he wants and I “It’s the first time we had him oversaw their final mean about the two fouls he with us with this status of MVP, game at the Basketball received today, the third and the in these 25 days we tried to do World Cup to be banned fifth,” said Greece coach Tha- the best we can... I can say after NBA MVP Giannis nasis Skourtopoulos. maybe we did not make the “You cannot call these kinds correct options. Antetokounmpo and of fouls on this kind of player. “We worked very hard to his team exited the “That’s finished because I support him.” He added: “I am tournament amid don’t like to talk about the ref- sorry because we disappointed rancour. erees too much.” It is not the first a lot of fans in Greece and fans controversy involving referees who supported us here.” Rugby: US opt for extra forward in World Cup squad REUTERS “We think that the They play their opening youngest to ever play in a US SQUAD NEW YORK attrition for this rugby match against one of the World Cup. The US have World Cup, especially our tournament favourites played in all but one World David Ainu’u, Malon Al-Jiboori, Nate The United States have pool, is going to take it out England in Kobe on Sep- Cup since the event’s Brakeley, Nick Civetta, Cam Dolan, opted to select an extra of our forwards, so we’ve tember 26.