SPORT Page 7 SPOTLIGHT Nadal Casts Doubts Over His Participation in Olympics ‘In a Normal World I’Ll Never Think About Missing Olympics
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RRACINGACING | Page 3 NNBABA | Page 4 Medication History is might have made as caused Westbrook sets doping: Baff ert NBA record Wednesday, May 12, 2021 FOOTBALL Ramadan 30, 1442 AH Juve in danger as GULF TIMES doubt surrounds Pirlo, Ronaldo futures SPORT Page 7 SPOTLIGHT Nadal casts doubts over his participation in Olympics ‘In a normal world I’ll never think about missing Olympics. There’s no doubt about that’ Reuters by Alexander Zverev in last week’s Rome Madrid Open, opens his Rome Mas- ters campaign against local favourite Jannik Sinner today. GEARING UP afa Nadal has raised doubts “... Tomorrow is going to be a tough about his participation in start, one of the toughest possible this year’s Tokyo Olympics against Sinner,” Nadal said. Ramid the Covid-19 pandem- Osaka, Japan’s biggest sports ic, saying yesterday that he has to be star and a major gold-medal pros- fl exible and cannot give a clear an- pect, said “to be honest, I’m not re- swer until he organises his schedule ally sure”, when asked if the Olympics for the year. should take place as planned. Japan has extended a state of emer- “I’m an athlete, and of course my gency in Tokyo and three other areas immediate thought is that I want to until the end of May as the country play in the Olympics,” the four-time battles a surge in Covid-19 cases, Grand Slam winner told the BBC. raising new questions about whether “But as a human, I would say we’re the rescheduled July 23-Aug 8 Games in a pandemic, and if people aren’t should go ahead. healthy, and if they’re not feeling safe, Nadal, who won a singles gold in don’t know. Let’s see what’s going on then it’s defi nitely a really big cause Beijing 2008 and added a doubles ti- in the next couple of months. I need for concern.” tle in Rio de Janeiro eight years later to organise my schedule... In a nor- “It’s only natural that there are partnering Marc Lopez, said that he mal year, I know my schedule almost voices of disapproval. Can we re- is yet to fi rm up his plans on travelling 100% from Jan. 1 until the end of the ally hold a safe Olympics for everyone to Tokyo. season.” under these circumstances? I don’t “I don’t know yet. Honestly I can’t Japan’s top-ranked men’s and think we can say yes with confi dence give you a clear answer because I women’s players — Kei Nishikori and right now,” said Tomomi Tozawa, a don’t know. I don’t know my calen- Naomi Osaka — have raised concerns 100m T63 runner. dar,” Nadal told a news conference at about staging the Games amid the “But as an athlete, until we are told the Rome Masters. pandemic. it’s cancelled, we need to presume it’s “In a normal world I’ll never think “This year is a bit diff erent, no? We going ahead and prepare for that,” she about missing Olympics. There’s no need to be fl exible. We need to adapt said. doubt about that. Everybody knows about things that are happening,” Another para-athlete, Ikoma To- how important it has been for me to Nadal said. moki, said he had “a strong desire for Maya Nakanishi competes in the women’s long jump - T64 category during a para-athletics test event for the 2020 Tokyo always play in the Olympics. The 20-times Grand Slam cham- them to hold it, even given the cir- Olympics at the National Stadium in Tokyo yesterday. “Under these circumstances, I pion, who was beaten in straight sets cumstances”. BOTTOMLINE FOCUS Amir Cup football Djokovic powers past Fritz to fi nal postponed he Amir Cup fi nal sched- as long as they are vaccinated. uled for Friday has been The Amir Cup is a hugely postponed until further popular tournament and games reach 3rd round of Italian Open notice, the Qatar Foot- between Al Sadd and Al Rayyan Tball Association said yesterday. have always attracted a lot of Agencies Rome This decision comes after the fans. announcement of the gradual Accordingly the QFA will an- lifting of Covid-19 restrictions in nounce the new date of the game n a rainy Tuesday, the country, which includes al- shortly in co-ordination with Novak Djokovic man- lowing a limited number of fans relevant authorities, particularly aged to close out a to attend outdoor sports events the Ministry of Public Health. 6-3, 7-6(5) win over OTaylor Fritz in the second round of the Italian Open in Rome. All other matches scheduled after Muslim, Arab footballers express that were cancelled due to rain, support for Palestinians including Daniil Medvedev’s showdown with Aslan Karatsev. Nicosia: Arab and Muslim 50,000 times. Djokovic and Fritz’s most footballers have been expressing Moroccan Achraf Hakimi, who is recent encounter was a fi ve- support for Palestinians in recent with Italy’s Inter Milan, tweeted set battle in the third round of days, including on social media, a video of a woman apparently the Australian Open, but this amid clashes between Israeli arrested by Israel security forces time Djokovic came out sharp. security forces and protesters in appearing to argue with off icers The Serbian broke in Fritz’s Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. about the issue. fi rst service game, and made “The world needs peace and love. Former Mali and Tottenham for- 70 per cent of his fi rst serves in It will soon be Eid, let us all love ward Frederic Kanoute wrote on the opening set to comfortably one another #PrayForPalestine,” Twitter: “apartheid continues and close it out. Manchester United’s Paul Pogba Palestinians are being expelled The second set began in near- wrote on a photo on Instagram, from their homes while most ly identical fashion with Djoko- referring to the Eid al-Fitr holiday ‘leaders’ are complicit with their vic breaking in the fi rst game this week marking the end of the silence at best and their direct to establish early dominance. Muslim holy month of Ramadan. support at worst”. The World No 1 had to step his Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in Some former and current Egyptian Ahmed Hassan “Kouka”, level up to save two break points action during his second round athletes have posted messages currently playing for Greek side at 4-3, but then Fritz went for match against Taylor Fritz of of solidarity with Palestinians in Olympiakos, also posted a mes- broke on Djokovic’s next service the US in Rome yesterday. east Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah sage of support for Palestinians. game at 5-4 and was rewarded neighbourhood, where looming Other sympathisers from sport- for it by evening out the match. evictions of Palestinian families ing ranks have included Russian After already playing most of have fuelled angry demonstra- mixed martial arts champion the match in rainy conditions, Djokovic is 4-2 since winning where he is 56-9 with fi ve titles. er Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Agut booked his place in the tions. Khabib Nurmagomedov, French play was stopped at 5-5. his 17th major at the Australian He’ll next face either Cam- The world number 48 saved second round with a comforta- Algerian striker Riyad Mahrez, footballer Franck Ribery, German When they returned to the Open after a third-round exit in eron Norrie or Alejandro Davi- two set points in the second set ble 6-3, 6-4 win over American who plays for Manchester footballer Shkodran Mustafi, and court three hours later, both Monte-Carlo and a semi-fi nal dovich Fokina. as he dismissed the 2014 semi- Tommy Paul. City, tweeted a picture of the Egyptian former football star players held serve comfortably appearance in Belgrade. He im- Earlier, 16th seed Grigor Dim- fi nalist Dimitrov 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) Madison Keys won the bat- Palestinian flag with the hashtag Mohamed Aboutrika, currently a and Djokovic closed out the win proves to 4-0 in his ATP Head- itrov crashed out of the Italian to win in one hour and 43 min- tle of the Americans when she #SaveSheikhJarrah. The post commentator with beIN sports on his fi rst match point in the 2Head Series against Fritz as he Open when he was beaten in utes. overcame Sloane Stephens 4-6, has been retweeted more than channel in Qatar. tie-break. looks to defend his title in Rome straight sets by Spanish qualifi - Tenth seed Roberto Bautista 6-2, 7-5. Gulf Times 2 Wednesday, May 12, 2021 SPORT ATHLETICS SPOTLIGHT Australia basketball star drops Olympic Cheruiyot adjusts boycott threat AFP this one out”. Sydney Cambage, who has a Nigerian father and Australian mother, backtracked in a post on the same to the reality of a ustralian basketball star platform Tuesday, saying “I’m in Liz Cambage yester- baby, I’m in”. day withdrew a threat “I’m going to play with my sis- to boycott the Tokyo ters that I’ve been playing with AOlympics over “whitewashed” since I was a wee little thing and team photoshoots, but vowed to imma ball out for all those young remain outspoken on social jus- brown kids back in Australia tice issues. watching me,” she said. pandemic Games The 29-year-old, a two-time Cambage’s threat received a Olympian who is preparing for mixed response in Australia, with ‘When we go to races, we normally go there and train.