Established 1961 Sport MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020 Beaumont says virus could Sprinter Betty Cuthbert, ‘We have no coronavirus’: Turkmenistan 18spark rugby calendar reform 18 Australia’s ‘Golden Girl’ 19 football season restarts with crowds Tennis ‘big three’ to help lower-ranked players (From left) Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. PARIS: Novak Djokovic said on Saturday that he, cially to 700...are thinking of leaving tennis right “These guys are the grass roots of tennis. The future On Friday, ATP chief Andrea Gaudenzi echoed the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are organising aid now.” He said players, the ATP and the four Grand of tennis. We need to show them they still can rely on call for unity on the tour website. “Our guys are at for players struggling with the paralysis of the game Slams “would all get together and will contribute to support of the top guys.” home, obviously unable to play, unable to earn money due to the coronavirus pandemic. “I spoke to Roger a player relief fund that ATP will distribute.” According to reports in tennis media, Djokovic, as and financially struggling, so we will try to help,” he and Rafa a few days ago,” Djokovic, the world num- “It looks, hopefully, that president of the ATP Players’ said, adding that the ATP faced the problem of not ber one, said in an Instagram chat with friend and rival there will something between Council, which also includes knowing how long the crisis would last and how much Stan Wawrinka on Saturday. $3 million (2.75 million euros) Federer and Nadal, proposed revenue it would lose. “We had a long conversation about the near future and $4.5 million that is going to Our guys to members that players in the “I’ve been quite touched by the top players who of tennis, what is going to happen, how we can con- be distributed,” he estimated. top 100 for singles and the top reached out, the big names expressing their desire of tribute and how we can help especially lower-ranked Djokovic said the cash could are at home 20 in doubles contribute ac- helping the lower-ranked players and putting those players, who are obviously struggling the most.” come from the prize money for cording to their rankings. players first.” “We are also talking with the Grand “The majority of the players who are ranked be- the season-ending World Tour The proposed scale runs Slams about it. They may want to join in the effort. I tween 200, 250 in the world, and the 700th or Finals or the final bonus pools from $30,000 for a top-five think it would be a great message for the sport.” 1,000th do not have federation support, do not have for top players. player to $5,000 for those World tennis has been at a standstill since the be- sponsors. They are completely independent and left “Maybe if we don’t have any tournaments this sea- between 51 and 100. That would raise approxi- ginning of March and will not resume until mid-July alone,” he said son, we can take a certain percentage from our prize mately $1 million and the ATP would make a similar at the earliest following the postponement of Roland “Guys who are ranked between 200-250, espe- money form Australian Open in January,” he said. contribution. Garros and the cancellation of Wimbledon. —AFP months,” said Zall, who finished sixth last year in the Wuhan football top-flight CSL. “The club is very grateful for the sup- port and understanding of the players’ families.” The squad’s return home is the final chapter in a team make long saga. They began training for the new Chinese Super emotional return League season, since postponed indefinitely, in early January in the southern city of Guangzhou. They flew to Malaga, Spain towards the end of SHANGHAI: Wuhan Zall, the Chinese Super League January, by which time the city of Wuhan and its 11 team from the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, million people were under harsh restrictions because made an emotional return to the city after more than of the coronavirus outbreak. three months torn from their families. “They are not walking viruses, they are athletes,” Zall endured a turbulent 104 days on the road, in- Gonzalez told Spanish media at the time, pleading for cluding being stranded in Spain, because Wuhan was his players not to be demonised. sealed off in January when the virus killed and in- But when the virus began taking hold in Spain in fected thousands there. March, Zall made arrangements to fly back to China, The city is now emerging from its weeks-long where the number of infections was slowing lockdown and hundreds of chanting fans met the Zall markedly. players when they arrived at Wuhan’s train station Wuhan was still sealed off so the squad, via a pro- late Saturday, state media said. longed transit in Germany, flew to China’s southern Wearing masks, the players had bouquets of flow- city of Shenzhen on March 16. ers thrust into their hands while supporters clad in the They went into three weeks of quarantine, fol- team’s orange colours held banners and sang. lowed by training in the nearby city of Foshan, before “After more than three months of wandering, the taking a high-speed train from Guangzhou to Wuhan homesick Wuhan Zall team members finally set foot on Saturday evening. in their hometown,” the team said on the Twitter-like Zall are preparing for a season that still has no start Weibo. date. The CSL was supposed to begin on February 22 The squad, led by their Spanish coach Jose Gon- but could now kick off in late June, according to latest zalez, will now spend a few days at home before re- reports. China’s government says it has curbed coro- suming training on Wednesday. navirus at home but on Friday admitted errors in tal- “The local players will be reunited with their fam- lying the death toll in Wuhan and raised the grim ilies, having not seen them for more than three count there by 50 percent to 3,869. — AFP Wuhan Zall team members seen exercising in Spain..