Sabalenka raises voice against negligence on players’ protection!
World number one Aryna Sabalenka terms the tennis authorities ‘selfish’ by trying to follow their interest only, rather than caring about the players’ interest, considering the calendar. Players have been raising concerns about the schedule in recent months, saying it is too long and intense. Leading players on the women’s tour are expected to play at least 20 mandatory events – four Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1000s, and six 500s. Belarusian Sabalenka said she would skip some events this year to protect her body. “The season is definitely impractical, and you see so many players getting injured,” Sabalenka said after her 6-3, 6-3 victory over Sorana Cirstea at the Brisbane International. She added, “The balls are quite heavy, so it’s a lot of struggle for all of us.” Sabalenka and world number two Iga Swiatek were deducted ranking points for not playing enough WTA 500 events last season. “I am skipping a couple of events to protect my body because I struggled a lot last season,” the 27-year-old tennis star revealed. Sabalenka divulged that despite having participated in a few tournaments and being consistent in terms of performance, she was forced to play with sickness and exhaustion. The WTA Tour has said player welfare will ‘always remain a top priority’. Four-time major singles winner Sabalenka says she is ‘definitely not at her peak’ as she builds up to the Australian Open, where she is targeting a third title in four years. Sabalenka lost to Madison Keys in last year’s Melbourne final.
‘King Kev’ diagnosed with cancer!
Former England forward and manager Kevin Keegan has been diagnosed with cancer, as revealed by his old club Newcastle United on Wednesday. “Kevin Keegan was recently admitted to the hospital for further evaluation of ongoing abdominal symptoms. These investigations revealed a cancer diagnosis, and Kevin will undergo treatment,” the Premier League side, where Keegan both played and managed, said in a statement. Keegan, 74, enjoyed a stellar playing career with trophy-laden spells at Liverpool and Hamburg. As a manager, he narrowly missed out on the Premier League title with Newcastle before a challenging time in charge of England. As a player, he won three First Division titles at Liverpool as well as a European Cup, two UEFA Cups, and an FA Cup. He then moved to Germany and won the Bundesliga with Hamburg and was twice crowned European Footballer of the Year, before returning to England with Southampton and then Newcastle. Nicknamed “King Kev”, Keegan scored 204 goals in 592 league appearances during his club career. He earned 63 caps for England, netting 21 goals, and captained the national side on 31 occasions. As a manager, he had two spells in charge at Newcastle and finished Premier League runner-up in 1995-96 to Manchester United, having led the table for much of the campaign. He succeeded Glenn Hoddle as England manager in 1999 but could not lead it beyond the group stage at Euro 2000 and left the job later that year after losing to Germany in the final game ever played at the old Wembley Stadium.
Eyeing the T-20 World Cup, Tilak set to be rested for two T-20Is against the Kiwis after surgery
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not want Tilak Varma to participate in the T20 series from the beginning against New Zealand after Varma had to undergo emergency surgery in Rajkot. Varma, who is already in the Indian squad for the forthcoming T-20 international series, was diagnosed with testicular torsion. According to a new development, Tilak may miss the first half of the T20I series, which means the first two T20 Internationals. Still, the BCCI and its medical team, before including him in the squad for the last three matches of the five-match series, will assess his recovery progress. Tilak underwent a minor procedure at a private hospital in Rajkot after experiencing pain in the groin region while representing Hyderabad in the Vijay Hazare Trophy group stage. The initial reports of testicular torsion had raised doubts around both his immediate international commitments and his participation in the T20 World Cup beginning on 7th February. However, the latest update suggests the situation is far less difficult than first feared, providing major relief to the Indian camp. With nearly a month to go before the World Cup, Tilak is now on track to be fully fit in time for the marquee tournament. Tilak has been one of India’s most dependable T20 batters over the past year and was earmarked as the team’s designated No. 3 for the home World Cup. Even at the domestic level, he has continued his purple patch, scoring his sixth List A century in Hyderabad’s Group B clash earlier this week and finishing his short Vijay Hazare campaign with 143 runs from two innings at an average of 71.50. With Tilak missing at least the first two matches, the door opens for Ishan Kishan to slot in at No.3. Suryakumar Yadav, who is in awful form, can be a perfect number three, while adding Rinku Singh would be easier now.
Husband of Olympian shooter Anjum Moudgil, Ankush, accused of sexual assault!
Husband of two-time Olympian pistol shooter, Anjum Moudgil, Ankush Bharadwaj, has been accused of sexual assault of a 17-year-old female shooter at a Faridabad hotel. Ankush is also a pistol shooting national coach. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has already suspended him. The female shooter alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Bharadwaj at a hotel in Surajkund, Faridabad. He was booked by the Haryana Police following an FIR lodged by the victim’s family. According to the FIR, the incident took place at a Faridabad hotel where Ankush summoned the female athlete for a discussion about her performance. Under the observation of the coach, the female athlete was one of the shooters who attended the national preparatory camp during the shooting nationals at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi. Bharadwaj hails from Ambala and started his shooting journey from an NCC (National Cadet Corps) camp in 2005. He went to the Jaspal Rana Institute of Shooting and Sports in Dehradun in order to hone his skills and was coached by Jaspal’s younger brother, Subhash Rana. He won three gold medals at the All-India GV Mavalankar Shooting competition, held in Agra in 2007. He went on to win the 50m pistol gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune in 2008. He kept winning medals at the international stage before he was banned by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for testing positive for a beta-blocker in 2010. He made his comeback in 2012 and helped India win gold in the 25m centre-fire pistol team event in the International Shooting Competition of Hannover in 2016. Bharadwaj is currently a national pistol coach, and he also runs the Salvo Shooting Range in Mohali. He provides private coaching to selected shooters. According to the victim’s family, this was not the first time Ankush has been accused of sexual assault.
