Increased rankings protection for tennis moms
LONDON: The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) will offer greater protection to the rankings of mothers returning to the tour after giving birth, British media reported on Thursday.
Players returning from maternity leave or injury will now be able to use their previous ranking to enter 12 tournaments over a three-year period.
However, Serena Williams’ request for returning mothers to be seeded in line with their rankings has not been approved.
The BBC reported that the WTA had also clarified its regulations around clothing to ensure Williams can continue wearing the black catsuit which had attracted the ire of the French Tennisfederationpresidentbernard Giudicelli.
FOUR CITIES IN RACE TO HOST ATP FINALS
MANCHESTER:LONDON’S bid to continue hosting the season-ending ATP Finals beyond 2020 will face competition from four other cities, the governing body of men’s tennis said on Friday.
The ATP said that Manchester, Singapore, Tokyo and Turin were also being assessed along with London in the final phase of the bidding process for the 2021 to 2025 tournaments.
The O2 Arena has hosted the event to packed crowds since 2009 but the ATP announced in August that it was inviting bids from other potential hosts.
“It has been a highly competitive process and the candidate cities on the shortlist deserve huge credit for the passion and creative vision they have shown,” ATP chief Chris Kermode said in a statement.
GATLIN EYES 100M GOLD AT DOHA WORLDS
NEWYORK: The clock is ticking on Justin Gatlin and not just the stopwatch. The world champion will be 37 years old when he defends his 100 metres title in the world championships in Doha next September.
Yet there is a renewed sense of confidence from the American that he will be on the 100m podium for a fourth consecutive and a fifth time in his career. “I think I am the man when it comes to the moment,” Gatlin, who won 100m world titles in 2005 and 2017, said. “So when the moment arrives, I think if I am prepared for it, I would bet on myself.”
HARDEN STARS AS ROCKETS BEAT LAKERS
LOSANGELES:JAMES Harden’s monster 50-point triple-double powered the Houston Rockets to a 126111 NBA victory over Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
Harden, the reigning NBA Most Valuable player, added 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his second triple-double of the season and his second 50-point game of what has been a frustrating campaign for the Rockets so far.
Chris Paul added 14 points and nine assists, Clint Capela chipped in 16 points and 14 rebounds and Danuel House added 15 points off the bench for the Rockets.
James led the Lakers with 29 points and Kyle Kuzma added 24, but the Lakers saw a two-game winning streak end.
KOREAS TO MEET IOC IN FEBRUARY ON JOINT BID
SEOUL:THE two Koreas on Friday agreed to hold talks with the International Olympic Committee on their joint bid for the 2032 Summer Games in February, Seoul said, as a rapid diplomatic thaw takes hold on the peninsula.
North and South Korean officials will meet with the IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland on February 15 to discuss the prospects of co-hosting the 2032 Olympics, according to a joint statement following a cross-border meeting on Friday.