BRIEF NEWS Lisicki's latest comeback ends because of ligament tear
Pulisic to miss US exhibitions vs Wales, Panama
American star Christian Pulisic will miss U.S. exhibitions at Wales on Thursday and against Panama in Austria next week. The 22-year-old midfielder and forward from Hershey, Pennsylvania, has not played a match for Chelsea since Oct. 28. He injured a hamstring on Oct. 31 during warmups before Burnley. U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said Wednesday that Pulisic did on-field work during training this week but was not fit to play in a match. Pulisic hurt a hamstring after scoring against Arsenal in the FA Cup final on Aug. 1 and returned to action Oct. 3.
Former Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki ended her latest comeback attempt Wednesday because of a severe knee injury. The German player has struggled with injuries in recent years and was trying to rebuild her form when she tore an anterior cruciate ligament on Monday during a doubles match in Linz, Austria. "I already had surgery (and) got all fixed up by the best doctors. It's going to be a long (and) very tough road back but I'm lucky to be surrounded by the best medical team!" Lisicki wrote on Instagram. Lisicki lost in qualifying for the singles event in Linz. She was coming off her best run since 2018 after winning three matches in a row at the Prague Open, and also played in the World TeamTennis series in the United States in July. Lisicki lost to Marion Bartoli in the 2013 Wimbledon final and had a career-high ranking of 12th in the world in 2012. Her current ranking is 690th, reflecting her relatively few tournament appearances over the last two years.
Belgium calls up goalkeeper Coucke for international games
Belgium called up goalkeeper Gaetan Coucke on Wednesday for a series of international matches as a replacement for Thomas Kaminski, who was ruled out after testing positive for COVID-19. Kaminski left the national squad ahead of Wednesday's friendly game against Switzerland. Belgium will then play England and Denmark in the Nations League. The 22-year-old Coucke plays in the Belgian league for KV Mechelen. He will be No. 4 in the goalkeepers' hierarchy behind Thibaut Courtois, Simon Mignolet and Koen Casteels. Kaminski had been called up this week by Belgium coach Roberto Martinez as a late replacement for Hendrik Van Crombrugge. Kaminski was the second Belgium international ruled out of the Switzerland game because of the coronavirus after Eden Hazard, who has been quarantined in Spain.
Rome picked to host track's European Championships in 2024
Rome was picked on Tuesday to host track and field's European Championships in 2024. The European Athletics governing body said it chose Rome's Stadio Olimpico over a rival bid from Katowice, Poland. No dates were confirmed for the championships which are likely to be scheduled after the 2024 Paris Olympics close on Aug. 11. The 2020 European Championships were due to be held in Paris from Aug. 26-30, three weeks after track and field events at the Tokyo Olympics.