Osaka gets a day off Another Czech bounced out

Naomi Osaka’s opening match in the Olympic tennis tournament has been pushed back until tomorrow. Organisers did not provide a reason for the switch. They said only that the move came from the tournament referee. Osaka was scheduled to play 52nd-ranked Zheng Saisai of China in the very first contest of the Games on centre court today. One reason for the move could be that Osaka was expected to have a role in the opening ceremony last night. That wouldn’t leave her much time to rest before a morning match today. Osaka is returning to competition for the first time in nearly two months after she withdrew from the French Open following the first round to take a mental health break.

Road cyclist Michal Schlegel is the fourth Czech athlete from three different sports to test positive for Covid-19 before their competition at the Olympics. Games organisers reported 25 new Covid-19 cases yesterday. Three of them are athletes. There are 13 athletes among the 110 Olympic-accredited people that have tested positive in Japan since July 1.