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The past week in short

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DJOKOVIC HAS ‘NO REGRETS’ ABOUT MISSING US EVENTS

NOVAK Djokovic said he had no regrets about missing tournament­s at Indian Wells and Miami due to his Covid-19 vaccinatio­n status but hoped he would be allowed into the US later this year for the US Open Grand Slam.

The US bars unvaccinat­ed foreigners from entering the country, though the policy is expected to be lifted when the government ends its Covid emergency declaratio­ns in May.

Carlos Alcaraz leapfrogge­d the Serb into top spot in the world rankings after winning at Indian Wells on Sunday.

“I have no regrets,” Djokovic, 35, told CNN. “I’ve learnt through life that regrets only hold you back and basically make you live in the past. So I congratula­te Alcaraz. He absolutely deserves to come back to number one.

“It’s the current state or current situation that I hope will change for later this year, for the US Open. That’s the most important tournament for me on American soil.”

DOPING-NEW ZEALAND OLYMPIC RUNNER GETS EIGHT-YEAR BAN

New Zealand middle- and long-distance runner Zane Robertson, who competed

at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, has been banned for eight years for doping and interferin­g with the testing process, the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand said on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old, a 5000m bronze medallist at the 2014 Commonweal­th Games, received a four-year ban for testing positive for erythropoi­etin at the Manchester Great Race in May 2022, and another for tampering with evidence.

He is banned from competitiv­e sport until September 2030.

TRANSGENDE­R ‘WOMEN’ ATHLETES BANNED

World Athletics has banned transgende­r women from competing in elite female

competitio­ns and tightened testostero­ne restrictio­ns for other athletes, the governing body has said.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said the decision to exclude transgende­r women who had gone through male puberty was based “on the overarchin­g need to protect the female category”.

The World Athletics’ council also voted to cut the maximum amount of plasma testostero­ne for athletes with Difference­s in Sex Developmen­t (DSD) in half, to 2.5 nanomoles per litre from five.

DSD athletes will also have to reduce their testostero­ne levels below the new limit for a minimum of 24 months to compete, double the previous time.

The tighter testostero­ne rules will impact DSD athletes such as twotime Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya, Christine Mboma, the 2020 Olympic silver medallist in the 200m, and Francine Niyonsaba, who finished runner-up to Semenya in the 800 at the 2016 Olympics.

The governing body on Thursday introduced interim provisions for athletes competing outside the restricted events, who will be required to suppress their testostero­ne level to 2.5 nanomoles per litre for six months.

This would prevent several women from competing at the World Athletics Championsh­ips in August.

ITALY BOSS MANCINI REMAINS OPTIMISTIC DESPITE ENGLAND LOSS

Italy’s showing against England showed plenty of promise for the future, even though the reigning champions kicked off their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a 2-1 home defeat on Thursday, coach Roberto Mancini said.

Italy were trailing 2-0 in the Group C encounter in Naples by the time debutant Mateo Retegui reduced the deficit 11 minutes into the second half.

“We had started well with a high press, which we didn’t do for the rest of the first half. I saw a great Italian team in the second half and that bodes well for the future,” Mancini told RAI Sport.

Mancini said that Gareth Southgate’s side were superior on the set pieces, which helped England to secure their first win over the Azzurri on Italian soil for 62 years despite having Luke Shaw sent off.

Although Retegui’s goal stood out for Mancini, he was confident that the 23-year-old Club Atletico Tigre player would keep improving.

Italy travelled to Malta for a Euro 2024 qualifier on Sunday, which they won 2-0.

MORE CHINESE SOCCER OFFICIALS PROBED FOR VIOLATIONS OF LAW

Two top Chinese Football Associatio­n officials are being investigat­ed for suspected serious violations of the law, the country’s sports authority said on Friday.

Wang Xiaoping, the director of the CFA’s disciplina­ry committee, was suspected of “severe law violations” and Huang Song, the head of the competitio­n department, was being probed for “severe law and rule violations”, the General Administra­tion of Sport said.

GIVE FANS MORE FREEDOM AT TENNIS MATCHES, SAYS US STAR

American Frances Tiafoe said tennis should loosen its strict rules governing the behaviour of fans attending matches, to help attract a younger audience.

According to tennis etiquette, fans should not make a noise during points and should move to and from their seats only when players take a break.

CELINE BOUTIER WINS LPGA DRIVE ON CHAMPIONSH­IP

Celine Boutier of France fired a 4-under 68 and prevailed in a one-hole play-off against England’s Georgia Hall on Sunday to win the LPGA Drive On Championsh­ip in Gold Canyon, Arizona.

Boutier, who held the lead after three rounds of action, sank a clutch birdie putt at the par-5 18th hole to force the play-off after Hall had jumped ahead courtesy of a 7-under-par 65.

Hall carded seven birdies and an eagle against two bogeys on Sunday, sharing low-round honours with Japan’s Ayaka Furue and Daniela Darquea of Ecuador.

 ?? | FAZRY ?? THE USA’s Frances Tiafoe wants fans to be given more freedom at tennis matches. ISMAIL EPA
| FAZRY THE USA’s Frances Tiafoe wants fans to be given more freedom at tennis matches. ISMAIL EPA

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