24-02-2021

wedNeSdAY, FebruArY 24, 2021
9
'Champion of his era' Federer
still the best: Laver
SportS deSk
Tennis great Rod Laver
Tuesday said Roger Federer
will always be "the
champion of his era" and
expects him to win more
tournaments even though
Rafael Nadal is just three
matches away from
overtaking his 20 Grand
Slam title haul, reports BSS.
The 39-year-old Swiss has
been out of action for a year
and shelved plans to
compete in the Australian
Open as he continues his
recovery from two knee
operations, targeting a
comeback at Doha next
month.
He won the last of his 20
Slams at Melbourne Park in
2018 and Nadal will go one
better if he lifts the title on
Sunday.
The Spaniard, 34, faces
Stefanos Tsitsipas on
Wednesday for a place in
the final four of this year's
Australian Open.
World number one Novak
Djokovic, 33, is also in the
last eight and takes on
Alexander Zverev Tuesday
as he chases an 18th Grand
Slam crown.
Laver praised Nadal and
Djokovic but said Federer
was still in his eyes the best.
"For me, I think Roger is
the champion of his era," he
told Fox Sports from his
rod Laver tuesday said roger Federer will always be "the champion of his era"
and expects him to win more tournaments even though rafael Nadal is just three
matches away from overtaking his 20 Grand Slam title haul.
photo: Ap
Panchagarh clinch
Bangabandhu Interdistrict
volleyball title
SportS deSk:
Panchagarh district clinched title of
the Bangabandhu Inter-district
Volleyball competition beating
Chattogram district 3-2 sets in the
final held yesterday at Shaheed
Noor Hossain Volleyball Stadium in
the city, reports BSS.
Mohammad Shawon of Chattogram
district team was named the best
attacker in the competition while
Mohammad Ashik of Panchagarh
district team was adjudged the best
setter of the meet.
Besides, Mohammad Risalat of
the champion team was named the
best libero of the competition.
Earlier, on way to the final,
Chattogram district team beat
Cumilla district team by 3-1 sets in
the first semifinal while
Panchagarh district team defeated
Dinajpur district team by straight
3-0 sets in the second semis.
Organised by Bangladesh
Volleyball Federation (BVF), a
total of twelve district teams from
across the country, split into four
groups, participated in the meet,
which was held marking the birth
centenary of Father of the Nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman.
home in California, with the
82-year-old unable to travel
to the Australian Open,
where the centre court is
named after him, because of
the coronavirus pandemic.
"I think he's certainly …
you know, you look at his
record and there's a lot to
say he's the best of all time.
"But give some of the
other guys a little bit more
time, maybe they'll come up
and … be as good as Roger.
"Djokovic is certainly is on
his way because he won a
huge amount of
tournaments and his
consistency is amazing."
Laver, the only player to
win all four majors in the
same season twice, and
Federer have long shared a
reverence for each other.
The Laver Cup, pitting
Europe against the Rest of
the World, was established
in 2017, driven by Federer
to honour his hero's legacy.
Laver said he had spoken
with the Swiss star about
how much longer he had left
in the game.
"Roger, when I chatted to
him the past year or so, he
thought he'd play his best
until he's 40 and I think he's
pretty much on it," Laver
said, with Federer's
milestone birthday coming
in August.
"Unfortunately, you
know, his knee has been
giving him some trouble. So
he had an operation on the
knee that will set him in
good position.
"I wouldn't think too
much about him winning
the French," he added. "But
I think Wimbledon is
certainly going to be there
and the US Open. I think he
can win more tournaments.
"He loves to play, loves to
compete. He loves the
environment he's in."
India beat England by
317 runs to level Test
series at 1-1
SportS deSk:
Local hero Ravichandran Ashwin starred
with ball and bat as India thrashed
England by 317 runs in the second Test
in Chennai to level the series at 1-1 on
Tuesday, reports BSS.
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel claimed a
five-wicket haul on his Test debut as
England were out for 164 while chasing
an unlikely 482 on day four.
Ashwin claimed eight wickets in the
match and hit 106 with the bat as India
bounced back from their crushing
opening loss in the four-match series.
England, struggling since the opening
day, kept losing wickets after resuming
on 53-3.
Skipper Joe Root departed for 33 soon
after lunch, falling to Patel.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav
joined in to finish off the innings, taking
Moeen Ali after he smashed 43 off 18
balls.
The last wicket partnership of 38
between Ali and Stuart Broad, unbeaten
on five, was England's highest of the
match.
Ashwin's five wickets to help bowl out
England for 134 in the first innings in
response to India's 329 set the tone for
the host's dominance.
England conceded a lead of 195 and
then struggled on a pitch that offered
turn from day one and was criticised by
some pundits.
Opener Rohit Sharma hit an attacking
161 to set up India's big innings after they
won the toss and elected to bat first.
Sharma's seventh Test ton and first
against England raised the pitch of the
returning Indian crowd-present in a
stadium for the first time since the
coronavirus pandemic.
Virat Kohli played a part with his 62 in
the first innings and put on a key 96-run
seventh-wicket partnership with Ashwin
on day three. The skipper failed to score
in the first innings.
Returning England spinner Ali claimed
eight wickets in the match. Jack Leach
took six with his left-arm spin.
The third Test-a day-night match-will
begin in Ahmedabad on February 24.
It is not clear if fans will be allowed
into the game.
Local hero ravichandran Ashwin starred with ball and bat as India thrashed england by 317 runs in
the second test in Chennai to level the series at 1-1.
photo: Ap
Cristiano ronaldo faces a portuguese team for the first time since 2016.
Former NFL
wide receiver
Vincent Jackson
found dead in
hotel room
SportS deSk:
Former NFL wide receiver
Vincent Jackson was found
dead Monday in a hotel
room in Brandon, Florida,
officials said, reports CNN.
The 38-year-old had been
staying at the Homewood
Suites in Brandon, about 12
miles outside Tampa, since
January 11, according to a news
release from the Hillsborough
County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff's Office officials
said they spoke with
Jackson's family members
on February 10, after they
had called to report that he
was missing. A formal report
was filed the following day.
Last Friday, officials said
they located Jackson at the
Homewood Suites and spoke
with him, according to the
news release. "After
assessing Jackson's wellbeing,
the missing persons
case was canceled," the
release said.
Vincent Jackson of the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers against
the New Orleans Saints at the
Mercedes-Benz Superdome on
October 5, 2014 in New
Orleans, Louisiana.
Jackson was found dead at
11:30 a.m. Monday by a
housekeeper. There were no
apparent signs of trauma.
SportS deSk:
South Africa captain
Quinton de Kock will take a
'mental health' break and
skip a forthcoming
domestic Twenty20
tournament on medical
advice, reports BSS.
Andrew Breetzke, chief
executive of the SA
Cricketers' Association
(SACA), told the
ESPNcricinfo website De
Kock would take time off
from the game "for a few
weeks".
"SACA and Cricket South
Africa will continue to
support him through this
process," said Breetzke.
De Kock, South Africa's
cricketer of the year in
2020, returned from
Pakistan last week after
leading South Africa in two
losing Test matches during
which he struggled as a
batsman and was criticised
for his captaincy.
De Kock, South Africa's
regular white-ball captain,
agreed to skipper the Test
side in a temporary capacity
during the current season.
He acknowledged last
month he was feeling the
strain of living in bio-secure
'bubbles' which are a reality
for international cricketers
during the Covid-19
Ronaldo returns to Portugal
as Juve battle to keep
among Europe's elite
SportS deSk:
Cristiano Ronaldo returns to his native
Portugal for the first time as a Juventus
player as his side face Porto on Wednesday
with the Italian giants fighting to keep up
with Europe's most powerful clubs in the
Champions League, reports BSS.
On the field Juve are still finding their feet
under novice coach Andrea Pirlo but they
crave European glory more than anything
having lost five Champions League finals
since last winning the trophy in 1996.
Off the pitch, meanwhile, their chairman
Andrea Agnelli is one of the leading figures
behind plans to reform the continent's elite
club competition.
Agnelli, also the influential chairman of
the European Club Association, has long
been one of the main backers of a
Champions League which guarantees access
to an elite few and makes it harder for other
clubs to gain entry.
Amid talk of a breakaway Super League
which would undoubtedly feature his club,
Italy's richest and most successful, the 45-
year-old has given his backing to an
expanded Champions League starting from
2024 onwards, guaranteeing more matches
and, ultimately, more money.
"I think it is our duty to think ahead and
guarantee that football remains the best
sport in the world," Agnelli said recently, as
he pondered the challenges of trying to
ensure Generation Z doesn't lose interest in
the sport.
"Everything should be based on sporting
merit, but we should remember where our
pandemic.
Speaking after captaining
South Africa to a home Test
series win against Sri
Lanka, De Kock questioned
the sustainability of 'bubble'
life which he described as
"unsettling".
He said then that he had
mixed feelings about
touring Pakistan because of
the frustrations of being
confined to a bio-secure
environment.
South Africa's director of
cricket Graeme Smith said
earlier on Monday that all
of the country's contracted
players would play in the
T20 tournament, as well as
the remaining matches in a
four-day competition.
But it later emerged that
De Kock and Faf du Plessis
were not in the squads
announced by the country's
six franchises. The reasons
for Du Plessis' absence was
not known.
All the T20 matches will
be played in Durban
between February 19 and
photo : epA-eFe
fans of the future are. It is our strong view
that more European matches are welcome."
Juventus have dominated Serie A for the
last decade without managing to win the
Champions League. Porto, meanwhile, are
the only club from outside the so-called 'Big
Five' leagues in this season's last 16. Both are
two-time European Cup winners.
For the Turin side, success in Europe this
season appears even more important as
their domestic domination shows signs of
faltering under Pirlo with hopes of a 10th
consecutive Scudetto in peril.
A 1-0 defeat at Napoli on Saturday left
Juventus eight points adrift of leaders Inter
Milan, albeit with a game in hand.
"This defeat will not bring us down,"
insisted Ronaldo.
"Let's raise our heads and think about the
Champions League."
Porto, meanwhile, have drawn their last
four games domestically and are 10 points
behind league leaders Sporting Lisbon.
Ronaldo v Pepe -
Juve's hopes will be on five-time Ballon
d'Or winner Ronaldo, the Champions
League record goal-scorer with 134 goals,
signed from Real Madrid in 2018 to deliver
them the trophy.
Ronaldo faces a Portuguese team for the
first time since 2016 when with Madrid he
beat his former club Sporting 2-1.
But his last Champions League visit to the
Estadio do Dragao dates back to a quarterfinal,
second leg in April 2009 with
Manchester United.
The tie was poised at 2-2 after a tricky first
leg at Old Trafford.
South Africa captain De Kock takes
'mental health' break
South Africa captain Quinton de kock is taking a 'mental health break'
from cricket.
photo: Ap
29, with players staying in a
bio-secure environment.
Although the country's
Test players have had a
week off since returning
from Pakistan, the national
T20 squad would have to go
straight into the 'bubble'
after arriving from a series
which ended on Sunday.
"We are trying to manage
these bubble lives that the
players are spending time
in, the mental health and
welfare of players," said
Smith.