■ TENNIS
Fan seeks delay for Nadal
Not all Argentines are happy that top-ranked Rafael Nadal won’t be playing in the Davis Cup final next week. Tennis fan Julian Baena launched an Internet campaign at quieroganarleanadal.com — “I want to beat Nadal,” in English — urging Davis Cup officials to delay the final until Nadal recovers from knee tendinitis. “There’s nothing more beautiful than to go down in history winning the final against the No. 1 in the world,” Baena wrote on the Web site. “That’s why I propose: Let’s postpone the Davis Cup final until Rafa recovers. Two weeks. A month. Whatever is necessary for him to be 100 percent.” A petition asking for a delay so that “we can enjoy the final we all want to see” had received nearly 13,000 signatures as of late Wednesday. Nadal withdrew this week from Spain’s team to play Argentina, saying he needed three to six weeks to recover. His absence made Argentina the favorite to win its first Davis Cup, starting on Nov. 21 at Mar del Plata.
■ BASKETBALL
Free Nets tickets for jobless
The New Jersey Nets professional basketball team is giving a break to unemployed fans. They’re offering free tickets and will forward their resumes to corporate sponsors as workers grapple with the weak US economy. The NBA team said on Wednesday it will offer unemployed fans tickets to five of its home games this month and next month, as well as resume placement with its 120 corporate sponsors. Unemployed fans can sign up at njnets.com. The team will release 300 tickets per game on a first-come, first-serve basis for fans who enroll in the program.
■ SOCCER
Capello wants to coach UK
England manager Fabio Capello wants to coach a unified British team at the 2012 London Olympics. The Italian’s four-year contract with the English Football Association is set to expire before the games, but Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have blocked plans for a British team because they don’t want to jeopardize their status as separate teams in UEFA and FIFA events. Capello is still hopeful of a breakthrough — and then being favored over Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who has already been backed for the post by London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe. “I will be 66 by [2012] and I will have reached retirement age. Then I want to travel and visit all of the ancient cultures that fascinate me so much,” Capello said in an interview with FIFA Magazine. “But I would also like to make another of my dreams come true by taking part in the Olympic Games, something that I was denied as a player, and something that still fills me with regret. I think it’s only fair that Great Britain should have a football team in the Olympics, but it is up to others to decide how, and with which players.”
■ SWIMMING
Two more world records fall
US swimmer Peter Marshall achieved his second short-course world record in two days at the World Cup in Stockholm on Wednesday. Marshall won the 50m backstroke in 23.05 seconds, beating Australian Robert Hurley’s mark of 23.24 set at the Sydney World Cup last month. Another American, Randall Bal, also went under Hurley’s time for second place at 23.07. Hurley was third in 23.36. Sweden’s Therese Alshammar also set a new record in the women’s 50m butterfly in 25.31 seconds, topping the 25.32 by Australia’s Felicity Galvez at the world short-course championships last April.
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Jack Hinshelwood on Monday sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory against Liverpool to leave the English Premier League champions without a win since clinching the title. Arne Slot’s side took the lead through Harvey Elliott’s early opener before Yasin Ayari equalized at the American Express Stadium. Dominik Szoboszlai restored Liverpool’s advantage just before halftime, but Brighton staged a late fightback as Kaoru Mitoma leveled before Hinshelwood came off the bench to net with his first touch. Liverpool have taken just one point from their three matches following the title-clinching rout of Tottenham Hotspur on April 27. The Reds have lost at
Logan O’Hoppe, Taylor Ward and Matthew Lugo homered, and the Los Angeles Angels spoiled Clayton Kershaw’s season debut, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-9 on Saturday night to take the first two games of the three-game series. Kershaw allowed three runs and threw 38 pitches in the first inning. The three-time National League Cy Young Award winner lasted four innings, giving up five runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Shoulder, toe and knee injuries limited Kershaw to seven games last season, and his 2025 debut was delayed as he recovered from multiple offseason surgeries. O’Hoppe had two hits with
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