■ Basketball
Vlade Divac may retire
Los Angeles Lakers veteran center Vlade Divac has announced his retirement from the NBA citing health reasons, according to a Serbian sports Web site. "I get back pains after four-five days of serious play," Serbain-born Divac told www.sportskacentrala.co.yu, late Thursday. "I don't want to become an invalid, therefore it's time to withdraw." The 37-year-old Divac, who returned to the Lakers last summer, underwent back surgery in January and played in only 15 games last season, averaging 2.3 points and 2.1 rebounds. He averaged 11.9 points and 8.3 rebounds in 15 previous NBA seasons -- six with the Lakers, two with Charlotte, and seven with Sacramento. There was no immediate comfirmation of Divac's retirement from Lakers officials.
■ Hockey
Babcock to coach Wings
Mike Babcock has agreed to become coach of the Detroit Red Wings, team spokesman John Hahn said Thursday. Babcock, who last week rejected an offer to stay with the Mighty Ducks, replaces Dave Lewis, whose contract wasn't renewed. The 42-year-old Babcock led the Ducks to the Stanley Cup finals two years ago during his first season in Anaheim. They didn't make the playoffs in 2003-2004, and last season was canceled because of the lockout. Before being hired as the Ducks' coach, Babcock coached at Cincinnati of the AHL, an affiliate of Anaheim and Detroit. He guided the team to the playoffs both his years there, and to a franchise-high 41 wins and 95 points in 2000-2001.
■ Soccer
Patrick Vieira transfers
Midfielder Patrick Vieira transferred from Arsenal to Juventus on Thursday for a 20 million-euro fee, Europe's biggest signing of the summer. The 29-year-old will join French teammate David Trezeguet at Juventus, which won the Italian title last season. Vieira also played in Italy in 1995-1996, when he appeared in two games for AC Milan. The next season he moved to Arsenal as Arsene Wenger's first signing, eventually becoming captain of the English club. Juventus, which signed Vieira to a five-year contract, will pay Arsenal 10 million euros immediately after the contract is ratified, 5 million euros on Aug. 14, 2006, and the last 5 million euros on Aug. 14, 2007. "When you spend nine years at the club, like I did, it is a difficult decision to leave," Vieira told Arsenal's Web site. "But in the end you have to make a choice for your future. It was a very difficult decision, but I am happy with it."
■ Hockey
Robinson to coach Devils
Larry Robinson, who led the New Jersey Devils to a Stanley Cup title in 2000, will return to coach the team this season. Robinson replaces Pat Burns, who has been diagnosed with cancer for the second time in a little more than a year. Burns, a three-time NHL Coach of the Year, had surgery earlier this month and was expected to undergo chemotherapy. The 53-year-old Burns had surgery and chemotherapy for colon cancer following the 2003-2004 season. His treatment would have prevented him from coaching in 2004-2005, but a lockout forced the cancellation of the season. Robinson, the Hall of Fame defenseman who also took the Devils to the Cup finals in 2001, would have coached the team had there been a season, Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said Thursday.
‘SU-PENKO’: Hsieh and Ostapenko face a rematch against their Australian Open final opponents, the same duo Hsieh played in last year’s Wimbledon semi-finals Taiwanese women’s doubles star Hsieh Su-wei and Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko on Wednesday survived a near upset to the unseeded duo of Sorana Cirstea of Romania and Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya, setting up a semi-final showdown against last year’s winners. Despite losing a hard-fought opening set 7-6 (7/4) on a tiebreak, the fourth seeds turned up the heat, losing just five games in the final two sets to handily put down Cirstea and Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-2. Nicknamed “Su-Penko,” the pair are next to face top seeds Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the US in a reversal of last
Taiwanese tennis veteran Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) and her Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko finished runners-up in the Wimbledon women's doubles final yesterday, losing 6-3, 2-6, 4-6. The three-set match against Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Elise Mertens of Belgium lasted two hours and 23 minutes. The loss denied 39-year-old Hsieh a chance to claim her 10th Grand Slam title. Although the Taiwanese-Latvian duo trailed 1-3 in the opening set, they rallied with two service breaks to take it 6-3. In the second set, Mertens and Kudermetova raced to a 5-1 lead and wrapped it up 6-2 to even the match. In the final set, Hsieh and
Taiwanese tennis veteran Hsieh Su-wei and her Latvian partner, Jelena Ostapenko, advanced to the Wimbledon women’s doubles final on Friday, defeating top seeds Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the US in straight sets. The fourth-seeded duo bounced back quickly after losing their opening service game, capitalizing on frequent unforced errors by their opponents to take the first set 7-5. Maintaining their momentum in the second set, Hsieh and Ostapenko broke serve early and held their lead to close out the match 6-4. They are set to face the eighth-seeded pair of Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Elise Mertens
Outside Anfield, the red sea of tributes to Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, has continued to grow this week, along with questions over whether Liverpool could play at Preston today, their first game since the brothers’ tragic loss. Inside Anfield, and specifically a grieving Liverpool dressing room, there was no major debate over the pre-season friendly. The English Premier League champions intend to honor their teammate in the best way they know how. It would be only 10 days since the deaths of Jota and Silva when Liverpool appear at Deepdale Stadium for what is certain to be a hugely
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