TENNIS
Philippoussis eyes return
Two-time Grand Slam finalist Mark Philippoussis plans to make his return to the ATP Tour as a wild-card entry in the qualifying draw for next month’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championship. The Aussie, who once boasted one of the hardest serves on the ATP Tour, has been out of the game for almost a decade. The 38-year-old, who was born in Melbourne, will make his comeback on July 11 when qualifying begins, the organizers announced on Friday. The main draw begins two days later. His last career title came in 2006 when he defeated Justin Gimelstob in the final in Newport, Rhode Island. He retired that year. Philippoussis won 11 career titles, reached a career high ranking of world No. 8 and earned almost US$7 million in prize money. At one time or another he defeated most of the game’s top players in his era. He also made the finals at Wimbledon in 2003 and the US Open in 1998.
CYCLING
Armstrong to ride Tour route
Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong is still planning to court controversy by riding part of the Tour de France route next month for charity, according to a BBC report. The American will join former England soccer player Geoff Thomas and a team of amateurs, who are aiming to raise ￡1 million (US$1.57 million) for Cure Leukaemia, by cycling two stages a day before the peloton goes through. Armstrong is to go ahead with his plans, said Thomas, even though he was advised not to proceed by International Cycling Union president Brian Cookson in March. “We know Lance’s involvement has split opinion, so we’ve tried to be as respectful as possible,” Thomas told the BBC on Friday. “The stages Lance will be riding come toward the end of week two when I know all the [charity] riders will need some support.” Armstrong is due to ride stages 13 and 14 on July 16 and 17, but Cookson said earlier this year that his involvement would be unwise. “Lance would be well advised not to take part in that,” he said. “I’m sure Geoff Thomas means well, but frankly I think that’s completely inappropriate.”
SOCCER
Mainz to dump Chile’s Jara
Chile defender Gonzalo Jara could be dumped by German club FSV Mainz 05 following the storm of controversy which followed his attempt to shove a finger into the backside of an opponent at the Copa America. Jara was the subject of widespread revulsion on social media after photographs and camera footage clearly showed him jabbing a finger into the back of Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani’s shorts during Wednesday’s quarter-final, won 1-0 by Chile. The lurid provocation ultimately led to Cavani being sent off after the Paris Saint-Germain star flicked a retaliatory hand into Jara’s face. Mainz boss Christian Heidel said the Bundesliga club was ready to sell the 29-year-old player. “He knows it — if we receive an offer, he can leave,” Heidel told Bild. Jara joined Mainz from English side Nottingham Forest last year, but featured in just 17 games last season.
SOCCER
Tevez to rejoin Boca Juniors
The president of Boca Juniors said Carlos Tevez is leaving Juventus to return to the Buenos Aires club. Daniel Angelici, speaking on Friday to ESPN Argentina, said Tevez “will sign the contract” when the Copa America ends next week. Angelici said he had been to Italy to iron out details of the deal. Tevez was a fan favorite when he played for Boca between 2001 and 2004. He left to play for Brazil’s Corinthians, West Ham United, Manchester United, Manchester City and then Juventus.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later
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