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Bhupathi-Bopanna duo's chances decent: Federer

July 28, 2012

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London: Roger Federer does not have a clue about the turmoil that rocked Indian tennis before the Olympics but the world number one is quite sure that Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna have a decent chance of winning a medal at the Games that start today.

Bhupathi and Bopanna had a bitter feud with the All India Tennis Association after refusing to play with India's no. 1 doubles player Leander Paes and insisting on being sent as a team for the Olympics.

The seventh seeds will start their campaign against Max Mirnyi and Alexander Bury of Belarus.

Paes, on the other hand, has been paired with a lower-ranked Vishnu Vardhan and the unseeded duo will start off against the Dutch team of Robin Hasse and Jean-Julien Rojer.

"I would love to play any of the Indian teams, but Bopanna and Bhupathi are closer to us in the draw," said Federer, who would be pairing with Stanislas Wawrinka to defend the men's doubles gold.

"I don't know why they (Bhupathi and Paes) didn't play together, but Bopanna is a very good player himself and I'm sure on grass they will have a chance to do very well," added the Swiss, who won a record-equalling seventh Wimbledon title last month.

Federer, a strong favourite to win the singles gold after defending champion Rafael Nadal's injury-forced pullout, said getting the doubles gold is equally important for him.

"Obviously winning the Olympic gold with Stan in Beijing was one of the most incredible feelings I've ever had on a tennis court," said Federer.

"Hopefully, we can do well again. We haven't played much doubles of late. Thank God we are seeded, that helped us out a little bit in the draw," he added.

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News Network
May 11,2020

Karachi, May 11: Pakistan might play more Test matches during their tour of England if it goes ahead as scheduled in July after the West Indies pulled out of an assignment there in June owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pakistan Cricket Board and the England and Wales Cricket Board officials are due to have a video conference on May 18 to discuss how they should proceed with the tour given the situation because of the pandemic.

"At present we have to play three Tests and three T20 internationals but the number of Tests could be increased and the tour could start a bit early in July," a PCB source said.

The source said that the ECB could offer to organise a four or five Test series against Pakistan if the West Indies tour didn’t go ahead.

Issues that are likely to be discussed in the May 18 meet are a quarantine period for Pakistani players when they arrive in England in July and limiting the venues for the matches and playing before empty stadiums.

PCB CEO Wasim Khan confirmed the video conference but said so far, the ECB has not spoken to them on increasing the number of matches on the tour which is scheduled between July and September.

"Things will be clear after the meeting but whatever decision we take we will consult our captains and head coaches before giving any confirmation," Khan said.

The PCB has so far kept mum on the chances of the series taking place in England because of the COVID-19 situation.

But with the British government due to announce measures to ease the lockdown in the country, it appears Pakistan could be touring on schedule.

Some former players have, however, asked the PCB to tread on the side of caution.

"If the West Indies have decided to postpone their series in June because of safety reasons and because of the situation then the PCB should also be very careful before taking up any offer from the ECB," a former captain said.

The West Indies Cricket Board said its players have to be convinced of their safety for it to commit to the assignment, which "is not possible in June."

"...we will continue our discussions with the ECB and other Internationals Boards on trying to find new dates," it said in a recent press release.

"We will only travel to England to play the series if our players can be assured that it is safe to do so," it added.

Pakistan is also scheduled to play an ODI series against Ireland while in UK but that series could be rescheduled and also be held in England.

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Agencies
July 31,2020

Northamptonshire, Jul 31: Mexican Formula One driver Sergio Perez has tested positive for coronavirus, and as a result, he will miss the British Grand Prix.

The Racing Point driver was absent from the circuit on Thursday after self-isolating following what his team called an "inconclusive" test. Perez then re-tested later in the day and it returned positive.

Formula 1 is following a strict testing regime as part of the safety protocols put in place when racing resumed earlier this month, and this is the first time a driver has tested positive.

"Perez has entered self-quarantine in accordance with the instructions of the relevant public health authorities, and will continue to follow the procedure mandated by those authorities," Formula 1 and the FIA said in a statement.

"With the assistance of the local organiser of the British Grand Prix, local health authorities and the FIA COVID-19 delegate, a full track and trace initiative has been undertaken and all close contacts have been quarantined," the statement added.

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Agencies
May 9,2020

Tokyo, May 9: As the world continues to grapple with coronavirus pandemic, the organisers of Tokyo Game Show have cancelled 2020 showpiece event.

TGS 2020 was slated to be played from September 24 to September 27 at the Makuhari Messe convention center. However, there now talks going on for holding an online event instead.

According to the Verge, this is the first time that TGS has ever been cancelled since it started in 1996.

TGS 2020 gained more attention because of its status as the last major trade show before the launch of the upcoming next-gen consoles, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

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