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Sports Shorts: Bayern keeper breaks foot; Djokovic survives shock

Last updated on: April 19, 2017 20:12 IST

Bayern keeper Neuer breaks foot, season in doubt

Manuel Neuer

IMAGE: Manuel Neuer of Bayern Muenchen reacts. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer may be sidelined for the rest of the season after fracturing his left foot during the 4-2 loss at Real Madrid in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg.

The 31-year-old was injured in extra time during the buildup to Cristiano Ronaldo's third goal as Bayern lost 6-3 on aggregate.

"Manuel Neuer suffered a fracture to his left foot in the 4-2 defeat away to Real Madrid according to an initial diagnosis," the club said on their website.

"Neuer will undergo a thorough examination on arrival in Munich prior to a decision on the appropriate treatment."

Bayern have a maximum of seven matches remaining this season provided they beat rivals Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup semi-final.

Fit-again Murray eyes first Monte Carlo final

Andy Murray

IMAGE: Andy Murray. Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

World No 1 Andy Murray has recovered from an elbow injury and is keen to reach the final of the Monte Carlo Masters for the first time, the Briton said ahead of his opening match against Gilles Muller in the second round on Wednesday.

Murray has been out of action since March but has worked his way back to full fitness and reckons his serve was back to its best.

"I wouldn't start the tournament unless I felt comfortable (going full tilt), but I've only been really serving at my normal pace the last couple of days," Murray said in an interview on the ATP Tour website (www.atpworldtour.com).

"I've been trying to build it up slowly to time it right for the beginning of the tournament... the elbow has been feeling better every day, so I am positive about that."

Murray took his time to come to grips with the clay surface, winning his first clay title in Munich in 2015, 10 years into his professional career.

He followed that up by winning the Madrid Open later that year, beating Spaniard Rafael Nadal, arguably the best clay court player of his generation.

Since 2015, Murray has been to three finals on clay, losing to Novak Djokovic in the 2016 Madrid and French Open before beating the world number two in the 2016 Italian Open final.

Djokovic survives shock to reach Monte Carlo round three

World number two Novak Djokovic came close to an early exit at the Monte Carlo Masters but finally emerged triumphant with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 second-round victory against France's Gilles Simon on Tuesday.

The Serbian was broken for 5-4 in the decider but bagged three games in a row to end Simon's resilience and reach the third round of the first European claycourt tournament of the season.

Djokovic, who had a first-round bye, will next take on either Russian Karen Khachanov or 13th seed Pablo Carreno Busta, of Spain.

"It was a very difficult match, with many changes of momentum," said Djokovic. "It was very tiring for me, the first clay of the season.

"But this is the start of the Roland Garros build-up."

Earlier, local favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, back from a one-month layoff, was knocked out by fellow Frenchman, qualifier Adrian Mannarino, 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-3.

Woods hits first public shots in months, no date for return

Tiger Woods took his first public golf shots in over two months during an event to announce his first public course on Tuesday but the former world number one remained noncommittal about his return to competitive action.

Woods, who has not played a tournament since pulling out of a European Tour event in February because of back spasms, took two swings into a par-three hole in front of a crowd that were on hand for his course design announcement in Missouri.

His first shot off a makeshift tee bounced off some rocks that will front the green on the still-to-be built course while his second landed about 10 feet from the hole.

"The back is progressing," said Woods. "I have good days and bad days. I've had three back operations and that's just kind of the nature of the business unfortunately. That's all I can say."

Woods returned to the PGA Tour in January after a 17-month absence following back surgery. He missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open and shot an opening-round 77 a week later in Dubai before withdrawing.

His course, which is scheduled to open in 2019, will honour late Missouri native and three-times major champion Payne Stewart and be called Payne's Valley.

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