On Sunday the Ukrainian Tennis Federation urged the sport's governing body the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to immediately expel Russia and Belarus from the organisation and ban Russia from team and individual tournaments. Also, athletes from Ukraine and other nations have called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to suspend Russia and Belarus and ban their athletes from events immediately.
Describing the year that's coming to an end as "fantastic" for her personally, Rio Olympic Games silver medal-winning shuttler Pusarla V Sindhu said she was now targeting the no.1 world ranking among women after reaching a career-best six at present. "It has been a fantastic year for me, because winning a medal at the Olympics is a big achievement. It's a dream come true. Also, I always had in mind that I wanted to win a Super Series title and that also was fulfilled (at the China Open)," Sindhu told reporters on the sidelines of a promotional event in Mumbai on Thursday.
India's badminton ace P V Sindhu believes she would be in top form at the BWF's World Tour Final as a recent break gave her the time to be well-prepared for the season-ending tournament, starting on December 12.
Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal, who has been on a comeback trail after undergoing a surgery on her right knee, said that she was not fully fit in her last two tournaments but played in them as she wanted to test herself against top players in that physical condition. Former world number one Saina lost in the quarterfinals in Hong Kong Open Super Series and Macau Open Grand Prix Gold tournaments after her surgery. "I am recovering well, I played two tournaments and reached quarterfinals and that was just the starting. I would say after the rehabilitation, I just played for 2-3 weeks and I just wanted to test myself how good I am at that stage and although I knew I was not 100 per cent fit, I wanted to come back and play with highest level players," Saina told PTI.
Olympic medallists Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu will be the cynosure of all eyes when the seventh India Super Series badminton tournament gets underway with the qualifiers in New Delhi on Tuesday.
It is the surprise element of the unheralded shutters, who could pose a bigger threat to his medal aspirations at next month's Commonwealth Games.
World champion Viktor Axelsen staved off a strong challenge from World No 5 Korean Son Wan Ho as Bengaluru Blasters blanked Mumbai Rockets 6-(-1) in the Premier Badminton League (PBL) in Lucknow on Monday.
The rising graph of the country's grapplers seems to be having no positive impact on the proposed Indian Wrestling League (IWL) as it has been postponed once again due to mild response from prospective franchises.
HS Prannoy notched up a thrilling three-game win over Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap in an all-Indian final to clinch the $ 120,000 US Open Grand Prix Gold in Anaheim, California.
H S Prannoy, feels a high ranking would help players avoid meeting top shuttlers in early rounds, while conceding that the primary focus should be on winning big events.
Take a look at what fit-again Saina needs to do before going into the Olympic Games in August this year.
Once labelled mild and fragile, P V Sindhu has undergone an astounding transformation at Pullela Gopichand Academy - a mix and match of different exercises, on-court training and yoga that make up Sindhu's days, most of which begin with her starting practice at 4:15 am -- that is helping her slay the world's best, writes Nikita Puri
It is a pity that he does not take his youth influencer role more seriously and align his brand endorsements more responsibly, notes Kanika Datta.
India's ace shuttler P V Sindhu did the star turn, winning two matches as Chennai Smashers outclassed Ahmedabad Smash Masters 2-1 in the Premier Badminton League in Chennai, on Saturday.
H S Prannoy lost in the opening round even as compatriots Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu entered the second round of the $ 350,000 India Open Super 500 tournament, in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Olympic champion, Spain's Carolina Marin turned out to be the costliest buy of the second edition of the Premier Badminton League (PBL), while Kidambi Srikanth fetched the highest amount by an Indian at the players' auction, in New Delhi on Wednesday.
'If the appointment of Salman Khan helps promote sports in our country, then what's the harm?'
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Tuesday
Having slumped in the rankings, champion shuttler Parupalli Kashyap tells Aruneel Sadadekar/Rediff.com how he plans to qualify for the Rio Olympics.
Ecstatic after clinching a maiden Grand Prix title at the Brazil Open, the Indian mixed doubles pairing of N Sikki Reddy and Pranaav Jerry Chopra have set their sights on winning a medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Using a sledgehammer to fix some ills can cut down a game at its peak, warns Shekhar Gupta.
Ms Usha may soon discover that winning four gold medals at the Asian Games and qualifying for the Los Angeles Olympics is a walk in the park compared with the challenges of stabilising governance at the IOA, observes Kanika Datta.
India needs people like Rahul Dravid and Pullela Gopichand, who have done an excellent job in producing young talent in their respective disciplines, for tennis to develop in the country, says eight-time Grand Slam doubles champion Leander Paes.
In hockey, the women's team continued its inspiring run with a silver medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed over 6,000 lives and infected close to 160,000 people worldwide, has led to the cancellation or postponement of all sporting events across the globe. ports Minister Kiren Rijiju urged the athletes to not lose spirit and keep working hard to stay battle ready for competitions.
India's batting great Sachin Tendulkar celebrated Diwali at his home in Mumbai on Saturday, while Olympic medallists like Saina Nehwal and MC Mary Kom took to social media to wish their fans.
Kings XI Punjab co-owner Preity Zinta feels that every year problems related to the Indian Premier League "do affect" the franchise as a brand and its business as the cash-rich league has become some sort of a "whipping boy". "Yes, it does affect the brand and it is unfair to the owners. It affects our business as every year there is some controversy or some rumours that come up. I believe at one level IPL has become a whipping boy for many," Zinta told PTI during an interaction on the issue of Maharashtra drought that led to shifting of 13 matches. It must be noted that in 2013, IPL was rocked by spot-fixing scandal due to alleged involvement of three Rajasthan Royals cricketer including former India international turned politician S Sreesanth.
Star India shuttler Saina Nehwal, who has recovered from a serious knee injury sustained during the Rio Olympics in August and is back on the international circuit, is still not at her physical best and needs more time to reach that high level, feels her coach Vimal Kumar.
Defending champion Saina Nehwal advanced to the quarter-finals of the Denmark Super Series Premier with a straight-game thrashing of Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour in the second round of the women's singles.
A foot injury early in the year derailed her plans but ace Indian shuttler P V Sindhu is happy to make a successful comeback with a good performance at the Denmark Super Series Premier and a third successive Macau Grand Prix Gold title.
Sunil Gavaskar feels that once the Australia government has now formally announced that 25 per cent crowd can turn up for sporting events, a World T20 in October looks more imminent than IPL.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Parupalli Kashyap speaks to Harish Kotian/Rediff.com about his recent triumph over world No. 1 Chen Long of China and why he wants the Indian Badminton League to be revived.
The money covers sport in England, with other parts of the United Kingdom having separate budgets.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Sunday
Take our quiz to find out just how much you know.
Rediff.com takes you through a photographic journey of all the exciting sporting moments that unfolded over the last seven days.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Monday
'I have been lucky to be able to show my talent more as a sports anchor, and I could do this for life!'
A look at the few bright spots, the many worries, and moments that made for a distinctly indelible 2020.
The Essel Group on Monday rebutted news reports that it is setting up parallel cricket boards across different countries in collaboration with Ten Sports Network but said it is now geared up to enter the sports business at a global level, focusing on cricket.
