Some stellar performances by seasoned veterans and promising youngsters continued to raise the bar in Olympic sports but there was heartbreak in equal measure when corruption scandals blighted India's favourite obsession, cricket, in a see-saw year for the country's sportspersons.
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Paris Masters ahead of the tournament's start on Monday for "personal reasons", the French Tennis Federation announced on Friday.
International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) cannot be called an Indian league, its founder managing director Mahesh Bhupathi has clarified though the new competition has borrowed heavily from the cricket-based IPL, especially in the franchise business model.
For someone who is the defending champion at Melbourne Park, Stanislas Wawrinka is remarkably upbeat about the lack of focus falling upon him.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
Japanese trailblazer Kei Nishikori had a thrilling run at the US Open, but could not summon a finishing kick as he hit the wall against big-hitting Marin Cilic in Monday's final at Flushing Meadows.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
Japan's Kei Nishikori made a stunning start to what will surely be the first of many appearances at the ATP World Tour Finals with a 6-4, 6-4 win over home favourite Andy Murray on Sunday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
Indian Olympic Association President Narinder Batra today said that the country should aim to win 'double digit' medals at the Tokyo Olympics
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Thursday.
Also seen in action for India will be the shuttlers, boxers, the women's hockey team and the table tennis players among others.
Andre Agassi predicted fans would warm to the IPTL once they fully understand its complex scoring system.
Facts on the Commonwealth Games to be held in Australia's Gold Coast:
The haul of 64 medals at the Commonwealth Games, in July-August, which included 15 gold, should act as the ideal springboard for the Indian contingent to better its medal tally at Guangzhou, China, four years ago.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
A golden dream unfulfilled for over 30 years remained just that in women's hockey but India equalled its best ever medal haul as sailors joined the assorted contributors to the country's tally at the 18th Asian Games, on Friday.
Long-serving archery coach Purnima Mahato and women's hockey coach Narendra Singh Saini were among five sporting personalities who were recommended for the prestigious Dronacharya award this year.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
Terming the government's claim of allocating grants to IOA as 'misleading', the top sports body has asked the Sports Ministry to stop the practice as the money was only meant for meeting the expenses of the athletes during the multi-sporting events.
Croatia's Marin Cilic swept past Japan's Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to win the U.S. Open on Monday and reach the pinnacle of the sport one year after a doping ban kept him out of the year's final Grand Slam.
Defending champion Naomi Osaka of Japan was upset 7-5, 6-4 by Belinda Bencic in the fourth round at the US Open on Monday as the Swiss reached the quarter-finals for the second time.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday.
'She leaned forward and asked what I'd want -- and I said, "your blessings".' 'She smiled and replied, "You already have that, but tell me how I can help you".' Commonwealth gold medalist and Arjuna Awardee Roopa Unnikrishnan recalls how Jayalalithaa took her breath away.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
'I have grown up in an environment where the dominant narrative of Indian sporting achievement was -- We can't.' 'These achievers have fought hard, built on each other's body of work and knowledge, and have today changed the script to -- We can,' notes Rahul Dravid,cricketing legend.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
If you don't have power in a game you are masters of, the world will walk all over you, notes Shekhar Gupta.
The 59-year-old Batra is one of the few sports administrators to head a national Olympic committee while heading an important international sports federation.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday.
Saina Nehwal has gained a place to be fifth in the latest Badminton World Federation women's singles rankings released on Thursday.
For India to send two shuttlers in Tokyo Olympics women's singles, both of them will have to be inside top 16 in the world rankings which will be released after the end of qualification period, on April 30, 2020.
Women dominated this year's Padma awards for sports with tennis star Sania Mirza and ace shuttler Saina Nehwal getting the nod for the Padma Bhushan, while archer Deepika Kumari was chosen for the Padma Shri in New Delhi, on Monday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Monday
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday.
Criticised for lack of planning, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) decided to accept the recommendations of Abhinav Bindra-led review committee, which looked into Indian shooters' flop show in Rio Olympics, in 'toto' and said it will form a separate panel to ensure the implementation of the suggestions.
