Weekly Digest (May 31-June 6): From Federer's French Open withdrawal to Tokyo-bound Sumit's failed dope test

From Roger Federer pulling out of the French Open to Indian wrestler Sumit Malik testing positive for a banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, here are the top sporting headlines from the week gone by.

Roger Federer withdrew from the French Open on Sunday, saying: "After two knee surgeries and over a year of rehabilitation it's important that I listen to my body and make sure I don't push myself too quickly."

From Roger Federer pulling out of the French Open to Indian wrestler Sumit Malik testing positive for a banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, here are the top sporting headlines from the week gone by.

TENNIS

Roger Federer pulled out of the French Open on Sunday, a day after beating Germany's Dominik Koepfer. ( REPORT )

Rafael Nadal brushed past Britain's Cameron Norrie in straight sets to set up a French Open clash with Italian Jannik Sinner for the second year in a row. ( REPORT )

Nadal, who was in the top gear from the start, pushed aside Norrie in straight sets 6-3 6-3 6-3 to cruise into his fifth consecutive last 16 appearance at Roland Garros.

 

Defending champion Iga Swiatek overcame a sluggish start enter the last 16 of the French Open with a 7-6(4) 6-0 victory over Estonian Anna Kontaveit on Saturday. ( REPORT )

Serena Williams was knocked out in the fourth round of the French Open by Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina on Sunday, losing 6-3, 7-5 to the 21st seed. ( REPORT )

Serena Williams crashed out of the French Open ion Sunday.

 

Daniil Medvedev got past Cristian Garin in straight sets to set up a mouth-watering French Open last-eight clash with Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who held off a late challenge from Spanish 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta to advance into the quarterfinal. ( REPORT )

World number one Novak Djokovic booked his spot in the second week of the French Open with a dominant third-round win over 93rd-ranked Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis on Saturday. ( REPORT )

Former world number one Victoria Azarenka criticised French Open organisers on Sunday for scheduling men's matches in all but one of the night slots so far this year. ( REPORT )

Coco Gauff reached the last 16 of the French Open for the first time after fellow American Jennifer Brady quit having lost the first set 6-1 on Saturday. ( REPORT )

FOOTBALL

Manchester City defender Ruben Dias was named the Premier League Player of the Season following a vote, becoming only the second Portuguese player to receive the honour. ( REPORT ) City manager Pep Guardiola won the manager of the season .

Manchester City centre-back Ruben Dias was also named England's Footballer of the Year in the annual vote of the Football Writers' Association last month following a superb debut campaign.

 

Paris Saint-Germain won its maiden Division 1 Feminine title with a 3-0 win over Dijon on Friday to end Lyon's 14-year dominance in the top division. ( REPORT )

Kevin de Bruyne has had minor surgery on the eye socket he injured in the Champions League final and will join the Belgium squad on Monday as it completes preparations for the Euro 2020 tournament. ( REPORT )

A potential increase in COVID-19 cases in Rio de Janeiro could force the city to abruptly cancel matches in this month’s Copa America, mayor Eduardo Paes warned. ( REPORT )

A 10-man India defended creditably well as it suffered a 0-1 defeat to Asian champions Qatar in their World Cup qualifying round match. A winless India remains in fourth spot in Group E with three points from six matches. ( REPORT )

Thomas Tuchel has been rewarded with a two-year contract extension after leading Chelsea to the Champions League title. ( REPORT )

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel also guided the club to a FA Cup final apart from the Champions League triumph.

 

Here is the full squad list of all the 24 teams playing in the 16th edition of the European Championship. ( REPORT )

Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss the upcoming European Championship after the Liverpool right back withdrew from the England squad with a thigh injury. ( REPORT )

Ronald Koeman will remain as Barcelona coach next season after the club agreed to honour his contract, president Joan Laporta said. ( REPORT )

Barcelona president Joan Laporta said Ronald Koeman was "motivated" for next season but also said he would expect more from the coach and his team.

 

Simone Inzaghi has been named the new Inter Milan coach on a two-year deal, replacing Antonio Conte, the Serie A champion confirmed. ( REPORT )

Real Madrid confirmed the signing of Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti as its new head coach to replace Zinadine Zidane for the next three seasons. ( REPORT )

Argentine star striker Sergio Aguero has joined Barcelona on a free transfer from Manchester City. ( REPORT )

BARCELONA, SPAIN - MAY 31: Sergio Aguero reacts as he is presented as a Barcelona player at the Camp Nou Stadium on May 31, 2021 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

 

CRICKET

England and New Zealand drew the first Test at Lord's on Sunday to leave the two-match series all square heading into next week's finale at Edgbaston. ( REPORT )

India will be favourite to clinch the World Test Championship crown, believes V.V.S. Laxman. He opens up on the Test series against England, domestic cricket, and more, in this wide-ranging interview. ( REPORT )

Given the unrelenting nature of the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing uncertainty surrounding its impact, the national selectors are open to fielding two India teams at once. ( REPORT )

Former national selector Sambaran Banerjee (not in picture) feels the depth in India's talent pool means India's red and white-ball squads playing international series concurrently.

 

Both the Indian men's and the women's team landed in Southampton for the World Test Championship and the England tour respectively and began their quarantine in Southampton. ( REPORT )

The BCCI ethics officer Justice DK Jain has found Rupa Gurunath - the president of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association - guilty of conflict of interest and has asked the Board to take appropriate steps. ( REPORT )

The remainder of the 2021 Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi from June 9, with the final set for June 24.( REPORT )

Australia’s white-ball cricket captain Aaron Finch has “honestly not thought about” whether players will be able to head back to the IPL 2021 when it resumes in the UAE later this year. ( REPORT )

World Cup-winning coach Trevor Bayliss is leaving England and will return home to take charge of the Sydney Thunder for the next three Twenty20 Big Bash League seasons. ( REPORT )

ATHLETICS

Dutch long-distance runner Sifan Hassan shattered  the women's 10,000 metres world record on Sunday, clocking 29 minutes 6.82 seconds in a Continental Tour meeting on home soil in Hengelo. ( REPORT )

Jamaican sprint star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became the second fastest woman in history, clocking a world-leading 10.63 seconds for the 100m at the Olympic Destiny meeting in Kingston. The 34-year-old reigning and two-time Olympic 100m champion obliterated the field at the National Stadium to finish several metres clear of her closest rival. ( REPORT )

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is the reigning and two-time Olympic 100m champion.

 

Britain's four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah is in danger of missing out on the Tokyo Games after falling short of the 10,000 metres qualifying mark at a meet in Birmingham. He finished eighth in the European 10,000m Cup with 27 minutes and 50.54 seconds, 22 seconds short of the required time to make the Team GB squad heading to Tokyo in July. ( REPORT )

Srabani Nanda clocked a personal best 11.36s while running against some of the world's best at the NACAC New Life Invitational Meet in Florida to become the fastest Indian woman this year, in the build up to the Tokyo Olympics. Javelin star Neerj Chopra has also left to France for his training and exposure tour. ( REPORT )

Nanda had clocked a faster but wind-assisted 11.29s in the preliminary round.

 

American Trayvon Bromell underlined his credentials as the Tokyo Olympics 100 metres gold medal favourite by running the fastest time this year of 9.77 seconds at the New Life Invitational in Miramar, Florida. Bromell becomes the ninth man to dip under 9.80 seconds, slashing nearly one-10th of a second off his personal best of 9.84. ( REPORT )

BADMINTON

Spain's Olympic women's singles badminton champion Carolina Marin confirmed on Tuesday that she will be unable to defend her crown in Tokyo due to a knee injury. ( REPORT )

China's Olympic gold medallists Zhang Ning, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng have been inducted into the Badminton World Federation's Hall of Fame, the sport's governing body said on Wednesday. ( REPORT )

FILE PHOTO: China's Fu Haifeng (L) and compatriot Cai Yun pose with their medals during an award ceremony in Hyderabad on August 16, 2009.

 

Former India badminton coach Vimal Kumar reckons a "tough" journey awaits Saina Nehwal, who will need to target specific tournaments to prolong her career after the COVID-19 pandemic shattered her Tokyo Olympics dreams. ( REPORT )

WRESTLING

In a jolt to the Indian wrestlers’ campaign in the Tokyo Olympics, 125kg freestyle wrestler Sumit Malik has tested positive for the banned substance methylhexaneamine (MHA). He has been provisionally suspended for the doping violation. ( REPORT )

A court in New Delhi rejected Delhi Police’s plea for three more days of custodial interrogation of Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar in connection with the alleged murder of a young wrestler at Chhatrasal Stadium and sent him to nine days of judicial custody. The international wrestler faces charges of murder, culpable homicide and kidnapping. ( REPORT )

Sushil Kumar was arrested on May 23. The court had initially remanded him to six days of police custody, which was later extended by four more days on May 29.

 

India’s Tokyo Olympics-bound freestyle wrestling contingent will leave for their training and exposure tour of Poland on June 5, said Wrestling Federation of India assistant secretary Vinod Tomar. The Indian wrestlers will train for a whole month in Warsaw. ( REPORT )

MOTORSPORT

Sergio Perez won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in a two-lap shootout after championship leader Max Verstappen crashed while leading with a tire failure and Lewis Hamilton went off course trying to seize the win on the standing restart. ( REPORT )

Sergio Perez won a dramatic Azerbaijan GP in Baku on Sunday.

 

KTM rider Miguel Oliveira overcame Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo in an intense battle to claim his first win of the season at the Catalunya Grand Prix in Barcelona. ( REPORT )

The Singapore Formula One Grand Prix has been cancelled for the second year in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ( REPORT )

BOXING

India's nine Olympic-bound boxers will travel abroad for a three-week training stint after getting a few days break following a record-shattering medal haul by the country's pugilists at the just-concluded Asian Championships in Dubai. ( REPORT )

SHOOTING

Manu Bhaker shot 587 in the women’s 25-metre sports pistol to reinforce her strong grip on the event in the European Shooting Championship in Osijek, Croatia. ( REPORT )

TABLE TENNIS

Indian paddlers Diya Chitale and Swastika Ghosh's finished runner-up at the 2021 World Table Tennis (WTT) Youth Star Contender. ( REPORT )