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Jannik Sinner drops trainer and physio after doping drama | The Express Tribune

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NEW YORK:

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner recently announced on Friday that he has dismissed his trainer, Umberto Ferrara, and physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, following his escape from a potential doping ban despite failing two drug tests in March.

The Italian tennis player tested positive for the steroid clostebol, commonly used to enhance muscle mass, after Naldi had applied an over-the-counter spray containing the substance to a cut on his own hand. Subsequently, Naldi treated Sinner, unknowingly contaminating him with the substance. The spray had originally been provided to Naldi by Ferrara.

Last week, a tribunal cleared Sinner of any fault or negligence, accepting his explanation that the contamination was accidental. This ruling was acknowledged by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). The positive drug test results became public just a day after Sinner secured his fifth title of the year at the Cincinnati Open.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the US Open, Sinner expressed his gratitude for the contributions of Naldi and Ferrara to his career, while explaining his decision to part ways with them.

“They have been a huge part of my career,” Sinner stated, “We achieved great success together, but due to these mistakes, I no longer feel confident continuing with them.” He admitted to struggling for months, awaiting the tribunal’s decision, and now seeks to move forward with “some clean air.”

The case has sparked widespread debate, as it contrasts with the usual protocol where players who fail drug tests are often suspended while investigations are ongoing. Sinner, however, maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal, explaining that his team had swiftly identified the source of the contamination, allowing him to continue competing. “The reason I was able to keep playing was that we knew exactly where the substance came from and how it entered my body,” Sinner explained. “It was crucial for us to share this information during the process, and the authorities understood it immediately.”

When questioned about whether he was concerned about how this controversy might impact his reputation, Sinner expressed confidence in his innocence. “In my mind, I knew that I hadn’t done anything wrong,” he said. “Anyone who knows me well knows that I would never break the rules. As for my reputation, we’ll see what happens moving forward – that’s something I can’t really control.”

The case has prompted allegations of a double standard within the sport, with some players and commentators suggesting that Sinner’s high ranking may have afforded him more lenient treatment than others who have tested positive for banned substances. British tennis player Liam Broady took to social media, noting that many players in similar situations have had to wait months or even years for their innocence to be established.

Similarly, ESPN analyst and 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert shared her belief that top-ranked players, like Sinner, often face different consequences. “I do think they protect the top players,” Evert said. “There’s some level of protection that players ranked lower don’t get.”

Despite these accusations, Sinner strongly denied receiving any special treatment, stating that the process was the same for all players who test positive. “Every player who tests positive has to go through the same process,” Sinner emphasised. “There are no shortcuts, no different treatment – it’s the same process for everyone.” He acknowledged the frustration of other players but suggested that their suspensions may have been the result of not being able to immediately identify the source of the banned substance in their system. “The main reason we were able to resolve this so quickly was that we knew straight away where the substance came from and how it got into my system.”

American tennis player Frances Tiafoe, who was the last competitor to face Sinner before the doping controversy became public, chose not to engage with the debate, focusing instead on his preparations for the upcoming US Open. “The governing bodies did what they did,” Tiafoe commented. “He’s been cleared to play, and that’s all that matters. I’m just concentrating on the US Open.”

As Sinner moves forward from the controversy, the US Open is set to begin on Monday, where the Italian star will be looking to maintain his impressive form amid the ongoing media attention surrounding his case.

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Sources: ACC, Clemson, FSU renew revenue talks

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Talks between Clemson, Florida State and the ACC have ramped up in recent weeks, according to sources, on a proposal that would allot a greater share of revenue to schools based on brand valuation and television ratings, as well as potentially alter the expiration of the league’s grant of rights — which currently runs through 2036 — in exchange for the Tigers and Seminoles dropping their lawsuits against the conference.

According to multiple sources within the league, the conversations are preliminary and the sides are not close to an agreement, but the conversations represent a strong signal that Florida State and Clemson are open to remaining in the conference under more favorable financial terms.

The proposal, which was formulated by Clemson and Florida State and discussed by the league’s presidents during Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting, includes additional money going to schools with better ratings success in football and basketball.

While the proposal has not been widely distributed or discussed among conference athletic directors, administrators from more than a half-dozen schools who spoke with ESPN said they would at least be open to some altered revenue split.

In 2022-23, the ACC distributed an average of $44.8 million per school, roughly $7 million less than the SEC; however, that difference is expected to grow to more than $30 million when accounting for the SEC’s new television contract, which began this year.

Florida State athletic director Michael Alford has called the forthcoming revenue gap an existential threat, and he pushed for the ACC to divide revenue unequally during the league’s 2023 spring meetings, asking for more money to go to schools that had success on the field as well as those that drew the highest ratings for television. The league ultimately agreed to institute a new revenue-sharing policy dubbed “success initiatives” that would reward programs that made bowl games, the College Football Playoff or the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournament with a higher share of postseason revenue, but at the time, ADs were not interested in any plan that included brand valuation or television ratings, too.

In the months that followed, however, Florida State and Clemson filed lawsuits against the ACC in an effort to extricate themselves from the league’s grant of rights, which binds each member’s media rights to the ACC through June 2036. The ACC countersued both parties in North Carolina. To date, little movement has occurred on the legal front, and should the cases go to trial, a final resolution to the lawsuits could still be years away, according to attorneys for all sides. As part of a judge’s ruling in Leon County, Florida, the sides were required to enter into mediation, which is when discussions about ratings-based revenue splits took on new life.

Within the proposal put forth by Clemson and Florida State, the term of the grant of rights would also be reduced — potentially as early as 2030 — to better fall in line with the expiration of TV deals in the Big 12 and Big Ten.

While the basic talking points of the proposal had some support within member schools, there were significant questions about the details. As one athletic director who supported the general idea noted, properly evaluating something like TV ratings can be difficult with numerous outside factors influencing kickoff times, networks and ratings share that may not directly reflect a program’s value.

Several administrators who did not support the proposal did admit there was a potential incentive to continue discussions if it helped insure the future of the conference for the foreseeable future, with one noting that it would be better than seeing the ACC fall apart completely and another suggesting a brand-based revenue split could be inevitable for every league as TV contracts continue to grow and leagues continue to expand.

The ACC is also in talks with ESPN, which holds an exclusive option to extend the league’s television contract from 2027 through 2036. ESPN must pick up or decline the option by February 2025.

The ACC declined to comment on the status of discussions on changes to the revenue distribution model, but in May, commissioner Jim Phillips said he was open to all options that would secure the league’s standing.

“You have to stay optimistic,” Phillips said, “and you work through these things. We’ll manage what we have to manage, and I’m always optimistic about a really good ending out of this situation. I won’t have a change until somebody else tells me different. But am I going to fight for the ACC? Absolutely. That’s my responsibility.”

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Ohtani hits 48th HR: ‘No pressure’ chasing 50/50

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MIAMI — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ recent series at the Atlanta Braves marked the first time in more than three months that Shohei Ohtani went four consecutive games without a home run or a stolen base. It was a rut he had not been in since June 6 to 9.

Ohtani finally snapped that streak on Tuesday, hitting a third-inning home run in an 11-9 loss to the lowly Miami Marlins.

Ohtani, who has 48 homers and 48 steals with 11 games remaining, said he is “just one little thing away” from feeling good with the mechanics of his swing again. He also denied feeling any pressure to become the first player in baseball history to reach the 50/50 mark before the regular season wraps.

“No pressure,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “Just trying to maintain quality at-bats regardless of the situation. It’s something I’ve been trying to do over the course of the entire season.”

Ohtani trails only Aaron Judge (53) for the major league lead in homers and only Elly De La Cruz (64) for the major league lead in steals while hitting .287/.372/.611 — numbers that seemingly have him on pace to become the first full-time designated hitter to win an MVP, especially considering New York Mets star Francisco Lindor’s recent back injury. Ohtani’s power has been on display throughout the year, but his batting average (.236) and on-base percentage (.301) have fallen off since the start of August.

Lately, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he has noticed that the 50/50 milestone is “front of mind” for Ohtani, even if it isn’t necessarily providing pressure. Roberts has observed Ohtani pulling pitches more frequently rather than spraying them into the gaps, which is triggering more predetermined swings as opposed to seeing pitches deeper into the strike zone.

“And I do feel that’s somewhat natural,” Roberts said. “I just think he wants to get it over with — but with the fact that he’s still trying to compete and help us win baseball games.”

Roberts recently opened the door to Ohtani potentially pitching in the postseason, saying the chances are “very slim” but “not zero.”

Ohtani has been intermittently throwing bullpen sessions and could face hitters soon. He and the Dodgers’ pitching coaches have not talked about him contributing off the mound in the playoffs, a circumstance that might not even be possible until the World Series. But Ohtani said they’ll all meet when the team returns to L.A. this weekend to discuss the rest of his rehab schedule.

Asked if he believes he could physically do it, given the toll of returning from major elbow surgery in a high-pressure environment, Ohtani gave a wry smile.

“I am not sure,” he said.

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Liberty rebound vs. Mystics, lock up No. 1 seed

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The New York Liberty clinched the top seed in the WNBA playoffs with an 87-71 victory at Washington on Tuesday night.

At 32-7, the Liberty are guaranteed the league’s best record with one game to go.

This marks the second time the Liberty, an original WNBA franchise dating to 1997, will have the best record in a season. The other came in 2015, when the WNBA played a 34-game schedule and New York was 23-11.

Minnesota, which defeated Connecticut 78-76 on Tuesday, moved to 30-9 and will be the No. 2 seed. Connecticut is 27-12 and currently in third place. Las Vegas, 26-13 after winning at Seattle, is in fourth.

Coach Sandy Brondello said it was one of the Liberty’s goals to get the No. 1 seed. Last year, New York was the No. 2 seed and lost in the WNBA Finals to top-seeded Las Vegas.

After losing 88-79 at home to Minnesota on Sunday, Brondello said she wanted her team to be angry at how it played and it responded.

“We started talking about it after Minnesota … they were playing playoff basketball and we weren’t,” Brondello said. “So we have to learn from that. We put the emphasis tonight on, ‘OK, it’s playoff basketball now.’

“These games are very meaningful; it was clinching the No. 1. [In the playoffs] it goes to another level. That’s our focus, just that mentality. The extra physicality, we have to play better. Also continue to trust what’s got us here and make sure we’re playing in the right way.”

Breanna Stewart led New York with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

The Liberty don’t know who they will face in the first round of the playoffs, which begin Sunday. Atlanta holds the eighth and final playoff spot after its 86-70 victory over injury-riddled Chicago on Tuesday.

Atlanta is 14-25, while Washington and Chicago are 13-26. That means the last playoff team won’t be decided until the final night of the regular season Thursday, when all 12 teams play. Atlanta will face New York, Washington will play Indiana and Chicago will meet Connecticut.

Indiana already has secured the No. 6 seed and Phoenix the No. 7 seed.

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Mohsin Naqvi assures ICC delegation of stadiums’ timely upgradation

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Islamabad: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi assured the delegation of the International Cricket Council (ICC), who visited Pakistan in connection with the Champions Trophy, for the timely completion of the stadiums’ upgradation.

According to the details released by the PCB spokesperson, the ICC met the Chairman PCB Naqvi in ​​Islamabad, in which a detailed discussion was held regarding the preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy tournament.

In the meeting, security arrangements for the ICC Champions Trophy tournament were also discussed, while the delegation expressed satisfaction over the arrangements for the Champions Trophy in Karachi and Rawalpindi.

Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi has assured world-class arrangements for the ICC Champions Trophy and that the upgrade work of all stadiums will be completed before the Champions Trophy.

Mohsin Naqvi stated that foolproof security arrangements will be made for all the teams. After the upgradation, the stadiums will have international standard facilities and the fans will enjoy cricket matches more. Pakistani people love the game of cricket and support all the teams.

The delegation included ICC Senior Manager Events Sarah Edgar, Event Manager and Champions Trophy Event Lead Aoun Muhammad Zaidi, General Manager Cricket Wasim Khan, Security Manager David Musker and Broadcast Consultant Mansoor Manj.

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