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sports Diabierna 11 Juni 2021
Ajax goalkeeper Onana’s ban for doping cut to 9 months

(AP) — Ajax goalkeeper at fault nor negligent.
André Onana had his ban
for a positive doping test The court said its judges
cut to nine months on “considered that a 9-month
Thursday and can resume ban was proportionate to
playing in November. the negligence committed
... but could not accept the
The Court of Arbitration goalkeeper’s request for the
for Sport found Onana was removal of the suspension
not at significant fault and entirely.”
reduced his one-year ban by
UEFA. The case was fast-tracked
with the verdict given eight
The ban now ends on Nov. days after the appeal hearing.
3 and Ajax said Onana will The three-month reduction
be allowed to restart training meant it “was worth it taking
with his teammates on Sept. this case to the CAS,” said
4, two months before the ban Ajax chief executive Edwin
expires. van der Sar.

The ruling could see Arsenal for a transfer fee because he banned diuretic often used as he mistook for aspirin “be- “I have mixed feelings about
step up its reported interest could leave as a free agent a masking agent to hide the cause the packaging was al- today’s verdict because our
in signing the 25-year-old when his contract with the presence of other drugs. most identical.” aim was that he would be
Onana, who is cleared to play club expires after next season. Anti-doping rules make ath- back playing games this sum-
for Cameroon at the African He said he was feeling unwell letes liable for banned sub- mer,” said Van der Sar, the
Cup of Nations in January. Onana tested positive last and took a pill prescribed for stances in their body, though club’s goalkeeping great.
Ajax could sell Onana now October for furosemide, a his girlfriend from a packet they can argue they were not

Djokovic-Nadal, Tsitsipas-Zverev in French Open semifinals

(AP) – Novak Djokovic with plenty of potential but
and Rafael Nadal know zero Grand Slam titles — Ts-
there’s something special itsipas, 22, or Zverev, 24.
about the two of them
meeting in the French Tsitsipas vs. Zverev offers a
Open semifinals — even glimpse of what the future of
if they’d prefer, of course, men’s tennis could be.
for it to happen a round Both are all-court, all-surface
later. players who are 6-foot-4
(1.93 meters) or taller. And
“Each time we face each oth- both have now become regu-
er, there’s that extra tension lars in the latter stages of ma-
and expectations,” the top- jors.
seeded Djokovic said. “Just “The Grand Slams, they’re
vibes are different walking on still a different animal. ... You
the court with him.” got to learn how to play them,
The third-seeded Nadal’s as well. Very rarely does any-
take? body come in and, all of a
sudden, perform his best at
“In some way,” he said, “we Grand Slams. Yes, we’ve seen
are practicing, we are liv- Rafa do it, but Rafa is some-
ing the sport, for these mo- times not human,” Zverev
ments.” said. “For young guys, it is a
Whatever the quality of play finals; Robin Soderling the ic leads 29-28. Wednesday but not before learning curve. Hopefully I
might be between Nadal and other — and eyeing a 14th ending his 36-set winning can say that, slowly but sure-
Djokovic in Paris on Friday championship at the clay- Nadal is ahead 10-6 at the streak in Paris. “Everyone ly, I’m starting to get the hang
— their semifinal will fol- court major. Slams, 7-1 at the French wants to see that.” of it.”
low the one between No. 5 Open (including a straight-
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece Djokovic won La Coupe des set victory in the 2020 final) The women’s final Satur- This is his third semifinal in
and No. 6 Alexander Zverev Mousquetaires in 2016 and and 19-7 on clay (including day is No. 31 seed Anastasia the past five Slams, and he
of Germany — the numbers could join Rod Laver and Roy a win in last month’s Italian Pavlyuchenkova against un- was the runner-up to Domi-
associated with the matchup Emerson as the only men to Open final). seeded Barbora Krejcikova. nic Thiem at last year’s U.S.
are overwhelming. win each of the four Grand This one comes in the semi- The last four women all were Open.
Slam tournaments twice. finals, rather than the final, first-time major semifinal-
Start with the big picture: “It’s not like any other match. because Nadal recently slid ists, and Pavlyuchenkova beat It’s the third major semifinal
Nadal is two wins away from Let’s face it, it’s the biggest from No. 2 to No. 3 in the Tamara Zidansek, 7-5, 6-3, in a row and fourth overall
his 21st Grand Slam title, challenge that you can have rankings. The tournament while Krejcikova defeated for Tsitsipas, who is 0-3 so
which would break the men’s — playing on clay against seedings strictly follow the No. 17 Maria Sakkari 7-5, far.
mark he currently shares Nadal on this court, in which rankings, so Nadal got no 4-6, 9-7. “I feel privileged that I’m in
with Roger Federer. he has had so much success boost for his dominance at that position, and I feel, ob-
Djokovic is trying to get to in his career,” Djokovic said. the place, and a random draw No matter what happens Fri- viously, I’ve put in a lot of
No. 19, which would leave “In the final stages of a Grand determined which half of the day, the men’s final will be daily hard work (that) has
him just one behind his ri- Slam, it doesn’t get bigger bracket he was placed in. Old vs. New. been a key element of me be-
vals. than that.” That’s because it will pit ing here,” Tsitsipas said after
Nadal is 105-2 at Roland It is their 58th showdown, “It’s going to be a special someone in his 30s who is eliminating No. 2 seed Daniil
Garros — Djokovic is re- more than between any other match,” said 10th-seeded Di- one of the greatest ever — Medvedev in the quarterfi-
sponsible for one of those two men in the Open era, ego Schwartzman, who lost Nadal, 35, or Djokovic, 34 nals. “But, you know, my ego
defeats, in the 2015 quarter- which dates to 1968; Djokov- to Nadal in the quarterfinals — against someone in his 20s tells me I want more.”