The big story: Del Potro yet to recover from injury

Dogged by fitness issues, Juan Martin del Potro has opted out of next month’s Australian Open and his planned warm-up event in New Zealand, organisers of the Auckland Classic announced on Saturday.

“Juan Martin del Potro has confirmed he will withdraw from the Australasian swing due to fitness issues,” the Classic organisers said in a statement, referring to the two tournaments in January.

“Del Potro confirmed via his management team overnight that he has not had sufficient recovery time and will be withdrawing from the [Auckland] Classic and the Australian Open,” the statement added.

Other top stories

Cricket

  • Kings XI Punjab are looking to rope in Virender Sehwag as a replacement for Sanjay Bangar, who is reported to have quit from his role as coach of the India Premier League outfit, The Times of India reported.  
  • Security has been increased at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for Monday’s second Test between Australia and Pakistan in light of a foiled terror plot in the city.  
  • India won the Under-19 Asia Cup, defeating Sri Lanka by 34 runs at the R Premadasa Stadium, in Colombo, on Friday evening.   

Football

  • AC Milan lifted the Italian Super Cup for the first time in five years with a 4-3 shootout victory over Juventus at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on Friday.  
  • Wayne Rooney is reportedly in line to be offered a £700,000-a-week deal to head for China next summer.  
  • Sam Allardyce has been confirmed as new Crystal Palace manager. He has agreed on a contract through to 2019 worth £2.5 million (Rs 21 crore) a year.  

Boxing

  • Indian boxers ended the year on a high with Vikas Krishan perched at fourth in the International Boxing Association rankings, while world championships silver medallist Saweety Boora soared to second in the table.  

Athletics

  • The coach of Russian whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova was hit with a 10-year ban for doping-related offences, the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced. 
  • International Athletics Federation President Sebastian Coe feels the sport will rise from the unprecedented Russian doping crisis to be among the world’s top four, alongside football, tennis and Formula One in the next three years.

Golf

  • Tiger Woods, who hit the links three years ago with Barack Obama, was planning to tee off on Saturday against White House successor Donald Trump at the real estate mogul’s swanky Florida golf resort.