Former world number one Rafael Nadal hopes to return from injury at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi in December before competing at the Australian Open early next year.

The Spaniard, 35, has played just two matches since losing in the semi finals of the French Open in June. l

Nadal underwent treatment on his left foot over the summer and last month was still unsure of when he will return.

The Australian Open main draws take place from 17-30 January.

“My plan is to play Abu Dhabi in December and then in a tournament before Australia and then the Australian Open. That’s my goal,” the 20-time grand slam champion said. “We’re working hard to make it happen.

“The injury in my foot still needs to get a little better, but I’m already training almost an hour and a half a day so that’s positive.

“I’m training, I’m feeling better. I’m back on the court.”

Nadal won the Australian Open in 2009 and has lost in the final four times since then.

Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare, has redeemed his financial pledge to Nigeria’s athletes to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games,

Dare had promised to financially reward the Paralympics athletes who excelled at the Games in Tokyo.

Nigeria featured 22 athletes in four events at the Games.

The athletes who won gold were rewarded with $10,000 each, while those who won silver and bronze medals got $8,000 and $7,000 respectively.

“The athletes have been receiving the funds promised them by the minister and I’m told that the gold medallists got $10,000,”

Nigeria won a total of 10 medals – four gold, one silver and five bronze medals at the Games.

Team Nigeria captain at the Games Lucy Ejike also confirmed that they had been paid.

“I can confirm that the sports minister Sunday Dare has fulfilled his promise to the athletes to the Tokyo Paralympics,” Ejike, who won bronze in women’s powerlifting, said.

“It was delayed because it passed through some processes, but I’m happy I received my alert Tuesday morning.”

The athletes took part in powerlifting, para-athletics, para-table tennis and para-rowing in Tokyo.

saac Okeke, an 18-year-old Lagos-based chess star, was beaming after he became the country’s latest International Master

Okeke won all five matches, increasing his chess rating up to 2223, the Danhypro Chess Academy tournament in Lagos on October 31.

He was the overall champion of the DanhyPro Junior Chess Tour, a multi-million naira chess tournament for teenagers, which took place in four different cities in Nigeria — Port Harcourt, Abuja, Asaba and Lagos.

Okeke is one of the very few players in Nigeria close to achieving the highest title in chess, Grandmaster – and he believes he can attain that feat if he wins more titles.

He is currently Nigeria’s 13th best player, according to the International Chess Federation ranking list, and is one of the five players in Nigeria that holds the record rating range of 2100+ ELO rating at age 18.

“I owe my feats to good parental support and the kind assistance from some individuals,” Okeke said

“My dream has always been to be the best in my category and the best in Nigeria. Being a Grandmaster will make me fulfilled.”

The General Secretary, Chess Players’ Association of Nigeria, Fasinu Tolulope, said Okeke needed corporate sponsorship to realise his dreams of becoming a Grandmaster.

“Becoming a Grandmaster in chess is no mean feat,” Tolulope said.

“He needs a lot of support and the corporate world needs to understand that with chess, youths can channel their minds, thoughts and reasoning to positive things unlike what we see today in our society.

“This way he will be able to afford even more quality training and play in the right tourneys. He has achieved many feats, including a continental championship.

“Okeke is one of the 10 players who will compete in the Nigeria National Chess Championship in Lagos.

“He has demonstrated and proven his talent, and hard work in his consistent performance, I am very sure his career holds beyond being a Grandmaster but been an international contender.”

Tthe youngster was given a Wild Card entry as the 10th male player for the national chess tourney billed for November 8 to 14th at the Orchid Hotel, Lekki, Lagos.

Coach Christopher Danjuma has invited 31 players to the camp of Nigeria’s U20 girls, Falconets for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup third round fixture against Congo, with the first leg taking place in Brazzaville on 5^th December. Nigeria will host the return leg at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Lagos on Thursday, 16^th December.

On the list are four goalkeepers, nine defenders, 10 midfielders and eight forwards.

The Falconets blitzed past their counterparts from Central African Republic 11-0 on aggregate in the second round, while the Congolese saw off Egypt’s U20 girls 3-1 on aggregate. The girls from Central African Republic progressed to the second round following the withdrawal of Equatorial Guinea.

All 31 players have been asked to report at the Serob Hotel in the Wuye district of Abuja on Sunday, 7^th November with their training kits, international e-passports and certificates of birth. However, four players of Rivers Angels FC of Port Harcourt that is taking part in the maiden edition of the CAF Women’s Champions League holding in Egypt 5^th – 19^th November, have been excused to report in camp after their engagement in North Africa. Two overseas –based players are also expected in camp towards the end of the month.

ALL THE INVITED PLAYERS:

Goalkeepers: Christiana Uzoma (Nasarawa Amazons); Nelly Eke (Sunshine Queens); Iyems Etim (Abia Angels); Monle Omini (Bayelsa Queens)

Defenders: Jumoke Anani (Edo Queens); Paulina Ali (Naija Ratels); Motunrayo Ezekiel (Lakeside Ratels); Omowunmi Oshobukola (Edo Queens); Oluchi Ohaegbulem (Confluence Queens); Oluwabunmi Oladeji (Naija Ratels); Chidinma Ogbuchi (Robo Queens); Blessing Sunday (Edo Queens); Oluwatosin Demehin (Rivers Angels)

Midfielders: Deborah Abiodun (Rivers Angels); Basirat Amoo (Nasarawa Amazons); Esther Onyenezide (Robo Queens); Rafiat Imuran (Rivers Angels); Yina Adoo (Nasarawa Queens); Celine Attah (Bayelsa Queens); Blessing Okpe (Rivers Angels); Chinyere Kalu (Bayelsa Queens); Mary Aderemi (Osun Babes); Amarachi Odoma (Nasarawa Amazons)

Forwards: Juliet Adebowale (Briton Hovers, England); Joy Jerry (Bayelsa Queens); Mercy Idoko (Nasarawa Amazons); Adaobi Udoka (Edo Queens); Flourish Sebastine (Bayelsa Queens); Joy Omewa (B94 FC, Denmark); Taiwo Lawal (Robo Queens); Precious Vincent (Bayelsa Queens)

World football –governing body, FIFA has appointed referees from North Africa to officiate the Super Eagles’ last two games of the group phase of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 African qualifying series.

Tunisian official Youssef Essrayri, 42, will be referee for the Day 5 encounter between the Super Eagles and the Lone Star of Liberia taking place at the Grand Stade de Tangier in Morocco on Saturday, 13^th November. The match is a ‘home’ game for the Lone Star – reverse fixture of the Day 1 clash at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos on 3^rd September, which the Super Eagles won 2-0 thanks to a Kelechi Iheanacho brace.

Essrayri will be assisted by compatriots Aymen Ismail (assistant referee 1), Youssef Jami (assistant referee 2) and Mehrez Melki (fourth official) at the match that will begin at 5pm Morocco time (6pm Nigeria time).

Former FIFA referee Seli Zinko from Cote d’Ivoire will be referee assessor while Sullay Kamara from Sierra Leone will be match commissioner. Dr Bilal Mohamed Rida, Moroccan, will serve as medical officer.

For the Day 6 clash against Cape Verde’s Blue Sharks at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos on Tuesday, 16^th November, FIFA has listed Algerian official Mustapha Ghorbal as referee. He will be assisted by compatriots Mokrane Gourari (assistant referee 1), Abbes Akram Zerhouni (assistant referee 2) and Lahlou Benbraham (fourth official).

Ivorian Nomandiez Doue, another former FIFA referee, will serve as referee assessor with Sierra Leonean Prince Kai Saquee as match commissioner. The medical officer will be Dr Abdulrahim Onimisi Ozi Salami of Nigeria.

The Nigeria/Cape Verde clash will kick off at 5pm.

British men’s number one Cameron Norrie saw his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals take a blow after a straight-set loss to American Taylor Fritz in Paris.

Fritz won 6-3 7-6 (7-3) to progress to the last eight, where he will face world number one Novak Djokovic.

Significant points are on offer in Paris in the hunt for a spot in the year-end ATP Finals.

Norrie, 26, could have guaranteed qualification with a title win.

Both players played exceptional tennis as the match went to a tie-break in the second set.

Fritz continued his recent fine run of form to see off a battling Norrie, with the American producing a strong service game throughout, hitting 10 aces to the Briton’s three.

Norrie has reached six finals this year, including his title success at the prestigious Indian Wells event last month, with his form seeing him rise from 74th in the world rankings to 13th.

There are two remaining spots at the ATP Finals in Turin, where only the best eight qualified singles players compete – though this defeat has diminished his chances.

Norway’s Casper Ruud and Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz are both ahead of Norrie, with Hurkacz adding another 90 points to his total after a 4-6 7-5 6-2 last-16 win over Germany’s Dominik Koepfer in Paris.

Norrie trails Hurkacz by 190 points in the battle for qualification.

Djokovic progressed to the quarter finals without lifting a racket after his last-16 opponent, Gael Monfils, withdrew due to a leg injury sustained during his second-round win over fellow Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.

Australia’s James Duckworth defeated his countryman Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 to reach his first Masters quarter-final, where he will face Hurkacz.

In the doubles, Britain’s Jamie Murray progressed to the last eight with Brazilian Bruno Soares, defeating Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut and Alexander Bublik 6-1 6-3.

There is reported to be a growing concern in the Paris Saint Germain  squad regarding the lack of French used across the first team squad and clubin general.

The super rich Ligue 1 giants boast one of the most diverse squads in all of European football, but this is now said to be having a knock-on affect with some of the cultural aspects of the team.

PSG, who currently top Ligue 1 with an eight point margin and sit a point clear in Group A of the Champions League now find themselves in a position whereby the majority language within the club is not French and the language is fading out in the dressing room as a result, according to a report in Marca

It claims that manager Mauricio Pochettino barely uses the French language at all, instead addressing his players instead primarily in his native Spanish or English. 

While in England, Pochettino spoke with a translator throughout his time at Southampton and when he was approached by Tottenham, they told him he must speak English in public. 

Now, some of his South American coaching staff are reported to have a good command of French, but it is not the go-to language of the squad as a whole and the players now realise this.

A long-standing tradition of the PSG hierarchy was to ensure new signings took up the learning of the language so as to converse with team-mates both socially and in a professional capacity, though this is said to have stopped.

Star man Kylian Mbappe, playing in the capital of his home country, reportedly makes an effort to speak Spanish or English. 

Fellow English speakers such as Idrissa Gueye and Abdou Diallo do likewise, switching from their preferred tongue.

Neymar, Angel Di Maria and Keylor Navas are said to never use French, but they do understand it. 

New arrivals, such as Lionel Messi and Nuno Mendes, however, have no knowledge of French and still to more familiar languages to converse.

Grebxh media notes hat when Pochettino was approached by Tottenham while Southampton manager, they underlined the importance of him speaking English.

Pochettino was known to speak English in private with his Saints squad but used an interpreter for his media commitments to articulate himself more precisely.