After being suspended for three months due to the coronavirus pandemic, top-level international tennis returns this weekend in Belgrade with a charity tournament hosted by world number one Novak Djokovic and where fans will be welcome. The Adria Tour will be held until July 5 in Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia. On the tournament’s first stop, on Saturday and Sunday, the Serbian star will be joined by world number three Dominic Thiem. Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, ranked seventh and 19th in the world respectively, are also set to take part.

The ATP and WTA Tours have been suspended since March due to the pandemic and will not resume at least until the end of July.The French Open was postponed until September and Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II.The four tennis stars will play under regulations allowing up to 1,000 people to attend open-air sports events, which were introduced in Serbia on Monday.

The matches will be played at Novak Tennis Centre, financed by Djokovic’s family, with a view of the Danube river.Tickets sold out in seven minutes after they were put on sale online last Wednesday.The event will be broadcast live in more than 100 countries, its director Djordje Djokovic, Novak’s younger brother, said.

“Every spectator will get a mask at the entrance, disinfectants will be placed throughout the complex,” Djordje Djokovic said.Also, the entire centre will be disinfected after every match.”We are professionals in this sport and we want to play,” said the 33-year-old Djokovic.

However, two tennis giants — Roger Federer, out for the rest of the year following knee surgery, and Rafael Nadal, who recently resumed training — will be absent.”Taking the situation into account, I didn’t have the nerve to call and invite them,” said Djokovic.Both Djokovic and Thiem were training during the lockdown.

“I had a tennis court so I could train every day,” said Djokovic referring to his period of confinement in Spain, where he was staying with his family at a home in Marbella.Thiem said he was the best prepared player in Belgrade since he has played matches in Austria behind closed doors.

After the Serbian capital, the tournament will move to Zadar, on Croatia’s Adriatic coast, where Djokovic and his peers will be joined by two Croatian tennis stars — former US Open champion Marin Cilic and Borna Coric.

After Montenegro, the event will end on July 5 with an exhibition match between Bosnian number one Damir Dzumhur and Djokovic.”In Sarajevo and Bosnia, people really love Djokovic… it will be an exceptional event for them, an ideal opportunity to see Novak up close,” world number 107 Dzumhur said.All the matches will be played on clay.The money raised will be donated to various regional charities.

Yuvraj Singh recalled his first meeting with Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, saying it “felt like I have shaken hands with god”. Yuvraj was replying to a tweet from Sachin Tendulkar as the former India batsman sent in good wishes for the all-rounder as he completed one year of his retirement from all forms of cricket.

Replying to Sachin’s tweet, Yuvraj wrote: “Thank u, Master. When we 1st met, I felt I have shaken hands with god. U’ve guided me in my toughest phases. U taught me to believe in my abilities. I’ll play the same role for youngsters that you played for me. Looking 4wd to many more wonderful memories with you”.

My first memory of you was during the Chennai camp & I couldn’t help but notice that you were very athletic & deceptively quick at Point. I needn’t talk about your 6 hitting ability, it was evident you could clear any ground in the world.

Tendulkar had made his debut in Test cricket on November 15, 1989. In the same year on December 18, he played his first ODI match.

The legendary cricketer has the most number of runs in the longest format of the game, amassing 15,921 runs.

Along the way, Tendulkar scored 51 Test centuries, most by any player. Things are no different in ODI cricket as Tendulkar atop the list of most runs in this format as well.

He has accumulated 18,426 runs in ODI which includes 49 tons. Tendulkar represented the country in six World Cups during his career that lasted for 24 years. He was the part of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad.

On the other hand, Yuvraj Singh’s career spanned over 304 ODIs, 58 T20Is, and 40 Tests. Big events brought out the best in him – be it his international cricket entry at 2000 ICC Champions Trophy, the mind-numbing batting exhibition at inaugural 2007 World Twenty20, or the all-round performance at 2011 World Cup.

A fighter to the core, Yuvraj battled all odds to return to the cricket field after successfully treating the rare germ cell tumour.Yuvraj called time on his career after registering 11,778 runs across all three formats of the game and he also managed to scalp 148 wickets.

https://twitter.com/YUVSTRONG12/status/1270754609670295556

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is ready to host the Indian Premier League (IPL) behind closed doors and is working on all possible options to stage the tournament this year, board president Sourav Ganguly has stated in his letter to all affiliated members of the body. The letter states: “The BCCI is working on all possible options to ensure that we are able to stage the IPL this year, even if it means playing the tournament in empty stadiums”.

The IPL was scheduled to commence from March 29 but was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is being speculated that the tournament might be played in the October-November window if the ICC decides to postpone the T20 World Cup.In his letter, Ganguly has also stated that cricket activities all over the country have come to a standstill due to coronavirus, and added that training and competitive cricket might resume in the next two months.

“The BCCI is in the process of developing a COVID-19 Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) for all State Cricket Associations. Essentially this SOP is being made with a view of providing our Members with a standard set of guidelines which will help the associations to resume cricket in their respective areas,” Ganguly wrote in his letter to all affiliated members.

Talking about domestic cricket, Ganguly has said: “Moving ahead, the BCCI is in the process of planning the domestic competitions for the next cricketing season. We are working on various formats and options in our endeavour to ensure that various domestic tournaments are held, they stay competitive and participation is feasible. The BCCI will come up with more details on this front over the next couple of weeks”.

The BCCI president has also said that during this lockdown period, the board has tried to release the dues of everyone involved with the board.”The BCCI has made all efforts to release due and payable funds/grants to its various members.

Associations which have made proper submissions of their accounts and fund utilisation certificate have already received their grants. The BCCI will endeavour to release due and payable funds/grants for the remaining associations as well, once all documentation formalities are completed from their end”.Indian senior men’s team was last seen in action against New Zealand earlier this year. The side won the T20I series but ended up losing the ODI and Test series.