Sports
Serena Williams Withdraws from French Open 4 Days into Competition
Three-time champion Serena Williams has withdrawn from the French Open because of an Achilles injury.
Daily mail Sports gathered that the 39-year-old had been scheduled to play her second-round match against Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova on Wednesday.
The American has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles and was aiming to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24.
“I think I need four to six weeks of sitting and doing nothing,” Williams told a news conference.
“I have been struggling to walk so that’s a telltale sign that I should try to recover.
“Achilles is an injury you don’t want to play with – I think it was one of the worst, don’t want to get to that point, I want it to get better.”
Williams picked up the Achilles problem during her US Open semi-final defeat by Victoria Azarenka earlier this month.
On Monday, she beat fellow American Kristie Ahn 7-6 (7-2) 6-0 in the first round at Roland Garros, but said she was struggling physically.
“In the second set I felt I needed to walk with a limp,” Williams added. “I had to focus on walking straight so I wasn’t limping. I tried and always give 100%, I take solace in that.
“I’m not sure I will play another tournament this year. It is not an acute injury, it is a nagging injury. I ran into bad timing and bad luck really.”
Williams won the French Open in 2002, 2013 and 2015 and is currently ranked ninth in the world.
Unseeded Pironkova, 33, moves into the third round of the French Open for only the third time in her career and will play either 32nd seed Barbora Strycova or Barbora Krejcikova from the Czech Republic.
Edo State government said, it’s working on providing enabling environment towards ensuring that the organized private sector takes over the exclusive funding of sport, particularly football as the case in other parts of the world.
The Governor of the State, Mr Godwin Obaseki who was represented by his Deputy, Comrade Shuaibu gave the indications at the New Festival Hall of the government House, Benin City at a ceremony to unveil new Jerseys for the state’s football clubs, Edo Queens and Bendel Insurance.
A Nigerian construction firm, Peculiar Ultimate Concern Limited is sponsoring the female Team,Edo Queens while Sterling Bank is sponsoring it’s male counterpart, Bendel Insurance.
The Deputy Governor told the gathering that the administration was plotting a graph that would ensure that sport funding in the state was taking over by the Private sector.
“Now our graph is at between 90-10 and 80-20, but we are working towards a situation where the graph will be 10-90, meaning that government would only be responsible for 10% of the funding and the Private sector 90% until we achieve a situation where full value of the game is maximally explored, not just as entertainment, as viable commercial and income generating tool”.
While commending the sponsors, Comrade Shuaibu added that Edo State government under Governor Godwin Obaseki had introduced sports as part of the curriculum in primary and secondary schools across the state as a fundamental step to cultivate young talents.
“In developing sports in Edo State, we have made it part of the curriculum in our primary and secondary schools. In our public schools, we will dedicate Wednesdays for sporting activities. It will also be part of the continuous assessment in our schools. The era for sports scholarship is back to Edo State,” Shaibu noted.
The Managing Director Peculiar Ultimate Concern Limited Company, Engr Lanre Adeleke who alongside his wife Barrister Adeleke was at unveiling of the new Jersey told the gathering that the sponsorship of the women’s football Club was to further establish the company’s belief that patronage of the nation’s local content would not only reduce unemployment, but would also douse youth unrest and enhance the image of the country in the international space.
Engr Adeleke believed that apart from this, ” the sponsorship of a women football team by our company; which is purely Nigerian in all sense, is another major avenue to build capacity of women, show that women could do more unimaginable exploits and accelerate national development with their contributions in sport, academic and politics among others if given the opportunity”.
The Managing Director of Peculiar Ultimate Concern Limited also lauded the Edo State government under Governor Godwin Obaseki for his resolve to promote sport for development.
On his part, the Executive Director of Sterling Bank, Mr Tunde Adeola said the Bank would continue to invest in Bendel Insurance football team before it believed in it’s capacity to for quality football.
The unveiling ceremony was witnessed by the secretary to Edo State government, Hon Osarodin Ogie Esq, Chairman of the State Sport Commission, Hon Yusuf Alli, and Edo State Chief Judge, Hon Justice Joe Acha among other dignitaries including Ex-internationals and football enthusiasts.
Edo State government said, it’s working on providing enabling environment towards ensuring that the organized private sector takes over the exclusive funding of sport, particularly football as the case in other parts of the world.
The Governor of the State, Mr Godwin Obaseki who was represented by his Deputy, Comrade Shuaibu gave the indications at the New Festival Hall of the government House, Benin City at a ceremony to unveil new Jerseys for the state’s football clubs, Edo Queens and Bendel Insurance.
A Nigerian construction firm, Peculiar Ultimate Concern Limited is sponsoring the female Team,Edo Queens while Sterling Bank is sponsoring it’s male counterpart, Bendel Insurance.
The Deputy Governor told the gathering that the administration was plotting a graph that would ensure that sport funding in the state was taking over by the Private sector.
“Now our graph is at between 90-10 and 80-20, but we are working towards a situation where the graph will be 10-90, meaning that government would only be responsible for 10% of the funding and the Private sector 90% until we achieve a situation where full value of the game is maximally explored, not just as entertainment, as viable commercial and income generating tool”.
While commending the sponsors, Comrade Shuaibu added that Edo State government under Governor Godwin Obaseki had introduced sports as part of the curriculum in primary and secondary schools across the state as a fundamental step to cultivate young talents.
“In developing sports in Edo State, we have made it part of the curriculum in our primary and secondary schools. In our public schools, we will dedicate Wednesdays for sporting activities. It will also be part of the continuous assessment in our schools. The era for sports scholarship is back to Edo State,” Shaibu noted.
The Managing Director Peculiar Ultimate Concern Limited Company, Engr Lanre Adeleke who alongside his wife Barrister Adeleke was at unveiling of the new Jersey told the gathering that the sponsorship of the women’s football Club was to further establish the company’s belief that patronage of the nation’s local content would not only reduce unemployment, but would also douse youth unrest and enhance the image of the country in the international space.
Engr Adeleke believed that apart from this, ” the sponsorship of a women football team by our company; which is purely Nigerian in all sense, is another major avenue to build capacity of women, show that women could do more unimaginable exploits and accelerate national development with their contributions in sport, academic and politics among others if given the opportunity”.
The Managing Director of Peculiar Ultimate Concern Limited also lauded the Edo State government under Governor Godwin Obaseki for his resolve to promote sport for development.
On his part, the Executive Director of Sterling Bank, Mr Tunde Adeola said the Bank would continue to invest in Bendel Insurance football team before it believed in it’s capacity to for quality football.
The unveiling ceremony was witnessed by the secretary to Edo State government, Hon Osarodin Ogie Esq, Chairman of the State Sport Commission, Hon Yusuf Alli, and Edo State Chief Judge, Hon Justice Joe Acha among other dignitaries including Ex-internationals and football enthusiasts.
The promoter of the LanreLeke Sport Academy, Ile-Ogbo, Ayekire Local Government, Osun State, Engr Lanre Adeleke says, sport remains a major mechanism to cultivate young persons, mitigate youth restfulness, create jobs and promote healthy living among citizens in Nigeria.
Engr. Adeleke stated this during the opening of the Ile-Ogbo Golf Club, in the ancient town of Ile-Ogbo during the weekend.
The event which was attended by Traditional rulers, including the host, Olu of Ile-Ogbo, Oba Habeeb Adetoyese Agbaje, the Olupo of Olupona, Oba AbdulRauf Oyekanmi Mosobalaje and Olowu of Owu Kuta, Oba Hammed Adekunle Makama as well as stakeholders in the Nigeria Golf Sport was with glitz and glamour as the guests teered off on the expansive gulf course.
Engr. Adeleke told the gathering that lack of sufficient sporting space to accommodate the teeming youth population of the country contributed to the restfulness among them.
He charged individuals and corporate private sector actors to support the government in providing opportunities for Nigerians in the sport sector.
In their separate remarks, the traditional rulers lauded the efforts of the initiator of the Golf Club for his sense of patriotism and community development which they pointed out influenced his iconic contributions to sport and infrastructural development in the town.
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