Canadian tennis star Bianca Andreescu says the foot injury she sustained in the final of the Miami Open is not serious, but it will keep her out of Canada’s coming tie at the Billie Jean Cup. The 20-year-old from Mississauga posted the update on her Instagram account. She said while she loves representing Canada, she wants to make sure she’s healthy for the coming clay-court season. The Billie Jean Cup, formerly the Fed Cup, is the premier international team competition in women’s tennis. Canada is scheduled face Serbia in the playoffs April 16-17 in Kraljevo, Serbia. Andreescu, ranked No. 6 in the world, retired from Saturday’s Miami Open final with the injury. She was trailing Australia’s Ash Barty 6-3, 4-0 at the time. Miami was Andreescu’s third tournament of 2021 after a 16-month layoff that started after she suffered a knee injury at the 2019 WTA Finals.
Canadian striker sidelined for several weeks
Canadian international striker Jonathan David will be out for several weeks after rupturing the lateral ligament in his right ankle playing for Lille. The 21-year-old from Ottawa went off after scoring the winner Saturday in Lille’s 1-0 win over defending champion Paris Saint-Germain in a top-of-the-table Ligue 1 clash. David scored his 10th of the season in the 20th minute with a slightly deflected strike that had PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas going the wrong way. The Canadian exited 15 minutes later after a challenge from an opponent, with Lille offering the medical update Monday. David has 11 goals in 12 appearances for Canada, whose next matches are World Cup qualifiers June 5 and 8 against Aruba and Suriname.
Welch referees in English men’s pro league
Rebecca Welch became the first female referee to officiate an English men’s professional league game on Monday, and the managers of the teams involved were full of praise for her performance. The 37-year-old Welch took charge of Port Vale’s 2-0 win over Harrogate in the fourth tier. She is on FIFA’s international list and has twice been referee for the Women’s FA Cup final, in 2017 and 2020. She took up refereeing 11 years ago. “We need to see more women referees and lineswomen moving forward,” Port Vale manager Darrell Clarke said. “They should be judged like anyone else and she’s had a good start.”
Vaccine hesitancy among the Mets
Some New York Mets players have hesitated to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, causing the team to set up education efforts. Major League Baseball and the players’ association said in a March 29 memorandum to players that COVID-19 protocols such as mask use and restrictions on movement and gathering would be relaxed once 85 per cent of major-league players and primary field staff on a team are vaccinated against the coronavirus. “There has been some hesitation on the part of some players, and that is why we’ve set up the education,” Mets president Sandy Alderson said Monday. Alderson said the Mets want to get as many players vaccinated as possible. In Milwaukee, the Brewers said the team received the COVID-19 vaccine over the weekend but wouldn’t disclose what percentage of players and staffers participated. Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns said the Brewers who participated received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.