Sports News Roundup: Big Ten to start its college football season next month; Nadal makes fast start in Rome, Tsitsipas out and more

Nadal makes fast start in Rome, Tsitsipas out Nine-times champion Rafa Nadal showed little signs of rust when he played his first match in 200 days as he beat fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-1 6-1 in the Italian Open in Rome on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Job not done yet, says Tour de France leader Roglic

Primoz Roglic is taking nothing for granted despite holding a comfortable lead in the Tour de France on Wednesday evening with four competitive stages left. The Jumbo-Visma rider is in complete control of the race after extending his overall lead to 57 seconds over fellow Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, with one mountain stage and a partly uphill time trial to come.

Big Ten to start its college football season next month

The Big Ten Conference changed course on Wednesday saying there will be college football this year after having earlier postponed play amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Big Ten, which includes football powerhouses Ohio State and University of Michigan, said it will begin play the weekend of Oct. 23-24.

Nadal makes fast start in Rome, Tsitsipas out

Nine-times champion Rafa Nadal showed little signs of rust when he played his first match in 200 days as he beat fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-1 6-1 in the Italian Open in Rome on Wednesday. Nadal, who received a bye into the second round, has not played a tournament since winning his 85th singles title in Acapulco, having skipped the Western & Southern Open and the U.S. Open in New York due to COVID-19 concerns.

LeBron, Giannis unanimously selected to All-NBA First Team

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo unanimously were selected to the 2019-20 All-NBA First Team, the league announced Wednesday. James set the NBA record with his 16th All-NBA Team selection, surpassing the 15 set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan.

Murray backs calls to remove Margaret Court's name from arena

Andy Murray thinks the Australian Open should consider removing Margaret Court's name from the arena at Melbourne Park as he says the multiple Grand Slam champion's values are at odds with what tennis stands for. The 78-year-old Court, who holds the all-time record of 24 major singles titles, has been heavily criticised for voicing her religious-based opposition to same-sex marriage and transgender athletes.

Halep through in Rome despite sluggish start, Pliskova, Azarenka advance

Top seed Simona Halep overcame a couple of hiccups in her first match at the Italian Open in Rome to beat wildcard Jasmine Paolini 6-3 6-4 and move into the third round on Wednesday. The 28-year-old Wimbledon champion has only lost twice this year but found herself a break down in both sets before she recovered to seal her first victory since winning the Prague Open a month ago.

Peyton Manning headlines 2021 Hall of Fame nominees

Quarterback Peyton Manning headlines the list of 14 first-year eligible players for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2021, released Wednesday. The NFL's only five-time Most Valuable Player, Manning is joined on the list of Modern Era nominees by: running back Steven Jackson; wide receivers Calvin Johnson, Wes Welker and Roddy White; tight end Heath Miller; offensive linemen D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Logan Mankins; defensive linemen Jared Allen, Justin Tuck and Kevin Williams; linebacker Jerod Mayo; and defensive backs Charles Tillman and Charles Woodson.

NFL: Two players among seven new positive COVID-19 tests

Two players and five members of staff have tested positive for COVID-19 in the latest round of testing, the National Football League (NFL) said on Wednesday. The league said it had conducted 40,479 tests on players and staff from Sept. 6 through Saturday and that those who had returned positive results would go into self-isolation until they are reassessed.

Ex-head of world athletics Diack given jail sentence for corruption

Lamine Diack, once one of the most powerful people in athletics, was convicted in France on Wednesday of running a clique that covered up Russian doping in return for bribes worth millions of dollars and sentenced to spend at least two years in jail. The 87-year-old former head of world athletics' governing body was found guilty of taking kickbacks from athletes in return for concealing positive drug tests, which enabled them to continue competing, including at the 2012 London Olympics.

Sydney sports boost as crowd restrictions eased

Major sporting events in Sydney will soon be played in front of crowds of up to 40,000 after the New South Wales government on Thursday announced a loosening of restrictions put in place to contain the new coronavirus. In good news for the National Rugby League (NRL) as it approaches the climax of its season, as well as the Rugby Championship, larger venues will now be able to open to 50% of capacity instead of 25%.

(With inputs from agencies.)