Sports News Roundup: NHL postpones 14 games, will not resume before Tuesday; Soccer-Villa manager Gerrard to sit out two games after positive COVID test and more

Djokovic was named in Serbia's team for the ATP Cup, although the 34-year-old has yet to commit to the Australian Open following the organisers' mandate for COVID-19 vaccinations. Tennis - Canadian Raonic withdraws from Australian Open with heel injury Canadian Milos Raonic has pulled out of next month's Australian Open as the former world number three continues his recovery from a heel injury, the organisers said on Saturday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NHL postpones 14 games, will not resume before Tuesday

The National Hockey League (NHL) pushed back its return from the holiday break by another day after postponing Monday's 14-game schedule to allow the league and teams time to complete COVID-19 tests and assess their ability to compete. With the latest postponements taking the total to 64 games, the NHL said in a statement on Friday that it plans to resume the regular season on Tuesday.

Soccer-Villa manager Gerrard to sit out two games after positive COVID test

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard will miss the team's next two Premier League matches after testing positive for COVID-19, the English club said on Saturday. Gerrard, 41, who joined the club last month, will miss both Sunday's home game to Chelsea and Tuesday's trip to Leeds United while isolating.

NBA roundup: Stephen Curry goes for 46 in Warriors' win

Juan Toscano-Anderson and Gary Payton II hit key hoops down the stretch and Stephen Curry exploded for 46 points as the Golden State Warriors finally got the better of the Memphis Grizzlies in a 113-104 victory Thursday night in San Francisco. Curry's 46 points were the product of 13-for-22 shooting overall, including 8-for-14 from 3-point range, and 12-for-12 success at the foul line.

Olympics - South Korea targets two gold medals at Beijing Games: Yonhap

South Korea's Olympic Committee (KSOC) has set a target of two gold medals and a top-15 finish at next year's Beijing Winter Games, Yonhap news agency reported. South Korea won five golds when they hosted the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang and their overall tally of 17 medals, including eight silver and four bronze, was their best at a Winter Olympics.

NFL-Washington's Everett injured in car accident, passenger dead

Washington Football Team safety Deshazor Everett was involved in a road accident on Thursday that left a passenger dead, the National Football League (NFL) club said. The 29-year-old was transferred to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after the accident, which occurred about 35 miles (56.33 km) outside Washington, D.C. in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Tennis-Djokovic to skip 2022 ATP Cup in Sydney - report

World number one Novak Djokovic will not travel to Sydney for the men's season-opening ATP Cup next week, Serbian daily Blic reported on Saturday. Djokovic was named in Serbia's team for the ATP Cup, although the 34-year-old has yet to commit to the Australian Open following the organisers' mandate for COVID-19 vaccinations.

Tennis - Canadian Raonic withdraws from Australian Open with heel injury

Canadian Milos Raonic has pulled out of next month's Australian Open as the former world number three continues his recovery from a heel injury, the organisers said on Saturday. Raonic suffered a thigh injury in March and returned to the tour after a three-month gap. But his 2021 season was cut short due to another heel issue following his first-round loss at the Atlanta Open in July.

Tennis-Canada's Shapovalov tests positive for COVID-19 in Sydney

Denis Shapovalov, who is part of Canada's team for the 2022 ATP Cup, has tested positive for COVID-19 in Sydney, the 22-year-old said on Saturday. Shapovalov played last week at the World Tennis Championship exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, where he beat 20-times major winner Rafa Nadal in the third-place playoff match.

Cricket-Former England captain Illingworth dies at 89

Former England captain Ray Illingworth, who famously captained the team to an Ashes series victory in Australia in 1970–71, has died at the age of 89, county club Yorkshire said on Saturday. Illingworth said in November he had been undergoing treatment for oesophageal cancer.

Japan will not send government delegation to Beijing Olympics

Japan will not send a government delegation to February's Winter Olympics in Beijing, it said on Friday, a move likely to deepen tension with China. The decision follows a U.S.-led diplomatic boycott of the Games over concerns about human rights in China, although Japan has avoided explicitly labelling its move as such.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)