Sochi to host World Chess Championships

By Nick ZaccardiJun 11, 2014, 9:59 AM EDT

Sochi has added another major event to its post-Olympics schedule, the World Chess Championships.

Norwegian reigning champion Magnus Carlsen, 23, and Indian former champion Viswanathan Anand, 44, will play out their rematch from 2013 in a series of matches from Nov. 7-28, according to the World Chess Federation, citing Russian news agency Interfax.

Sochi has also hosted Fed Cup tennis since the Olympics and Paralympics ended. The city’s soccer team is expected to be revived, and the KHL hockey league is set to add a Sochi club for next season. Sochi is one of the host cities for the 2018 World Cup, too.

(h/t @BryanAGraham)

USOC narrows private list of 2024 Olympic bid cities

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Rafael Nadal expected to miss rest of 2023 season after surgery

By OlympicTalkJun 3, 2023, 8:54 AM EDT

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Rafael Nadal is expected to need five months to recover from arthroscopic surgery for a left hip flexor injury that kept him out of the French Open, effectively ruling him out for the rest of 2023 ATP tournament season.

Nadal underwent the surgery Friday night in Barcelona on the eve of his 37th birthday. He posted that, if all goes well, the recovery time is five months.

The timetable leaves open the possibility that Nadal could return for the Nov. 21-26 Davis Cup Finals team event in Malaga, Spain, which take place after the ATP Tour tournament season ends.

Nadal announced on May 18 that he had to withdraw from the French Open, a tournament he won a record 14 times, due to the injury that’s sidelined him since January’s Australian Open.

Nadal also said he will likely retire from professional tennis in the second half of 2024 after a farewell season that he hopes includes playing at Roland Garros twice — for the French Open and then the Paris Olympics.

When Nadal returns to competition, he will be older than any previous Grand Slam singles champion in the Open Era.

Nadal is tied with Novak Djokovic for the men’s record 23 Grand Slam singles titles.

While Nadal needs to be one of the four-highest ranked Spanish men after next year’s French Open for direct Olympic qualification in singles, he can, essentially, temporarily freeze his ranking in the top 20 under injury protection rules.

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2023 French Open TV, live stream schedule

By OlympicTalkJun 3, 2023, 6:48 AM EDT

The French Open airs live on NBC Sports, Peacock and Tennis Channel through championship points at Roland Garros in Paris.

Tennis Channel has live daily coverage with NBC and Peacock coming back for the middle weekend, plus the men’s and women’s singles semifinals and finals.

All NBC TV coverage also streams on NBCSports.com/live and the NBC Sports app.

It’s the first French Open since 2004 without Rafael Nadal, the record 14-time champion who is out with a hip injury and hopes to return next year for a likely final time.

In his place, the favorites are top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, who is tied with Nadal for the men’s record 22 Grand Slam singles titles.

FRENCH OPEN DRAWS: Women | Men

No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland is favored to claim a third French Open title, a year after beating American Coco Gauff in the final. She bids to join Serena Williams and Justine Henin as the lone women to win the French Open three or more times since 2000.

Two Americans are ranked in the top six in the world — No. 3 Jessica Pegula and Gauff.

The last American to win a major singles title was Sofia Kenin at the 2020 Australian Open. The 11-major drought matches the longest in history (since 1877) for American men and women combined.

MORE: All you need to know for 2023 French Open

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2023 French Open Broadcast Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Platform	Round
Sunday, May 28	5 a.m.-4 p.m.	Tennis Channel	First Round
	12-3 p.m.	Peacock (STREAM LINK)
Monday, May 29	5 a.m.-3 p.m.	Tennis Channel	First Round
	11 a.m.-3 p.m.	NBC (STREAM) \| Peacock (STREAM)
	3-5:30 p.m.	Peacock (STREAM LINK)
Tuesday, May 30	5 a.m.-5 p.m.	Tennis Channel	First Round
Wednesday, May 31	5 a.m.-5 p.m.	Tennis Channel	Second Round
Thursday, June 1	5 a.m.-5 p.m.	Tennis Channel	Second Round
Friday, June 2	5 a.m.-5 p.m.	Tennis Channel	Third Round
Saturday, June 3	5 a.m.-1 p.m.	Tennis Channel	Third Round
	12-3 p.m.	NBC (STREAM) \| Peacock (STREAM)
	3-5:30 p.m.	Peacock (STREAM LINK)
Sunday, June 4	5 a.m.-1 p.m.	Tennis Channel	Fourth Round
	12-3 p.m.	NBC (STREAM) \| Peacock (STREAM)
	3-5:30 p.m.	Peacock (STREAM LINK)
Monday, June 5	5 a.m.-5 p.m.	Tennis Channel	Fourth Round
Tuesday, June 6	5 a.m.-12 p.m.	Tennis Channel	Quarterfinals
	2-5 p.m.	Tennis Channel
Wednesday, June 7	5 a.m.-12 p.m.	Tennis Channel	Quarterfinals
	2-5 p.m.	Tennis Channel
Thursday, June 8	6 a.m.-2 p.m.	Tennis Channel	Women’s Semifinals
	11 a.m.-2 p.m.	NBC (STREAM) \| Peacock (STREAM)
Friday, June 9	8 a.m.-4 p.m.	Tennis Channel	Men’s Semifinals
	11 a.m.-3 p.m.	NBC (STREAM) \| Peacock (STREAM)
Saturday, June 10	9 a.m.-2 p.m.	NBC (STREAM) \| Peacock (STREAM)	Women’s Final
Sunday, June 11	9 a.m.-2 p.m.	NBC (STREAM) \| Peacock (STREAM)	Men’s Final

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