Off the wire

— TENNIS

Djokovic wins in Abu Dhabi

Novak Djokovic retained his title at the World Tennis Championship exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday by rallying past Nicolas Almagro of Spain 6-7 (4),6-3, 6-4. The top ranked Serb swept past David Ferrer in straight sets to reach the final, but he got a tough test from the 11th-ranked Almagro. Almagro, a late replacement at the tournament for Rafael Nadal, rallied from 3-1down in the tiebreaker to take the first set. Djokovic broke to lead 3-1 in the second set on his way to evening the match. The third set was much tighter, with both players holding serve after eight games until Djokovic went up 5-4 and then broke Almagro to clinch the victory. Both players had 12 aces, but Almagro was able to convert only 1 of 6 break points. He won just 34 percent of points on returns.

Sixth-ranked Czech player Tomas Berdych heads a strong field that includes four top-20 players in the Chennai (India) Open that starts Monday. World No.9 Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia and former champions Marin Cilic of Croatia (15) and Stanislas Wawrinka (17) of Switzerland are the other big names in the field. Berdych defeated Roger Federer in the quarterfinals of this year’s U.S. Open. He is returning to Chennai after missing the previous year.

HOCKEY All talk, no negotiating

The NHL and the players’ association are spending lots of time talking, but not negotiating yet. One day after it was revealed that the NHL made a new contract offer to the union, the sides spent much of Saturday taking part in conference calls. The talks were strictly on an informational level and not meant for bargaining purposes. The thought is that the sides are looking to meet for traditional negotiating today in New York, but that hadn’t been scheduled as of Saturday afternoon. The players’ association has been going over the new proposal it received late Thursday. Calls were scheduled for Saturday so the union could ask questions of league officials regarding the offer that is about 300 pages in length. Whether enough progress will be made to lead to face-to-face talks remains to be seen. So far, only more informational sessions have been scheduled for this morning. The sides haven’t gotten together in person since Dec. 13 with federal mediators.

FOOTBALL Former Steelers center dies

Former Pittsburgh Steelers center and coach Chuck Cherundolo has died in Florida at 96. His daughter, Pat Cherundolo, said Saturday that the former player died of heart failure Dec. 22 in Lakeland. Cherundolo played for the Steelers in the 1940s, taking a break to serve in the Navy during World War II. In 2007, the Steelers named him to their legends team, representing the franchise’s best players through 1970. Cherundolo was born in Old Forge, Pa. He played football at Penn State before beginning his professional career with the Cleveland Rams. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles for one season before joining the Steelers.

The New England Patriots have activated defensive lineman Jermaine Cunningham to the 53-man roster and signed wide receiver Kamar Aiken and defensive back Malcolm Williams from the practice squad. The team also released defensive lineman Ron Brace. Cunningham has played in 11 games with three starts in 2012 and has 24 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries.

Carolina Panthers spokesman Charlie Dayton says starting defensive end Greg Hardy did not make the trip to New Orleans as he continues to deal with a family matter. Hardy has been downgraded to questionable for today’s season finale against the Saints (7-8). Dayton says it is possible Hardy could make it to the game on his own, but as of Saturday night he was not with his teammates at the team hotel. Hardy was excused from practice this past week to deal with the matter. Hardy is in the midst of his best season with 11 sacks and 23 quarterback pressures for the Panthers (6-9). Earlier this week, Hardy was fined $25,000 for a hit that sidelined Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer last Sunday.

The Detroit Lions have put defensive tackle Sammie Hill on injured reserve because of a foot injury and signed defensive lineman Jimmy Saddler-McQueen off the practice squad. Detroit was already down a key defensive lineman after Nick Fairley went down with a shoulder injury. Hill, in his fourth year, started three games this season. He hasn’t been a regular starter for the Lions since 2009.

BASKETBALL

Roy wants to keep playing

Brandon Roy says he will seek further treatment on the chronic pain in his knees in hopes of continuing his comeback attempt with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Roy issued a statement through the team shortly before they played the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night. Roy had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in November after playing in five games and had recently returned to practice. But Roy says he had a setback recently that requires more attention. Roy spent the past few days contemplating retirement before deciding to keep going. Team President David Kahn says it will likely take three to four weeks before it can be determined if the unspecified treatment will help. Kahn says the team is “hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.”

SPEEDSKATING Richardson, Davis win titles

Heather Richardson dominated the U.S. Long Track Championships in Kearns, Utah, for the second day in a row Saturday, setting a national record in winning the 1,000 meters and wrapping up the sprint title. Olympian Shani Davis won the men’s 1,000. Her time of 1 minute, 13.52 seconds at the Utah Olympic Oval broke Olympian Chris Witty’s mark of 1:13.83 set in 2002. “I was really happy I was able to break the record. It’s been standing for a long time,” said Richardson, who won the 500 title in 37.34 seconds Friday for the fastest time in the world this year. “I definitely think I fed off of yesterday. I never thought I would be going 37.3 so I was really excited after that and it gave me confidence for today.” Brittany Bowe finished second in the 1,000 in 1:14.95 and Sugar Todd was third at 1:16.72. Richardson, Bowe and Todd qualified for the world sprint and winter World Cup team. Richardson won the sprint title with a combined total of 111.610points. Bowe was second at 113.845 and Todd took third at 116.000. Davis won the 1,000 in 1:08.57. Brian Hansen was second at 1:08.74, and Jonathan Garcia took third at 1:09.24. Mitch Whitmore, who won the 500 Friday, took the men’s sprint title with a combined total of 105.350. Garcia finished second at 106.090. Clay Cholewinski was third at 106.185. Whitmore and Garcia qualified to represent the U.S. at the world sprint championships in January.

Sports, Pages 22 on 12/30/2012

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