Rafael Nadal is on the final entry list for the Rio Olympics.The 14-time major champion hasnt played since pulling out of the French Open because of an injured left wrist and needed the International Tennis Federations Olympic Committee to approve his appeal because he hasnt played Davis Cup.Nadal won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games.While there were no surprises on the list released Friday by the ITF, two top-10 players -- one on the mens side, one on the womens -- later announced they were withdrawing from the Olympics, and both mentioned concerns about the Zika virus.Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic of Canada, No. 7 in the mens rankings, said in a statement that I am making this decision for a variety of health concerns including the uncertainty around the Zika virus.Romanias Simona Halep, the worlds fifth-ranked woman, posted on Facebook: After several talks with doctors and my family, I concluded that the risks are too high for my career and for my health, especially as a woman. Family is much too important for me and I cant risk not being able to have one of my own after my career in tennis is over.Still, unlike golf, most of the worlds top tennis players plan to go to Rio next month.The only other unexpected announcement Friday came from sixth-ranked Victoria Azarenka, who posted on Twitter just as the Olympic roster was about to be released that she is pregnant and will miss the rest of the season. The two-time Grand Slam champions name was on the ITFs list.A handful of top-30 men had pulled out of the Rio Games; they mostly cited tennis reasons and not Zika. But the Big Four of Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer are all on the list -- for both singles and doubles.Murray is the reigning gold medalist, while Djokovic and Federer are each seeking a first Olympic singles title. Federer won silver in 2012 and Djokovic bronze in 2008.Britains Murray is set to play doubles with his older brother, Jamie, who won this years Australian Open title with Brazils Bruno Soares. Federer will again team up with fifth-ranked Stan Wawrinka for Switzerland -- they won gold together in 2008. Nadal is on the list with Marc Lopez, who won this years French Open championship with fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, one of the top-30 men skipping Rio. Djokovic is on the roster for Serbia with Nenad Zimonjic. The top singles players could later choose to pull out of doubles.Overall, 13 of the top 15 men in the singles rankings are on the roster, with No. 9 Dominic Thiem the only other one missing.Eighteen of the top 20 women are slated to go to Brazil, led by reigning gold medalist Serena Williams, who will also seek a fourth Olympic doubles title with sister Venus. Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova will miss the Rio Games because of her doping suspension.There will be 64 players in the singles draws and 32 in doubles. Singles entries were based off the top 56 players in the June 6 rankings, with other ways to qualify for the final eight spots.Each country is allowed a maximum of four singles players and two doubles teams for six players total on the mens and womens sides. Sixteen mixed doubles teams will be determined in Rio from players already in the Olympics. Cheap Hydro Flask For Sale . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. Hydro Flask Sale . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. http://www.discounthydroflaskcheap.com/ . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. Hydro Flask For Cheap . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak. Cheap Hydro Flask Sale . In the response filed Wednesday to the complaint by 30-year-old Alexander Bradley, attorneys say the former University of Florida player is invoking his Fifth Amendment right that protects people from incriminating themselves. MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves keep adding big men to their roster in free agency, fortifying the depth behind their starters and calling into question the futures of a couple of notable names.The Wolves agreed to terms with free agent forward Jordan Hill on a two-year, $8 million contract on Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the deal.Hill joins Cole Aldrich, who signed his three-year, $22 million deal on Wednesday, as rugged post players added by new coach and president Tom Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden in their first foray into free agency. They give the Timberwolves some healthy backups to Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng, something the team did not have when the market opened.The additions only crowd the frontcourt further when factoring in veterans Kevin Garnett and Nikola Pekovic.Garnett, the franchise icon, returned to Minnesota in a trade with Brooklyn two years ago and was given a heros welcome upon his arrival. He served as a valuable mentor to Towns, Dieng, Andrew Wiggins and the rest of the young Timberwolves last season, helping them understand the work that it takes to have long-term success in the NBA.But the 40-year-old was only able to play in 38 games last season because of achy knees. After being acquired in the trade in February 2015, Garnett was only able to play in five games because of knee issues.He is under contract for $8 million next season.dddddddddddd If he returns, it would be a record 22nd season in the league for him.Garnett also spoke about wanting to get into ownership with the Timberwolves. Those talks could not happen until after he retires, but owner Glen Taylor recently sold 15 percent of the team to Chinese entrepreneur Lizhang Jhiang and New York real estate mogul Meyer Orbach to fortify his position. Taylor remains in the market for someone to come in as a minority partner and eventually succeed him as majority owner of the Wolves, but Garnett for the meantime is on the outside looking in.Pekovic has struggled with injuries even more than Garnett over the past few seasons. An arthritic ankle has made it difficult for the burly center to stay on the court. He has played in 42 games combined over the last two seasons and has only played one stretch of at least 10 games in a row since January 2014.Pekovic still has two years and nearly $24 million left on his deal.The Wolves also have third-year power forward Adreian Payne on the roster, creating a log jam in the frontcourt.Hill averaged 8.8 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Indiana Pacers last year. In his seven years in the league, Hill has proven to be a solid rebounder and defender, two traits Thibodeau was looking to add.The move gives the Timberwolves the maximum 15 guaranteed contracts. ' ' '
