Digest

TENNIS

Murray wins away from Melbourne spotlight

Five-time Australian Open finalist Andy Murray began his season on Tuesday with a 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-3 victory over Germany's Maximilian Marterer in the second-tier Challenger event at Biella in northern Italy.

Instead of competing with his peers 16,000 kilometers away in Melbourne, Murray received a wild card into the indoor tournament after a positive COVID-19 test left him unable to travel to Australia for the year's first Grand Slam.

The event in the foothills of the Italian Alps carries a modest overall purse of just under $54,000 compared to the $2.1 million on offer to the winner at Melbourne Park.

Three-time major winner Murray, now ranked 124 after battling a pelvic injury which had compromised his attempts to rebuild his career after hip surgery, only played seven official matches in 2020.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL

Super Bowl ratings lowest since 2006

The pandemic-era Super Bowl between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs reached the big game's smallest television audience since 2006.

An estimated 92 million people tuned in across the United States to watch the Bucs' 31-9 victory, the Nielsen company said Tuesday. Adding online streams, CBS said the total audience was 96.4 million.

That's down from 101.3 million for the 2020 game between Kansas City and San Francisco. The New England-Seattle game in 2015 was the most-watched Super Bowl with 114.4 million viewers.

Given that the coronavirus cut down the number of Super Bowl watch parties, it could have been worse for CBS, said Andy Billings, director of the sports communication program at the University of Alabama. "A lot of people who go to Super Bowl parties, they're viewers, but they're really along for the ride," said Billings.

BASEBALL

MLB players to wear electronic tracers

Major League Baseball players, on-field staff and non-playing personnel who require access to them at ballparks must wear electronic tracing wristbands from the start of spring training and will be subject to disciplinary measures for violations.

Players will be encouraged to get COVID-19 vaccines but are not required to get them.

That was part of upgraded health protocols agreed to on Monday by MLB and the players' association to deal with the pandemic.

As part of the 108-page operations manual, the sides extended last year's experimental use of seven-inning doubleheaders and runners on second base at the start of extra innings.

Cards re-sign veteran Molina in $9m deal

The St. Louis Cardinals signed catcher Yadier Molina to a one-year, $9 million contract Tuesday, keeping the nine-time Gold Glove winner with the only organization for which he's played for an 18th season.

The 38-year-old Molina hit.262 with four home runs in 42 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, his last under a $60 million, three-year deal.

Molina ended up making a prorated $7,407,407 of his $20 million salary last year, and some thought that he might finally step away from the game after.

Instead, he agreed to return alongside his longtime teammate, 39-year-old Adam Wainwright, who agreed to an $8 million deal for the upcoming season as they make another push for what would be Molina's third World Series title.

Xinhua - Agencies