Sports News Roundup: Tsitsipas, Moutet engage in war of words; Nationals cancel practice after not getting COVID result and more

NHL, union reach tentative agreement on plan to resume season The National Hockey League and union representing its players have reached a tentative agreement on protocols to resume a season interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said on Sunday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tsitsipas, Moutet engage in war of words at event in France

Players are allowed to show more emotions at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) than normally allowed on Tour and Frenchman Corentin Moutet did not hold back in an angry verbal exchange during his match against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday. Matches at the UTS, co-owned by Patrick Mouratoglou, the long-time coach of Serena Williams, consist of four 10-minute quarters, with a two-minute break between them, and the player with most points win the quarter.

Nationals cancel practice after not getting COVID-19 test results

The Washington Nationals cancelled their scheduled training on Monday after not receiving the results from COVID-19 testing, the Major League Baseball club said. The World Series champions were tested for the novel coronavirus on Friday but said in a statement that 72 hours later they were still waiting for results.

NHL, union reach tentative agreement on plan to resume season

The National Hockey League and union representing its players have reached a tentative agreement on protocols to resume a season interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said on Sunday. Daly told Reuters the two sides were finalizing details on an extension to the current bargaining agreement, which, along with return-to-play protocols, would need to be ratified by the union's executive committee followed by a full membership vote.

NHL: League confirms nine new positive COVID-19 cases

The National Hockey League (NHL) confirmed nine new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, including eight from players who reported to team facilities for "Phase Two activities." Under the league's Phase Two plan, clubs that met safety criteria were allowed to reopen training facilities for voluntary workouts with groups of no more than six players at a time, as of June 8.

WNBA says seven players test positive for COVID-19

The Women's National Basketball Association, which plans to begin its 2020 season in late July amid the COVID-19 outbreak, said on Monday seven of 137 players tested positive for the virus over the last week. The announcement by the WNBA came on the same day 11 of the league's 12 teams were due to arrive at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, which will serve as a single site for a training camp, games and housing.

Vietnam says may host F1 race in November

Vietnam could host the country's first Formula One Grand Prix in late November, the ruling body of its capital city said on Monday, as the country approaches three months without domestic transmission of the coronavirus. The Vietnam Grand Prix was initially due to take place in Hanoi on April 5 but was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Organisers said they would monitor the virus situation and pick another time for the race.

Vettel is bound to be distracted by Ferrari axe, says Brawn

Sebastian Vettel endured a nightmare start to the season in Austria on Sunday and Formula One's motorsport managing director Ross Brawn suggested being dropped by Ferrari for 2021 had affected his concentration. Vettel, a four-times world champion with Red Bull, qualified only 11th at the Red Bull Ring and then tangled with McLaren's Carlos Sainz in the race, finishing 10th for the final point on offer.

Trump calls on NASCAR driver Wallace to apologize after probes of noose, cites 'hoax'

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday appeared to urge NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace to apologize over an incident involving a noose found in the racecar driver's garage last month, calling it a "hoax" and lamenting NASCAR's decision to ban Confederate symbols at its events. Trump did not provide any evidence of a hoax.

Djokovic's event taught us to be cautious: French Open director

French Open organizers are taking every precaution to ensure the Grand Slam does not meet the same fate as Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour, which was abandoned after several players tested positive for COVID-19, tournament director Guy Forget has told Reuters. Djokovic has come under fire after the charity event was played in front of packed crowds in Serbia and Croatia and saw players hugging at the net and posing for pictures together.

Kaepernick signs production deal with Disney, ESPN to produce docuseries on his life

ESPN Films will produce a documentary series about the life of civil rights activist and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick as part of a wide-ranging production deal announced by Walt Disney Co on Monday. Under the arrangement, Kaepernick's company Ra Vision Media will produce scripted and unscripted stories that explore race, social justice and the quest for equity, a statement from Disney said.

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