Reuters Sports News Summary

The 23-year-old world number seven knew his hopes of reaching the semi-finals would be as good as over if he suffered a second loss, having been beaten by Daniil Medvedev on Monday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Tennis: Zverev rebounds to beat Schwartzman at ATP Finals

Germany's Alexander Zverev stayed in contention at the ATP Finals as he beat Diego Schwartzman 6-3 4-6 6-3 in his second round-robin match at the O2 Arena on Wednesday. The 23-year-old world number seven knew his hopes of reaching the semi-finals would be as good as over if he suffered a second loss, having been beaten by Daniil Medvedev on Monday. Djokovic urges government 'support' players over Australian Open preparations

World number one Novak Djokovic has called on authorities to allow players to compete before the Australian Open while undertaking their mandatory quarantine period. The start of the 2021 season remains in limbo, with officials declining to endorse Tennis Australia's plans to have players arrive mid-December and be free to compete at the ATP Cup and other events ahead of the year's first Grand Slam. Timberwolves select Georgia's Edwards first in 'virtual' draft

The Minnesota Timberwolves selected former Georgia guard Anthony Edwards with the first pick in the NBA draft on Wednesday in a move the struggling team hopes will help revive its fortunes. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound teenager will join point guard D'Angelo Russell and center Karl-Anthony Towns on a Timberwolves team that finished 19-45 and in second to last place in the Western Conference last season. Mets' Cano handed 162-game suspension for positive doping test

New York Mets second baseman Robinson Cano has been suspended for 162 games without pay after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, Major League Baseball (MLB) said in a statement on Wednesday. Cano tested positive for anabolic steroid Stanozolol, MLB said. Osaka's personal apparel collection underscores star power

As the world's highest paid sportswoman and a three-time Grand Slam champion, Naomi Osaka is no stranger to the spotlight, but ahead of the release of her personalised range of apparel made with sponsors Nike, the 23-year-old was nervous. "My Nike collection drops tomorrow... nervous is not enough to describe this feeling," Osaka tweeted before the collection launched on Monday. Jackson displeased with harassment of C Skura's family

Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson came to the defense of Matt Skura on Wednesday, three days after three errant snaps by the Ravens center hindered the club in a loss to the New England Patriots and led to the online harassment of Skura's family. Skura said earlier this week that his family was targeted due to his snapping issues in the pouring rain during Sunday's 23-17 setback against the host Patriots. Skura said his wife received several threatening messages. Sailing: America's Cup holders Team New Zealand launch second boat

America's Cup defenders Team New Zealand launched their second high speed AC75 foiling monohull on Thursday, the boat they hope will help them retain the sport's oldest trophy early next year. Team NZ are the last syndicate to launch their second-generation yacht, with the challenging teams from Italy, Britain and the United States all launching their boats last month. NBA trade roundup: Pistons wind up with three first-round picks

The Detroit Pistons shook up a stagnant NBA draft on Wednesday night with a pair of reported trades that gave them three picks in the first 19 of the annual talent dispersal. After standing pat at No. 7 and selecting French point guard Killian Hayes, the Pistons were able to add Washington center Isaiah Stewart at No. 16 after a three-way trade with the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers. Detroit then acquired Villanova forward Saddiq Bey at No. 19 following a three-way deal with the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers. NFL: All teams to adopt 'intensive protocol' amid COVID-19 surge

The National Football League (NFL) has instructed all clubs to adopt a set of more aggressive health and safety regulations beginning on Saturday amid a rise in new COVID-19 cases across the U.S. Clubs will operate under "intensive protocol", an existing set of safety criteria that was previously applied on a temporary and case-by-case basis. Wizards 'fired up' after signing promising Israeli forward Avdija in draft

Despite holding the ninth pick in the NBA Draft, the Washington Wizards were successful in their chase for Israel's versatile Deni Avdija as the franchise picked one of the up-and-coming international stars on Wednesday. Unlike many of his fellow draftees, 19-year-old Avdija has professional experience having played two EuroLeague seasons with Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.