Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. From field hospital to Grand Slam, Flushing Meadows welcomes back U.S. Open

Bruised – but not broken – New York City is bringing back Grand Slam tennis. Just five months ago part of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center was transformed into a temporary 350-bed hospital to handle an overflow of patients as COVID-19 cases spiked across the city, then the epicenter of the virus in the U.S. Thiem under pressure to deliver at U.S. Open as rocky year continues

Only a few months ago Austrian world number three Dominic Thiem was among the firm favourites to win the U.S. Open title but less than a week before the start of the Grand Slam in New York the 26-year-old is facing an uphill struggle. A finalist at the Australian Open in February, pushing Novak Djokovic to five sets, this looked to be the year when Thiem would finally break his Grand Slam drought and win a major. Murray capable of ruffling feathers on Grand Slam return

Former champion Andy Murray has set himself a low bar at this year’s U.S. Open in what will be his first singles appearance at a Grand Slam since the 2019 Australian Open. Two hip surgeries later and having seemingly recovered from the pelvic issues that sidelined him before the COVID-19 shutdown in March, Murray is not fooling anyone though. MLB, NHL players ask peers to support Black Lives Matter movement

NHL games and the majority of Major League Baseball games went forward as scheduled on Wednesday, a decision some players called out as a missed opportunity. “NHL is always last to the party on these topics,” Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba told Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver on Wednesday. “It’s kind of sad and disheartening for me and for members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, and I’m sure for other guys across the league. But if no one stands up and does anything, then it’s the same thing. That silence. You’re just outside, looking in on actually being leaders and evoking real change when you have such an opportunity to do so.” Penpix of the top men’s contenders at the U.S. Open

Penpix of the top men’s contenders at the 2020 U.S. Open Novak Djokovic (Serbia) NHL postpones games, joins waves of protests against racial injustice

The National Hockey League said it has postponed playoff games that were scheduled for Thursday and Friday, joining similar moves by other leagues in protest over the police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin on Sunday. The decision impacts all the eight remaining playoff teams, starting with Thursday games between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders, and the Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights. NBA ready to resume season after players’ racial injustice boycott

The National Basketball Association (NBA) said on Thursday it hopes to resume play in a day or two after a boycott by players protesting against racial injustice and police brutality, while President Donald Trump denounced the league as “like a political organization.” The protest by the NBA players focused on the police shooting on Sunday of a Black man named Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin – an incident reminiscent of the killing while in police custody of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May that sparked anti-racism demonstrations and civil unrest across the United States and elsewhere. Djokovic primed to extend unbeaten 2020 streak in New York

The men’s draw at a Grand Slam has seldom had such an overwhelming a favourite in recent times as Novak Djokovic at this year’s U.S. Open, with lot more at stake for the world number one than just his 18th major title. It took the COVID-19 pandemic to put a brake on Djokovic’s 18-match unbeaten run in 2020, as he won the ATP Cup with Serbia, an eighth Australian Open title and a fifth Dubai Tennis Championships before the season came to a halt in early March. Young guns scent opportunity with big names missing in New York

The absence of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal from this year’s U.S. Open has presented the next generation of players with arguably their best chance to break the so-called ‘Big Three’ stranglehold on tennis’s most coveted titles. The tournament at Flushing Meadows will be the first Grand Slam main draw in 21 years not to feature both Nadal and Federer who, along with world number one Novak Djokovic, have split the last 13 major titles and show few signs of slowing down. Williams drivers welcome team sale

George Russell and Nicholas Latifi welcomed their Williams team’s change of ownership as a positive step that will help the former Formula One champions climb back up the competitive order. The Grove-based team announced their sale to U.S.-based Dorilton Capital last week, marking the end of an era for the family-owned outfit.