Representatives of the NFL and locked-out players are scheduled to resume face-to-face negotiations today in New York with time running short for them to complete a deal to ensure a substantial free-agent signing period before on-time training camps and a full preseason.
The sides remained in contact via telephone and electronic communications over the holiday weekend after meeting last week in Minneapolis under the supervision of their court-ordered mediator, Chief Magistrate Judge Arthur J. Boylan.
Negotiators for the NFL and the players had a relatively brief meeting Friday after a long day of talks Thursday.
The talks nearly broke down around midday Thursday, but the sides stayed at it and appeared to repair the rift while meeting into early Friday morning.
That seemed to leave the league and the players back within striking distance of a deal, with hopes that an agreement could be completed as soon as late this week.
Talks are scheduled through Friday. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFL Players Association, plan to participate.
• A group of retired NFL players filed a complaint against the league and its current players, saying they have been excluded from the negotiation sessions taking place in an attempt to end the lockout.
The retired players filed the suit in Minneapolis on Monday night.
They are asking U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson to put a halt to the mediation she ordered and allow them to return to the bargaining table.
Djokovic No. 1
WIMBLEDON, England — Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic rose to No. 1 in the ATP rankings for the first time. Serena Williams dropped to 175th on the WTA list, her lowest slot since 1997.
Djokovic officially moved up from No. 2 one day after beating previously top-ranked Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 for his first title at the All England Club.
It’s the first time in nearly 7 1/2 years that a man other than Nadal or Roger Federer is ranked No. 1.
“Times are changing,” the 24- year-old Djokovic said Monday. “It’s good for the sport, I think, to have some new faces.”
Footnotes.
James Bell of Villanova scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds, leading Team USA to an 83-54 rout of Canada on the opening day of the second round of the FIBA under-19 world champ- ionships in Riga, Latvia.
Doug McDermott of Creighton contributed 10 points for the U.S. (4-0), the defending champion and the only undefeated team left among the 12 remaining countries.
Team USA plays Lithuania (3-1) today.
• U.S. soccer goalkeeper David Yelldell Bayer was signed by top German team Leverkusen. He had been playing for Duisburg in Germany’s second division.
• FIFA said Syria won’t host a 2014 World Cup qualifying match this month because of unrest there. Syria’s president, Bashar Assad, is trying to crush a pro-democracy uprising with his military forces.
