UPI NewsTrack Sports

Report: Stern sees women in the NBA

NEW YORK, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- NBA Commissioner David Stern tells Sports Illustrated that he sees women playing in the NBA within the next decade.

Stern told SI senior NBA writer Ian Thomsen in an exclusive interview this week that if a woman played in the NBA, she likely would have a combination of multiple skills and aggressiveness.

"It would be an athletic achievement without precedent," Stern said. "I think that's well within the range of probability … I'll leave it to the real experts to talk about the muscle factor."

The move was compared to the impact of Jackie Robinson breaking major league baseball's color barrier in 1947.

Stern has several supporters.

"The public would be excited about it," said New Jersey Nets General Manager and interim Coach Kiki Vandeweghe.

"It would be great for everyone ... if it can happen," said Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers. "(But) the key is whether the person is playing, or is she just on the team?"

Nadal puts Spain up 1-0 in Davis Cup final

BARCELONA, Spain, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Spaniard Rafael Nadal won 12 consecutive games en route to a straight-set victory in the opener of the best-of-five Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic.

Nadal's 7-5, 6-0, 6-2 win over Tomas Berdych put Spain up 1-0 and two wins away from defending the Davis Cup title. Spain's David Ferrer went against Czech Radek Stepanek in Friday's other singles match on an indoor clay court in Barcelona.

Nadal, ranked No. 2 in the world, broke a 5-5 first-set tie with a service break and ran off 12 consecutive games. After the tight first set, Nadal held Berdych to just 13 points in the second -- only five when Berdych was serving -- to take control.

He won the first four games of the third set and coasted to his 13th win in 14 all-time Davis Cup matches.

Saturday's doubles schedule has the Czech team of Lukas Dlouhy and Jan Hajek playing Spain's Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez. Sunday calls for reverse singles with Nadal meeting Stepanek and Ferrer going against Berdych.

Spain gets tough draw at World Cup

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- World No. 1 Spain drew Switzerland for its first match in the 2010 World Cup in the draw conducted Friday in South Africa.

Spain also has Honduras and Chile in Group H, which, going strictly on the current FIFA world rankings, is the toughest group of the tournament.

No. 2-ranked Brazil, a traditional World Cup favorite, also pulled a tough draw with No. 5 Portugal, No. 16 Ivory Coast and North Korea, ranked 84th but really an unknown factor, also in Group G.

Defending champion Italy appears to have gotten a favorable draw, with none of the other three teams in Group F ranked higher than 30th.

England goes against the United States in its first game.

Group A with host South Africa playing Mexico in Johannesburg and France going against Uruguay in Cape Town will open the monthlong tournament on June 11.

The groups in draw order:

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France

Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece

Group C: England, United States, Algeria, Slovenia

Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana

Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon

Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia

Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal

Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

Raikkonen leaves Formula 1

LONDON, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Finland's Kimi Raikkonen says he will not compete on the Formula One auto racing circuit next season and will join the World Rally Championship.

The 2001 F1 champion said Friday he would drive in 12-of-13 rounds for Citroen's Red Bull junior team, missing only the event in New Zealand.

He will partner with compatriot Kaj Lindstrom, a previous multiple WRC champion, and young Frenchman Sebastien Ogier.

"I always wanted to compete in rally, especially in the World Rally Championship, at some point in my career," Raikkonen said. "Thanks to Red Bull, I have the opportunity to drive the best car in the series. For the moment, we have a one-year contract, and we will see how it goes for the future."

Citroen will provide the rally car and running expenses with Red Bull paying millions.

Raikkonen drove for Ferrari in F1 the past three seasons, but was replaced by Spain's Fernando Alonso.