The Desert Sun from Palm Springs, California • B1

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Promo expires Elizabeth Shutters is the biggest manufacturer-direct shutter company in the Western U.S. Elizabeth Shutters HIGHEST QUALITY SHUTTER Happy New Year! (442) 268-0956 DS-GCI0800692-02 take home a gold medal in our favorite sport at the next summer games in 2024? The short answer is no. But Steve Sidwell says Los Angeles 2028 could be a possibility and he should know. Af- ter all, basically the man leading the charge to get the sport Olympic-quali- Sidwell retired about 10 years ago and took up pickleball around 2015 in the Central California coastal town of Paso Robles. His games were on an old The Beijing Winter Olympics are just around the corner, and for pickleballers, that might be calling to mind a question: Is there any chance of seeing someone When will our sport be in the Olympic Games? Professional player Catherine Parenteau returns the ball while playing mixed doubles during the Pro Pickleball Association Masters tournament at the La Quinta last November in La Quinta.

ANDY HE DESERT SUN Julie Makinen and Mary Barsaleau Pickleball Points The Desert Sun USA TODAY NETORK See PICKLEBALL, Page 10B They have gone at each other 145 times. The 49ers have owned the Rams in the past six meetings, and have a 75- 67-3 mark against their California ri- vals. Until Sunday, only one of all those confrontations was in the postseason the Niners won that one, too, 30-3 in 1989 on the way to the most lopsided Super Bowl victory. Now, San Francisco goes for a three- game sweep of Los Angeles, though the Rams will be at home and favored. Each team comes last-second victories on goals, the Niners on the Lambeau Field tundra, the Rams in balmy Tampa against Tom Brady and the Bucs.

They know one another so well their coaches probably could swap sides and be comfortable. how the 49ers and Rams match up: WHEN THE 49ERS HAVE THE BALL: Just give it to Deebo Samuel (19) in some manner. A true player, for all your fantasy gurus, the All-Pro receiver turned run- ning back on occasion has become as dynamic as any NFL player. Samuel will test everyone on defense, from fel- low All-Pro Jalen Ramsey (5) at corner- back, yet another All-Pro unanimous, no less DT Aaron Donald (99) or some of the other studs on that unit. NFL PLAYOFFS Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp catches a touchdown pass against 49ers free safety Jimmie Ward (1) and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (4) in the second half at SoFi Stadium on Jan.

9. KIRBY TODAY SPORTS Old West rivals meet for Super Bowl berth See RIVALS, Page 6B Barry Wilner ASSOCIATED PRESS MELBOURNE, Australia Rafael Nadal is within one victory of a record 21st Grand Slam singles title. have to beat second-seedeed Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open on Sunday to make history. And Medvedev is chasing a piece of history of his own after beating Stefa- nos Tsitispas 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in a heated on Friday. The U.S.

Open champion is aiming to be the man in the Open era to win his second Grand Slam title at the next major tournament. Nadal advanced to the in Aus- tralia for the sixth time with a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win in a mostly lopsided con- test against seventh-seeded Matteo Berrettini in the of the semi- Medvedev had a more tempestuous and challenging run to back-to-back AUSTRALIAN OPEN Nadal, Medvedev to meet in John Pye ASSOCIATED PRESS Rafael Nadal celebrates after defeating Matteo Berrettini in their Australian Open match on Friday in Melbourne, Australia. TERTIUS See AUSTRALIAN, Page 10B.