Paul Pogba revealed he had "thought a lot" about returning to Juventus after sealing his Serie A comeback, as he blamed his Manchester United struggles on multiple factors.
Having left United following the end of his contract in June, Pogba sealed a return to Juventus on Monday, six years after departing the Turin giants to head to Old Trafford in a then-world record £89million (€105m) deal.
The 2018 World Cup winner won four consecutive Serie A titles in his first spell with the Bianconeri, scoring 34 goals in 178 appearances for the club.
Despite lifting the EFL Cup and Europa League trophies in the 2016-17 season, Pogba largely struggled to live up to his lofty price tag with United.
His presence could not prevent the Red Devils from failing to win any silverware in the five years that followed his first campaign back in England.
While Pogba confessed a Serie A return had been in his thoughts for some time, the France star insisted he did not regret his Premier League move and felt he had grown as a player at United.
"I am happy to go home, this is how I feel here," Pogba said at his unveiling on Tuesday.
"You have all seen the welcome of the people, but this is something more than a dream. I am very, very happy.
"The messages from the Juventus fans have always pleased me, even though I was focused on doing well at United.
"Last season, there was only one year left [on my contract], I thought a lot about my return, and here I am. Now I am happy.
"I believe in destiny, I'm happy with the choices I've made in my life. Life is like this, sometimes you make choices that don't go your way, but I'm happy with the years in Manchester.
"I grew up, I learned, I became a man. I wasn't wrong. God wanted this, and I'm just very happy to be here at Juventus today.
"My heart told me that Juve was my destination. I felt inside that this was where I wanted to return, and I made my decision."
Pogba played under Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick during his troubled spell in Manchester, and the midfielder believes the absence of continuity at United held him back.
"Changing coach every year is hard - this was a difficult aspect for me," he added.
"Then there were a few injuries, but I think it was also a mental thing; playing and not playing makes you lose the pace.
"There is a bit of everything; coach, team, position -. all this has blocked me a bit.
"Now, however, I have left, and you will see another Paul. I can do better than I have in recent years."
Pogba says the presence of Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri, who oversaw two of his four Scudetto triumphs, was a big factor in his decision to return.
"Even in Manchester I often talked to him, we have always had a great relationship and even before coming here I talked to him," Pogba revealed.
"I spent many beautiful years with him, coming back here today means doing it at the right time and with the right person."
Juventus begin their bid for a first Serie A title since 2020 when they host Sassuolo on August 15, after taking part in high-profile friendlies against Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Dominic Thiem halted a run of 426 days without a win at ATP Tour level on Tuesday, ending a dismal chapter in the career of the former US Open champion.
The Austrian, who has won 17 titles and earned $26.8million (£22.5m) in prize money, finally got another victory when he fended off Emil Ruusuvuori in round one of the Swedish Open.
It was a first success at tour level for 28-year-old Thiem since he beat Marton Fucsovics at the last-32 stage of the Internazionali d'Italia in May of last year.
He did it the hard way too, coming from a set down and prevailing in a deciding-set tie-break, winning the match 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-5).
It brought to an end a run of 10 consecutive defeats on the ATP Tour for the former world number three, who won the US Open in 2020 but has plunged to 339th in the rankings.
Thiem recently elected to skip Wimbledon in an effort to work on his game. His losing run was interrupted by a nine-month lay-off with a wrist injury, which he suffered in a match against Adrian Mannarino at the Mallorca Championships in June 2021.
Since returning to action he had lost six ATP Tour matches in succession. A first sign of form returning came with a first-round win last week in Salzburg on the Challenger Tour, the level below the main tour, although he was beaten by Facundo Bagnis in his next match.
Thiem will look to keep up his progress when he faces Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in round two in Bastad.
Tiger Woods was desperate not to miss the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews, revealing playing at the home of golf was his focus once he knew he could compete at a high level.
Woods' future in the sport was in doubt following a car accident in February last year that left him with compound fractures in his right leg and a shattered ankle.
He said in November that his full-time career as a pro was over, however, he committed to playing a few events a year and made the weekend at The Masters in April.
Woods then played at the US PGA Championship, only to withdraw after three rounds due to a pain in his right leg, and did not compete at the U.S. Open last week.
Yet the 46-year-old was determined to tee off at St Andrews, where he won the first two of his three Claret Jugs and will tee off in a group also featuring U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick and Max Homa.
He told a media conference on Tuesday: "For the most part of my rehab I was just I was hoping that I could walk again, you know, walk normal and have a normal life and maybe play a little hit-and-giggle golf with my son or my friends at home.
"But lo and behold, I've played championship golf this year. And once I realised that I could possibly play at a high level, my focus was to get back here at St Andrews to play in this championship being, as I said, it's the most historic one we've ever had. I just didn't want to miss this Open here at the home of golf.
"This has meant so much to me. This is where I completed the career Grand Slam. At the time I had the record in scoring in all four major championships. So it meant a lot to me. This venue has meant a lot.
"I remember coming around here, my very first practice round, I couldn't believe how stupidly hard this place is because I played every hole into the wind. I happened to have the tide change, and I played every hole into the wind. Where do you drive some of these par-fours? This is not what people say it is. All of a sudden it changes, and I see, no, these bunkers are now in play.
"It's amazing the ingenuity that they had then that this golf course has stood the test of time to the best players."
Asked earlier if the build-up feels different as The Open celebrates 150 years, Woods replied: "It really does. It feels more historic than it normally has. And it's hard to believe that because we are coming back to the home of golf. It is history every time we get a chance to play here.
"But there's so much that's going on this week that to be able to play yesterday with Lee Buck and to hear him chatting the entire time over every shot as he's hitting the shot, and just to be able to have that type of experience. And tonight we're going to have our Champions' Dinner, because we only do it here.
"It's hard to believe, it's been 150 years we've played this tournament, and it's incredible, the history behind it, the champions that have won here. As I said, it's hard to believe it's more historic, but it really is. It does feel like that. This does feel like it's the biggest Open Championship we've ever had."
Chelsea midfielder Jorginho has said he would "like to stay" at Stamford Bridge, though admitted he does not know what his long-term future holds.
The Italy international has just one year remaining on his current deal at the club, and reports have linked him with a return to Serie A.
Jorginho – who joined Chelsea from Napoli in 2018 – made 47 appearances in all competitions for Thomas Tuchel's men in 2021-22, scoring nine goals, all of which were penalties, and addressed his future during pre-season preparations in Los Angeles.
"Of course, I love Chelsea. I feel very well here and of course, I'd like to stay," he said. "But you know, there is a lot going on and we don't know.
"I am here now, I have a contract and I love to be here. I feel very well here, so I don't think about moving anywhere.
"For many years now [there has been speculation about his future]. Every single year. I don't think like this. I just think about where I am and focus 100 per cent.
"I'm at Chelsea and I think about Chelsea 100 per cent."
Of Chelsea players, only Thiago Silva (68) made more interceptions than Jorginho's 65 in all competitions last season.
The 30-year-old has won a Europa League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup with the London club. He addressed his future ahead of the 2022-23 season, when he intends to challenge for silverware again.
"The motivation is that I do what I love," he added. "This was my dream when I was a kid.
"I dreamt that I could win – and so if I win the same title it is still special. I look at my medals every day and love them. It's why I want to win more.
"One of the [motivations is to win the Premier League], I still have a few left. I need to work really hard to achieve those trophies and that is what I do.
"What really counts is the results at the end of the season. So I prefer to talk at the end of the season about what we've done."
John McEnroe claims "tortured" soul Nick Kyrgios can play a big part in shaping the future of tennis, if he finds a way to manage his demons.
Wimbledon runner-up Kyrgios repeatedly lost his cool during his run at the All England Club, aiming cruel jibes at on-court officials, swearing during matches, being hostile to his own support team, and even spitting towards a spectator on one occasion.
It made it all the more remarkable that the Australian navigated a path through to the title match, albeit benefiting from a walkover in the semi-finals when Rafael Nadal pulled out with an abdominal injury.
McEnroe was no stranger to a vitriolic outburst during his playing career, earning the nickname of 'Superbrat'.
The 63-year-old is well positioned to assess the volatile Kyrgios, whose talent has never been in question but often rubs up awkwardly against his application and attitude.
Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live, McEnroe said: "I get a lot of what's going on here more than most people.
"He's a good kid, the players like him, he's well liked in the locker room, he does a lot of charity work.
"But he's got demons you know, in a way – we all have this fear of failure, and it's a question of how you best deal with it."
McEnroe said Kyrgios "moves the needle for us in tennis", suggesting the 27-year-old has skills that can move the sport in an exciting direction.
"We need this big time, but we don't need him to try half the time," McEnroe said.
The likes of Novak Djokovic, who got the better of Kyrgios in Sunday's Wimbledon final, along with Nadal, are in their mid-30s and cannot keep going forever. Roger Federer, now without an ATP ranking after a year of inactivity, is widely assumed to be close to retiring.
It remains to be seen whether Kyrgios, who has been summonsed to face a common assault charge in Australia, invests more into his tennis career in future. He appears to have an on-off love affair with the sport, being reluctant to let it dominate his life.
Of the world's top 100, only Djokovic and Nadal have played fewer ATP tournaments than Kyrgios' 12 events in the past year. Djokovic (11 tournaments) has missed some events due to his refusal to accept a COVID-19 vaccination, while injuries have limited Nadal's involvement to nine events.
McEnroe said Kyrgios "is a genius out there" on the court.
"He needs Sigmund Freud to come out of the grave and somehow figure out a way to keep this guy going for a couple of years because we could use him," said the American.
Kyrgios would likely not submit to such psychoanalysis, having been rattled by the coverage of his tantrums rivalling that of his tennis during the Wimbledon fortnight.
McEnroe added, speaking to BBC Sport: "You know he's sitting there and he's obviously tortured in certain ways. [He's] unbelievably talented, very smart."
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris have hit out at the "stupid" track limits penalties dished out at the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend, while George Russell has suggested F1 should revert to a single race director.
The sport has strict rules this season regarding exceeding the borders of the circuit, with 43 offences notched for crossing the white line during Sunday's race, won by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Red Bull racer and incumbent world champion Verstappen came home second while Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton was third, but the former admitted that events felt somewhat overshadowed by the stringent enforcement.
"I think the track limits debate this weekend has been a bit of a joke," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.
"I don't think we should have this value on one millimetre over, that's a penalty or whatever. Then just add a wall or put some gravel back. I think that's great because there is gravel, you punish yourself if you go wide.
"These kind of things, I think it just doesn't look good for the sport."
McLaren's Norris, who was hit with a five-second penalty for repeat abuse, was also frustrated by the rules, adding: "You can't see the white lines. It's just guessing and I'm obviously not good enough at guessing.
"But I got a warning from Turn 1, and it was just a complete mistake. I lost time, so when you look at it that way, I can say it's a bit stupid. This was just me making mistakes. So I don't feel like I should be punished for it."
Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Russell meanwhile questioned whether the application of the rules was down to F1's revolving cast of race directors this season.
The sport has utilised multiple directors after Michael Masi's infamous handling of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the end of last season, which ultimately helped hand Verstappen the world title at Hamilton's expense.
"We don't want to be dishing out penalties left, right and centre but there needs to be an element of consistency somewhere and I think we need to look at the root cause of the issues," Russell added.
"I do agree that we need to stick to one race director. We need to have a bit more consistency with the stewarding.
"We come to the following event and often the steward in the previous event is not there. There's no accountability, no explanations of decisions. It is tricky. Everybody's got their own interpretations."
Tiger Woods and U.S. Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick will feature in a headline threesome in the opening two rounds at the 150th Open Championship.
In what could be his last Open at St Andrews, where two of his three Claret Jug triumphs have come, Woods will tee it up alongside Fitzpatrick, fresh from his maiden major triumph at Brookline.
The pair will be joined by Max Homa and head out at 14:59 BST (local time), long after Scotland's Paul Lawrie has had the honour of hitting the opening tee shot at 06:35.
Reigning champion Collin Morikawa is in another group sure to draw a big following, with four-time major winner Rory McIlroy and the in-form Xander Schauffele for company.
World number one Scottie Scheffler goes out at 13:26 alongside Joaquin Niemann and Tyrrell Hatton, while Jon Rahm is also an afternoon starter in a group that includes 2017 Champion Golfer of the Year Jordan Spieth.
Conditions appear favourable on the Fife coast, with the fairways firm and receptive greens, although wind speeds may cause some problems at various points across the four days of competition.
Jamaica punched their ticket to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand in commanding fashion with a 4-0 win over Haiti in their final match of Group A of the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship on Monday night at the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey.
The result means Jamaica have qualified for a second straight Women’s World Cup, making it the second time in history that a Caribbean team have qualified for a Women’s World Cup.
Haiti have finished in third place and will advance to next February’s 10-team 2023 Women’s World Cup Playoff in New Zealand.
The blistering pace at the start made for a back-and-forth affair and Haiti’s Melchie Dumornay almost scored the opener with a dazzling solo run from her own half that ended with her shot ringing off the post.
An opening goal was bound to come and Jamaica were the ones to break the deadlock as some nice work from Khadija Shaw set up Trudi Carter, whose right-footed shot beat Haiti GK Nahomie Ambroise to make it 1-0 to the Reggae Girlz in the 26th minute.
Haiti went right to work to try to find an equalizer and Roselord Borgella had it all there to get it in the 52' off a Jamaica turnover, but instead swung her shot wide of the post.
Haiti continued to push forward in search of a goal, but it left space behind for the Jamaican attack and Shaw was happy to take advantage of it by firing in a right-footed shot to double the Jamaica lead to 2-0 in the 58'.
Nevertheless, Haiti kept pushing and almost pulled a goal back in the 63’ through a blazing effort from Dumornay in the 63’, only to see Jamaica GK Rebecca Spencer parry the ball onto the post and eventually out of play.
However, the night belonged to Shaw and Jamaica and after a Haiti handball in the area, the Manchester City striker stepped up and fired in her third goal of the CWC from the penalty spot for a 3-0 lead in the 70'.
They then capped off their magical night in the 79' with a well-placed header from Drew Spence off a free-kick to complete the winning 4-0 scoreline, earning their first-ever CWC win against Haiti in three attempts.
Rodri was hailed as "a manager's dream" as Pep Guardiola's midfield lynchpin signed a three-year contract extension at Manchester City.
The Spain international has been hugely influential in his deep-lying role and hit a crucial goal on the final day of the last Premier League season, as City pinched the title with a 3-2 comeback win over Aston Villa.
Although he had two years to run on his previous deal, City have moved to banish any doubts about Rodri's future by tying the 26-year-old to a deal that runs until the end of the 2026-27 season.
Rodri has racked up 151 games for City and twice been a Premier League and EFL Cup winner under Guardiola.
He said: "Joining City in 2019 is the best decision I have made in my career. I have loved every second. I feel totally supported by the club and the manager pushes me every single day.
"I have improved so much as a player, and I want to thank Pep and all the backroom staff for their help. They are completely committed to helping me become the best player I can be, and I appreciate their hard work.
"We have been very successful since I came here, which is something that makes me very proud. But to be honest, that success has made me even more hungry for me. Once you start winning big titles, you don't want to stop.
"City, I feel, offers me the best chance of winning trophies and that's why I am so pleased to be staying here for longer."
The Champions League will be a key target for City in the new campaign, after their elimination at the hands of eventual winners Real Madrid in last season's semi-finals.
Across the 2021-22 Premier League campaign, Rodri ranked first among all midfielders for successful passes (2,629), recoveries (292) and aerial win rate (72 per cent), Opta data showed.
He had an overall passing accuracy of 91.76 per cent in the competition, with an accuracy of 90.36 per cent in the opposition half ranking as the best rate among all midfielders with at least 15 appearances.
He also scored four goals across the final six games of the season, almost out of character given he is usually a player mopping up and allowing City's more attacking midfielders to raid forward.
Director of Football Txiki Begiristain told City's website that Rodri had been an "exceptional" performer, saying the club were "delighted" to get the extension over the line.
"He is the perfect example of what a top professional should be: he has a fantastic attitude, lives his life in the right way, takes care of his body and trains hard every single day. That is a manager's dream," said Begiristain, "and I know Pep loves working with him."
Jordan Henderson is excited by Darwin Nunez, who he feels brings "a new dimension" to Liverpool ahead of a likely debut against Manchester United.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed Nunez and fellow new signing Fabio Carvalho are to be included in his squad to face United in Bangkok on Tuesday, as the Reds open their pre-season campaign.
Uruguay international forward Nunez was a high-profile arrival from Benfica in a deal that could reach a club-record £85million. He came in this off-season, with Sadio Mane leaving for Bayern Munich.
Nunez played against Liverpool in the Champions League last season and captain Henderson has already seen enough to believe the striker will make a big impact.
"Darwin performed well and scored in both games," Henderson said ahead of the United clash.
"That is probably a big reason why we signed him, but also the recruitment staff will have watched him in plenty of other games and will have seen a lot of quality.
"Hopefully, he can settle in and hit the ground running. He is a new option, a new dimension for us with the way we play. We have got to adapt to that quickly and get used to it.
"Darwin certainly gives us a different option in the way he plays and is hopefully a huge player for us going forward. He can score goals, the staff will have seen a lot of quality and seen a very good player.
"He is settling in really well. Don't get me wrong, it was his first proper session on Monday really, so [he] is still quite new into the group.
"But this group has shown in the past that it is easy to settle in quickly, he can already speak with some of the lads who speak Portuguese, but hopefully he can pick up English quickly.
"For us hopefully he can settle in and hit the ground running. Things move on, change, and hopefully we can adapt to that quickly."
Henderson was sad to see Mane depart but believes the attacking unit is still in strong shape, with Luis Diaz having impressed since joining from Porto in January.
The midfielder added: "Sadio would be a big miss for anybody, he is a world-class player, for me one of the best forwards in the world, so it's always going to be difficult losing him.
"We are sad to see him leave, but we wish him all the best. But you look at the forward line and it's still very, very strong.
"We have brought new players in, but we also have world-class players who performed last season. Luis Diaz has come in and performed phenomenally well.
"Bobby [Roberto Firmino] coming back is a big bonus for us, he was injured for a large part of last season. We have plenty of options for sure."
With the new season fast approaching – Liverpool open their competitive campaign against Manchester City in the Community Shield on July 30 – Henderson does not believe the title race will again be between only those two teams.
"I never think it will be just us and City," he said. "Other teams strengthen.
"You look at Chelsea, they are strengthening, United will strengthen, Spurs will strengthen – they have done so quite a lot so far.
"You look at other teams who are also going to strengthen.
"Yes, we have bought some new players and hopefully they can help us going forward and freshen things up, but we have to keep doing what we have been doing for a large period of time."
Rory McIlroy described winning The Open Championship at St Andrews as "the holy grail" of golf.
The 150th edition of the sport's oldest major is taking place at the home of golf this week, with McIlroy eyeing a second Claret Jug after his triumph in 2014.
McIlroy was unable to defend his title the following year – the last time it was staged at the Old Course – after suffering a knee injury while playing football.
And the Northern Irishman acknowledged that winning this landmark event at the most famous course in the world would represent an extra special achievement.
On Monday, Jack Nicklaus recalled Bobby Jones' remark that "a golfer's resume is not complete unless he's won at St Andrews", a notion that was put to McIlroy, who replied: "I don't know if a golfer's career isn't complete if you don't, but I think it's the holy grail of our sport.
"Not a lot of people are going to get that opportunity to achieve that, but that's what winning an Open at St Andrews is. It's one of the highest achievements that you can have in golf.
"There's a lot of great players that have won Opens and maybe not won Opens at St Andrews, so I think it's unfair to say that a golfer's career isn't complete without that.
"But it's certainly up there with one of the greatest things you can do in our game."
McIlroy still just needs a Masters win to complete the sweep of golf's majors and was asked if a green jacket was at this stage more desirable than prevailing at St Andrews, but he was quick to point out it did not have to be one or the other.
"I guess it's both," he said. "Obviously I'd love to win both. And I'll be greedy and say that I'll take both."
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