Nick Kyrgios admits the pressure he is facing is "a lot to handle", as he prepares for next month's Australian Open.

Having started 2022 with a doubles title with Thanasi Kokkinakis at his home grand slam, Kyrgios then advanced to the final of Wimbledon and suffered defeat at the hands of Novak Djokovic.

That form, which also saw him reach the quarter-finals at the US Open, has put the 27-year-old in the conversation as a title contender for the 2023 grand slams, the first of which begins in Melbourne on January 16.

Kyrgios is aware there are great expectations for him in the year ahead and conceded it is not easy being in the spotlight, particularly ahead of his home grand slam.

"I always believe that pressure is a privilege. In real life, there's not much pressure to being a professional tennis player," he told Eurosport.

"We earn great money, we travel around the world with our favourite people. We get to see different people, different cultures.

"In the scheme of things, that's not pressure but I completely understand going on the match court with all this expectation that 'Nick Kyrgios is legitimate chance to win a grand slam now'.

"There's a lot of pressure there, especially having the Australian Open and everyone in Australia expecting big things from me. It's a lot to handle sometimes. Being in the spotlight is not easy."

The last Australian man to win a singles grand slam title was Lleyton Hewitt in 2002 at Wimbledon, while the wait for men's success at home goes back further to 1976 – when Mark Edmondson was victorious in Melbourne.

While there is a desire for Kyrgios to end those lengthy waits, he has made it clear he wants the success for his own goals, not for anyone else.

"I've learnt that the people will never have enough. For me, I've achieved some great things in this sport and where I came from," he said.

"I know I'm content with myself. I want to achieve more for myself, but for all of my team, not for anyone else."

Argentina and the Netherlands clash for a sixth time at the World Cup on Friday.

They are familiar foes having been regular opponents over the years, featuring in some memorable games, a couple of forgettable ones and a hugely controversial encounter in 1978.

The winners of this quarter-final will take on Croatia or Brazil in the last four.

Here, Stats Perform looks back at the previous World Cup meetings between Argentina and the Netherlands.

Netherlands 4-0 Argentina – June 26, 1974

The 1974 World Cup saw the most one-sided clash between the pair with Rinus Michels' wonderful Netherlands side steamrolling Argentina.

Playing at their first World Cup in 36 years, the Dutch coasted through the first group stage while Argentina had to rely on a 4-1 defeat of whipping boys Haiti to advance.

That set up a second group phase meeting in which the gulf in class was quickly apparent - Johan Cruyff and Ruud Krol putting the Netherlands 2-0 up by half-time. Second-half goals from Johnny Rep and Cruyff finished the job for Michels' men, who reached the final only to lose 2-1 to West Germany.

Argentina 3-1 Netherlands (after extra time) – June 25, 1978

It was no surprise that Argentina triumphed on home soil in 1978 – a World Cup riddled with accusations of corruption and intimidation.

Following a military coup in 1976, the governing National Reorganisation Process were desperate for international legitimacy and saw the World Cup as the perfect opportunity to achieve it.

Accusations of refereeing bias accompanied their matches in the first group phase and they qualified in second behind Italy.

The second group phase was even more controversial. Needing to beat Peru by four goals in their final match to reach the final at the expense of arch-rivals Brazil, Argentina won 6-0.

In the final, they met a Netherlands side shorn of Cruyff, who had opted to remain at home, although he denied it was on political grounds.

A bad-tempered game that was delayed by Argentina being late to enter the field went into extra-time after Dick Nanninga cancelled out Mario Kempes' first-half opener.

Kempes, who finished as the tournament's leading scorer, restored Argentina's lead in the 105th minute and a third from Daniel Bertoni secured Argentina's first World Cup crown.

Netherlands 2-1 Argentina – July 4, 1998

Both teams advanced to the round of 16 by winning their groups, although they found their next assignments more difficult. The Netherlands edged past Yugoslavia 2-1 while Argentina required penalties to overcome England following a pulsating 2-2 draw.

That set up a quarter-final that will live long in the memory.

On a steamy day in Marseille, the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Jaap Stam and Edgar Davids went head to head with Gabriel Batistuta, Diego Simeone and Javier Zanetti.

Patrick Kluivert gave the Dutch a 12th-minute lead only for Claudio Lopez to equalise five minutes later. Neither side could land another blow until the dying seconds when Frank de Boer's raking pass picked out Bergkamp and, after controlling the ball instantly, he stepped inside Roberto Ayala and fired high into the net.

The Netherlands advanced to the semi-finals where they lost to Brazil on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Netherlands 0-0 Argentina – June 21, 2006

With both teams having already qualified from Group C, this was nothing more than a joust for top spot. Several first-choice players were left out by respective coaches Jose Pekerman and Marco van Basten, rested for the tests to come.

Argentina came closest in a hard-fought encounter, Juan Roman Riquelme's free-kick hitting the post after deflecting off Khalid Boulahrouz.

The South Americans topped the group and went on to beat Mexico 2-1 in extra-time in the round of 16 before bowing out to tournament hosts Germany in the quarter-finals in a penalty shoot-out.

As for the Dutch, they lost 1-0 to Portugal in the round of 16.

Netherlands 0-0 Argentina (Argentina win 4-2 on penalties) – July 9, 2014

Netherlands topped their group and accounted for Mexico and Costa Rica, albeit the latter via a penalty shoot-out, to reach the last four.

Argentina also made light work of the pool stage and advanced thanks to 1-0 wins over Switzerland (after extra-time) and Belgium to set up a clash with the Dutch.

An eagerly-awaited clash turned into a damp squib, however, with neither side showing any attacking fluency.

The Dutch had brought penalty specialist Tim Krul off the bench deep into extra-time against Costa Rica, and promptly watched him save two spot-kicks.

Against Argentina, coach Louis van Gaal had already made his three substitutions, meaning Jasper Cillessen had to stay between the sticks. He didn't save any while Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder missed to send Argentina into the final for the first time since 1990.

Bam Adebayo said the Miami Heat were determined to "dig ourselves out of a hole" after his starring role lit up a 115-110 win against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Heat center put in a dominant 31-point performance in Thursday's success that followed two defeats in a row for Miami, who are 12-14 for the season and 10th in the Eastern Conference.

As they look to put together a run of healthy results, Adebayo said it would need to be a collective effort by the team to achieve their goals.

He told Bally Sports in an on-court interview: "We're trying to dig ourselves out of a hole. The biggest thing is we stand connected, stand together, and we keep waking up trying. We wake up and try to find solutions every day."

Adebayo weighed in with 10 rebounds and four assists, shooting 14-of-21 from the field, while the Heat got the job done from 87-84 behind going into the fourth quarter.

After failing to reach the 30-point mark in each of his first 13 games this season, Adebayo has now reached that figure in four of his past 11 outings, raising his season average to a career-high 21.2 points per game.

The 25-year-old said: "My team-mates want me to be assertive. They want me to look for my shots. They're finding me in the pocket. The biggest thing I can do is keep shooting."

Asked about the key to seeing out victory over the Clippers, who sit ninth in the Western Conference, gave credit to Jimmy Butler, who made 10 of his 12 field attempts on his way to 26 points, eight assists, five rebounds and four steals.

"We gave Jimmy the ball," said Adebayo. "He's our closer, so we let him do his thing down the stretch."

Baker Mayfield called it a "pretty damn good story" after he produced a stunning fourth-quarter comeback against the Las Vegas Raiders to win 17-16 in his Los Angeles Rams debut on Thursday.

Having been cut by the Carolina Panthers on Monday following news he was no longer the starter or the backup, he was claimed by the Rams on Tuesday, and just two days later he was thrust into the action.

John Wolford started the game at quarterback for the Rams, but after two quick Raiders scores, Mayfield trotted out in the first quarter trailing 10-0 and began to figure things out.

His very first play went for a 21-yard completion, and his first drive ended in a field goal, but the Rams were unable to score again until the final minutes of the game.

Trailing 16-3 to begin the fourth quarter, Mayfield put together a 17-play, 75-yard drive, with Cam Akers' short-range touchdown cutting the margin to six points, and he got the ball back with 98 yards to go and just 1:45 on the clock.

He went on to produce the longest go-ahead drive beginning in the final two minutes in the past 45 seasons, culminating in his first touchdown pass as a Ram, a 23-yard dime down the left sideline to Van Jefferson as the Raiders opted to play man coverage with no safety help over the top.

Speaking to the media after the fairytale result, Mayfield reflected on the long, winding journey to Los Angeles.

"I don't know if you can write it any better than that," he said. "Obviously, we'd like to be a little bit more stress-free, but it's a pretty damn good story, I'll be honest with you. It's special.

"It feels really good right now, but there's a lot to get fixed, that's for sure. Throughout my career so far there's been a lot of ups and downs, so this is one I'm going to enjoy right now, but there's a lot of things to get ironed out and learn from.

"I'm extremely thankful. It's been a tough year, to be honest with you, and this has been a good way to kick-start this journey here. It's wild."

Joining the Amazon Prime coverage immediately after the win, the former number one overall draft pick was asked where this ranks out of the moments in his career.

"This is up there, to be honest with you," he said. "I didn't think it was going to play out like this, but I'm sure happy [the coaches and I] covered the two-minute operation, my goodness.

"It's been a wild year, I'm not going to say otherwise. From being in limbo at the beginning, not knowing where it's going to go, to the last 48 hours here.

"I'm thankful to the guys back in Carolina, to be honest with you, I love those guys, and it sucks I had to leave. But when it works out like this, it's for the best, and I think they understand that."

Mayfield added that he has history with Jefferson, and that him coming down with the winning touchdown catch makes up for any past indiscretions.

"Van and I go back, I'm not very happy with Van until now," he said in jest. "I was trying to get him to come to Oklahoma, but he wouldn't text or call back. He owes me one, and he got me right there.

"I was truly shocked they pressed him up with 15 seconds left, knowing we had no timeouts left. He did a great job winning off the line of scrimmage, and I just put it up for him to go make a play."

The 27-year-old will likely start the remainder of the season with starting quarterback Matthew Stafford out injured, and with Stafford's future up in the air, the Rams' low-cost gamble could end up producing their new number one.

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo did not attempt a single shot from outside the key on his way to a dominant 31-point performance in Thursday's 115-110 win against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Adebayo also added 10 rebounds (four offensive) and four assists, shooting 14-of-21 from the field in a tremendously efficient outing as the Clippers' interior defense had no answers.

After failing to reach the 30-point mark in each of his first 13 games this season, Adebayo has now eclipsed the figure in four of his past 11 fixtures, raising his season average to a career-high 20.7 points per game.

He was supported in style by Jimmy Butler, who hit 10 of his 12 field goal attempts for a terrific game in his own right, posting 26 points, eight assists, five rebounds and four steals.

Paul George led the way for the Clippers, and was the only reason they were able to keep things close on the road while Kawhi Leonard was out for a scheduled rest day, scoring a team-high 29 points (10-of-20 shooting) with eight rebounds and seven assists.

The victory for the Heat snaps a two-game losing streak and pulls their record back to 12-14, leaving them 10th in the Eastern Conference, while the Clippers are ninth in the West at 14-13.

Johnson and the Spurs win all-Texas showdown

The San Antonio Spurs received standout performances from Keldon Johnson and Tre Jones to defeat in-state rivals the Houston Rockets 118-109.

Johnson finished one point off his season-high with 32 on 14-of-21 shooting, hitting half of his six three-point attempts, while Jones' 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting was a new career-high.

Despite the loss, it was a strong outing from this year's third overall pick in the NBA Draft, with Jabari Smith Jr scoring a career-high 23 points on nine-of-13 shooting. The six-foot-11, smooth-moving wing showed off his special shooting stroke, hitting four-of-seven from deep.

'Dame Time' not enough against the Nuggets

Damian Lillard scored 15 of his game-high 40 points in the final six minutes, but Jamal Murray had the last laugh as the Denver Nuggets outlasted the Portland Trail Blazers 121-120.

Lillard, in his second game back from injury, looked back to his best late in the fourth quarter, hitting a contested step-back three with nine seconds on the clock to go up by two. He ended up shooting 12-of-22 for his 40 points and 12 assists, hitting at least nine three-pointers for the 10th time in his career.

But Murray would hit his own step-back game-winner with less than a second remaining, putting a bow on his 21-point, eight-assist showing, while reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic was a force with 33 points (14-of-25), 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Baker Mayfield led two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter of his Los Angeles Rams debut to stun the Las Vegas Raiders 17-16 on Thursday.

Mayfield, who was only signed by the team on Tuesday after being released by the Carolina Panthers on Monday, did not start the game, but was summoned for the Rams' second drive while trailing 10-0 in the opening quarter.

His very first play as a Ram resulted in a 21-yard completion to Van Jefferson, and it was a sign of good things to come for the former number-one draft pick by the Cleveland Browns.

A Josh Jacobs one-yard touchdown run from the Raiders' first drive of the game gave the impression it was going to be one-way traffic for the road team, but that would be their only touchdown of the contest.

Trailing 13-3 at half-time and 16-3 early in the fourth quarter, the Rams mustered a 17-play, 75-yard drive, culminating in a one-yard Cam Akers touchdown plunge to give the home side some life.

Mayfield got the ball back for one final drive from his own two-yard line and 1:45 remaining in the game, and he produced a stunning 98-yard march down the field in eight plays.

With 15 seconds left and only time for a couple shots at the endzone from the 23-yard line, Mayfield connected down the sideline to Van Jefferson on the first try, tying the game, before Matt Gay's extra point gave the Rams the unlikely lead and the win.

Mayfield completed 22 of his 35 passes for 230 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers, while Ben Skowronek was his top receiver with seven catches for 89 yards.

The win does not change much for the Rams' season, now 4-9 and no real chance to make the playoffs, but it was a crushing blow for the Raiders, who could have remained in the hunt with a win, but instead fell to 5-8.

Center-fielder Brandon Nimmo is staying with the New York Mets after agreeing to an eight-year, $162million contract extension.

After the New York Yankees retained American League home run champion Aaron Judge, Nimmo had been widely considered the best remaining outfielder in free agency.

Nimmo, 29, has become a staple in the Mets' outfield, starting 148 games in center field last season while batting .274 with 16 home runs, 30 doubles and seven triples.

His 159 hits, 102 runs scored and 64 RBI in 2022 were all personal bests, while he sports a career average of .269 with an .827 OPS.

Coming off a 101-win season, the Mets have already had an offseason full of blockbuster deals.

Ace Jacob deGrom left the Mets to join the Texas Rangers on a deal that could be up to six years and $222m, while Taijuan Walker is headed to the rival Philadelphia Phillies for $72m over four years.

The Mets responded by filling those holes in the rotation with reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander and Jose Quintana on two-year deals.

In the bullpen, the Mets retained star closer Edwin Diaz on a five-year, $102m contract, and reliever David Robertson will return on a one-year, $10m deal.

Baker Mayfield was only picked up off waivers by the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday, but he was called upon to enter the game in the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday.

Mayfield was cut by the Carolina Panthers on Monday in what was called a "mutual agreement" by the team after it was established he would no longer be the starter or backup now that P.J. Walker and Sam Darnold are both healthy.

John Wolford started for the Rams against the Raiders, but after a three-and-out to open the game – with Wolford attempting no passes on the drive – he was pulled.

Trailing 10-0 in the first quarter, Mayfield entered the game, and with his first play he delivered a 21-yard play-action strike to Van Jefferson. His first drive ultimately ended with a field goal, and he remained in the game for the Rams' next drive in the second quarter.

Jacob deGrom has not tallied more than 15 starts in any of his past three seasons for the New York Mets, but the new Texas Rangers signing is aiming for double that figure in his first campaign down south.

DeGrom, 34, won back-to-back NL Cy Young Awards in 2018 and 2019, starting 32 games in each season, but a string of injuries have restricted the former Rookie of the Year to a combined 38 starts since the beginning of 2020.

He did not make his debut this year until after the All-Star break, but looked like his dominant self once again, striking out 14.3 batters per nine innings. DeGrom did not reach enough innings to qualify for the league-leaders, but his figure was well clear of Carlos Rodon's league-leading 12.0.

While his health was at the centre of the Mets' reluctance to match the Rangers' five-year, $185million offer, deGrom told reporters on Thursday during his first interview with his new team that he is not planning on easing into things.

"The goal is to make 30-plus starts, and I truly believe that I will be able to do that," he said.

"Last year's was a weird injury, but finished the year strong, and the goal's to go out there and take the ball every fifth day for the Texas Rangers."

He also talked about how he appreciated the Rangers' approach to his free agency.

"The Rangers did a great job with constant communication and making me feel like they really wanted me here," he said. "The vision was the same: build something great, and win year in and year out.

"They showed a ton of interest right at the start, and the feelings were mutual. I want to play this game for a long time, and I want to win."

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy was thrilled to land the top starter on the free agent market, while further rebuilding his rotation with former Dodgers left-hander Andrew Heaney.

"I'm ecstatic," he said. "To win in our game, you need pitching.

"We couldn't have a better guy to head up this rotation. We've added to the rotation. So don't tell me we can't win... we're a much better club right now than just a few weeks ago."

The Rangers' heavy investment in their pitching staff comes a year after they handed shortstop Corey Seager a 10-year, $325m free agent contract, pairing him with second-baseman Marcus Semien on a seven-year, $175m deal.

Atlanta Hawks All-Star Dejounte Murray will spend the next two weeks on the sideline after the extent of his injury was revealed on Thursday.

Murray could only make it through four minutes of the Hawks' 113-89 loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday, leaving in the first quarter after tweaking his left ankle. 

After an MRI on Thursday, the team announced he has been diagnosed with an ankle sprain and is dealing with the associated swelling, and his status will be updated when his condition improves.

Murray became a first-time All-Star this past season with the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 21.1 points, 9.2 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game to carry his side to the play-in tournament.

His emergence, combined with the Spurs going into rebuild mode, resulted in the Hawks swooping in with an offer centred on three future first-round draft picks, and Murray has shown his breakout was no fluke.

Despite playing alongside All-NBA point guard Trae Young, Murray's production has remained strong, as he is second on the Hawks for points (20.8) and assists (6.2), while leading the team in steals (1.8 per game).

His absence adds to a growing injury list for Atlanta, which now includes three starters as John Collins (ankle sprain) and De'Andre Hunter (hip flexor strain) remain out.

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal will "look at the options" with Gabriel Jesus reportedly sidelined for three months after undergoing surgery on his knee.

The Brazil forward was ruled out for the remainder of the World Cup after sustaining the injury during the Selecao's Group G clash with Cameroon.

According to unconfirmed reports in Brazil, Jesus will be absent for three months, while Premier League leaders Arsenal on Tuesday confirmed he has started his rehabilitation programme.

The 25-year-old has played a key role in the Gunners' impressive start to the season, which sees them five points clear at the summit after 14 games.

Jesus' tally of five goals is only bettered for Arsenal by Martin Odegaard (six), while only Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne (nine) and team-mate Bukayo Saka (six) have registered more assists in the English top flight than his five.

With the January transfer window approaching, Arteta revealed the club are exploring possibilities on how to deal with the setback in the most constructive manner.

"What it affects is who we are as a team because he gives us so much," the Spaniard said. "So what we can do after that, when we know the timescale [of his recovery] and when we can have him back, we will look at the options and try to make the right decision.

"I feel like my squad is really good. Unfortunately, we've had injuries, and we will try to see what we can do to be strong. We have players, we have a lot of accompanying players.

"[The question is] do we have the players that can give us the performances and the consistency that we need to maintain and improve from where we are?"

Arsenal resume their title tilt with a home clash against West Ham on December 26, having won six from six at Emirates Stadium in the league this term. 

Cristiano Ronaldo's acrimonious Manchester United exit "won't affect" his legacy at Old Trafford, former team-mate Diego Forlan told Stats Perform.

United announced earlier this month they had reached a mutual agreement with Ronaldo to terminate his contract with immediate effect, following a controversial interview prior to the World Cup.

The Portugal captain, who scored 145 goals in 346 appearances for the club, did not hold back with his array of criticisms, including ones directed towards manager Erik ten Hag, and it became apparent he was on borrowed time at Old Trafford.

Forlan played alongside Ronaldo during the latter's debut season with the Red Devils in 2003-04, and the ex-Uruguay forward was disappointed at the nature of his former team-mate's departure.

"It won't affect [his legacy], but obviously it wasn't the best [exit]," he said. "The truth is that it was a pity, because we are talking about one of the best players in history, a great professional and a club that is an example.

"The fact that it's broken, it is a real shame. Because he, like other great footballers that were players at the club, were ambassadors of the club itself.

"In general, these kind of players have the chance to play where they want, but maybe not where they would prefer now, because of their age.

"Some clubs would love to have them, but today it is more difficult because clubs look more at numbers and age, and the teams start taking other decisions. But will have to see what motivates him, what he likes and which options of different clubs will be available for him." 

Controversy has followed Ronaldo to the World Cup, where Portugal were forced to deny reports he had quit the squad after being dropped to the bench for the thumping 6-1 win over Switzerland in the last 16.

That came after head coach Fernando Santos criticised his reaction to being substituted against South Korea, and it remains to be seen if Ronaldo will feature in their quarter-final showdown with Morocco on Saturday.

This is likely to be the 37-year-old's swansong at the finals, while the same can be said of long-time rival Lionel Messi, with Argentina set to face the Netherlands in the last eight.

Should this be the last stand for both players on the world's biggest stage, Forlan believes seeing either of them lift the trophy would provide a fitting ending to their international careers.

"It is what they are looking for," he added. "They have so many titles, many of them repeated many times, that it would be the grand finale, to end with a World Cup."

The former Uruguay captain, who was the joint-top scorer as La Celeste reached the 2010 semi-finals, is backing leading scorer Kylian Mbappe to go on and land the Golden Boot.

 "[The Golden Boot race] will depend on the team, how far it goes," he said. "If France has the chance to reach the final, I think that Mbappe has enough goals to be able to win the Golden Boot." 

Spain have made further changes to their coaching set-up by replacing Jose Molina with Albert Luque as their new sporting director.

La Roja announced head coach Luis Enrique's departure earlier on Thursday, two days after losing to Morocco on penalties in the World Cup last 16.

Luis de la Fuente, who has had success at Under-19 and Under-21 level, as well as winning a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics last year, is set to take over next week.

Molina is the latest high-profile figure to leave his role, with the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirming he will not be renewing his contract in January 2023.

Luque will take up the position of sports director, while Francis Hernandez will work alongside the former Spain international.

Spain twice reached the Nations League Finals and the semi-finals of Euro 2020 during Molina's four years in the job.

The 2010 world champions are next in action at the end of March with opening Euro 2024 qualifiers against Norway and Scotland.