Rafael Nadal is not certain he will return to his very best form and full fitness in 2023 – but he has no doubt he will give it his very best shot.
The veteran Spaniard went down 6-3 6-4 to Felix Auger-Aliassime on Tuesday at the ATP Finals, his second defeat in the round-robin group stage and a fourth consecutive loss overall.
This season began in stunning style for Nadal as he won the Australian Open and followed that with a 14th French Open title, taking his tally of grand slams to 22 - a record haul for a male singles player.
However, Nadal has a serious ongoing foot problem, and the 36-year-old had to withdraw from Wimbledon prior to a semi-final against Nick Kyrgios after suffering a torn abdomen.
Injuries have prevented him playing a full season, and he was clearly not at his best against Auger-Aliassime, who has Nadal's uncle, Toni Nadal, on his coaching team.
Asked whether he will take an optimistic or doubtful approach into next season, Nadal said: "You can be both ways. You can be optimistic and have doubts. Why not?
"For me the doubts, as I said plenty of times, are very good in this world. People who don't have doubts, it is probably because they are too arrogant, from my point of view.
"If you are not optimistic or positive, it's impossible that things are going to go the proper way. That's my point of view and that's my approach."
He will hope to make a strong start to the new campaign in Australia, and will put in the work to give himself every chance of showing up in shape to win again.
"I just need to recover all these positive feelings and all this confidence and all this strong mentality that I need to be at the level that I want to be," Nadal said.
"And I don't know if I'm going to reach that level again. But what I don't have any doubt about is that I'm going to die for it."
He will round off his round-robin campaign against Casper Ruud in Turin on Thursday, facing the young Norwegian he crushed in the French Open final.
Once he returns to his Mallorca home, Nadal can look at what lies ahead.
"What can happen in Australia? I don't know. It's a month and a half away," Nadal said.
"What can I do to give myself a positive chance to have a good season next year? As always, be humble enough to accept that I have a challenge in front, that the last six months have been very difficult for me.
"I need to work more and I need to recover things that I lost because I was not able to practice the proper way, I was not able to compete the proper way.
"What I have to do now is come back, work hard, stay positive every single day, accept the challenge, accept that I am going to need to suffer a little bit more."
Sunrisers Hyderabad have released captain Kane Williamson on the back of a poor 2022 Indian Premier League season.
The New Zealand skipper scored just 216 runs from 13 innings at an average of 19.64 in the IPL this year.
Sunrisers on Tuesday announced that Williamson has not been retained by the franchise, who finished eighth last season.
Nicholas Pooran and Sean Abbott are among the other players who have not been kept on by Hyderabad.
It was also the end of an era for Mumbai Indians, with Kieron Pollard calling time on his IPL playing days and taking over as the franchise's batting coach.
Kolkata Knight Riders will have to do without Pat Cummins, Alex Hales and Sam Billings after the overseas trio opted out of the 2023 tournament.
Dwayne Bravo and Chris Jordan were among the players on the Chennai Super Kings' list of released players, while Jason Holder will not feature for Lucknow Super Giants.
Black Caps duo Daryl Mitchell and Jimmy Neesham will not return to Rajasthan Royals, while the same goes for South Africa batter Rassie Van Der Dussen.
Neymar is primed to lead Brazil to World Cup glory in Qatar, according to former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Mohamed Sissoko.
The 30-year-old Neymar has had a strong start to the campaign with PSG, recording 26 goal involvements (15 goals, 11 assists) in 20 games so far, and Sissoko believes he has shown the motivation to carry that form into the World Cup, which begins on Sunday.
Speaking to Stats Perform, Sissoko predicted the Selecao to win the tournament, citing Neymar as one of the chief reasons why.
"[I think] Brazil [will win], because they have a strong team and good spirit and I think they have a big chance of winning this World Cup," he said.
"I know [Neymar is] going to be on fire this year because when you're on holiday and you decide to come back one week before you start, it is because you have good motivation. It is because you have the World Cup, so he wants to show all the Brazilian people he's a big player and he wants to bring back the World Cup to Brazil."
Sissoko, who also played for Liverpool and Juventus among others before retiring in 2019, picked out three more players he thinks will thrive at the World Cup, including two more Brazilians.
"[Aurelien] Tchouameni [of France] is a very good player," Sissoko said. "Vinicius [Junior] is going to be on fire, also Raphinha from Barcelona. I think they have good motivation to do something very good at the World Cup."
Sissoko featured for Mali as an international player, and he pointed to Morocco as one of the African teams to look out for in Qatar.
Morocco will be in Group F with Belgium, Croatia and Canada, and they recently hired French-born Walid Regragui as head coach.
"They have a good team. Not one of the best," Sissoko said. "But I think this new manager, I know him very [well]. He knows French culture, and also Moroccan culture. So I think Morocco has a good team to go far."
Five African teams will take part in Qatar, with Morocco joined by Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana and Tunisia, and Sissoko hopes they can make an impression, even if lifting the trophy might be beyond them.
"I don't know [if an African team can win the World Cup] because of big talent and big teams like Brazil, Argentina, England, and France. It is not easy to compete with them at this moment, but I think they have the quality to go to the quarter-finals," he said.
"For me, Senegal is in progress... Senegal I think is the team with more progress because they bring a lot of foreign players. You know they have good players like [Kalidou] Koulibaly, like [Sadio] Mane, and now they're starting to bring in a young player like [Ismail] Jakobs from Monaco.
"This is very important to have a strong team, a strong group. So I think Senegal also have the power to go to the quarter-finals."
Ferrari have denied reports they are preparing to replace team principal Mattia Binotto with Alfa Romeo's Frederic Vasseur.
The Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper claims the Italian team have decided to end Binotto's spell at the helm after four seasons.
Binotto, 53, has overseen a period where Ferrari have often struggled against the might of the Mercedes and Red Bull teams.
Charles Leclerc sits second in the drivers' championship this season, level on points with Sergio Perez but a long way behind Max Verstappen, who has clinched the title.
As a team, Ferrari sit second ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. They are narrowly ahead of Mercedes but a huge 195 points adrift of Red Bull.
Leclerc finished fourth in Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix, with Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz taking third place.
Ferrari said in a team statement on Tuesday: "In relation to speculation in certain media regarding Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto's position, Ferrari states that these rumours are totally without foundation."
Vasseur, 54, is team principal of the Alfa Romeo team, with the famous marque having returned to Formula One in 2018 in a tie-up with Sauber. Alfa Romeo plans to end its association with Sauber at the end of 2023.
Kimi Raikkonen was Ferrari's last drivers' champion in 2007, while the team last won the constructors' championship in 2008.
Sadio Mane will miss Senegal's "first games" of the World Cup due to injury, a Senegalese Football Federation official revealed on Tuesday.
The Bayern Munich forward's place at Qatar 2022 looked to be in jeopardy after he suffered a fibula injury this month, but he was included in Aliou Cisse's 26-man squad.
However, Mane will not feature in Senegal's clash against the Netherlands next Monday and Senegalese Football Federation board member Abdoulaye Sow revealed that will not be the only Group A match he will miss.
Senegal will face hosts Qatar next Thursday before taking on Ecuador in their final group match on November 29.
Sow stated: "Senegal will have to cope without its best player for the start of the tournament and not whine too much.
"We will have to rely on playing the first games without Sadio and win without Sadio because we have 25 players apart from Sadio.
"No one would have wanted it, but that's what's happened to us."
Mane starred as Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations this year and he has made an impressive start to his Bayern career following his move from Liverpool.
The 30-year-old's injury will prevent his from coming up against his former Reds team-mate Virgil van Dijk next week.
West Indies ODI and T20I captain Nicholas Pooran and former West Indies captains Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard were among several West Indians to be released by their Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises on Tuesday’s deadline day to retain and release players.
While Pooran, Pollard, who announced his IPL retirement earlier on Tuesday, and Super Kings' Dwayne Bravo were the most high-profile West Indians not retained, there were several other younger players from the Caribbean who were released by their teams.
Along with Pooran, Sunrisers Hyderabad let go of Romario Shepherd, Lucknow Super Giants released Jason Holder and Evin Lewis, Mumbai released Fabian Allen, Royal Challengers Bangalore let go of Sherfane Rutherford, Punjab released Odean Smith and Gujarat Titans did not retain Dominic Drakes.
On the flip side, several West Indians were retained by their franchises.
Obed McCoy and Shimron Hetmyer were retained by the Rajasthan Royals, Alzarri Joseph was retained by defending champions the Gujarat Titans, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine will once again suit up for the Kolkata Knight Riders, Kyle Mayers was retained by Lucknow Super Giants and Rovman Powell was retained by the Delhi Capitals.
The released players will get their chance to be snapped up by another franchise at the IPL player auction which will be held on December 23 in Kochi.
Rafael Nadal lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime for the first time as his poor run of results continued at the ATP Finals in Turin, where he looks set for a group-stage exit.
In the Green Group, Auger-Aliassime ran out a 6-3 6-4 winner over the 22-time grand slam champion, whose uncle Toni Nadal is on his opponent's coaching team.
Nadal came to Italy with a chance to snatch the year-end number one ranking from Carlos Alcaraz but needed to win this tournament, and defeats to Taylor Fritz and now Auger-Aliassime have almost quashed that prospect.
On Tuesday, the 36-year-old suffered a fourth successive singles defeat, which began with a US Open last-16 exit to Frances Tiafoe and was followed at the Paris Masters by a loss to Tommy Paul.
Auger-Aliassime was beaten in his opening match by Casper Ruud, but he came from 40-0 behind to break for a 5-3 lead in the opener of this contest, before serving out for the set comfortably enough. A break early in the second set put him on course to wrap up the match, with Nadal struggling to make an impact.
This was just a third meeting between Nadal and Auger-Aliassime on the ATP Tour, with Nadal winning both previous contests, including an epic five-set contest in the French Open fourth round in May.
The result this time, however, means Nadal has lost consecutive matches in the round-robin stage of the ATP Finals for the first time since 2011. With a 0-2 record, his only remaining hope of progress hinged on Ruud losing to Fritz later on Tuesday, which would offer Nadal a slim hope going into his final Green Group match against Ruud.
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Auger-Aliassime - 15/2
Nadal - 1/4
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Auger-Aliassime - 32/2
Nadal - 13/4
BREAK POINTS WON
Auger-Aliassime - 2/4
Nadal - 0/5
Kieron Pollard has ended his Indian Premier League playing career but will remain with Mumbai Indians in the role of batting coach.
Pollard has featured in 13 IPL seasons for Mumbai, winning the tournament five times and also lifting the Champions League trophy twice.
The former West Indies captain on Tuesday announced he has played his last game for the Indians, but will turn out for the MI Emirates in the UAE T20 League.
All-rounder Pollard is Mumbai's second-highest run-scorer with 3,915 and has struck the most sixes for the franchise, clearing the rope 22 times.
The 35-year--old stated: "It hasn't been the easiest decision to make as I will keep playing for a few more years, but I understand that this incredible franchise which has achieved so much needs to transition and if I'm no longer to play for MI then I cannot see myself playing against MI either.
"Once an MI always an MI. I am immensely proud, honoured and blessed to have represented the biggest and most successful team in the IPL for the past 13 seasons.
"Most sincerely, I express my deep appreciation to Mukesh, Nita and Akash Ambani [Mumbai's owners] for their tremendous love, support and respect I have always felt and for the confidence they placed in me. I recall our first encounter when they welcomed me with open arms saying, “We are family”.
"Those were not just mere words, but demonstrated by their every action throughout my time with Mumbai Indians."
The Golden State Warriors have a chance to reaffirm themselves as the heavyweights in the Western Conference on Wednesday when the defending NBA champions visit the Phoenix Suns.
Steve Kerr's team have endured a difficult start to their bid to win back-to-back titles, going 6-8 across their opening 14 games.
But they produced one of their best performances of the season on Monday, crushing the San Antonio Spurs 132-95.
A meeting with the Suns, seen as one of the primary challengers to Golden State in the West going into the season, my provide a more accurate indication of whether the Warriors have turned things around.
Phoenix lost a thriller with the Miami Heat on Monday, losing 113-112 on the road to drop to 8-5 but had little issue knocking off the Warriors in their first meeting this season on October 25, prevailing 134-105.
Veteran point guard Chris Paul has missed the last three games with a heel problem, and it remains to be seen if he will be healthy to play against the Warriors.
However, even without Paul the Suns possess one of the most talented rosters in the league, and with Devin Booker continuing his outstanding form from last season, they are well-equipped to trouble a Warriors team that has yet to win on the road this campaign.
PIVOTAL PERFORMERS
Phoenix Suns - Devin Booker
Through 13 games, Booker has the highest offensive rating of his career (117.2) while his effective field goal percentage of 53.5 is his best since the 2019-20 season (54.4).
His 26.5 points per game rank 11th in the NBA, and his ability to maintain that efficiency will be key against a Warriors team whose problems have predominantly been on defense.
Golden State Warriors - Jordan Poole
Poole scored 36 points after being inserted into the starting lineup as Klay Thompson was rested against San Antonio, making a compelling argument for becoming a permanent fixture in the Warriors' starting five.
Kerr is not ready to make the that move, but, after the spark he gave Golden State last time out, Poole could play a more prominent role in a game that may yet be a preview of the Western Conference Finals if the Warriors can get back on track.
KEY BATTLE - Can Warriors find a winning bench combination?
The main issue with the Warriors does not concern their starting five, but their youthful bench.
Indeed, the Warriors' bench has an average plus-minus of minus 4.9, the worst in the NBA, their issues in that regard exemplified by Golden State sending former second overall pick James Wiseman to the G-League.
By contrast, the Suns' bench ranks sixth in the league with an average plus-minus of plus-1.5. If the Warriors cannot find a way to narrow that gap, it could be another difficult night for the champions.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Warriors and Suns split the season series in 2021-22, each winning once at home and once on the road. Recent history favours the Suns, though, with the Warriors having lost five of their last seven against Phoenix on the road, including the blowout defeat in Arizona last month.
West Indies great Kieron Pollard has announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League after 13 years and five titles with the Mumbai Indians.
Pollard, who made the announcement in a statement on Instagram on Tuesday, made the decision after failing to see himself in MI's scheme of things going forward as the franchise enters a transition phase.
The all-rounder added that his loyalty towards the franchise is such that he cannot envision himself representing any other team in the IPL.
With that said, it is not the end of the road for Pollard with the Mumbai Indians as the former West Indies captain has agreed to take over as the team's batting coach.
Only a handful of players in IPL have featured in 100 or more games for a single franchise. Pollard stands second on the list of most appearances for a single club having featured in 189 IPL matches for Mumbai Indians. Virat Kohli sits atop with his record tally for Royal Challengers Bangalore while others on the list feature Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders from 2011), Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians from 2013) and Lasith Malinga (who had two stints at Mumbai). In those 189 games, he scored 3412 runs, laced with 16 fifties and picked up 69 wickets, becoming one of the most prolific all-rounders the league ever witnessed.
Pollard’s full statement: “It hasn't been the easiest decision to make as I intend to keep playing for a few more years, but following discussions with Mumbai Indians I have decided to call time on my IPL career. I understand that this incredible franchise which has achieved so much needs to transition and if I'm no longer to play for MI then I cannot see myself playing against MI either, 'Once an MI always an MI'.
This is not an emotional goodbye to MI however as I have agreed to take up the role of batting coach in the IPL as well as play with MI Emirates. This next chapter of my career is genuinely exciting and allows me to transition myself too from playing to coaching,
I am immensely proud, honoured and blessed to have represented the biggest and most successful team in the IPL for the past 13 seasons. It was always an aspiration to play for this fantastic team and although I will miss the buzz of the IPL you get as a player, I take comfort in knowing that I have been fortunate enough to have played with some of the best players in the world in front of our passionate fans. I have always felt and appreciated their unconditional support both on and off the field. Together, we won the Champions League in 2011 and 2013 and the IPL in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020,
I must give big thanks to the Coaches, Managers and other backroom support staff we have had at Mumbai Indians and who I now join. We would not have achieved the success over the years without their continuing hard work, dedication and commitment to creating the best environment and I look forward to emulating their successful approach. In particular, I would like to pay special tribute to my good friend Robin Singh for his sound advice and guidance over the years and whose very shoes I now fill.
Most sincerely, I express my deep appreciation to Mukesh, Nita and Akash Ambani for their tremendous love, support and respect I have always felt and for the confidence they placed in me. I recall our first encounter when they welcomed me with open arms saying "We are family". Those were not just mere words, but demonstrated by their every action throughout my time with Mumbai Indians.”
Lastly, I would like to say a special thank you to my friends and family especially my wife, Jenna and my three beautiful children for all the love, support and the many sacrifices they have made over the years and will continue to make to allow me to fulfil my childhood dream of playing cricket at the highest levels for such a long time.
Today, I make this step with hope and excitement towards the future knowing that I will be playing a role in an institution, whose values align so closely to mine, where "We are family"
Chelsea have reunited Graham Potter with his former Brighton and Hove Albion head of recruitment in a move designed to guide the club's future transfer dealings.
Paul Winstanley worked closely with head coach Potter at Brighton and becomes Chelsea's director of global talent and transfers.
He spent eight years at Brighton, having joined from Derby County, and played a prominent role in assembling the talent that has propelled the Seagulls into the Premier League and kept them among the elite.
Potter left for Chelsea in September, and Winstanley arrives at a point where results have taken a nosedive, with Chelsea losing their last three Premier League matches.
There could be scope for transfer movement in January, but this appointment has been made with a long-term view.
Winstanley said on Chelsea's website: "I'm thrilled to be joining Chelsea and to continue working with Graham Potter and his team.
"There is a real sense of excitement and momentum around the new ownership and this project. I'm looking forward to working with such an outstanding group of colleagues as the club moves into a new era."
Chairman Todd Boehly and co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali said: "Paul is going to be a great addition to Chelsea.
"He's highly respected and is a key senior addition as we continue to build a world-class sporting team with a huge depth of talent, ambition and commitment who will work closely with us to drive Chelsea forward.
"Paul shares our philosophy and will fit seamlessly into the organisation."
Potter's Chelsea side sit eight points adrift of the Premier League's top four going into the World Cup break, albeit with a game in hand over fourth-placed Tottenham. They are level on 21 points with Brighton.
Former Tottenham and England winger Aaron Lennon has announced his retirement from football.
Lennon made 28 Premier League appearances for Burnley last season, scoring twice, but was released by the club following their relegation to the Championship.
The 35-year-old initially said he would continue playing after becoming a free agent, but has now called time on a career in which he played 416 Premier League games and won 21 England caps.
Having come through Leeds United's youth system, Lennon enjoyed a successful 10-year spell at Tottenham between 2005 and 2015, featuring in 266 league games for the club and playing a key role in their 2007-08 EFL Cup win – which remains Spurs' most recent major trophy.
In a statement posted to Twitter, Lennon said: "I've finally decided that the time is right to hang my boots up. Having weighed up my options, I didn't feel any were right for me and my young family.
"It has been a very tough decision as football has been my life since probably the age of three, and the last 20 years, playing professionally at the very top, has been so amazing.
"There is so much I want to do and give back with all my experiences on and off the pitch and [I] will be doing so in the near future. Football world, thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Tyson Fury says it would be "an absolute dying travesty" if he does not fight Anthony Joshua before he hangs up his gloves for good.
The WBC heavyweight champion has been touted for a match-up with his fellow Briton for a number of years, only to see each attempt to set up a bout fall short.
A fight looked closer than ever earlier this year before another breakdown in negotiations, leaving Fury instead to set up another fight with Derek Chisora next month.
Though Fury has retired, or indicated he would quit, multiple times before, the 34-year-old now says he will not depart from the sport before he fights his rival.
"I don't think I can retire today," he told The High Performance podcast. "Because I need that Joshua fight. We have been trying to make that fight for years.
"It's the fight that people want to see. It's the fight that I want to see as a boxing fan.
"I think it would be an absolute dying travesty if me and Joshua didn't fight in this era."
Elsewhere, Fury spoke about the fresh wave of talent in the heavyweight division, led by Oleksandr Usyk, that has emerged around him, and how he sometimes wonders whether he still has the fight in him.
"For the last four or five years, there has been this three-headed monster: me, [Deontay] Wilder, Joshua," he added.
"Joshua and Wilder have been slain, and I'm the last one standing.
"All of a sudden, you've got some new people coming up now - Joe Joyce, Daniel Dubois, and Usyk's gate-crashed the party.
"Now there's a load of new blood that wasn't there five years ago and it's like, 'Can you beat this person?'."
Fury will fight Chisora at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 3.
Cristiano Ronaldo's scathing criticism of Manchester United will not have an impact on Portugal's quest for World Cup glory in Qatar, insists midfielder Joao Mario.
Ronaldo has endured a torrid season after reportedly expressing his desire to leave Old Trafford in the transfer window, making just four Premier League starts and only scoring once in the competition.
Having been temporarily exiled from first-team activities by Erik ten Hag after refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham last month, Ronaldo's United future is again in doubt following his decision to grant an explosive interview to Piers Morgan.
In early excerpts published from the interview, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner claimed to have been "betrayed" by United and said he has no respect for Ten Hag.
Ronaldo is set to begin his fifth and likely final World Cup campaign this month, and international team-mate Joao Mario does not believe Portugal will suffer for the 37-year-old's actions.
"I don't see a problem with the timing, so it's fine for us," Joao Mario said at a press conference on Tuesday.
"I don't think it puts further pressure on him or on us. We're used to dealing with great pressure.
"It's not the first time that a player comes to the national team having a problem with his club. One of the advantages is that we put everything to the side when we are here.
"When we get to the national team, it's another working group and we try to focus on what's most important.
"The headlines are always about him. Honestly, every time we come to the national team, the first questions asked are always about Ronaldo. The focus is always on him, and we are used to that.
"He is always happy when he is with national team. I saw him yesterday and he is fine, as always when he arrives here.
"He is totally focused on the national team and he is going to be a big help for us at the World Cup."
Portugal will begin their Group H campaign against Ghana on November 24 after taking on Nigeria in a pre-tournament friendly on Thursday.
Having scored at the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 World Cups, Ronaldo could become the first player to score in five different editions of the tournament when he takes to the field in Qatar.
However, all seven of his World Cup goals to date have come in the group stage – no player has scored more goals at the tournament without finding the net in a knockout game.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
