The Montreal Canadiens selected Juraj Slafkovsky with the first overall pick of the 2022 NHL draft on Thursday. 

The 18-year-old left wing became the first Slovakian to ever be picked first overall in the draft. 

Slafkovsky excelled for Slovakia at the 2022 Winter Olympics, leading the tournament with seven goals in seven games to earn MVP honours while helping the country capture the bronze medal. 

Speaking to ESPN after being presented with his Canadiens jersey, Slafkosvky was lost for words.

"It’s unbelievable, I still can’t believe that this actually happened," he said.

"When I heard from Slovakia, I was like 'what is happening'. It's just a special moment in my life."

When asked how he thought his family and friends would have reacted to the news, being 2am local time in Slovakia, Slafkosvky said "I think people are going crazy, they have to be... I think they are all awake."

With the second pick, the New Jersey Devils selected another Slovakian in defenseman Simon Nemec. 

"This is a special night for Slovak hockey," Slafkovsky said. 

Adam Svensson shot a blistering 10-under 62 in the first round of the Barbasol Championship to lead the field by two strokes.

Canada's Svensson is taking advantage of the fact that most of the sport's biggest names are spending this week at the Scottish Open, posting seven birdies, two eagles and bogey in his round. On the four par-fives, he collected two birdies and two eagles.

Speaking to The Golf Channel after his round, he said he felt in good touch coming into the event.

"I was on the range today and I was feeling really good," he said. "I've been putting well, putting a lot of work in that. 

"It just kind of all came together today. I made two nice eagles. The one on eight was exceptional – made a 30-footer – but was just trying to stay in there because it was just so hot. 

"I was losing energy, I was trying to hydrate and stuff like that. I was just really relaxed and just tried to get through the day essentially."

Being a co-sanctioned event from both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, there was a strong international contingent near the top of the leaderboard.

Tied for second place at eight under are Portugal's Ricardo Gouveia and France's Robin Roussel, with the latter managing to go bogey-free.

There is an eight-man logjam tied for fourth at seven under, including Germany's Matti Schmid, Colombia's Camilo Villegas and England's David Skinns.

Another pair of Englishmen – Tom Lewis and Andrew Wilson – were a further shot back at six under, along with Australia's Cameron Percy, South Africa's Justin Walters and Germany's Yannick Paul.

Japan's Satoshi Kodaira, Chile's Hugo Leon and Sweden's Niklas Lemke are at five under, while Spain's Alejandro Canizares and South Korea's Noh Seung-yul shot four-under 68s – one stroke better than Thursday's average score.

After a top-10 finish at last week's John Deere Classic, Canada's Michael Gligic will be content with his opening 69, while John Huh shot a 70 as he looks for his third top-15 finish from his past five starts.

Zhou Guanyu acknowledged he is lucky to be alive following his horrific crash at Silverstone last weekend.

The British Grand Prix was red-flagged on the opening lap following Alfa Romeo driver Zhou's terrifying shunt at turn one.

After George Russell's Mercedes careered into Zhou following contact with Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri, the Chinese driver's car flipped over and subsequently shot across the gravel, over the barrier and into the catch fence protecting spectators.

There was a worrying wait at Silverstone before it was confirmed the 23-year-old was not seriously hurt.

And Zhou, who is the first Chinese driver to compete in Formula One, reflected on the incident ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend, for which he received an all-clear to compete on Thursday.

"I had a massive hit and flipped over, going at a very constant speed but quite fast into the gravel and I realise that I'm not getting stopped," he remembered.

"So, I tried to release myself from the steering wheel and into a very locked position, making sure I'm solid inside myself waiting for the final impact. That's what causes injury and is the big issue.

"Once I stopped, I didn't know where I was because I was upside down. Then there was some leaking, but I didn't know from where. I wasn't sure if it was my body or if it was the car!

"So, I just tried to switch the engine off. I knew if the fire started it would be difficult to get out. I don't know how I survived. But looking back, obviously the halo saved me there.

"It did not hurt, but it was very cold on my left-hand side, so I didn't know if it was blood or if I had no feeling on my left-hand side."

Zhou also paid tribute to Russell.

He did not know at the time, but the Mercedes driver stopped his car before running over to check on his counterpart, sacrificing his part in the rest of the race as a result.

"One man made conversation with me, making sure I was OK," Zhou continued.

"Looking at the pictures, seeing George jump out of the car, calling the marshals, it was very respectful and sportsmanlike. Very nice to see people like him trying to make sure everyone is safe."

The Las Vegas have named Sandra Douglass Morgan as the team’s president, making her the first Black woman to hold that title in the NFL.  

The Raiders held a press conference Thursday, announcing the franchise’s third president in the last year. 

Morgan, who was an attorney for 20 years, had served most recently as the chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board from 2019-21.  

Marc Badain resigned last July after a three-decade tenure with the organization, and Dan Ventrelle was named his successor.  

Ventrelle was fired in May and later alleged that he was dismissed for sharing reports from fellow team employees of inappropriate conduct by owner Mark Davis.  

"It’s no secret that this organization has faced some recent challenges," Morgan said at her inaugural press conference. "But I want to be clear – I am not here to sweep anything under the rug or avoid problems or concerns that need to be addressed.

"The fact is that I accepted this role because I believe in the promise of the Raiders, I believe in the future of the Raiders and I believe in this organization’s tenants of integrity, community and – most of all – commitment to excellence." 

Morgan declined to address specifics regarding the franchise’s recent off-field turmoil.  

"There’s been no secret that there’s been reports about turnover. My number-one goal is to meet with each and every employee… and making sure our Raider family is strong. Our house will be strong. We’ll be in order to ensure that we can continue to benefit and provide world-class entertainment to this community." 

Morgan specifically mentioned looking forward to working with head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler, who are both new to the organization this season, as well.  

"There’s been a lot of changes in the last six months, but I know that Mark has made those intentionally, and I’m really just looking forward to the future." 

Jos Buttler's first game as permanent England captain ended in a resounding 50-run defeat to India at the Ageas Bowl in Thursday's opening Twenty20 International.

Hardik Pandya starred with 51 runs as India set their opponents a target of 199 for victory, but England – who lost Buttler for a first-ball duck – did not come close.

As well as registering a maiden fifth in the format, Hardik also took three wickets in seven balls and finished on 4-33 as India made a strong start to the three-match series.

India should have set England a bigger total to chase down, with Rohit Sharma (24 off 14) making their intentions clear from the off after winning the toss and electing to bat.

Ishan Kishan (eight) struggled to get going, but Deepak Hooda (33) and Suryakumar Yadav (39) piled on the runs for an India side missing some key players.

Hardik's quick-fire 45-run partnership with Axar Patel (17) put the tourists in a strong position, though Hardik's dismissal and the loss of Dinesh Karthik (11) saw them stall a little.

Chris Jordan was the pick of England's attack with 2-23, while Moeen Ali (2-26) also chipped in, with Axar Patel the last to fall for 17.

England's response never really got going following the early loss of Buttler to Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the first over, despite the best efforts of top scorer Moeen (36 off 20).

Hardik accounted for Dawid Malan (31), Liam Livingstone (duck), Sam Curran (four) and Jason Roy (four), leaving England with too much to do in a flat start to another new era.

Buttler's England falter

England (146.3) and India (145.9) entered this contest with the best batting strike rates of all Test-playing countries in T20Is since the beginning of 2020.

The hosts could not find any momentum when left on 33-4 after 6.1 overs, though, and were bowled out in the final over for 148.

Kumar closing in on Bumrah

Hardik was mightily impressive for India, but credit must also go to Kumar for taking Buttler early on with an in-swinger to get the ball rolling for the tourists.

With that, the 32-year-old is now one away from overtaking Jasprit Bumrah (67) as his country's second all-time leading wicket-taker.

Charles Leclerc has dismissed suggestions of tensions within the Ferrari camp after enduring a frustrating outing as team-mate Carlos Sainz won the British Grand Prix last week.

But the 24-year-old maintains his team could have made better decisions after he fell out of contention to finish fourth at Silverstone.

Leclerc sits third in the drivers' championship standings going into Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, trailing Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez after several underwhelming results.

The Ferrari driver has struggled since winning two of the first three races of the 2022 campaign, failing to secure a podium finish in any of his last five outings after doing so in four of his first five this season.

Leclerc had led at Silverstone before Ferrari chose not to pit him for fresh tyres during a late safety car period, allowing Sainz to clinch the first victory of his Formula One career.

Italian press reports claimed some of Leclerc's engineers subsequently refused to take part in a group photo to celebrate Sainz's win, but the Monegasque driver has told Sky Sports F1 there are no divisions within the team.

"It is a shame to see all of this type of things," Leclerc said in Austria.

"It is definitely not what is happening inside the team. We are a very united team, we've always been, and it's not these difficult races that will make it change.

"Were we disappointed after last weekend? I think we were because we were one-two, and we finished one-four, so part of the team were disappointed. But this was definitely not the reason whatsoever for not everybody being on the picture.

"Everyone was very happy for Carlos, and this is the feeling that there is inside the team.

"One of the strong points we have as team-mates and as drivers [is] a team spirit that we have in Ferrari and these things are always under control."

But Leclerc was still not entirely happy with the team's strategy last time out, adding: "There are things we could have done better.

"But we know where we did the mistakes and I hope we can grow from that.

"Me personally, there's nothing I could have done differently in a way. As a team, we have changed a few things already, just in the way of communication throughout the race, to be ready in that particular moment.

"Once a safety car is out, you need to take a decision there, and if you are not ready for that, it's tricky."

Ferrari have slipped to a distant second in the constructors' standings after Red Bull recorded three one-twos in the last seven races, Verstappen claiming six victories in that time.

Nick Kyrgios has taken to social media to wish Rafael Nadal a speedy recovery after the Spaniard withdrew from the pair's Wimbledon semi-final through injury.

Nadal appeared to be struggling throughout his epic five-set quarter-final win over Taylor Fritz on Wednesday, and it was later confirmed the 22-time grand slam champion had suffered a seven-millimetre abdominal tear.

The two-time Wimbledon champion then announced his withdrawal from the competition at a news conference on Thursday, saying he doubted his ability to win two matches while enduring the pain.

Nadal's exit means Kyrgios will become Australia's first male Wimbledon finalist since Mark Philippoussis in 2003, and is the first player to receive a semi-final walkover in the competition in the Open Era.

The enigmatic 27-year-old has since taken to Instagram to wish the Spaniard well, writing: "Different players, different personalities.

"I hope your recovery goes well and we all hope to see you healthy soon. 'Till next time…"

The Australian has enjoyed a heated rivalry with Nadal since beating him in their first head-to-head meeting at Wimbledon in 2014, with the pair engaging in a couple of high-profile spats.

Kyrgios will now face either Novak Djokovic or Cameron Norrie in Sunday's final, as he bids to become the first Australian man to win Wimbledon since Lleyton Hewitt defeated David Nalbandian in 2002.

He has embarked on a box-office run in SW19, coming through five-set thrillers against Paul Jubb and Brandon Nakashima, as well as winning a fiery third-round contest against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Some 6,944 days will have passed since an Australian man played in a Wimbledon final by the time Kyrgios takes to Centre Court on Sunday, though he will look to fare better than Philippoussis did in 2003's straight-sets loss to Roger Federer.

World number 40 Kyrgios is also the lowest-ranked – and the first unseeded – Wimbledon finalist since Philippoussis (number 48), as well as the lowest-ranked grand slam finalist since Marcos Baghdatis (number 54) at the 2006 Australian Open.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and veteran defenseman Kris Letang have agreed to a six-year, $36.6 million contract extension, the team announced on Thursday.  

The deal runs through to the 2027-28 season, during which Letang will turn 41 years old.  

"Kris epitomises what it means to be a Pittsburgh Penguin," general manager Ron Hextall said in a statement. "The role he plays on our team is irreplaceable.

"He is a leader in our locker room, and has made countless contributions to the organisation over the last 15-plus years, which includes three Stanley Cup Championships.  

"We are thrilled to make him a Penguin for life."

Letang has only played for Pittsburgh in his NHL career after being drafted by the Penguins in the third round in 2005.  

He has hoisted the Stanley Cup three times – in 2009, 2016 and 2017 – and set career highs last season with 58 assists and 68 points, helping Pittsburgh to a 46-25-11 record. 

Letang has played 941 games in a Penguins sweater, passing Mario Lemieux for third in franchise history last season.

Only team-mates Sidney Crosby (1,108) and Evgeni Malkin (981) have played more games for the Penguins.

Bruno Fernandes will wear the number eight shirt for Manchester United this season, while new signing Tyrell Malacia takes number 12  at Old Trafford.

Fernandes has donned the number 18 shirt for the Red Devils since joining from Sporting CP in January 2020, subsequently scoring 50 goals in 126 appearances across all competitions.

But the Portugal international has opted to switch to his favourite number, which he has tattooed on his right arm, after the jersey was vacated by Juan Mata following the Spaniard's departure from the club at the end of last season.

Fernandes will be seen in the number eight shirt for the first time during United's pre-season tour of Thailand, with the squad flying out to the Far East on Friday.

The midfielder becomes the sixth different player to wear the shirt at Old Trafford since the introduction of squad numbers in 1993-94, after Paul Ince, Nicky Butt, Wayne Rooney, Anderson and Mata.

Meanwhile, it has also been revealed that Malacia will wear number 12 following his arrival from Feyenoord.

The left-back put pen to paper on a four-year contract with the Red Devils earlier this week, as he became the club's first signing under Erik ten Hag.

Rafael Nadal says prolonging his career is more important than any trophy after withdrawing from Wimbledon ahead of his semi-final against Nick Kyrgios due to injury.

The second seed played though the pain barrier in beating Taylor Fritz in a five-set thriller in Wednesday's quarter-final, but he later admitted he was unsure if a troublesome abdominal issue would clear up in time for Friday's semi-final.

Nadal appeared on the practice courts on Thursday, despite tests reportedly revealing he had a seven-millimetre abdominal tear, though it ultimately proved in vain as he announced at a news conference later in the day that his match with Kyrgios would not go ahead.

While disappointed at being denied the chance of winning a first calendar Grand Slam, having already won the Australian Open and French Open this year, the 22-time major winner feels he had no choice.

"Unfortunately, as you can imagine, I am here because I have to pull out from the tournament," he said. "As everyone saw yesterday, I have been suffering with a pain in the abdominal [area] and something was not okay there. 

"That is confirmed, I have a tear in the muscle and the communication is too late. I was thinking the whole day, I was thinking about the decision to make, but I think it doesn't make sense to go, even if I try through my career to keep going. 

"It is very tough circumstances but it is obvious if I keep going the injury will be worse and worse. I never thought about the calendar slam, I thought about my diary and my happiness.

"I don't want to go out there and not be competitive enough to play at my best. The most important thing to me is happiness over a title."

Nadal showed incredible mental and physical resilience to dig deep and see off first-time grand slam quarter-finalist Fritz 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 (10-4), despite being a set down when calling for a medical time-out on Centre Court.

"I make this decision because I don't believe I can win two matches under the circumstances. It is not only I can't serve at the right speed, it is I can't do the normal movement to serve," Nadal added of his decision to pull out.

"After that, to imagine myself winning two matches and for respect for myself in some way, I don't want to go out there and not be competitive enough to play at the level I need to play to achieve my goals."

Kyrgios will now receive a bye through to a first grand slam final, where either Cameron Norrie or Novak Djokovic await on Sunday.

As for Nadal, he is hopeful of returning to action within "two-to-three weeks", meaning he will have time to get back up to speed in time for the US Open, which begins on August 29.

"My goal is to go to the Montreal Masters [on August 5]," Nadal said. "Injuries are part of my career. I saw myself with options to win the title, but you have to accept things as they come."

A return to Real Madrid would be the best move for Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Portugal team-mate Jose Fonte.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has reportedly asked for a move away from Manchester United, just one season after returning to Old Trafford from Juventus.

Despite scoring 24 goals during the 2021-22 campaign, Ronaldo could only help United to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League, thus missing out on qualification for the Champions League.

Having been due to return to training on Monday before he was granted extra time off due to a family issue, Ronaldo is set to miss the club's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, with the squad set to depart on Friday.

That has further fuelled widespread speculation the 37-year-old's second spell with the Red Devils is nearing its end.

The Portugal skipper was linked with a move to Bayern Munich, though chief executive Oliver Kahn has ruled out an approach from the Bundesliga champions.

But international team-mate Fonte believes a return to Madrid would be the best outcome for Ronaldo, who won four Champions Leagues and two LaLiga titles with Los Blancos between 2009 and 2018, as well as becoming the club's all-time leading scorer with 450 goals.

Lille defender Fonte, who along with Ronaldo was part of the Portugal squad that won Euro 2016, told talkSPORT: "What I do know is that the man loves the Champions League. 

"He believes it is the best competition in the world and knows how he has to perform [in it] to win Ballons d'Or.

"He needs to be winning trophies and competing for trophies for the Ballon d'Or. He is a serial winner, as everyone knows.

"He might be looking at the [United] squad and thinking, 'Am I going to be able to win some trophies this year?' Maybe he doesn't believe it. I don't know. Only he can say.

"Would he go back to Madrid? That would be, for him, the best. If they want him back or not, that's a different question."

Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of Manchester United's travelling party for their pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia.

The Portugal international is said to have asked the club for a move away last week if a satisfactory offer is received in this window.

Ronaldo was due to return to training on Monday, but he was granted extra time off due to a family issue.

It was reported on Thursday that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will not be part of the squad that flies out to the Far East on Friday for the same reason.

According to the Manchester Evening News, a United spokesperson said: "Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of the Manchester United party scheduled to depart for our pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia on Friday. He has been granted additional time off to deal with a family issue.

"Cristiano remains under contract with Manchester United for another season, and he is not for sale."

United are due to take on Liverpool in Bangkok on Tuesday in a prestige friendly ahead of flying to Australia for the next stage of their pre-season preparations.

It is not known if Ronaldo will meet up with his team-mates ahead of further games against Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.

Ongoing speculation regarding Ronaldo's Old Trafford future comes less than a year on from his return to the club following 12 seasons away with Real Madrid and Juventus.

He led the scoring charts last term with 24 goals in all competitions, but his homecoming did not go to plan as United registered their lowest Premier League points tally.

United endured a fifth successive season without silverware and finished down in sixth, meaning no Champions League football in the 2022-23 campaign.

That is said to be the reason why Ronaldo, the leading scorer of all time in UEFA's primary club competition, is pushing for a move elsewhere.

Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Napoli and MLS clubs have been linked with the forward, as have his former sides Madrid and Sporting CP.

Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of Manchester United's travelling party for their pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia.

The Portugal international is said to have asked the club for a move away last week if a satisfactory offer is received in this window.

Ronaldo was due to return to training on Monday, but he was granted extra time off due to a family issue.

It was reported on Thursday that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will not be part of the squad that flies out to the Far East on Friday for the same reason.

According to the Manchester Evening News, a United spokesperson said: "Cristiano Ronaldo will not be part of the Manchester United party scheduled to depart for our pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia on Friday. He has been granted additional time off to deal with a family issue.

"Cristiano remains under contract with Manchester United for another season, and he is not for sale."

United are due to take on Liverpool in Bangkok on Tuesday in a prestige friendly ahead of flying to Australia for the next stage of their pre-season preparations.

It is not known if Ronaldo will meet up with his team-mates ahead of further games against Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.

Ongoing speculation regarding Ronaldo's Old Trafford future comes less than a year on from his return to the club following 12 seasons away with Real Madrid and Juventus.

He led the scoring charts last term with 24 goals in all competitions, but his homecoming did not go to plan as United registered their lowest Premier League points tally.

United endured a fifth successive season without silverware and finished down in sixth, meaning no Champions League football in the 2022-23 campaign.

That is said to be the reason why Ronaldo, the leading scorer of all time in UEFA's primary club competition, is pushing for a move elsewhere.

Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Napoli and MLS clubs have been linked with the forward, as have his former sides Madrid and Sporting CP.