Patrick Mouratoglou says Serena Williams' "heartbreaking" withdrawal from the US Open was the "only possible decision" for the American.
Williams on Wednesday revealed she will not play in her home grand slam due to injury.
The 23-time major champion has not played on the WTA Tour since suffering a torn hamstring at Wimbledon in June and she has not fully recovered.
Mouratoglou, Williams' coach, stated that pulling out of the final slam of the year was the only option for the six-time US Open singles champion.
He tweeted: "Since she had to pull out from Wimbledon, @serenawilliams has been fully committed to her recovery and we've done everything we could so that she could compete at the @usopen. But her body isn't ready. It is heartbreaking, but this is the only possible decision."
Williams posted on Instagram earlier in the day: "After careful consideration and following the advice of my doctors and medical team, I have decided to withdraw from the US Open to allow my body to heal completely from a torn hamstring,
"New York is one of the most exciting cities in the world and one of my favourite places to play – I'll miss seeing the fans but will be cheering everyone on from afar. Thank you for your continued support and love. I’ll see you soon."
Williams, who turns 40 next month, is the latest high-profile withdrawal from the tournament after Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal pulled out through injury
It will be the first time since 1997 that the US Open will be played without Williams, Federer or Nadal.
Misbah-ul-Haq will remain in the Caribbean when the Pakistan squad fly home on Wednesday after the head coach tested positive for coronavirus.
The former Pakistan batsman must quarantine for 10 days after he was the only member of the touring party to return a positive PCR test.
Misbah had been due to head home a day after Pakistan salvaged a 1-1 Test series draw with West Indies, winning by 109 runs at Sabina Park.
A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) statement said: "Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq has tested positive and, as such, will not depart for Lahore with his side later today (Wednesday).
"Misbah, who is asymptomatic, will now undergo a 10-day quarantine, following which he will depart for Pakistan.
"Misbah was the only Pakistan squad member who failed two pre-departure PCR tests. All other members will leave Jamaica as per schedule later today.
"The PCB is constantly in touch with Cricket West Indies who have confirmed that Misbah will be shifted to another hotel for the 10-day quarantine with a medical specialist assigned to look after his health and wellbeing."
Pakistan's next assignment is a home ODI series against New Zealand next month.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce concedes that Elaine Thompson-Herah is much closer to the 100m world record than she is but says that it good that women are now able to challenge the 33-year-old standard set by American Florence Griffith-Joyner.
The Tokyo Olympics 100m silver medalist was speaking at a press conference Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s Diamond League meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, where she, Thompson-Herah and Shericka Jackson will once again line up for the 100m in a field that also includes local talents Mujinga Kamnundji, Ajla del Ponte and Marie Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast.
Talk of the world record heated up last weekend when Thompson-Herah sped to a world-leading and personal best 10.54 while winning the blue-riband dash at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. The time is only 0.05s off the world record of 10.49.
Fraser-Pryce, who ran a personal best of 10.63 in June, believes that the world record is now being challenged is a boon for the sport and women’s sprinting.
“As for running the world record, Elaine is much, much closer than I am so it’s good to be able to challenge a record that for women that for a long time we thought was impossible,” she told media gathered for the press conference,” and it speaks to the evolution of sprinting and what mechanics can do to sprinting and the different things that are involved in sprinting, so to be able to be in that conversation or to have that conversation is truly remarkable.”
Fraser-Pryce, who ran 10.73 while finishing second to Thompson-Herah in Eugene, expressed optimism that fast times – maybe even the world record - can be achieved on the track in Lausanne on Thursday.
“I know that Lausanne has a very good track; I ran 10.7 here in 2019 after coming off a plane, so I know it’s a very good track. So, hopefully, tomorrow the ladies will have a superb race and we will see how it goes at the end.”
Harry Kane is in contention to make his first start of the season against Pacos de Ferreira after confirming he is staying at Tottenham beyond the end of this transfer window.
The Manchester City-linked striker put a temporary end to speculation regarding his future on Wednesday by declaring that he is "100 per cent focused" on Spurs.
England captain Kane was not included in Tottenham's squad for their first two games of the campaign, but he returned as a second-half substitute in Sunday's win at Wolves.
He has been named in Spurs' squad for Thursday's Europa Conference League play-off tie with Pacos, which the north London outfit trail 1-0 from last week's first leg.
Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo is happy to be able to move on from the transfer saga, which has somewhat overshadowed his side's positive start to the new Premier League season.
"It's great news, fantastic news for everybody," Nuno said when asked about Kane committing his future to Spurs.
"I think since Harry returned to us, he's been working hard. This is what we value. His attitude in training has been great.
"It's now finished – Harry's going to be with us. He worked today and is an option for tomorrow. Like I said, fantastic news for everybody.
"We are all very happy. He is one of the best players in the world. We are all very happy, delighted to have one more option to the season ahead of us."
Kane has scored 221 goals in 337 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions and is second only to Jimmy Graves (266) in the list of the club's all-time top scorers.
The 28-year-old's 37 goal involvements last season were his most across a league campaign to date, while his 14 assists doubled a previous high of seven in 2016-17.
Despite Kane admitting in May that he was at a "crossroads" in his career, Nuno has no doubt over the prolific striker's motivation to continue playing for Spurs.
"I think it's up to us and everybody, the player himself, to get this motivation. There shouldn't be any kind of doubts to pay for Spurs," he said.
"This is an amazing club, a good team, and we we need everybody involved during this process. It's good hat this issue is over and we can proceed as normal."
Tottenham made 11 changes to their starting line-up for last week's trip to Portugal, which they lost to a first-half strike from Lucas Silva.
Spurs must now turn things around when Pacos visit Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday, with Nuno expected to name a stronger side this time around.
When further probed on whether Kane is in line to start, Nuno said: "Let's see, we still have to decide. He trained today. It was a fantastic training session.
"But we still have to decide the starting team for tomorrow. There are a lot of things to understand. This week is different, we are all together.
"That allows us to make different decisions, different circumstances. It's a must win game, with the tie to be decided tomorrow."
Jamaica’s Olympic medalists and their coaches are set for a financial windfall under what the Jamaica Olympic Association has dubbed an ‘Olympic Rewards Programme’ worth J$41 million. The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) contributed $J5m to the programme while Supreme Ventures Foundation and Mayberry Investments, contributed JS30m and J$6m, respectively.
One US dollar is approximately J$155.
The money is to be placed in individual investment accounts at Mayberry Investments for a period of three years or until the athlete’s retirement from track and field, whichever comes first. At the end of the period, the athlete decides whether to cash in their investments or maintain his or her account.
Under the programme, a gold medalist gets J$6 million, a silver medalist gets J$4 million while a bronze medal winner will be rewarded with J$2 million.
A similar amount will be maintained for the relays but for the relay gold medalists, the J$6 million will be shared among members while for the women’s 4x400 metres relay team that placed third, J$2 million will be shared among the members of the squad.
Coaches will also be rewarded for their work. J$1 million will go to a coach whose athlete won a gold medal, $750,000 for the coach whose athlete won a silver medal and $500,000 for the coach whose athlete won a bronze medal.
The rewards programme, JOA President Christopher Samuda said is part of a broader vision of the association.
“For the Jamaica Olympic Association this partnership represents critical aspects of our vision for the future of the business of sport and emphasizes our conviction that the lives of athletes and coaches matter beyond the present,” Samuda said.
“The Jamaica Olympic Association, Supreme Ventures Limited and Mayberry Investments Limited have come together in an investment trilogy, at the heart of which are Jamaica's athletes and coaches and the strategy of which resides in financial prudence and security.”
Meanwhile, Peter McConnell, Chairman, Supreme Ventures Foundation, praised the athletes for their success. “We are incredibly proud of all athletes who have ever represented Jamaica on the world stage, and we are grateful to have this opportunity to reward this year’s cohort of medalists,” he said.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Christopher Berry, the Executive Chairman of Mayberry Investments Limited.
“Mayberry wishes to congratulate all the athletes that represented us at the Olympics and all of the people who worked so hard to make this national effort yet another success,” he said.
Elaine Thompson won gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m at the Olympic Games while Hansle Parchment won gold in the 100m hurdles. Meanwhile, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won a silver medal in the 100m and a gold medal as a member of the 4x100m team. Shericka Jackson won a bronze medal in the 100m and gold as a member of the 4x100m that also included Briana Williams. Natasha Morrison and Remona Burchell were alternates.
Megan Tapper won a bronze medal in the 100m hurdles.
Jackson, Candice McLeod, Roneisha McGregor, Tovea Jenkins, Junelle Bromfield and Stacy-Ann Williams comprised the 4x400m relay squad.
There was light rain in the morning and afternoon, but that did not prevent the Puerto Rico men’s team from taking a strong lead on the first day of the 64th Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships (CAGC). 47 top golfers from 6 Caribbean countries compete this August 24-26 at the Country Club at Grand Reserve, Rio Grande, in beautiful Puerto Rico!
Vying for the Hoerman Cup (Best Male Team), Puerto Rico has pulled far ahead with 2 over par, while Jamaica is in second place (+21) followed by Dominican Republic (+24) and Trinidad & Tobago (+31).
In the ladies division, competing for the George Teale Trophy, Puerto Rico women’s team has managed to capture the top spot with 6 over par. On their heels are Dominican Republic (+11) and US Virgin Islands (+15).
The individual standings is a close finish in round 1 with the men performing well. Gustavo Rangel of Puerto Rico leads with 3 under par, shooting 69. Following closely in second place is Rhadames Peña of Dominican Republic (-2) and third is tied between Jamaica’s Justin Burrowes and Roberto Nieves -- who both shot even par.
The individual standings in the women’s division is even closer. Tying for the first position with 74 strokes at 2 over par is Yae Eun Kim of the Dominican Republic, US Virgin Islands’ Alexandra Swayne, and Puerto Rico’s Camila Negroni. They are trailed by Darianys Guzman (+4) of Puerto Rico and Madelyn Newkirk (+6) of Jamaica.
Sidney Wolf, President of the CGA and Golf PR, welcomed the delegates at a luncheon that took place at the golf course on August 23. He gave a brief history on the event including the Arthur Ziadie trophy (see standings), which will be presented to the overall winning country.
“We are very happy to see the many juniors who have stepped up to compete in the CAGC this year. Our juniors are the future of golf in the Caribbean,” said Wolf. He specially acknowledged Jodi Munn-Barrow, who joined the CGA Council this year as its first woman and who was also recently announced as the first woman president of the Jamaica Golf Association.
The president closed by thanking sponsors which included: R&A, Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Banco Popular, Titleist, and Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve, who he said were a few among the many who helped to make the event a reality.
Serena Williams has withdrawn from the US Open after failing to fully recover from a torn hamstring.
The 23-time grand slam champion, who won six of those titles at Flushing Meadows, has not played on the WTA Tour since sustaining the injury at Wimbledon in June.
She skipped last week's Western and Southern Open in the hope of being ready in time for the her home major in New York, but has now taken the decision to pull out of the event.
"After careful consideration and following the advice of my doctors and medical team, I have decided to withdraw from the US Open to allow my body to heal completely from a torn hamstring," Williams posted on her Instagram account on Wednesday.
"New York is one of the most exciting cities in the world and one of my favourite places to play – I'll miss seeing the fans but will be cheering everyone on from afar. Thank you for your continued support and love. I’ll see you soon."
It is 30 years since the great Michael Schumacher's first race in an incredible Formula One career.
The legendary German driver made his debut at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, a track where his son will showcase his talents this weekend.
Schumacher went on to claim his maiden F1 victory at the same circuit in 1992 and retired with a staggering 91 victories to his name, having claimed seven world titles.
To mark the anniversary of his bow in Belgium, Stats Perform picks out some of the standout numbers Schumacher racked up in an astonishing 19 F1 seasons.
JORDAN'S LOSS IS BENETTON'S GAIN
Schumacher stepped in for his first F1 race for Jordan and impressively qualified in seventh before retiring on the first lap due to clutch problems.
He spent the rest of the season driving for Benetton, picking up four points from six races.
Schumacher won once in each of the next two seasons, then won back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995 before making a lucrative move to Ferrari.
UNPRECEDENTED DOMINANCE
Schumacher established himself as one of the all-time greats during his decade with Ferrari, claiming his third world title in 2000.
That was the start of an unprecedented period of dominance, as he claimed a record five consecutive world titles.
Schumacher broke Juan Manuel Fangio's all-time record of being crowned world champion five times as he went from strength to strength before Fernando Alonso dethroned him in 2005.
SCALING NEW HEIGHTS TO SEVENTH HEAVEN
The 2004 season was Schumacher's most dominant as he won 13 of 18 races and was on the podium 15 times.
No driver has bettered that tally of victories for a season, but Lewis Hamilton last year matched Schumacher's haul of seven world titles.
Schumacher amassed an incredible 148 points in 2004 and that was the last time he won the championship.
RACKING UP THE RECORDS
Schumacher broke the record for F1 victories and finished with 91, a total Mercedes great Hamilton has gone on to surpass.
The 77 fastest laps set by Schumacher is a record, as is his 15 seasons with a victory and his 17 podium finishes in a season, set in 2002.
His 19 consecutive top-three finishes has never been bettered and nor has his 15 top-two finishes in a row, along with the most hat-tricks (pole, win and fastest lap) achieved by a driver with 22.
Schumacher's 181 races with Ferrari is the record for driving with the same constructor.
THRIVING IN FRANCE
The French Grand Prix was the race where Schumacher had the most victories, taking the top step of the podium eight times – another record.
He won at Magny-Cours for the first time in 1994 and his final win at the circuit came 12 years later.
Schumacher also holds the record for most poles at the same race with eight in Japan.
Andriy Lunin has become the latest Real Madrid player to test positive for coronavirus.
The back-up goalkeeper has been named in Madrid's squad for their first two LaLiga games of the season but will now have to serve a period of self-isolation.
He is the fourth Madrid player to contract COVID-19 over the past month after David Alaba, Karim Benzema and Alvaro Odriozola also returned positive tests.
Ukraine keeper Lunin previously tested positive while away with his national side last October, although it turned out to be a false positive and he was cleared to return to action.
Madrid confirmed the news in a short statement on their official website on Wednesday, though they did not clarify whether the 22-year-old was asymptomatic.
Lunin joined Madrid in 2018 but has made just one appearance – in last season's shock Copa del Rey defeat to Alcoyano – having spent three previous spells out on loan.
Carlo Ancelotti's side travel to Real Betis on Saturday in their final game before the first international break of the season.
A.J. Pollock pulled off an amazing catch on the wall along with two RBI as the in-form Los Angeles Dodgers won 5-2 over the San Diego Padres in the MLB on Tuesday.
With the Dodgers in the field leading 1-0 at the bottom of the fourth inning, Manny Machado launched a deep shot which appeared home-run bound but Pollock leapt up for an improbable catch.
Machado's shot would have been a go-ahead two-run homer but instead Pollock robbed him and the front row of fans of a memento.
Earlier, Will Smith had put the Dodgers ahead with a solo shot in the second inning.
Pollock continued to play a key role, helping the Dodgers pull further ahead with a two-run single in the seventh inning.
Sacrifice flies from Justin Turner and Corey Seager brought home Trea Turner and Max Muncy respectively, before Jurickson Profar's two-run homer reduced it to 5-2 in the eighth inning.
Emilio Pagan had four strikeouts for the Padres who used their bullpen, while Julio Urias had four K's across five innings for the Dodgers, before Kenley Jansen closed it out.
The victory means the world champions have won 14 of their past 16 games, while the Padres slump to their 10th loss from their past 12.
11 straight for hot Yankees
The New York Yankees continued their hot streak with a 5-4 come-from-behind win over the Atlanta Braves to close their series making it 11 consecutive victories, capped by D.J. LeMahieu's two-run homer in the fifth inning.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was in attendance for the first time as a Milwaukee Brewers investor, cheering on the side to a 7-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds, with Omar Narvaez delivering a go-ahead double to top a four-run seventh inning rally.
Nelson Cruz's eighth inning two-run double led the Tampa Bay Rays to a hard-fought 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. It was Cruz's third hit of the game, taking his season RBI tally to 70.
Rookie of the Year prospect Luis Garcia impressed again on the mound, keeping the Kansas City Royals scoreless across six and two-third innings in the Houston Astros' 4-0 win. Garcia had seven K's and allowed only four hits.
Hunter Renfroe produced a two-homer game to lead the Boston Red Sox past the Minnesota Twins 11-9, while the Seattle Mariners improved their ordinary run differential with a 5-1 win to sweep rival the Oakland Athletics.
Unwanted history beckons for Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles' 14-8 loss to the Los Angeles Angels condemned them to their 19th straight defeat. The Orioles' losing streak is the equal worst in the majors in 16 years, when the Kansas City Royals lost 19 in a row in 2005. The run is also the fourth longest since 1900. The American League record is held by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1961 with 23 successive defeats.
Giants' home-run barrage
The San Francisco Giants slammed four home runs on their way to an 8-0 rout of the New York Mets, meaning they lead the majors with 191 homers. Brandon Belt hit two to reach a career-high 19 homers, while LaMonte Wade Hr and Mike Yastrzemski also homered. Yastrzemski's mammoth blast went a projected home-run distance of 451 feet.
Tuesday's results
Seattle Mariners 5-1 Oakland Athletics
Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 Arizona Diamondbacks
Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 Philadelphia Phillies
Los Angeles Angels 14-8 Baltimore Orioles
Chicago White Sox 5-2 Toronto Blue Jays
San Francisco Giants 8-0 New York Mets
Washington Nationals 5-1 Miami Marlins
Texas Rangers 7-3 Cleveland Indians
Boston Red Sox 11-9 Minnesota Twins
New York Yankees 5-4 Atlanta Braves
Detroit Tigers 4-3 St Louis Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers 7-4 Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros 4-0 Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Dodgers x-x San Diego Padres
Chicago Cubs - Colorado Rockies (postponed)
Giants at Mets
The Mets (61-64) have lost four of their past five games and eight of their past 10, including an 8-0 loss to the Giants (81-44), and need to find form when the two sides meet again in the second game of their three-game series.
Three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray has bemoaned his inconsistency within matches after bowing out of the Winston-Salem Open in the second round to Frances Tiafoe on Tuesday.
The 13th seeded American triumphed in one hour and 49 minutes over the Scot, who entered the event as a wildcard and had beaten lucky loser Noah Rubin in the first round.
Tiafoe won 7-6 (7-4) 6-3, saving three set points in the first set, before winning the tiebreak and taking command in the second.
Murray sent down 10 aces across the match but struggled on his second serve and on return.
"The positive thing is that I moved well and served well but my level is up and down with no real consistency," Murray said after the match in North Carolina.
"There are moments in matches where I play well and then I make mistakes or miss returns. I wish I wasn't doing that.
"My level is around 50 or 60 in the world. It's frustrating because if wasn't moving great and not feeling good physically then I would be a bit easier on myself. But when I'm winning a low percentage of second-serve points, that's got nothing to do with the physical side of things."
Sixth seed Marin Cilic also bowed out, losing 4-6 7-5 6-4 to Belarussian Ilya Ivashka, who sent down 16-13 aces.
Fifth seed Alexander Bublik was also bundled out, going down 6-2 7-6 (7-5) to Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori.
Top seed Pablo Carreno Busta dropped a set but edged past Kwon Soon-Woo 6-3 3-6 6-4.
British third seed Dan Evans came from behind to beat Lucas Pouille, while fourth seed Marton Fucsovics won in straight sets over Yosuke Watanuki.
Mike Budenholzer has signed a new multi-year contract extension to remain head coach of 2021 NBA champions the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks announced the deal on Tuesday, with ESPN reporting Budenholzer has committed to a new three-year extension.
The 52-year-old joined the Bucks in 2018 from the Atlanta Hawks and guided the franchise to their first NBA title in 50 years in his third season in charge.
"Bud is a great coach and a fantastic partner to work with every day as we build a team that consistently competes for championships," Bucks general manager Jon Horst said.
"We’re extremely grateful for the leadership Bud provides and we look forward to building on the success we’ve had over the last three years and congratulate Bud on this well-deserved extension."
Under Budenholzer's guidance, the Bucks have topped the NBA in scoring in each of the past three seasons, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee averaged a league-high 120.1 points per game, which is also a franchise-best, in the 2020-21 season.
"The appreciation I have for being a part of the Bucks organization is hard to express," Budenholzer said.
"The players make the success happen on and off the court. We have the best players and to them I am grateful. They’ve grown and we’ve grown together during the last three seasons.
"We’ve had success along the way, finishing with an NBA Championship this season!
"We all can’t wait to get back to work and face the great challenge of competing again for an NBA Championship... Let’s keep getting better and building great teams and doing great work on and off the court."
Budenholzer won the NBA Coach of the Year in his first season at Bucks in 2018-19, before being one of three finalists for the award in 2019-20. He also won the award in 2015 at the Hawks.
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz are likely to be without a few key English-based players ahead of the start of next month’s World Cup qualifiers if the country is shifted to the United Kingdom’s red list of travel destinations.
In recent days both the English Premier League and Spain's La Liga have declared that they will not release club players to countries that are on the UK list of red destinations, due to strict coronavirus quarantine protocols.
According to the region’s current coronavirus re-entry rules, individuals returning from red list destinations face a mandatory 10 days of hotel quarantine on return to England. In stating that they will refuse the request of those nations for the upcoming qualifiers, the Premier League argued that in addition to the 10 days the athletes will then need more time to regain fitness and could miss a number of games.
At current, the South American countries of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru are those most likely to be heavy impacted in the region, but with La Liga also joining the decision, CONCACAF team Mexico is also likely to be affected with five players currently plying their trade in the Spanish Premier League.
Mexico will open their CONCACAF World Cup qualification hexagonal round at home to Jamaica on Thursday, September 2. Jamaica is currently not affected by the decision as the country remains on the list of amber countries for the time being. With the list due to be updated on Thursday, however, and a surge of cases in recent weeks it will be worth noting whether their status is changed or not.
In any case, the majority of the country’s English-based players ply their trade in the English Championship who have not issued such a directive on the matter. The decision may, however, impact the appearance of Jamaica international’s Leon Bailey, who now plays for Aston Villa, and West Ham’s Michail Antonio, the latter having received his national identity documents was expected to make his debut for the country next month.
Former NBA Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams will miss the start of the new season after undergoing ankle surgery.
The Orlando Magic confirmed the guard had surgery on his left ankle on Monday to have a bone fragment removed and a ligament repaired.
The 29-year-old, who was the 2014 Rookie of the Year, is expected to make a full recovery although no precise timeframe has been provided on his return.
Carter-Williams will miss the start of the new season which starts on October 19 with his return dependent on how he responds to treatment and rehabilitation.
The former pick 11 played 31 games for the Magic last season, averaging 8.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
Jamahl Mosley has taken over from Steve Clifford as Magic head coach after they finished 14th in the Eastern Conference with a 21-51 record last season.
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