Ten years after watching Li Na win the Australian Open title, Zheng Qinwen has a first grand slam crown in her sights.
The 21-year-old is the first Chinese player since trailblazer Li here in 2014 to make a grand slam final, where she will take on defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
Zheng vividly remembers cheering on Li during her victory over Dominika Cibulkova as an 11-year-old alongside her tennis team-mates.
Three years earlier, Li had become the first Chinese grand slam singles champion at the French Open, and Zheng said: “She means a lot, I think, for all the Chinese kids the same age like me.
“Because I think she’s the first one who won the slams. That’s unbelievable for Asian woman in that moment. She gives a lot of hope, in that moment, to young kids like me.”
Zheng had the chance to meet Li, who is playing in the legends event, earlier this fortnight, with the 41-year-old telling her young countrywoman not to think too much.
Zheng, who will break into the top 10 on Monday, kept her nerve to come through a chaotic top half of the draw, with Sabalenka the first top-50 opponent she will face, and she said: “My dream is not just the final. I’m almost there but I know this little distance is still far away.”
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Extra motivation for the 21-year-old came last September when coach Wim Fissette ended their brief partnership to return to work with Naomi Osaka.
Zheng made her feelings known but linked back up with Spaniard Pere Riba, who first began coaching her as a 17-year-old.
He cannot speak highly enough of Zheng, saying: “I never see in my life a player with the work ethic that she has.
“The first week that we started to work, a long time ago, I say, ‘OK, 7am, and then we go to practise’. Then we practise a lot of hours. I say, next day the same, next day the same. I was thinking that after four or five days she’s going to say, ‘I’m tired’.
“Sometimes we are getting angry because she wants to do more and I have to stop her. You can imagine the dreams that Qinwen has, that she really wants to be there in the top, and I’m really, really happy for her because she deserves it.
“Still she is so young. She’s improving every single month and still has a lot of margin to improve. She arrived with very good feelings. She arrived really motivated. And, if she plays her game, she will have her chances.
“But, of course, all of us, we know Aryna and we know it’s going to be a really complicated match.”
The run is another feather in the cap of 35-year-old Riba, who during his break from working with Zheng was part of Coco Gauff’s coaching team for her US Open triumph last summer.
“I think that all experiences is helpful to you,” he said. “Me, I’m a humble guy and I’m trying to learn from everyone. The US Open was really an amazing moment. Of course this experience is helping here.”
Sabalenka was the player beaten by Gauff in New York but the Belarusian has put together an impressive sequence of slam results, reaching at least the semi-finals of six straight tournaments and now bidding for a second successive title here.
She turned the tables on Gauff in the last four and is yet to drop a set.
Known as a very emotional player, Sabalenka has maintained an impressively even keel so far, and she said: “I think I’m pretty calm inside like I am outside.
“I’m defending champion but, worst case, I’m going to lose this tournament and it’s less points to defend next year. That’s helping me to just stay focused and just try your best in each match without thinking about defending something.”
One bizarre superstition Sabalenka has maintained through the tournament is drawing her signature and other doodles on fitness coach Jason Stacy’s bald head.
“Our first day here, there was some kid wanted a ball signed,” Stacy said. “She’s, ‘Ah, no problem’. So she signed my head as a joke.
“Then every day it’s like a routine to sign my head. Non-match day, she just draws some random picture. They played tic-tac-toe on my head the other day. She won, by the way, so it’s good.
“Then on match day she just signs it and does random stuff. Just part of the process.”
Jurgen Klopp will stand down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season, the German has announced.
The 56-year-old has informed the club’s ownership of his decision to stand down, having taken charge at Liverpool in 2015.
Klopp has won six trophies with the Reds, including the Premier League title in 2020 and the Champions League trophy the year before.
LeBron James is "humbled" by the support he has received as he credited his fans after being voted as an All-Star for a record 20th time.
James, who scored 25 points and added 12 assists as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Chicago Bulls 141-132 on Thursday, has now surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's tally of 19 All-Star nominations.
The 39-year-old will captain the West, and start alongside Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will captain the East on his eighth All-Star selection.
Reigning MVP Joel Embiid is set for his seventh All-Star appearance, with Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Hailburton completing the East's lineup.
"I give credit and a lot of respect to my fans who have been along with me through this whole 21-year journey," James said.
"And voting me in as an All-Star starter for the 20th-consecutive time, just very humbled.
"Very blessed to be able to do what I love to do and just try to give back, give back to the game that's given me over two decades.
"So, to be able to know this is the first time ever in NBA history to have this many All-Star starts or whatever the case might be, it's very cool.
"I've exceeded anything that I ever dreamed about being in the NBA. And I did that a long time ago. Everything else is just kind of extra credit. I'm very humbled by still being able to play the game I love and have these accomplishments along the way."
Lakers coach Darvin Ham joked that James was a "victim of his own success".
Ham said: "Kudos to him, man. He's a victim of his own work and success. It's crazy.
"I was thinking about this to myself, like, 'Damn, he'll never have an All-Star Weekend to himself just not to have any obligations.'
"And do that for 21 years, oof. But that's his work. He put that work in. He's maintained that consistency, that durability. And I'm happy for him."
James is averaging 24.8 points per game across 41 appearances for the Lakers this season, while also contributing 7.5 assists and 7.1 rebounds.
The 73rd NBA All-Star weekend will take place in Indianapolis between February 16 and 18.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is confident Kieran Trippier will stay with the club after they resisted Bayern Munich’s attempts to prise him away.
The 33-year-old England full-back was the subject of three separate offers from the Bundesliga champions earlier this week, all of which were rejected by the Magpies.
Howe, who has also seen strikers Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron linked with moves away from Tyneside before next Thursday’s transfer deadline, insisted Trippier – the first man signed by the club’s new owners following their takeover in October 2021 – never wanted to leave.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round trip to Fulham, he said: “We obviously hope he’ll stay – and I’m very confident he will – and be part of our long-term future, but I have to make it clear that he’s never asked to leave or even questioned his future here. He’s always been fully committed.
“We’ve had a lot of conversations in the last week and it’s always been about Newcastle, and I think it was very important that I made that clear and got that out there to everybody, that his commitment to Newcastle shouldn’t be questioned.”
Bayern said they had ended their pursuit on Wednesday evening after being given no encouragement, and asked if he considered the matter over, Howe added: “His situation is finished as far as everyone is concerned, Kieran, myself.
“I’ve just been in football long enough to never ever say 100 per cent because I don’t want to look stupid, but Kieran is 100 per cent committed and we definitely want to keep him.”
Wilson has been linked with a series of clubs this week after chief executive Darren Eales admitted the club would have to trade players in future windows in order to comply with spending restrictions.
But Howe said: “In every conversation that I’ve had with Callum – very similar to Kieran – he’s 100 per cent committed to Newcastle. No part of him is looking elsewhere.
“He wants to come back and score goals, he’s got big ambitions for the second half of the season and we want to keep him here.
“Obviously some things are out of my control and of course the club is acting within the long-term interests of the club and has to, and I understand that and am fully supportive of it, so let’s see what happens.”
Former Northern Ireland goalkeeper Michael McGovern is determined to become Livingston’s number one as he bids to banish the “frustration” of making just one appearance in the last three years.
The 39-year-old joined the bottom-of-the-table Lions on loan from cinch Premiership rivals Hearts last week to provide competition and cover for Shamal George after Jack Hamilton suffered an injury that could keep him out until March.
McGovern – who won 32 caps for his country and featured at Euro 2016 – has not played since being given a one-off run-out for Norwich in an FA Cup tie at Wolves in February 2022, but he is adamant he is not resigned to being a back-up keeper for what remains of his career.
“I’ve got some stiff competition with the other goalkeepers but I’ve come here to try and get in the team and play,” he said.
“At Hearts, I wasn’t playing and recently I haven’t even been on the bench because Craig Gordon’s back fit so this is a better opportunity for me here.
“It’s been difficult. At Norwich, I was going in every day trying to get in the team, same at Hearts. I wasn’t just happy to pick up my wages, I wanted to contribute.
“But it’s hard sometimes as a goalkeeper because only one can play. In my last season at Norwich I was up against Angus Gunn, a Scotland international, and Tim Krul, a Holland international.
“And then I went to Hearts and I was up against Craig and Zander Clark, two Scotland internationals, so it’s been tough. It’s been frustrating not to play because I’m desperate to play and contribute to a team and get that feeling back on a Saturday so that’s my aim here.”
Asked if he still feels sharp enough to re-establish himself as first-choice goalkeeper, McGovern – who will be in the squad for Saturday’s cinch Premiership match at home to Dundee – said: “Most definitely. People don’t see it because I’ve not played much but in training I feel really sharp.
“At Norwich, I was sharp last season, coming up against top international players (in training) and making saves. I feel like you’ve got a personal responsibility to look after yourself when you’re not playing.
“The games I have played over recent years, I’ve kind of come from nowhere to go straight into the team and I’ve always produced when needed. That’s because I’m looking after myself every day, I feel like fitness-wise I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in.”
Liverpool loanee Adam Lewis has been flooded with messages to send Manchester United out of the FA Cup at Newport and says he has been in contact with “good mate” Mason Mount about it.
Left-back Lewis is in his second temporary spell at League Two Newport and will be thrust into the spotlight on Sunday when United make their first trip to Rodney Parade for a fourth round tie.
Ever since Newport eased past Eastleigh in their third-round replay, Lewis says his phone has not stopped pinging with messages from his native Merseyside insisting Liverpool’s bitter rivals are dumped out of the cup.
“I’ve had tons of messages this week saying ‘Get stuck into them’ and make sure you win,” said the 24-year-old, who has had previous loan spells at Livingston, Plymouth and Amiens in France.
“I’m just waiting for one off the boss (Jurgen Klopp) now, he might drop me one hopefully before Sunday.
“I’ve played with (United midfielder) Mason Mount a lot at international level with England, from the under-16s through to the under-19s.
“He’s a good mate of mine and I spoke to him the other day to see if he was playing. I was trying to get some inside information, but he wasn’t giving me any.”
Lewis grew up in Walton close to Liverpool’s home Anfield and chose to join his boyhood heroes over neighbours Everton at the age of six.
He played in the same Croxteth Park Sunday League team and went to the same Rainhill High School as Trent Alexander-Arnold – “I always knew he was going to be a player, being captain of the Under-18s when he was about 15 or 16 says it all” – and made his way through the various youth groups at Anfield.
Lewis is certainty no stranger to Liverpool-United games and the intensity the fixture brings.
He said: “It was always good to beat them because even at youth level that rivalry is always there.
“I remember when Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher were playing for Liverpool and the tackles they were throwing in.
“It just works its way down from the first team – and you feel you want to be like that.
“To play against them professionally when it matters is more important. United are one of the biggest teams in the world, even though I hate to say that, but you’ve got to believe you can win.
“It’s the FA Cup for a reason and there’s always upsets. Look at how far Grimsby got last year.”
Whatever happens at Rodney Parade, Lewis is hoping to make one trip to Wembley this season after Liverpool reached next month’s Carabao Cup final.
“I was part of pre-season and there with the team when we got beat on penalties in the Community Shield by Manchester City (in 2019),” said Lewis.
“I haven’t been to a game for some while now because I’ve been down in Newport. But it would be great to get there and see us win another trophy.”
Britain’s Neal Skupski missed out on a fourth grand slam title at the Australian Open.
The Liverpudlian reached the mixed doubles final with American Desirae Krawczyk but the pair, who won the Wimbledon title together in 2021 and 2022, lost out 6-7 (5) 6-4 11-9 to Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Su-wei and Pole Jan Zielinski.
Skupski, who won his first men’s doubles title at Wimbledon last summer alongside Wesley Koolhof, and Krawczyk won the first set on a tie-break and led 4-2 in the second but lost in a deciding tie-break having held one match point.
There was a 19th grand slam title together in wheelchair doubles for Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid, who defeated Japanese duo Takuya Miki and Tokito Oda 6-3 6-2.
It is a fifth title in Melbourne in a row for the all-British duo, who were playing their second match of the day having won a rain-delayed semi-final earlier.
Reid said: “It’s not been easy, it never is easy to win any of them, because there is always strong teams that we’re coming up against. Obviously we’ve got a big target on our back as the guys who’ve been dominating recently.
“I think the numbers are sort of secondary to us. We enjoy them when we hear them afterwards, but for us really I think the key the last few years has been trying to push ourselves as a team, trying to progress the style of play that we bring to the court, and the way that we approach matches.”
Hewett will look to make it a double triumph when he takes on Oda in the singles final on Saturday.
There was also a 15th slam doubles title for Britain’s Andy Lapthorne in the quad division playing with American David Wagner, the pair beating South African Donald Ramphadi and Guy Sasson of Israel 6-4 3-6 (10/2).
Mingge Xu missed out on a place in the girls’ singles semi-finals, the Welsh player losing 6-4 6-3 to Bulgaria’s Iva Ivanova.
Xu and Hannah Klugman were also beaten in the semi-finals of the girls’ doubles, while Viktor Frydrych, playing with Czech Petr Brunclik, lost in the final of the boys’ doubles.
Novak Djokovic branded his defeat by Jannik Sinner to end his long unbeaten Australian Open run as one of the worst performances of his career.
The world number one’s 6-1 6-2 6-7 (6) 6-3 loss in the semi-finals was his first at Melbourne Park since a fourth-round defeat by Chung Hyeon in 2018, ending a 33-match streak taking in four titles.
Djokovic made 54 unforced errors, dropped serve five times and, for the first time in a completed grand slam match, did not create a single break point.
“First I want to congratulate Sinner for playing a great match, great tournament so far,” said the Serbian, who had been chasing a record 25th slam title and 11th here.
“He’s deservedly in the finals. He outplayed me completely today. I was, in a way, shocked with my level, in a bad way. There was not much I was doing right in the first two sets.
“I guess this is one of the worst grand slam matches I’ve ever played. At least that I remember. Not a very pleasant feeling playing this way.”
Sinner was seen as the most likely rival to stop Djokovic ahead of the tournament after beating him twice in two weeks at the end of last season at the ATP Finals and Davis Cup.
The 22-year-old moves through to a first grand slam final, becoming the first Italian to reach a singles decider here, and he regrouped impressively after missing a match point in the third-set tie-break.
“It was a tough match, especially when I lost the third set with match points,” said Sinner. “I just tried to stay as positive as possible, and it went my way today. I’m really happy.”
Djokovic struggled with illness at the start of the fortnight and had a tougher passage through to the last four than usual, losing three sets along the way.
But he is a master at pacing himself in best-of-five-sets tennis and finding his best when it matters so it was a shock to see him so off colour in the first two sets especially.
“The whole tournament I haven’t really played close to my best,” said Djokovic. “In a way it did surprise me, because I thought it won’t be that bad in the first two sets.
“But, on the other hand, I didn’t feel really myself on the court during this tournament. One can say semi-finals is a great result, of course, but I always expect the highest of myself.”
There is no doubt the hierarchy in men’s tennis is finally changing, with Sinner, who had not dropped a set prior to this match, now following up Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon final victory over Djokovic with his own grand slam breakthrough.
The Italian is a much more understated character than his fellow young gun but he projects a quiet confidence that has grown noticeably in the last six months.
“I think you win the matches not only on that day,” he said. “You win it because you feel prepared for a good fight. You feel prepared mentally and also physically.
“I think after last year, especially the end of the year, it gave me confidence that I could potentially do some good results in grand slams. But you still have to show it. There are people who talk a lot, but you have to show it.
“But, if it’s not this year, it’s next year, and then if it’s not next year, it’s the next year again. I’m really relaxed. I just try to work as hard as possible and in my mind I feel like the hard work always pays off in one way, and we are working really hard for our dreams.
“Obviously I’m really happy about Carlos, what he has made and what he is doing. When we play it’s always a good match-up, but at the moment we also have to say that he is further than I am.”
Djokovic will turn 37 in May and, while no one will be writing him off, there is no doubt this is a big blow, with the Serbian having won the title on all 10 previous occasions on which he had reached the last four in Melbourne.
It also emphasises his incredible record here, with Djokovic saying: “I’m kind of hot-headed right now. After the match it’s very difficult to reflect on things in a more profound way.
“Maybe tomorrow, maybe in a few days’ time, but I definitely have a lot to be very proud of in terms of what I have achieved here. The streak was going to end one day.
“This has been a very special city, best, by far, grand slam of my career. I just hope that I’ll get a chance to come back, to play at least another time and go through the emotions once more.
“I still have high hopes for other slams, Olympics, and whatever tournaments that I’ll play. It’s just the beginning of the season.”
England’s bowlers were striving to stay in the first Test as India began building a dangerous lead on day two in Hyderabad.
By tea the hosts had cleared their overnight deficit of 127 and moved 63 in front on 309 for five, leaving their opponents with a mountain to climb.
It could have been worse for England, who largely relied on some overambitious strokes for their breakthroughs, as their limitations in sub-continental conditions were exposed.
There were two wickets for debutant Tom Hartley, who rallied gamely after a chastening first day to pick up Shubman Gill and top-scorer KL Rahul (86), while Joe Root had the satisfaction of striking with the fourth ball of the morning.
Explosive opener Yashasvi Jaiswal gave England a major headache on Thursday evening, piling into Hartley and thrashing his way to 76 at almost a run-a-ball, but he added just four runs as he succumbed to the fourth delivery of the day, Root reaching above his head to pluck a caught-and-bowled chance off the inside edge.
Ben Stokes had pondered the idea of opening the bowling with Root on the eve of the series, fancying his off-breaks to cause problems for the left-hander, and may regret waiting so long to test his theory.
Things almost got even better when Root had Rahul nicking two balls later on nought, but Ben Foakes was not able to pull off what would have been an excellent catch behind the stumps. That Root was England’s most consistent threat spoke of his own resourcefulness but also cast an unflattering reflection on his fellow spinners.
Hartley began at the other end, Stokes eager not to overprotect the 24-year-old after his previous struggles, and he responded with a tighter spell. Where his first nine overs cost 63, this time he got through the same number for 30. More importantly, he opened his account.
Gill, who never really got going in his 23, flicked Hartley off his leg stump and picked out Ben Duckett at midwicket. The left-armer sprinted away in a mix of celebration and relief.
India took lunch 24 behind, having scored 103 in the first session, with Rahul reaching a tidy half-century before the interval.
There were concerns over the fitness of lead spinner Jack Leach after he was restricted to two overs in the morning, but he took a larger share of the load in the afternoon. England were mostly unable to locate any demons in the pitch, though, and Rahul blasted India into the lead with a pair of sixes off leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed.
The second was a horrible drag down but the teenager was not alone in serving up the occasional freebie as England offered too many boundary balls. Ahmed did get on the board when Shreyas Iyer aimed a slog-sweep towards the stands but failed to clear Hartley, holing out for 35.
With a century up for grabs Rahul succumbed to the latest unforced error, skying an unthreatening long-hop from Hartley into Ahmed’s hands when he could have hit it anywhere.
Ravindra Jadeja ensured India did not let their momentum slip, hitting sixes off Leach and Hartley as he reached 45 not out by tea.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp joked his close friend David Wagner asked him to make major changes for Norwich’s visit to Anfield in the FA Cup.
Klopp and Wagner have known each other more than 25 years – Wagner was best man at his wedding – after being team-mates at Mainz but more recently have found themselves on opposite sides of the technical area.
Wagner was manager for Huddersfield’s brief stay in the Premier League but lost all three matches against Liverpool.
Now he brings the Canaries to Anfield for a fourth-round tie on Sunday looking for a favour he knows he will not get from his long-time friend.
“We had already conversations about it. He asked me for massive rotation. I told him that doesn’t help, obviously,” said Klopp of Wagner’s request to face a weakened team.
“It’s cool to have the game. When he worked at Huddersfield, he watched a lot of games here in the stadium, when they didn’t play he was here, and now he’s back.
“We didn’t see each other for a long time, the next time probably would have been in the summer, so now it’s good to catch up and to lock horns again.”
Wagner has a 40 per cent win ratio since taking over at Carrow Road last January but, after a sticky patch between September and November when his side won just twice, he has got them back in form.
Wednesday’s defeat to fellow Championship promotion-chasers Leeds was only their fourth loss in 16 matches.
“(He did a) really good job but a really difficult job. I think the start of the season was really good and then they lose more or less their offensive department and that’s when they struggled a bit,” said Klopp.
“Now they are in touching distance of the play-off spots and they obviously have big games coming up.
“The Championship season itself is already pretty intense but if you have a longer FA Cup run in it, it’s obviously very similar to a very successful Premier League season with international football or something like that, because of the amount of teams in the league and the amount of games you have.
“I follow it as much as I can because I’m just interested in everything he is doing.”
Former Arsenal defender Gavin Hoyte says leading non-league Maidstone into a historic FA Cup fourth-round tie at Ipswich will be among the greatest moments of his career.
The National League South club – the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition – have reached this stage for the first time since they were reformed in 1992.
Stones captain Hoyte made four first-team appearances for the Gunners under Arsene Wenger in 2008, including one Premier League outing, while his international career with Trinidad and Tobago saw him line up against an Argentina side containing Lionel Messi.
“This is completely different, we’ve had six games just before this (to reach this stage), so it all builds up,” said the 33-year-old, who joined Maidstone from Dagenham in 2019.
“I get to lead the team out – hopefully I’m playing!
“It’s definitely up there, the biggest thing in my career. I’m coming near the end of it now so I might not get this opportunity again.
“These games are easy to get up for. You’ve just got to make sure everyone is sticking to the game plan and not going off script.
“Sometimes with a big occasion you might want to do something extra but it’s very important we stick to the script.”
Following three FA Cup qualifying fixtures, Maidstone overcame Chesham in round one before upsetting Sky Bet League Two club Barrow and then League One side Stevenage.
The Kent club’s reward is Saturday lunchtime’s televised tie against the Tractor Boys, who sit second in the Championship, with just under 4,500 away fans due to make the trip to Portman Road.
Stones midfielder Sam Corne scored in the two previous rounds and is once again relishing underdog status.
“This is something you always dream of, to play against a top, top side,” said Corne.
“When we played the lower league sides, sometimes they’re the tougher opponents and then when we flipped it to Barrow and Stevenage, we’re the underdog and we still are now and we thrive off that.
“We’ve got nothing to lose. As long as we give a good account of ourselves and stick to the game plan, anything can possibly happen.”
Manager George Elokobi took charge of Maidstone on a permanent basis in March 2023 and has guided the club to fourth place in the sixth tier, in addition to a memorable cup run.
The 37-year-old former Wolves defender will be proud of his squad regardless of the outcome in Suffolk.
“The players, what they’ve done is magical, the magnitude of that result (against Stevenage) has put this community on the map in the eyes of the world,” said Elokobi.
“We would be foolish to change how we have done things in the past just because it’s Ipswich.
“We’re showing them every bit of respect and we know if we’re not on our absolute best on the day then it might be disastrous.
“But even if it is disastrous, we’re going to be proud of our group of players.”
Owners Andrew and Gemma Brown, whose horses run under the Caldwell Construction banner, have cited the recent sad losses of young horses as the reason for their shock exit from the sport.
Their red and white silks were becoming an increasing familiar sight on Irish racecourses, with all trained by Gordon Elliott.
They enjoyed their first Cheltenham Festival win last March when Jazzy Matty was successful in the Boodles Juvenile Hurdle and have tasted Grade One success this season with Caldwell Potter.
He is a full-brother to the ill-fated Mighty Potter, but will be one of 29 horses up for grabs at their dispersal sale which will take place at Tattersalls Ireland early next month.
Other notable runners in the red and white colours this season include Fil Dor, Imagine and Sa Fureur, while Cesarewitch second Pied Piper is another leading light.
Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, a statement on the Caldwell Construction Horse Racing account read:
“Further to the sad loss of one of our young horses D B Cooper again as a family we are absolutely heartbroken. Also we lost Smooth Player only just two weeks ago. Having a young family it’s hard to cope with such losses and therefore we feel it is time for a break from the sport.
“We would also like to thank Gordon and his team for their hard work and support the last few years and wish them all the best.”
The Atlanta Falcons have named Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their new head coach ahead of six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick.
Morris is the first full-time black head coach in the franchise’s history after he filled the same role on an interim basis in 2020.
“This is a historic day for the Atlanta Falcons. Raheem emerged from a field of excellent candidates and is the right leader to take our team into the future,” owner Arthur Blank said.
Belichick left the Patriots after finishing the AFC East season with a 4-13 record, bringing an end to his 24-season reign.
Jannik Sinner announced himself as a grand slam force in stunning fashion by becoming the first player in six years to defeat Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.
The 22-year-old Italian was seen as the most likely rival to stop Djokovic claiming an 11th title in Melbourne ahead of the tournament after beating him twice in two weeks at the end of last season at the ATP Finals and Davis Cup.
But surely no one would have predicted the manner of the first two sets of this semi-final, with an error-strewn Djokovic winning just three games.
He saved a match point in the third-set tie-break to give himself hope but there was no dramatic comeback, with Sinner regrouping impressively and going on to clinch a 6-1 6-2 6-7 (6) 6-3 victory after three hours and 22 minutes.
The fourth seed moves through to a first grand slam final while Djokovic, who had not lost here since a fourth-round defeat by Hyeon Chung amid elbow problems in 2018, must lick his wounds, with a record 25th slam title proving beyond him for now.
The result was, of course, a shock given Djokovic’s incredible record here – this is the first time he has ever lost having made it beyond the quarter-finals – but it was the Serbian’s display that was the most surprising.
He committed 54 unforced errors and did not even make Sinner use his haymaker groundstrokes that often, the Italian instead able to maintain a very high but comfortable level and not facing a single break point.
Djokovic struggled with illness at the start of the fortnight and had a tougher passage through to the last four than usual, losing three sets along the way.
Sinner, the first Italian to make an Australian Open singles final, had not dropped a set all tournament, and he started as he meant to go on, breaking the Djokovic serve to lead 2-0 with a searing forehand followed by a drive volley winner.
By contrast, nothing was working for Djokovic, with routine shots landing in the net or out of court, while he was also struggling on serve.
Sinner broke again to lead 5-1 and wrapped up the first set with just over half an hour gone.
Djokovic is a master at pacing himself in best-of-five-sets tennis and he would certainly not have panicked having lost only two of the last 17 slam matches in which he dropped the first set.
But the pattern of the match continued in the same vein, with more Djokovic errors helping Sinner break for 2-1 in the second set.
Djokovic whipped up crowd support after saving a break point at 2-4 in fine style but Sinner broke anyway two points later and served out the set.
Two years ago at Wimbledon, Sinner led Djokovic by two sets to love only to lose in five, so he knew very well that the match was far from over.
Djokovic, who had barely showed any emotion, clenched his fist after saving a break point in the opening game of the third set, and he at least managed to serve better.
At 5-5 and deuce on the Serbian’s serve, a medical emergency in the crowd forced a delay for several minutes, but Djokovic held his nerve on the resumption.
The world number one knew it was now or never in the tie-break, and he opened up a 4-2 lead, but Sinner surged back, creating a match point at 6-5 but netting a forehand, and a backhand over the baseline two points later gave Djokovic a lifeline.
He was still hanging on, though, saving three break points in the second game of the fourth set only to then be broken from 40-0 two games later.
Djokovic forced Sinner to serve it out but the Italian did not waver, clinching the biggest win of his life with a forehand winner.
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