Daniil Medvedev denied raising his middle finger to the crowd after being booed during his defeat to Grigor Dimitrov at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The Russian was beaten 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2) in the round of 32 and even stopped playing in the second set until the boos stopped inside the Accor Arena, which prompted an argument with umpire Renaud Lichtenstein after he was given an official time violation.

The world number three admitted he did not want to carry on playing but also knew he risked being disqualified from the match if he refused to do so.

The drama started in the second set when, with the scores level at five apiece, the 27-year-old received jeers from the Parisian crowd after throwing his racket while stepping up to serve.

Medvedev gestured to the crowd to be quiet and walked back to his bench in protest and told the umpire he would not play until they stopped. In turn, Medvedev received the time violation for delaying the game.

In the end, Bulgarian Dimitrov battled to a three-set win after he let six match points slip before finally dispatching his opponent on the seventh to advance through to the last 16.

Medvedev received more boos as he walked off the court and appeared to give the middle finger to the crowd, something he later denied.

After the match, he told a press conference: “I just checked my nails, like this, no really it’s nothing more than that. Why would I do that to this beautiful crowd in Paris Bercy?

“I threw the racket, I get booed, normal. I don’t see a problem with that. I go to serve and they applaud or something but I want to serve so they shouldn’t applaud, so I still serve and the referee was talking during this, so Grigor wasn’t ready.

“This happens, but I get booed, I didn’t see why so I didn’t want to play and that’s actually the end of the story.

“I was like okay, until they boo I’m not going to play but the Bercy crowd doesn’t stop to boo and then when I got the code I was like ‘do I really want to get disqualified and finish the match on this note?’ So I just went on to play.”

Eniola Aluko still believes England can secure qualification for Great Britain at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The Lionesses – who need to finish top of Nations League Group A1 to have a chance at claiming GB an Olympic spot – slipped to third after losing 3-2 in Belgium on Tuesday.

Sarina Wiegman’s side, with six points from four games, are three behind leaders the Netherlands and one behind second-placed Belgium.

Their final two group fixtures see them play the Dutch at Wembley on December 1 and then Scotland at Hampden Park four days later.

Former England and Team GB forward Aluko said: “It is a tough group with the Netherlands, Belgium and Scotland. It is not an easy group at all. I think the Nations League is deliberately competitive.

“Really, England have got to win the last two games to have any chance of qualifying, but if any team is going to prove anyone wrong it’s the Lionesses, and they have done so well in the last two years.”

Aluko is not doubtful that England – who were World Cup runners-up over the summer, a year on from winning the Euros – could pull through because they “have everything to win those last two games”.

She added: “I think sometimes there can be a bit of a hangover from the World Cup where you have a massive high and then come back to normality.

“Sometimes it takes players a little bit to get going again. The season only just started again and we are only five games into the Women’s Super League.

“Fatigue is not just physical – it is mental as well. There are so many games and so many tournaments.

“Frankly, the women’s game is really competitive. On any given day, Scotland can beat England and Holland can beat England – that is the sort of level of competition we are dealing with.”

Aluko was speaking after she collected an MBE for her services to association football and to charity on Wednesday.

The Prince of Wales, who presented Aluko with her MBE at a ceremony at Windsor Castle, told her “this feels like this is overdue”, and she later said of that moment: “It was lovely and a really, really nice thing to say.”

Broadcaster and football executive Aluko’s playing career included featuring at three World Cups, three European Championships and the London 2012 Olympics.

She began her career at Birmingham and had subsequent spells at Charlton, Chelsea and in the United States before returning to Birmingham in 2012.

Aluko rejoined Chelsea from 2012 to 2018, during which time she won two WSL titles, the WSL Spring Series and two FA Cups.

After announcing her retirement from playing in January 2020 following a spell with Juventus, Aluko had stints as sporting director at Aston Villa and Los Angeles-based Angel City FC.

The 36-year-old has also worked heavily with charities and organisations such as Charity Water, Common Goal and Unesco.

The Atlanta Falcons are benching starting quarterback Desmond Ridder and starting Taylor Heinicke on Sunday when they host the Minnesota Vikings.

Atlanta coach Arthur Smith said the move is for this week and doesn’t necessarily mean Heinicke will remain the starter for the rest of the season.

“Really our focus is short term and what gives us the best chance for Sunday,” Smith said Wednesday. “Right now we're focused on Minnesota.”

Ridder has struggled recently with 10 turnovers in Atlanta’s last five games, and Heinicke replaced Ridder last week at Tennessee after the 2022 third-round draft pick was evaluated for a concussion.

Ridder was cleared to return, but Smith kept Heinicke in for the rest of the Falcons’ 28-23 loss to the Titans.

Heinicke made his Falcons debut after signing a $20million, two-year contract in March.

He completed 12 of 21 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown.

“Lot of positive qualities in Taylor,” Smith said. “He’s been a great fit here and that’s why we brought him in here.”

Last week’s defeat dropped Atlanta to 4-4 on the season and into a first-place tie with the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South.

Gerri Colombe will have to wait an extra week to start out on the Cheltenham Gold Cup trail after Down Royal’s two-day meeting on Friday and Saturday was postponed by seven days to now take place on November 10 and November 11.

Gordon Elliott’s talented stayer is the second-favourite for Gold Cup glory following a fine novice chase campaign last term and was due to step into open company in the feature Ladbrokes Champion Chase, where rivals could have included established stars Conflated, Envoi Allen and Minella Indo.

However, with Down Royal currently unraceable, the decision has been made to shift the whole meeting back in the calendar with fresh entries for the meeting set to close on Monday and Tuesday.

Down Royal clerk Tracey O’Meara said: “We have just taken another look at the track and consulted with the River Agencies within the locality. The situation here is that we’ve been informed the River Lagan will continue to rise over the next 48 hours which will not enable the standing water on the course to subside.

“We were hoping for a more positive outcome when we started work on the track this morning to remove the water, but the situation with the River Lagan leaves us with no option but to make the difficult decision to cancel both Friday and Saturday as the track will simply not be ready in time.

“We were giving the meeting every chance but have made the decision at the earliest possible opportunity with the industry and public in mind. We are pleased to say that everyone is in a position to reschedule the fixtures for Friday 10 and Saturday 11 of November and the forecast into next week looks to be more favourable. Fresh entries will close on Monday for Friday and Tuesday for Saturday.”

Champion Stakes winner King Of Steel could be back in America next year for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Roger Varian has indicated.

There was a decision to be had this time around after the giant grey won on Champions Day at Ascot, with owner Kia Joorabchian admitting he was tempted by an ambitious bid for the dirt showpiece.

Discretion got the better part of valour on this occasion with only 14 days separating the meetings at Ascot and Santa Anita, and King Of Steel will contest the Breeders’ Cup Turf over 12 furlongs instead, meaning he will once more clash with his Derby conqueror Auguste Rodin.

“He looks to be taking everything in his stride. He has a positive demeanour of a horse that can go again. The natural instinct was not to come, but the vital signs are good,” said Varian.

“We left the decision to come as long as we could and he looked so good at home he was ticking plenty of boxes to make me think we should travel.

“It’s the type of race we are interested in, the Turf was always the priority. He found a way to win at Ascot, but I’m sure he didn’t enjoy the conditions.

“We could think about the Classic next season as he will stay in training.”

Greenfinch could be another exciting daughter of Justify having opened her account at Dundalk on Wednesday.

Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Greenfinch built on her Punchestown debut when second at the Curragh last month and her class came to the fore as she made it third-time lucky in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.

Sent off the 5-2 joint-favourite for the seven-furlong event, the youngster tracked the early pace in the hands of Seamie Heffernan before making a stylish move to the front rounding the turn for home.

She then knuckled down gamely in the straight and showed a great attitude to edge out Jessica Harrington’s Cameo Performance by a neck in the closing stages.

Connections were delighted to see the half-sister of both July Cup winner U S Navy Flag and multiple Group One scorer Roly Poly get on the scoresheet and are now predicting a bright future.

Stable representative Chris Armstrong said: “She’s a gorgeous filly and she has the pedigree to go with it.

“She had the two runs before on soft ground which wasn’t her ideal surface, but the experience stood to her.

“She was still a little bit green throughout the run, but Seamus felt her class got her through in the end.

“She is a filly to look forward to next year, he thinks she will definitely develop up into a Group filly at somewhere between a mile and a mile and a quarter.

“She will develop physically and mentally over the winter. She’s one to look forward to.

“It is good to get the win next to her and the three runs will be a massive plus to her next year.”

A significant offspring of Justify for Ballydoyle next year is unbeaten 2000 Guineas favourite City Of Troy, and Armstrong added: “The Justifys are extremely exciting – they have all got a great mind, a great action and they are 100 per cent genuine.

“They have big, long strides and, once they get their ground and trip, they really come into a different league.

“Luckily, we have got a few nice ones and it is an exciting bunch of two-year-olds to look forward to for next year.”

Jim Crowley is feeling “very confident” about Mostahdaf’s chances in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained five-year-old is poised for what is likely to be his final outing at Santa Anita before he embarks on a career at stud.

His services will surely be well sought after given his most recent performances have been career bests, in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and Juddmonte International, two of the most prestigious 10-furlong races anywhere in the world.

He was due to run in the Champion Stakes at Ascot two weeks ago, but after John Gosden initially gave him the go-ahead having walked the track, a downpour mid-afternoon meant he did not race and was rerouted to America.

Crowley was not on board for his most recent outing at York as he was serving a whip suspension, with Frankie Dettori stepping in. And there is little doubt he is very excited about being reunited.

“The first time I’ve sat on him here was this morning and I’m very happy with the way he felt. He moved great in an easy canter for a circuit. He will probably go a little bit quicker tomorrow,” said Crowley.

“He was very well behaved and behaves himself better when he’s abroad than at home.

“He has plenty of pace, and you can park him up anywhere. I’m very confident.”

James Harden is on track to make his Clippers debut on Monday when Los Angeles faces the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday.

Philadelphia agreed to send Harden, P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev to Los Angeles on Tuesday in exchange for Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nic Batum, KJ Martin, a 2028 unprotected first-round pick, two second-round picks, a 2029 pick swap and a first-round pick that can be routed from a third team.

The trade ended the saga between the 76ers and Harden, who in August blasted team president Darly Morey at a promotional event in China.

"Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of," Harden said. "Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar, and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of."

Harden's comments were a response to the 76ers telling Harden's agent that Morey was unable to find a trade for the 2017-18 NBA MVP, and the franchise wouldn't deal him unless it could find a trade that would help Philadelphia contend for a championship.

Harden picked up his $35.6million player option for the 2023-24 season in late June, and then immediately requested a trade.

He could have declined the option and become a free agent but was hoping by exercising his option it would facilitate a trade.

Harden reiterated his stance in early October, saying his relationship with Morey is beyond repair and he still wanted to be traded.

ESPN reported that Harden is delighted to be joining the Clippers, where he will team up with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. There will also be a reunion with Russell Westbrook, who Harden played alongside for the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Harden averaged 21 points, an NBA-best 10.7 assists and 6.1 rebounds last season.

Sean Kirrane will forever be grateful for the loyalty shown by Adam West and the De’Lemos family as he prepares to make his Breeders’ Cup bow aboard Nunthorpe hero Live In The Dream.

The horse has proved appropriately named for the 23-year-old Irishman, who tasted Group One glory in his very first ride at the top level aboard the West-trained four-year-old on the Knavesmire.

That blistering all-the-way success secured Live In The Dream’s ticket to Santa Anita and Kirrane, who has partnered the gelding in 11 of his 19 career starts, is eager to point out it would have been easy for connections to plump for one of the weighing room’s star names for their once-in-a-lifetime tilt at the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

He said: “They would have had plenty of phone calls to ride this horse, even on the smaller days when he ran in the Temple Stakes and the race after that and the Nunthorpe. This particular day I’m sure they will have had plenty of phone calls, but their loyalty to me has been outstanding and I can’t thank them enough.

“Adam, Steve and Jolene have stuck by me and they have had me for plenty of days in the sun before the Nunthorpe and for them to give me my first ride in a Group One was amazing. I was so glad to reward them on the day for putting their faith in me.”

The 23-year-old Irishman is based in Yorkshire and a regular on the northern circuit, but has a flying visit to Epsom to thank for his long-lasting relationship with West and an association that has thrived from the very beginning.

“It’s probably an unusual match to have a northern-based jockey match-up with an Epsom and truly southern-based trainer and Adam was a completely chance contact,” continued Kirrane.

“I was claiming and riding for David O’Meara at the time and he had me down south two days in a row, he had me at Epsom one day, then Goodwood the next. I was staying over in Epsom and just thought ‘how can I use up the following morning’, so gave Adam a call to see if I could go ride out.

“He said ‘yes, pop in for a couple of lots’ and the first horse he put me on was a filly called Sky Blue Thinking. I’ll never forget her as she won three on the bounce and got me and Adam off to a flyer.

“We’ve had a really good strike-rate and great association ever since and now here we are.”

Their journey together came to a crescendo at York in the summer when Live In The Dream blazed a trail to give both trainer and jockey a first Group One triumph.

Connections always had the utmost belief that their sprinting star could one day climb to the top of the speedster’s ladder, but Live In The Dream’s underdog story has propelled a young rider fresh out of his claim and a trainer searching to make his name in the game firmly into the spotlight.

“He’s achieved things this year that none of us thought we might ever achieve,” continued Kirrane.

“We thought he had a lot of potential for maybe next year, but the fact he has achieved so much this year has been excellent and we owe the horse a lot.

“I don’t know how far I’ll get in my career but he’s a horse I will never forget. He’s given me a massive boost by winning the Nunthorpe so soon after losing my claim and it’s something a jockey in my position sort of never dreams.

“I have this horse and I knew he was capable of a lot, but it was so special to get a big winner on the board and then to have the opportunity to come here. I suppose we’ve already won this year regardless of what happens on Saturday, but to just be here with the horse while he is in such great form is excellent.”

He continued: “This is what we do Wolverhampton on a Monday and Catterick on Tuesday for. We do it to get the opportunities on the big days and the weekends. This is definitely one of those big days and whatever happens on Saturday, we all owe the horse an awful lot. For me it is not just a massive eye-opener but a brilliant experience.”

Since success in the Nunthorpe, West has left no stone unturned in his quest for Breeders’ Cup glory and that included sending both Live In The Dream and Kirrane to Keeneland to tune-up for their Santa Anita assignment in the Woodford Stakes.

Live In The Dream would eventually fade to fourth in the five-and-a-half-furlong contest but having shown up well, his rider is confident that first taste of American soil will have played a key role in preparing for his main objective.

“Keeneland was a nice race to start off his campaign in the States in,” said Kirrane.

“Adam picked that race out and being five and a half furlongs, ultimately that did stretch him really. There was quite a strong headwind on the day and he was really pressed for the lead the whole way round which wasn’t ideal and doing quite a bit early on just caught him out late in the day in the last half-furlong.

“He showed us everything we wanted to see on that day and it was really important to get him here and find a race on the grass for him really, which is exactly what Adam did. It really sets us up nicely for Saturday.

“Adam is a spectacular judge of what he has and what hand he has to play. It was the same when we went to Deauville, he knew he might need the run and that was exactly what happened – he was a fading fourth that day on very soft ground.

“He came out the next day and won the Nunthorpe and Adam was absolutely spot on in getting him right. He was spot on in predicting how he would run at Keeneland and hopefully he will be spot on about how he will run at Santa Anita.”

Kirrane has already had a taste of the Santa Anita turf when putting Live In The Dream through his paces ahead of this weekend’s big race.

The Dublin native is hoping to extend his stay in California beyond the Breeders’ Cup and is keen to make the most of his time in America, rather than jet back for the start of the all-weather season in the UK.

“I took Live In The Dream out for a canter and he just did a swinger from the three marker and he felt great,” he added.

“The turf was riding great – they sectioned off the outer half of the turf track for us to canter on – and he went round the bend lovely and it is all systems go.

“There are a couple of trainers I’ve been in contact with because I’m planning a little stint out here up until Christmas.

“I think at this time of year, the prize-money on the all-weather is extremely poor and you find yourself riding horses that have come off the grass and have had too much racing.

“Then you are getting all-weather horses returning who need the run and it is just a good opportunity for me to come out here, ride work off the clock again and tune up that aspect of my riding.”

Alun Wyn Jones hopes Wales making the last eight of the Rugby World Cup in France “does not paper over the cracks” in the game nationwide.

Jones – world rugby’s most capped player – will captain the Barbarians against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday with the curtain about to come down on his distinguished career.

The 38-year-old was named in Warren Gatland’s preliminary World Cup squad before announcing his international retirement in May after 170 Test matches – 158 for Wales and 12 for the British and Irish Lions.

Wales went on to reach the quarter-finals in France in what was considered relative success after a tumultuous 12 months.

Gatland returned as head coach following Wayne Pivac’s departure in December, but Wales won only once in the Six Nations as the threat of a player-strike was averted at the last minute.

The Welsh Rugby Union was also embroiled in a sexism and misogyny scandal off the field.

Jones said: “I am just pleased for the players for the success they had on the backdrop of a tough year for Welsh rugby.

“I just hope it does not paper over the cracks because there are deeper-rooted issues that need to be sorted.

“I hope we don’t end up in the cycle where we keep doing well every four years but we have another drought in between. Hopefully it kicks on the right way with a young group of players I believe can achieve lots.”

Jones has two more weeks left of a short-term Toulon deal he signed after his 17-year stay at the Ospreys ended in June.

He says then that “will be me done”, but Jones hinted he may remain within the sport in some capacity.

“I care about Welsh sport and I care about rugby, and I want to make sure it is in the best possible place it can be,” Jones said.

“You have got to get a few more miles on the clock in certain areas to have that influence (to determine matters).

“It depends what was needed. There are a lot of stuff like financial things and we have just got to make sure we keep player welfare and players at the forefront – that is the main thing for me.”

Jones hopes the tradition of Barbarians rugby, as well as the Lions which has seen tours to the southern hemisphere shortened in the professional age, survives as the game moves forward.

He said: “We’re very blessed as a sport that we’ve got the Barbarians, the Lions, and some classic traditions.

“I think the Barbarians has actually helped some teams because when some of the Premiership sides went, the Barbarians stepped in to sustain them.

“With regards to the Lions it’s similar to the Barbarians. I think it’s something the game needs. There are not many other sports that do it.

“We don’t have a 15s Olympic team. I think you still need something within the sport like that. It gives a focal point for the sport for players and supporters to follow.”

Barbarians team:I Droasese (Fiji), S Stevenson (New Zealand), L Ikitau (Australia), I Perese (Australia), S Ravutaumada (Fiji), N Sanchez (Argentina), S Kuruvoli (Fiji); J Moody (New Zealand), T Ikanivere (Fiji), T Tupou (Australia), R Leota (Australia), AW Jones (capt, Wales), J Tipuric (Wales), M Hooper (Australia), R Valetini (Australia).

Al Dancer is unlikely to defend his Boylesports Grand Sefton title at Aintree later this month, with Sam Thomas instead eyeing up a shot at the Trustatrader Peterborough Chase.

Having outbattled Gesskille to claim the Grand Sefton last season, he again showed his liking for the Merseyside venue when a staying-on third off a career-high mark in the Old Roan Chase – a race in which all the fences up the home straight were omitted.

The in-form 10-year-old, who kicked off his season with a commanding win at Chepstow, is as short as 7-1 in places to go back-to-back in the season’s first race over the National fences on November 11.

However, his handler believes the contest may come to soon for the thriving grey and is keen to wait an extra month for Grade Two action at Huntingdon on December 10.

“I was absolutely delighted with him and he put in another very solid run in what was a very competitive race I thought,” said Thomas.

“I don’t actually know if it helped or hindered him having the fences taken out, but it was just lovely to see him staying on again and run a really nice race off a career-high mark. We were absolutely thrilled.

“I think realistically the Grand Sefton will come a bit too soon. The reasoning behind going for the Old Roan was we felt he was in the form of his life and it is a very prestigious Grade Two race. We took our chance there and I would say it is fairly unlikely we will go to Aintree again now.

“Potentially the Peterborough maybe, going the other way round, will suit him. He does jump out a bit to his right and lugs a bit right so that would certainly help him. I think that might be on the calendar, providing he’s in good shape to go there.”

Thomas has made a blistering start to the winter with his string and another of his Chepstow scorers, Stolen Silver, is set to bypass another crack at Cheltenham’s Paddy Power Gold Cup in favour of remaining at three miles and a shot at Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup on December 2.

“We chucked him in the Paddy Power in case it was going to go absolutely bottomless there, but realistically the plan is to go to the Coral Gold Cup,” added Thomas.

“I think he certainly enjoyed himself over that trip and has a bit more to offer maybe. It certainly opens a few more doors for us and the fact he was a lot more settled in his race gives us a few more options really.

“You are dictated to what trip you can run a horse over by how they sort of conduct themselves in a race, but now he’s settling I think we have to step him up.”

Fugitif is on course to reappear in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on November 18.

The Richard Hobson-trained eight-year-old improved markedly last season, beginning the campaign rated 131 and ending it with a mark of 153.

Having finished second at Cheltenham both on Trials Day and at the Festival in March, Hobson has no concerns over the course or distance, and is just hoping Fugitif gets his favoured soft ground.

“We’re all on course for the Paddy Power,” said Hobson. “We know he likes the course and distance and if he gets his ground he could be very dangerous.

“He wasn’t right at the end of the season when he ran at Aintree so we can safely put a line through that run, but prior to that he’d been very progressive.

“He’s 17:2hh so with another summer on his back you can only imagine how much he has strengthened up.

“He does need a cut in the ground, you saw last year at Chepstow when he won it was very soft that day and he loved it, he never came off the bridle.

“I think the middle distance at Cheltenham is right up his street myself, but I did put him in the King George because if he wins the Paddy Power it’s a flat three miles and on his pedigree who should get it. It’s only an early entry, though.”