Conor McGregor is in fine shape and "looking great" ahead of his return to the octagon, according to the Irish fighter's coach John Kavanagh.

The 34-year-old was last in action at UFC 264 in July 2021, when a trilogy fight with bitter rival Dustin Poirier ended in defeat after McGregor suffered a nasty leg injury.

McGregor is back in training now, though, with Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler among the names linked for his comeback fight.

While the identity of his next opponent remains unclear, Kavanagh was quick to hail the impressive physical condition that McGregor has already achieved in the gym.

"He's healthy, happy and it's great to have him back," Kavanagh said. "He did a great session last night, we got some great rounds in. He hasn't lost a beat and was looking great."

McGregor's last fight with Poirier was at lightweight, but he has also competed at both featherweight and welterweight.

Kavanagh remains confident that his charge will be able to make whatever weight he chooses.

"Look, when we get to the stage of looking at weight classes and opponents there's nobody more professional than Conor at making weight and it will all be done properly," he added.

"When that silverback arm goes around your neck there's a bit of an extra squeeze there, so, he's very, very strong at the moment."

McGregor has previously come under scrutiny for his past actions and controversial comments at news conferences, but Kavanagh insists that his fighter does not always act like that.

"I always tell people, they see this kind of performance part of his persona," he continued.

"It's two or three times a year, at the press conferences and it's all very loud and glitzy and glamour and entertainment.

"It's the 52-weeks-of-the-year guy that part of me wishes some people would be more aware of. He's a very, very special part of the gym, as a whole, and I'll say my life."

Novak Djokovic intends to compete at the US Open at the end of August, but will not risk a reoccurrence of the vaccination-related furore that saw him deported from Australia.

The Serbian lifted his seventh Wimbledon title earlier this month, moving level with Pete Sampras for the second-most wins at the All England Club, only behind Roger Federer (eight).

Djokovic also returned to just one grand slam title behind Rafael Nadal's record of 22, with the US Open that starts on August 29 the final headline act of the 2022 season.

While Djokovic enjoyed more Wimbledon success, it was only his second major of the year after the world number seven missed the Australian Open in January due to his refusal to be vaccinated.

His insistence to not take the vaccination against COVID-19 also saw him miss the Indian Wells Masters in March, owing to the United States' coronavirus rulings.

The United States still does not allow unvaccinated foreigners to enter the country without an exemption – meaning Djokovic's ability to appear in New York is in doubt.

Despite expressing his hopes to feature at the hard-court major, Djokovic insisted he will not be willing to face a repeat of the ongoings in Australia in order to compete.

"I'm not going to go to America if I don't have permission, so the Australian saga for me was not pleasant at all," he said after opening a tennis complex in the Bosnian town of Visoko.

"People still think I forced my way to Australia and tried to come in with no papers, permission or exemption – it is not true.

"That was proven in the court cases, so I would never go into a country where I didn't have permission to travel. I would love to come back to Australia. I love Australia, I had my best Grand Slam results in that country.

"Hopefully I can be there in January because I want to be there, and I also want to be in New York. I want to be in America and everywhere I can possibly play."

Djokovic remains hopeful for a change in policy in America given he has no intentions to take the vaccination, nor does he envisage an exemption coming.

"I am a professional tennis player, I don't go into politics or anything else because that doesn't interest me," he added.

"I have my stance and I am a proponent for freedom to choose what is best for you. I respect everything and everybody, and I expect people to at least respect my decision.

"If I have permission, I'll be there. If I don't, I won't be there – it's not the end of the world."

Reece Topley decimated the India batting line-up with the best figures in ODI cricket for England to level the series, teeing up a winner-takes-all decider at Old Trafford.

Jos Buttler's side were skittled for just 110 in the opening clash, their lowest score in a men's ODI since 2014, and again struggled early on at Lord's after being reduced to 87-4 on Thursday.

Yuzvendra Chahal (4-47) was the pick of the bowlers as he accounted for the in-form Jonny Bairstow (38), Joe Root (11) and Ben Stokes (21), but England managed to scramble to 246 all out.

Liam Livingstone steadied the ship and led the recovery with a run-a-ball 33, before all-rounders Moeen Ali (47) and David Willey (41) crafted patient innings against a relentless India bowling attack.

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan made light work of the chase in the 10-wicket opening win, but the captain soon fell at the home of cricket – pinned in front by Topley without scoring.

Topley removed Dhawan, caught behind on nine shortly after, before Virat Kohli (16) followed in the same fashion to Willey and Rishabh Pant (0) was dismissed by Brydon Carse (1-32).

Suryakumar Yadav (27) was then bowled by Topley, with India reeling at 73-5, and matters soon worsened when Hardik Pandya (29) was caught off the bowling of Moeen (1-30).

A slower ball then fooled Mohammed Shami (23), with Stokes taking the catch for Topley before Livingstone bowled Ravindra Jadeja (29) with his first ball.

Topley sealed the 100-run victory by knocking over the stumps of Chahal (three) before having Prasidh Krishna (nought) caught behind.

Terrific Topley

Topley did his hopes of featuring at the T20 World Cup no harm with some impressive performances against India in the shortest format, and his performance at Lord's will have increased his stock further.

The left-arm quick picked up his six wickets for just 24 runs, his best figures in this format and the best for England ever, displacing Paul Collingwood's 6-31 against Bangladesh in 2005 at the top.

Classy Chahal efforts in vain

Bairstow, Root and Stokes are among three of the finest batters in world cricket, and leg-spinner Chahal bamboozled each of the trio to dismiss them either bowled or lbw.

The 31-year-old soon added Moeen to his list of scalps, taking Chahal to 79 wickets in T20I cricket – the most for India in the shortest format, nine clear of second-placed Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Tom Brady will not commit to playing beyond 2022, though said it is not a certainty that the upcoming NFL season will be his last.

Brady, who retired after last season but swiftly changed his mind, will turn 45 in August, and in May he acknowledged he is near the end of one of the most accomplished careers of any athlete.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback also said he believes he's still got something left, however, as he approaches his 23rd training camp and third with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"My body feels really good," Brady told Variety. "I've had a lot of traumatic injuries over the years, but if things go really smoothly and we win, that'd be great."

Brady also touched on his decision to temporarily announce his retirement in February, as well as his rationale for reversing course and returning to the Buccaneers.

"I made the decision in the moment, and I felt it was the right thing for the team to let the Bucs know," he said.

"You need time to plan. And then through conversations with Bruce [Arians], [general manager] Jason [Licht] and my wife, I felt like I could still play and compete.

"I would have preferred to un-retire in July if I wanted to play, but I couldn't. If I said I'm not playing, they'd make plans. So, I felt there was a lot of pressure to make a decision quickly. And then ultimately, I just decided, 'yes, let's do it.' Once I said that, it was like – 'OK, here we go'."

Shortly after Brady declared his intention to come back for another season, Fox Sports announced it had signed the future Hall of Famer to a 10-year, $375million contract to serve as the network's lead analyst for its NFL Game of the Week broadcasts once he does retire for good,

Whether that will be after the 2022 season, Brady said nothing is yet set in stone.

"Could this be my last year? Absolutely," he said. "Could I change my mind? Absolutely. I've realised I don't have five years left.

"I want to do it my way. I want to give it everything I got and see where I'm at."

Brady did acknowledge that winning another Super Bowl would make it easier to call it quits after this season, while also admitting that the Buccaneers' playoff loss to the eventual 2021 champion Los Angeles Rams influenced his choice to come back.

"I think that would obviously be the greatest way to end," he said. "I just have a competitive fire that got the best of me."

Farhad Moshiri has insisted Everton are not for sale, amid reports that several parties are interested in taking over the Premier League club.

Everton finished 16th last season, their lowest Premier League placing since the 2003-04 campaign, when they came 17th.

Frank Lampard – appointed midway through the season after Rafael Benitez was sacked – managed to secure safety with a game to spare, thanks to a 3-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace at Goodison Park.

However, Everton's reckless spending during the Moshiri era, which began in 2016 and has seen six permanent managers lose their jobs prior to Lampard taking charge, means they were on the brink of breaching the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules.

As such, a large sale was required ahead of the new campaign, with Richarlison sold for a reported £50million, rising to £60m including add-ons, to Tottenham at the end of June.

With a new stadium on Liverpool's waterfront under construction, widespread reports over the off-season have claimed that multiple parties are interested in purchasing Everton.

The most prominent, an American consortium fronted by former Chelsea and Manchester United executive Peter Kenyon, was said to be close to agreeing a deal, with reports even going as far as to say the group were confident of buying the club ahead of the start of Everton's pre-season tour of the United States.

That tour is now under way and with no deal having been completed, Moshiri has now insisted the club has not been up for sale, though he acknowledged he is hoping to find additional investors.

In a statement issued on Everton's official website, he said: "There has been much talk of investment in our football club recently – even takeovers – but I want to clarify that there is no 'for sale' sign currently hanging outside Everton Football Club.

"It will always be pragmatic to explore all potential investment opportunities and, as I have been transparent about, I am focused on completing the financing for our fantastic new stadium as well as strengthening the playing squad and that might include a minority investment. That will continue. But I want to reassure all of you that Everton Football Club is not for sale."

While Richarlison has been sold and Fabian Delph, Jonjoe Kenny, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Cenk Tosun have all left on free transfers, with loan deals for Donny van de Beek and Anwar El Ghazi expiring, only James Tarkowski – on a free from relegated Burnley – has joined Everton so far.

But Moshiri is adamant the squad will be added to, despite Everton's financial constraints.

"My commitment to the club remains strong and focused and [director of football] Kevin Thelwell and the chairman [Bill Kenwright] are currently working hard to bring in new players to improve Frank Lampard’s squad," the statement continued.

"There will be new signings and I would ask supporters to judge us at the end of the transfer window – not now – and to listen to official club channels for information."

Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome has "no regrets" after he fought to finish third on stage 12 up the Alpe d'Huez.

The stage was won by fellow Brit Tom Pidcock on his Tour de France debut, but Froome's third-place finish was a brilliant side story in another engaging day.

After a huge crash at the 2019 Criterium du Dauphine, Froome was left in intensive care with multiple serious injuries.

The incident threatened to end his career, but after a long recovery Froome has now achieved his best Tour de France stage finish since 2018.

Having been part of a five-man breakaway over the penultimate ascent, Froome managed to stick with the lead group right the way up the famous final climb of Thursday's stage.

Despite finishing over two minutes behind Pidcock, the Israel-Premier Tech rider was understandably proud of his performance, and told reporters: "No regrets today.

"Naturally, I would have loved to have put my hands up and tried to win the stage.

"But I gave it absolutely everything I had today and I don't have any regrets.

"I think where I've come from the last three years, battling back after my accident, to finish third on one of the hardest stages on the tour, I can be really happy with that.

"I'm going to keep pushing, I don't know where my limits are. I'm going to keep trying to improve and hopefully get back to winning ways again."

Yulia Putintseva recovered from a set behind to overcome Laura Pigossi and keep her Budapest Grand Prix title defence alive.

The Kazakh player took time to get going but eventually prevailed 4-6 6-1 6-2 against her Brazilian opponent in the last-16 clash to make it seven wins in a row in the competition.

While the third seed was able to bounce back, there was no such luck for Chinese sixth seed Zhang Shuai as she was soundly beaten 6-1 6-0 by Serbian Aleksandra Krunic.

China's Wang Xiyu awaits Krunic in the quarter-finals after beating Romanian Ana Bogdan 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (12-10) in a match lasting two hours and 43 minutes.

Elisabetta Cocciaretto was also victorious on Thursday, the Italian seeing off Wimbledon doubles champion Katerina Siniakova 7-5 4-6 7-5 in the final match of the day.

At the Ladies Open Lausanne, surprise Wimbledon singles quarter-finalist Jule Niemeier made it through to the last eight of another tournament, enjoying a 6-4 6-2 triumph against fellow German Eva Lys.

Caroline Garcia made it through to her fourth quarter-final of the year with a 6-1 6-4 win over French compatriot Leolia Jeanjean.

Qualifier Olga Danilovic saved a match point before going on to beat Anna Kalinskaya 6-3 3-6 7-5, while Belinda Bencic advanced from an all-Swiss battle with a 6-3 6-4 win over Susan Bandecchi.

Eddie Jones implored his England side to be "even better" in the Test series decider against Australia, where he insisted the mindsets of his players will be vital.

England ended a four-match losing streak by defeating Australia 25-17 in Brisbane to level the three-Test series, teeing up a winner-takes-all decider in Sydney on Saturday.

The tourists have won four of their past five games in Oceania, having done so just once in their previous 12 away matches against teams from that continent.

Jack van Poortvliet impressed in the second Test but has been replaced by Danny Care, though coach Jones suggested the decision is tactical.

"We've got to be even better. And it's all about the mindset of the players," Jones told Sky Sports.

"Physically we're really good, but the players have got to attune themselves to how important the start is. We're aiming to get that right with our boys.

"We've had a really good week. We were pretty battered after the Brisbane Test, so we didn't train until Tuesday but we had a good session and an even better session on Wednesday.

"We've got a younger team again, but they're all up for the challenge, and some of our old players have come back, like the Vunipolas, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jonny Hill are coming back to their best, so it's a good team we've got in place and we're looking forward to the challenge of winning the series.

"It's a tactical decision [Care for Van Poortvliet]. We feel that JVP will handle the latter part of the game really well, and that's where the game's going to be won and lost.

"And the first part of the game with the New Zealand referee Paul Williams is probably going to be a lot of quick ruck ball, and that's where Danny is at his absolute best.

"So we're just trying to maximise the strengths of each of those two players – JVP was magnificent last week."

England will be without Sam Underhill and Maro Itoje after the pair suffered concussions in the second Test, while Tom Curry has returned home after sustaining the same injury.

Ollie Chessum and Lewis Ludlam have been introduced to replace Underhill and Itoje, and Jones has little concern the pair will slot straight into the team.

"[Ludlam] has energy. He works really hard on and off the ball, and he's also a very good communicator on the field, so whilst we'll miss Sam and Tom Curry, we won't lose anything with Lewis," Jones added.

"Maro's been one of those guys that has been in nearly every Test team I've picked in the time I've been here.

"So we'll miss him but Chessum's a good young player, he's been training really well, he was part of the very successful Leicester Tigers team and he'll enjoy the opportunity."

Tom Pidcock marked his Tour de France debut with a stunning ride on stage 12, while race leader Jonas Vingegaard held off Tadej Pogacar.

Up the famous Alpe d'Huez, on Bastille Day, Olympic gold medallist Pidcock stormed to a remarkable, record-setting triumph – his first Grand Tour stage win.

Having attacked with 10 kilometres of the climb remaining, approaching the culmination of a 165.5km ride on Thursday, the 22-year-old Yorkshireman saw off Louis Meintjes to claim a remarkable triumph.

In the process, Pidcock – who was part of a five-man breakaway that took a six-minute time gap to the foot of the final ascent – became the youngest stage winner up the Alpe d'Huez in Le Tour history, breaking the record held by Lucho Herrera since 1984.

Yet Pidcock's tale was not the only incredible story of a quite sensational stage, with four-time champion Chris Froome claiming third, having planted himself in the breakaway group. While the yellow jersey is far out of the 37-year-old's reach, his performance echoed the form he was able to show in the years prior to his serious crash in 2019.

Behind the lead group, the fascinating general classification tussle between new leader Vingegaard and two-time defending champion Pogacar unfolded, hinting at the drama that is sure to come over the coming stages.

Pogacar twice attacked late on, yet Jumbo-Visma's Vingegaard kept pace.

The GC rivals pushed on for a sprint finish, with Pogacar nosing ahead to claim fifth place, though he was unable to damage Vingegaard, while Pidcock's INEOS Grenadier's team-mate Geraint Thomas, who conquered the mountain while wearing yellow in 2018, put himself into the top three in the overall standings.

But the day belonged to Pidcock, who after ploughing on to victory through thousands of vociferous spectators, said: "That was unbelievable, one of the craziest experiences ever. I can hardly hear anything, I've probably got hearing damage!

"That was ridiculous, at many points I thought I was going to get taken out."

Team GB's golden boy a speed demon

Pidcock is a star on the mountain bike, and those technical skills came in handy on the descent of the Col du Galibie, which preceded the climb up Alpe d'Huez. He clocked a top speed of 100km/h on the way down, while he averaged 19.7km/h on his way up to the summit finish.

"That is a record, I've never been over 100k before. It helps when there's a race to go for, doesn't it?" he said. 

"I'm lucky that I can descend or I wouldn't have won today. I don't think there was any way of me getting away at the start of the stage but I knew if the break was close enough at the top, I could go across on the descent because it was pretty twisty. I'm lucky Froomey was in front, we worked well together."

Froome, who won his first Tour de France when Pidcock was just 13, said: "He was flying down the descents today. His bike handling probably came in handy, there were a few times where I held back a bit because I was definitely at the limit."

STAGE RESULTS

1. Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) 4:55:24
2. Louis Meintjes (Intermarche–Wanty–Gobert Materiaux) +0:48
3. Chris Froome (Israel–Premier Tech) +2:06
4. Neilson Powless (EF Education–EasyPost) +2:29
5. Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates) +3:23

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS 

General Classification

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 46:28:46
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates) +2:22
3. Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) +2:26

Points Classification

1. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 313
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates) 159
3. Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 155

King of the Mountains

1. Simon Geschke (Cofidis) 43
2. Louis Meintjes (Intermarche–Wanty–Gobert Materiaux) 39
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 36

Serena Williams will compete at the Canadian Open among a host of star-studded names as she ramps up her preparations for the US Open.

Williams returned to Wimbledon in June in what was her first singles match since suffering injury in last year's competition at the All England Club.

The 23-time grand slam champion succumbed to a first-round elimination at SW19, though, falling to Harmony Tan on Centre Court.

While Williams, 40, could offer little assurances she would return to the British major, she suggested she would play at the US Open, stating "there's always motivation to get better and play at home".

Williams will be joined in Canada by world number one Iga Swiatek, four-time grand slam winner Naomi Osaka, French Open finalist Coco Gauff and reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu as 41 of the top 43-ranked players descend on Toronto, with the tournament starting on August 6.

It will also mark Williams' first appearance at the event since she finished runner-up to Bianca Andreescu in 2019.

"When you read over that star-studded list, it's hard not to get excited about the WTA Tour making its return to Sobeys Stadium," said tournament director Karl Hale.

"Not only is this one of the strongest, if not the strongest, player list we've ever submitted, but it's also the first time in three years that the [Canadian] Open returns to a full capacity.

"We're thrilled that these players will have a chance to play in front of a packed house, and we're even happier for our fans who will get to watch tennis' very best at the 2022 edition."

Rory McIlroy was thrilled with his first-round 66 at the 150th Open Championship and is determined to back it up with another strong showing on Friday.

The four-time major winner sat two shots behind clubhouse leader Cameron Young after a superb opening round at St Andrews, with only one blemish on his scorecard.

McIlroy came close to an eagle on the last but settled for a birdie that left him six under and firmly in the mix.

"That was just sort of what you hope will happen when you're starting off your week," he said.

"I did everything that you're supposed to do around St Andrews. I birdied the holes that are birdieable and I made pars at the holes where you're sort of looking to make a par and move to the next tee. I didn't really put myself out of position too much.

"So, overall, really pleased. It's another good start at a major. Three in a row for me now. And looking forward to the next few days.

"Everything feels very settled. No real issues with my game. Everything feels like it's in good shape. Everything feels just sort of nice and quiet, which is a nice way to be."

Despite his evident satisfaction, the 2014 Champion Golfer of the Year, who was injured and unable to defend that title at St Andrews in 2015, knows he cannot rest on his laurels.

"I need to go out and back up what I just did," he said. "I think that's important to do.

"But again, this golf course isn't going to change that much, I don't think, in terms of conditions.

"I've seen the golf course now in tournament play and tournament conditions and know what to expect. I've just got to go out and back up what I've done."

While McIlroy enjoyed a fine start, the same could not be said for 15-time major winner Tiger Woods, who was four over through six holes and facing an uphill struggle to make the weekend.

Reigning champion Collin Morikawa signed for an even-par 72, while English amateur Barclay Brown made a name for himself with a 68.

World number one Scottie Scheffler looms large on four under after 11 holes.