Rafael Nadal is "convinced" Carlos Alcaraz will be at a "great level" for the Olympics ahead of their anticipated doubles team-up.

The pair will be representing Spain at the upcoming Games in Paris, with both also participating in the singles event.

Nadal reached his first final since his French Open triumph in 2022 at the Swedish Open on Sunday, eventually losing out to Nuno Borges in straight sets.

He has previously won two Olympic gold medals though, his first in the singles at the 2008 Games in Beijing, and the second at Rio 2016 in the doubles.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz has won back-to-back grand slams this year, winning at Roland Garros in June before beating Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon earlier this month.

The 21-year-old is competing at the Olympics for the first time in his career ahead of the hard-court swing of the season.

Nadal admitted he was not happy with his performance level in the final in Bastad and is determined to improve to match Alcaraz's level.

"I'm really looking forward to being part of the Olympic team and representing Spain," Nadal said.

"This is the most important event in sport. I hope I can find the energy I need and do some good training.

"If I manage to play good tennis, I will also do so in doubles, but I must analyse well what happened this week and work hard.

"I am convinced that Carlos will be at a great level because he is coming in with confidence. We will train together this week."

Erik ten Hag says Manchester United do not want to sell Scott McTominay, despite speculation linking the midfielder with a move away from Old Trafford.

McTominay, who has been with United since the age of five, has been the subject of interest from Galatasaray and Fulham, with the latter seeing a bid of £17million rejected.

The Scotland midfielder enjoyed his most prolific season in 2023-24 with 10 goals, before appearing for his nation at Euro 2024.

And though the Red Devils are reportedly keen to offload players, Ten Hag hopes McTominay will not be one of them.

"We have very good players, so there will always be interest from other clubs," Ten Hag said.

"When you score 10 goals in a season and also perform very well for Scotland, then there will be interest. But we want to keep him because he is a very important player for our squad.

"What he can contribute, as we saw last season once we had our sixes available, he could play in a more advanced role, and he is a highly interesting player for our team."

Rafael Nadal felt his performance levels at the Swedish Open were "so far from what they should be", but was pleased to emerge from his run to the final in Bastad without any injuries.

The 22-time major winner reached his first ATP championship match since winning his 14th French Open title two years ago, losing out to Nuno Borges in straight sets.

Nadal saw off Leo Borg and Cameron Norrie, before battling past Mariano Navone and Duje Ajdukovic in three sets. However, he was no match for Borges, who was a commanding 6-3 6-2 winner in the final.

The injury-plagued Spaniard opted to skip Wimbledon to focus on participating in the forthcoming Paris Olympics, where he will play in the singles and doubles events.

And though he admitted he wanted to play better in Bastad, Nadal was thrilled to come through multiple demanding matches unscathed.

"The level was so far from what it should be. Probably, the energy too. It has been a long week with long matches," Nadal told reporters.

"I don't have damage [to my body], that's important - but mentally and physically, I'm not used to playing four days in a row and playing long matches.

"I need to analyse well and find the reason why I played that way, even if the energy wasn't right. Things like this can happen, and that's the situation.

"I played the final, that's positive. I was able to play long matches without having an injury. That's good.

"In some ways, I felt that I arrived here practising much better than what I played in the tournament during the whole week. That's something that I am not satisfied with."

Former Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci has backed Antonio Conte to make Napoli one of the main contenders in Serie A next season.

Conte returned to management after a 15-month absence by signing a three-year contract with the Partenopei last month.

Napoli won the Scudetto in 2022-23 with five games to spare after storming to the title, but followed that up by finishing 10th last season, outside the extended European places.

After Luciano Spalletti's departure in 2023, the club went through three head coaches last season, with both Rudi Garcia and Walter Mazzarri being fired before Francesco Calzona oversaw the last few months of their underwhelming title challenge.

Gianluigi Buffon believes Napoli will finish in the top two this season, and Bonucci agreed with his former Juventus team-mate that Conte will make all the difference.

"Napoli couldn't have made a better choice after the year they've had," Bonucci told Sky Italia.

"They've taken on a world-class coach; he teaches you everything about football and gives you the right knowledge.

"The squad is strong and full of quality. Being able to work with them all week, he [Conte] will do really well."

Conte's first competitive game in charge of Napoli will be their Coppa Italia tie against Modena on August 10. 

Karim Benzema does not believe there is a team capable of being better than "best in the world" Real Madrid.

The Frenchman left Madrid in 2023 after 14 years in which he won 25 major trophies, including five Champions Leagues, five Club World Cups and four LaLiga titles.

He scored 354 goals for Los Blancos in 648 appearances before joining Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League.

Following his departure, Madrid won LaLiga and lifted their 15th Champions League title last season, and Benzema backs them to follow that up without a challenge.

"A spectacular season, very good," Benzema told Marca. "Real Madrid is always the best team in the world.

"Players come and go, but Real Madrid will always be at the top, at the very top. It is the best and will continue to prove it.

"It's the best team in the world. It's always strong and fighting for everything. I stand there, look around and don't see any team that's capable of being better.

"They have everything. Players, coach and president."

Benzema's old shirt number has recently been filled following the signing of Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer after his departure from Paris Saint-Germain.

He will slot into a team full of players being tipped to win the Ballon d'Or this year, with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior among the favourites.

Benzema, who won the prize in 2022, has tipped the Brazilian to lift the individual award after he finished as Madrid's top scorer in all competitions, netting 24 goals.

"I'm going to say Vini because he deserves it for his season and not just for what he's done this year, but also for what he's done last year, he was also above the rest with his football and what he does with the ball. He's a kid, a complete footballer," Benzema added.

"He can win a game on his own, of course, with the help of his teammates, but he is very good when Real Madrid needs him and that is why I think he deserves it.

"He is always there, and he always shows up. For all of that, my favourite is Vini."

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh believes Lemar Jackson will become the "greatest quarterback ever to play in the history of the NFL".

In February, at 27, Jackson became the youngest-ever two-time NFL MVP since the AFL merger.

Since he joined in 2018, he has led the Ravens to their best records in the league, going 14-2 in 2019 and 13-4 last year. In the regular-season, Jackson has the second-best record at 58-19 (.753).

However, he has been known to struggle in the postseason, losing four of his six playoff games, including the AFC Championship game against eventual Super Bowl winners Kansas City Chiefs last season.

When asked about Jackson's failure to reach the showpiece game, Harbaugh passionately defended the quarterback, reiterating the team's faith in him.

"There's a lot of great things said about Lamar, but there's a lot of stuff that's said that you just got to scratch your head about and kind of wonder, 'What's that person even thinking?'" Harbaugh said on Sunday. "But we take it personally.

"All his life, Lamar Jackson has been a guy who's been answering those same questions.

"I'm talking about since he was a kid. Junior high, high school, college, the draft. The success he's had in the [NFL], again, it still comes up.

"OK, now he's still growing. He's got a growth mindset. He's going to get better and better, no doubt. But what does he have to do to prove himself to some people? Right?"

"The vision that we have together is that Lamar Jackson is going to become and be known and be recognized as the greatest quarterback ever to play in the history of the National Football League.

"It's going to happen by Lamar, his work ethic and his brilliant talent, by all of us pouring into that effort together as a team and by the grace of God and God's goodwill."

Since being picked by Baltimore in the 2018 NFL draft, Jackson has run more yards than any other quarterback (5,258) and has thrown 125 touchdown passes in 77 starts.

The Ravens will kick off the new season against the Chiefs on September 6.

Sam Hauser has agreed to a four-year, $45million contract extension with the Boston Celtics, his agent told ESPN on Sunday.

Hauser signed with the Celtics in 2021 as an undrafted rookie and has since established himself as one of the NBA's most accurate 3-point shooters.

His current rookie contract is due to expire in 2025, but this extension will keep him with the team until the end of the 2028-29 season.

Hauser shot 42.4% on 3-pointers last season, the fourth-best in the league among players with over 400 attempts, and became just the third player in Celtics history to make 10 3-pointers in a game in 2023-24.

The 26-year-old also made 179 catch-and-shoot 3-pointers last season, the sixth most in the NBA.

His extension is the third of the offseason already, with All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum signing a $315million five-year deal and guard Derrick White committing to $125million over four years.

Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeness believes Matthijs de Ligt could leave this transfer window amid rumours he could be heading to Manchester United.

De Ligt, who played under Erik ten Hag at Ajax, has been linked to a move to Old Trafford after struggling in his first two seasons at Bayern.

No formal agreement between the clubs has been reached, though reports suggest the centre-back has agreed to personal terms.

Ten Hag confirmed the club were interested in signing De Ligt, who would be their second defensive addition if he joins, after they sealed a £52million deal for Leny Yoro last week.

Bayern, meanwhile, have also bolstered their defence in the off-season by bringing in Hiroki Ito from Stuttgart, and Hoeness hinted there was a chance De Ligt could leave the Allianz Arena.

"No more players will come unless two or three players leave first," Hoeness said.

"Max Eberl and Christoph Freund know full well that no one will come unless one or two prominent players leave. The FC Bayern has no money-wasters."

"It is possible that a defender will still leave. De Ligt is Dutch, and the coach at Man Utd is Dutch.

"I would have no problem if he stayed. Personally, I would not sell [Dayot] Upamecano."

De Ligt made just 22 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern last year, starting 16, as the club finished third behind unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen and surprise package Stuttgart.

The Seattle Mariners overcame an injury to Julio Rodriguez and a cycle by Houston's Yordan Alvarez to earn a 6-4 win over the Astros in Sunday's finale of an important three-game series.

Luke Raley had a three-run homer and Jorge Polanco added a solo shot while going 2 for 4 as the Mariners avoided a series sweep and moved back into a virtual tie with Houston for first place in the American League West.

Seattle also halted a season-high five-game losing streak despite Rodriguez exiting the contest in the sixth inning. The star center fielder sustained an ankle injury when he crashed into the outfield wall while attempting a play on a ball hit by Alvarez that resulted in a triple.

Alvarez went 4 for 4 and knocked in two runs to record the 10th cycle in Astros history. The All-Star slugger singled in the first inning and homered in the top of the fourth, with the 429-foot blast off Seattle starter Bryan Woo cutting Houston's deficit to 2-1. 

The Mariners had gone ahead on Dylan Moore's two-out triple in the second inning that brought in Josh Rojas and Raley. Rojas had reached on a ground-rule double before Houston starter Ronel Blanco walked Mitch Haniger, who was thrown out at second on Raley's fielder's choice grounder. 

Polanco's homer off Blanco in the bottom of the fourth increased Seattle's lead, though the Astros moved within 3-2 when Mauricio Dubon doubled in the top of the sixth and scored on Alvarez's triple that injured Rodriguez.

The Mariners answered in their half of the sixth, however. Polanco and Haniger reached on singles before Raley launched the first pitch he saw from Seth Martinez into the right field seats for a 6-2 Seattle advantage.

After Houston got closer on Jeremy Pena's solo homer in the seventh, Alvarez completed his cycle with a double in the eighth and later crossed the plate on Chas McCormick's single that cut the lead to 6-4.

The Astros would get no closer, however, as Mariners' closer Andres Munoz struck out the side in the ninth to record his 16th save.

Woo improved to 4-1 on the season after allowing two runs on four hits while striking out five in 5 2/3 innings.

Ohtani's mammoth homer helps Dodgers sweep Red Sox

The Los Angeles Dodgers belted a season-high six home runs, including a titanic blast from Shohei Ohtani that cleared the Dodger Stadium bleachers, in a 9-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox that finished a three-game series sweep.

Ohtani's 30th homer of the season, a massive drive off Kutter Crawford in the fifth inning that travelled an estimated 473 feet, highlighted a power barrage that carried the National League West leaders to their first three-game sweep since June 24-26 against the Chicago White Sox. The Dodgers entered the series having lost six of their final seven games before the All-Star break.

Fellow All-Stars Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez also went deep for Los Angeles, as did Gavin Lux, Austin Barnes and Jason Heyward. Lux added a run-scoring double while finishing 3 for 4.

All-Star Game MVP Jarren Duran knocked in four runs for the slumping Red Sox, two of which came on a first-inning home run off James Paxton that staked Boston to a brief 2-0 lead.

Freeman answered with a solo shot in the bottom of the inning before the Dodgers quickly tied the game on consecutive doubles from Andy Pages and Lux.

Hernandez, the 2024 Home Run Derby champion, put Los Angeles ahead in the third with his 20th homer of the season, and Lux reached the seats in the fourth to extend the Dodgers' advantage to 4-2.

Barnes continued the power surge with a lead-off homer in the fifth that preceded Ohtani's monstrous shot, the fifth home run surrendered by Crawford (6-8) on the night.

Crawford allowed six runs in all over five innings, while the ex-Red Sox hurler Paxton overcame a shaky beginning to limit his former team to three runs across five-plus innings to improve to 8-2 on the season.

Paxton was removed after permitting a walk to Connor Wong and a Masataka Yoshida single to open the sixth, with Wong later scoring on Ceddanne's Rafaela's single off reliever Joe Kelly that brought Boston within 6-3.

The Dodgers' offence came back to life in the eighth, however. Lux singled, stole second and came home on Cavan Biggio's single before Heyward followed with a two-run homer off former Los Angeles closer Kenley Jansen for a 9-3 lead.

Boston then threatened in the ninth, with Duran's two-run double off Evan Phillips cutting into the margin. Phillips later issued a pair of walks to load the bases before giving way to Daniel Hudson, who got Yoshida to hit into a fielder's choice that scored Duran and closed the gap to 9-6.

Hudson then retired Wilyer Abreu on a fly ball with the tying run at the plate to end the game and pick up his sixth save of the season.

Rookie Phillips stars as Phillies end Pirates' win streak

Tyler Phillips cooled off the Pittsburgh Pirates' hot bats with six outstanding innings as the Philadelphia Phillies prevented a three-game series sweep by their Pennsylvania rivals with Sunday's 6-0 victory.

Phillips (2-0), a rookie making his second career MLB start, yielded just four hits and a walk to help the NL leaders end a three-game skid and halt the surging Pirates' season-high six-game winning streak.

Pittsburgh had totalled 23 hits in the series' first two meetings and scored 27 runs over its previous four games. 

The Phillies gave Phillips all the support he needed by reaching Pittsburgh starter Marco Gonzales for a pair of runs on three hits in the second inning.

Alec Bohm led off the second with a single and took third on Edmundo Sosa's one-out double before scoring the first run on Weston Wilson's sacrifice fly. Garrett Stubbs followed with a single that plated Sosa for a 2-0 lead.

Gonzalez (2-2) held the Phillies scoreless over the remainder of his 4 2/3-inning stint, but a costly error by Pittsburgh shortstop Oneil Cruz allowed Philadelphia to break the game open in the seventh.

With one on and one out, Cruz dropped a relay throw on a potential double-play grounder off the bat of Kyle Schwarber. Trea Turner then drove in a run with a single before Schwarber scored on Bryce Harper's groundout for a 4-0 advantage, and Turner came home on a Bohm single to further increase the margin.

Nick Castellanos accounted for the Phillies' final run with a solo homer in the ninth. Castellanos, Bohm and Stubbs each recorded two hits in the win.

Borussia Dortmund fell to a chastening 4-0 defeat versus Thai side BG Pathum United in their second friendly match under new head coach Nuri Sahin.

Sahin took the reins after Edin Terzic resigned in the wake of BVB's Champions League final loss to Real Madrid last month.

His first game at the helm saw Dortmund draw 1-1 with third-tier German side Erzgebirge Aue on Wednesday, before they set off on a pre-season tour of Asia.

On Sunday, they faced BG Pathum United – who finished fourth in the Thai League 1 last term – in Thanyaburi, with a team featuring the likes of Karim Adeyemi, Youssoufa Moukoko, Julian Brandt and Niklas Sule being trounced 4-0.

Speaking after the loss, former midfielder Sahin told reporters: "Of course it's a heavy defeat, but I know how to classify it. Nevertheless, we can't lose 4-0. 

"If you do the basics wrong in terms of your defence, then it can happen, even against a Thai team. I know the boys are tired, but that can't be an excuse at this level. 

"In terms of the defence, I didn't like that at all today. We have to talk about it. The basics have nothing to do with having heavy legs. The basics have to be right."

Xander Schauffele set his sights on a career grand slam after a brilliant final round saw him claim victory at The Open on Sunday.

Schauffele managed a six-under 65 through his fourth round at Royal Troon, with a run of four birdies in six holes down the back nine seeing him pull clear.

He finished two strokes ahead of Justin Rose and Billy Horschel, with Thriston Lawrence, Russell Henley and Shane Lowry rounding out the top of the leaderboard.

Having also triumphed at the PGA Championship at Valhalla earlier this year, Schauffele has become the first player since Brooks Koepka in 2018 (U.S. Open and PGA) to win two majors in the same year.

Rory McIlroy was the last player to win those same two tournaments in one year, achieving the feat back in 2014.

Only five players have ever previously won all four majors in their careers – Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods.

Schauffele is looking to follow in their footsteps in the coming years, telling reporters: "If you look hard enough, you can always find it.

"It's something, when you feel like you need an extra kick in the butt, there's several easy ways to motivate yourself.

"There's still a lot of things that I'd like to do in my career, and this is a very big leap towards that. The fire is still burning, maybe brighter than ever."

Looking at the Claret Jug in his post-tournament press conference, the world number three added: "It's an honour. I've always dreamed of doing it.

"That walk up 18 truly is the coolest with the yellow leaderboards and the fans and the standing ovation. It really is one of the coolest feelings I've ever had in my life."