Hugo Houle dedicated victory on stage 16 of the Tour de France to his late brother as Jonas Vingegaard kept a tight hold on the yellow jersey.

Canadian Houle lost brother Pierrik in December 2012 when he died in a hit-and-run crash while jogging in Sainte-Perpetue, Quebec.

Almost 10 years later, Houle pointed to the sky as he crossed the line alone after the 178.5-kilometre ride from Carcassonne to Foix, earning his first Grand Tour stage win.

"This one is for my brother, man," said an emotional Houle, moments later.

The riders were put to the test over the climbs of Port de Lers and Mur de Peguere in the second half of Tuesday's stage, as the race reached the Pyrenees after a rest day.

The three days in the mountains only get tougher from here, and Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar will be duking it out in the push for the peaks before they look to clinch victory in Paris on Sunday. Geraint Thomas remains third, with the top three starting the day precisely as they began it.

Pogacar and Vingegaard were playing cat and mouse on Port de Lers, with the man in yellow refusing to let his nearest rival make up any ground in the general classification, practically setting up camp on his back wheel.

Far away in the distance, Houle (Israel-Premier Tech) was almost riding a separate race, with France's Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) taking second place, over a minute down the road, and Houle's fellow Canadian and team-mate Michael Woods in third.

Matteo Jorgensen came off on a corner late on as his grip gave way, costing the American valuable seconds that pushed him out of contention to win the stage, eventually coming home fourth.

Brotherly love as Houle savours long-awaited win

Houle was close to tears as he took in the magnitude of his victory.

He said: "I never win a race, so I guess it's the right place to win my first race.

"When I attacked, it was basically to set the table for Michael Woods. When I saw they let me go, Mike made a gap, I just went full gas. At the end, I hung on. I was suffering so bad in the steep climbs.

"I made it, and it means a lot to me. I had one dream: to win the stage for my brother who died when I turned professional, and today that one is for him. I've worked for 10, 12 years, and today I got my win for him, so it's incredible. I'm just so happy."

STAGE RESULTS

1. Hugo Houle (Israel-Premier Tech) 4:23:47
2. Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) +1:10
3. Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) +1:10
4. Matteo Jorgensen (Movistar) +1:12
5. Michael Storer (Groupama-FDJ) +1:25

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS 

General Classification

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) 64:28:09
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates) +2:22
3. Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) +2:43

Points Classification

1. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 399
2. Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates) 182
3. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 176

King of the Mountains

1. Simon Geschke (Cofidis) 58
2. Louis Meintjes (Intermarche–Wanty–Gobert Materiaux) 39
3. Neilson Powless (EF Education–Easypost) 37

Sergio Busquets is hopeful Robert Lewandowski will prove to be LaLiga's signing of the season after he joined the Blaugrana from Bayern Munich.

Lewandowski sealed his long-awaited move to Camp Nou on Monday, having expressed his desire to leave Bayern after scoring 50 goals in all competitions for the Bundesliga champions last season. 

The 33-year-old has finished as the Bundesliga's top goalscorer in seven separate seasons, equalling the record set by fellow Bayern great Gerd Muller, and will now spearhead Barca's bid for a first league title since 2018-19.

Speaking to Inter Miami's media channels ahead of Barca's pre-season friendly against the Major League Soccer side, both Busquets and new team-mate Andreas Christensen heaped praise on the Poland striker.

Asked whether the capture of Lewandowski represented LaLiga's signing of the season, Busquets said: "Well, at the media level, because of his name, it could be. But before starting any competition and before playing matches, it is not that useful to value this. 

"Hopefully we will be saying this when the season is over and after he had a great season individually, because that will mean that the collective also went well. 

"Hopefully it will be like this."

Former Chelsea defender Christensen has joined Lewandowski in moving to Camp Nou during the transfer window, and he believes the experience of the eight-time Bundesliga champion will be invaluable for Xavi's side.

"It's obvious that he's got the qualities, he's won a lot of trophies, he's got the winning mentality that we need," Christensen said.

"So I think he brings all these qualities. I think it's quite obvious what they are. So I don't think I need to mention it but yeah, everyone's just happy that he's here.

"He can push us and you know, share his experiences. I think it's just a good thing for the team."

 

Meanwhile, Busquets has just one year remaining on his contract with the Catalan giants, and refused to rule out a future move to MLS after claiming to have followed the league when former team-mate David Villa joined New York City.

"I have always liked this league a lot since David Villa came to play here," the 34-year-old added. "I started following the league when I can, because of the time difference.

"I'm not dismissing anything. It is true that this is my last year of contract, and everyone knows that.

"But I am focused on finishing well this season, which is full of things at both club and national team level. My focus is to enjoy, compete to the maximum and show my best level and in the future, we will see. 

"I have always said that I like coming to the US and their league a lot. But the future is still unknown, because there isn't anything yet and it is too early."

Erik ten Hag said he was already seeing improvements in Manchester United's pressing after a 3-1 friendly win against Crystal Palace, but insisted there remains "a lot of work to do" ahead of the new season.

United maintained their 100 per cent winning record across pre-season with a routine triumph over Patrick Vieira's out-of-sorts side in Melbourne, with Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho netting before youngster Will Fish received a late red card.

In opening the scoring with a neat volleyed finish, Martial became the first United player to score in three consecutive pre-season contests since 2007, when Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney did so ahead of a season in which United won the Premier League and Champions League.

As United finished a lowly sixth in the Premier League under caretaker manager Ralf Rangnick last season, their lack of an organised pressing style came under fire.

United ranked just 12th in the Premier League for possessions won in both the final and middle thirds of the pitch last season, as Liverpool topped both charts, and 37-year-old forward Ronaldo received particular scrutiny over his contributions outside of his clear goal threat.

After Tuesday's win, Ten Hag told MUTV: "We are happy with the improvement we see, but we see also there is a lot of work to do."

Asked specifically about United's pressing, he said: "That is a demand on the team, we press, we press all day. 

"If we can, we do it high on the pitch, if we can't, we do it in a lower block, but we have to do it together, as a team. The timing of the press, I still see switches we can't afford, we can prepare a better press. 

"I think also on the ball [we can improve]. We played well, but you see at 2-0 up or 3-0 up the belief is increasing, then with the ball we can delay, we can postpone so that opponents come out, and then speed up."

While Ronaldo's future at the club remains subject to speculation after he reportedly asked to leave for a Champions League club, Ten Hag is demanding greater off-the-ball work from all his forwards.

"I hope we can convince them [the attackers] to do a lot of work, a lot of running," he added. "You see, they put a lot of energy into the defence and they get rewarded by scoring goals, winning balls high up the pitch.

"No opponent likes to be pressed on the defensive line. I think it's a big advantage when you can do that, but you need the whole team."

Creative midfielder Bruno Fernandes is also relishing United's new, high-octane style, adding: "I think that we're much more aggressive now, firstly with the three guys up front; when they press, they press really strong.

"It makes where we recover the ball much closer to the goal. We are much more fresh to do that, we have more freedom when we recover the ball and we're playing much better on the ball too."

New Arsenal signing Gabriel Jesus does not want to be the "main man" at the Emirates Stadium.

The Brazil international joined the Gunners from Manchester City earlier this month for a reported fee of around £45million and made a positive start at his new club, scoring three times in his first two appearances in pre-season.

Despite many believing the player's desire to leave the Premier League champions was to take on a higher profile role at another club, Jesus has told reporters he does not want to be a "superstar", insisting he just wants to enjoy playing football.

Speaking to reporters during Arsenal's pre-season tour of the United States, Jesus said: "I don't want to be the main man, I don't want to be a superstar. I don't want to do these things. I want to play football, this game. So why not play football, enjoy football, what I love to do, you know? 

"I've come to help and to learn with the guys. There are amazing players here as well. So I've come to join a club where everyone's going to win together."

When asked why he chose to sign for Arsenal, the 25-year-old said: "First of all, it was when Edu [technical director] came to talk to me and asked me how I am, how I feel as a person, and then after as a football player on what I want in the future.

"So yeah, I think the conversation between me and Edu was amazing, because I was so happy with the project of the club. I was so happy to be at the club. And then I straight away said 'yes, I think my way is in London.'"

Jesus spent six years at Man City, scoring 95 goals in 234 appearances for Pep Guardiola's side in all competitions.

Since he signed for City, excluding penalties and of players who have played 5,000+ minutes in this period, only Sergio Aguero (0.91) and Mohamed Salah (0.88) have a better goal involvement per 90 minutes in the Premier League than Jesus (0.81).

However, with the added competition of new arrivals Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez at the Etihad Stadium, Jesus has moved south in search of more regular game time, but said his final conversation with Guardiola was a positive one.

"It was a good conversation between me and [Guardiola], it was really good," he said. "You know, I respect that because we have an amazing relationship because he called me when I was young in Brazil. And then I accepted and came to work with him.

"He’s one of the greatest managers of all-time, and yeah, I have a good relationship with him."

His new manager, Mikel Arteta, worked with him during the Spaniard's time as part of Guardiola's backroom staff prior to being hired by Arsenal, and Arteta spoke of the "special energy" Jesus has brought already.

"He's [always] with a smile on his face," he told reporters. "He feels important, he's bringing a special energy to the group.

"Obviously a big experience, because of the way he's been managed, handled and the expectation he had to fulfil at City, and he's doing it naturally like he is."

Manchester City have confirmed goalkeeper Zack Steffen has joined championship outfit Middlesbrough on a season-long loan.

The United States international has made 21 appearances and kept eight clean sheets for City in all competitions since joining in 2019, having previously been a regular starter for MLS side Columbus Crew.

Steffen made nine appearances for Pep Guardiola's team last season, beginning the campaign by starting a Community Shield loss to Leicester City, and ending it with a costly error in City's 3-2 FA Cup semi-final loss to Liverpool in April.

He was the main back-up to starting shot stopper Ederson at City. 

But with USA beginning their World Cup campaign against Wales on November 21 and Steffen facing competition from Arsenal's new signing Matt Turner, the 27-year-old hopes playing more regularly for Chris Wilder's side enables him to cement a starting spot in Qatar.

"It's a big coup for us, so I'm delighted we've brought Zack in," Boro boss Wilder said. "Everyone knows his situation, he needed to play because of the World Cup.

"He had an agreement with Man City, but he could have easily stayed there and sat comfortably as their number two. He wanted to go out and he's agreed to come here."

Steffen has 29 senior caps for his country, the last of which came in a 2-0 loss to Costa Rica in March, but he was not part of Gregg Berhalter's party for contests against Morocco, Uruguay, Grenada and El Salvador in June due to family reasons.

Middlesbrough begin their Championship campaign against West Bromwich Albion on July 30.

Chelsea and Wales defender Ethan Ampadu is desperate to break into the Blues' first team this season, but admits he needs regular playing time ahead of a likely World Cup appearance in Qatar.

Ampadu spent last season on loan at Venezia, making 29 Serie A appearances but failing to prevent them from finishing bottom of the Italian top flight. 

Having also spent time at RB Leipzig and Sheffield United since joining Chelsea from Exeter at the age of 16, Ampadu – already a Wales regular with 36 senior caps – is eyeing a breakthrough campaign at Stamford Bridge.

Asked whether he hoped for a long-term future with Chelsea by The Athletic, Ampadu, who is part of Thomas Tuchel's squad for a pre-season tour of the United States, replied: "Of course – I'm here, aren't I?

"This club fights for everything, Champions League, Premier League. It's all about fighting here and trying to get to the top.

"There are a few of us with that same mindset that want to break through. We're out here now and it's our chance to show it.

"Like every footballer out there, my dream is to be at the top. I don't think that's a bad thing to say and dream, everyone wants to be at the top. It's about fighting and getting towards that."

Ampadu appeared from the bench in Chelsea's 2-1 friendly win over Mexican giants Club America on Sunday.

But the 21-year-old will face fierce competition in his bid to force his way into a defence which conceded just 33 Premier League goals last season (only Liverpool and Manchester City conceded fewer).

Chelsea have already signed Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly and are being linked with Paris Saint-Germain's Presnel Kimpembe.

With Ampadu likely to feature when Wales begin their first World Cup campaign since 1958 against the United States on November 21, he recognises the importance of playing regularly.

"The World Cup adds something else, but even if there wasn't the World Cup, as a professional footballer you want to play," Ampadu added.

"I enjoy playing and I want to be playing week in, week out. But the World Cup is definitely something you want to be going to feeling fit and fresh."

Ben Stokes hopes his ODI retirement will prolong his Test career, as he reiterated his belief the current schedule makes it "unsustainable" for him to continue in all three formats.

Stokes, who has won his first four Tests since taking over as England's red-ball captain, will make his final ODI appearance against South Africa at Durham on Tuesday.

The all-rounder was instrumental in England's crowning achievement in the format, producing a remarkable 84 not out and registering eight in an enthralling Super Over to steer the side to victory in the 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand.

The 31-year-old will play his 105th ODI against the Proteas, having averaged 39.44 runs and taken a total of 74 wickets across his previous 104 outings in the format.

Speaking to Nasser Hussain for Sky Sports ahead of his one-day swansong, Stokes shed further light on his decision to focus on Test and Twenty20 cricket.

"It was a number of things, I think the schedule, everything that's expected of us these days is just, for me... it feels unsustainable," he said.

"It was actually after the first one-day game [against India last week], one person I spoke to [said] probably the best thing that was said to me, which was, 'if there's any doubt, there's no doubt'.

"As I said in my statement, this England shirt deserves 100 per cent of whoever wears it, and unfortunately, I didn't like the feeling of not being able to contribute in the way that I want to be able to. As an all-rounder I want to contribute with the bat, I want to contribute with the ball.

"Also [I didn't like the feeling of] stopping someone else being able to progress in this format for England, who I know is desperate to go out there and able to give the captain and the coach 100 per cent of themselves.

"When I thought about it long and hard and realised I don't think I can do that in all three formats after how the body felt after the Test series, it was easy, knowing that I can't go out there and give my all."

Stokes, who has made 83 Test appearances for his country, revealed giving up one of the white-ball formats to prolong his career was something he had considered for some time.

But he admitted he struggled to choose between ODI and T20 cricket, adding: "Yeah, it was never going to be an easy one.

"I always knew that at some point, I'd have to choose one of the white-ball formats to continue with, I just didn't know which one.

"After that one-day game, it just hit me in the face. I had a quick chat with Jos [Buttler] after the game and said if the game was in a different situation, I would've carried on bowling.

"Now, being the captain of the Test team, and with how much cricket we've got coming up, I've also got to bear in mind that I've got to look after my body because I want to play as long as I possibly can. 

"I look at the way Jimmy and Broady's careers have gone when they stopped playing white-ball cricket, and that's what I want to do. I want to play 140 or 150 Test matches for England.

"It's come a lot earlier than I would have liked it to, at 31 years of age, to give one of the formats up, but there's longevity that I've thought about.

"Hopefully when I'm 35 or 36 and still playing Test cricket and T20 cricket, I can look back on this decision and say I'm very happy with the decision I made."

Daria Kasatkina revealed she is in a gay relationship as Russia's leading star on the WTA Tour attacked homophobic attitudes in her homeland, and called for the war in Ukraine to end.

In an emotional interview with documentary maker Vitya Kravchenko, Kasatkina, who lives in Barcelona, teared up at the prospect of potentially being unable to return to Russia after being so candid.

The recent French Open semi-finalist has won four WTA titles in her career, including trophy runs at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow and the St Petersburg Open.

She has spoken about matters of sexuality in the past, and when asked whether she has a girlfriend, Kasatkina said in the new documentary: "Yes."

On her social media accounts, Kasatkina confirmed she and Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiako, who she described as "my cutie pie", are a couple.

She knows LGBT matters are taboo in Russia, saying: "So many subjects are taboo in Russia, some of them more important than ours, it's no surprise.

"This notion of someone wanting to be gay or becoming one, so ridiculous I think. There's nothing easier in this world than being straight.

"Seriously, if there is a choice, nobody would choose being gay. Why make your life harder, especially in Russia? What's the point?"

Asked whether she would be able to hold hands with her girlfriend in Russia, Kasatkina said: "Never."

Assessing the process of coming out, the 25-year-old said: "It's up to you how to do it and how much to tell. Living in peace with yourself is the only thing that matters, and f*** everyone else."

Few Russian sports stars have spoken out against the invasion of Ukraine, but Kasatkina made it clear that she feels strongly the war must stop.

Asked what she wanted most of all, Kasatkina said: "For the war to end. There hasn't been a single day since February 24 that I haven't read some news myself. Or haven't thought of it. [I want] for the day to just pass by without it.

"What people go through there, people that have relatives in Ukraine, especially when you start talking about Russia, Belgorod, here we go again. I can't imagine what they're going through, it's a full-blown nightmare.

"If only we could do something to stop that, even tiny percentage to stop. Not to change people's minds or something, only stop. Without a thought, I'd do anything, but unfortunately that's impossible and I think you understand it. We can't affect it. We can't change events that unfold. You feel powerless."

When she was asked by Kravchenko whether she was afraid she might not be allowed back to Russia because of her criticism, Kasatkina said: "Yes, I have thought about it."

She broke down in tears at that point.

Kasatkina has found support for coming out, with former doubles star Pam Shriver among those thanking her. She was also praised by Russian women's national team footballer Nadya Karpova, who has spoken about her own lesbian life and has also been a critic of the war.

Karpova posted on Instagram: "You are beautiful! I'm proud."

Kasatkina thanked Karpova in the YouTube documentary, saying: "Not only did Nadya help herself by coming clean and getting this burden off her chest, but she helped others.

"I believe it's important the influential people from sports, or any other sphere really, speaks about it. It helps."

Sebastien Haller thanked well-wishers after the Borussia Dortmund striker had to leave the club's pre-season training camp due to a testicular tumour.

The Ivory Coast striker recently joined Dortmund on a four-year deal from Dutch champions Ajax, arriving as a replacement for Erling Haaland who moved on to Manchester City.

Haller was with his new club in Switzerland when he complained of feeling unwell at training on Monday. Subsequent medical tests revealed the tumour, and 28-year-old Haller has returned to Germany for further assessment.

Dortmund have said they will offer updates on Haller's condition when possible.

Haller wrote on Twitter on Tuesday: "I want to thank you again from the bottom of my heart for all the many and warm messages received. I've been very moved to see the beautiful reactions and I have the impression that I don't deserve so much.

"But I know that thanks to you, it will be just one more test on our journey. We will see each other very soon on the pitch to celebrate our next victories."

He added: "I will now focus on my recovery to come back stronger."

Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said on Monday that the initial test outcome had been "a shock to Sebastien Haller and to all of us".

Kehl added: "The entire BVB family wishes Sebastien a full recovery as soon as possible and that we can hug him again soon. We will do everything in our power to ensure that he receives the best possible treatment."

Haller is returning to German football after previously playing for Eintracht Frankfurt from 2017 to 2019, after which he had 18 months at West Ham prior to joining Ajax.

He enjoyed a highly impressive season with Ajax last term, finishing as the Eredivisie's top scorer with 21 goals in 31 games, while netting 11 times in eight Champions League matches.

Only Robert Lewandowski (13) and Karim Benzema (15) scored more Champions League goals than Haller.

Djed Spence says joining Tottenham fulfils his dream of becoming a Premier League player and now he cannot wait to learn from some of his star Spurs team-mates.

The wing-back joined Tottenham from Middlesbrough for a fee in the region of £20million including add-ons on Tuesday, signing a five-year contract.

Spence, 21, became the sixth arrival of the transfer window for Spurs, joining Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison and Barcelona loanee Clement Lenglet.

"It's a dream come true to play in the Premier League at a big club like Tottenham Hotspur," Spence said to the Spurs website after his move was completed.

"It's amazing, I'm thankful that I'm here and that I'm going to get the opportunity to play for this club.

"Of course, everyone wants to play in the Premier League. As a kid, you watch it from when you're young, so it was a target of mine and I've finally reached it, so I'm happy.

"Obviously this is a big club with Champions League football as well, and you've got some of the best players who play here, so it's a privilege to be here and I can't wait to get going.

"[This environment] seems very good and it will help me develop as a player a lot. I can obviously learn from other people and the experience that they have.

"From a young age, to go from watching some of the players on TV to now playing with them – it's going to be great, and I'm excited to learn from them and take in anything they can offer me.

"In the Premier League you have high-intensity, good technical players – it will be hard, but I'm ready for the challenge. I'm excited to hit the ground running, hopefully play and try to impress.

"We have a great manager too – from what I've seen of him, he's a top manager and I can't wait to work under him."

Spence fell out of favour at Middlesbrough and was subsequently sent on loan to Nottingham Forest, where he made 42 Championship appearances in the 2021-22 season.

The England Under-21 international impressed as Forest earned Premier League promotion to return to the highest level for the first time in 23 years, and also shone in the FA Cup against top-flight opposition.

Spence was a threat at both ends of the pitch, scoring two goals and assisting four, and will likely suit Antonio Conte's 3-5-2 system as a right wing-back, competing with the likes of Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal for a place in the side.

"It's been a long journey in my career so far; it's been hard at times, but it’s been good as well, and I've been working hard to get to where I am now," added Spence.

"I try to bring excitement, skill and speed when I play – I just want to excite the fans and to play well. That’s the most important thing – when you excite your team and your fans and play well, it breeds confidence, and confidence is one of the biggest things in football."

Forest were reportedly interested in signing Spence on a permanent deal, but the lure of Champions League football helped secure the defender for Conte's side.

Spence will hope to play with freedom down the right side for Conte, having attempted (187) and completed (76) the most dribbles among Championship defenders last season.

Asked what he thought when he hears the words Tottenham Hotspur, Spence replied: "Attacking football, exciting football and obviously with the new manager coming in, a winning mentality."

Tottenham have completed the signing of Djed Spence from Middlesbrough for a fee in the region of £20million, with add-ons included.

Spence fell out of favour at Middlesbrough under Neil Warnock, and was subsequently sent on loan to Nottingham Forest, where he made 42 Championship appearances in the 2021-22 season.

​The England Under-21 international impressed as Forest earned Premier League promotion to return to the highest level for the first time in 23 years, and also shone in the FA Cup against top-flight opposition.

Spence was a threat at both ends of the pitch, scoring two goals and assisting four, while competing for the most duels (508) among defenders in the Championship.

The 21-year-old will likely suit Antonio Conte's 3-5-2 system as a right wing-back after joining the Premier League side on a five-year deal on Tuesday.

Tottenham said: "We are delighted to announce the signing of Djed Spence from Middlesbrough. The right-back has signed a contract that will run until 2027."

Forest were reportedly interested in signing Spence on a permanent deal, but the lure of Champions League football helped secure the defender for Conte's side.

Spence became the sixth arrival of the transfer window for Spurs, joining Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison and Barcelona loanee Clement Lenglet.

The former Middlesbrough wing-back will hope to play with freedom down the right side for Conte, having attempted (187) and completed (76) the most dribbles among Championship defenders last season.

Spence will aim to get his first taste of Premier League action when Tottenham host Southampton on August 6.

Deandre Ayton called it "a blessing" to return to the Phoenix Suns on his new four-year, $133million contract extension.

Ayton, 23, averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game this past regular season, making it four consecutive seasons he has tallied at least 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest since entering the league in the 2018 NBA Draft.

The former first overall pick finished fourth in the NBA in field goal percentage (63.4 per cent), while also demonstrating he has the defensive versatility to close playoff games – a rare trait for a modern centre in the era of 'small-ball'.

Instead of paying their top pick his max contract a year early to take the pressure off – as the Dallas Mavericks did with Ayton's draft classmate Luka Doncic – the Suns decided against that route, forcing their seven-foot youngster to prove himself again a season after helping the franchise to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993.

After waiting to see what price Ayton would command on the open market, the Suns did not hesitate to match the Indiana Pacers' max offer sheet, as it was one year and $42m less than the Suns could have offered as the team that drafted him.

Speaking to ESPN in his first interview since making his extension with Phoenix official, Ayton said while he is grateful, the process has opened his eyes to the business side of the NBA.

"This is a blessing," he said. "This contract not only has generational impact for my family, but also with the way we are able to work in the Phoenix community and home in the Bahamas. 

"I've come to understand that this is a business. So, I was more anxious to know the end of the result so I could focus, move on and just get back to work. The shift in free agency brought a lot of uncertainty through the whole process. 

"I got to give a lot of respect to the Pacers organisation – they were aggressive from the start and showing a lot of love – and we agreed to a max offer sheet. The Suns matched, now, I'm back in Phoenix as a Sun.

"I'm happy the process is over. I can put all this behind me and focus on chasing a championship this upcoming season with my brothers."

Suns general manager James Jones told ESPN that the plan was always to bring Ayton back, although he called the decision to play things out through restricted free agency "negotiations", without going into it any further.

"We wanted Deandre here," he said. "He's vital to what we do, at the core of everything that we do. 

"Throughout this whole process it was, it rang true. We wanted to keep him here, and the moment we can come to an agreement, we would. 

"So, waiting 24 hours, 48 hours [to match the Pacers' offer], that wasn't something we needed to do because going into it, we knew this is where he wanted to be and where we wanted him to be.

"If there's any doubt from anyone that we wanted him, I think that the matching did that. It was urgent for us. It was important. It was critical for us. So, we just wanted to make sure that we handled our business quickly."

Phoenix head coach Monty Williams also said he was ecstatic to have his starting center back, despite an incident in the Suns' Game 7 elimination against the Golden State Warriors where Ayton allegedly refused to re-enter the game during the blowout loss, which Williams called an "internal" matter at the time.

"James [Jones] and myself, we talk a lot and he'll let me know what's going on with the contract and ask for my opinion," Williams said. 

"I try to stay out of persuading him when it comes to him making decisions, but we knew any offer that he got, we were going to match.

"I'm happy for Deandre just because I know this is what he wanted. He wants to be in that class of players that's regarded in this way. From that standpoint, I think as a competitor, that's what you want. When you see a guy working for that, that part is pretty cool."

In his first comments about the Game 7 situation, Ayton said any issues are now "in the past" and that his relationship with Williams is "calm".

When Williams was asked about the situation, he simply described it as "a bad day".

"I didn't feel like I had to say anything. I was just doing my job," he said. "We had a bad day, but we had an unbelievable season. 

"Unfortunately, in sports and even in society, we focus on the one bad thing. It hurt like crazy, and it still hurts. It was embarrassing to play that way, but as the dust settles and I look at the season from a holistic perspective, I look at all the good stuff that happened."

Los Angeles Angels All-Star Mike Trout revealed Monday that he will serve as the United States team captain for next year’s World Baseball Classic.

Trout made the announcement during a media conference at Dodgers Stadium for Tuesday’s All-Star Game, in which the three-time American League MVP will be unable to participate after suffering a ribcage injury that has been causing spasms in his upper back.

The future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer has been mostly healthy this season and is tied for third in the AL with 24 home runs and fourth in OPS (.967) while recording 51 RBIs and a .270 average in 79 games.

His production has dropped off as of late, however, as he’s hit .200 with a .697 OPS in 18 games since June 20. Trout has struck out 25 times in 65 at-bats over that stretch.

Trout chose not to compete in the most recent World Baseball Classic in 2017, citing personal reasons. The tournament was scheduled to be played in 2021 but wound up cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I’m looking forward to playing for our country," Trout said. "It’s going to be awesome to have ‘USA’ across my chest. It really means a lot to me. It’s going to be fun."

The 31-year-old center fielder missed the Angels’ final four games prior to the All-Star break with the injury and was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday, retroactive to July 12. Trout said he’s hopeful of being back in the lineup when first eligible, which would be the Angels’ visit to Atlanta on Saturday in their second game following the stoppage.

"It’s just one of the things that’s got to get right before I start swinging," Trout said. "It is frustrating for sure. I can’t really pinpoint what caused it, it just started to bother me."

Trout was elected to a 10th career All-Star Game – and ninth straight as a starter – but will miss the contest for a second straight year due to injury. He sat out the 2021 edition due to a strained right calf that limited him to a career-low 36 games last season.

 

The man at the centre of the the biggest potential trade story of the season, Juan Soto, gave another display of his value on Monday as he won the MLB Home Run Derby.

Soto, 23, recently rejected a 15-year, $440million extension with the Washington Nationals, sparking rumours that the franchise would instead try to cash-in on him for what is expected to be one of the greatest trade hauls in league history.

He went second in all three of his matchups, meaning he never had a chance to bat out his full time and put up a monstrous score, but he chased down his target relatively comfortably all three times.

He defeated Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez 18-17 in the first round, setting up a surprise matchup with future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer Albert Pujols after the legend shocked top seed Kyle Schwarber 20-19 in a swing-off after tying 13-13 in regulation.

Pujols could not repeat the heroics in the second round, getting eliminated 16-15 as Soto booked his place in the final.

On the other side of the bracket, Seattle Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez would steal the show, crushing the highest total of the day with 32 home runs as the very first batter of the event, eliminating Corey Seager.

Rodriguez then showed up the reigning back-to-back champion, Pete Alonso, with a score of 31-23, storming into the final opposite Soto.

Ultimately, Rodriguez ran out of juice, only putting up 18 in the decider, which Soto was able to chase down with 30 seconds to spare to claim the crown. Soto also finished with the longest home run of the day at 482 feet.

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