Alexander Zverev is determined to "come back stronger than ever" after undergoing ankle surgery on Tuesday. 

Zverev tore all three lateral ligaments in his right ankle during the second set of his French Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal last week. 

The German is set to miss Wimbledon after his hopes of winning a first grand slam at Roland Garros came to a painful end. 

Zverev is ready to knuckle down with his rehabilitation after going under the knife in his homeland. 

Along with a picture of himself in his hospital bed giving the thumbs up, he posted on Instagram: "We all have our own journey in life. This is part of mine. 

"Next week I'll reach a career-high ranking of number two in the world, but this morning I had to undergo surgery. After further examination in Germany, we received confirmation that all three of the lateral ligaments in my right ankle were torn. 

"To return to competition as quickly as possible, to ensure all the ligaments heal properly, and to reclaim full stability in my ankle, surgery was the best choice. My rehab starts now and I'll do everything to come back stronger than ever! 

"I am continuing to receive so many messages and would like to thank everyone once again for supporting me during such a difficult time." 

Nadal went on to beat Casper Ruud in the final in Paris on Sunday to claim a record-extending 14th French Open title, taking his astonishing tally of grand slam triumphs to 22. 

Gianluigi Donnarumma admitted he was left "speechless" after leading Italy to victory over Hungary in the Nations League. 

Goals from Nicolo Barella and Lorenzo Pellegrini helped the Azzurri prevail 2-1 at Dino Manuzzi on Tuesday.

Gianluca Mancini's own-goal set up a nervous finish in Cesena, but the reigning European champions held out for maximum points in the Group A3 encounter.

Once again, Roberto Mancini handed the captain's armband to Donnarumma, who shook off an injury to his finger to take his place between the sticks.

The Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper became Italy's youngest skipper since 1965 when he donned the armband against Belgium last October.

And following his nation's failure to qualify for the World Cup – as well as the commanding Finalissima defeat to Argentina earlier this month – the 23-year-old has been pleased with the response of Mancini's youthful squad.

"We knew that we had to change and restart with young players after a difficult period," Donnarumma said.

"They [the youngsters] came here with the right spirit knowing that you have to do everything you can for this shirt.

"The captain's armband is an indescribable emotion, wearing the number one shirt and the armband is something that leaves you speechless. 

"For this shirt, I would play even without a finger, I have to thank the medical staff who helped me a lot; with my desire and their help, I was able to play tonight. 

"For me, this shirt is incredible and I will play as long as I can with this shirt."

Italy displaced Hungary at the top of Group A3 with four points from their opening two games.

As a result, Mancini believes his players can carry plenty of belief as the campaign continues against England later this week. 

"We played a good game, especially in the first half,” the head coach added.

"Their goal, however, created us some fear and pressure in a game we should have won with a bigger margin of goals. Both teams were a bit tired at the end.

"We are playing with several youngsters and we are aware that we have plenty of work to do, the road is still long. 

"We can go forward with confidence, however, because we played two good games against difficult teams in Germany and Hungary."

Harry Kane salvaged a point for England by scoring his 50th international goal with a late penalty in a 1-1 draw against Germany in Nations League Group A3 on Tuesday. 

By slotting his spot-kick into the bottom-left corner in the 88th minute, Kane moved clear of Bobby Charlton and to within three of Wayne Rooney's all-time England goalscoring record. 

Jonas Hofmann put Germany in front early in the second half, the midfielder finding the back of the net for the second time in three international appearances. 

However, Nico Schlotterbeck felled Kane in the box and the Tottenham striker stopped England succumbing to back-to-back defeats for the first time since 2018 with a milestone goal. 

Thomas Muller was denied a tap-in by an important intervention from Kyle Walker and the Bayern Munich star had the ball in the back of the net in the 13th minute, though play was pulled back due to an injury to Kalvin Phillips. 

Hofmann slotted home after Harry Maguire was caught out by Kai Havertz, but the goal was ruled out by an offside flag and the decision was upheld after a lengthy VAR check. 

Kane wasted a rare chance for England in the 26th minute by blazing over when Manuel Neuer spilled a corner at his feet under pressure from Maguire. 

Gareth Southgate's side struggled to keep pace after the restart and fell behind when Joshua Kimmich picked out Hofmann, who drilled the ball past Jordan Pickford. 

It would have been two had Pickford not managed to get a strong hand to Muller's volley at the near post after an excellent delivery from David Raum. 

Neuer produced a brilliant stop to keep Kane at bay with 15 minutes remaining but the England captain finally got the better of the Germany keeper from the penalty spot to earn the Three Lions a share of the spoils. 

Italy registered their first victory of the new Nations League campaign by beating Hungary 2-1 at Stadio Dino Manuzzi.

First-half goals from Nicolo Barella and Lorenzo Pellegrini sealed the points for Roberto Mancini’s side in the Group A3 encounter in Cesena on Tuesday.

Hungary pulled one back after the break when Gianluca Mancini put through his own net, but Marco Rossi’s men were unable to build on their impressive victory over England on Saturday.

The European champions, who failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, held on for only their second victory from seven matches in what was the first meeting between the nations since August 2007.

Italy made a strong start as Mancini twice met Matteo Politano corners, but was denied by Denes Dibusz on both occasions. Gianluigi Donnarumma then got down well to block Roland Sallai’s fierce strike at the other end.

Dibusz was helpless as Italy broke through on the half-hour mark; Barella receiving the ball from Leonardo Spinazzola before firing into the top corner from 25 yards out.

The hosts doubled their lead just before the break, when Politano's square ball was swept home by Pellegrini at the far post.

Politano went close to adding a third within 10 minutes of the restart, rattling the crossbar from 20 yards out moments after Donnarumma kept out Sallai's volley.

Mancini gave Hungary hope in the 61st minute when he diverted Attila Fiola's centre into his own net.

Sallai and Willi Orban also drew smart saves out of Donnarumma, but Italy were not to be denied all three points.

Ajdin Hrustic's late deflected strike sealed a 2-1 victory over the United Arab Emirates that put Australia one win away from the World Cup.

The Socceroos could not muster a shot on target in the first half of a do-or-die play-off at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium and they were indebted to Mat Ryan for twice denying Harib Abdalla Suhail at his near post.

Australia got into their stride after break and were in front when Jackson Irvine turned in Martin Boyle's cross from close range with 53 minutes gone.

The UAE were level four minutes later when Caio Canedo fired into the roof of the net from six yards out with his left foot after Suhail's cross caused panic in the Socceroos defence.

Craig Goodwin missed a great chance to put Graham Arnold's side back in front, but the decisive moment came six minutes from time as Hrustic let fly with a powerful left-foot strike that hit Ali Salmeen and gave goalkeeper Khalid Eisa no chance.

Australia will face Peru in an intercontinental play-off at the same venue next Monday, with the winner sealing their place in the showpiece in Qatar. The UAE's wait for a first World Cup appearance since 1990 goes on.

Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich said Darius Leonard was scheduled to have back surgery on Tuesday, but the All-Pro linebacker is expected to be ready for the season opener. 

Leonard also underwent an ankle operation in June after making 122 tackles in 2021 and being named to the All-Pro Team for the third time while earning his third Pro Bowl selection. 

The 2018 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year is expected to miss the beginning of training camp next month. 

"Not sure on the timetable now, but in my mind as long as he’s ready for the regular season, I'm not concerned," Reich said. 

Since being drafted by Indianapolis with the fourth pick of the second round (36th overall) in 2018, Leonard is second in the NFL with 538 tackles and tied for second in the league with 17 forced fumbles. 

Leonard’s 11 interceptions since the beginning of the 2018 season are the most by any linebacker in the NFL.

Emma Raducanu has "no idea" if she will be fit for Wimbledon after retiring from her first-round match against Viktorija Golubic at the Nottingham Open on Tuesday. 

Second seed Raducanu conceded the match after 36 minutes having sustained an injury to her left side while down a break at 4-3 in the opening set. 

The 19-year-old is scheduled to appear at Birmingham next week before heading to Wimbledon, where she reached the fourth round last year. 

US Open champion Raducanu, who made her WTA Tour debut in Nottingham last year, is unsure if she will recover in time to feature at the All England Club. 

"I think I pulled something, I am not really sure what exactly happened," Raducanu said. 

"I have just come off court, an absolute freak injury. I don't know what I could have done more about it. That is it. 

"I have no idea [about Wimbledon]. It could have just seized up and gone into spasm and then it is really bad for a few days. I have no idea. I cannot diagnose myself. I will get it checked out." 

Raducanu was the only seed to exit the tournament, with top seed Maria Sakkari overcoming Camila Osorio 6-2 6-3 to advance to a second-round meeting with Rebecca Marino. 

Beatriz Haddad Maia came from a set down to beat Wang Qiang 5-7 6-4 6-3, while Ajla Tomljanovic and Camila Giorgi had comfortable victories against Wang Xinyu and Sonay Kartal respectively. 

Aryna Sabalenka cruised into the second round of the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships by defeating Kateryna Baindl 6-4 6-1. 

Fifth seed Liudmila Samsonova, meanwhile, succumbed to a 6-3 6-4 loss to Ann Li in an hour and 22 minutes. 

There would have been further casualties among the seeds had Tamara Zidansek, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Elise Mertens not fought from a set down to win their opening matches. 

Australia cruised to a 10-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the opening T20I of the three-match series after a dismal collapse from the hosts.

In a rain-affected first match of Australia's tour, which will encompass series in all three formats, Sri Lanka looked to be in a strong position on 100-1.

However, from there they lost nine wickets for just 28 further runs, Josh Hazlewood (4-16) and Mitchell Starc (3-26) ripping through Sri Lanka's line-up.

Danushka Gunathilaka went in the fifth over after a pacey 15-ball 26 but Sri Lanka appeared solid until Starc bowled Pathum Nissanka (36).

That brought about a flurry of wickets, Charith Asalanka (38) run out by Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Wade just before the first rain delay.

Australia polished off the tail upon resumption, Wanindu Hasaranga (17) the sole other batter to reach double figures, and the rain could not stop captain Aaron Finch (61 not out) and David Warner (70no) from powering the tourists to the meagre target with 36 balls remaining. Finch finished things off with an uppercut for six.
 

Josh the boss

Hazlewood's figures marked the second best of his career in T20 international cricket after the 4-12 he took against the same opposition in Sydney in February.

The seamer continues to torment Sri Lanka, his effort this time around comprising 15 dot balls as he gave up only two boundaries.

Hasaranga helpless

Hasaranga was one of the star performers of the 2022 Indian Premier League, taking 26 wickets, but was bludgeoned by Finch and Warner on home soil, his two overs going for 27 runs.

Maheesh Theekshana was slightly better with 0-25 from four, but Sri Lanka's decision to pick two spinners backfired.

The minimum age ice skaters must be to compete in senior events has been raised from 15 to 17 for the sake of protecting the "physical and mental health" of competitors.

The International Skating Union (ISU) announced the change on Tuesday, almost four months after the sport was in the spotlight for the wrong reasons during the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Russian Kamila Valieva, aged 15 at the time, was provisionally banned during the Games after it came to light that she had tested positive for banned heart medication trimetazidine last December.

That revelation came just before the Russian Olympic Committee were due to be awarded a gold medal for the team event in which she had competed.

Valieva was cleared to go for individual gold, but slipped from first place to miss out on a medal after making a string of mistakes in her decisive final routine.

Rather than consoling a distraught Valieva, her coach, Eteri Tutberidze, instead asked her "why did you stop fighting?" in reference to an initial error on her opening triple axel.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach says it was "chilling" to see the way Valieva was treated by her coach.

The ISU has now revealed competitors skaters must be 16 to enter senior events from the 2023-24 season and 17 as of the following season.

Despite some growing pains in his second NFL season, Jalen Hurts helped the Philadelphia Eagles reach the playoffs in his first year as a full-time starter in 2021.

The team is hoping he will take a big step forward entering his third pro season, and so far, coach Nick Sirianni has been impressed with his progress.

"I'm noticing a big difference," he told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio. "What I see is a crisper ball. The accuracy I've been very pleased with. You can just see him taking strides every single day with his accuracy because of the fundamentals he has with his feet and his upper body."

Hurts' focus since Philadelphia’s 2021 season ended with a 31-15 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round has been on his footwork and his throwing mechanics with an emphasis on his timing.

A major advantage for the 23-year-old quarterback this offseason is that he is working with the same offensive system from 2021 – the first time since high school he has used the same playbook in successive seasons.

"That's been very pivotal going into the offseason ... just being decisive out there on the field, knowing pretty much where I'm going to go with the ball based off the look that they give me," Hurts said. "There's a natural maturation there, as I've always talked about."

Hurts led all quarterbacks in rushing yards with 784 and rushing touchdowns with 10 in 2021, but was not one of the more dangerous passing QBs.

He ranked 15th in yards per attempt (7.28), 22nd in passer rating (87.2), 26th in completion percentage (61.3) and was tied with three other QBs for 23rd in TD passes (16). In the golden age of passing, he had just two 300-yard passing games while Philadelphia averaged 200.2 passing yards per game – eighth lowest in the NFL and fewest by a playoff team.

"We want that to come up," Sirianni said in reference to the passing ranking.

The offseason addition of A.J. Brown should help with the Eagles’ passing attack. Brown led the Tennessee Titans last season with 63 catches for 869 yards and five receiving touchdowns and will team with DeVonta Smith, who led Philadelphia with 64 receptions for 916 yards and five TD receptions as a rookie in 2021.

"It's my job to just go out there and play point guard," Hurts said. "Distribute the ball, get the playmakers the ball, and my plays will come."

Tiger Woods will not play at the U.S. Open this month but plans to be at St Andrews for The Open in July.

The 15-time major champion withdrew from the US PGA Championship last month after shooting a nine-over 79 in his third round.

Woods was playing in only his second tournament since suffering serious leg injuries in a car crash in February 2021.

The 46-year-old had made a sensational comeback at The Masters in April, defying the odds to make the cut at Augusta before finishing 47th.

Woods stated ahead of the US PGA Championship at Southern Hills that he felt "a lot stronger" than he did after making an unlikely Masters comeback, but struggled on moving day in the second major of the year.

The legendary American on Tuesday confirmed he will not feature in the U.S. Open, which starts at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts on June 16.

However, he is aiming to tee off in the JP McManus Pro-Am at Adare Manor in County Limerick on July 4-5 and play in the last major of the year in Scotland, which gets under way on July 14.

He tweeted: "I previously informed the USGA that I will not be competing in the @usopengolf as my body needs more time to get stronger for major championship golf.

"I do hope and plan to be ready to play in Ireland at @JPProAm and at @TheOpen next month. I'm excited to get back out there soon!"

Woods outlined his plans amid a storm in the golfing world, with his compatriots Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson having resigned from the PGA Tour to play in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series.

Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf, this week told the Washington Post that Woods had turned down a "mind-blowingly enormous" offer to play in the controversial breakaway series.

The new era of Duke basketball continues with the formation of a new front office position to help players enhance their marketing skills in the new college sports world created by NIL (name, image and likeness).

First-year Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer announced on Tuesday that Rachel Baker is the program's first general manager – a position she will use to assist players in capitalising on strategic partnerships. 

"The state of college basketball is growing and changing at an exponential rate," Scheyer said. "Rachel is a one-of-a-kind talent with unique experience that will provide our players and their families with an unparalleled resource and partner as we navigate new frontiers of college basketball together.

"Through her work in the NBA and at Nike, she brings nearly a decade of expertise in the business of basketball to our staff, as well as her gifts in relationship and community building, leadership development, and experiential marketing. We can't wait to see all she brings to our program in this newly created position." 

A former lacrosse player at La Salle and the daughter of a collegiate basketball coach, Baker spent eight years at Nike and one year in the NBA league office before joining Duke. At Nike, she led their Elite Youth Basketball League, developing partnerships and managing strategic initiatives. During her year with the NBA, Baker directed the marketing and rebranding of the WNBA. 

"I could not be more excited to join Jon Scheyer and the entire Duke Basketball family," said Baker. "We're in the middle of such a transformative moment – not only for Duke, but for the college basketball landscape – and the chance to be part of it is the opportunity of a lifetime.

"Duke Basketball has remained rooted in honoring our storied history while writing the future of the game. I am humbled and honored to join this tradition and can't wait to get started." 

Baker is the latest major change for the Drake program following the retirement of coach Mike Krzyzewski after he had led the team to five NCAA Tournament championships since his hiring in 1980.  

Scheyer, the 34-year-old former Blue Devils star, had been on Coach K’s staff since 2014 and took over for the Hall of Fame coach following his planned retirement in April. 

Baker, who graduated from La Salle in 2012 and holds an executive education certificate in business of entertainment, media and sport from Harvard University, is the daughter of Rod Baker, who coached Tufts from 1983-88 and Cal-Irvine from 1991-97.