Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout will miss the rest of the season after he sustained another meniscus tear, general manager Perry Minasian said Thursday.
Trout, widely regarded as the best player of his generation, released a statement on social media, writing that he was “devastated” to learn that an MRI revealed a second tear.
The three-time American League MVP was attempting to return from a separate torn meniscus he suffered on April 29. He appeared in 29 games this season before the injury and underwent surgery on May 3.
Trout suited up for a Triple-A game on July 23 as he attempted to return, but he experienced a setback and left the contest after just two innings due to soreness in his knee.
The first MRI didn’t reveal any structural damage and he was informed that he was dealing with scar tissue buildup and inflammation, leaving the possibility of a return. But another MRI showed a tear in the same surgically repaired knee.
Trout, who turns 33 on Wednesday, started this season with 10 home runs in his first 109 at-bats before the injury. His .220 batting average was well below his career mark of .299, but he still had a .867 OPS and six steals.
Injuries have become a troubling trend for Trout, who was limited to 82 games in 2023 due to a wrist issue. Back problems kept him to 119 games in 2022, but he still hit 40 home runs with a .283 average. He played in just 36 games the previous season after suffering a right calf strain.
Trout is making $37.1 million in the sixth year of a 12-year, $426.5 million contract and will earn that salary in each of the next six seasons.
Trout is an 11-time All-Star and has won nine Silver Slugger Awards, but has only appeared in three postseason games and none since 2014.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has extended his contract, the Formula One team confirmed on Thursday.
Stella, who joined the British-based team in 2015 from Ferrari, has signed a multi-year deal with McLaren not revealing the length of the new terms.
The 53-year-old has overseen McLaren's recent transformation, and are just 42 points behind Red Bull as they aim to claim a first Constructors' championship since 1988.
This season, drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have finished in the podium places for the last 10 races, including a first one-two since 2021 at the Hungarian Grand Prix earlier this month.
Both Norris and Piastri have also signed contract extensions, keeping them with the team until at least the end of the 2026 season, building solid foundations for the future.
"It's a privilege to be part of the McLaren F1 team, and I am honoured to continue in my role as team principal," said Stella.
"We've made great strides forward in the past year and a half and we still have a lot more work to do to consistently fight at the front of the grid, which poses an exciting challenge.
"Success comes through the team working in synergy, and I am enjoying my role, which has allowed me to help unlock individual talent and empower people to work together towards our team's objectives."
Chief Executive Zak Brown added: "[Andrea's] excellent leadership, expertise and the respect he holds within the team and Formula 1 means we could not have a better person in place to continue the pursuit of consistently fighting at the front of the grid.
"His impact on McLaren F1 in his role as team principal has been profound, not only through our results on track and the trajectory of the team but also in his development of our culture and mindset.
"With multi-year extensions already agreed with Lando, Oscar, and now Andrea, we can confidently continue on our quest to become World Champions. We're all looking forward to the years to come under Andrea's leadership."
"I am looking forward to stopping now", were the words of Andy Murray after his glittering tennis career came to an end at the Paris Olympics.
Murray's final tournament ended in the quarter-finals at Roland-Garros as he and Dan Evans were beaten in straight sets by American duo Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz.
The 37-year-old left Court Suzanne-Lenglen to a standing ovation as the curtain came down on a career that included three Grand Slam titles, as well as singles gold at both the London and Rio Games.
"I feel good. I have been ready for this moment for the last few months since I had the operation on my back," said Murray.
"I knew it was the right time and I feel lucky to come and compete here.
"I am grateful to Dan (Evans) for putting in the effort he did to give us a good chance of having a great run. I am looking forward to stopping now."
While Murray and Evans had pulled off miraculous comebacks against Japan’s Kei Nishikori and Taro Daniel and Belgium's Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen in the previous rounds, both Paul and Fritz proved to be a step too far.
The British pair were second best for much of the contest, despite showing signs of yet another comeback in the second set only for Fritz's strong service game to cinch victory for the Americans.
"I mean it was a great run and we lost to two top players today. They are both top tennis players, we would have had to play very well to win that match and we didn’t.
"We got into it at the end, but if we found that form earlier we could have caused them problems, but it wasn't to be.
"We did make the quarters, but if you get through that match you get an opportunity to win a medal."
Murray bows out having won 739 of his 1001 ATP Tour level matches, earning 46 singles titles across his career as well as spending 41 weeks as world number one.
But in true Murray fashion, he posted to X joking he never liked the sport he played for 18 years shortly after the defeat.
Donna Vekic will play Qinwen Zheng in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics after easing to a straight sets victory over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
The Croatian dominated proceedings from start to finish on Court Philippe Chatrier, comfortably triumphing 6-2 6-0 in just over an hour.
Vekic and Schmiedlova traded blows in the opening exchanges, but it would be the world number 21 who found the decisive break to go 3-2 up in the fifth game.
From then on, the Croatian was able to hold her serve to claim the first set, but the best was still to come.
Vekic would drop just five points in the entirety of the second set, storming to victory in a contest where she converted all four of her break points.
Data Debrief: Vekic one match away from creating history
Vekic will be the first Croatian player in tennis history to secure a gold or silver medal at the Olympics in singles when she faces Zheng on Saturday.
In a dominant display, Vekic won seven games in a row compared to Schmiedlova's one, winning 24 of her 32 first serve points.
Simone Biles claimed her sixth Olympic gold medal following a thrilling conclusion to the gymnastics individual all-round final in Paris on Thursday.
After spearheading the United States to gold in the women's team event, she retained the title she won eight years ago in Rio, edging team-mate Sunisa Lee.
Biles' nine medals (six gold, one silver, two bronze) are two better than Shannon Miller, who won two golds, two silvers and three bronzes across the 1992 and 1996 Games.
"It is crazy I am in the conversation of the greatest of all time," Biles said. "I just think I’m still Simone Biles from Spring, Texas, who loves to flip."
Brazil's Rebecca Andrade finished second on Thursday to get silver and Lee took the bronze in the first Olympic matchup of past all-around champions.
Lee became the first gold medalist to return to the podium in the next Olympics since Romania's Nadia Comaneci won gold and then bronze in 1976 and 1980.
Biles started her quest for gold by scoring 15.766 on the vault, almost half a point better than the score she posted in the qualifying round on Sunday.
The American would relinquish her lead to Andrade after her slight mistake on the uneven bars, with Algeria's Kaylia Nemour posting a rotation-best 15.333.
But the reigning world champion would soon be back on top, producing an error-free routine on the balance beam to earn a score of 14.566, handing her an advantage heading into the floor exercise.
And as she did on Tuesday, Biles showed no signs of pressure and performed a routine packed with a series of stunning tumbles to clinch gold at a canter.
The win made her just the third woman to win two all-around golds and the oldest all-around champion since the Soviet Union's Mariya Gorokhovskaya, who won at the 1952 Games in Helsinki at age 30.
Cayman Islands' Jordan Crooks delivered an electrifying performance in the men's 50m freestyle semifinals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, securing his spot in the finals with a sensational victory in his heat. Crooks clocked an impressive 21.54 seconds in Heat 1, edging out the current Olympic record holder, Caeleb Dressel of the United States, by a mere 0.04 seconds. Dressel finished with a time of 21.58 seconds.
Crooks' stellar swim marked the fourth fastest time across the semifinal heats, positioning him just 0.16 seconds behind the fastest qualifier. This outstanding performance cements his status as a formidable contender in the highly competitive 50m freestyle event.
In the second semifinal heat, Great Britain's Benjamin Proud and Australia's Cameron McEvoy tied for first place, both clocking the fastest qualifying time of 21.38 seconds. Italy's Leonardo Deplano finished third with a time of 21.50 seconds, narrowly trailing the leaders by 0.12 seconds.
All eyes will be on the Cayman Islands swimmer to see if he can maintain his winning momentum and clinch Olympic gold. His remarkable journey and performance have already made him a standout athlete at the Paris 2024 Games, and anticipation is high for what promises to be an exhilarating final.
Andy Murray's tennis career has come to an end as he and Dan Evans were beaten by Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz in straight sets at the Paris Olympics.
The two-time gold medallist had twice come from the jaws of defeat at the tournament, but there was to be no miracle this time as they were beaten 6-2 6-4 in the quarter-finals.
Murray and Evans endured a nightmare start to proceedings, conceding a double break to their American opponents which proved to be decisive in deciding the opening set.
Despite a better start in the second, Paul and Fritz would again stamp their authority on the encounter, racing into a 5-2 lead and to within a game of victory.
But as shown in the previous rounds, Murray and Evans showcased grit and determination to claw themselves to within a game of levelling the contest after saving one match point in the eighth game.
However, Fritz's strong serving would come to the fore as it had done throughout the contest on Court Suzanne Lenglen, making no mistake to wrap up the victory.
Paul and Fritz will face Matthew Ebden and John Peers for a place in the final, potentially setting up an all-American clash with Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
Data Debrief: Murray's farewell ends in disappointment
There was to be no comeback from Murray and Evans this time around, as tennis says goodbye to one of its greatest ever players.
But the encounter belonged to the Americans, whose performances on serve proved to be the difference at Roland-Garros.
Fritz and Paul would win 63% of their 40 first serve points, winning seven service games compared to the Brits' four.
Novak Djokovic survived an injury scare to keep his hopes of landing an Olympic gold medal alive following a straight-sets victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Djokovic appeared to be struggling with a knee injury that forced him to withdraw from the recent French Open, but was able to emerge a 6-3 6-6 (7-3) victor.
The Serbian started brightly on Court Philippe Chatrier, earning a break in the fourth game that proved decisive, with Djokovic able to hold serve to see out the first set.
However, Tsitsipas raced out of the blocks in the second, producing a double break to race into a 4-0 lead. But the former world number one was not ready to concede.
With the Greek in touching distance from taking the encounter to a third-set decider, Djokovic rallied to win the next three games on the spin to level the game at 5-5.
Djokovic and Tsitsipas would hold their respective serves, meaning a second-set tie-break would determine whether the encounter would continue at Roland-Garros.
But it would be the Serbian who would advance to the semi-finals, winning three games in a row to complete a brilliant display.
Djokovic will face Lorenzo Musetti for a place in Sunday's final after the Italian defeated reigning champion Alexander Zverev in straight sets.
Data Debrief: Djokovic continues his quest for gold
Djokovic has now made four Singles semi-finals at the Olympics: twice as many than any other player since tennis returned to the Summer Olympics program in 1988.
The Serbian impressed on serve, scoring six aces throughout the contest to Tsitsipas' three, while saving four of the six break points he faced.
Novak Djokovic survived an injury scare to keep his hopes of landing an Olympic gold medal alive following a straight-sets victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Djokovic appeared to be struggling with a knee injury that forced him to withdraw from the recent French Open, but was able to emerge a 6-3 6-6 (7-3) victor.
The Serbian started brightly on Court Philippe Chatrier, earning a break in the fourth game that proved decisive, with Djokovic able to hold serve to see out the first set.
However, Tsitsipas raced out of the blocks in the second, producing a double break to race into a 4-0 lead. But the former world number one was not ready to concede.
With the Greek in touching distance from taking the encounter to a third-set decider, Djokovic rallied to win the next three games on the spin to level the game at 5-5.
Djokovic and Tsitsipas would hold their respective serves, meaning a second-set tie-break would decide whether the encounter would enter a third set at Roland-Garros.
But it would be the Serbian who would advance to the semi-finals, winning three games in a row to complete a brilliant display.
Djokovic will face Lorenzo Musetti for a place in Sunday's final after the Italian defeated reigning champion Alexander Zverev in straight sets.
Data Debrief: Djokovic continues his quest for gold
Djokovic has now made four singles semi-finals at the Olympics: twice as many than any other player since tennis returned to the Summer Olympics program in 1988.
The Serbian impressed on serve, scoring six aces throughout the contest to Tsitsipas' three, while saving four of the six break points he faced.
Lando Norris believes that former McLaren team-mate Carlos Sainz deserved the chance to race for Red Bull in 2025.
It was confirmed earlier this week that Sainz had signed a multi-year contract with Williams, replacing Logan Sargeant on the grid next year.
The Spaniard had been linked with a move to both Mercedes and Red Bull after it was confirmed that Lewis Hamilton would be replacing him at the Italian team in 2025.
Sainz has won three races with Ferrari since joining the team in 2021, establishing himself as one of the best drivers on the grid in recent years.
However, interest never materialised from either Mercedes or Red Bull, something which Williams boss James Vowles said was a surprise, with Norris agreeing.
"The easy one is just to say Red Bull. He should have gone there, in my eyes," Norris told Sky Sports when asked where his friend should have gone.
Sainz spent two seasons with Norris at McLaren, with the pair forming a great friendship off the track which has remained despite the Spaniard's move to Ferrari.
Sergio Perez's future with Red Bull was thrown into question after a difficult few weeks with the Austrian team, who currently trails team-mate Max Verstappen by 146 points in the Drivers' championship.
Perez, was given a contract extension for 2025 despite not being on the podium since April's Chinese Grand Prix, with Christian Horner confirming the Mexican would stay beyond the current summer break.
"Obviously I'm biased, I know Carlos a lot more than I know Checo [Pérez] and that kind of thing, but Carlos deserves a lot.
"He's one of the best drivers in Formula One, he's proven that countless times, and I'm a good friend of his.
"I'm happy for him that he's still in Formula One and I'm happy he's got a drive and can try and bring Williams back up.
"Him partnering Alex [Albon] will be good for Formula One at the same time.
"That's a good thing. But I'm sure a lot of people would love to say he should have gone to Red Bull, potentially, but that's not my decision to make."
St. Lucia's Luc Chevrier had a solid start in the men's dinghy event, which got underway at the Marseille Marina on Thursday. Despite a delay due to weather-related issues, Chevrier exhibited determination in the initial races.
Chevrier finished 24th in the first race, a performance that was marked by strong advancement as he climbed to 16th at mark 4, then to 14th at mark 1. However, he later slipped to 22nd and ultimately crossed the finish line in 24th place.
The second race proved more formidable, as Chevrier started 39th and worked his way up to 36th. By virtue of those performances, the 25-year-old, who contested the Laser event at the 2020 Tokyo Games, is now 32nd in the overall standings with 60 points.
Meanwhile, Aruba’s Just Aanholt finished 26th in the first race and 38th in the second, as he sits 37th overall with 65 points.
Thad Lettsome of the British Virgin Islands, making his Olympic debut, placed 40th in the first race but improved to 37th in the second. He is occupying 40th position overall with 78 points.
As the competition progresses and the next races get started, the attention will be on these Caribbean athletes as they look to improve their positions in the sport, which uses small boats, such as sailing dinghies.
Japan's Hideki Matsuyama has set the pace on the opening day of the Olympics, carding an impressive bogey-free eight-under 63.
On a day interrupted by threats of lightning that saw play suspended multiple times, Xander Schauffele had the chance to close in on the lead, but instead finished two strokes behind him on 65.
And it gets tight behind him on the leaderboard in a three-way tie for third between Chile's Joaquin Niemann, Argentina's Emiliano Grillo and South Korea's Tom Kim after rounds of 66.
After solid opening rounds, world number one Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm were among the nine tied for sixth on four-under.
Meanwhile, it was an up-and-down day for Rory McIlroy, who finished one stroke further back in joint-15th after he carded five birdies and an eagle as well as four bogeys to card a three-under 68.
His Ireland team-mate Shane Lowry finished on an even 72, sitting in tied-47th.
West Indies captain Hayley Matthews produced an excellent knock to spearhead the Welsh Fire in their six-wicket win over the London Spirit in action in the Women’s Hundred at Lord’s on Thursday.
The Spirit first posted 150-5 from their 100 balls after Fire captain Tammy Beaumont won the toss and put them in to bat.
Danielle Gibson led the way with the bat with a 25-ball 41 while Deepti Sharma made 39* off 26 balls in support.
Freya Davies took 2-19 from her 20 deliveries for the Fire while Beth Langston, Jess Jonassen and Georgia Davis shared the other three wickets.
Needing 151 off their 100 balls for victory, the Fire lost skipper Beaumont for 6 off the 11th ball of the innings bringing Matthews to the crease.
The Bajan batted through the rest of the chase on her way to 78* off just 46 balls as the Fire reached 151-4 off 95 balls.
She hit 11 fours and two sixes in her 59 minutes in the middle. Sarah Bryce provided the most support for Matthews with 21 off 18 balls including three fours.
Danielle Gibson completed a good all-round performance with 2-28 off 15 balls.
This was the Fire’s second win in three games and moves them up to third in the eight-team table with four points, the same as the Spirit in second and the Oval Invincibles in first.
Iga Swiatek admitted she "just messed up" during her semi-final defeat to Qinwen Zheng at the Paris Olympics that ended her quest for a gold medal.
Swiatek, who has won four of the last five French Open titles at Roland-Garros, was reduced to tears in her post-match interview following the loss.
It ended the Pole's 1149-day unbeaten record on the clay courts in the French capital, having won 25 consecutive matches, along with a 47-4 completed sets record and claiming 10 sets by a score of 6-0 over that span.
The world number one was the pre-tournament favourite to win gold in Paris, having been knocked out at the quarter-final stage in Tokyo three years ago.
But a nightmare first set ended 6-2 in favour of Zheng, and when the Chinese broke Swiatek to draw level in the second after racing into a 4-0 lead, there seemed to be only one outcome.
“I just had a hole in my backhand. It happens rarely because it is usually my most solid strike,” Swiatek told Kuwik.
“I was not technically well positioned because of the stress and the fact that I played my games day by day. We didn’t have time to adjust that and work on that.
“I know that’s not the justification but I tried to correct that during the match. Today it didn’t work at all. So she used that to win the game.”
When asked why she slumped from 4-0 to 4-4 and ultimately 5-7 in the second set, Swiatek added: “It's the result of the match. So I just messed up.”
Swiatek still has the opportunity to take home a bronze medal when she faces the loser of the second semi-final between Croatian Donna Vekic and Anna Schmiedlova of Slovakia.
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