Rafael Nadal may be facing another injury setback at the Paris Olympic Games after his coach warned over the Spaniard's fitness.
The 22-time major champion is widely expected to retire at the end of this year, though is preparing for a final swansong at Roland-Garros, where he has won 14 titles.
Nadal is set to play in the singles and doubles tournaments of the Olympics, partnering current French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz for the latter competition.
Yet his participation has become doubtful after coach Carlos Moya confirmed Nadal had cancelled his training session on Thursday due to a hamstring issue.
"It was a setback and we decided that today Rafa would rest and not train to recover," Moya said, as quoted by Spanish journalist Rafael Plaza.
"We are going to give ourselves 48 hours, we have to wait."
The 38-year-old is reportedly feeling soreness in both his left and right hamstring having pulled out of a scheduled practice session with Alexander Zverev.
Alcaraz had been partnering Nadal throughout the week during training on the clay courts of Paris, though the veteran's feature has now been thrown under a cloud of doubt.
Nadal is one of just two players to have won Olympic gold in both singles and doubles since the sport returned to the Games in 1988, doing so at Beijing 2008 (singles) and Rio 2016 (doubles).
In the singles in the French capital, Nadal has been drawn against Hungary's Marton Fucsovics in the opening round, and the prize could be a second-round date with long-term rival Novak Djokovic.
Benjamin Sesko remains certain that staying at RB Leipzig is the "right decision" to develop his career after turning down reported Premier League interest.
Slovenia international Sesko joined Leipzig from RB Salzburg in 2023, scoring 14 league goals last campaign, a tally bettered by only seven players in the German top flight.
That form was said to have attracted Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea to the 21-year-old, who instead signed a new five-year contract with the Bundesliga club last month.
Having committed his future to life at the Red Bull Arena, the striker believes Leipzig will provide a platform for his progression.
"I thought it through very well," Sesko said to Nogomania, a Slovenian media outlet. "I believe I made the right decision. I wanted to gain more experience, learn more, and not rush things.
"Leipzig are an excellent club that can provide what I need for the next step. Leipzig's vision is clear; everything is geared towards growth, progress, and high goals. I felt it was right to decide this way."
Sesko's new deal could see him stay with Leipzig until 2029, with Marco Rose boasting one of the world's most exciting prospects up top.
The Leipzig attacker scored from 14 of his 47 shots last season in the league, a conversion rate of 29.8% – the third-best ratio in the 2023-24 Bundesliga among players to have managed at least five goals.
That deadly finishing in front of goal will have Rose excited once more, and Sesko says his boss was key to the decision to stay.
"We talked," Sesko explained. "He told me he wanted me to stay but also said I should decide based on my feelings.
"He said if I felt I needed to move on, I should go, but if not, I should stay. He's an excellent coach who has led many great players.
"I'm glad I decided this way. I did it before the Euro to keep a clear head and focus entirely on the championship."
Ben Stokes would much rather play alongside Mark Wood than face his England team-mate as he backed the fast bowler to break 100mph soon.
The Durham quick clocked 97.1mph – the fastest delivery of his Test career – on the speed gun in the second red-ball encounter against the West Indies at Trent Bridge.
Indeed, none of the 34-year-old's balls registered lower than 90mph during an electrifying opening spell before Wood removed Kevin Sinclair with a vicious delivery on Sunday.
Sinclair could only fend into the air for a simple dismissal, with the Windies' off-spinner ruled out of the third Test at Edgbaston after that blow fractured his left forearm.
England captain Stokes believes there is more to come from Wood, which is a worrying warning to the visitors.
"He's got it in the tank," said Stokes. "He's been close a couple of times. Maybe one day."
Shoaib Akthar and Shaun Tait are the only Test bowlers to register a delivery at 100mph, with Wood's speed expected to be key for The Ashes in Australia across the end of next year and start of 2026.
"He seems to be getting closer and closer to that," Stokes added. "But I'm happy with what he's doing right now to be honest.
"Being able to sustain that pace is quite phenomenal. Look at his average speeds every time he plays a Test match – it's always above 90mph. That says a lot about his fitness.
"It's all fine and well trying to bowl one spell above 90. But every spell he bowls for England, he's clocking over 90mph, and that's a great thing to have as a captain.
"I don't know if he's actually too bothered about it. One day, everything might click, or the speed gun might be wrong.
"We probably wouldn't hear the end of it. Who knows, maybe one day."
Wood will be expected to unleash his pace once more after Stokes named an unchanged XI for the third and final Test at Edgbaston, where play starts on Friday.
Ben Stokes has expressed confidence that opportunities for England's fast bowlers will emerge naturally ahead of their final Test against West Indies on Friday.
Stokes chose to name an unchanged team that beat West Indies by 241 runs last week ahead of their encounter at Edgbaston.
Despite having already secured the series with a 2-0 lead, England have chosen not to include both Durham's Matthew Potts or hand a debut to Dillon Pennington.
"At the moment we have stuck with the same team because we don't feel it's necessary to change," said Stokes.
England's sole adjustment this summer came when James Anderson, who retired after the first Test at Lord's, was replaced by Mark Wood.
Since Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum assumed leadership of the England team two years ago, they have aimed to minimise the rotation of their bowlers.
Wood took a wicket in each inning of the test at Trent Bridge, as Shoaib Bashir starred with figures of 5-41 to claim his third Test five-wicket haul.
Stokes emphasised that it is not difficult to continue to play their strongest team to allow bowlers an opportunity to shine.
"When you look at the guys we've got playing at the moment, with Woody being the standout because of how he bowls, it's very unlikely we'll get the remaining Tests out of him because of how hard it is on his body," said Stokes.
"Even though we've got a decent break to the next series, fast bowling is very hard so naturally we may see a change in the bowling line-up. It's not required yet.
"It's tough to not play, but for Pottsy and Dillon it's great for them to be in the squad."
The West Indies have been forced into one change, with Gudakesh Motie replacing Kevin Sinclair who suffered a fracture after taking a blow from Mark Wood.
Akeem Jordan, uncapped at Test level, has also been added to the squad as a precaution with Shamar Joseph currently suffering with flu.
"It's all about fighting," said West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite. "If we continue to create that sort of attitude around this team, there will be growth. That's what we're after."
Following the conclusion of the final Test at Edgbaston, England will enjoy an almost month-long break before another three-Test series against Sri Lanka on home soil.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins was on the field for the Atlanta Falcons' first training camp practice after being cleared to participate by the team's medical staff.
Head coach Raheem Morris told reporters Thursday that Cousins, recovering from a torn right Achilles tendon sustained in October, will be under slight restrictions during camp but is still expected to handle the majority of first-team reps during team drills.
"Obviously, we'll do some sort of our own modifications [like] some of the things we did with Kirk during the spring, but he's ready to go," Morris said.
"He's fired up, the team's fired up. The limitations for him, you won't notice."
Cousins suffered the injury on Oct. 29 in what turned out to be his final game with the Minnesota Vikings. The four-time Pro Bowl selection signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons in March to address the team's most glaring need, a top-tier starting quarterback.
The soon-to-be 36-year-old is expected to open the season as Atlanta's starter despite the Falcons selecting former University of Washington star quarterback Michael Penix with the eighth overall pick of this year's draft.
Cousins did take part in some drills during the Falcons' offseason training activities in May, but was mainly limited to individual work.
"I think the precaution [in OTAs], I think was pretty much helpful for how we go about the business of keeping people away from him," Morris said. "Now there will be people to be around him, and we feel comfortable with that moving forward and doing some of those things.
"Obviously, some of these limitations will come in our individual drills, making sure we don't wear him out to the point where we want to get all the team reps with him."
Cousins was in the midst of another strong season in 2023, as he was leading the NFL in touchdown passes (18) at the time of his injury in Week 8. The 12-year veteran completed 69.5 per cent of his passes for 2,331 yards with five interceptions in eight games, though the injury prevented him from likely reaching 4,000 passing yards for a fourth straight season.
Morris is also in his first season as the Falcons' permanent head coach, though he went 4-7 as the team's interim coach in 2020 after Atlanta fired Dan Quinn during the season.
Atlanta has finished 7-10 in each of the last three seasons and has missed the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, tied with the Carolina Panthers for the longest active drought among NFC teams.
Jamaican-born British UFC Welterweight Champion Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards is predicting a knockout victory over opponent, number 2 ranked Belal Muhammad, in the main event at UFC 304 in Manchester this Saturday.
Edwards (22-3) enters Saturday’s fight coming off four wins in a row since a no contest against Muhammad in their first fight in March 2021 while Muhammad (23-3) has won five straight since that fight.
The 32-year-old southpaw was asked by MyProtein in a pre-fight interview how he plans to get the victory over Muhammad this weekend.
“Knock him out,” was his simple answer.
“I feel like, for this fight, I want to go out there and get a finish. We’ve fought before. I’ve felt his range and distance. I feel like I’m just the better overall mixed martial artist and I’ll prove that come Saturday night,” Edwards added.
If his prediction of a knockout comes true, it would be the fourth knockout for Edwards in 18 UFC fights.
His last win of that method was his famous head kick knockout win over former champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 in August 2022 to win the Welterweight title.
“I’m number one. I’m the best and that’s all it is. He’s another guy that’s in my way for me to get to where I want to get to and that’s it,” he said.
As far as his preparation goes, Edwards said a lot of hard work was put in to prepare for this upcoming fight.
“Camp’s been good. A lot of hard work. The team pushed me hard this camp and I’m feeling good for it,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to headlining my second homecoming show back in the UK,” he added.
Despite facing a challenging situation heading into the third Test against England, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite remains resolute that his team can end the failed three-match series on a high note.
After being trounced by an innings and 114 runs and 241 runs in the first two Tests, West Indies are determined to not only salvage pride by avoiding a whitewash but also gain valuable ICC Test Championship points in the Edgbaston contest, which starts on Friday.
Brathwaite, known for his composed demeanor and steadfast leadership, emphasized the importance of efficient application from his team in this final contest.
“We have five Tests remaining for the year and there are ICC Test Championship points still at stake. So we have a lot to play for and that's my thing to the boys. You know, we are still in the Test Championship running and, you know, obviously we're looking for points as well,” Brathwaite declared during a pre-game press conference.
“It's very important that we fight. I mean, this is all about fighting, and I think once we continue to create that kind of attitude around this Test team, there will be growth and that's what we're after,” he added.
Reflecting on the first two Tests, Brathwaite pointed to the positives that West Indies had some standout performances, particularly in the first innings of the second encounter in Trent Bridge, but in the same breath, he also highlighted the fact that his team has struggled to find consistency in all departments.
In the first Test at Lord's, the Caribbean side was punished for a slew of dropped chances, while the first innings of the second Test saw Kavem Hodge score a maiden Test century, as Alick Athanaze and Joshua da Silva posted half-centuries in a total of 457. They were then bowled out for 143 in the second innings, against England’s scores of 416 and 425.
“I think all around we haven’t put it (a decent performance) together as yet. Obviously, we batted well at Trent Bridge; we didn’t bat well in the second inning, and we bowled well in pieces. Obviously, drop chances would happen, but I think collectively, as a bowling unit, we didn’t perform as we should. I think once we get that percentage up, we'll be able to create more chances and at least be able to, you know, stop the flow of runs on both sides of the wicket,” Brathwaite reasoned.
In order to achieve that, the Barbadian is well aware that they will have to learn from their mistakes and, by extension, improve significantly.
“It was almost clear to see we had a 50-run opening stand in the second innings, and then from there, we lost ten wickets quite quickly, and we knew we were in the game, so it goes to show, I think we always have to be switched on. Not just for the first three days, because as soon as you lose that focus for an hour, you could be behind the test match and lose it,” Brathwaite said.
“And it could be as a bowling unit or a batting unit, so we should learn from that. Obviously, the lesson is to never take anything for granted and always have the same attitude in both the first and second innings, batting and bowling. Once we keep that attitude of fighting every session, I think that will serve as well,” he noted.
That said, Brathwaite explained that they are still yet to confirm the starting team, as Akeem Jordan was called up to replace Jeremiah Louis, while Gudakesh Motie is fit enough to retake his place in the team at the expense of Kevin Sinclair, who was injured after being hit by a Mark Wood delivery.
“Sinclair is out with a fracture and Motie is back in. But we named a twelve because Shamar Joseph has a bit of a flu, so we are waiting until tomorrow morning to make the decision on the 11,” he shared.
Brentford striker Igor Thiago suffered a meniscus injury during their pre-season victory over AFC Wimbledon last Saturday.
Thiago, who officially joined Brentford at the start of July from Club Brugge for a club-record £31million fee, scored twice on his debut for Thomas Frank's side.
However, his promising debut was overshadowed by the injury which was confirmed by the club on Thursday.
Thiago will be unavailable for Brentford's second pre-season game against Benfica, and will have further scans next week to determine the extent of the injury.
It serves as a significant blow for the Bees, having seen Thiago score 18 goals in 34 appearances to lead Club Brugge to their 19th Jupiler Pro League title.
The 23-year-old is expected to miss Brentford's opening game of the 2024-25 Premier League season against Crystal Palace on August 18.
But Thiago's injury also throws in the question surrounding Ivan Toney's future at the club.
Toney was part of the England side who reached the final of Euro 2024 and, despite missing much of last season, scored four goals in 17 Premier League outings.
The 28-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Bees this transfer window, with Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham all keen to secure his signature.
Should Thiago's injury be worse than first feared, they may opt to keep Toney for next season but run the risk of losing him on a free transfer when his contract expires next year.
Lando Norris admits he is "not too proud" of the way he overshadowed team-mate Oscar Piastri's first Formula One victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend.
Piastri led Norris in a McLaren one-two at the Hungaroring, though the Brit did not allow his team-mate back into the lead following the pit stops until the very end of the race, despite being ordered over team radio to do so.
The incident cast a shadow over McLaren's first one-two since the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, at which Norris was second to Daniel Ricciardo.
After the controversy, Piastri became the seventh different race winner in F1 this season. Only 11 seasons have ever seen more – 11 in 1982, nine in 1975, and eight in 1977, 1983, 1985, 2003 and 2012.
Speaking ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, Norris acknowledged he had regrets, saying: "Could it have been handled slightly differently from both the team side and a personal side?
"Yes, absolutely, and I think we wouldn't have been having this conversation now in some ways.
"Whether people on the outside are going to come up with their own stories of what happened and what I would and wouldn't have done, I don't mind that.
"The things that I could have done, the fact that I kind of clouded over Oscar's first race win in Formula One is something I've not felt too proud about.
"The fact we had a one-two and that was barely a headline after the race… The fact we had a one-two and nothing was really said about it, that's the bit I felt worst about."
Norris has taken pole position in two of the last four races (in Spain and Hungary) after doing so just once in his previous 113 starts.
Excluding Lewis Hamilton, who achieved the feat twice with the team in 2012, Norris could become the first McLaren driver to take back-to-back poles since Kimi Raikkonen in 2006 this weekend.
Norris does feel coming through the incident could make McLaren stronger as a team, adding: "We discussed it, we have spoken about it.
"It's not good that we had it, but it's a good thing we've had it at the same time, because we've learned from it and hopefully it's done better next time."
Thiago Motta insists that Federico Chiesa remains a Juventus player "for now" amid growing uncertainty around his future with the 36-time Serie A champions.
Chiesa, who has made 131 appearances for Juventus, was offered a new deal before the end of last season but is yet to put pen to paper on fresh terms.
The Italian's contract runs out next year with the possibility of Juventus losing him on a free, as the club are eager for the 26-year-old to make a decision.
Chiesa has been of interest to fellow Serie A sides Roma and Napoli, with several Premier League teams also keen to add the Italy international to their ranks.
The Bianconeri are currently preparing for the new season in Germany, with Chiesa not part of Motta's travelling squad.
“He’s part of Juventus at this moment and then we’ll see," Motta told reporters ahead of Juventus' first pre-season friendly against Nuremberg on Friday.
Chiesa played a pivotal role in Juventus' 15th Coppa Italia success against Atalanta in May, also helping the club to a third place finish in Serie A.
He created more chances (54) and recorded more completed dribbles (35) than anyone in the Juventus squad in Italy's top flight, with his nine goals in 33 appearances only bettered by Dusan Vlahovic's 16.
Former Juventus captain Leonardo Bonucci, who played alongside Chiesa in Turin between 2020 and 2023, offered a straightforward response when asked about his former team-mates future at the club.
“I don’t know if Chiesa will stay or leave. I think he needs to understand what he wants,” Bonnuci said.
"In recent years, he had difficulties in terms of physicality and character, now he needs to take another step to become a top player. I hope he will be at Juventus."
Thiago Motta insists that Federico Chiesa remains a Juventus player "for now" amid growing uncertainty around his future with the 36-time Serie A champions.
Chiesa, who has made 131 appearances for Juventus, was offered a new deal before the end of last season but is yet to put pen to paper on fresh terms.
The Italian's contract runs out next year with the possibility of Juventus losing him on a free, as the club are eager for the 26-year-old to make a decision.
Chiesa has been of interest to fellow Serie A sides Roma and Napoli, with several Premier League teams also keen to add the Italy international to their ranks.
The Bianconeri are currently preparing for the new season in Germany, but Chiesa not part of Motta's travelling squad.
“He’s part of Juventus at this moment and then we’ll see," Motta told reporters ahead of Juventus' first pre-season friendly against Nuremberg on Friday.
Chiesa played a pivotal role in Juventus' 15th Coppa Italia success against Atalanta in May, also helping the club to a third place finish in Serie A.
He created more chances (54) and recorded more completed dribbles (35) than anyone in the Juventus squad in Italy's top flight, with his nine goals in 33 appearances only bettered by Dusan Vlahovic's 16.
Former Juventus captain Leonardo Bonucci, who played alongside Chiesa in Turin between 2020 and 2023, offered a straightforward response when asked about his former team-mates future at the club.
“I don’t know if Chiesa will stay or leave. I think he needs to understand what he wants,” Bonnuci said.
"In recent years, he had difficulties in terms of physicality and character, now he needs to take another step to become a top player. I hope he will be at Juventus."
Ahead of joining compatriot Iga Swiatek at the Paris Olympics, Magda Linette and Magdalena Frech will prepare by contesting the first all-Polish WTA final of the Open Era.
Linette and Frech, ranked 48th and 57th respectively by the WTA, will both take part in the Olympic singles tournament at Roland-Garros, for which four-time French Open champion Swiatek is the firm favourite.
While Swiatek has been drawn to face Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu in the first round, Linette will face Mirra Andreeva and Frech is set to take on Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova.
Before then, though, the latter duo will go head-to-head in the final of the Prague Open.
Both overcame home favourites to advance to the showpiece match in Czechia, Linette beating first seed Linda Noskova 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-2).
Frech, meanwhile, benefitted from a walkover against 16-year-old Laura Samsonova, the former Wimbledon girl's champion being forced to retire while down 3-6 6-0 4-2.
Frech, who is yet to win a WTA Tour-level title, won the only previous meeting between the pair in the Saint Malo quarter-finals in 2022, triumphing 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 6-2.
Captain Faf du Plessis once again led from the front as the Texas Super Kings secured a nine-wicket win over defending champions MI New York in the eliminator of Major League Cricket 2024 at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Wednesday.
The Super Kings, after winning the toss and electing to field first, restricted New York to 163-8 from their 20 overs.
Rashid Khan (55) and Monank Patel (48) were the top run scorers for MI against an important 2-18 off four overs from Marcus Stoinis. Aaron Hardie also took two wickets while Dwayne Bravo finished with 1-21 from 1.3 overs.
Texas then needed only 18.3 overs to reach 167-1 thanks to a 47-ball 72 from du Plessis, his third fifty of the season, including six fours and three sixes.
That knock now brings du Plessis’s run total to 375 from seven games, form that he will hope translates to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) where he will captain the St. Lucia Kings beginning August 29.
Devon Conway capitalized on some missed chances from the MI New York fielders to finish 51* while Hardie followed up his two wickets with 40* off 22 balls.
The Super Kings will now face the loser of the Qualifier between the Washington Freedom and San Francisco Unicorns in the Challenger on Friday for a place in Sunday’s final.
Full Scores:
MI New York 163-8 off 20 overs (Rashid Khan 55, Monank Patel 48, Marcus Stoinis 2-18, Aaron Hardie 2-22)
Texas Super Kings 167-1 off 18.3 overs (Faf du Plessis 72, Devon Conway 51*, Aaron Hardie 40*)
Strasbourg have appointed former Hull City boss Liam Rosenior as their new head coach following the departure of Patrick Vieira.
Vieira left the club by mutual consent last week after overseeing a 13th-place Ligue 1 finish in his only season in charge.
Strasbourg, who are owned by the BlueCo consortium led by Todd Boehly, formed as the investment vehicle for the takeover of Chelsea in 2022, have now turned to Rosenior.
Rosenior was surprisingly sacked by Hull in May after the Tigers missed out on a Championship play-off place by just three points, finishing seventh.
Rosenior, who won seven caps for England's under-21s during his playing career, previously served as Brighton and Hove Albion's assistant manager before enjoying a three-month spell as Derby County's interim manager in 2022.
A statement from Strasbourg president Marc Keller and the board of directors read: "We are pleased to welcome Liam, a young coach known for his ability to make his teams play well and develop his players.
"His arrival will allow Racing to continue to grow. We welcome him to Alsace."
Between Rosenior's arrival in November 2022 and his departure in May, Hull won 108 points from 76 Championship games, a tally only bettered by Middlesbrough and West Brom (124 each).
The Tigers also boasted the division's sixth-best attack in that time, netting 98 goals, and its fourth-best defence among ever-present teams with 86 conceded.
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