Novak Djokovic will not play at the Western and Southern Open after a "taxing" run that has brought him to the brink of a calendar Grand Slam.
The world number one's bid for a Golden Slam faltered at the Olympic Games as he lost to Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals in Tokyo.
Djokovic appeared to tire badly and finished fourth in both the men's singles event and the mixed doubles, opting out of the bronze medal match in the latter.
But victories at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon mean 2021 is still on course to be the best year of Djokovic's career.
And the Serbian is taking a little time to prepare himself for the final push at Flushing Meadows, meaning no appearance in Cincinnati next week.
"Dear fans," he wrote on Twitter. "I wanted to share with you that I am taking a bit longer to recover and recuperate after quite a taxing journey from Australia to Tokyo.
"Sadly, that means I won’t be ready to compete in Cincinnati this year, so I'll turn my focus and attention to the US Open and spend some more time with family.
"See you in New York soon!"
Luka Doncic has become the first player to be handed a supermax rookie extension worth $207million, tying him to the Dallas Mavericks for a further five years.
Doncic qualifies for the landmark deal having already twice been named to the All-NBA First Team.
Bill Duffy, Doncic's agent, told ESPN of the agreement on Monday, while the player released a statement through the same publication.
"Today is a dream come true," he said. "The game of basketball has given me so much and has taken me to so many amazing places.
"I am humbled and excited to remain in Dallas as part of the Mavericks and appreciate the support of my fans."
Doncic, who is set to hold a news conference in Slovenia on Tuesday, added he would be expanding The Luka Doncic Foundation.
The 22-year-old is in Slovenia having led his country to the semi-finals of the men's basketball tournament at the Tokyo Olympics.
The European champions were Games debutants but came within a clutch Nicolas Batum block of reaching the gold medal game.
Doncic led the competition in a number of categories across the board, including points (143), assists (57) and minutes played (196).
His triple-double against France in the last four was the third in Games history, but the point forward suffered the first defeat of his international career and then lost again to Australia in the bronze medal game.
Focus will now return to the NBA, where Doncic will hope his individual excellence can inspire improved results for the Mavs.
Dallas have not won a playoff series since they were champions 10 years ago, despite Doncic's outstanding displays taking the Los Angeles Clippers to six and then seven games in the past two seasons.
Doncic has scored 33.5 points per game across those two postseason series – no player in NBA history has played at least 13 playoff games and averaged more.
Former world number one Andy Murray has been handed a place in the main draw of the US Open after Stanislas Wawrinka pulled out.
Murray, the 2012 champion at Flushing Meadows, reached the second round of the event last year, which was won by Dominic Thiem.
The 34-year-old, who competed in the men's doubles at the Tokyo Olympics, has only played eight Tour-level matches in 2021. He was handed a wildcard for Wimbledon, where he lost in the third round to Denis Shapovalov.
Novak Djokovic is due to lead a strong men's field for the tournament in August, which will be played in front of capacity crowds.
The world number one is seeking to become the first man to win all four major championships in the same year since Rod Laver in 1969.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, who are tied with Djokovic on 20 grand slam singles titles, are also set to play.
Wawrinka, himself a champion in New York in 2016, is still recovering from his second foot surgery of the year.
Briana Williams, a sprint relay gold medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has dedicated her gold medal to her late grandmother, Vive Colquhoun-Simpson, who passed away shortly after she departed for Japan. Vive was her mother, Sharon Simpson's, mother, who had been ailing for some time.
Australia's T20I series in Bangladesh ended in a humiliating defeat as the tourists were bowled out for 62 in the final game of the five-match series.
Bangladesh had already clinched a series victory going into the final contest in Dhaka, but rounded things off in style with a 60-run victory.
The hosts reached 122-8 on a surface that consistently proved challenging to bat on, before Shakib Al Hasan took over with ball in hand.
Shakib took 4-9 from 3.4 overs, while Mohammad Saifuddin claimed 3-12 as Australia were dismissed with just 13.4 overs bowled.
Afterwards, stand-in captain Matthew Wade, who top-scored for Australia with 22, found little reason to be upbeat following the 4-1 series defeat.
"It's hard to say there will be more positives. Certainly a great learning opportunity for our group," Wade said.
"I've played for a few years now, [these were] certainly the toughest conditions to play T20 cricket in.
"It wasn't our series unfortunately. There's no excuses of not playing enough cricket. We had enough cricket in the West Indies to come and play good cricket, we just didn't."
Shakib stars
Shakib's masterful display with the ball saw 15 of his 22 deliveries produce dot balls.
Finishing the series with seven wickets at an average of 18.14 and 114 runs at a strike rate of 100.88, no player did more for Bangladesh as they clinched back-to-back bilateral T20I series wins for the first time in their history, following up the triumph over Zimbabwe in emphatic fashion.
"Thanks to my team-mates, this achievement wouldn't have been possible without their help," said Shakib. "I think we played some really good cricket through two series, in Zimbabwe and here. Obviously the wicket was tough, but we held our nerve well."
Modest totals beyond tourists
No match in the series produced an aggregate score of over 244 as both teams found posting big totals difficult.
However, the difference was that Bangladesh scored at least 120 in all but one match. Australia, missing several key players such as Steve Smith and David Warner, managed that feat just once.
Wade admitted as much, adding: "Credit to Bangladesh, they did well. We really had to scrounge, their batsmen found a way to get there [110-120 totals].
"Our bowling was good, but we just didn't have enough runs on the board. We've got to find a way to get better in spinning conditions."
On August 9, 2016, Manchester United completed a deal that was expected to transform them back into title regulars.
Paul Pogba – who had left United in 2012 – arrived in an £89.3million (€105m) deal from Juventus, a then-world record transfer fee.
Five years on, Pogba seems to be at something of a crossroads in not just his United career, but as a player altogether.
Like in 2016, Pogba heads into the 2021-22 season on the back of an impressive European Championship with France.
Unlike in 2016, Les Bleus failed to go deep in the competition, dropping out in the last 16 stage to Switzerland.
That game in June perhaps provided the perfect summary of Pogba the player. A global superstar in his own right, the 28-year-old has perhaps never hit the heights his talent suggested, or at least not on a consistent basis.
An exquisite long-range strike put France 3-1 up against Switzerland, yet it was Pogba who dawdled on the ball and was robbed of possession as Les Bleus contributed to their own downfall in Bucharest.
But just how has Pogba fared in the five years since he arrived back at Old Trafford, and what could come next?
HIS UNITED RECORD
Pogba has made 199 appearances in all competitions for United in his second spell at the club, with Marcus Rashford (252), David de Gea (216) and Anthony Martial (208) playing more games in that time.
Indeed, only De Gea and Rashford have played more minutes than Pogba's 15,708. While he has struggled at times with niggling injuries, he has more often than not been consistently available throughout his time at Old Trafford, with De Gea and Rashford the two players to start more games than the former Juve star (174).
Pogba has played 134 times in the Premier League since 2016, helping United to 73 victories – a win percentage of 54.5 per cent.
He has missed 56 league games, with United's win percentage dropping down to 50 per cent in those matches, underlying that he is perhaps more crucial than some of his critics would suggest.
It has to be said, however, that Bruno Fernandes' arrival in 2020 did see Pogba take a back seat.
The Portugal playmaker has already netted more goals (40) in all competitions than Pogba (38), in 119 fewer appearances, though 21 of Fernandes' goals have come from the penalty spot.
Rashford, with 39, is the only United player to record more assists than Pogba, who has teed up as many as he has scored, while the Frenchman's 301 chances created is a team-high, 66 clear of second-placed Rashford.
Pogba ranks in the top three for dribbles attempted (624), with 393 of these being successful, displaying his ability to carry the ball through the thirds, and his total of 11,723 passes is way clear of Nemanja Matic in second (9,849).
PARIS FOR PAUL?
With just 12 months left on his contract, talks of a move away for the Frenchman at the end of his deal continue – Paris Saint-Germain his most likely destination, given their reported interest last year.
PSG already have a wealth of midfield options, though, including former team-mate Ander Herrera, Euro 2020 winner Marco Verratti and Leandro Paredes.
Pogba completed 1595 passes last term, yet the PSG trio, along with Idrissa Gueye, averaged out at 2126 successful attempts – perhaps aided by their domination on the ball in Ligue 1.
Despite this, only Paredes (322) completed more passes in the final third than the United midfielder's 282, suggesting a different dimension Pogba could bring to Mauricio Pochettino's midfield.
Pogba also won 255 duels, recovering possession 242 times when doing his defensive duties for Solskjaer. Idrissa Gueye, PSG's best performer in this area, only managed 201 successful duels and 208 recoveries in two games more.
However, Verratti, who featured in 11 fewer games than Pogba, was victorious in 233 duels and made 174 recoveries – could the pair form Pochettino's pivot next season?
While Pochettino now also has Georginio Wijnaldum, who made 262 recoveries albeit in six more games for Liverpool last year, to call upon, Pogba would add undoubted quality to the French giants in every midfield aspect.
Former hurdles star Edwin Moses questioned the Games going ahead in Tokyo but insisted time will tell as to whether the decision was correct.
Prior to the delayed Games, there was scepticism towards the safety of holding such an event amid a global pandemic, but Tokyo 2020 was completed without major incident.
Moses, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, agreed with the concern throughout Japan – and across the world – as he discussed the unusual competitive conditions.
"I was always very concerned," the former United States athlete told Stats Perform.
"I always wondered whether it was the right decision to expose the Japanese people to tens and thousands of people coming in. I guess we’ll see what the fallout is.
"I would have been compelled to go if I was 25 years old. [The] conditions are not normal for athletes. I can't imagine competing under them."
Paris awaits in 2024 before Los Angeles and Brisbane follow as the next hosts.
But Moses, who set the world record four times in 400 metre hurdles, was unsure as to whether the Olympic model has been too restrictive for a competition that prides itself on inclusivity.
"[It] was talked about trying to move the Olympics to different countries," the 65-year-old continued. "I think the set up and model now means that it will never be somewhere like Africa. They can't afford it.
"I think they're behind the eight ball in terms of moving it around. Right now they've restricted themselves to American, [Asian] and European countries. [The] model is not sustainable to diversify delivery."
Asked whether they can alter this issue and make the model more inclusive, Moses responded: "I don't know. I'm not sure if it was in somewhere like South Africa for example.
"People would want that amount of money spent on it. They've been trying but [I am] not sure theyve found a reasonable solution."
One leading light for the delayed games, however, is the conversations that have opened on mental health.
Simone Biles, who would later take to social media to further inform her audience as to her mental health struggles, made the headlines when she courageously withdrew from artistic gymnastic events before emphatically returning to secure bronze on the beam.
IOC president Thomas Bach praised the athletes for offering "hope" as one of the "most precious gifts" during Sunday's closing ceremony and Moses offered insight into the mental health aspects of being an athlete.
"It's intense," Moses added. "People have no idea what it takes. And in today's world with the commercialism, Simone Biles was expected to win five medals.
"I think it was a combo of physical and mental. Her internal GPS system disconnected from her motor system and she could have been in danger."
Moses, who credited athletes for removing the stigma of mental health by opening up on the topic, concluded: "At a certain level competition is competition and if you are not ready for it it's okay.
"The problem is big athletes are pulling out of events now. Athletes will have had deaths in the family, people ill, all kinds of situations."
Barcelona's nightmare has continued after it was confirmed Sergio Aguero is likely to be out until mid-October due to a calf injury.
Already having to contend with the unexpected departure of talisman Lionel Messi, Barca are in a dire financial situation heading into the new season.
They will now also be without one of their new arrivals for up to 10 weeks, though LaLiga's salary restrictions have meant Barca have not yet been able to register Aguero, who joined on a free transfer from Premier League champions Manchester City.
The 33-year-old left City after 10 years with the club, but his final season was hampered by injury and COVID-19 lay offs.
He managed only eight starts in 2020-21, playing 720 minutes in total across 20 appearances in all competitions.
Aguero's tally of six goals – two of which came from the penalty spot – was by far the fewest he managed for City since joining in 2011. Indeed, his previous low was 17, in the 2012-13 season.
His Barca career has now stalled before it has even started.
Reports in Spain on Monday suggested Aguero had already been expected to miss a month due to the injury, but further tests had revealed a tendon tear in his inner right calf – this was subsequently confirmed by Barca.
"Tests carried out on first-team player Kun Aguero have confirmed a right calf injury. He will be out around 10 weeks," a Barca statement read.
Aguero will miss Barca's opening nine LaLiga fixtures and at least the first two rounds of the Champions League group stage.
Reports emerged over the weekend that Aguero wished to leave Barca already, with the possibility of playing with his good friend and compatriot Messi having been a major factor in his decision to sign on at Camp Nou.
On Sunday, Aguero posted a farewell message to Messi on his official Instagram account.
"All the best in whatever comes my friend. And always with that smile. I love you," the post read.
Barca kick-off their LaLiga campaign – and the post-Messi era against Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Sergio Busquets insists Barcelona are "looking to compete on all fronts" despite club legend Lionel Messi departing.
Messi was expected to sign a new contract but financial complications at Barca left the forward no option but to leave, with Busquets now assuming the captaincy role.
Prior to Sunday's Joan Gamper Trophy clash, the 33-year-old took the opportunity to reassure the Blaugrana faithful who were rocked by the news of Messi's departure on Thursday, with the Argentina international set to join Paris Saint-Germain.
"We'll do it with you [the fans]," Busquets said at the Estadi Johan Cruyff. "We need you more than ever. We need your help, your support, and we're sure you'll give it to us."
Busquets, who led the tackles and interceptions charts at Barca last term while also completing the second most passes, joins an illustrious group of players to have captained the Catalan club.
Carles Puyol, Xavi and Messi all came before the midfielder and Busquets acknowledged he must now "meet the standards" set by those club legends in a role which he is "very proud" to take.
Having made his debut four years after the Argentina captain, the Spain midfielder was also quick to pay tribute to his former team-mate, with whom he enjoyed a 14-year spell with.
"I want to give a special mention to Leo," Busquets continued. "Thank you, Leo, for taking Barca to the very pinnacle; for making history while being the best player in the world, and for beating all the individual and collective records [imaginable].
"We will always be very grateful for everything you have done. We will miss you and we wish you all the best."
While Messi, who netted 672 times in 778 appearances for the Spanish giants, edges closer to joining PSG, Barca begin their LaLiga campaign against Real Sociedad on August 15 as they begin the post-Messi era.
As the Tokyo Olympics bade farewell Sunday a year later than planned, organisers of the 2024 Paris Games looked forward to welcoming the world to France in three years.
Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet, a three-time gold medallist in canoe slalom, praised everyone involved with the Tokyo Games for managing to hold the event amid a global pandemic.
As the Olympic flag was passed from Tokyo to Paris on Sunday, though, Estanguet talked up his team's plans to host their first Summer Games since 1924.
"We waited an extra year for this moment, but we are already waiting 100 years to bring the Olympic flag back to Paris, so the excitement is very strong in our team and back home in France,” Estanguet said.
The Paris bid, awarded in 2017, features venues familiar to any tourist, with competitions to be held at the Place de la Concorde, Champs de Mars, Les Invalides and the Palace of Versailles, among other high-profile spots.
"Every host city must bring something new and contribute to the evolution of the Games," Estanguet said.
"With Paris 2024, our ambition is to offer a new model to open the Games to more people. This starts with offering the Games to the city.
"Our plan is based on taking sport out of its traditional spaces and putting competitions at the heart of the city, in front of the most famous Parisian landmarks; the Eiffel Tower for beach volleyball, wrestling and judo, and equestrian at the Chateau de Versailles.
"The ambition is simple: invite the world, including the hundreds of millions of viewers, into the very heart of Paris.”
Thanks to that one-year delay, the welcome will occur relatively quickly. On July 26, 2024, Paris will take centre stage.
Fans got their first glimpse of top NBA Draft pick Cade Cunningham in Detroit Pistons colors on Sunday as he scored 12 points in the Summer League.
The 19-year-old drained two early three-pointers in his 12-point haul along with six rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes for the Pistons, who went down 76-72 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Expectations are high for Cunningham with Detroit who finished bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 20-52 record last season and have not won a playoff game since 2008.
"It was fun getting to put the jersey on for the first time," Cunningham said after the game.
"Obviously, we wanted a win out of this, but we spent the last week beating on each other. It’s our first time being able to get to go and be with each other and really try to get this chemistry down.
"We got a lot from this game we can learn from. That’s the main thing you want out of your first game. Now we’re going to try to keep building off of that."
He added: "I wanted to step into the game confident, ready to shoot, ready to play. To see the first two go down, it’s a good feeling. Now it’s building off of that."
Cunningham played the first half alongside 20-year-old French guard Killian Hayes, who was selected seventh overall in the 2020 Draft, with the pair likely to be the side's main ballhandlers.
"I think more than anything, we’re on the same page mentally in where we want this team to be," Cunningham said.
"Now it’s about having a better feel for each other. We haven’t played a lot together."
He added: "We have so much time to build and grow from this. We are not going to hang our heads off of this one game."
Internazionale defender Alessandro Bastoni remains bullish about the club's Serie A title defence despite a tumultuous off-season which spilled over with fan protests in Sunday's friendly win.
Inter won 2-0 over Parma at Stadio Tardini as some of the approximately 500 fans in attendance brought banners and chanted abuse aimed at owners the Suning corporation, calling for president Steven Zhang to quit, barely months after their breakthrough Scudetto triumph.
Since lifting their first Serie A title since 2010, Inter have seen the departure of title-winning head coach Antonio Conte, who was frustrated as the club tightened its purse strings.
The Serie A champions have also sold Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain with Romelu Lukaku set to depart for Chelsea. Lautaro Martinez has also been linked with a move to Tottenham.
The largest fan banner read "Zhang if you want to save Inter, then you have to leave". Another read "Zhang, the time is over".
Footage emerged on social media of ultras singing "you have to sell" and "we’ll give you the money" and waving €10 bills.
Fans did offer support to new Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi who has taken over at a difficult time, with expectations lowered for their title defence.
Italy centre-back Bastoni is one of numerous Inter players to recently return to the club following a delayed break due to his Euro 2020 commitments, with others also participating at Copa America.
"We’ve only joined up with the group recently – we’ve got a new manager and we need to grasp his system," Bastoni told Inter TV.
"We’re ready to put our trust in him so we can perform well this year."
Former Inter star forward Hernan Crespo told the Italian media on Sunday that the Nerazzurri are "starting from scratch", criticising their handling of the transition after winning the Serie A.
Crespo said Inter are unlikely to defend their title given their off-season tumult, labelling Juventus the favourites.
Bastoni added: "These friendly run-outs are key because we joined up with the squad only recently, so we’ve not got that much time to prepare for a league campaign in which we want to do well.
"We have a league title to defend and we will try to do that in every possible way."
Inter will commence their Serie A campaign on Saturday 22 August against Genoa.
Entering Friday's series opener in Philadelphia, the New York Mets had been in sole possession of first place in the National League (NL) East every day since May 9.
They headed home on Sunday sitting third in the division after managing only two hits in a 3-0 loss to the surging Phillies, who have won eight in a row.
Former Met Zack Wheeler went the distance for Philadelphia (59-53), retiring 27 of the 30 batters he faced while striking out 11.
On the day the Phillies honored the late Hall of Famer Roy Halladay, Wheeler became the first Philadelphia pitcher to retire as many as 22 consecutive batters in a start since Halladay's May 29, 2010 perfect game against the Marlins.
The Phillies got solo home runs from Jean Segura, J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper for all the scoring they needed against New York starter Taijuan Walker.
As the Phillies expanded their lead with the sweep, the Atlanta Braves (57-55) moved a half-game in front of the Mets (56-55) with a 5-4 win over the Washington Nationals.
Springer, Jays power past Red Sox
George Springer's three-run homer in the eighth inning lifted the Toronto Blue Jays past the Boston Red Sox 9-8, recording their ninth win of an 11-game homestand at Rogers Centre. Boston had led 7-2 after four, knocking out Toronto starter Hyun Jin Ryu, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s 35th home run started the rally before Springer's big blow later finished it.
Brett Phillips' second home run of the game, a grand slam in the eighth, lifted Tampa Bay past the Baltimore Orioles 9-6 as the Rays extended their division lead to four games over the Red Sox.
Brandon Belt tied the game with a two-run homer in the seventh and Tommy La Stella provided the winning margin with an RBI single in the eighth, giving the San Francisco Giants a 5-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers to improve their MLB-best record to 71-41.
Hess mess for Marlins
Reliever David Hess served as the "opener" for the Miami Marlins against the Colorado Rockies and saw his ERA nearly double. Hess surrendered three homers in his one inning of work, allowing seven runs as his ERA jumped from 4.32 to 7.64.
Turner flies past Angels
Trea Turner showed off his wheels to his new home crowd at Dodger Stadium, scoring from first base on a grounder that barely reached the outfield.
Sunday's results
Seattle Mariners 2-0 New York Yankees
Chicago White Sox 9-3 Chicago Cubs
Toronto Blue Jays 9-8 Boston Red Sox
Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 New York Mets
Oakland Athletics 6-3 Texas Rangers
Tampa Bay Rays 9-6 Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox 2-1 Toronto Blue Jays
San Francisco Giants 5-4 Milwaukee Brewers
Cleveland Indians 7-5 Detroit Tigers
Cincinnati Reds 3-2 Pittsburgh Pirates
Minnesota Twins 7-5 Houston Astros
Kansas City Royals 6-5 St Louis Cardinals
Atlanta Braves 5-4 Washington Nationals
Colorado Rockies 13-8 Miami Marlins
San Diego Padres 2-0 Arizona Diamondbacks
Los Angeles Dodgers 8-2 Los Angeles Angels
Reds at Indians
The Cincinnati Reds (61-51) have won five in a row and 10 of their last 12 heading into a makeup game from a May 9 rainout at the Cleveland Indians (54-55).
With summer's main events about to begin, no one on the WTA tour is hotter than Danielle Collins.
Two weeks after winning her maiden title in Palermo, Collins claimed the Silicon Valley Classic crown in San Jose, California by defeating Daria Kasatkina 6-3 6-7 (10-12) 6-1 on Sunday.
It was the 10th successive match victory for the American, who is ranked 36th in the world and poised to move up as the hard-court season intensifies with WTA 1000 events at Montreal and Cincinnati ahead of the U.S. Open.
While it appeared for a while that Collins would cruise to another easy win, Kasatkina made it a fight in the 73-minute second set.
The Russian had prevailed in the two previous meetings between the players, and she saved two championship points down 4-5 in the second and three more in winning the tiebreak.
That marked only the second set Collins has dropped during her 10-match run, the other coming against Sloane Stephens in the second round earlier this week.
Kasatkina's momentum was short-lived, however, as Collins broke her serve early in the third and never looked back.
Before her clay-court title run at Palermo, Collins had been 0-6 in semi-finals in her career.
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