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• Kerr demands improvements from Team USA as Olympic opener looms

  United States coach Steve Kerr wants to see higher levels of intensity from his team as their Olympics campaign approaches.

  Kerr was unhappy with the lacklustre displays from his side in their warm-ups against Germany and South Sudan.

  Germany led 71-68 at the end of the third quarter before LeBron James conjured up 11 points in the final four minutes to give the USA a 92-88 win, while South Sudan were 20 seconds away from pulling off one of the biggest shocks in basketball history, before eventually falling to a 101-100 loss.

  The USA face a dangerous Serbia side featuring reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic on Sunday, and Kerr is adamant that improvements are required if they are to win a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.

  He said: "It's got to be 40 minutes of force and attention and focus, and we can't let teams outplay us effort and energy-wise like we did the other night against Germany, like we did against South Sudan.

  “We have another level. I think we have another two levels that we can get to, but it's a collaboration, always.

  "We can show them, 'Let's do this, let's do that. Let's learn personnel.'

  "We got to know the shooters, know the non-shooters, all that stuff. So that's where we can help them. Where they can help themselves is just effort and energy play after play, after play. This is different."

  Kerr is a four-time NBA champion as a coach, and was part of the triumphant Olympics team in Tokyo in 2021, but the Golden State Warriors boss knows the experience of the Games will only be enhanced if the USA were to come out on top again.

  "This should be one of the great experiences of our lives. But the best way to make it an incredible experience is to win a gold medal," he said.

  After facing Serbia, the USA will once again go up against South Sudan, this time in a competitive format, before ending the group stage with a match against Puerto Rico.

• Durant warns Team USA 'everybody is a contender' in Olympic basketball tournament

  Kevin Durant has warned Team USA they will not have an easy ride through the basketball tournament at the Paris Olympic Games, declaring: "Everybody is a contender".

  The United States will go in search of a fifth straight men's basketball gold in the French capital, where they open their Group C campaign against Serbia on Sunday.

  After that meeting with Nikola Jokic and company, the star-studded USA team featuring Durant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid and a host of other NBA stars take on South Sudan and Puerto Rico.

  With Steve Kerr having so much talent at his disposal, the roster has been compared to that of the 1992 'Dream Team', who took gold in Barcelona behind the efforts of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen and other great names.

  However, at a press conference ahead of Team USA's 2024 opener, Curry reminded reporters that the class of 1992 only faced nine other active NBA players.

  Durant is expecting a much tougher assignment this year, responding to Curry by saying: "Everybody is a contender. Everyone is here for a reason.

  "We're playing against 65 or 64 NBA players in Paris. So you know they're the best in the world."

  Asked to identify the main players to watch from other nations, the Phoenix Suns forward said: "Giannis [Antetokounmpo] or Jokic."

  While Durant adopted a cautious tone, Golden State Warriors star Curry was more bullish regarding the USA's gold medal hopes.

  Quizzed on who he was most excited about facing, Curry simply said: "Whoever's in the gold medal game."

• Murray's last hurrah, Nadal and Alcaraz dream team and Swiatek the big favourite at Paris Olympics

  Every four years, players across the ATP and WTA Tours get another shot at major glory.

  And with three grand slams already down in 2024, the Paris Olympics provides that extra shot in the arm as players across the board gun for gold.

  The big names are descending on Roland-Garros for a second time this season, with the famous venue of the French Open playing host to the Olympic tennis tournament.

  Iga Swiatek and Rafael Nadal, two dominant forces on the Parisian clay, will be in action, while Andy Murray, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, is making his final appearance before retirement.

  Novak Djokovic is also set to feature, while Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff will play at their first Olympics, though Jannik Sinner, the men's world number one, has had to withdraw due to illness.

  Here, we outline the main storylines ahead of the tournament starting on Saturday.

  Murray's last hurrah

  This will be it for Murray. The three-time grand slam champion, and former world number one, is finally bowing out.

  The 37-year-old, who won gold in the men's singles at London 2012 and Rio 2016, as well as claiming silver in the mixed doubles at the first of those Games, confirmed his impending retirement on Tuesday.

  Murray is the only man with multiple singles gold medals since tennis returned to the Olympic program in 1988. He will become the first British athlete to appear in four singles draws at the Games, too.

  He is one of just eight players in the Open Era to have won 200 or more matches at majors, while only Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer have won more ATP 1000 matches than Murray since the format's introduction in 1990.

  The Scot will bow out as the British player with the most singles titles on the ATP Tour in the Open Era (46).

  The Dream Team

  There are so many stars for fans in Paris to take in, but arguably the main attraction will be the doubles dream team of Nadal and his heir apparent Alcaraz, who are pairing up to represent Spain.

  This team counts the record champion at Roland-Garros (14) in Nadal, and the reigning champion in Alcaraz.

  While four-time major champion Alcaraz is featuring at his first Olympics, Nadal is a veteran campaigner at the Games, having scooped gold in the singles at Beijing 2008 and in the doubles in Rio eight years ago.

  Nadal is one of two players to secure an Olympic gold in both the men's singles and doubles since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988, alongside Nicolas Massu (both at Athens 2004).

   

  Like Murray, Nadal is set to bow out in the coming months, and what better way to go than winning gold with the player who could well go on to match his feats?

  Nadal's great rival Djokovic, meanwhile, will surely also be playing at his final Games.

  Djokovic will become the player with the joint-most appearances in men's singles at the Olympics (five, equalling Yen Hsun Lu) since the sport returned to the Games 36 years ago.

  The Serbian is the player with the most matches played (19) and joint-most matches won (13, level with Federer) at the Olympics since 1988.

  Swiatek's Roland-Garros return

  Women's world number one Swiatek loves Roland-Garros just as much as Nadal does.

  Four of the 23-year-old's five grand slam titles have come at the venue, including her success earlier this year. In fact, Swiatek has won four of the past five French Open titles.

  Swiatek lost in the second round in Tokyo, but given her dominance in Paris in recent years, she has to be considered the favourite in the women's draw.

  Indeed, only Margaret Court (95.2%) has a higher winning percentage at Roland-Garros than Swiatek (94.6%) in the Open Era.

   

  That being said, the incumbent world number one has won gold at the Olympics only twice: Steffi Graf in 1988 and Justine Henin in 2004.

  Aryna Sabalenka rivalled Swiatek throughout this season's clay-court swing. The Belarusian, who will be competing under a neutral banner, lost in the second round in Tokyo three years ago. 

  Gauff flying the flag

  There was heartbreak for Gauff three years ago, as she missed out on what would have been her maiden Games after testing positive for COVID-19.

  All being well, that won't be an issue this time around, and the 20-year-old will have the honour of bearing the United States flag at Friday's opening ceremony. She will be the first tennis player to fly the flag for Team USA.

  Gauff, the world number two, has reached the quarters, the final, the quarters again and the semi-finals in her last four appearances at the French Open - will she finally break her Roland-Garros duck?

  If she does, then Gauff will join Graf (1988), Jennifer Capriati (1992), Lindsay Davenport (1996) and Venus Williams (2000) as the women to win Olympic gold before turning 21.

  Former world number one Naomi Osaka, who lit the torch in Tokyo, should not be discounted either.

  She is looking to become the second Japanese player to secure an Olympic medal since tennis' return to the Games, after Kei Nishikori's bronze in Rio.