Carlos Alcaraz found it difficult to accept the news of Rafael Nadal's impending retirement, saying the 22-time grand slam winner inspired him to turn professional.

On Thursday, Nadal confirmed next month's Davis Cup finals will be the final event of his glittering career, having struggled with injuries throughout a difficult few years.

Plenty of comparisons have been drawn between Alcaraz's stunning emergence and that enjoyed by Nadal at the start of his own career. 

Alcaraz won his first grand slam title as a 19-year-old at the 2022 US Open and has since gone on to claim three further major crowns. Nadal, meanwhile, is the only man in the Open Era to win multiple grand slams both before the age of 20 and after turning 30.

The pair teamed up to play doubles at the Paris Olympic Games earlier this year, reaching the quarter-finals before losing to eventual silver medallists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.

Speaking after he suffered a surprise defeat to Tomas Machac at the Shanghai Masters on Thursday, Alcaraz appeared to still be digesting the news of Nadal's retirement.

Asked about the video Nadal posted to social media announcing his decision, Alcaraz said: "When I watched it, it was tough to accept it.

"I was in shock a little bit. I saw it like one hour before the match, so I had time to accept it and forget it a little bit before the match.

"It is a really difficult thing, really difficult news for everybody, and even tougher for me. He has been my idol since I start playing tennis. I look up to him.

"Thanks to him, I really wanted to become a tennis player. Losing him, in a certain way, is going to be difficult for us, so I will try to enjoy as much as I can when he's going to play.

"But we are going to play in Saudi Arabia, and then the Davis Cup, so I'm going to try to enjoy the time with him as much as I can, but, yeah, it is a shame for tennis and for me."

Nadal spent much of his career competing with fellow legends Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, with the sport's 'Big Three' winning 66 grand slam singles titles between them.

World number one Jannik Sinner, speaking after his win over Daniil Medvedev in Shanghai, said tennis' current crop of contenders should not be placed under pressure to replicate the achievements of that trio.

"We cannot compare us with them, that's impossible... They have been very consistent for years... not only one or two seasons, they made it for 15 years," Sinner said.

"What they have done over the years has been amazing. There are not many things to say about pressure, the pressure is always going to be there. 

"They have been very consistent throughout years and years and years. There are a lot of things what we can take from them. 

"I think we all were very lucky to see the Big Three playing tennis. I consider myself very lucky to get to know them also as people and to learn from them."

Writing on X following Nadal's announcement, the Italian said: "Thank you Rafa for everything you have given to the sport. 

"To have the chance to spend a few weeks training with you a few years ago is something I'll never forget. To watch you work as an athlete but also get to know you as a person off the court was even more special. You will be missed on the tour!"

The day tennis fans across the globe had feared was coming for some time has finally arrived, with Rafael Nadal confirming his impending retirement on Thursday.

Nadal had previously suggested 2024 was likely to be his final year on the ATP Tour after struggling with injuries throughout a difficult few years.

The Davis Cup Finals, set for Malaga in November, will now be the final event for one of sport's all-time greats.

Here, we delve into the Opta data to run through the best facts and figures from Nadal's astonishing career.

The records

Across the ATP and WTA Tours, only Margaret Court, Novak Djokovic (24 each) and Serena Williams (23) have won more singles grand slam titles than Nadal's 22 in tennis history.

An astonishing 14 of those triumphs came at the French Open (more on that event later), which is the most of any player at a single major in history. Djokovic's 10 Australian Open titles are the second-most by anyone at a particular grand slam.

Nadal's first grand slam title came at the 2005 edition of Roland-Garros, while the 2022 season saw him triumph in the French capital and at the Australian Open, speaking to his remarkable longevity.

He is the only player to win at least one major in 15 different calendar years, and between 2005 and 2014, he never ended a season without a grand slam title. No other player in the Open Era has won at least one major in 10 consecutive seasons. 

Nadal ended 13 different years in the top two of the ATP World Rankings, more than any other player throughout the Open Era.

He is also the only player in the Open Era to win multiple grand slam crowns both as a teenager and when aged over 30, and the only player since 1990 to win more than five ATP Masters 1000 finals before turning 20 (boasting a 6-1 record) and since turning 30 (8-3).

The rivalries

Nadal's exploits are even more impressive when one considers the competition he faced throughout his career, being a part of tennis' 'Big Three' alongside Djokovic and Roger Federer.

The other members of the 'Big Three' (Djokovic – 37, Federer – 31) are the only players to compete in more men's grand slam finals than Nadal in the Open Era (30).

Djokovic (257) and Federer (224) are also the only men to have won more matches against top-10 opponents than Nadal (186) since the ATP Rankings were first published. Nadal has played 289 matches against such opponents (third-most) and his win ratio of 64.4% is the fourth-best among players with a minimum of 100 such victories.

Nadal and Federer, in particular, enjoyed many titanic tussles through the years, not least the 2008 Wimbledon final, which the Spaniard won 6–4 6–4 6–7 (5–7) 6–7 (8–10) 9–7 in four hours and 48 minutes, a match regarded by some as the greatest of all time.

The duo faced off 40 times before the Swiss great retired in 2022, with Nadal edging their head-to-head 24-16 overall and 14-10 in finals.

Djokovic, meanwhile, is the only player to beat Nadal at all four majors, winning 31 of the pair's 60 all-time meetings. 

The King of Clay

While Nadal enjoyed success on all surfaces and at all four majors (plus the Olympic Games), it is Roland-Garros that will be remembered as his tournament.

Nadal's unbelievable 96.6% win rate at the French Open (112 wins from 116 matches) is the best of any player at a grand slam event in men's singles, with only Djokovic (twice), Robin Soderling and Alexander Zverev beating him at the tournament.

Nadal's 112 French Open wins are the most of any man at a single major in the Open Era, while his 14-0 record in Roland-Garros finals is the best recorded by anyone at an event in that span.

His dominance on clay extended beyond Paris, though, with Nadal's total of 63 career clay-court titles are more than anyone else in the Open Era, with Guillermo Vilas second on 49. His win percentage of 90.5% (484-51) on clay is also the best of any player on any individual surface in the Open Era.

At the peak of his powers, Nadal managed an incredible 81 consecutive victories on the surface between 2005 and 2007 – the longest streak on a single surface in the Open Era.

Only three tournaments have been won more than 10 times by the same player in the Open Era – Roland-Garros (14), Barcelona (12) and Monte-Carlo (11), all by Nadal on the clay.

It was perhaps fitting, then, that Nadal's final match at the very top level – at the Paris Olympics in July – saw him soak up the adulation of the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd following a hard-fought defeat to old rival Djokovic.

Current French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz may be the pretender to Nadal's throne, but the title of 'King of Clay' will surely always be his.

Tomas Machac shocked Carlos Alcaraz to tee up a Shanghai Masters semi-final against Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz beat Sinner to win the China Open title last week, and a rematch against the world number one looked on the cards with the Spaniard going up against the world number 33.

Yet Machac had other ideas and prevailed  7-6 (7-5) 7-5 on Thursday.

It brought up Machac's second win over a top-five opponent, after the Czech defeated Novak Djokovic at the Geneva Open earlier this year, only to lose to Casper Ruud in the final.

Reflecting on his win, Machac said: "I was playing unbelievable. I knew my level of tennis today would be great because I'm playing the best of my career right now for sure.

"I beat Tommy Paul [in the] last match with an unbelievable performance. With these kind of players, I have to play at this level. Otherwise, it's 6-2 6-3 and you go home. There's no other option. 

"I knew that I had a chance [to beat Alcaraz], but you never know, even with a set and 5-4 it's still so far from winning the match. I played great tennis against him in the Davis Cup [in September], but there was this level [for] only one set. Today it was [for] two, so it was enough."

Data Debrief: Giant killers

From the round of 16 onwards, two players ranked outside the ATP's top 20 (David Goffin and Machac) have claimed top five wins at the Shanghai Masters for the first time in the event's history.

Since the inaugural event in 2009, meanwhile, Machac is now the fifth player ranked outside the ATP's top 30 to reach the last four at the Shanghai Masters after Feliciano Lopez, Juan Monaco, Kei Nishikori and Gilles Simon.

Roger Federer led the rush of tributes to his fellow tennis great Rafael Nadal after the Spanish superstar confirmed his upcoming retirement from tennis.

Nadal will end his remarkable playing career after the Davis Cup Finals, which take place in Malaga in November.

Only Margaret Court, Novak Djokovic (24 each) and Serena Williams (23) have won more singles grand slam titles than Nadal (22), but the 38-year-old has been plagued by injury in recent seasons.

Federer retired in 2022 and Nadal’s decision on Thursday comes on the back of Andy Murray calling it a day earlier this year. 

It means that, of the ‘big four’ that dominated men's tennis for over a decade, only Djokovic now remains.

"What a career, Rafa!” Swiss great Federer wrote on Instagram. "I always hoped this day would never come.

"Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It's been an absolute honour!" 

Federer and Nadal contested 40 matches on the ATP Tour, with Nadal edging the rivalry 24-16. In majors, they met on 14 occasions, with 10 of those seeing the Spaniard emerge triumphant.

Along with Djokovic and Federer, Nadal is one of only three players in the Open Era to have played and won over 300 men's singles grand slam matches. He bows out with a major record of 314 wins from 358 matches. 

Nadal has won a record 14 titles at Roland-Garros, with the last of those coming in 2022. He will retire as a four-time US Open champion and a two-time winner at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

The veteran has not featured in a singles match since he lost to old foe Djokovic at the Paris Olympics in August.

He confirmed previously that 2024 would likely be his final year on ATP Tour circuit and he has featured in just seven tournaments this season.

Nadal remarkably reached the Swedish Open final in Bastad, only to lose to Nuno Borges, after competing at the French Open for the final time.

Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur wrote on X: “Thank you Rafael Nadal for inspiring me and all of us. You will be missed.”

Nadal’s compatriot Paula Badosa wrote "Gracias Rafa" accompanied by a series of images of the pair representing Spain, while Nick Kyrgios urged Nadal not to retire, saying he wanted to play him one last time.

There were also warm words from Andy Roddick, while the ATP and each of the four grand slam tournaments posted tributes.

In one of those, the Australian Open account wrote: "Legendary memories. You are so loved around the world and here with us in Australia. Grateful for all the unforgettable moments. Gracias, Rafa. For everything!"

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc thinks that the arrival of Lewis Hamilton can help take both the team and himself to another level.

At the start of the 2024 season, Ferrari shocked Formula One by announcing that Hamilton would replace Carlos Sainz and be joining for the following campaign.

His impending arrival is something that Leclerc is clearly excited about, as he explained in an appearance on the Beyond The Grid podcast.

“When a champion like Lewis gets to any team, it brings a lot of motivation out of every single person,” Leclerc said.

“He will come along with all the experience that he's had over the years with Mercedes – a different way of working, a different vision – and this is always benefitting a team.”

Hamilton is a seven-time Drivers’ Championship winner with his last title coming in 2020, meaning he is level in the all-time standings with Michael Schumacher, while he also holds the F1 record for the most race wins ever (105).

Understandably, Leclerc is looking forward to being able to measure his own performance against a strong yardstick.

“Obviously for me it's going to be amazing because I’ll have, in the same car as me, the most successful driver in F1 history,” he said.

“That will be both extremely interesting for me to learn from one of the best ever, as well as a really big challenge and motivation to beat Lewis and to show what I'm capable of.

“With Lewis joining the team, he will definitely be a benchmark so it will be very important for me to be on my top level.”

On a personal level, Hamilton’s arrival will spell an end to the four-year period that Leclerc and Sainz have been together at Ferrari.

Leclerc was reflective about the relationship the pair have had while racing together, with Sainz set to join Williams in 2025.

While they have a good personal relationship, Leclerc said that it has not always gone smoothly.

“I think we get on very, very well,” he said.

“Yes, there have been many moments where, inside the helmet, I hated him and he hated me, because we didn't view the situation in the same way.

“But everything was fixed after a discussion between us two. We share many interests and we’ve had a lot of memorable moments that I will remember forever.”

Jannik Sinner marched into the last four of the Shanghai Masters by defeating Daniil Medvedev on Thursday.

Sinner beat the Russian 6-1 6-4 and could now face a reunion with Carlos Alcaraz, who he lost to in the final of the China Open last week, in the semi-final.

The world number one has now won six of his last seven encounters with Medvedev.

"Obviously, I'm very happy how I handled today and this match," said Sinner.

"It felt like he had a bit of shoulder pain and couldn’t hit his forehand as well as he wished to.

"Hopefully he can recover as fast as possible, but from my side it was a great match, a great battle, and let’s see what I can do now in the semi-final."

Sinner has clocked up 63 wins on the ATP Tour this season.

Data Debrief: Master Sinner 

Sinner has now made five ATP 1000 semi-finals in 2024, which is the most of any player this year.

The Italian has also become only the second player since 2020 to reach as many semi-finals in the format since Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2022.

Since the format's inception in 1990, Sinner (77.3%, 51-15) only trails three players for win percentage on hard court at ATP 1000 events: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andre Agassi.

Coco Gauff won an eighth successive match in emphatic fashion as she dispatched Marta Kostyuk 6-4 6-1 at the Wuhan Open.

Fresh from her triumph in Beijing last week, Gauff needed only 61 minutes to get the job done on Thursday.

Gauff, who is aiming to become only the second player to win in Beijing and Wuhan in the same year, will face Magda Linette in the quarter-finals.

"I'm really happy with how I played today," said Gauff.

"It was a pretty straightforward match. Marta and I always have some good battles. Today I was able to get through in straight sets."

Gauff's compatriot Jessica Pegula, meanwhile, was beaten by Wang Xinyu, who is the second Chinese player to reach the quarter-finals of the Wuhan Open since the inception of the tournament in 2014 after Qiang Wang in 2018.  

Data Debrief: Gauff brings up 70 WTA 1000 wins

Gauff has registered her 17th win in hard-court WTA 1000 events during 2024, with only Caroline Wozniacki in 2010 (25) and Bianca Andreescu in 2019 (19) managing more wins in such events before turning 21 since 2009.

The 20-year-old is also the youngest player to hit 70 match wins since the WTA 1000 formate started in 2009. She is only the fourth player to reach that milestone before turning 23, joining Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka and Iga Swiatek.

Gauff's next opponent, Linette, is into her first WTA 1000 quarter-final.

Francisco Lindor’s latest huge hit was a sixth-inning grand slam that sent the New York Mets to the National League Championship Series with a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.

Edwin Díaz struck out Kyle Schwarber with two runners aboard to end it as New York finished off the rival Phillies in Game 4 of their best-of-five Division Series, winning 3-1 to wrap up a postseason series at home for the first time in 24 years.

New York will open the best-of-seven NLCS on Sunday against either the San Diego Padres or Los Angeles Dodgers.

For the NL East champion Phillies, who won 95 games and finished six ahead of the wild-card Mets during the regular season, it was a bitter exit early in the playoffs and a disappointing step backward after they advanced to the 2022 World Series and then lost Games 6 and 7 of the 2023 NLCS at home to Arizona.

Perhaps overanxious at the plate with so much on the table, the Mets left the bases loaded in the first and second and stranded eight runners overall through the first five innings.

They put three runners on again in the sixth, this time with nobody out, before No. 9 batter Francisco Alvarez grounded into a force at the plate against All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman.

With the season on the line, Phillies manager Rob Thomson then summoned closer Carlos Estévez to face Lindor, who drove a 2-1 fastball clocked at 99 mph into Philadelphia’s bullpen in right-center, sending the sold-out crowd of 44,103 into a delirious, bouncing, throbbing frenzy.

With his first homer of these playoffs, Lindor joined Shane Victorino and Hall of Fame slugger Jim Thome as the only major leaguers with two postseason grand slams. The star shortstop also connected for Cleveland at Yankee Stadium in Game 2 of a 2017 AL Division Series.

Dodgers rout Padres to force Game 5

Mookie Betts, Will Smith and Gavin Lux homered to back an eight-pitcher shutout as the Los Angeles Dodgers staved off elimination with an 8-0 rout of the San Diego Padres in their NL Division Series.

The Dodgers snapped a two-game losing streak and now return home for a deciding Game 5 between the NL West rivals on Friday night.

The winner will have home-field advantage in the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets, who eliminated the Philadelphia Phillies in their NLDS.

The Dodgers got a superb effort by opener Ryan Brasier and seven fellow relievers in a bullpen game, holding the Padres to seven hits and extending their scoreless streak to 15 innings. Evan Phillips, who got the win, retired Jurickson Profar, Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill on five pitches in the sixth.

With All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman sidelined by a troublesome right ankle sprain, Betts and Shohei Ohtani needed to produce to keep LA's season alive. They did just that, with Betts driving in two runs on two hits and Ohtani bringing in one run and reaching three times.

The Padres started Dylan Cease on short rest and gave up Betts’ home run in the first inning and put two runners on with one out in the second and was chased by Ohtani’s RBI single to right. 

Smith followed Max Muncy’s leadoff double in the third with a home run to extend the lead to 5-0.

Lux’s two-run shot off Wandy Peralta in the seventh capped a three-run inning for the Dodgers.

Stanton’s home run gives Yankees 2-1 lead

Giancarlo Stanton snapped a tie in the eighth inning with a solo home run and New York’s bullpen pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings as the Yankees edged the Kansas City Royals 3-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their AL Division Series.

Stanton finished with three hits, drove in two runs and stole a base for the first time in four years for the Yankees, who will turn to six-time All-Star pitcher Gerrit Cole on Thursday night with a chance to reach the American League Championship Series.

The Royals used four relievers before Kris Bubic took over for the eighth. The left-hander struck out Austin Wells before Stanton hit his 3-1 pitch nearly 420 feet to left to give New York the lead.

The Royals tried to answer off Luke Weaver in the bottom half, getting Bobby Witt Jr.'s first hit of the series and a two-out single by Salvador Perez. Weaver recovered to get Yuli Gurriel to fly out to end the threat, and he also handled the ninth to earn the save and cap a stellar performance by the New York bullpen.

The Yankees won despite another frustrating night in the postseason for MVP front-runner Aaron Judge. He went 0 for 4 with a walk and is now 1 for 11 with only an infield single through three games against the Royals.

It helped that the powerful Yankees drew nine walks Wednesday night, giving them 22 for the series.

Tigers get second straight shutout

Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson each drove in a run, and the Detroit Tigers used six pitchers in a 3-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians for a 2-1 lead in their AL Division Series.

The Tigers will have a chance to advance to their first ALCS since 2013 on Thursday night in Game 4 at Comerica Park.

Cleveland has gone 20 straight innings without scoring since opening the series with a five-run first and a two-run sixth in its 7-0 win.

After AL Cy Young Award favourite Tarik Skubal helped Detroit shut out Cleveland in Game 2, manager A.J. Hinch put a stream of pitchers on the mound and kept the Guardians quiet at the plate.

Detroit reliever Will Vest entered with two on and two outs in the seventh and got David Fry to line out to Matt Vierling at third.

Keider Montero retired the side in order in the first, and the previously slumping Greene hit a two-out RBI single in the home half.

Brant Hurter gave up five hits in 3 1/3 innings, Beau Brieske pitched two innings, and Sean Guenther got one out before Vest threw 1 1/3 innings. Tyler Holton handled the ninth for the save.

It's the first time Detroit has recorded two shutouts in a postseason series. It's also the first time since the 1905 World Series that the first three games of a postseason series were all shutouts.

The Guardians had a chance to score in the third. Steven Kwan reached on a one-out infield single and advanced on shortstop Tyler Sweeney's throwing error. José Ramírez was intentionally walked with two outs, but Josh Naylor hit an inning-ending groundout.

New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen has selected rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler to make his first regular-season NFL start on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Allen confirmed Rattler as the starter on Wednesday with usual starter Derek Carr to miss at least one game because of a left oblique injury that occurred in the fourth quarter of New Orleans’ 26-13 loss in Kansas City on Monday night.

The decision means that Rattler, for the time being, moves ahead of second-year pro Jake Haener on the depth chart.

Haener replaced Carr after his injury in Kansas City and also played late in a pair of lopsided victories to start the season.

“We just internally talked a lot about it and felt like in this particular game he was going to give us the best chance to win,” Allen said of Rattler. “He’s a rookie so we’re going to have some challenges that go along with that, but I think we’ll have a good plan for him.”

Rattler was selected by the Saints in the fifth round of last spring’s NFL draft out of South Carolina.

He will become the fifth rookie quarterback to start his season, joining Caleb Williams (Bears), Jayden Daniels (Commanders), Bo Nix (Broncos) and Drake Maye, who is scheduled to also make his first career start Sunday for the Patriots against Houston.

Novak Djokovic believed his straight-set triumph against Roman Safiullin at the Shanghai Masters was almost perfect, while reiterating his desire to compete at the very top. 

Djokovic, featuring in his first tournament since his shock US Open exit, was largely untroubled in a 6-3 6-2 win against the Russian on Wednesday. 

The world number four's triumph also saw him become the first player to reach 10 quarter-finals at the tournament in Shanghai, claiming his 37th victory in the process. 

Djokovic is on a quest to claim his 100th ATP tour title, hoping to join the elite club that includes only Jimmy Connor and Roger Federer who have reached that milestone. 

The Serbian had already beaten Alex Michelsen and Flavio Cobolli to reach the round of 16, and will face Czech teenager Jakub Mensik for a place in the final four. 

And the 24-time grand slam champion said his tennis at the tournament so far is bringing him "a lot of joy". 

"Very close to 10. The [past two matches] are some of the best matches I've played in a while," Djokovic said. 

"I'm enjoying myself on the court and when you play well you are feeling good, there is a lot of joy in striking a tennis ball.

"These matches and sensations are the reasons why I still play.

"I believe I can play at a high level and it's about keeping that consistency.”

When the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty played for the Commissioner’s Cup Championship in June, it seemed a foregone conclusion the teams would meet further down the road with much more at stake.

That time has come, as the Liberty will host the Lynx in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Thursday in a matchup of teams that posted the top two records during the regular season.

New York went 5-0 in Commissioner’s Cup play while Minnesota posted a 4-1 record en route to a meeting on June 25 in the championship game of the in-season competition that started in 2021.

The Liberty entered as the defending champions of the Commissioner's Cup and with a 15-3 overall record, while the Lynx came in with a 13-3 mark.

Minnesota went on to win its first Commissioner's Cup championship with a 94-89 victory at New York.

The Lynx also took two of three meetings in the regular season, but the Liberty (32-8) managed to finish two games ahead of Minnesota (30-10) in the final standings.

“I think the regular season doesn’t mean anything, they are an amazing team,” Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier said.

“It’s going to be a great series, great basketball. Two teams with great players competing.”

Collier was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and was runner-up to Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson for the WNBA MVP award.

Collier finished in the top five in the league in scoring (20.4 points per game), rebounds (9.7), steals (1.9), double-doubles (18) and player efficiency (25.7), but she’s been even more dominant in the play-offs.

The sixth overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft is averaging a league-high 27.1 points and tops all post-season players with a 32.9 efficiency rating to go along with 9.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.0 blocks per game.

“She’s improved every season. She’s just been incredible,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said.

“Every game, it’s more than scoring how she helps our team. When she plays like the MVP, we're tough to beat.”

The Lynx booked their ticket to the WNBA Finals with an 88-77 win over the Connecticut Sun in the decisive Game 5 of the semifinals on Tuesday.

New York has been idle since eliminating the two-time defending champion Aces in Game 4 of the semis on Sunday.

“Talk about the schedule, who cares. Nobody’s going to feel bad for us,” Reeve said.

“Got to go hooping right away and we’ll do that.”

The Liberty exacted a measure of revenge on Las Vegas after losing to the Aces in four games in last season’s WNBA Finals, but star point guard Sabrina Ionescu said New York needs to remain focused.

“We haven’t done anything yet, I think we all understand that,” Ionescu said. “We want to come out and continue to be the best team like we have been all year.

“We’re three wins away, and that’s really important to understand. We’ve got to come out and we’ve got to punch because nothing has been given to us yet.”

Ionescu and forward Breanna Stewart form an imposing 1-2 punch for the Liberty.

Stewart averaged 20.4 points (fourth in the league) during the regular season and Ionescu added 18.2 per game. Ionescu ranked fifth in the WNBA in both assists per game (6.2) and 3-pointers made (107).

In the play-offs, Ionescu is averaging 20.7 points and Stewart is pouring in 20.0 per game.

Minnesota is playing in its record seventh WNBA Finals and looking to break a tie with the Houston Comets and Seattle Storm for the most titles in WNBA history with its fifth championship.

New York, meanwhile, has lost in each of its previous five WNBA Finals appearances.

“We're going to the Finals and we're hosting Game 1 and Game 2,” Stewart said.

“We're ready to go. Just the feeling of not (being) satisfied."

Game 2 is Sunday before the series shifts to Minnesota for Game 3, and if necessary, Game 4. A winner-take-all Game 5 would be in New York on October 20.