The Phoenix Suns were at their offensive best in their 121-114 Game 1 win against the Dallas Mavericks.
Led by center Deandre Ayton, who had 19 of his 25 points in the first half, the Suns scored 35 in the first quarter and 34 in the second to lead 69-56 at the long break.
The only thing keeping the Mavericks in the game was superstar Luka Doncic, who had 26 first-half points on his way to 45 on 15-of-30 shooting, while grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing eight assists.
Dallas' defense was much improved after half-time, but they struggled to cut into the lead as Devin Booker kept things ticking on his way to 23 points, with some cold shooting late bringing his figures to seven-of-20 from the field with nine rebounds and eight assists.
Cameron Johnson also chipped in with a playoff career-high 17 points off the bench in 24 productive minutes.
With a 16-point lead heading into the last frame, the Suns moved their perfect record to 51-0 this season when leading after three quarters, with only some too-little, too-late shot-making cutting the final margin to a respectable deficit.
Dallas will need much more out of guard Jalen Brunson on the attacking end to keep up with the powerful Suns offense as this series moves forward, finishing six-of-16 from the field for his 13 points, with eight of those points coming in the last quarter when the game was essentially decided.
76ers go cold against Heat
A dominant second half saw the Miami Heat pull away for a 106-92 Game 1 home victory against the Philadelphia 76ers.
It was a great start for the Heat, jumping out to a 25-11 lead, but a strong Philly fightback in the second quarter gave the road team a 51-50 advantage heading into half-time as James Harden put through his 12th point.
Harden would only score four points in the second half, which was indicative of how it went for the 76ers as the Heat raised their defense to another level in the third period.
Miami outscored the visitors 56-41 after half-time, as Tyler Herro led the way with 25 points off the bench on nine-of-17 shooting, adding seven assists.
It was also a strong scoring game for Bam Adebayo, who shot eight-for-10 for his 24 points, with 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
Tobias Harris was the shining light for the 76ers, battling hard on both ends to finish with 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting, and was a big reason for Jimmy Butler's poor performance, which saw the Heat star not play a minute in the fourth quarter.
On a night where star Jimmy Butler did not have his best showing, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was full of praise for his supporting cast in their 106-92 Game 1 win against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Butler finished five-of-16 from the field for his 15 points, and did not play at all in the fourth quarter as the Heat extended their lead without him.
Young duo Bam Adebayo (24 points, 12 rebounds and four assists) and Tyler Herro (25 points and seven assists) picked up the slack, while P.J. Tucker grinded out 29 tough minutes for 10 points and seven rebounds while spending long stretches on Philadelphia's James Harden.
Speaking with post-game media, Spoelstra said he was not shaken by the 76ers leading at half-time, and he knew Herro's next big performance was just around the corner.
"First of all, 48-minute games are long, and they're a very good team, even without Embiid," he said. "You get a double-digit lead in this league, and in the playoffs, they can disappear like that.
"I think it was just a matter of time before [Herro] was going to get into his rhythm. He's a great player, and he's so skilled.
"It is just a matter of time, and sometimes you miss shots, [but] I thought in the Atlanta series he was playing good basketball. He just wasn't making some of the shots we're used to seeing him make, then everyone jumps to conclusions about that – but he was playing winning basketball.
"The plays in between – they weren't necessarily play-calls – but it was the plays in between that he was able to be super efficient in. He's a big-time 'X-factor' for us offensively when he's in that rhythm."
Spoelstra then shifted his attention to his starting big-men.
"Those inspiring offensive rebounds, and extra possessions, and extra efforts kind of ignited the whole team," he said. "That was P.J. [Tucker] and Bam [Adebayo] – both of those guys were terrific.
"Defensively we really picked up the intensity, but we did it with a bit more thought and discipline.
"On both ends of the court, [Adebayo] was so critical. In that second half, whether it was zone or man [defence], he was able to find those open gaps in the paint.
"It wasn't as if we were running specific plays for him, it was just his activity, and his relentlessness, and his assertiveness. Our guys were finding him in the paint, and when the ball was up there he was going after it.
"You can't put an analytic to it – I literally don't know what [Tucker's] stats were – but he has those momentum-shifting plays. These timely, winning plays – and he has a way of doing things that just inspires your whole team.
"[Tucker] was tremendous on both ends of the court, and that's what winning basketball is meant to look like. He's our best communicator… and he's such an underrated, high-IQ offensive player."
The Heat looked to figure out their opponents in the second half, outscoring the 76ers 56-41 over the last two quarters, but Spoelstra said he knows there is a long series ahead, with plenty of adjustments coming from both sides.
"Doc [Rivers] is a great coach, a brilliant mind," he said. "He'll come up with something, and we'll try to make our adjustments.
"Even without Embiid, they have some great firepower. Harden creates a lot of things you have to be ultra on-edge about, Maxey has just continued to improve, and Harris was killing us tonight."
The New York Yankees came through in the ninth inning to win a hard-fought pitching duel 3-2 against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Yankees pitcher Jordan Montgomery was strong through five innings, conceding two runs from six hits and no walks, striking out five. For the Blue Jays, Ross Stripling gave up two runs from five hits and no walks in four innings.
It was a scoreless first three frames, before the Yankees finally found the breakthrough when Gleyber Torres stepped up to the plate with Josh Donaldson on first base and two outs, sending a blast over the right-field wall to make it 2-0.
The lead was short-lived, as George Springer led off the bottom of the fourth with a base hit, before coming home with Bo Bichette's double to left-field. Bichette was then brought home by Matt Chapman's two-out base hit, tying the game at 2-2.
It would be another four scoreless innings as both bullpens, particularly the Blue Jays', were lights out, not allowing the Yankees another baserunner until the ninth inning.
Giancarlo Stanton led off the last frame with a single to center-field, before he was withdrawn from the game, replaced by speedy pinch-runner Tim Locastro in a game-winning decision.
Locastro instantly stole second base, breaking up what would have been a double-play when the next batter up grounded out, and made his way into scoring position in the process.
Aaron Hicks' strikeout brought Torres back to the plate with two outs, and he delivered once again, sending a base hit to right-field to bring Locastro to home plate for a 3-2 lead.
Yankees closer Chad Green closed the door in style, striking out two of the three batters he faced to collect the save.
Angels batters issued Cease and desist
Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease pitched a gem in his side's 3-0 shutout win against the Los Angeles Angels.
Cease got through seven complete innings in 93 pitches, striking out 11 while conceding just one hit and no walks.
He did not have to wait long for run-support either, as the White Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning after A.J. Pollock and Jake Burger drove in one each.
Pitchers put on a show in St Louis
Kansas City Royals starter Zach Greinke only allowed three hits, no walks and one run in his six innings, but was still credited with the loss as his side went down 1-0 against the St Louis Cardinals.
Steven Matz was even better for the Cardinals, pitching six scoreless frames, conceding four hits and no walks.
Paul Goldschmidt put the Cardinals ahead with a solo home run in the opening inning, for the first and last run of the night.
Two of the world's most recognisable car brands – Audi and Porsche – have plans to join Formula One.
It is said that the two brands, who are the Volkswagen Group's biggest income generators, have had a keen interest for a while now and have been waiting for F1's engine regulations to move in a more eco-friendly direction.
These changes are reportedly set to come into effect in 2026, when it is expected that Porsche will form an alliance with Red Bull and compete under the team name of Red Bull-Porsche.
Audi, on the other hand, are seeking to buy out an existing team, and have had talks with Sauber, Williams, Aston Martin and McLaren.
Speaking at an event in Wolfsburg, where VW is based, company chief executive Herbert Diess said when it came down to it, entering F1 would simply generate more money than not entering.
"You just run out of arguments [against it]," he said.
Last year, Porsche Motorsport vice president Fritz Enzinger revealed that the company was again considering their future in the sport, as long as the engine requirements met a certain standard.
With F1's new engines to run on fully sustainable fuels – which was non-negotiable for the VW Group – it is now closer than ever to becoming a reality.
Ons Jabuer avenged her recent loss to Belinda Bencic with a win at the Madrid Open, while Coco Gauff is out after being beaten in straight sets in the round of 16 by Simona Halep on Monday.
Gauff joins other big names in exiting the WTA 1000 event, with Naomi Osaka, Garbine Muguruza, Danielle Collins, Paula Badosa and Maria Sakkari among those crashing out in the second round.
The number 14 seed did not put up much resistance against her Romanian opponent, with Halep winning 6-4 6-4 in just 77 minutes.
Gauff struggled on her own serve in particular, making six double faults and only winning 61.5 per cent of her first-serve points, compared to 83.8 from Halep on hers.
The former world number one and two-time Madrid champion will now face the only remaining top-eight seed in the tournament in the quarter-final, Jabeur, who defeated Bencic 6-2 3-6 6-2.
The Tunisian was out for revenge after losing to Bencic at the same stage last year, as well as in the Charleston Open final last month, and took it well as she sealed victory in just over two hours.
"I came here to take my revenge," Jabeur said after the win. "I wish I played like that in the final in Charleston, to be honest.
"Part of me is very proud of myself for coming today and getting the win. Belinda is such an amazing player and it's very tough to play against her. I'm very happy with the level I showed today, and hopefully this level will continue for the rest of the tournament."
Elsewhere, Victoria Azarenka is out after the number 15 seed was beaten 6-1 6-4 by Amanda Anisimova, who will now face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the last eight after she overcame Marie Bouzkova 6-7 (4-7) 6-0 7-5.
Andy Murray swept aside Dominic Thiem in impressive fashion to secure his first clay-court win in five years as the Scot advanced to the second round at the Madrid Open on Monday.
The three-time grand slam champion was largely in control against his Austrian opponent, hitting nine aces and saving all three break points against his serve, while Thiem could only save one of the three he faced as Murray won 6-3 6-4.
He will now play 14th seed Denis Shapovalov after the Canadian beat Ugo Humbert 7-6 (7-1) 6-3.
The winner of that contest will have a last-16 meeting against the victor of Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils after the latter eased into the round of 32 to set up a clash with the Serbian.
Monfils defeated wildcard Carlos Gimeno Valero 6-3 6-0 in less than an hour, while Alejandro Davidovich Fokina also advanced with a 7-5 6-3 win against Lloyd Harris.
Dusan Lajovic set up a second-round match against fifth seed Casper Ruud, who defeated Borna Coric 6-3 4-6 6-4, and ninth seed Cameron Norrie will go up against John Isner, the Briton having overcome Soonwoo Kwon 7-5 7-5.
An interesting tie awaits the much-talked about Carlos Alcaraz after Nikoloz Basilashvili beat Fabio Fognini 7-5 6-4, with the Georgian to face the number seven seeded teenager next.
Jannik Sinner, the 10th seed, scraped through a hard-fought encounter against American Tommy Paul 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-3, and will play Alex de Minaur next after the Australian beat Pedro Martinez 7-6 (7-2) 1-6 6-3.
Diego Schwartzman will take on Grigor Dimitrov in the second round. The Argentine 13th seed beat Benoit Paire 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-1, while Dimitrov overcame Maxime Cressy 6-2 7-6 (7-4).
The New Orleans Saints have agreed a deal to sign All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu.
According to a report by ESPN's Adam Schefter, three-time first-team All-Pro has reached an agreement on a three-year, $33million deal with the Saints.
The deal, which still needs to be signed, includes $18m in guaranteed money.
New Orleans-born Mathieu returns home after a three-season spell with the Kansas City Chiefs that saw him play in two Super Bowls.
The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV before losing 31-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.
Mathieu made 13 interceptions over the past three seasons, tied second among all safeties in that span.
His 27 pass breakups put him tied seventh over the same period and Mathieu will hope to have the same impact for his hometown team, who are looking to bounce back under new head coach Dennis Allen after missing the playoffs in 2021 with a 9-8 record.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is to be suspended for six games by the NFL for violation of the league's performance-enhancing drug policy, according to reports.
The 29-year-old required MCL surgery after suffering a knee injury in December's 30-23 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, missing the remainder of the 2021 campaign, including the Wild Card playoff loss to the Rams.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Cardinals will be without Hopkins for the opening six games of the season due to his suspension, which is final after he withdrew his appeal.
The Cardinals traded on draft day for another wide receiver, Marquise Brown, having lost Christian Kirk after the 25-year-old signed a $72million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In the 10 games he did play in last season, Hopkins – a three-time first-team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection – managed 42 receptions for a total of 572 yards, with eight touchdowns to his name.
In the 2020 season, his first with Arizona after being traded by the Houston Texans, he recorded 1,407 yards from 115 receptions, and six TDs.
Ronnie O'Sullivan roared to a scintillating seventh World Championship title and was instantly acclaimed snooker's greatest of all time.
The serial record breaker has become the tournament's oldest ever winner, with the 46-year-old beating Judd Trump 18-13 in the two-day final.
From his first triumph in 2001, through to the historic seventh that moves him alongside Stephen Hendry, O'Sullivan has pushed the sport to new heights.
He has long since passed Hendry on the list of ranking event titles, and now has an unsurpassed seven each at the Masters, World Championship and UK Championship. This has been his 30th tilt at the World Championship, having made his debut as a 17-year-old in 1993.
O'Sullivan built a 12-5 lead over a subdued Trump on Sunday, with that surge marred by an altercation with Belgian referee Olivier Marteel, who formally warned the veteran over an alleged gesture. In response, a rankled O'Sullivan denied any misbehaviour and snapped back at Marteel: "You saw nothing. Don't start."
He later claimed in an interview with Eurosport, who employ him as a pundit, that Marteel appeared to be "looking for trouble".
Followed around by a film crew putting together a Netflix-style documentary on his life, the mercurial O’Sullivan has given the cameras plenty to feast on, and he withstood a Trump fightback on Monday to reign again on snooker's most famous stage.
He had arrived in Sheffield level on six titles with Steve Davis and one behind Hendry, but O'Sullivan has swept past David Gilbert, Mark Allen, Stephen Maguire and John Higgins and now seen off Trump during the 17-day tournament.
Cliff Thorburn, Canada's 1980 world champion, says maverick O'Sullivan's record-equalling Crucible crown ends all debate about who deserves to be recognised as number one for the ages.
"I think so, absolutely," Thorburn told Stats Perform. "There's no doubt in anyone's mind. Davis and Hendry did almost all of their stuff in a 10-year stint and that's it. Ronnie's done his in 30 years. He's only won seven, but with Davis and Hendry they basically stopped winning. It just stopped. But Ronnie's shown up all the time, and he's dug as deep as anyone at this tournament."
O'Sullivan, who earns £500,000 for his victory, shared an intense hug with Trump after crossing the winning line, and said: "That's probably the greatest result I've ever had. I've never bothered about records. You let the snooker gods decide what they're going to decide and this 17 days, they were on my side."
Trump said: "It's an amazing achievement and he'll go down as the best player of all time. It wouldn't surprise me if he beats the record and gets to eight. He seems to still want it more than anyone else. I think he'll definitely get one more. If he gets another one next year he might be able to get to 10."
Rocket Ronnie's latest records
7 - World Championship titles, level with Stephen Hendry.
74 - Match victories at the Crucible.
21 - 'Triple Crown' titles (7 x World Championship, 7 x Masters, 7 x UK Championship).
21 - Years between first and most recent Crucible titles.
46 years, four months, 27 days - Oldest world champion, beating Ray Reardon's 1978 win as a 45-year-old.
39 - Ranking event titles.
Lewis Hamilton believes Formula One's popularity in the United States is "booming" ahead of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix on Sunday.
Miami's first Grand Prix will take place later this week after the Miami International Autodrome agreed a 10-year contract to stage the race, meaning the United States will host two events in the 2022 season, with Austin, Texas hosting the United States Grand Prix in October, while a Las Vegas Grand Prix will be introduced next year.
Hamilton, who holds the record for most wins in Austin (six), has struggled at the outset of the new campaign, sitting seventh in the driver's standings after finishing a disappointing 13th at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix last time out.
In an interview with ABC'S Good Morning America, the seven-time drivers' champion said he was excited to be participating in the USA, highlighting the role of Netflix's 'Drive to Survive' documentary series in boosting the sport's stateside popularity.
"It's a bit nerve-racking because I think it's going to be a huge event for us," he said. "We obviously had the race in Austin, Texas, which has always been amazing. The first race I had out here was Indianapolis in 2007.
"But now, with Netflix's Drive to Survive series growing, we have two Grands Prix in the States and we have another one in Las Vegas next year, it's going to be huge.
"I've been coming out here for a long time, but never understood why people weren't into Formula One.
"Everyone knew NASCAR, and obviously there are such huge sporting fans out here and this Netflix show, particularly through the pandemic, has just brought massive awareness to the sport, and now it's booming."
Meanwhile, the 37-year-old used his appearance on the show to highlight the launch of his Mission 44 Foundation, which aims to "support, champion and empower young people from underrepresented groups to succeed through narrowing opportunity gaps across society."
Hamilton said his experience of working in Formula One, an industry in which ethnic minority groups remain severely underrepresented, motivated the foundation's mission.
"It's been generally quite a lonely journey. It's been me and my family. We're the only black family [in the sport]," he added.
"I've been racing 29 years. I'm 37 now, but I've been professional for 16 years. I've most often been the only person of colour in the room and when I asked the question [why], there was no great feedback or answer to that.
"So we've now started Mission 44, which I've funded myself, to try and create more representation and support and empowerment for these young, underserved groups."
Rafael Nadal has said that Carlos Alcaraz can become one of the best players in the world, ahead of a potential meeting between the two Spaniards at the Madrid Open.
Alcaraz has enjoyed an impressive season to date, having recently added the Barcelona Open to the titles won in Rio de Janeiro and Miami already in 2022.
Following on from that triumph in Catalonia, Alcaraz – who turns 19 on Thursday – became the youngest male player to break into the top 10 since Nadal 17 years ago.
However, one of his three defeats in 2022 came at the hands of Nadal in the semi-finals of Indian Wells in March, with the contest lasting over three hours.
Nadal eventually secured the win in California, 6-4 4-6 6-3, before losing the final to Taylor Fritz.
Alcaraz and Nadal are set to collide once again in Madrid should they both come through their second and third-round matches.
Speaking to Eurosport, Nadal lavished praise on his fellow Spaniard, outlining his belief that Alcaraz can have a very successful career, drawing comparisons with his own illustrious career.
"As everybody knows it's amazing," Nadal said. "He's a big candidate to win a lot of grand slams and become the number one player in the world.
"What he is doing is fantastic so well done for him and I wish him all the very best. He is doing a lot of things similar to me. He is young, he has the passion and the energy. He has every single thing to become a huge star.
"I'm like a Spanish spectator, personally I'm happy to have someone like him to stay on the tour for a long time and achieve a lot of things."
Nadal also gave an update on his own fitness, with his participation in Madrid following a hip injury part of his preparation to try and be ready for the upcoming French Open.
"I'm feeling good in terms of the hip," he said. "That's recovered so now is the time to try to recover the tennis and physical performance. That takes some time so I am here to try to be better and better every day.
"I have been out for more than a month and a half. The amount of practices I've had are just a few, and in this case, I need to be humble enough and accept that it's a process that I need to go through.
"Of course, the big goal now is to try and be ready for the French Open in three weeks."
Alcaraz last week revealed he has taken inspiration from facing Nadal, saying to Spanish talk show El Hormiguero: "I learned about the fighting spirit, of never giving up.
"From that match against him [at Indian Wells] I get the fighting spirit, never give up and fight until the last ball."
Mark Cavendish will return to the Giro d'Italia after a nine-year absence after he was confirmed to be heading up the QuickStep-AlphaVinyl team at 2022's first Grand Tour event.
Cavendish last featured in the race in 2013, topping the points classification after winning five stages.
The legendary sprinter has 15 stage wins in five previous appearances in the race, and will be hoping to replicate his successful comeback at last year's Tour de France, where he matched Eddy Merckx's career record of 34 stage victories, which had stood since 1975, after a three-year absence from the race.
As his team confirmed Cavendish's participation on Twitter, directeur sportif Davide Bramati said he is excited about the 36-year-old's chances of further success.
"We go to the Giro d’Italia with a lot of motivation. We have a good team at the start, with Mark as our man for the flat," Bramati said in a team statement.
"He has won a lot of stages at the Giro, and he can rely on many strong riders to support and guide him in the hectic bunch sprints.
"For the other stages, we'll just take it one day at a time, fight for every opportunity and see what we can do. We know that it won't be an easy three weeks, it never is, but we will try to do our best, because it's in our nature."
Cavendish's selection for the three-week race, which begins in Budapest on May 6 and finishes in Verona on May 29, does, however, make another appearance in the Tour de France appear to be unlikely this year, with Dutch sprinter Fabio Jakobsen expected to get the nod.
The 36-year-old has been in good form in 2022, becoming the first British rider to win the Milano-Torino one-day race and picking up three race victories since the turn of the year.
Ja Morant refused to give any credit to the Golden State Warriors defense after missing the potential game-winning layup in the Memphis Grizzlies 117-116 Game 1 loss.
Morant finished with 34 points on 14-of-31 shooting, while also adding nine rebounds and 10 assists, but clanked his layup hard off the backboard as time expired under a good contest from Klay Thompson.
Jordan Poole was the star of the show for the Warriors, coming off the bench to score 31 points on 12-of-20 shooting with eight rebounds and nine assists, stepping up to make up for Thompson's six-of-19 performance from the field.
Speaking with post-game media, Morant opted to not give any credit to Thompson's defense when prompted multiple times.
"It was the same message as every time we're in the situation – I just missed a layup," the All-Star said.
When pressed on if Thompson's defense had any impact, Morant repeated his statement: "Nah, I just missed a layup."
Instead, Morant said where his side lost the contest was in the hustle categories that the Grizzlies usually excel in.
"We gave up too many second-chance points, we gave up [too many] fast-break points," he said. "That's definitely not what we want to be giving up, and it played a factor in this game.
"I feel like that's kind of where we messed up. We were running to the rim on their shots, and there were some long rebounds, 50-50 balls, you know we've got to come up with those against this team. We can't allow them second chances, or open looks, and they made us pay for it.
"We came out and fought – we had a lead, then went down, then got the lead back. Klay hit a big-time three, and I missed a layup.
"Despite all that, we gave up 26 second-chance points and 18 fast-break points, and we lost by one.
"It's nothing to hang our heads about – but obviously we've got to correct those things."
Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins did not want to let Jaren Jackson Jr's night go unnoticed either, as he posted a playoff career-high 33 points as the Defensive Player of the Year candidate sank six-of-nine three-pointers.
"[Morant and Jackson] were big for us tonight," Taylor said. "I thought as [the Warriors] changed their line-ups, we started utilising 'JJ' more in ball-screens – Ja was doing a great job finding him, and JJ capitalised.
"It's going to be a great film to go back and watch to see where we were successful, and see where we weren't. But those two guys were bright spots for sure."
When asked about the plan on the last possession, Jenkins was adamant that he trusts his best player to decide the game.
"[We were looking for] Ja to go make a play," he said. "He had a great look, it just didn't happen to go in."
Ukrainian former tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky has questioned Rafael Nadal after the world number four said Russian and Belarusian players should not be banned from playing at Wimbledon.
The All England Club, along with the Lawn Tennis Association, confirmed last month that Russian and Belarusian players would not be able to feature in their tournaments this year, including Wimbledon.
That decision came in the wake of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which was backed by Belarus.
It means that men's world number two and reigning US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, as it stands, will not be competing at the season's third grand slam.
The ATP and WTA both want a rethink of the decision, while Nadal – along with Novak Djokovic – spoke out against the ban. Andy Murray, meanwhile, said he does not support the move, though understands the major's organisers are in a difficult position.
"I think it's very unfair on my Russian tennis mates, my colleagues," Nadal told reporters.
"It's not their fault what's happening in this moment with the war. I'm sorry for them. Wimbledon just took their decision. The government didn't force them to do it.
"Let's see what happens in the next weeks, if the players will take some kind of decision in that regard."
However, former world number 31 Stakhovsky, who returned to his homeland to aid the resistance to Russia's attack, vehemently disagrees.
On his official Twitter account, Stakhovsy wrote: "@RafaelNadal we competed together... we've played each other on tour.
"Please tell me how it is fair that Ukrainian players cannot return home?
"How it is fair that Ukrainian kids cannot play tennis? How is it fair that Ukrainians are dying?"
Stakohvsky told Stats Perform in March that he was driven to fight the Russian forces despite having no formal military training, and left his family to do so.
Jon Rahm said his Sunday round with Tiger Woods at the Masters hammered home the lessons he needed to win the Mexico Open.
World number two Rahm shot all four rounds in the 60s, holding on down the stretch at 17 under to win by one stroke ahead of the fast-finishing duo of Tony Finau and Brandon Wu, who both shot 63 on Sunday.
The win was the Spaniard's first since the 2021 U.S. Open, with second place in January's Sentry Tournament of Champions and a tie for third in the Farmers Insurance Open his best results this season.
Speaking to the media after his triumph, Rahm highlighted lessons he took from playing his final round at Augusta National last month with Woods, who made a remarkable turn to elite-level golf at the major.
"I think that Sunday with Tiger at Augusta gave me quite a bit of confidence," Rahm told a news conference. "I was a little bit technical in my approach – a little too technical.
"I'm a feel player, and that Sunday I told myself 'just go out there and hit the golf ball'. Make shots, make the swings you want to make, see the ball flight and execute.
"I shot a three under, not having my best stuff, on a tough day, so I applied the same thing this week."
Rahm also touched on his desire to have a win at Vidanta, after a number of close calls at Chapultepec for the WGC-Mexico Championship, and how the game has grown in the country.
"I was close to winning at Chapultapec a couple times – I had a chance – but I didn't quite get it done," he said. "I knew I could get it done. I came this week wanting to [get a win in Mexico].
"I've spoken at length about the importance of Seve [Ballesteros] and his impact on the game of golf and how I play because of him.
"Nowadays we have a much bigger reach, the PGA Tour has become a bigger tour, and with social media, we're worldwide stars, bigger than they were in the past.
"I feel like I can make some impact in Mexico as well, and Mexico deserves a good event. You can even see golf growing in Mexico as well. It's a true honour to be able to come here in this first edition of the event to be the champion."
Despite out-driving his famous Mercedes team-mate early in the season, George Russell has nothing but praise for seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton, 37, got off to a solid start in Bahrain after qualifying fifth and sneaking onto the podium when both Red Bull cars were retired, but his fourth-placed finish in Australia is sandwiched by crossing the line 10th in Saudi Arabia and a disappointing 13th in Imola.
Meanwhile, Russell has finished no worse than fifth in any race, despite having a best starting position of sixth, both in Australia and Saudi Arabia.
It means Russell occupies fourth position in the driver standings, just 10 points away from Max Verstappen in second, while Hamilton is back in seventh.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Russell said he has no doubts about the "inspiring" Hamilton's quality, and his likelihood of returning to form.
"Lewis has clearly got the pace," he said. "He's incredibly fast, and he's showed that so far this year, but it's just been tricky for us as a team to get it done when the time is needed.
"When things have been more stable, Lewis has still been massively fast.
"I know there was a bit of a blip last weekend, but I have no doubt he's going to come back, and the way he's pushing the team and motivating the team is truly inspiring.
"We all want more. He wants more. Nobody is happy with the position we're in currently."
While Russell acknowledged that some of the team's problems have been out of the drivers' hands, he said they are issues he is also having to combat, and that his time at Williams has prepared him to make the most out of difficult situations.
"We are equally struggling," he said. "When the car is so far out of bed and it's not in the right window, it doesn't really feel like a proper racing car to drive.
"Perhaps with my struggles at Williams, with very difficult cars, maybe that's helped in some small regard.
"But Lewis will come back stronger, I have no doubt. He's definitely going to be pushing me all the way.
"I'm not getting comfortable in this position because I know what he's capable of."
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff commended his young star, and stressed his team is determined to provide their drivers with cars they can compete with.
"I'm very impressed with how [Russell has] settled in," he said. "How professionally and analytically he is helps us to assess the situation.
"The combination [of Russell and Hamilton], that's one of the very few highlights I have at the moment on our journey – the two of them work together with no friction. On the contrary, it is very, very productive and positive for the team and I couldn't be happier with the driver line-up.
"We have two of maybe the three best drivers, and they deserve a car and a power unit that makes them fight in the front rather than being lapped. That's not what any of them deserves."
Andy Murray does not support the ban on Russian and Belarusian players competing at this year's Wimbledon or other Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) tournaments, while Novak Djokovic reiterated his stance.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club recently announced that players from the two nations are prohibited from competing in the British grand slam following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
It means the likes of men's world number two Daniil Medvedev and women's world number four Aryna Sabalenka would miss out on the British swing.
Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have both spoken out against the ban, while the ATP and WTA have also pressed for reconsideration.
Now Murray, a two-time Wimbledon champion who also won Olympic gold at SW19 in 2012, has refused to give the ban his backing.
"I'm not supportive of players getting banned," Murray said in a news conference ahead of the Madrid Open, with the former world number one in action against Dominic Thiem on Monday.
"My understanding of the guidance was that Russians and Belarusians can play if they sign a declaration that they're against the war and against the Russian regime.
"I'm not sure how comfortable I would feel if something happened to one of the players or their families."
Murray understands it is a delicate situation, however.
"I don't think there's a right answer. I have spoken to some of the Russian players. I've spoken to some of the Ukrainian players," he continued.
"I feel really bad for the players who aren't allowed to play and I get that it will seem unfair to them. But I also know some of the people who work at Wimbledon, and I know how difficult a position they were in.
"I feel for everyone, feel for the players that can't play, and I don't support one side or the other."
There has been speculation that the ATP and WTA may sanction Wimbledon, with one possibility being reducing the amount of tour points on offer from the grand slam.
World number one Djokovic, who will be allowed to compete at Wimbledon, where no requirement for a COVID-19 vaccination will be in place for players, is unsure what the next step will be.
He told reporters: "I've spoken to some of the Russian players in Belgrade [at the Serbia Open].
"Obviously, it's not an easy situation to be in. Being stripped of the right to participate in one of the biggest tournaments, if not the biggest tournament in the world, it's hard, I understand that. There is frustration.
"[The] ATP is going to analyse the whole situation and understand what can be done. I have not spoken to people from ATP so I'm not sure about it. I've gone through something similar, it's not the same thing, but something similar earlier this year for myself [when he was denied entry to Australia due to his COVID-19 vaccination status].
"It's frustrating knowing that you're not able to play. I still stand by my position that I don't support the decision. I think it's just not fair. It's not right. But it is what it is, they are entitled to make the decision.
"I guess it's on Player Council, the tour management, to really decide, along with the players, what is the best solution in this situation whether they keep the points, protect the points, take away 50 per cent of the points.
"So I heard that some of those models are still considered to be used in this kind of instance, but I'm not sure what is right, what is wrong, to be honest. I guess we'll have to wait and see the outcome."
Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka remains upbeat despite his side losing home court advantage on Sunday, with the Milwaukee Bucks' 101-89 win in Game 1.
Those expecting a defensive slugfest were not disappointed, with both teams managing to restrict the other's offensive sets.
While the Bucks shot a low 41.1 per cent from the floor, the Celtics were almost spectacularly poor on the offensive end, shooting 33.3 per cent (28-of-84) and committing 18 turnovers.
Udoka tried to take the positives out of the ultimate negative, saying his side can only improve as the series progresses.
"Offensively, not the best night," Udoka said post-game. "I felt we guarded them well enough, holding them to one-on-one but to have 89 points and a lack of penetration and paint touches is alarming.
“To lose a 12-point game when we shot so poorly bodes well for us. In a way it’s good to get this dud out of the way offensively.”
In their 4-0 sweep over the Brooklyn Nets in the previous series, the Celtics averaged 34.5 three-point attempts per game.
To underline their inability to penetrate, Boston put up 50 from beyond the arc in Game 1 against Milwaukee, connecting on 18.
Jaylen Brown's three-of-nine from the perimeter to go with seven turnovers for the game was particularly microcosmic, and Udoka believes his side need to make better decisions in their offensive sets.
"As we know, that's what they want to do – protect the paint and make you shoot threes," he said. "We had some open ones, but we played in a crowd too much. That obviously shows in the amount of turnovers – 27 points off 18 turnovers.
"For the most part, I don't think our decision-making was great, whether it was a drop-off or kick-out for threes, but we need multiple [outlets] for penetration, multiple paint touches and they did a good job."
Novak Djokovic hopes Boris Becker is able to live a relatively normal life once the six-time grand slam champion has served his prison sentence.
Becker, who became the youngest ever male major singles champion when he won Wimbledon in 1985, was sentenced last week after being found guilty of four charges relating to violations of the United Kingdom Insolvency Act.
The 54-year-old declared bankruptcy in 2017 but was found to have hidden assets and loans in order to avoid paying his debts, which amounted to around £50million.
Becker coached Djokovic earlier in the Serbian's career and the world number one is shattered for the German.
"Heartbroken for him," Djokovic told a news conference ahead of the Madrid Open.
"He is a friend, a long-time friend, a coach for three, four years. Someone I consider close in my life, he has contributed a lot to my success in my career.
"I was just heartbroken. I don't know what to say more than that. It's [not] getting into details of the verdict, because I'm not in a position to do that, but as his friend, super sad for him and there's not much that you can say.
"I just hope that he will go through this period that he has to be in jail and that when he comes out he's being able to live his life as, I don't know if you can use the word normal, because his life is definitely changing. For anybody going to prison, especially for that long of a time.
"So I don't know how things will turn out for him. I just pray for him. I hope things will be well in terms of his health, his mental health, because that's probably going to be the most challenging part."
Former world number one Andy Murray, however, has little sympathy for Becker.
"I feel sorry that he's in that situation, but I also feel sorry for the people that he's affected with his decisions as well and what's happened to them," said Murray. who faces Dominic Thiem in his opening match in Madrid.
"I hope he's okay and that he learns from his mistakes. But I didn't have a particular emotion about it.”
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