Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani's two-way selection for the second year in a row was the highlight of Sunday's All-Star Game roster reveal, while Seattle Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez was the only first-year player to earn the honour.
Ohtani, who learned Friday that he beat out the Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez in a fan vote for starter at DH, was also named to the AL roster as a pitcher.
The reigning league MVP has posted a 0.27 ERA in winning his last five starts, and he threw a 1-2-3 first inning in starting last year’s All-Star Game, becoming the first two-way All-Star in baseball history.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ Shane McClanahan, however, figures to start the game on the hill for the AL, as he leads the league in strikeouts (141) and ERA (1.73).
Two New York Yankees starting pitchers were named All-Stars in Nester Cortes and Gerrit Cole, as well as Clay Holmes out of the bullpen. Catcher Jose Trevino was named an All-Star reserve giving New York an MLB-high six All-Stars – the first time the Bronx Bombers had that many since 2011 – with outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton already named starters.
The two teams that squared off in last year’s World Series – the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros – were close behind with five All-Stars apiece, while the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays each have four.
For the defending World Series champion Braves, starting outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. will be joined by pitcher Max Fried, catcher Travis d'Arnaud, shortstop Dansby Swanson and DH William Contreras.
Contreras will not only be the starter with the fan-voted Bryce Harper on the injured list, but he also will be in the starting lineup with his brother after Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras was voted in by the fans.
They are the first brothers in the same All-Star Game since Aaron and Bret Boone in 2003, and the first brothers to start a Midsummer Classic since 1992, when Roberto and Sandy Alomar Jr. did it.
The host of this year’s All-Star Game already had two starters in outfielder Mookie Betts and shortstop Trea Turner, and those Dodgers will be joined by Tony Gonsolin and Clayton Kershaw, who is on an All-Star Game roster for the ninth time.
Gonsolin has an excellent chance to start the game on the mound in front of the fans in Los Angeles having gone 11-0 with an NL-best 1.62 ERA.
The Miami Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara, however, also could make a case to take the ball first after he lowered his ERA to 1.73 with seven shutout innings on Sunday against the Mets.
Mariners outfielder Rodriguez is the only rookie named to a roster and is one of 30 first-time All-Stars.
Below are the full All-Star Game rosters:
AL Starters, as voted on by fans
Alejandro Kirk, C, Blue Jays
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays
Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros
Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox
Tim Anderson, SS, White Sox
Shohei Ohtani, DH, Angels
Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees
Mike Trout, OF, Angels
Giancarlo Stanton, OF, Yankees
Reserves
Yordan Alvarez, DH, Astros
Miguel Cabrera, DH, Tigers (Special Selection)
Xander Bogaerts, SS, Red Sox
José Ramírez, 3B, Guardians
Jose Trevino, C, Yankees
Luis Arraez, 1B, Twins
Andrés Giménez, 2B, Guardians
George Springer, OF, Blue Jays
Byron Buxton, OF, Twins
Andrew Benintendi, OF, Royals
Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros
Julio Rodríguez, OF, Mariners
Starting Pitchers
Shane McClanahan, LHP, Rays
Nestor Cortes, LHP, Yankees
Alek Manoah, RHP, Blue Jays
Framber Valdez, LHP, Astros
Martín Pérez, LHP, Rangers
Paul Blackburn, RHP, A's
Gerrit Cole, RHP, Yankees
Justin Verlander, RHP, Astros
Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH, Angels
Relief Pitchers
Clay Holmes, RHP, Yankees
Emmanuel Clase, RHP, Guardians
Gregory Soto, LHP, Tigers
Jorge López, RHP, Orioles
NL Starters, as voted on by fans
Willson Contreras, C, Cubs
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Cardinals
Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B, Marlins
Manny Machado, 3B, Padres
Trea Turner, SS, Dodgers
Bryce Harper, DH, Phillies
Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Braves
Joc Pederson, OF, Giants
Mookie Betts, OF, Dodgers
Reserves
William Contreras, C, Braves
Nolan Arenado, 3B, Cardinals
Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets
Albert Pujols, DH/1B, Cardinals (Special Selection)
Jeff McNeil, 2B, Mets
Travis d'Arnaud, C, Braves
C.J. Cron, 1B, Rockies
Dansby Swanson, SS, Braves
Kyle Schwarber, OF, Phillies
Juan Soto, OF, Nationals
Starling Marte, OF, Mets
Ian Happ, OF, Cubs
Starting Pitchers
Clayton Kershaw, LHP, Dodgers
Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Marlins
Corbin Burnes, RHP, Brewers
Luis Castillo, RHP, Reds
Max Fried, LHP, Braves
Tony Gonsolin, RHP, Dodgers
Joe Musgrove, RHP, Padres
Relief Pitchers
Edwin Díaz, RHP, Mets
Josh Hader, LHP, Brewers
Ryan Helsley, RHP, Cardinals
David Bednar, RHP, Pirates
Joe Mantiply, LHP, Diamondbacks
The AL West-leading Houston Astros will be without MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez for a while as he deals with a right hand injury that has landed him on the 10-day injured list.
Alvarez has been bothered by soreness and inflammation in his right hand since originally injuring it on June 18 against the Chicago White Sox. He is expected to miss the next two series and the team hope he can return after the All-Star break.
"Yordan has been suffering with the injury for a couple weeks and it's gotten worse," Houston manager Dusty Baker said.
"We decided the only way to get this well is to try to use these [series] before the break [to] coincide with the 10 [days] that he has to be on the IL."
Alvarez has been among the best players in the AL this season, batting .306 with 26 home runs and 60 RBIs for an Astros team who have the second-best record in the league with a comfortable lead in the West.
The 2019 AL Rookie of the Year leads the majors with a .653 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.058.
Trey Mullinax sunk a clutch birdie putt on the final hole to secure his first PGA Tour victory, winning the Barbasol Championship by one stroke.
Mullinax, who only has one top-20 finish this season back in October at the Sanderson Farms Championship, was in fine form all week, shooting rounds of 65, 65, 67 and finishing with a six-under 66 to post a score of 25 under for the tournament.
In his last final trip around the Keene Trace Golf Club's Champions course, the American shot five birdies and two bogeys on an action-packed front-nine, and then went bogey-free down the back.
In one of the final groupings of the day, Mullinax and playing partner Kevin Streelman were tied for the lead, two strokes clear of the chasing field, heading onto the final hole.
Both played strong approach shots, but while Streelman's putt narrowly missed, Mullinax's attempt from the edge of the green found the hole for the win.
Speaking to The Golf Channel after the win Mullinax talked about the nerves on the final hole, calling the opportunity "what we dream about".
"Me and Jules, my caddy, all week were trying to commit to everything we were doing in the process," he said.
"No matter what Kevin did with his tee-shot, it didn't change what I was going to do, we just really tried to stay focused. I stayed focused for 72 holes.
"I missed a couple of opportunities with my putter, but I just told myself 'keep putting, you've been putting great' – and I've been hitting my irons beautifully all week.
"That was definitely the strongest point of my game this week – we had a pretty comfortable number (from the 18th fairway), we worked on it at the range and we knew we would have that shot a few times, and I hit a great shot at the right time.
"I said when we were walking up the 18th fairway 'this is what we dream about' – an opportunity to hole a putt for the win."
Streelman was the only other player to finish with four rounds of 67 or better, finishing outright second at 24 under.
Mark Hubbard was alone in third at 22 under, who shot a 65 for Sunday's round of the day, with Germany's Hurly Long the top international performer in outright fourth with a score of 21 under.
Vince Whaley rounded out the top-five at 20 under, Canada's Adam Svensson was one further back alone in sixth, and Michael Kim was outright seventh with 18 under, with a number of players finishing tied for eighth at 17 under.
Lewis Hamilton has condemned reports of racist abuse towards attendees at the Austrian Grand Prix, leading a host of other leading Formula One figures in affirming such behaviour has no place.
A packed crowd was in attendance at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, with over 300,000 fans on site over the three days, which culminated in Charles Leclerc's season-reviving victory ahead of world champion Max Verstappen.
Hamilton drove to a surprise third to round out the podium after Ferrari's Carlos Sainz suffered an engine fire, further underscoring Mercedes' improvements after a strong finish at the British Grand Prix a week prior.
But the Briton, who has been the target of frequent racist remarks and attacks throughout his career, has called out allegations that some attendees were verbally abused as a product of "ignorance".
The 37-year-old had described reports of racist and homophobic abuse as "disgusting" earlier in the race weekend and doubled down in his subsequent statements.
"It just highlights that it's still an issue all over," the seven-time world champion said.
"It comes down to education and, of course, ignorance. People should come, should feel safe, should feel included and should be able to follow whoever it is you want to follow.
"[It] shouldn't matter [about] your gender, your sexuality, the colour of your skin. It should just be everyone here to have a good time."
Verstappen – whose partner's father, former Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet, was involved in a racism storm concerning remarks about Hamilton last month – also condemned the claimed abuse.
"I read a few things, a few shocking things, so that's clearly not okay," the Dutchman added.
Meanwhile, Leclerc called for bans to be issued to those responsible, adding: "If we manage to find these people, we need to take hard action. They shouldn't be allowed to be anywhere close to our sport."
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner further added: "This is completely unacceptable, and we hope that security and the authorities deal with this swiftly as there is no place for it in racing or society."
Novak Djokovic is hoping for a change of policy to allow him to feature at the US Open after ending an "exhausting and demanding period" by winning his seventh Wimbledon title.
Djokovic clinched his 21st grand slam win by recovering from one set down to beat Nick Kyrgios in Sunday's Wimbledon final, moving to within one major title of Rafael Nadal's record of 22.
On his 32nd grand slam final appearance – an Open Era record – the Serb claimed his fourth consecutive title at the All England Club with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3) victory in a tense encounter.
But it has not been plain sailing for Djokovic this year, who missed January's Australian Open after being deported over his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and was unable to enter the United States to play the Indian Wells Masters in March.
The United States still does not allow unvaccinated foreigners to enter the country without an exemption – meaning Djokovic's ability to appear in New York is in doubt.
But he is hopeful a change in policy could alter that state of affairs before the tournament gets underway on August 29, as he reiterated he would not get vaccinated and saw an exemption as unlikely.
"It is a weird situation," Djokovic said. "I am on vacation. It has been quite an exhausting and demanding period for me. I got what I wanted here.
"I'll wait hopefully for some good news [a change of policy] from the US. I'm not vaccinated and I'm not planning to get vaccinated. I don't think exemption is realistically possible.
"We'll have to see what the schedule looks like then. I doubt I'll chase points. Things have changed in the last year and a half for me.
"I achieved the historic weeks of being ranked number one, that I worked for all my life. Now I prioritise slams and big tournaments where I feel good."
Djokovic's Wimbledon triumph comes at the end of a challenging few months, with the 35-year-old losing year's US Open final and exiting the 2022 French Open to Nadal either side of his much-publicised deportation from Australia.
And the Serb, who claimed a first career win over Kyrgios on the biggest stage on Sunday, acknowledged: "This year has not been like last year.
"In the first several months of the year I was not at a good place mentally, emotionally. Everything that followed Australia has been a huge challenge and obstacle for me to overcome emotionally.
"It wasn't that easy to close that chapter. It caused turbulence inside of me and I just had to weather the storm.
"I realised it would take time to regroup and rebalance. All these things off the court were causing so much distraction and pressure for me and the people around me. You can’t pretend it's not happening.
"By Rome and Paris I was already playing the tennis that I want to play. I liked my chances coming into Wimbledon. I think I managed everything pretty well today.
"Now I'm over the moon with joy and happiness of experiencing this moment once again. I don't take any wins for granted, and particularly not in Wimbledon. Every time feels special in its own way.
"Centre court and this tournament still has the most special place in my heart because it has always been my childhood dream tournament. Every time I step out on court it does not feel like anything else. I feel very connected with this court and this tournament. I'm very happy."
Sergio Perez has claimed that Mercedes' George Russell was at fault for their collision on lap one of the Austrian Grand Prix, which ultimately ended the Red Bull driver's race.
Perez started the race in fifth while the Mercedes driver started in fourth, and the two came into contact with both drivers blaming the other for the smash.
They came together as both exited turn four, leading to the Mexican driver spinning off and ultimately unable to continue the race.
Russell too sustained damage to his front wing in the incident whilst also receiving a five-second penalty, and yet went on to finish fourth.
Perez was visibly frustrated with what had happened, and was quick to put the blame on the Englishman.
The Mexican told Sky Sports F1: "It is a big shame for us.
"I clearly felt, from our side, that we did everything we possibly could to avoid the incident.
"It was only lap one and it was up to George to control his car. He couldn't control it, clearly.
"We ended up making contact when I was clearly ahead."
Perez's failure to finish the race, combined with Charles Leclerc's victory, means that the Red Bull driver drops to third in the drivers' championship standings.
Meanwhile, Russell's fourth-placed finish keeps him in fifth place in the standings, one place above Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Nick Kyrgios added further praise for Novak Djokovic in the news conference after a 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3) Wimbledon final defeat.
First-time finalist Kyrgios had lauded his opponent as "a bit of a god" on court after a 21st grand slam success, with Djokovic ultimately having too much for his opponent.
And those generous words continued in the interview room, where Kyrgios acknowledged Djokovic's renowned return ability was a huge factor in the result – as was his composure.
Kyrgios had started beautifully, winning 81 per cent of his service points in the opening set and taking advantage of a pair of double-faults to grab the early advantage.
But Djokovic's return game picked up from that point, taking the sting out of the Australian's best weapon as his success rate on serve plummeted, winning 57 per cent of his service points in the second frame and 58 per cent in the third.
Kyrgios also committed four double-faults in the third to hand a set advantage to the world number three, and when the fourth set came to a tie-breaker, it was Djokovic who would hold his nerve.
"[Djokovic] is just really composed," Kyrgios said. "It's weird, I felt like he didn't do anything amazing today.
"He returned obviously the way he returns – I feel like he's just a great returner – but he was just so composed. I feel like that's his greatest strength: he just never looks rattled."
Not disheartened from falling just short of his first grand slam title, Kyrgios said he had taken plenty of confidence from his run to the final.
"My level is right there," he said. "I'm not behind the eight ball at all.
"I played a slam final against one of the greatest of all time, and I was right there. [It gives me] confidence obviously.
"It was a hell of an occasion. People were probably expecting me to have something happen today.
"But I came out in the first set and I looked like I was the one who had played in a lot of finals. I thought I dealt with the pressure pretty well."
Former Tennessee Wildcats player, Nicholai Brown, was on Saturday selected as the number-one draft pick for the P.H.A.S.E 1 Academy Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball Summer League set to begin in August. P.H.A.S.E 1 Academy was founded by former basketball player Wayne Dawkins in Canada in 1993 and for the past 25 years has been organising and hosting basketball leagues and tournaments in Canada, the USA and Africa.
Brown, a 28-year-old power forward, selected by Team Red, was among the 20 local and overseas-based Jamaican players that were available for the draft and who will play in the league to be played at the National Arena from August 13-20 and will inaugurate the Fall professional season that is set to begin in October.
“It feels great, to be honest. It’s my first time experiencing all of this and having the support feels really great,” said Brown, who has previously played in Texas at Trinity Valley Community College and at Lindsay Wilson College in Kentucky.
“I just want to play ball to the best of my ability and compete against great players.”
The second player selected in the draft was David Gordon, who will play for Team Blue while Lushane Wilson was the third player selected overall and first for Team White. Nadjrick White was the first pick for Team Black.
During the second round, Dave Black was selected by Team Blue, Nick-Caro Golding was selected by Team White, Joel Bailey was picked by Team Black and O’Wayne Lawrence was chosen by Team Red.
The third round of the draft saw D’Andre Forbes being selected by Team White, Daniel Martillier going to Team Black, Anthony White selected by Team Red and Jaedon Lawe picked up by Team Blue. In Round Four, Team Black selected Derjean Royal, Kasheef Clarke headed to Team Read, Patrick Robinson went to Team Blue and Roman Parkes was picked by Team White.
Antjuan McFarlane went to Team Red, Adeeb Vernon was picked by Team Blue, Alex Levy was selected by Team White while Calvin Malcolm headed to Team Black in the fifth and final round of the draft that Jamaica Basketball Association President Paulton Gordon hopes will be the first of many in the years ahead.
“This is the first of a long-term plan,” he said.
“We want to use this opportunity to get more eyes on basketball and showcase the sport. As we all know unless there is prominence we don’t get the traction that we need because invariably what we want to do is to ensure that the base is good and we want to get the eyes on basketball and get the players playing.
“We want to transition from this into the NBL in October/November and then complete that period with another showcase after the NBL season.”
Gordon explained that the pro/am tournament that will have matches on August 13, 14, 17 and 20, will also see other players of Jamaican heritage joining the draftees in competition.
“We have actually invited some of the Jamaicans who are in colleges overseas to participate and we have some budding pros seeking jobs in Europe and Central America, who will be here,” he said.
JABA will be partnering with P.H.A.S.E 1 Academy and Ribbiz to host the tournament and Gordon revealed that several other potential partners could be coming on board in the coming days.
“We are speaking with a few others who will get involved,” he said. “There are some investors out of Canada, who support P.H.A.S.E 1, who are pretty sold on it and have contributed.”
Meanwhile, Wayne Dawkins, founder and CEO of P.H.A.S.E 1, said he was pleased with the quality of the players selected for the draft.
"We are excited about the group of players who were selected. These are players with the national team and professional experience and people with strong resumes, and players with strong playing experience is exactly what we need to get the E1CBL started off," he said.
"These players will set a very high bar for where we want to take the league."
Xander Schauffele warmed up for The Open Championship in superb fashion after securing back-to-back tournament wins with a one-stroke triumph at the Scottish Open.
The American, who overcame a two-over first round on Thursday to bulldoze his way through the pack, shot an even 70 to hold on for victory at seven under for the week at the Renaissance Club.
Following victory at the Travelers Championship last time out, it means the Tokyo 2020 gold medallist is in supreme form as he heads into the final major of the year at St Andrews.
Schauffele is yet to win one of golf's biggest prizes, having previously posted career-best T2 finishes at The Open at Carnoustie in 2018 and then a year later at Augusta for the Masters.
His performance proved just enough to keep Kurt Kitayama at bay after the 29-year-old shot a four-under 66 to sit one stroke behind Schauffele, taking second outright.
Kitayama had appeared poised to pip Schauffele at one stage, when the overnight leader carded three bogeys over four holes heading into the turn.
But golf's form man recovered his composure and even a further bogey at the 18th could not deny him – Kitayama's momentum also crucially slowing down the stretch.
Kitayama at least had the consolation of qualifying for The Open through his finish, as did Jamie Donaldson and Brandon Wu (both T6).
Jordan Spieth was back at T10 after a disappointing 72, having been in position to challenge Schauffele after Saturday's third round.
An "overwhelmed" Bob Jungels expressed his delight after clinching the first Tour de France stage win of his career with a brilliant solo effort over the mountains to Chatel.
Having made his move on the penultimate climb of stage nine, the Luxembourger broke clear and made his advantage count after leading for over 60 kilometres on Sunday.
Home favourite Thibaut Pinot attempted to close the gap but ultimately fell to fourth after attacking too late in the day, as Spanish duo Jonathan Castroviejo and Carlos Verona came in second and third.
Tadej Pogacar finished fifth to retain the yellow jersey at the end of a terrific week for the reigning champion, who earlier claimed back-to-back victories over stages six and seven to take control of Le Tour.
But Sunday belonged to AG2R Citroen rider Jungels, who was left stunned by his incredible triumph, declaring: "I am just overwhelmed, to be honest.
"This is huge. This is what I came here for. I know this means a lot for the team.
"After a couple of years struggling and a very tough year last year, to take the victory this way, it's my style of racing, so I'm just super happy.
"I saw that my shape was getting better day by day. To do something like this, I knew I had to do it from quite far, because with the last climb I would not have been able to ride away from the favourites.
"Being in the mix and winning a stage is a big step, and today I took all the risks I could and it happened. Thanks to my team and everyone who believed in me over the last years."
Victory marked a significant comeback for Jungels, who missed out on last year's Tour and the Tokyo Olympics after being diagnosed with endofibrosis, a narrowing of the arteries. He was also a doubt for this year's race after testing positive for COVID-19 in the build up.
Welcome to the Jungels: Brilliant Bob secures maiden Tour triumph
Jungels' triumph represented his first at the Tour de France and just his second at a Grand Tour after he won over stage 15 of the 2017 Giro d'Italia.
Meanwhile, the 29-year-old also became the first rider from Luxembourg to win a Tour de France stage since Andy Schleck triumphed over stage 18 in 2011.
STAGE RESULTS
1. Bob Jungels (AG2R Citroen) 4:46:39
2. Jonathan Castroviejo (Ineos Grenadiers) +0:22
3. Carlos Verons (Movistar) +0:26
4. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) +0:40
5. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) +0:49
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 33:43:44
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) +0:39
3. Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +1:17
Points Classification
1. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 284
2. Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 149
3. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 139
King of the Mountains
1. Simon Geschke (Cofidis) 19
2. Bob Jungels (AG2R Citroen) 18
3. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) 14
Two of Jamaica's promising junior golfers are in Scotland for the three-day R&A Junior Open which tees off on Monday at the Monifieth Golf Links. Sixty-five countries including Jamaica were invited to field two representatives - a girl and one boy - at the tournament which is held every two years.
Mattea Issa and Ryan Lue, both 15, were invited to play in the tournament after posting the lowest scores at Jamaica's national junior trials held in April at the Caymanas Golf Course. The invitees had to be in the 12-16 age group.
The pair will be in a field of 110 golfers who are expected to attend Sunday's opening ceremony after the practice round earlier in the day.
The top 80 golfers who make the cut after round two on Tuesday will move on to the final round on Wednesday.
Alison Reid, Jamaica’s team manager to the recently held 34th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship and convener for junior golf in Jamaica, has accompanied Issa and Lue to Scotland. She expects that the golfers will give a good account of themselves.
Novak Djokovic assured the "phenomenal" Nick Kyrgios will soon be back in a grand slam final after defeating the spirited Australian in the Wimbledon showpiece on Sunday.
Kyrgios, appearing in his maiden major final and as the first Australian to make the Championship match at the All England Club since 2003, raced out the blocks to claim the first set.
Djokovic struggled to respond to the big-serving and heavy-hitting Kyrgios, but eventually broke for the first time in his third career meeting against the Australian to wrestle back some control.
As Djokovic grew into the game and manipulated his opponent around the court, Kyrgios became increasingly frustrated, arguing with both the umpires and one particular vociferous member of the crowd.
The world number three kept his cool, boasting a familiar aura of calmness, and ultimately triumphed 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3) despite Kyrgios rediscovering his formidable serving in the latter exchanges.
That moved Djokovic one grand slam title behind Rafael Nadal's record of 22 major successes, but much of his post-match focus was on Kyrgios, whose outbursts did not detract from the Serbian's admiration of his opponent.
"Nick, you'll be back. Not just in Wimbledon but in many finals," Djokovic said in his on-court interview.
"I really respect you a lot, you're a phenomenal player and athlete, you've been told that for many years.
"Everything is starting to come together for you and I'm sure we will see much more of you in the later stages of grand slams.
"I never thought I was going to say so many nice things about you considering our relationship – okay, it is officially a bromance!"
The pair had exchanged messages on social media in the build-up to the showpiece, promising to enjoy dinner with one another after the final, with the winner paying for the meal.
Djokovic joked, "Yeah, that's why he lost", when asked if he would foot the bill for the duo's evening in SW19 or further afield, before adding: "I'm sure this is the start of a wonderful relationship for us.
"Let's start with dinner and drinks and then we will see!"
Djokovic won the crown for a fourth straight time to claim a seventh title at the tournament overall as he moved level with Pete Sampras in terms of Wimbledon crowns, only one behind Roger Federer's eight.
The 35-year-old now has 86 wins at the London major, his best record in a single grand slam, with only Federer (105) winning more matches at Wimbledon, and Djokovic was quick to discuss how much the tournament means to him.
"I lost words for what this tournament and what this trophy means to me, to my coach, my family and my team. It always has been and will be the most special tournament in my heart," he added.
"It is the one that inspired me and motivated me to start playing tennis, when I was little at a mountain resort in Serbia and I saw Sampras win his first title in 1992, I asked my parents to buy me a racquet.
"And my first image in tennis was grass, and Wimbledon, and I always dreamed of coming here, then realising my childhood dream and winning here, every single time it gets more and more meaningful.
"I'm very blessed and very thankful to be standing here with the trophy."
Nick Kyrgios hailed Novak Djokovic as "a bit of a god" after losing to the Serbian in four sets in Sunday's Wimbledon men's singles final.
Djokovic lost the opening set, as he did against Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals and Cameron Norrie in the semi-finals, but recovered to claim a fourth-straight crown at SW19.
The top seed, who is now back to within one grand slam title of Rafael Nadal's Open Era record of 22, prevailed 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3) in a little over three hours.
And Kyrgios, handed a walkover win in his semi-final against Nadal after the Spaniard pulled out injured, led the tributes to Djokovic after his latest major triumph.
"He's a bit of a god, I'm not going to lie," he said in his on-court interview. "I thought that I played well, so I want to congratulate Novak and his team."
Kyrgios was the first unseeded player to contest a grand slam final since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the 2008 Australian Open, having previously never made it beyond the final eight.
However, asked if he is hungry for more after his deepest run at a major, Kyrgios joked: "Absolutely not! I'm so tired. Me and my team are exhausted. We've played so much tennis.
"I'm really happy with this result and maybe one day I'll be here again but I don't know about that."
Kyrgios was his usual self on Centre Court, producing some remarkable shots – including an underarm serve – and regularly berating the umpires in equal measure.
However, the world number 40 – the lowest-ranked grand slam male finalist since Marcos Baghdatis (54) at the Australian Open in 2006 – extended a word of thanks to the officials.
"To all the ball kids and also the umpires – I know you and I have a tough relationship at times – but thank you," Kyrgios added.
Charles Leclerc's Austrian Grand Prix victory was a case of hard work paying off for the Ferrari driver on a day that saw his team face up to more reliability issues.
After he finished top of the pile in qualifying and Saturday's sprint, Red Bull's Max Verstappen was the clear favourite to claim triumph once again at the Red Bull Ring.
Although Verstappen led coming out of the first corner, it quickly became apparent Ferrari had superior pace, and Sergio Perez's retirement following a collision with George Russell left the Red Bull drivers' championship leader at the mercy of a Scuderia team that nailed their strategy.
Leclerc got past Verstappen for good on lap 53 but was left facing a nervous few final laps after team-mate Carlos Sainz's engine failed five laps later as he attempted an overtake of Verstappen, and the Monegasque soon began experiencing problems of his own with his throttle.
However, Leclerc was able to manage those issues to end a seven-race winless run that stretched back to the Australian GP and reignite his championship hopes, with Verstappen's lead still 38 points.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Leclerc explained the difference between the race and a sprint where Ferrari seemed well off the pace of Verstappen.
"I did some work on my driving yesterday night," he said. "I knew where to improve, especially on that medium stint.
"On the hard [tyre] we were quick, but there was no deg. I'm very happy that the hard work of yesterday paid off today."
On the throttle problem, Leclerc added: "It was really bad, especially turn three and four was a disaster because the car was pushing a lot with the throttle being extremely inconsistent. In the end, I got to the finish line in first position, so I'm really happy."
Leclerc saw wins taken away from him by engine failures in Barcelona and Baku and conceded it is a worry to see the same problem rear its head again with Sainz's car.
"As a team, it is a concern the reliability, and today it shows even more that it is a concern," said Leclerc. "We really need to look into that to make sure that it doesn't happen again during the season."
Sainz, who was prevented from claiming a fourth podium in five races and from trimming Verstappen's advantage by denying him second, made no effort to hide his disappointment.
"There was no feedback coming from the engine that this was about to happen. Very sudden," Sainz said of his fiery retirement.
"I am a bit lost for words because this is obviously a big loss of points and result for the team today, because I think it could have been an easy one-two.
"It is more difficult to take because we were about to cut the points to the leaders of the championship, both Max and Red Bull, to do a very big result for the team and one of the cars DNF.
"It is heartbreaking, but we will need to keep pushing, turn the page, and it is still a long season ahead."
Jamaica eased past the challenge of the US Virgin Islands 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-17) at the 2022 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday.
The win means that Jamaica which lost their opening match to Haiti have now improved to a 2-1 record in their five-team round-robin series and stayed in the hunt for the title.
The win lifted Jamaica to 11 points and a top spot on the table followed by Suriname (1-0) with five points, Haiti (1-0) with four points, T&T (1-1) with three points and the winless US Virgin Islands, fifth with two points and a 0-3 record.
“I know the boys worked very hard in the short space of time we had to prepare and in each game we play we have seen a drastic improvement as we have gotten better and better as the matches come along," said a satisfied Steve Davis, Jamaica’s coach following the shut-out performance.
Like his coach, team captain Andrae Robb was also pleased with the nature of the victory.
"We stuck to our game plan and we executed very well which helped us to get the win,” he said.
“Overall, we are happy with the outcome and will now rest ahead of our final match on Monday against Suriname.”
Meanwhile, US Virgin Islands' coach, Isaac Raphael, said his team lacks experience and it showed during the match against Jamaica.
"We know we have a very young team and you can see that the capabilities of the players are right there but our inexperience continues to bite us as we have been guilty of making too many careless errors when we seem to be closing the gap, and it has been hurting us in each game," he said.
Team captain Gabriel Rosa believes his team has to put more significant effort into their contests.
"I believe my team needs to put more energy into our game from the start," he said.
"We have been getting off to slow starts and for us to be competitive we need to have more concentration and focus for our passing and serving game to be effective."
Lewis Hamilton aimed to keep "chipping away" at the Formula One leaders after continuing his strong form by securing a surprise podium finish at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion took advantage of Carlos Sainz's engine failure to snatch third place at the last in Spielberg, with Mercedes team-mate George Russell following in fourth as Ferrari's Charles Leclerc posted his first victory in seven outings.
The result made it three successive podium finishes for Hamilton as the Silver Arrows continued their recovery from a disappointing start to the 2022 season – caused largely by the porpoising issues affecting their W13 car.
It represented another strong recovery for Hamilton after the 37-year-old crashed out of qualifying on Friday, and he was delighted to see the team slowly closing the gap on F1's leaders.
"I definitely wasn't expecting that, yesterday was a difficult day, and we have had a bit of a rough weekend," Hamilton told Sky Sports.
"As a team we got third and fourth which is great points, and we move forward from here.
"Firstly, I do want to say a really big thank you to the men and women in the garage who worked so hard to rebuild the car.
"I had a brand-new car on Saturday morning, and unfortunately it is something I don't do too often.
"We made some improvements this weekend, so we just have to keep chipping away at it.
"We're slowly eating into the guys ahead, but we have to keep going."
Russell, meanwhile, was hindered by making contact with Red Bull's Sergio Perez early on before making his own impressive recovery, but he urged Mercedes not to get too carried away with their recent improvements.
"As a team we are still further behind than we want," he said.
"The gap is definitely closing, but each time we've brought an update it's been at a circuit that has naturally suited our car, so we don't want to get too carried away."
Hamilton is sixth in the drivers' standings after 11 races of 2022, narrowly behind Russell, though neither has claimed a race win this term.
Tiger Woods played a full 18 holes on Sunday at St Andrews as he prepared for the 150th Open next week.
Woods has not played since withdrawing after the third round of the PGA Championship in May. That was his second appearance since suffering multiple leg injuries in a car accident in February 2021. His first tournament back was The Masters in April.
Woods chose not to play in the U.S. Open last month because he had his sights set on St Andrews, where he won two of his three Open championships in 2000 and 2005.
"I had some issues with my leg, and it would have put this tournament in jeopardy, and so there's no reason to do that," Woods said.
"This is a pretty historic Open that we are going to be playing," he said. "I'm lucky enough to be part of the past champions that have won there and want to play there again, and I don't know when they are ever going to go back while I'm still able to play at a high level.
"I want to be able to give it at least one more run at a high level."
Novak Djokovic had predicted "fireworks" in Sunday's Wimbledon final with Nick Kyrgios, tennis' self-proclaimed bad boy and as combustible a sports star as they come.
In some regards that proved true, with Kyrgios providing those in attendance and watching at home with a run-through of his greatest hits.
There was plenty of ranting from start to finish – some perhaps going too far – with the odd interaction with the crowd and a broken racquet or two thrown in for good measure.
In between all that, Australia's first finalist here since Mark Philippoussis in 2003 produced some remarkable shots, an underarm serve and brilliantly executed tweener included.
Love him or hate him, this was Kyrgios at his ill-tempered best, and he went a long way to showing there is more to him than just a petulant twentysomething by taking the first set.
At that point, Kyrgios had reeled off five sets in a row across three meetings with his opponent without dropping one. But this is Djokovic, on Centre Court, in a grand slam final.
And so at the end of a three-hour battle, it was Djokovic who prevailed 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3) to make it 21 major titles, pulling him back to within one of Rafael Nadal's record.
It was the enforced withdrawal of Nadal that gave Kyrgios his route into the biggest match of his career, and thus denied the millions viewing around the world their dream final.
While witnessing tennis' two greatest ever players face off once more would have made for quite the spectacle, this was a Championship clash that provided subplots galore.
One of the themes of this year's tournament has been Djokovic's uncharacteristically slow starts, almost teasing opponents into thinking they had his number before striking back.
He trailed Jannik Sinner and Cameron Norrie in the past two rounds and so that proved again versus Kyrgios, who with those slow starts in mind let Djokovic serve first.
That appeared to be a masterstroke when Djokovic double-faulted first up, yet the Serbian recovered – as he so often does – to hold and settle into the match.
But Kyrgios went on to earn the only break of the first set in the fifth game and let out a huge roar of "Let's go!". If anything, that only worked to fire up his opponent even more.
This was hardly unchartered territory for Djokovic, who also lost the opener in last year's final against Matteo Berrettini before battling to victory in four sets.
The second set proved far more comfortable for the 35-year-old, promoting Kyrgios to take a different approach as he let loose at the umpire. It would not be the last time.
If Kyrgios stuck to his half of the bargain by being his usual self, Djokovic did likewise by focusing solely on his tennis and taking a well-contested third set with a solitary break.
As the lowest-ranked finalist in a grand slam final since Marcos Baghdatis (50) at the Australian Open in 2006, world number 40 Kyrgios surely knew his number was up.
And so it proved as for the 13th time in 15 grand slam matches when losing the opening set, it was Djokovic left celebrating as he claimed a seventh Wimbledon crown.
This latest comeback also made Djokovic the first player since Ted Schroeder in 1949 to win the title after dropping the first set in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
It will almost certainly not be the four-in-a-row champion's final title, either, though it remains to be seen if Kyrgios will scale these heights again any time soon – if at all.
On this occasion, Djokovic simply proved a step too far as Kyrgios' fireworks fizzled out at the climax of a fascinating Wimbledon campaign.
Novak Djokovic overcame a spirited Nick Kyrgios in four sets to claim his seventh Wimbledon title and 21st grand slam crown on Sunday.
Centre Court played host to a match-up of contrasting experience, with Kyrgios playing his maiden major singles final in what was Djokovic's 32nd such showpiece – an Open Era record.
Djokovic ultimately held his nerve, taking a fourth straight title at the All England Club with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3) victory to move one behind Rafael Nadal's record 22 grand slam titles.
The Serbian also moved level with Pete Sampras in terms of Wimbledon triumphs, only one behind Roger Federer's eight.
Kyrgios was offered a shot at the title after Nadal withdrew from their semi-final with injury, and he struck first with a break in the fifth game as a nervy Djokovic produced a double fault.
Djokovic continued to struggle to cope with the big-serving Kyrgios, who registered back-to-back aces to take the first set, in which he did not offer the Serbian a single break point.
But Djokovic soon regained his composure and finally broke Kyrgios for the first time in their third career meeting, before saving four break points in the ninth game to level the match.
Kyrgios, irked by a code violation for audible obscenities when displeased with a member of the crowd, then failed to hold his serve at 4-4 as frustrations grew, with Djokovic keeping his cool to secure the third set.
World number 40 Kyrgios rediscovered his serving rhythm to take the fourth set to a tie-break, yet he then made a series of unforced errors as Djokovic secured the title in SW19 once again.
Data slam: Djokovic's Wimbledon dominance continues
At 35 years and 49 days old, Djokovic became the second-oldest man to lift the Wimbledon title in the Open Era, and the Serbian's four consecutive successes at the All England Club only rank behind the five-win streaks of Bjorn Borg (1976-1980) and Federer (2003-2007).
Djokovic has also won 86 times at the London major, his best record in a single grand slam, with only Federer (105) winning more matches at Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, having lost the opening set in each of his past three matches, Djokovic became the first player in the Open Era to win the title at Wimbledon after dropping the first set in the quarter-final, semi-finals and final – and the first overall since Ted Schroeder in 1949.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic – 46/17
Kyrgios – 62/33
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic – 15/7
Kyrgios – 30/7
BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic – 2/4
Kyrgios – 1/6
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