Aryna Sabalenka is through to the round of 32 at the Madrid Open after beating Sorana Cirstea 6-4 6-3 on Thursday.
It was an ominous start for Cirstea, being broken to love in the opening game, but she stuck with second seed Sabalenka and broke back, before ultimately being pipped to the first set by the impressive Belarusian.
The key was on break points, with Sabalenka claiming all five that she won against the Cirstea serve, while saving six of eight on her own as she ultimately eased to victory.
Sabalenka now has 26 wins on clay in the WTA since 2021, with only Ons Jabeur (37), Iga Swiatek (34), Paula Badosa (31) and Coco Gauff (28) having more during this time.
Gauff also advanced after a routine 6-4 6-1 win over Irene Burillo Escorihuela, making the sixth seed in Madrid the first player to win 35 WTA-1000 main draw matches as a teenager since 2009.
Ninth seed Maria Sakkari defeated Arantxa Rus 6-4 6-4 and fifth seed Caroline Garcia also had few problems against Yulia Putintseva, winning 6-3 6-4.
However, it was not a good day for 10th seed Petra Kvitova, who was beaten 7-6 (11-9) 6-1 by Jule Niemeier, while 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia also lost, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 to Mirra Andreeva and 20th seed Donna Vekic was eliminated in straight-sets by Rebeka Masarova.
Jelena Ostapenko took just 61 minutes to get past Linda Fruhvirtova 6-0 6-3, and will face 14th seed Liudmila Samsonova next, who did not take much longer to see off Maryna Zanevska 6-2 6-3.
There were also wins for Elise Mertens, Badosa, Camila Osorio, Shelby Rogers, Mayar Sherif, Magda Linette and Irina-Camelia Begu.
Lamar Jackson will remain with the Baltimore Ravens after all.
After months of negotiating and public posturing, the Ravens and Jackson agreed to a five-year contract extension on Thursday.
The Ravens' official Twitter account confirmed the news by posting a video of the 2019 NFL MVP celebrating the next five years in Baltimore.
Jackson's new deal makes him the highest-paid player in the league with a total contract value of $260million, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, reportedly including $185m in guarantees.
Announced just hours before the start of the 2023 NFL Draft, the contract ends a months-long negotiation process that at times was portrayed as tense and adversarial.
While the details of the contract have not been publicly confirmed, both sides reportedly used Jalen Hurts' new deal with the Philadelphia Eagles as a starting point.
After leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance, Hurts received a five-year extension worth up to $255m, with $179m in guaranteed money.
Jackson had reportedly been seeking a fully guaranteed contract – a demand that had, until this week, caused an impasse in negotiations.
On March 7, Baltimore placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, allowing other teams an opportunity to sign Jackson to an offer sheet in exchange for two first-round draft picks.
Three weeks later, Jackson announced on Twitter he had requested a trade earlier this offseason.
Jackson is 45-16 as a starter in the regular season and was voted the 2019 MVP after leading the league with 36 touchdown passes and rushing for a quarterback-record 1,206 yards.
In 70 career games, Jackson has completed 63.7 per cent of his passes for 12,209 yards, 101 touchdowns and 38 interceptions. He has added 4,437 rushing yards and 24 scores on the ground.
Emma Hayes felt her team deserved more after a 1-1 draw against Barcelona in the Nou Camp was not enough to send them through to the Champions League final.
With Barca leading 1-0 from the first leg, Caroline Graham Hansen’s second goal of the tie proved enough despite Guro Reiten quickly equalising on the night and Chelsea pushing for more.
Hayes said on chelseafc.com: “I can’t ask any more of our players. I said to them at the end that they should all be proud to be Chelsea, because the better team lost tonight.
“Coming into the tie, with 72,000 fans here, we knew it wouldn’t be easy but, by not conceding early, we gave ourselves a chance to build. We grew into the game, we got more aggressive and we created some good chances.
“It wasn’t quite enough and I’m stood here now just absolutely gutted to be totally honest.”
Barcelona will take on either Arsenal or Wolfsburg in their third-straight Champions League final having won their only title with a 4-0 success against Chelsea in 2021.
Hayes’ side showed they have grown in stature since then and the aim will be to keep improving as they bid to turn domestic supremacy into a continental title.
“I want more in terms of the result but I can’t ask for more in terms of effort and heart,” said Hayes. “The girls gave everything and executed everything we asked for in terms of a game plan.
“There’s plenty of learnings we can take, especially from the first leg, but there’s also so many things to take heart from.
“It’s really gutting and we have to deal with the disappointment, learn from it and grow.”
Chelsea’s focus now returns to domestic matters and their bid to hold off Manchester United and win the league and cup double for a third-straight season.
Simona Halep has hit out at the delay in her doping case.
The former world number one and Wimbledon champion has been provisionally suspended since last October after testing positive for the blood-boosting drug Roxadustat at the US Open.
In her first interview since the news broke, Halep, one of the most high-profile players to fall foul of anti-doping rules, said the hearing that she hopes will clear her name has twice been pushed back and is now scheduled for the end of next month.
She told tennismajors.com: “The next step is a hearing at the end of May, the 28th, but it is very fragile because the ITF (International Tennis Federation) said that they might cancel it as well.
“If they do that, it will be almost eight months since I’ve been provisionally suspended for the first time and I believe that it’s not fair to spend eight months without even being judged by the tribunal.
“Emotionally, the whole period has not been easy and I just felt the need to speak out loud to my fans, to my supporters, and actually to the whole public.
“I’m sure they really want to know what’s going on and why it’s taking so long. I wanted to remain silent until the case was solved but it’s too heavy.
“It’s been seven months since I’ve been originally suspended even though I’ve had all the evidence since December. I’m not asking for special treatment. I just ask to be judged. How much longer is this going to take?”
Halep claims that analysis by experts has pinpointed a contaminated supplement as the cause of the positive test.
“After a lot of work, they found out that there was a contamination, a supplement contamination and that’s why the quantity was so, so low in my body,” said the Romanian.
Halep, who won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon the following year, has not played a match since losing in the opening round of the US Open last August.
Andy Murray insists he still believes he can win another Wimbledon title despite his losing run continuing with defeat by Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori in the opening round of the Madrid Open.
The frustrated Scot’s 6-2 7-6 (7) loss to a player ranked 164 made it four consecutive defeats, equalling the worst run of his professional career.
Murray was so disillusioned by his performance against Alex De Minaur in Monte Carlo two weeks ago that he indicated he might sit out the rest of the clay season.
He decided against that but this was another demoralising result, with the only positive being how Murray found a way into the match in the second set.
He told reporters in the Spanish capital: “It wasn’t great. I started to play a bit better towards the end but the start was slow. He played very well at the beginning, and he’s serving huge. Some of the errors are hard to explain.”
Murray lost the first four games and went an early break down in the second set against 27-year-old qualifier Vavassori, who is at his highest career ranking.
The Italian was certainly playing well but Murray was making too many unforced errors and was unable to make any headway on his opponent’s serve.
He changed that in the eighth game, breaking Vavassori for the first time, and he took advantage of nerves from his opponent to save four match points in the tie-break only to twice net straightforward volleys.
The one he missed from on top of the net at 6-6 defied belief, and Murray said: “Obviously everyone misses bad shots throughout their career, but I don’t have too many like that.”
It is the first time since 2019, when his hip problems were at their worst, that Murray has lost four matches in a row and, having reached the third round in the Spanish capital last year, the 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon champion is set to drop back out of the top 60.
Given one of the main objectives for the 35-year-old playing on clay was to improve his ranking in a bid to be seeded for Wimbledon, things are clearly not going the way he would have hoped.
Murray is still intending to play at the French Open, adding: “Whilst I feel fit and healthy, I would like to give it a go.
“But I also have ambitions of competing for Wimbledon titles and that sort of stuff and, I know that sitting here today that probably doesn’t sound realistic, but I do believe that that’s a possibility.”
Murray’s defeat followed Emma Raducanu’s withdrawal and another loss for Kyle Edmund.
Edmund is trying to tread the difficult road back to the top of the game after a long spell out with knee problems but has not won a tour-level match this year.
The former British number one’s latest loss was a 6-4 6-1 defeat by former US Open champion Dominic Thiem, who is at last showing more encouraging signs nearly two years after suffering a wrist injury.
British number one Cameron Norrie was handed a first-round bye and will start his campaign against Yosuke Watanuki after the Japanese qualifier beat Frenchman Corentin Moutet 6-3 6-3.
Dominic Thiem cruised through the first round of the Madrid Open in straight sets on Thursday, while former winner Andy Murray suffered an early exit.
Thiem, who has twice finished as runner-up at this event, made short work of Britain's Kyle Edmund in a 6-4 6-1 win to set up a second-round meeting with fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The Austrian won 86 per cent of points on his first serve (24 of 28) and saved all four break points against him as Edmund just could not get himself into the contest.
Elsewhere, Murray, who claimed titles in Madrid in 2008 and 2015, could not embark on another such run, with the veteran dispatched by Andrea Vavassori in a 6-2 7-6 (9-7) defeat.
The Italian was particularly dominant at the net against Murray, winning 13 of 17 such points, while the 35-year-old managed just five of 14.
Qualifier Roman Safiullin saw off a fightback from Chile Open winner Nicolas Jarry to progress 6-2 3-6 6-3, setting up a clash with Tommy Paul in the second round, while Dusan Lajovic followed up his win at the Srpska Open by beating Jason Kubler 6-3 6-3.
Andy Murray’s losing run continued with defeat by Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori in the opening round of the Madrid Open.
The frustrated Scot’s 6-2 7-6 (7) loss to a player ranked 164 made it four consecutive defeats, equalling the worst run of his professional career.
Murray was so disillusioned by his performance against Alex De Minaur in Monte Carlo two weeks ago that he indicated he might sit out the rest of the clay season.
He decided against that but this was another demoralising result, with the only positive being how Murray found a way into the match in the second set.
He lost the first four games and went an early break down in the second set against 27-year-old qualifier Vavassori, who is at his highest career ranking.
The Italian was certainly playing well but Murray was making too many unforced errors and was unable to make any headway on his opponent’s serve.
He changed that in the eighth game, breaking Vavassori for the first time, and he took advantage of nerves from his opponent to save four match points in the tie-break only to twice net straightforward volleys.
It is the first time since 2019, when his hip problems were at their worst, that Murray has lost four matches in a row and, having reached the third round in the Spanish capital last year, he is set to drop back out of the top 60.
Given one of the main objectives for the 35-year-old playing on clay was to improve his ranking in a bid to be seeded for Wimbledon, things are clearly not going the way he would have hoped.
Murray’s defeat followed Emma Raducanu’s withdrawal and another loss for Kyle Edmund.
Edmund is trying to tread the difficult road back to the top of the game after a long spell out with knee problems but has not won a tour-level match this year.
The former British number one’s latest loss was a 6-4 6-1 defeat by former US Open champion Dominic Thiem, who is at last showing more encouraging signs nearly two years after suffering a wrist injury.
Thiem, who will take on world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas in the next round, said on the ATP Tour website: “I have known Kyle since we were juniors. He has been a tough opponent since the young days, so I went in with a lot of respect.
“I had some crucial moments in the first set when I saved the break points and then I released a little bit and it got better and better.
“Once I was a very tough guy to beat on clay and it is not the case right now, but I am feeling that I am getting better and back to shape.”
British number one Cameron Norrie was handed a first-round bye and will start his campaign against Yosuke Watanuki after the Japanese qualifier beat Frenchman Corentin Moutet 6-3 6-3.
Jericho Sims will play no part in the New York Knicks' playoff run after having surgery on his right shoulder.
The Knicks confirmed Sims had undergone a procedure "to repair a torn labrum and cuff tendon in his right shoulder" on Wednesday, with an expected return date in time for the start of training camp ahead of next season.
The center – who was the 53rd overall pick of the 2021 NBA draft – has not featured since the Knicks' road loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on April 7 due to the injury.
A statement from the Knicks on Thursday read: "Jericho Sims underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair a torn labrum and cuff tendon in his right shoulder at the Hospital for Special Surgery. He's expected to be ready for the start of training camp in the fall."
New York secured a 4-1 first-round series win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, and will face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, with Game 1 taking place on Sunday.
Athletes could be given the right to refuse to wear gambling logos on their kit on religious or health grounds if a Government proposal is adopted into a new code of conduct.
The Government published its wide-ranging white paper on reform in the gambling sector on Thursday.
Some campaigners have called for the Government to introduce an outright ban on gambling sponsorship in sport, but the sports industry will be left to draw up its own “robust” code for socially responsible gambling sponsorship.
Work on the cross-sport code is already under way, but the white paper set out a series of ‘example principles’ the code could cover, including: “Kits without sponsor logos to be ensured for…adults who have religious or health reasons to object to wearing gambling sponsors.”
Former Newcastle forward Papiss Cisse initially refused to wear the club’s shirt in 2013 when it bore the logo of a payday lending firm, Wonga, because he said it offended his Muslim faith.
The player was initially left behind for the team’s pre-season training camp, and the matter was only resolved after complex negotiations which involved the Professional Footballers’ Association, with Cisse agreeing to wear the kit.
Gambling is forbidden in the Muslim faith.
The principle ultimately may not form part of the code if it is considered unworkable by the sports industry, but the white paper insists any code must spark “meaningful improvements” in making gambling sponsorship more socially responsible.
Other principles suggested were a commitment to reinvestment of funds from gambling sponsorship into development and grassroots activities and ensuring gambling advertising is not visible in or from dedicated family areas.
Earlier this month the Premier League announced its clubs had collectively agreed to voluntarily withdraw front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship from 2025-26 onwards, something which was welcomed in the white paper.
The white paper said that in spite of a ‘whistle to whistle’ ban on gambling adverts on television, “we recognise that sports sponsorship remains an environment where children may be exposed to gambling brands”.
“Overall, indirect exposure to gambling marketing around sport is high, including among children, and can be particularly challenging for those already suffering gambling-related harms,” the paper said.
The paper said a robust code would have the effect of ensuring that “where (gambling sponsorship) does appear, the public can have confidence in the social responsibility of the arrangement, and in turn its potential impact on children and vulnerable people.
“We are challenging the sports and esports sectors and the industry to set a high standard for social responsibility, with the potential not only to improve standards in gambling sponsorship but also to provide a model for responsible sponsorship by other sectors.”
The paper said the code would not apply to National Lottery branding in Lottery-funded sports to recognise “the major role” it plays.
The paper estimated the sports sector earns £190million a year from gambling sponsorship based on evidence submitted by industry bodies, with £45million of that going to the EFL and clubs across its three divisions, including the money it receives from its title sponsor Sky Bet.
That agreement between the EFL and Sky Bet drew specific praise in the paper, which said the social responsibility agreements in the contract offered other sports governing bodies “scope to learn from”.
An EFL spokesperson said: “Having submitted evidence to the Gambling Act Review, the EFL welcomes the long-awaited publication of the white paper which offers an updated vision for gambling regulation in this country.
“It is the league’s long-held view that it is for Government to determine what is the appropriate regulatory framework for the UK’s gambling sector, and while sports partnerships are just one small part of this white paper’s scope, its publication will help organisations determine how they can continue to work with responsible gambling operators moving forward.”
Chinese youngster Si Jiahui snatched a 5-3 lead in an intriguing first session of his World Championship semi-final showdown with Luca Brecel.
The 20-year-old, who came through qualifying at the Crucible to make the latter stages, lost the first frame, but produced back-to-back clearances of 125, 102 and 97 to punish Brecel for errors with a near-faultless display of break building.
However the Belgian, who beat seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the last eight, scrapped his way back to 4-3 down before succumbing in a nail-biting conclusion to the afternoon’s final frame.
In a scrappy start to the opening frame, Brecel enjoyed the benefit of an outrageous fluke when he rattled the pink in the jaws and saw the ball run the length of the table down the cushion before dropping in.
He went on to make 50 before missing the blue off its spot, although Si, the youngest semi-finalist at the tournament since O’Sullivan in 1996, was unable to prevent him from going ahead.
However, the youngster announced himself in style in the second, sinking a tough red to get in before compiling an imperious 125 break, and he repeated the feat to take a 2-1 lead when, after the Belgian had missed the yellow at 33-0, he cleared the table once again in a visit of 102 to complete back-to-back centuries.
Si eased himself 3-1 in front at the mid-session interval after an arm-wrestle in the fourth frame with both players twice having missed difficult reds to the middle pockets before he prevailed 103-29 courtesy of a break of 97.
The world number 80 stuttered briefly, missing a regulation red as he applied right-hand side to the cue ball in an effort to develop the pack after Brecel had erred once again, but eventually tied up an untidy fifth frame 103-3.
Si’s first error of note arrived in the next when, 53 points into another seemingly decisive break, he jawed the black to allow his opponent to the table, and his break of 72 stopped the rot.
Having benefited from a mistake, Brecel handed it back almost immediately, following up a good long red with a careless blue, but the Chinese player was equally profligate, leaving himself unable to see a colour as he attempted to develop the pack and taking seven attempts to hit the nominated brown.
A second snooker and three more misses yielded 12 more points to leave the 28-year-old 38-33 ahead, and he eventually drew back to within one frame of his opponent with a visit of 69.
The final frame of the session unfolded with a sustained safety exchange, but it was Brecel who made the first move with a break of 33 before inexplicably missing the pink, although Si faltered at 43-34.
His opponent rattled a pink to the top pocket which would have levelled the match at 4-4 and saw it roll agonisingly over the middle for the younger man to go two up.
Charles Leclerc has brushed off reports suggesting he will replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, reaffirming his commitment to Ferrari.
The Monegasque driver is in his fifth season with the Italian constructor and is looking for a first podium of the 2023 season after a muted start.
But amid lingering speculation over the future of seven-time world champion Hamilton at Mercedes, Leclerc has been linked with replacing the Briton.
Ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, however, Leclerc denied reports he is set to swap teams, though he did not explicitly rule out a future move.
"No, not yet," he said. "Not for the moment. For now, I am fully focused on the project I am in today, which is Ferrari and I fully trust and am confident for the future.
"Then we will see, but I am fully confident for the project of Ferrari. I'm fully committed to Ferrari and I love Ferrari.
"It has always been a dream for me to be in this team and my main priority is to win a world championship with this team. So it's not something in my mind."
Hamilton, who picked up a first podium of the year at the Australian Grand Prix, sees his contract expire with Mercedes at the end of the current season.
Speculation over Leclerc succeeding him has had no impact on his own negotiations though, with Hamilton stressing his own commitment to the Silver Arrows.
"I think maybe some of the drivers all have different relationships with different bosses and stuff," Hamilton said. "I like where I am.
"I love my team, and I'm grateful for the journey we've been on and what we're working on moving forwards."
Charles Leclerc has left the door ajar to replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
Hamilton’s Formula One future remains in the spotlight with no apparent development on an extension to his contract which expires at the end of the year.
Both Hamilton, 38, and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff say a deal will be struck, but a report in Italy this week claimed it was an open secret that Ferrari’s Leclerc was already in dialogue with the Silver Arrows about a future move.
Leclerc’s bid to win his maiden world championship this year has been derailed by two mechanical retirements from the opening three rounds.
And although the Monegasque, who is under contract with Ferrari until the end of next year, insisted ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix that he has not spoken to Wolff about a transfer to the Silver Arrows, he admitted that could change in the future.
“No, there have not been any conversations,” said Leclerc, 25, before adding: “Not yet, not for the moment.
“For now, I am fully focused on the project I am in today – and that is Ferrari. For the future we will see, but I am fully confident in the Ferrari project.
“It has always been my dream to be in this team and my main priority is to win a world championship here so it (a move to Mercedes) is not in my mind.”
Asked whether he had directly spoken to Wolff, Leclerc replied: “No. Zero. Really zero. You all smile because you don’t believe me, but I promise.”
Hamilton finished second last time out in Australia, but he is already 31 points behind Max Verstappen.
It was put to him in Baku whether the speculation surrounding Leclerc’s future had any impact on his own.
“No, not really,” said the seven-time world champion. “Maybe some of the drivers have relationships with different bosses.
“I like where I am. I love my team. I am grateful for the journey we have been on and what we are working on moving forwards, so it doesn’t have any impact, no.”
The season fires up again on the streets of Baku following an enforced break after the round in China was scrubbed from the calendar.
F1 bosses have introduced a change to the format here, with the introduction of two qualifying sessions – one to decide the order for Sunday’s grand prix and the other determining the starting grid for Saturday’s sprint race, the first of six sprint events this season.
Qualifying for Sunday’s main event takes place here on Friday evening.
World champion Verstappen recently said that he could quit F1 if the sport’s chiefs pressed ahead with plans to extend the number of sprint races.
“One thing you do question is whether it is worth it,” said Verstappen on Thursday.
“I do like racing. I do like winning. I know that with the salary and everything, you have a good life. But is it actually a good life? I do feel that if it’s getting at one point too much, then it’s time for a change.”
Max Verstappen believes the approach of the leading drivers in Formula One will not change with the new sprint format, which debuts this weekend in Azerbaijan.
The new approach will see qualifying for Sunday's race take place on Friday, with Saturday seeing qualifying for the sprint followed by the short-form race itself.
Previously, qualifying would set the order for the sprint, which in turn would decide the line-up for the grid in Sunday's main race.
The idea is to encourage drivers to take more risks in the sprint, though Verstappen is not sure that will be the outcome.
"Maybe some people who are outside the points try to get a point. But once you are upfront, it's not making a massive difference," he told Sky Sports.
"I don't see it being a lot different for us than in the previous sprint weekends. There will be a little bit more chaos around because of the extra qualifying. This track is always quite chaotic, so this will make it a little bit more chaotic.
"From my side, I don't think it will change a lot. If you're first, second, third, you're quite happy in that position to just get the points, get it over with and focus on the race."
Verstappen has regularly been a vocal critic against changing the format of Formula One but admits he will have to cope with the new changes.
"You have to be ok with it. I love racing in general but I do feel like you don't have to touch anything that is great and I always thought that Sunday was great," he added.
"Of course, I understand selling more tickets on the Friday and Saturday, make every day worth fighting for, but when you're doing 24 or 25 race weekends, I think a good option would be to shorten it a bit anyway.
"Some people love racing, they will do it forever, but it also needs to be a healthy option as well. At one point, you start questioning that. Then when you add in these sprint weekends, it's even more busy."
While Verstappen made his concerns clear, McLaren's Lando Norris welcomed the new changes and believes the format is much better than before.
"There's still the budget cap, you don't want to damage the car, you don't want to do anything silly. Especially us, where we're wanting to improve the car as much as possible, the least amount of damage we cause, the better," he said.
"But I'm excited. I think it's a better format, I prefer it compared to what we had before. There's more room and more opportunities for everyone.
"I like the fact you have two qualifying. I love the format of practice, then qualifying on the Friday. The pressure is definitely higher, but it's enjoyable."
Phil Mickelson expects the four majors to find a way to include the cream of LIV Golf talent even if ranking system chiefs refuse to award points to the breakaway series.
LIV bosses are pushing for the official world golf rankings (OWGR) to award points for its events, but that has yet to come about.
There is no guarantee the situation will change, but Mickelson cannot see how it is in anyone's interest for the majors, golf's pinnacle events, to exclude some of the sport's biggest stars.
His LIV Golf colleague Bryson DeChambeau labelled the rankings "almost obsolete" when he spoke this week in Singapore. He has slipped from inside the top 30 to 178th since committing to LIV, where lucrative sign-up fees and prize money have drawn a host of golf's elite players.
Mickelson and Brooks Koepka, who both defected from the PGA Tour to LIV, finished tied for second at the recent Masters.
Sharp dips in ranking status could mean LIV stars are frozen out from the majors, but there seems likely to be an arrangement reached.
Reflecting on the sport's showpiece occasions and future prospects for LIV players, Mickelson said: "It's going to all iron itself out because if you're one of the majors, if you're the Masters, you're not looking at we should keep these guys out.
"You're saying to yourself, we want to have the best field, we want to have the best players, and these guys added a lot to the tournament this year at the Masters. How do we get them included?
"We have to come up with a qualifying mechanism that is inclusive, and if the world golf ranking isn't going to be inclusive, then they have to find another way.
"Maybe they take the top five or top 10 or winners of LIV, but they're going to have to find a way to get the best LIV players in their field if they want to have the best field in golf and be really what major championship is about. So they're already looking at that.
"If the world golf rankings doesn't find a way to be inclusive, then the majors will just find another way to include LIV because it's no longer a credible way.
"So it will all iron itself out for the simple reason that it's in the best interest of everybody, especially the tournaments, the majors, to have the best players."
The US PGA Championship is coming up in May, followed by the U.S. Open in June and the Open Championship in July.
Meanwhile, the Singapore leg of the controversial, Saudi-backed LIV series begins on Friday.
DeChambeau, a former winner of the U.S. Open, has little time for the ranking system as it stands.
"You should realise that the OWGR is not accurate, one," he said. "Two, I think that they need to come to a resolution, or it will become obsolete. It's pretty much almost obsolete as of right now.
"But again, if the majors and everything continue to have that as their ranking system, then they are biting it quite heavily."
Aaron Ramsdale claims Arsenal will not give up on their title dream despite Wednesday’s shattering loss at Manchester City.
The Premier League leaders crashed to a 4-1 loss at the Etihad Stadium to lose control of a title race they have dominated for most of the season.
City’s emphatic victory took the champions within two points of the Gunners at the top and, with two games in hand, Pep Guardiola’s treble-chasing side now look firm favourites.
April has been a frustrating month for Arsenal, with three successive draws preceding the trip to Manchester, but Ramsdale is not ready to throw in the towel.
The England goalkeeper said: “We’re going to be disappointed now but we haven’t played nine months of Premier League football, and played the way we wanted to play, to give up with five games to go.
“If anything is going to happen in football, it is this league it is going to happen in. It might not do – but stranger things have happened in the Premier League.
“You see how tight it is at the bottom, you see how tight it is at the top, so we are going to be pushing every game – with five games left we need to win five games – and we will see how that ends at the end of the season.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We’ll get over it and the manager will do what the manager does and dissect it and tell us and we will do everything we can.”
? "We’re definitely disappointed that we can’t send them home with a smile on their faces, but if there’s one thing about this set of fans which I’ve seen over the last 18 months, they don’t give up."
We heard you all night, Gooners ❤️
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 26, 2023
The game failed to live up to its billing as a heavyweight contest as City completely overran their visitors.
Kevin De Bruyne struck twice either side of a John Stones header as City effectively wrapped up victory inside 54 minutes.
It might have been even worse but for the fact Erling Haaland spurned a host of chances – most of them saved by a defiant Ramsdale – but the prolific Norwegian wrapped up the scoring late on after Rob Holding grabbed a consolation.
“Disappointment is the key word,” said Ramsdale. “When you give arguably one of the best teams in the world at the minute a bit of a leg-up in the game and are 2-0 down at half-time, it is a tough task to overcome.
“We know we are better than that but also this is where we want to be and the team we want to be like and be competing with.”
For Ramsdale there was some personal satisfaction in thwarting Haaland for most of the game, making four fine saves from the striker, but he was frustrated to concede to him in injury time.
The 24-year-old said: “I’m devastated I got to 94 minutes and 50 seconds – it was probably the goal I am most annoyed about, which I should save.
“But it was a good battle and hopefully I can have these battles with other players as well.”
Nicola Wilson’s medal-laden eventing career ended and her life changed forever following a catastrophic cross-country fall at the prestigious Badminton Horse Trials last year.
But the 46-year-old Olympian’s inspirational determination to seize what she describes as her “second chance” knows no limits.
She readily accepts that life will never be the same again, but her ongoing recovery from a neck injury that severely affected her spinal cord and all four limbs – she spent more than three weeks in intensive care and five months in hospitals 260 miles apart – has proved heroically defiant.
Nicola Wilson, who had a fall at Badminton today, is stable but has been transferred to Southmead Hospital for trauma scans and further investigation. JL Dublin has returned to his stable, and is comfortable.
We're thinking of Nicola and her connections, and wish them well. pic.twitter.com/1vuzfB6OPT
— British Equestrian (@BritEquestrian) May 7, 2022
“I am living with it every day,” Wilson told the PA news agency, in an exclusive interview.
“What I can and can’t do has changed enormously, which is a constant reminder from the moment I wake up each day to the moment I go to sleep. That will not leave me, I don’t think.
“But equally, it is what it is. I can’t undo it, so we have just got to make the most of what we have.”
As a rider, North Yorkshire-based Wilson was among the world’s best, helping Great Britain to team silver at London 2012 alongside Zara Tindall, Tina Cook, Mary King and William Fox-Pitt.
GOLD medal Wilson! ?
Wonderful Nicola Wilson's dreams came true. With a textbook round on the divine JL Dublin, @BritEquestrian's star of the show had us in awe in Avenches! ? pic.twitter.com/RKDR5txqaz
— The FEI (@FEI_Global) September 26, 2021
She was also crowned European individual champion in 2021, while seven other major championship medals included world team gold and three European team titles.
Her partnership with Badminton ride JL Dublin had made such an impact in recent seasons that many astute judges had them firmly in the selection mix for next year’s Paris Olympics.
“Dubs”, as he is affectionately known, is now in the equally expert hands of double Olympic medallist Tom McEwen, and while Wilson’s Paris hopes have been cruelly snatched away, her strong connection with the sport she adores remains.
She runs popular coaching clinics and eventing master-classes, while media work will mean an emotional return to Badminton next week for the 2023 event.
Wilson’s fighting spirit, family support unit led by husband Alastair and network of friends and colleagues inside and outside the sport, including the British Eventing Support Trust, would top any medal podium going.
“I was on the ground and thought I was winded because I couldn’t breathe,” she added. “There was somebody kneeling near to me, and I was trying to say I couldn’t breathe, but of course no words came out, and then it was lights out for me.
“The reason I couldn’t breathe was not because I was winded but because I was paralysed. Nothing was working, my diaphragm, nothing. I was surviving on the air I had in my body – then I disappeared.
“There was an army consultant anaesthetist, who I think was the first to me. He saw how I landed, knew it wasn’t good and held my neck and head. The Badminton medical team were amazing. If the fall had happened somewhere else, there is no way I would be here now.
“From then on, I knew it was serious, I knew there and then I would be retiring, but I just hoped and prayed that I would recover enough to have a quality of life.
“I don’t feel bitter. We do a dangerous sport and something like this could always happen. Life is for living, and I feel incredibly fortunate that I have been given a second chance.
“Yes, life is incredibly different to what it was before, but there are also qualities that have come out of that.”
More than three weeks at Southmead Hospital in Bristol were followed by four months in the spinal unit of James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough.
But through it all, Wilson’s fierce drive never waned. Feeling sorry for herself has not once entered the thought process.
“I was back in the land of the living and stable with my breathing when I left Badminton, and then the paralysis bit was the next issue we needed to deal with,” she said.
“Bit by bit I could start to wiggle my toes, I got a little bit of movement into my legs, so I could bend and move them. They obviously had no strength, stability or co-ordination in them, but I could feel them.
“You have to be resilient. I felt if this was my next hurdle in life, it was something I needed to overcome. I am inclined to be more of a positive person than a negative one – where there is a will, there is a way.
Eventer Nicola Wilson has been named leading rider for 2017 by the British Equestrian Writers' Association.
Wilson helped Great Britain win team gold at the European Championships in Poland and climbed to world number two behind Germany's Michael Jung. pic.twitter.com/JOAAGO2GUX
— PA Sport (@pasport) December 14, 2017
“The will was there, and the way were the hospitals, their support, their care. I have a fighting inner me that wants to drive on and stay positive.
“When I came out of hospital, I came out with a wheelchair and was on crutches. My injury was an incomplete injury to the spinal cord, so I was going to be able to carry on improving. A complete injury means exactly that.
“I was adamant that the wheelchair went back. If I couldn’t walk to wherever I wanted to be, then I couldn’t go there until I was strong enough to do it. It was my challenge, my competition to compete against myself to try and make sure I carried on improving and getting stronger.
“I think about what I can do, not what I can’t do. Yes, it is frustrating, because by the time I have got myself out of bed, brushed my teeth, got myself dressed and downstairs, I feel like I have done a marathon.
“I can do a lot of things – it just takes me a very long time. I can now put a coat on, just, but it takes a long time and I am aware it takes a long time. People are so kind in helping me. I just need to keep doing it and keep practising it.
“My body feels very strange, but it is fighting for me and digging deep. The improvement will be up to two years. I am halfway through my improvement span, so we will see how I am this time next year.”
Exeter boss Rob Baxter has dismissed reports that England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie’s move to French champions Montpellier is under threat.
Cowan-Dickie has been sidelined by an ankle injury since early January, while he is also understood to be suffering from some nerve issues in his neck.
It has been suggested that 29-year-old Cowan-Dickie missed a recent medical in France, riling Montpellier chiefs, who have also signed his Exeter and England colleague Sam Simmonds for next season.
“I’ve had discussions with Luke and he said he hasn’t failed his medical. It is something that has massively been blown out of proportion,” Exeter rugby director Baxter said.
“I think he is popping over again just to finish off a couple of bits the French would like to investigate in terms of his injuries.
“He hasn’t failed a medical and he hasn’t not turned up for a medical.
“I am not saying it is totally pie in the sky because everything has a little bit of truth in it. But as far as he has not turned up and they’ve rolled up the contract and thrown it away, that is not the case.
“If the element (of truth) is a drink in a bar at some stage, then I would say probably yes. Other than that, I think there has probably been a fair bit of journalistic licence in a few things that have happened.
“I believe they (Montpellier) want some more information on the nerve damage around the last operation.
“All I know is Luke has said there has been a fair bit of over-hype around everything. At this stage, Luke is being told everything is okay. Reports it is all done and his contract is over couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Cowan-Dickie is among a number of Exeter players leaving the club this summer, although Chiefs would step in if the Montpellier deal fell through.
“If it all falls through, I would expect us to have a look into the possibilities of trying to, at the very least, look after him during his injury rehab and go from there. That would be my expectation,” Baxter added.
“He has been a very important player for us, he has played in some significant games for us. We would look to do something to look after him, of course we would.
“The nerve issue is a timescale one. Historically, they can take a long time or you can recover quickly. It is a bit ‘how long is a piece of string’?
“I know England are investigating if there is anything they can do to speed up the process, as we are, but it is not a problem that has a definitive answer.”
YOUR SEMI-FINAL FIXTURES ?@leinsterrugby ? @StadeToulousain @staderochelais ? @ExeterChiefs
Who will make the #HeinekenChampionsCup Final? pic.twitter.com/daVy4jHvuD
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) April 9, 2023
Chiefs’ England wing Jack Nowell, meanwhile, is set to be involved in Sunday’s Heineken Champions Cup semi-final against La Rochelle in Bordeaux after recovering from a knee issue.
It will also be Nowell’s first appearance since he was charged with conduct prejudicial to the interests of the Rugby Football Union and the game after his Chiefs team-mate Olly Woodburn received a second yellow card in Exeter’s 62-19 Gallagher Premiership defeat against Leicester.
Woodburn had dived on Chris Ashton on the floor and upon seeing referee Karl Dickson’s decision, Nowell said in a since-deleted tweet: “I’m actually in shock, like shock shocked. What the hell is happening? That’s one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen. EVER.”
The England wing accepted the charge at a disciplinary hearing and was fined £10,000.
? – @exeterchiefs star @nowellsy15 fined £10,000 for online remarks made on his Twitter feed during @premrugby clash with @LeicesterTigershttps://t.co/yOhZ65gbjS pic.twitter.com/bdzx1l1qFp
— Exeter Chiefs (@ExeterChiefs) April 20, 2023
Baxter said: “He is a bit disappointed and frustrated with what happened around his tweet. It was one of those scenarios where he has used incorrect language to express a frustration with the game.
“Anyone who knows Jack, and knows his relationship with referees, will know there was nothing in there personally targeted at the ref.
“It can end up looking like that, he is aware of that, he has apologised for what he did and he has just got to get on with things now.
“It is a lesson for other players that sometimes you can react in the heat of the moment. You have just got to be careful what you say.”
Iga Swiatek considers it a sad state of affairs to see women's tennis lagging so far behind the men's game when it comes to regular tour prize money.
The WTA Tour's top-ranked player earned $120,150 for winning the title at the Stuttgart Open last week, plus a Porsche sports car, when she beat Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
Yet for taking the title at the Barcelona Open in the same week, a cheque of €477,795 ($527,000) went to Carlos Alcaraz.
Those tournaments are considered comparable in terms of status and the quality of their fields, yet the difference between the money on offer was striking.
It offered a reminder of the gap between the elite men and women at regular tournaments, despite grand slam events offering equal rewards.
Swiatek and Alcaraz both compete this week at the Madrid Open, where prize money for men and women is equal, the champion of each event collecting €1,105,265 ($1.2m).
Asked about last week's situation, Swiatek said: "Well, it's kind of obvious what my opinion is, because tennis is one of the sports where we speak about equality. I think it's better than most sports anyway.
"But still, there is a lot we can work on in terms of getting equal prize money on some WTA tournaments compared to ATP on the same level.
"Grand slams are already even, as we know. That's nice, but for sure it would be good if WTA would focus on that, but I don't really want to get into that, because it's a lot of business and sometimes politics.
"I don't think I have a lot of influence. I just can say that it would be nice for our sport if it was equal, especially because we kind of do the same work."
The 21-year-old Polish player defended the women's game as she said: "I also get people who are saying that men's tennis is nicer to watch and guys can do more because they are physically and biologically stronger.
"I think there were a lot of people, for example a couple of years ago, who were saying that WTA is not consistent and that's a shame and it should be better, but right now basically I think we are even more consistent than the guys with our game.
"Watching women's tennis gives the same emotions, and sometimes even more emotions, because we are women and we are a little bit more emotional. But, yeah, I think it would be nice if WTA could make it even."
LeBron James knows he has "got to be better" after he was "not very good at all" in the Los Angeles Lakers' 116-99 Game 5 playoff defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
The Grizzlies kept the series alive at 3-2 with a comfortable victory at FedExForum, where Desmond Bane scored 33 points and had 10 rebounds.
Ja Morant also had a big night for Memphis, finishing with 31 points and 10 rebounds as the Lakers were unable to wrap up the series.
James could only muster 15 points and was taken off by head coach Darvin Ham after spending 37 minutes on court
The legendary 38-year-old turned his attention to ensuring he delivers on Friday after falling short of his usually sky-high standards.
"Just got to be better. It starts with me. Tonight I was not very good at all. My defense was pretty good.
"Offensively, I was not really good. So, we've all got to do a better job helping one another."
James added: "I'll be better in Game 6."
Bane is adamant the Lakers will not finish off the job in Game 6.
"I said it out there, and I’ll say it again," Bane said. "We are going to be back for a Game 7 in front of the best fans in the NBA."
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