Serena Williams' former coach Rick Macci does not foresee a dream US Open triumph for the retiring legend, but believes the Flushing Meadows crowd could help her enjoy a strong run.
Williams, who announced she was "evolving away" from tennis earlier this month, will begin her final US Open campaign against Danka Kovinic on Monday.
While the 40-year-old's tally of 23 grand slam titles is the most of any player in the Open Era (since 1968), she remains one victory short of Margaret Court's all-time record of 24.
But Macci, who coached both Williams and older sister Venus at the beginning of their trophy-laden careers, struggles to see her adding one final title before signing off.
"They asked me can Serena Williams win the US Open and I said she already has, six times," Macci told Stats Perform.
"Can she? It's highly unlikely simply because people aren't afraid of her, the movement and confidence aren't like it was because she hasn't played, she hasn't played that much in the last year and you need to play to get your footwork and stamina.
"The fighting spirit, the Compton street fight and the heart is there. If she gets a good draw, she could beat some people. I like how she played against [Emma] Raducanu [a 6-4 6-0 loss in Cincinnati earlier in August], I like that she's more aggressive, but this takes time.
"If she can win a few matches who knows what could happen? That crowd in New York is going to take her down memory lane and make her even more competitive, who knows what's going to happen to the person on the other side of the net?
"That's why I was so impressed with Raducanu, the way she handled that moment, she played the best match she had in a year.
"It cuts both ways but it's highly unlikely she can win the Open.
"She's not even looking at it like that, she's letting everyone savour the moment and going out on her terms and it's going to be must-see tv."
Asked who he thought would emerge victorious at Flushing Meadows, Macci tipped another American to win on home soil, adding: "I'd love to see Coco Gauff because I know the family and I think she has wonderful potential.
"Iga [Swiatek] is vulnerable now because when you win 35 in a row, you feel like you just show up you're going to win.
"Now that she's lost a few there's a little doubt there. It's wide open, I'm going to go out on a limb and I'm taking Coco Gauff."
As for the men's draw, which appears balanced after Novak Djokovic's non-vaccinated status prevented him from travelling to New York, Macci thinks third seed Carlos Alcaraz could be set for a maiden grand slam win.
"I've already gone out there and talked about this, Carlos Alcaraz is a generational player, he's going to transcend the game," Macci added.
"I've already had people blow back on me like, 'why isn't he winning?' Trust me, he just turned 19 and is [number] four or five in the world, I think he'll win multiple grand slams and he's the next real deal and he's my favourite to win the US Open on the men's side."
Djokovic is not alone in missing the US Open, with Roger Federer also absent as he continues his recovery from knee surgery, while Rafael Nadal is making his first appearance at the slam since triumphing in 2019.
Four different men have tasted success at Flushing Meadows in the last four years, while each of the last three editions have featured different women's singles champions, and Macci believes the issues endured by several ageing greats have made tennis more competitive.
"I think a lot of people are heading toward exit stage left and they're not quite at the top, [such as] Federer, or maybe there's the vaccination and maybe Nadal you're not quite where you were and [Andy] Murray," he added.
"Then you've got Serena, you've got these people who are household names that are out of the equation, more people are coming in and it changes everything when you don't have those roadblocks at the round of 16.
"You're looking at the semis when before, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray just dominated. There was a time when those four were always in the semis. The women's you could almost predict, now you can't.
"It has nothing to do with the US Open because the young lady that won Wimbledon [Elena Rybakina], you never heard of her. It's just wide open and it's going to take a while to stabilise everything."
Serena Williams begins her final US Open singles mission on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night – with opponent Danka Kovinic describing her own opportunity as "a privilege and an honour".
Kovinic, the world number 80 from Montenegro, essentially serves as the support act to headliner Williams, who will draw a full house to Arthur Ashe Stadium for the opening match of the evening session.
If Kovinic has her way, she will be the player who ends Williams' singles career, and the 27-year-old has reached the third round of both the Australian Open and French Open this year.
However, Kovinic is on a five-match losing streak that began with a loss to eventual champion Iga Swiatek in round three of the French Open.
Such a dismal run has prompted some, including American tennis great Chris Evert, to suggest Williams has been handed a favourable draw. Williams has scored just one win in four matches since launching a tour comeback at Wimbledon, however.
"I was warming up for practice [on Thursday] and my coach told me, 'You play Serena', and I was like, 'That's great', because honestly I felt that," Kovinic said of her draw.
"It's such a privilege and honour. It is a special moment for me as well. I never had an opportunity to practice with Serena. Hopefully I won't feel too much pressure on Ashe Stadium."
Kovinic, who beat reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu in round two of the Australian Open, said she and her coaching team would devise a plan to take on 23-time grand slam singles winner Williams.
She said she also intended to sound out former world number one Jelena Jankovic, a personal friend, for advice on how to tackle a player many regard as the greatest of all time.
"Hopefully she will have some good tips to give me," Kovinic told ESPN.
Jankovic won four of her 14 matches against a prime era Williams.
Williams, who turns 41 next month, is assured of passionate support from the New York crowd. She is a six-time US Open singles winner, first taking the title as a 17-year-old in 1999, when she beat Martina Hingis.
"I had some experience on the big stages this year, with Swiatek and with Emma Raducanu," said Kovinic, "but I think this is something special."
She said she had not given particular thought to the prospect of beating Williams, and it could be an overwhelming experience, given the heightened sense of occasion.
"I think maybe 30 minutes before the match I will have nerves because I couldn't wait to step on court," Kovinic said. "Hopefully I can show a great game."
If Williams is beaten in round one at Flushing Meadows, her career will not quite be over. She would still have a doubles assignment to come after she and sister Venus decided to have one last dash at glory together.
Max Verstappen produced a scintillating drive to surge from 14th on the grid to win the Belgian Grand Prix and further extend his huge championship lead.
The reigning Formula One champion was fastest in Saturday's qualifying session but was one of several drivers to take a grid penalty for a power unit change, leading to him starting on the seventh row.
Yet, just as in the Hungarian Grand Prix before the mid-season break, when he started in 10th, Verstappen expertly worked his way through the field to prevail and claim a second successive win at Spa-Francorchamps.
The raw pace of the Red Bull allowed Verstappen to easily make his way to the front after a chaotic start and a second lap safety car, and he was never threatened after overtaking Carlos Sainz for the lead on lap 18. His team-mate Sergio Perez made it a Red Bull one-two, with the Ferraris of Sainz and Charles Leclerc sandwiched by Mercedes driver George Russell on a day that saw Verstappen's lead stretched to 96 points.
Fernando Alonso got a lightning start to put his Alpine ahead of Perez into the first corner, with the Red Bull man also overtaken by the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.
Yet the good work of the two former McLaren team-mates was soon undone when they collided going into the Les Combes chicane, sending Hamilton airbone as he suffered damage that ended his race.
The next lap then saw the Williams of Nicholas Latifi spin into Valtteri Bottas' Alfa Romeo, prompting a safety car as the latter ended up beached in the gravel.
Sainz locked up at the bus stop chicane at the restart but was still able to stay ahead of Perez and retain the lead.
Yet he soon began losing time to the Red Bulls and had both in his mirrors by the time he pitted on lap 12, Verstappen's spectacular charge through the field rewarded with the lead as he passed Perez while Sainz was in the pit lane.
Sainz was back ahead when Verstappen pitted for medium tyres four laps later, but Ferrari's lack of pace was encapsulated as Leclerc was unable to get past Perez on warmer tyres following the Mexican's pit stop and Verstappen succeeded in breezing past Sainz for the lead.
That set the stage for a serene second half of the race for Verstappen, whose title battle with Leclerc is turning into a procession for the Dutchman.
The Buffalo Bills have released punter Matt Araiza after he was accused of rape in a civil lawsuit.
The 22-year-old was drafted in the sixth round by the Bills and caught attention in pre-season with an 82-yard punt against the Denver Broncos.
A civil lawsuit against Araiza and two of his former San Diego State teammates was filed on Friday, accusing the trio of rape, gender violence and false imprisonment against a 17-year-old in October last year – which is below the age of consent in California.
On Saturday, Bills general manager Brandon Beane confirmed the decision to release the punter.
"This is bigger than football. Let's just step back and [let Araiza] go handle this. That's what we thought was most important," he said.
"With the serious nature and allegations, and we just can't, we don't have the means to put all the facts together.
"There's multiple versions of what happened, and [Sean McDermott's] a football coach, I'm a GM. We don't have access to everything, and so that's more important than playing football. And so, we want Matt to focus on that."
Araiza released a statement on Friday denying the allegations, saying: "The facts of the incident are not what they are portrayed in the lawsuit or in the press. I look forward to quickly setting the record straight."
The departure of Araiza leaves the Bills without a punter in the squad, having released Matt Haack earlier in the week, while quarterback Matt Barkley punted on four occasions in this weekend's 21-0 defeat against the Carolina Panthers.
The Belgian Grand Prix will be part of the Formula One calendar in 2023.
Speculation has persisted over the future of the event, held at the historic and much-loved Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Stavelot, as F1 continues its expansion into non-traditional markets.
There will be a third race in the United States, held in Las Vegas, on the schedule next year, while F1 bosses had been in talks about a return to South Africa.
However, those discussions have reportedly collapsed, paving the way for Spa to keep its spot.
"Formula 1 can confirm that the Belgian Grand Prix will be on the 2023 calendar following an agreement to extend our partnership together. Further details on the 2023 calendar will be announced in due course," an F1 statement read.
Speaking to Sky Sports, F1 president Stefano Domenicali said: "We have to congratulate the job [the race organisers] did. You've seen the investment they did. You see the number of people that are coming here. Incredible crowd, incredible attention to the people, and this is great for the sport.
"We always said that the race is a part of our tradition, and it has a very important space in our calendar, and this is a fact that we wanted to share in this moment."
Spa's long-term future as a fixture of the F1 season remains in question.
There have been suggestions it could become a biennial grand prix, though such a change would raise doubts over the circuit's ability to raise the finances to maintain the standards F1 requires while only racing once every two years.
The Belgian Grand Prix was first held in 1925. Since the inaugural F1 world drivers' championship in 1950, it has only been absent from the calendar on six occasions.
Repair work at Spa meant the race was not held in 2006; the last time the Belgian Grand Prix was not included on the calendar.
Sunday's race will be the 55th edition of the race to be held at Spa, with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz starting first on the grid following a raft of penalties, including for title rivals Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.
Tom Brady is "ready to go" for the new NFL season following an 11-day absence from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp.
Brady had time away unusually close to the regular season to deal with what have been labelled as "personal matters".
He ended his absence, for which he received prior approval from the team, this week and played one series for the Bucs against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday.
Brady completed six of eight passes for 44 yards, including a 20-yard connection to new Bucs receiver Julio Jones.
Asked to explain his absence in a post-game media conference, Brady - who announced his retirement this offseason only to return after 40 days - said: "It's all personal.
"Everyone's got different situations they're dealing with. We all have really unique challenges to our life.
"I'm 45 years old, man. There's a lot of s*** going on. Just gotta try to figure out life the best you can. It's a continuous process."
Pressed on whether the issues he referred to had been resolved, Brady replied: "I'm ready to go."
UFC president Dana White recently said Brady was poised to sign for the Las Vegas Raiders back in 2020 before he made the move to Tampa Bay. White claimed then Raiders coach Jon Gruden put a stop to the deal.
Brady was the also the subject of what the NFL deemed "impermissible contact" from the Miami Dolphins in 2019 and 2021. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was fined $1.5million for reaching out to Brady and his agent Don Yee.
But the veteran moved to reject any talk of him wanting to play anywhere else other than Tampa upon leaving the New England Patriots.
He added: "I think since I came to this organisation, it's been amazing. It's just been an amazing experience for me to come to this place and be as supported as I have for a long period of time.
"I read all these stories about all these different places I was supposed to go or could have gone. And I was like, 'I only was gonna go to one place, which was here.' I think this whole organisation knows that.
"All the conversations we've had over a period of time, I chose the right place for me. And I'm very proud of the effort that everyone's put in to make the relationship work. [Owner/co-chairman] Joel [Glazer] has been amazing.
"[General manager] Jason [Licht's] a great friend of mine. Bruce [Arians],Todd [Bowles], all the coaches. It's been an amazing relationship and I'm very grateful to everybody for allowing me to come down here and experience this part of my football life which, [if] I looked back, it would probably be incomplete had I not had it. I'm happy I've had it."
Jordan. Ali. Woods. Williams. That's it, that's the company.
Serena Williams is about to draw the curtain on one of the great sporting careers.
A brilliant black sports star excelling on a global stage, she has shifted and shaped opinions over the past 25 years.
Her life has been touched by tragedy as well as great joy, and she has just about lived to tell the tale.
As she prepares for her final US Open, Stats Perform looks back at the obstacles that have been put in front of the 23-time grand slam champion.
Racism since her early days
After learning the game in Compton, Williams and sister Venus endured plenty of outrageous treatment before a notorious incident in 2001 at Indian Wells.
Russian Elena Dementieva reacted to a quarter-final defeat to Venus by saying the semi-final between the sisters would be determined by their father, Richard. That baseless allegation of manipulation was followed by an injured Venus withdrawing from the match against Serena shortly before its start time.
Serena met Kim Clijsters in the final, and there were grim jeers for Venus and Richard when both took their grandstand seats. They and Serena copped brutal treatment from spectators, with Richard stating he was racially abused.
Serena beat Clijsters but did not play at Indian Wells again until 2015, recalling her memories of 2001 in an article for Time, explaining it had "haunted" the family, particularly her father.
She wrote: "He dedicated his whole life to prepping us for this incredible journey, and there he had to sit and watch his daughter being taunted, sparking cold memories of his experiences growing up in the South."
Williams told Sirius XM in February 2021: "I had to make people realise that it's okay to be black and to play tennis."
Sexism never far away
Williams considered causing a scene at Wimbledon in 2011 after being sent out to the distant Court Two to play a second-round match.
It seemed a bizarre move – probably just ignorant – to put the defending women's champion anywhere but Centre or Court One, and while she was reluctant to fully vent her frustration, it was obvious enough.
Seemingly pointing a finger at those in power, Williams said: "They're not going to change."
An angry Williams accused chair umpire Carlos Ramos of sexism in a stormy 2018 US Open final, when she lost to Naomi Osaka.
Williams was warned for receiving coaching on court, which she denied, then penalised a point for racket abuse, before being docked a game after accusing Ramos of being "a thief".
"I'm here fighting for women's rights and for women's equality and for all kinds of stuff," Williams said afterwards. "For me to say 'thief' and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was a sexist remark. He's never taken a game from a man because they said 'thief'."
Williams was fined $17,000 by tournament chiefs but backed by the WTA, which runs the women's tour outside the slams.
Perilous childbirth
In February 2018, Williams wrote an article for CNN that began with the line: "I almost died after giving birth to my daughter, Olympia."
She wrote of having had "a pretty easy pregnancy" and a routine C-section in August 2017, only for that to be followed by a pulmonary embolism and "a slew of health complications" she was "lucky to have survived", including a large hematoma in her abdomen. Her first six weeks as a mother were spent in bed.
Sister's death
It was September 2003, shortly after Williams underwent knee surgery that forced her out of the US Open, that her sister Yetunde Price was shot and killed in Compton.
Price was 31, with a local gangster sentenced to 15 years for voluntary manslaughter.
Williams addressed court after the April 2006 sentencing of Price's killer, saying she had "wanted to let you know that this was unfair to our family, and our family has always been positive and we always try to help people".
In 2018, Williams was trounced 6-1 6-0 by British player Johanna Konta at the Silicon Valley Classic. She came onto court moments after learning the man who shot her sister dead had been freed from prison, and later told Time: "I couldn't shake it out of my mind."
Walking on broken glass
It's an idiom, and an Annie Lennox song, but walking on broken glass was almost the moment that ended Williams' career.
It could have been a case of unlucky 13 for Williams in July 2010 when within days of winning her 13th grand slam title she suffered a foot injury, and later revealed it had been caused by stepping on glass while leaving a Munich restaurant.
She told USA Today: "I was standing, recovering, thinking I got a little cut and telling my nephew, who was with us, to be careful. Then my practice partner put a cellphone down to the floor so we could see, and there was a huge puddle of blood. I said, 'OMG, I don't think this is good'."
She needed both feet stitching up and underwent surgery to fix a drooping big toe, missing almost a full year on tour. Early in 2011 she underwent treatment for a pulmonary embolism and blood clot in her lungs, after checks were carried out during her recovery.
Chasing Court
Margaret Court has been the figure Williams has chased but looks destined to fall short of, with the Australian set to remain tantalisingly out of reach.
Four final losses for Williams since landing her 23rd major have been increasingly agonising, and it has been clear that her primary motivation for playing on all this time has been to surpass Court.
Court's controversial views on the LGBTQ community have upset many in tennis. Williams, however, just wanted to finish top of the pile, regardless of who was presently leading the way in the grand slam race.
Barring a sporting near-miracle over the US Open fortnight, she will remain second in that race, albeit the grand slam leader in the Open Era – winner of the most titles since the majors embraced professionalism in 1968.
Ian Foster backed captain Sam Cane but knows New Zealand are "under the spotlight" after they suffered a historic Rugby Championship defeat to Argentina on Saturday.
The Pumas moved to the top of the standings with their first away victory over the All Blacks, winning 25-18 in Christchurch.
While Michael Cheika's side were on cloud nine, the All Blacks crashed back down to earth after lifting the gloom with a win over South Africa at Ellis Park.
New Zealand head coach Foster was informed he would keep his job through to the Rugby World Cup in France next year following the win over the Springboks, but questions are being asked about his future again.
Cane has also come under fire and Foster hauled him off after he showed indiscipline to gift Argentina a penalty by tackling Pablo Matera without the ball 14 minutes from time, with Emiliano Boffelli punishing him by extending the lead to seven points.
Foster said: "Clearly he [Cane] is under the spotlight. We are all under the spotlight when things don't go well. But behind the scenes, [Cane is] strong.
"I thought a lot of his tackle and work around the breakdown was a big shift up in the last two games, and we are pleased with that.'"
Foster said he would be speaking to Cane about his hit on Matera.
He added: "Yeah, no doubt about that. We will work through all that. It's probably reflective of a team that's trying really, really hard and is close and not quite there."
There was good news for the All Blacks on Sunday, when Brodie Retallick was cleared to join the squad in Hamilton after recovering from a broken cheekbone.
Defeat for holders New Zealand was their fourth in six Tests this year and left them third in the table behind the Pumas and Australia.
Serena Williams is bowing out, and she will end her remarkable career at the place she truly broke onto the world stage.
Williams' upcoming appearance at Flushing Meadows won't just be her last at the US Open, but her last in any tournament. She is retiring at the age of 40, with 23 grand slam singles titles to her name.
That is a record haul for any player, male or female, in the Open Era, but it is one short of Margaret Court's all-time tally.
Barring an unlikely charge for a first major win since the 2017 Australian Open, Court's record will remain intact for now.
The first slam singles title for Williams came way back in 1999, at the US Open. She has had ups and downs at the tournament through the years, but here Stats Perform looks at Williams' greatest Flushing Meadows achievements.
1999: Maiden grand slam success
Williams missed Wimbledon through injury but returned with a victory in Los Angeles at the JPMorgan Chase Open, setting the stage for an incredible maiden grand slam triumph. She defeated WTA greats Kim Clijsters, Conchita Martínez, Monica Seles and defending champion Lindsay Davenport to reach the final in New York. World number one Martina Hingis stood in her way, but the Swiss was no match – Williams won 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to truly make her mark at the age of 17.
2002: Sibling rivalry
Williams reached the final of the 2001 tournament, but it was her older sister Venus who triumphed. It was the first grand slam tournament to be contested by two sisters during the Open Era. The following year, the super siblings matched up in three of the four majors, and it was Serena who came up trumps in all three, capping that off with a 6-4 6-3 triumph at the US Open. The younger Williams sibling went on to win the Australian Open in 2003 too, sealing the 'Serena Slam' and making her the first player to hold the four major titles simultaneously since Steffi Graf in 1994.
2012: Azarenka challenge
Williams has enjoyed plenty of thrilling rivalries down the years, and, Venus aside, arguably the standout of them all has been the battle she has enjoyed with Victoria Azarenka. The pair have contested 23 matches in total, with Serena holding an 18-5 winning record. Their first meeting in a grand slam final came in 2012 at Flushing Meadows, in a season that had already seen Williams beat the Belarusian three times, including in the semi-finals of Wimbledon and in the last four of the London Olympics, also held at the All England Club, and she continued that run with a hard-fought 6-2 2-6 7-5 triumph in New York, battling back from 5-3 down and within two points of defeat in the deciding set to win a 15th major.
2014: Three in a row kick-starts Serena Slam II
Williams went on to defeat Azarenka again in the 2013 final, and she made it three US Open titles on the bounce with a straight-sets defeat of Caroline Wozniacki a year later. It saw Williams equal the Open Era record of 18 singles major titles, matching Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, and she did not lose a set across the entire tournament. This triumph also paved the way for her second 'Serena Slam', as like in 2002-03, Williams went on to win all four majors in a row.
2020: History maker
No stranger to records, it is fitting that the last time Williams appeared at the US Open – before this year – she went on to etch her name into the Flushing Meadows history books yet again. A 7-5 6-3 first-round win over Kristie Ahn was hardly the most convincing of starts, but it saw Williams reach 102 match wins at the tournament, overtaking six-time champion Evert for the most career singles wins at the competition by a male or female player. She reached the semi-finals, becoming the first player in history to reach the last four of a major in four different decades (the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s), but lost to old foe Azarenka, who in turn went down to Naomi Osaka in the showpiece.
Miami Marlins ace pitcher and heavy NL Cy Young Award favourite Sandy Alcantara shut down the best team in baseball single-handedly, pitching a complete game in his side's 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Alcantara needed 111 pitches to get all 27 outs, striking out 10 batters while giving up one run from six hits and two walks.
The one run he gave up was a solo home run to Mookie Betts in the third inning, continuing a hot series for Betts after hitting two home runs yesterday. It was Betts' 30th home run of the season – only six players have more.
Miami had to manufacture their runs the hard way, relying on small-ball. In the fourth inning, Jon Berti hit a single and then stole second base, allowing Brian Anderson to tie the game at 1-1 with an RBI base hit.
Two innings later, the Marlins took the lead when they capitalised on a fielding error as Edwin Encarnacion's single was bobbled by the left-fielder, letting Joey Wendle scamper home.
The Marlins showed incredible trust in their star in the ninth inning, as a pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases, but Joey Gallo could not be the hero for the Dodgers, grounding out to first base to end the game.
Alcantara has clearly been the best pitcher in the NL this season, and might have a case as the best starter in all of baseball.
He has tossed 19 more innings than any other player, and he is the only pitcher with more than 5.4 WAR (wins above replacement) – putting a gap on the field with 6.4. Of his 26 starts, 19 have been 'quality starts', meaning at least six innings pitched with no more than three earned runs.
Ohtani blanks the Blue Jays
The most unique player in baseball was the star of the show in the Los Angeles Angels' 2-0 win against the Toronto Blue Jays, with Shohei Ohtani striking out nine batters in seven shut-out innings.
Ohtani, who has hit the 11th-most home runs this season (27), has also struck out the seventh-most batters, with 176 in his 22 starts. Among starting pitchers, only Atlanta Braves rookie Spencer Strider (13.3) has a better strikeouts-per-nine-innings figure than Ohtani's 12.4.
He did not collect a hit in his four at-bats on Saturday, but was walked twice.
Yankees sputter in extra innings loss
The New York Yankees could only muster one hit in 11 innings against the Oakland Athletics, going down 3-2 in extras.
Athletics starting pitcher Adam Oller produced a career-best showing, giving up one hit and one walk in eight complete innings, while Yankees starter Domingo German also had his best stuff, carrying a perfect game into the sixth frame.
In extras, the Yankees scored their only two runs from a bases-loaded wild pitch, but that 2-0 lead was wiped out with one swing as pinch-hitter Stephen Vogt connected on a two-run home run. In the 11th, after the Yankees failed to score, the Athletics won with a walk-off error when New York second-baseman D.J. LeMahieu could not complete a double-play.
Seattle Mariners fans love Julio Rodriguez – and the feeling clearly is mutual.
One day after signing a unique and massive contract extension, Rodriguez spoke to the media on Saturday with several teammates and coaches seated in the back of the room.
Rodriguez’s contract is a $209.3 million, 12-year deal that starts next season, but it could be worth $469.6 million over 17 years if he wins two MVP awards.
The contract includes seven seasons, a five-year player option, an eight-year club option with award escalators and the possibility the option could extend to 10 years.
"This is not about the contract and how long it is. I would love to be a Mariner for the rest of my career and playing for the Mariners fans," Rodriguez said. "I'd love to be here for the rest of my career, play with a lot of these guys here and be managed by Scott (Servais), have Ty (France) as my babysitter. I genuinely mean that. I love being here.
"It feels very cool to just drive around the city and see (number) 44 jerseys. It really touched my heart because as I said, I come from a place, Loma de Cabrera, 20,000 people, and there was more people in the stands yesterday than was in my hometown. So it feels pretty special to me.''
Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto explained how the complicated contract took shape.
''We started with something that looked very basic, and came out with something that looked like hieroglyphics," he said. "But again, the uniqueness of trying to capture what Julio has a chance to achieve in his career, and to be fair with him about what that could look like in the end was a challenge.''
The contract also includes a full no-trade clause. Some of the escalators tied to the deal and MVP voting were suggestions from Rodriguez's side, and betting on his continued increase in production.
''The very first conversation set the tone,'' Rodriguez's representative Ulises Cabrera said, describing the development of the deal. "If we are going to look at this in the typical lens, that is not going to work.
"So there's going to be points probably in this conversation that what I say won't make sense, and what you say won't make sense, either. But we're going to have to just be comfortable with that because, right now, we're kind of starting something that we don't have any blueprint to point to.''
Saturday's third round of the Tour Championship was suspended due to lightning strikes in the area, but not before plenty of action took place, with Xander Schauffele pulling to within one stroke of leader Scottie Scheffler.
It is not just Schauffele who has given himself a chance either, as he was the only player within six strokes of Scheffler after 36 holes, but there are now eight players within that range.
While Scheffler did not drop any shots – at even par through 12 holes before the weather hit – he is the only player in the top-17 who was not under par on Saturday, with one birdie and one bogey to remain at 19 under.
Schauffele had chances to go past his playing partner, but inconsistency has held him back, with three bogeys to go with his four birdies as he is now at 18 under.
He had a four-stroke buffer to third place entering the day, but that has been cut in half as South Korea's Im Sung-jae is putting together another strong round, four-under through 14 holes to sit alone at 16 under.
Rory McIlroy is one further back – the only player at 15 under – and he has posted four birdies, one eagle and one bogey in his round to be five under with two holes to play.
A star-studded group is tied for fifth at 14 under, consisting of Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay and Sepp Straka, with Straka and Thomas both enjoying six-under rounds.
The only player to be better than six under on Saturday was Hideki Matsuyama, who shot a seven-under 63 to take sole possession of ninth place at 13 under. He had eight birdies, with his only bogey coming on the 10th hole.
Max Homa is in the group tied for 10th at 12 under, Collin Morikawa is at 11 under, and J.T. Poston is at 10 under, with the rest of the field at least 10 shots off the lead.
Adrian Mannarino won the second ATP Tour title of his career when he defeated Laslo Djere 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 in the final of the Winston-Salem Open on Saturday.
Mannarino, 34, entered the match with a 1-9 record from his 10 career final appearances, but capped off his incredible week with his fifth consecutive straight-sets win.
On his way to the decider, Mannarino eliminated ninth seed Emil Ruusuvuori, eighth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas, fourth seed Maxime Cressy and second seed Botic van de Zandschulp.
Against Djere, Mannarino stuck to what he had done all week, which was limiting his own errors and taking advantage of his opponent's mistakes.
The Frenchman committed 12 less unforced errors (29-to-17), while also controlling the game with his serve, winning 78 per cent (49-of-63) of his service points compared to 63 per cent (45-of-71) for Djere.
It was actually the Serbian who secured the first break of the match, but it would also be his last break of the match as Mannarino tightened the screws, not allowing a single break point opportunity in the second set.
With the win, and the 250 ranking points, Mannarino will rise 20 places up to 45th in the world.
Jamaican Aiko Jones had 10 kills, four aces and six blocks to lead the No. 4-ranked Louisville volleyball team to a 25-14, 25-14, 25-20 sweep of South Dakota on Friday night at the Coyote Invitational.
The Cardinals hit .369 with nine aces and nine blocks. Anna DeBeer notched 10 kills with Claire Chaussee adding six kills and a block. Setter Raquel Lazaro led with 25 assists and a team-high 10 digs. South Dakota hit .120 with one ace and four blocks. The Yotes were paced by Elizabeth Juhnke's 15 kills and eight blocks.
The Cardinals took off with an early lead of 7-4 before the Coyotes countered with a five-point run to take the lead at 8-7 in the first set. UofL pushed back with a 12-1 run to take a 20-11 lead. Jones had two of her five kills late in the set to get the Cards to set point. A USD hitting error gave UofL the 25-14 win. UofL hit .478 with four blocks and three aces. Anna DeBeer tallied four kills for the Cards.
The Coyotes improved their -.036 hitting from the first set to a .346 in the second but the outcome remained the same as USD again fell 25-14. UofL hit .462 in the set with four aces, all four by Aiko Jones, three blocks and 13 kills. Anna DeBeer added five more to her total and Raquel Lazaro had three kills. USD kept it close early, down just two points at 10-8 before the Cards broke free to go up 17-9 and force a USD timeout. South Dakota never regained its footing as Louisville took a two-set lead into the set break.
Down 2-0 in sets, South Dakota came out swinging in the third set, standing close to the Cards. Trailing by just two at 16-14, the Yotes let the Cards go on a 6-2 run to go up 22-16. USD made one final push to 24-20 but could not close the set as the Cards won 25-20. Amanda Tillman and Phekran Kong both had four blocks, and Aiko Jones had four kills and 4 blocks. Claire Chaussee zinged four serves by the Yotes for aces in the set.
Louisville are now 2-0 in the young season and South Dakota drops to 0-1. The Cardinals play Missouri on Saturday as the Coyote Invitational continues.
Daria Kasatkina dug deep to fend off Daria Saville in the Granby Championships final and land the sixth WTA singles title of her career.
World number 10 Kasatkina took a 6-4 6-4 victory in one hour and 53 minutes of hard battle with her great friend, Saville showing resilience despite struggling with an ankle problem.
The outcome made Kasatkina the second Russian winner of the day on the WTA Tour after Liudmila Samsonova took the Tennis In The Land title in Cleveland, Ohio.
Kasatkina, who also won the Silicon Valley Classic in early August, will turn her focus away from a successful week in Canada and towards the US Open, which gets under way in New York on Monday.
The 25-year-old will be targeting a deep run at Flushing Meadows after achieving her best grand slam result in June when she reached the French Open semi-finals, before being prevented from playing Wimbledon due to a blanket ban on players from Russia and Belarus imposed by the All England Club.
In the second set of a gruelling and gripping tussle, Saville looked nailed on to come from 4-1 down to level at 4-4 when she led 40-0 in the eighth game, only for her game to briefly disintegrate, allowing Kasatkina to move 5-3 ahead.
Still, it was an unsteady Kasatkina at the other end of the court, and the Barcelona-based player was broken by Saville when serving for the match.
There was nothing secure about Saville on serve either, and Kasatkina had two match points in the next game at 15-40. She was unable to take either, or the third and fourth that arrived soon after. On her fifth opportunity, Kasatkina was relieved to see Saville hit wide.
Kasatkina begins her US Open campaign against British qualifier Harriet Dart on Monday, while Saville starts on the same day against Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold is expected to miss four to six weeks after suffering a high left ankle sprain in Friday's preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, according to NFL.com.
Panthers coach Matt Rhule told reporters on Saturday that Darnold's injury is "significant", and the former first-round pick will undergo further testing to determine a timetable for a return.
"We're not sure we have the exact length," Ruhle said. "We've sent images to specialists to try to gauge it. But again, that does look like a significant injury that could take some time."
Darnold was carted off during the third quarter of Carolina's 21-0 win after landing awkwardly when hit by Buffalo defensive tackle C.J. Brewer.
The fifth-year QB was slated to be the primary backup to offseason addition Baker Mayfield, whom Ruhle declared the starter earlier in the week.
Ruhle acknowledged Darnold could begin the season on short-term injured reserve, which would keep him out for at least four games.
With both Darnold and rookie Matt Corral out, P.J. Walker is expected to serve as the number two QB for the September 11 opener against Cleveland.
Corral, a third-round pick in this year's draft, sustained a season-ending Lisfranc injury in last week's game at New England.
"We have two quarterbacks [and] normally we would go into the season with two," Ruhle said. "Sam, I think he will be back. It's just a matter of how many weeks it is."
Ruhle also said kicker Zane Gonzalez will be sidelined indefinitely with a groin injury that also took place in the third quarter of Friday's game.
"He's going to be seen by a specialist, and that will lead to any future decisions that have to be made," Ruhle said. "But it is a significant injury to his groin.
"He's a warrior. He'll find a way to battle back, and we'll find out exactly what the length of that is."
Gonzalez is coming off a strong 2021 season in which he converted 20 of 22 field goal attempts and 22 of 23 point-after tries.
Serena and Venus Williams have accepted a wildcard entry to play the women's doubles at the US Open.
The two-time doubles winners at Flushing Meadows are likely to appear at the tournament for the final time in 2022, with Serena having already announced her intentions to soon retire from tennis.
Both sisters have entered the singles draw, with Serena facing Danka Kovinic in round one while Venus begins her campaign against Alison van Uytvanck.
The pair have not played a major doubles event together since the 2018 French Open, suffering defeat in the third round, and were last paired in New York in 2014, when they reached the quarter-finals.
However, the duo boast 14 major doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals together and are to be reunited again after the US Open announced the 14 wildcard pairs for the doubles events on Saturday.
Serena's involvement at the US Open begins on Monday, with Venus following on Tuesday, before the first round of the women's doubles is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
Liudmila Samsonova headed off to the US Open with a second successive title in the bag after sweeping to victory on Saturday at the Tennis In The Land tournament in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Russian scorched to a 6-1 6-3 demolition of Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich, extending her winning streak to 10 matches after winning the Citi Open earlier in August.
Samsonova rolled past the in-form Bernarda Pera for the loss of just three games in the Cleveland semi-finals, before imposing a similarly commanding display on the trophy match against seventh seed Sasnovich.
Just nine places in the world rankings separated the two finalists heading into the final, with Sasnovich at number 36 the higher-placed player, but she could not cope with an opponent who did not lose a set all week.
Indeed, Samsonova only dropped 18 games across five matches, the 23-year-old tying up a third career title on the WTA Tour. Sasnovich has now lost all four of her finals.
At Flushing Meadows, Samsonova begins her campaign against Czech world number 194 Sara Bejlek and could face last year's runner-up Leylah Fernandez in round two.
Both Samsonova and Sasnovich have to play as neutrals for now, being unable to perform under the flags of their home countries because of Russian and Belarusian involvement in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Samsonova said of Saturday's win: "We made a special final. We were both without the flag, so it's special.
"I think it's important to spend a minute to say we are very good people."
Mercedes driver George Russell believes Max Verstappen will win Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix despite starting 15th on the grid, and doubts his own chances of a podium finish.
Defending Formula One drivers' champion Verstappen put in the fastest lap in qualifying on Saturday, but the Red Bull ace is among those who have been pushed to the back of the grid after being issued with penalties.
Verstappen, courtesy of his qualifying efforts, starts at the front of the queue of those handed engine penalties. Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon, Lando Norris and Zhou Guanyu line up behind him, with Mick Schumacher at the back after a gearbox penalty.
That gives Verstappen plenty to do if he is to extend his lead at the top of the championship in the first race after the mid-season break, but Russell is still expecting him to finish top of the pile.
"I think Max will probably still win the race. I don't know where he is going to be starting, but with the pace he has got he will probably still win the race," Russell said.
"And Charles [Leclerc] as well, he will probably still come through. So, I think it is unlikely that we will be on the podium tomorrow in all honesty, because we've still got Carlos [Sainz] and Checo [Perez] there and Max is going to slice through the field pretty quickly.
"We will need to look overnight, try and understand it. Qualifying is out of the way, which has been our weak point, and we'll try and be faster tomorrow."
While Verstappen is hopeful of a podium finish, his priority is to survive what is set to be a thrilling first lap at Spa with plenty of cars out of position, before eyeing a finish further up the field.
"I think with the pace we have in the car, I want to move forward, and I want to be at least on the podium," Verstappen said.
"I mean survive, of course, lap one – that's the most important. Then after that I need to pass a few cars before of course you get into a competitive position."
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz starts the race on pole ahead of Sergio Perez, with Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton on the second row while Russell and Alex Albon complete the top six.
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