Rafael Nadal remains on course to return to action in March after undergoing further tests on the hip flexor injury he sustained on his way out of the Australian Open.
The 22-time major winner failed to defend his crown in Melbourne after losing 6-4 6-4 7-5 to world number 65 Mackenzie McDonald last week.
Nadal struggled to move around the court in the closing stages of the match and revealed afterwards he had aggravated an issue he had been suffering with for a couple of days.
An MRI scan showed the Spaniard had a grade two iliopsoas tear in his hip flexor, which would usually mean between six and eight weeks out of action.
After returning home to undergo further checks on Thursday, Nadal confirmed he is on course to return in that initial timeframe.
"Today I have been at the Tecknon Tennis Clinic in Barcelona where they have carried out some tests on me," he posted on his personal Twitter page.
"The Melbourne results are confirmed and the deadlines remain the same. I've established the treatments to follow and in three weeks they will perform new tests to see the evolution."
Nadal faces a battle getting back to full fitness in time for the Indian Wells and Miami Masters 1000 events in March.
Those were due to be preceded on his schedule by a high-profile exhibition match in Las Vegas against Carlos Alcaraz, who is also currently injured, on March 5.
Nadal was distraught to suffer yet another injury setback after severe foot and abdomen problems hit his 2022 season.
"In terms of sports and in terms of injuries and tough moments, I mean, that's another one," Nadal said last week.
"I can't say that I am not destroyed mentally at this time, because I will be lying."
Stefanos Tsitsipas always felt he had the "ego" to be challenging for grand slams and the world number one ranking after booking his spot in the Australian Open final.
The Greek defeated Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena and will now face either nine-time Melbourne champion Novak Djokovic or Tommy Paul in Sunday's showpiece.
It marks Tsitsipas' second run to a slam final after he was beaten by Djokovic at the French Open in 2021, a match in which he surrendered a two-set lead.
Victory would not only see him win a maiden slam but take ownership of the men's world number one ranking, two ambitions Tsitsipas always believed he could achieve.
"I remember watching it on TV saying to myself, 'I want to be there one day myself. I want to recreate that feeling for me'," he said.
"I knew that's a very long journey to get there. There are certain steps you have to take to give yourself the chance to be competing for something like this.
"But I very much believed it. First of all, it's your ego that speaks. You either have it or not. As a kid, I was very confident.
"Thank God I was good in my country. Starting from that, I knew if I'm able to get out of my country and compete in other countries, European leagues, European tours, I proved myself over and over again that I'm actually good.
"I did finish as a junior number one. Now I want to do it in the men's side, in the men's professional tennis."
Asked what had changed since losing to Djokovic in the final at Roland Garros almost two years ago, Tsitsipas said: "I'm playing great tennis. I'm enjoying myself. I just see no downside or negativity in what I'm trying to do out there. Even if it doesn't work, I'm very optimistic and positive about any outcome, any opponent that I have to face.
"This is something that has been sort of lacking in my game. I genuinely believe in what I'm able to produce. That is more than enough. I go about this way. I strive for it every single day. It might not go the way I want it to, but I put 110 per cent out there."
Khachanov has enjoyed back-to-back slam semi-finals having also made the last four at last year's US Open.
The 26-year-old retains belief that he can beyond the semis at future slams.
"Maybe in some situations I could do better. It's always like this. Tennis is always, like any other sport, there is no draw unfortunately in our sport. One guy has to win and to go through," he said.
"I would say I did it second time in a row, consecutive semi-finals. I would definitely go with my head high. Again, rest a couple of days, think with my team for next schedule, again to have a team meeting to discuss those particular situations and moments on what we need to work.
"Hopefully I keep believing that I can pass this step next time, if I am in this situation, hopefully. That's it."
The New York Knicks proved they "can beat anybody" by taking down the Boston Celtics on Thursday, but Julius Randle wants his "special" team to show the same focus every night.
The league-leading Celtics suffered their first home defeat in eight games as the Knicks snatched a 120-117 overtime win at TD Garden.
Randle, back in his All-Star form of the 2020-21 season, was the main man for New York in scoring 37 points, including five in OT.
Boston led by as many as five points in the extra session, only for Randle to respond with a 27-foot three-pointer. The Knicks forward soon put his team ahead for good with a pair of free throws.
Only the Celtics themselves (17-9) have a better road record this year than the Knicks (15-10), who have also celebrated impressive wins at the Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets.
Randle and Co. are still only seventh in the East, however, and must show greater consistency.
"We can beat anybody; we can lose to anybody," said Randle. "That's the league.
"We can see how special we can be on a night-to-night basis if we come in with the right focus."
Randle's three biggest performances have come on the road, where he is averaging 26.6 points per game versus 23.0 at home.
Rory McIlroy was tied with rival Patrick Reed for the lead after the delayed conclusion to round one of the Dubai Desert Classic, though the Northern Irishman was not entirely satisfied with his performance.
The build-up to the tournament has been dominated by a spat between world number one McIlroy and LIV Golf defector Reed.
American Reed labelled McIlroy an "immature little child" for blanking him at the practice range and was also alleged to have thrown a tee at McIlroy.
McIlroy said Reed's lawyer served him with court papers on Christmas Eve, although Reed has said he was not behind the subpoena, with the case concerned being one brought by American attorney Larry Klayman relating to divisions between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.
A strong start from both players on a rain-delayed day one raised the possibility of an intriguing pairing over the weekend.
And the chances of that happening were increased with McIlroy – who started on the back nine – closing birdie, eagle, birdie to finish his first round at six under par.
Reed matched that score thanks to a 15-foot eagle at the last.
Asked for his thoughts about how he played in round one, McIlroy said: "Honestly, not very good. I struggled out there most of yesterday. I thought I did well to be under par by the end of the day. I fought back after some very sloppy rusty golf over the first sort of 14 holes.
"And then today I came out and I don't really know if anything clicked because I don't think I hit enough shots to know, but it was definitely needed.
"I would have been happy with anything around 70 the way I played, and then to come in and shoot 66 is quite the bonus."
The highlight for McIlroy was holing out from 114 yards out of the sand at the eighth (his 17th).
"You know, I wouldn't say I'm the best fairway bunker player in the world. The desert is a little nicer, it's a little more packed down, so you get some better lies," he said.
"All I was thinking about was catching it clean. My tendency out of those lies is to hit it a little bit heavy. As soon as I struck it – went down the grip a little bit just to make sure of the strike – I knew it came out really nicely and it was right down the pin.
"Again, anything inside of 20 feet, I would have been happy with, so that was certainly a bonus."
Luka Doncic looked "fine" and was "smiling" but the Dallas Mavericks require more information on the ankle injury that saw him leave early in the 99-95 win over the Phoenix Suns.
Superstar Doncic lasted just three minutes of Thursday's road game due to a sprained left ankle, doing the damage when standing on a defender's foot and pivoting.
He immediately limped off with director of player health and performance Casey Smith, and later went for an X-ray that was negative.
Head coach Jason Kidd provided a brief update on Doncic after the game, though details of the severity of his injury remained light, saying they will know more ahead of Saturday's contest with the Utah Jazz.
"He was in good spirits. He looked good. He looked fine," Kidd said in quotes reported by the Dallas Morning News.
"But we'll see as we go forward here. We'll have probably more information once we get to Utah.
"He was smiling and he was happy for his team-mates, saying DP [Dwight Powell] made some big free throws but then to come up with that missed free throw rebound.
"Just his grit tonight for DP was at a high level. The character of that team played hard and found a way to win.
"It was the whole group defensively. To hold a team like Phoenix under 100 points is a big deal. The guys in that locker room should be proud."
Without Doncic, Spencer Dinwiddie contributed a season-high 36 points, while Dorian Finney-Smith had 18 to go with 12 rebounds.
"It's just an all-around great team effort. Once we found out [Luka] was out, we just stepped up," Finney-Smith said.
The Mavericks (26-24) had lost six straight regular-season games to the Suns prior to the win, though they did topple them in last year's Conference semifinals.
Stefanos Tsitsipas will get a chance to play for his first grand slam title after advancing past Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 in Friday's semi-final.
Tsitsipas was at his aggressive best, compiling a massive 66 winners to go with his 18 aces. It was his highest winner tally of the tournament so far, eclipsing his 48 in five sets against Jannik Sinner, and his 46 in three sets against Quentin Halys.
Despite his high level of play, the first set was closely contested as both players secured a pair of breaks, but Tsitsipas was able to rattle off five consecutive points in the tiebreaker to run away with the opener.
The world number four did not allow Khachanov a single break-point opportunity in a stylish second set, and it was the same story in the third until Khachanov crucially took his one break-point chance as Tsitsipas was serving for the match.
Khachanov showed guts to fight off two match points and take the third in a tiebreaker, but he was just delaying the inevitable as Tsitsipas racked up 17 winners to five and made the fourth set the shortest of the match.
Tsitsipas will face the winner between Novak Djokovic and Tommy Paul in the final, with a chance to become Greece's first grand slam champion at the age of 24.
Data Slam: Tsitsipas conquers his demons down under
It was the fourth time Tsitsipas had reached the final four of the Australian Open, but after failures in 2019, 2021 and 2022, the Greek finally got over the line against his Russian challenger.
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Tsitsipas – 18/5
Khachanov – 10/1
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Tsitsipas – 66/34
Khachanov – 46/32
BREAK POINTS WON
Tsitsipas – 5/12
Khachanov – 3/4
The Brooklyn Nets are having their 'next man up' mentality pushed to the limit after Ben Simmons and T.J. Warren both left Thursday's 130-122 loss against the Detroit Pistons with knee injuries.
Brooklyn are already without MVP candidate Kevin Durant as he recovers from an MCL sprain in his right knee, while bench spark plug Seth Curry also missed Thursday's game with soreness in his right knee.
Their injury situation went from bad to worse against the Pistons as Simmons exited the game in the third quarter and did not return due to left knee soreness, before Warren suffered a left knee contusion and was taken out in the fourth quarter.
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said after the game that he is unsure whether one or both would undergo MRI scans on Friday, and while both injuries appear minor, it is unknown if they will be able to suit up for Saturday's rivalry game against the New York Knicks.
Despite the loss, it was an impressive day for Kyrie Irving, who was named an All-Star starter before dropping a game-high 40 points (14-of-27 shooting) with six assists, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Speaking to the media after his performance, Irving said he would do all he can to keep the Nets afloat, but lamented the uncertainty the team faces in their next stretch after losing six of their past eight fixtures.
"I can't control everyone's emotions day-to-day, as much as I see myself as one of the leaders of our team," he said.
"But what I can show is just a consistency to continue to work on off-days, and after the games, and before the games, and just continue to prepare at a very high level.
"Whoever's available for us to play will be available and we just move onto the next game. As much as I would love to sit up here and give you guys a nice diatribe of what it looks like in the future, I just don't know.
"T.J. being out, Ben being out, so we just got to take it one day at a time, and we just want those guys to get healthy – that's the most important thing. We just got to carry our own water right now. Chop wood, carry water."
Despite their recent rough patch, the Nets still sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 29-19 thanks to a 12-game winning streak before Durant's injury.
The Dallas Mavericks will be hoping to get away with a minor injury after franchise centrepiece Luka Doncic sprained his ankle and departed Thursday's game in the first quarter.
The incident occurred just three minutes into the Mavericks' road game against the Phoenix Suns as Doncic accidentally stepped on a defender's foot, turning his ankle.
Dallas immediately called a timeout and Doncic was helped back to the locker room, before being ruled out at quarter-time.
The Mavericks announced their initial X-rays were negative, indicating there are no broken bones, but they will need an MRI to determine how much damage has been done.
Doncic has suited up for 45 of the Mavericks' 50 games up until this point, and he entered play leading the league in scoring with 33.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists per contest.
His zero points against the Suns could see him fall behind Joel Embiid (33.4 points per game) in the race for the scoring title, but Doncic has already collected one major honour this season after it was announced early on Thursday that he will be an All-Star for the fourth consecutive year, and a starter for the third time.
The New York Knicks rode terrific performances from the dynamic duo of Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson to a 120-117 overtime victory on the road against the Boston Celtics on Thursday.
Randle, who is on track to make his second All-Star team, scored a game-high 37 points on 13-of-25 shooting while grabbing nine rebounds. His partner-in-crime, Brunson, led both teams with seven assists to go with 29 points on 12-of-25 shooting.
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum had a team-high 35 points on 12-of-26 shooting, including the game-tying basket with 48 seconds remaining to force overtime at 110-110.
Randle and team-mate R.J. Barrett scored five points each in the extra session to pull away for the win, improving to 27-23 overall, which includes the league's second-best road record (15-10). The only team with a better record away from home this season is the Celtics (17-9).
In his fifth start of the season, second-year Knicks center Jericho Sims grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds as he continues to fill-in for the injured Mitchell Robinson, while Immanuel Quickley chipped in 17 points (seven-of-12 shooting) off the bench.
Pistons ruin Kyrie's big night
Kyrie Irving's 40 points were not enough to prevent his Brooklyn Nets from going down 130-122 at home against the Detroit Pistons.
After being named an All-Star starter earlier in the day, Irving shot 14-of-27 from the field while adding six assists, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
But the Pistons had eight of their nine players reach double-figures in a well-rounded display, led by Saddiq Bey with a team-high 25 points (10-of-19 shooting), while highly rated rookie point guard Jaden Ivey had a game-high eight assists with his 16 points and two steals.
The Nets have now lost six of their past eight fixtures to slip to 29-19 as they desperately await the return of Kevin Durant from injury.
Cavs pile on the punishment
The Houston Rockets were relegated to their 20th loss from their past 22 outings as the Cleveland Cavaliers came into town and left 113-95 victors.
Darius Garland scored a game-high 26 points (nine-of-16 shooting) with nine assists and four steals to lead the Cavs, while their star defensive duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley both collected double-doubles.
On the bright side for the Rockets – who own the NBA's worst record at 11-38 – it was the ninth game in a row exciting young center Alperen Sengun has tallied at least six assists. Over that span, the only centers averaging more than his 6.8 assists are Draymond Green (7.0), Domantas Sabonis (10.0) and Nikola Jokic (11.2).
LeBron James is set to tie the record for the most All-Star Game appearances in NBA history after being announced as one of the two team captains on Thursday.
James, who will match Kareem Abdul-Jabbar when he suits up for his 19th All-Star Game in Salt Lake City next month, will be joined by Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo as the captains.
In a league-first, the captains will draft their reserves live in the lead-up to tip-off, as opposed to previous years when the draft was conducted via a pre-recorded segment and aired weeks before the game.
While most of the expected names were announced as starters – including reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic and Golden State Warriors icon Stephen Curry – there were also some surprises.
The two head-scratchers were New Orleans Pelicans franchise player Zion Williamson and controversial Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving.
Williamson is averaging the highest points per game figure (26.0) for any player shooting at least 60 per cent from the field this season, but has only played in 29 of the Pelicans' 49 games so far. He is also scheduled to miss at least two more weeks, meaning he will have only played in roughly half of the possible games by the time All-Star Weekend arrives.
Meanwhile, Irving has a stronger case as he averages 26.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists, but his addition as a starter in the East means relegating reigning scoring champion and back-to-back MVP runner-up Joel Embiid to the bench.
After James' 19th appearance, the next-most among the starters belongs to Kevin Durant, who has missed some time with injury in his own right but was playing at an MVP level prior to earn his 13th All-Star nod. Curry will play in his ninth edition, while Irving now has eight and Antetokounmpo has made seven consecutive.
The full list of starters includes:
Western Conference
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Eastern Conference
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets
Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Sam Ryder is in a strong position to make a run at his first PGA Tour victory as he heads into the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open with a three-stroke buffer atop the leaderboard.
Ryder, 33, has not collected a professional win since his Web.com Tour triumph back in 2017, but after banking a second-place finish in 2021 and a third-place result in 2022, he now has his best chance at a PGA Tour title.
The American owned a share of the lead after an eight-under 64 in his opening round on the Torrey Pines North Course, and he followed it with a four-under 68 on the South Course during Friday's second round. The final two rounds will be played on the South Course, which has hosted the U.S. Open twice.
Ryder's co-leaders after 18 holes both had far more trouble on the South Course, with Brent Grant posting a two-over 74 to drop to six under, while England's Aaron Rai shot himself out of contention with a six-over 78.
Alone in second place is Ryder's playing partner from the first two days, Brendan Steele, who went two under on the more difficult South Course to reach the weekend at nine under.
Incredibly, Steele is the only player within five strokes of the leader, with Argentina's Tano Goya sitting in solo third place at seven under.
Despite Grant's massive drop-off, he still owns a share of fourth place at six under, where he is part of a six-man group including Max Homa and Sahith Theegala.
Former world number one Jason Day and current top-10 talent Collin Morikawa round out the top-10 at five under, while Jon Rahm, who has won four of his past six starts, is one further back at four under.
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has informed teams that he is no longer pursuing a head coaching job and will remain in his current position in 2023.
The update was reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Thursday, after Quinn had interviewed for head coach roles with the Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos this offseason.
The Cowboys' defense has been transformed under Quinn the past two seasons, ranking seventh in scoring in 2021 (21.1 points allowed per game) and fifth this season (20.1).
Quinn was named the Assistant Coach of the Year by the Associated Press in 2021.
Addressing the positive news for the franchise, head coach Mike McCarthy expressed his relief in retaining one of his most valuable assistant's.
"We're all extremely excited to have Dan back," he said. "I spoke with Dan a short while ago, and this is big for us.
"It gives us continuity, definitely in what we established these last two years, to build off of that. And frankly, on a personal note, I can't tell you how thankful I am."
The Cowboys head into the offseason looking to improve on a promising – but ultimately disappointing – 2022 campaign. After a 12-5 regular season record, Dallas handled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round but lost 19-12 to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round on Sunday.
Meanwhile, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore continues to be interviewed for head coaching jobs.
Despite keeping Quinn and head coach Mike McCarthy in place, the Cowboys’ coaching staff will have several new faces in 2023 after the club chose not to renew the contracts of six assistants.
Among the coaches not returning next season are assistant head coach Rob Davis and senior defensive assistant George Edwards, along with offensive line coach and former Miami Dolphins head man Joe Philbin.
Edwards and Quinn have been given most of the credit for developing two-time All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons.
A journeyman defensive line coach from 2003-2012, Quinn rose to prominence as the coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks’ defenses in 2013-14, led by the "Legion of Boom" secondary.
The Seahawks made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in those two seasons and secured one title.
Quinn left Seattle to be the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, a job he held for six seasons with a 43-42 record and one Super Bowl appearance.
The Carolina Panthers have reached an agreement with Frank Reich to take over as their new head coach.
Reich, a former Panthers quarterback who started the first three games of the franchise’s inaugural season in 1995, spent four seasons as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts before being fired nine games into the 2022 campaign.
The 61-year-old becomes the sixth permanent head coach in Panthers history and the first with an offensive background, a likely selling point for an organisation that has been marred by instability at quarterback since it last reached the playoffs in 2017.
Reich compiled a 40-33 regular-season record with Indianapolis and reached the playoffs in 2018 and 2020.
The Colts finished 9-8 in 2021 but failed to make the postseason after a stunning loss to a 2-14 Jacksonville Jaguars team in the finale, and got off to a 3-5-1 start this season when Reich was dismissed on November 7.
Prior to taking over the Colts, Reich served as the offensive coordinator during the Philadelphia Eagles' 2017 championship season and was instrumental in the development of quarterback Carson Wentz, who finished third in MVP voting after throwing for 3,296 yards and 33 touchdowns in his second NFL campaign.
The Panthers own the number nine pick in this year's draft and are expected to strongly consider taking a young quarterback after finishing 27th in the NFL in passer rating while starting three players (Baker Mayfield, P.J. Walker, Sam Darnold) at the position.
Mayfield was ultimately released in December and Darnold is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Reich fills a void created when Matt Ruhle was fired five games into the season after going 11-27 in two-plus years.
Interim coach Steve Wilks, who went 6-6 after Ruhle's ousting to move Carolina within one game of NFC South champions the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reportedly was a finalist for the permanent job before team owner David Tepper decided on Reich.
According to NFL.com, Wilks is expected to pursue other opportunities and will not remain on staff.
The Panthers are the first of five teams that let go of head coaches during or after the 2022 season to name a replacement. The Colts, the Arizona Cardinals, the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans are still looking to fill vacancies.
For the first time since 2007, Jamaica will host a Davis Cup tie when they take on Estonia in a Group 2 qualifying contest at the Eric Bell National tennis Centre from February 4-5.
“That is something we’re very proud of,” said Tennis Jamaica President John Azar at a press conference on Thursday.
“I would say that prior to 2019, the last time that Jamaica had qualified for the Group 2 qualifiers in the Davis Cup was 2009 so, in the past three years we have qualified which clearly speaks to, in my mind, hopefully we’re doing something right for the future. This event will be a first-class production,” he added.
Jamaica will be represented by Blaise Bicknell, Jacob Bicknell, Daniel Azar, Randy Phillips and John Chin and the captain/coach is Mel Spence.
“We’re confident that we have a strong team for this tie,” Azar said.
“It’s a well-balanced team of youth and experience and I’m very happy with their preparation,” he added.
The Estonian team is expected to arrive on the island next Monday while some of the Jamaican team will arrive on the island two days later due to college commitments.
While some may view this as a disadvantage, Coach Spence believes the morale of the team remains as high as ever.
“Thank God for technology. We speak to each other on a daily basis. We’re sending videos to each other of workouts that we’re doing or what our opponents may be doing. We’re keeping the vibe up so thank God for technology. We’re able to keep that bond despite being thousands of miles away from each other,” Spence said.
The matches get underway at 3:00pm Jamaica time on Saturday and 1:00pm on Sunday.
The Dallas Cowboys have confirmed the exit of six members of their staff roster, including assistant head coach Rob Davis and offensive line coach Joe Philbin.
The Texas franchise saw their NFL season come to a close in a 19-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional round last weekend.
That has signalled the start of an offseason shuffle among head coach Mike McCarthy's ranks, with half-a-dozen faces among those who will depart the team.
Alongside Davis and Philbin, running backs coach Skip Peete, defensive assistant George Edwards, analytics coach Kyle Valero and assistant defensive line coach Leon Lett are also leaving.
"We thank these men for their hard work, dedication and contributions to the Cowboys," McCarthy issued in a statement.
"Each of them represented our team and organisation at a high, professional level with class and commitment to making our team better.
"These were difficult decisions to make because of the great respect I have for each of them as a coach and person of character, combined with the experiences we've all gone through together.
"This is the hardest part of the business, and we wish them nothing but the best."
With a 12-5 winning record in the regular season, the Cowboys finished second in the NFC East behind the Philadelphia Eagles.
They defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a resounding 31-14 Wild Card round victory to start their postseason campaign, but will now continue their wait for a first Super Bowl appearance since the 1995 season.
Aryna Sabalenka made a giant career breakthrough by reaching the Australian Open final, revealing: "I've dropped my psychologist and appointed myself."
One year on from being near the lowest ebb of her career, struggling to hit a serve into court, Sabalenka is a changed player after working on the biomechanics of her game.
Three times a losing grand slam semi-finalist, she got over that hurdle for the first time by beating Magda Linette 7-6 (7-1) 6-2 in Thursday's second semi-final, setting up a title showdown with Elena Rybakina on Saturday.
Hard work has brought about this change in Sabalenka, who was stacking up double-figure match totals of double faults as a matter of course in the early stages of last season.
There was work with a psychologist in the background, too, but Sabalenka feels that has run its course, and that nobody understands her better than herself.
It is a gamble, but it also seems to be paying off handsomely.
The 24-year-old fifth seed said: "To be honest, I decided to stop working with a psychologist. I realised that nobody other than me will help, you know?
"In the pre-season I spoke to my psychologist saying, 'Listen, I feel like I have to deal with that by myself', because every time I'm hoping that someone will fix my problem, it's not fixing my problem.
"I just have to take this responsibility and I just have to deal with that. I'm not working with a psychologist any more. I'm my psychologist."
The experiment is working just fine so far, with Sabalenka having a perfect run through her first 10 matches of the year, picking up an Adelaide International title and powering through the grand slam rounds in Melbourne.
She has yet to drop a set this season, and now a first grand slam singles title is tantalisingly close.
Wimbledon champion Rybakina stands in her way, with Sabalenka disclosing she mostly ignored the grass-court slam last year after Russian and Belarusian players were banned from competing.
"I didn't watch Wimbledon last year. I was feeling really bad about that, and I didn't watch Wimbledon at all," the Belarusian said.
"A little bit the final just because I was working out in the gym. I saw a little bit. It was great tennis."
Sabalenka, who is not known for hiding her emotions, appears to be on a sturdy keel in Australia and said she kept the celebrations low-key after beating Linette because "there is one more match to go".
She has won all three of her past matches against Rybakina, but they all came before the Kazakhstani became a major champion.
It is Rybakina who carries the experience of winning in a slam final into Sunday's trophy match, which can be seen as an advantage.
The psychologist lurking within Sabalenka has delivered impressive results so far, and the on-court focus she has demonstrated suggests the woman from Minsk is unlikely to lose any mental battle.
"To be honest, I think I'm not going to do something extra," Sabalenka said. "I think it's okay to feel a little bit nervous. It's a big tournament, a big final. If you're going to start trying to do something about that, it's going to become bigger, you know?
"I'll just leave it like that. It's okay to feel nervous. She's playing great tennis, serving well. I just have to be there and have to work for it and put her under pressure. Yeah, that's it."
Former Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett has been hired as the new offensive coordinator for the New York Jets.
The experienced 43-year-old, who previously worked with Jets head coach Robert Saleh at the Jacksonville Jaguars, struggled in his maiden year in Colorado.
That saw him relieved of his duties before the close of the campaign.
Now though, Hackett will head back to New York, where he will reunite with Saleh after the Jets limped to a miserable end in his sophomore season.
The Jets went 5-2 across their first seven games of 2022, but then lost all but one of their final eight to post a 7-10 losing record for the campaign.
Hackett will bring him a storied career that has seen him help lead teams to three Conference Championship games in his role as an offensive coordinator (Jaguars in 2017, Green Bay Packers in 2019 and 2020).
The move also sees him follow in the footsteps of his father Paul, who spent a stint between 2001 and 2004 with the Jets under Herm Edwards.
Under Hackett's watch as OC, the Packers led the NFL in scoring in 2020 with a 31.8 points per game average, while his 2017 Jaguars offense led for rushing yards per game at 141.
His arrival comes alongside the announcement that Keith Carter will also join the Jets as their offensive line coach and run game coordinator.
England scrum-half Ben Youngs believes rugby union's rewards are a counterpoint to the risks and has called for clarity amid revisions to the game's tackling laws.
A backlash has grown through the domestic sport following the Rugby Football Union's decision to limit players to tackles below the waist.
The rule change is set to come into force from July, and will affect the lower tiers of the English rugby pyramid.
Amid calls for an RFU special general meeting from the community game, Youngs has laid out the pros and cons for the change while urging patience.
"Rugby does have its risks, but it also has its huge rewards," Youngs told BBC Sport. "A bit of clarity and help will go a long way, I'm sure.
"I know all the local coaches, everyone at grassroots level, the referees, everyone who gives up their time for the community game, I think clarity for them as well [is needed].
"From the chest down is probably safe enough; that's what I believe."
The 33-year-old, the most-capped England men's international in history with 121 games under his belt, suggested the safety debate should not neuter the principles of the sport.
"I think for rugby union the camaraderie the game gives you, the values, the respect, working together as a team, leadership, being part of something; that all outweighs [the risks]," he added.
"We want safety, but we also want rugby. We don't want that to go."
Youngs will hope to add to his collection of caps when England kick off their Six Nations campaign under his former Leicester Tigers coach Steve Borthwick against Scotland next month.
Rivals Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed made positive starts to the Dubai Desert Classic after heavy rain caused play on day one to be delayed by over six hours.
World number one McIlroy was involved in an eve-of-tournament spat with American Reed, who labelled the Northern Irishman an "immature little child" for blanking him at the practice range. Reed was also alleged to have thrown a tee at McIlroy.
McIlroy said Reed's lawyer served him with court papers on Christmas Eve, although Reed has said he was not behind the subpoena, with the case concerned being one brought by American attorney Larry Klayman relating to divisions between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.
"I'm living in reality. I don't know where he’s living," McIlroy said of his snub for Reed, one of the players who has signed up or LIV Golf. "If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't expect a hello or a handshake."
They could yet end up as playing partners later this week, which would be awkward, and Reed sped out to four under par through 16 holes once play finally got under way on Thursday, before bad light halted players in their tracks.
McIlroy, who began on the back nine, was playing his 16th hole when he abandoned for the day, having reached two under and given himself a great birdie opportunity, leaving himself a five-foot putt for the morning at the par-three seventh.
Playing partner Ryan Fox missed out on a hole in one when his tee shot to the same hole, bang on target, rolled up just six inches short. The New Zealander tapped that in to go to three under.
That put Fox into a share of eighth place, with McIlroy tied for 12th.
Belgium's Thomas Pieters led on five under through 15 holes, one ahead of a group of six, with Reed, Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and Frenchman Victor Perez approaching the end of their rounds, while Matthew Jordan, Daniel Gavins and Oliver Wilson reached the clubhouse. Gavins made bogey after a missed putt at the last, electing to play on after the hooter and forfeiting a share of the lead.
Only 66 players of the 132 in the tournament got going on Thursday, meaning Friday was set to be busy, with those left with holes to complete set to start at 08:00 local time (04:00 GMT), and the rest of the field beginning their first rounds at 08:20, with second rounds to follow.
Padraig Harrington was having a dismal round, with the former Open and US PGA champion at eight over after 13 holes.
After a challenging weather day, leader Pieters said of the course: "I think it played fair. Obviously they guarded against some of the conditions, and they moved a few tees forward on holes like 12, where you normally are hitting long irons, and you're hitting short wedges. If you found fairways and had ball-in-hand, it was definitely playable."
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