John McEnroe has called Novak Djokovic's potential absence from the US Open over his vaccination status a "joke".
The United States does not currently allow those who have not received the COVID-19 jab into the country, putting the unvaccinated Djokovic in real danger of missing this year's edition of the tournament he has won three times.
The Serb has already missed the Australian Open this year because of his lack of vaccination, while also missing tournaments at Indian Wells in California, as well as the Rogers Cup in Canada.
He did however win his 21st Grand Slam at Wimbledon earlier this year, and McEnroe believes Djokovic should be allowed to play at Flushing Meadows as he chases down Rafael Nadal for the most Grand Slam titles in history.
Ahead of the tournament in New York, McEnroe told reporters: "No, I don't think it's fair. I think it's a joke.
"I would have had the vaccine and gone and played but he's got very strong beliefs and you have to respect that.
"At this point, in the pandemic, we're two and a half years in, I think people in all parts of the world know more about it, and the idea that he can’t travel here to play, to me is a joke."
On whether Djokovic's decision not to get the vaccine could affect his competition with Nadal and Roger Federer to become the most decorated male player ever, McEnroe replied: "That's the question that we all want to know the answer to.
"Obviously, Rafa Nadal has benefited from that. These three guys are already above everyone else. So, it makes it extremely interesting to see these two go at it and then you think of Roger Federer but he's been hurt for a while."
However, McEnroe believes Djokovic can overcome his vaccination status to win more titles, adding: "Who's to say [Djokovic] can't do it for another couple of years?
"Let's say that he wins three or four more. That's not impossible, by any means. Despite this, he can still get to 25. I think it's made it more complicated to do it because that has to wear on you mentally.
"Training this past month or six weeks not knowing whether he's going to play, that's going to put a strain on you mentally just as it was when he got thrown out of Australia. I think it took him three, four months to get his head right."
Oleksandr Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk has said a much-anticipated fight with Tyson Fury for all four of the world heavyweight titles is "in the making".
Usyk was a split-decision victor in his rematch against Anthony Joshua on Saturday in Jeddah, retaining the WBA, IBF and WBO belts that he took off the same opponent at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last year.
It means that the Ukrainian would now just need the WBC belt to make him only the second fighter in the four-belt era behind Claressa Shields to become undisputed in two different weight classes, having already held all four titles in the cruiserweight division.
That WBC belt belongs to Fury, who has not been in the ring since April when he defended his strap by stopping Dillian Whyte with a brutal uppercut in the sixth round at Wembley.
Fury has since claimed to be retired, but it appears that he could be tempted back into the ring to face Usyk and crown an undisputed champion in the heavyweight division, after telling his Instagram followers he would "annihilate" both Usyk and Joshua following the conclusion of their rematch.
And Usyk's promoter Krassyuk is confident the fight between the two undefeated titleholders will happen, telling Sky Sports on Tuesday: "It's in the making."
Speaking on Monday, meanwhile, Fury's co-promoter Frank Warren also indicated he is confident of the Briton getting in the ring with Usyk.
"[Fury] and Usyk would be a really good fight," Warren told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It's a fight that I think will be made because both teams would like to see that happen.
"Usyk said after the fight that it's the only fight he's interested in, and it's certainly the same case with Tyson. It's just a matter of where it will generate the most income because it's a unique fight, a historic fight."
Defending champion Primoz Roglic roared to the top of the Vuelta a Espana standings with a first stage win of this year's competition on day four in the Basque Country.
With the race resuming on Tuesday after a break to transfer from the Netherlands, the Slovenian moved up from third to take the red jersey with victory from Vitoria-Gasteiz to Laguardia.
Despite no other team members making the top 10 for the day, Roglic was ably supported by his fellow Team Jumbo–Visma riders, who helped him command the final uphill sprint to take victory.
After back-to-back stage wins for Ireland's Sam Bennett, it means Roglic has now reinforced his title defence, dethroning team-mate Edoardo Affini at the top.
Roglic edged Mads Pedersen, whose strong Vuelta continues apace with his third consecutive second-place finish, moving him up to ninth in the General Classification and second in points.
The former's team-mate Sepp Kuss lies second, 13 seconds off the overall lead, though the rest of their fellow Jumbo-Visma riders have slipped down the ranks ahead of Wednesday's leg from Irun to Bilbao.
Roglic happy to build early advantage
For the first time this year, Roglic has built a double-digit lead, and says he is happy to take the early advantage.
"It's really just the beginning of La Vuelta but it's always better to be 10 seconds ahead rather than behind," he stated.
"It was already a hard pace the whole day, with a super fast and hard stage. The finale was an opportunity to fight for the stage win. I had the legs so I gave it a go."
STAGE RESULT
1. Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo-Visma) 3:31:05
2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) same time
3. Enric Mas (Movistar Team) same time
4. Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ) same time
5. Pavel Sivakov (INEOS Grenadiers) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 11:50:59
2. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) +13 seconds
3. Ethan Hayter (INEOS Grenadiers) +26 seconds
Points Classification
1. Sam Bennett (BORA-Hansgrohe) 127
2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 118
3. Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) 34
King of the Mountains
1. Joan Bou (Euskaltel-Euskadi) 5
2. Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo-Visma) 3
3. Julius van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) 3
Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera had said all along the team would not rush defensive end Chase Young back from last November's ACL tear.
Now the earliest Young can suit up for the Commanders is Week 5 after officially placing the star pass-rusher on the reserve/physically unable to perform (PUP) list on Tuesday.
Young is still recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee sustained in Week 10 of last season and Rivera had already ruled him out for the 2022 opener against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars on September 11, while also hinting he could wind up on the PUP list.
Under the new rules for the PUP list, a player must sit out at least four games, meaning the first game Young will be eligible to play is against the Tennessee Titans on October 9.
After capturing Defensive Rookie of the Year honours and earning a Pro Bowl selection in 2020 with 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries to help Washington win the NFC East, Young's production dipped last year before his season-ending injury.
In nine games in 2021, Young finished with just 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles without recovering a fumble as Washington ended the season in third place in the division.
Placing Young on the PUP list was a necessary move as all teams must trim their rosters to 80 players by Tuesday's deadline.
Organiser of the P.H.A.S.E 1 Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball League Wayne Dawkins says he’s looking at expanding the league to the rest of the Caribbean in the future.
The P.H.A.S.E 1 E1 CBL was held from August 13-20 at the National Arena in Kingston, Jamaica. It featured four teams comprised of professionals from Jamaica, Barbados, USA and Canada and saw excellent crowd support throughout.
“We want to do big things for basketball in Jamaica and the Caribbean,” said Dawkins in an interview with Sportsmax.TV on Saturday.
“Absolutely. We still have to perfect this and then, as that happens, we can expand it to the rest of the Caribbean but it really starts with the product that we’re able to perfect right here in Jamaica,” he added.
With this in mind, Dawkins also outlined the amount of work that goes into putting on a basketball league.
“It’s an immense amount of work. You have to recruit players, think about player management, finding and developing staff. Identify venues, all the different production partners, sales, marketing and everything. All those divisions require a lot of coordination and a lot of work,” he said.
Kevin Durant is set to stay with the Brooklyn Nets after franchise and the 12-time NBA All-Star "agreed to move forward with our partnership".
Durant's future has been shrouded in doubt after the 33-year-old superstar reportedly asked for a trade at the end of June.
Nets general manager Sean Marks on Tuesday released a statement making it clear Durant is going nowhere after a meeting in which team owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, and head coach Steve Kerr, were present.
"Steve Nash and I, together with Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday," the statement said.
"We have agreed to move forward with our partnership. We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn."
It was reported this month that Durant had given the Nets an ultimatum over his future, stating that he would only stay if Marks and Nash were fired.
Tsai threw his support behind Marks and Nash, tweeting: "Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets."
Forward Durant is about to enter the first year of his four-year, $198million contract extension with the Nets.
The two-time NBA champion joined Brooklyn in a sign-and-trade deal in 2019 and penned a contract extension with the Nets 12 months ago.
Ex-Golden State Warrior Durant averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists from 55 games last season for a Nets team that was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics.
Kevin Durant is set to stay with the Brooklyn Nets after franchise and the 12-time NBA All-Star "agreed to move forward with our partnership".
Durant's future has been shrouded in doubt after the 33-year-old superstar reportedly asked for a trade at the end of June.
Nets general manager Sean Marks on Tuesday released a statement making it clear Durant is going nowhere after a meeting in which team owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, and head coach Steve Kerr, were present.
"Steve Nash and I, together with Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday," the statement said.
"We have agreed to move forward with our partnership. We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn."
Will Zalatoris' bid to win the FedExCup is over after he withdrew from the Tour Championship due to a back injury.
The 26-year-old suffered two herniated discs during the third round of the BMW Championship last weekend and pulled out after the fourth hole.
Zalatoris had given himself a great chance of winning the FedExCup with his maiden PGA Tour triumph at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, but he will not be fit for the Tour Championship at East Lake this week.
The world number nine, who is third behind Scottie Scheffler and Patrick Cantlay in the FedExCup standings, will also miss the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow next month.
If all 29 players complete 72 holes in Atlanta this weekend, Zalatoris will finish 30th in the FedExCup and pick up bonus money of $500,000, with the winner pocketing $18million
Allen Hobbs, Zalatoris' agent, said in a statement on Tuesday: "After Will’s withdrawal from the BMW Championship on Saturday, his medical team determined that the source of his back pain is two herniated discs.
"Unfortunately, this means that Will is unable to play this week at the TOUR Championship. He is also very disappointed that he will not have the opportunity to play in next month's Presidents Cup, where he was hoping to play for Captain Love [Davis III] and represent the United States.
"Will would like to thank his fans, sponsors, the TOUR, and his team for all of their support. He is fully focused on getting healthy and back onto the course as soon as he is able."
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman would welcome a unification bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk and believes such a fight could even take place before the end of the year.
Usyk produced a near-perfect display to record a split-decision victory over Anthony Joshua in Jeddah on Saturday, retaining the WBA, IBF and WBO belts he took from the Briton in London last year.
Having retained his undefeated professional record with a 20th victory in as many fights, Usyk declared his intention to fight Fury, saying: "I'm sure Tyson Fury isn't retired yet. I'm sure he wants to fight me. I want to fight him. If I'm not fighting Tyson Fury, I'm not fighting at all."
Fury has repeatedly flip-flopped on his boxing future, calling out Derek Chisora earlier this month before ruling out a return to the ring just three days later.
In the aftermath of Usyk's win over Joshua, however, Fury told his Instagram followers he would "annihilate" both fighters before declaring that the "Gypsy King is here to stay forever".
Sulaiman is excited by the prospect of Fury, who is unbeaten in 33 professional bouts, returning to face the Ukrainian.
"Tyson Fury is a unique man, his personality, his thinking is unique so I respect that, I respect him," Sulaiman told Sky Sports.
"He has been so loyal to the WBC, he has been so representative and proud of the WBC. I just hope that he makes the right decision, whichever it is.
"If he decides to hang up the gloves and retire, what a great way to do it, with money, with health, with his beautiful family.
"But if he has that hunger of going into the ring, which I believe is the case, it would be great to see him represent the WBC in a fight with Usyk or other championship fights he could have in the near future."
Sulaiman also revealed Fury has until Friday to confirm whether he intends to vacate the WBC heavyweight title after his latest retirement claims, and stated his belief fans may not have to wait long to see the two champions in action.
"Tyson Fury is the WBC champion of the world, he's not holding the 'other belt', he's holding the WBC championship, which is the championship of Muhammed Ali, George Foreman, [Joe] Frazier, [Mike] Tyson, Lennox Lewis etc," Sulaiman said.
"I'm very proud of Tyson Fury, he's a tremendous fighter and I am sure he wishes to continue boxing and a fight to unify all the championships in the division would be tremendous."
Sulaiman said Fury was free to make his own choice, adding: "But my personal opinion is that boxing is going through a great stage, a great moment, it will be great to see Fury against Usyk in the ultimate unification of the division.
"We are in August, there is still time to finalise and close up the year, or early next year."
Sulaiman said a tussle between Usyk and Fury at this stage in their careers would be "a momentous, huge event".
A spectator at the Wimbledon final who Nick Kyrgios accused of looking like she had consumed "about 700 drinks" is taking legal action against the Australian.
Polish lawyer Anna Palus was temporarily ejected from Centre Court last month after Kyrgios claimed she was drunk and putting him off during his defeat to Novak Djokovic.
He said to the chair umpire between points: "She's drunk out of her mind in the first row.
"The one who looks like she's had about 700 drinks talking to me in every single point."
Ms Palus has instructed her solicitors, Brett Wilson LLP, to start defamation proceedings against the 27-year-old and she is prepared to take the case to the High Court if there is no "prompt resolution" to the matter.
She said in a statement released by solicitors Brett Wilson LLP: "On Sunday 10 July 2022 I attended the final of the Wimbledon tennis championships with my mother.
"It was an event we had been looking forward to for some time. During the course of the final, Nick Kyrgios made a reckless and entirely baseless allegation against me.
"Not only did this cause considerable harm on the day, resulting in my temporary removal from the arena, but Mr Kyrgios's false allegation was broadcast to, and read by, millions around the world, causing me and my family very substantial damage and distress.
"I am not litigious, but after much consideration, I have concluded that I have no alternative but to instruct my solicitors Brett Wilson LLP to bring defamation proceedings against Mr Kyrgios in order to clear my name.
"The need to obtain vindication, and to prevent a repetition of the allegation, are the only reasons for taking legal action. Any damages recovered will be donated to charity.
"Given the extant claim, I am unable to comment further on the events of the day in question. I hope that Mr Kyrgios will reflect on the harm he has caused me and my family and offer a prompt resolution to this matter. However, if he is unwilling to do this, I am committed to obtaining vindication in the High Court."
The clock is ticking on Novak Djokovic's prospects of playing at the US Open, two days out from the draw at Flushing Meadows.
Wimbledon champion Djokovic, who lost to Daniil Medvedev in last year's final in New York, has his route to the United States blocked by red tape at present.
US authorities are refusing to allow unvaccinated foreign visitors to enter the country, and barring a change of policy on that front, his hopes appear forlorn. Djokovic, a three-time US Open champion, has refused to accept any COVID-19 vaccine.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has pledged to adhere to government rulings surrounding coronavirus protocols, despite including Djokovic on the US Open entry list last month.
He remains on that list for now, but there was an indication that the US Open may not be expecting to see Djokovic when a promotional poster was revealed this week that featured four top women players and four leading men.
The men selected were defending champion Medvedev, 22-time grand slam winner Rafael Nadal, Australian Nick Kyrgios and Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz. All were archive pictures, so Djokovic could easily have been selected for the advertising campaign.
His exclusion prompted an angry response on social media from some fans of the 35-year-old Serbian, with one saying it would be "a failed tournament if he doesn't participate in it".
The US Open draws are due to take place on Thursday ahead of the start of the tournament on Monday.
Leading players are already assembling on site, with Medvedev, Serena Williams, Nadal, Alcaraz, Simona Halep and Andy Murray among those with practice sessions booked in for Tuesday.
For Djokovic to be allowed into the United States, it appears he would require a sudden change of entry rules from law-makers, or he would have to be considered suitable for an exemption.
In late July, he said he was "preparing as if I will be allowed to compete"; however, he has not been able to travel for the build-up tournaments.
On Instagram, Djokovic's last tennis-related post came on Monday night as he sent a congratulatory message to shock Cincinnati champion Borna Coric, telling the Croatian: "Bravo king! Totally deserved. All the effort and patience paid off. Go ahead and good luck."
Djokovic was not allowed to play at the Australian Open at the start of the year, when issues surrounding his visa ended with him being deported from Melbourne on public health grounds due to not taking the vaccine.
American great John McEnroe told Tennis 365 in July it was "crazy" that Djokovic should have to miss the US Open and called for a solution to be found.
The current entry rules in the United States were not in place when Djokovic was toppled by Medvedev in last year's men's singles final, ending his hopes of a calendar Grand Slam.
The new NFL season is right around the corner and, amid the battle for the playoffs and eventual success in the Super Bowl, there's also the fight that nobody wants to admit they may like the idea of.
The team with the worst record in the NFL in the 2022 season will secure the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft – theoretically allowing the worst teams to pick the best players, continuing a cycle of maintaining competitiveness across the league.
For the past two seasons, that opportunity has fallen to the Jaguars but, while 2022 may not be a fully enjoyable season in Jacksonville, there is at least hope that they can rise off the bottom after two seasons with a combined record of 4-29.
So, if not the Jaguars, then who? Stats Perform has crunched the numbers and given an assessment of four teams who could be in the hunt for the number one pick.
Houston Texans
There are few teams who head into 2022 with such a bleak picture across the entire team and Davis Mills, the quarterback tasked with helming the offense, has weak wide receiver options and an offensive line unable to provide him with much safety.
Last season, Houston were ranked dead last for the total number of first downs (266), and red-zone drives (37), as well as holding the worst yards-per-game average at 278.1 and the highest percentage of three-and-out drives (28.2)
Their first down efficiency, the percentage of first downs picking up four or more yards, was 42.9 per cent, again the worst across the league.
Defensively, things were not much better. When it came to stopping big plays where opponents gained 10 or more yards, the Texans were bottom of the class with 257 given up and allowed the most successful plays in the red zone with 55.9 per cent.
The Texans' opponents averaged 384.4 yards per game in 2021, which was the second-worst tally in the NFL - and Houston also ranked 31st for the average margin of defeat (17.15 pts).
Atlanta Falcons
Having traded away the greatest quarterback in their franchise history in Matt Ryan, the Falcons head into unchartered territory in 2022, but the signs are far from promising.
Marcus Mariota, entering his seventh year in the NFL, has been named as the Falcons' starting quarterback for the forthcoming season ahead of rookie Desmond Ridder, but has enjoyed limited playing time in recent years.
Getting up to speed with the offense will be even harder without Calvin Ridley, handed an indefinite suspension for betting during the 2021 season, though tight end Kyle Pitts and rookie receiver Drake London offer him two physically imposing targets.
Atlanta have also had problems retaining the ball, with the Falcons recording 30 fumbles last season, the most in the NFL - conceding possession on 11 occasions.
Things are worse on defense. In the 2021 season, the Falcons gave up an average of 364.4 yards per game and conceded an average of 27 points per game - the third-worst mark in the NFL behind only the New York Jets (29.6) and the Detroit Lions (27.5). Atlanta's is a talent-poor roster that looks primed to put them in contention for the first pick and a potential shot at a franchise quarterback.
New York Jets
The Jets' situation looks bleak before even diving into the stats, with the franchise 0-6 against division opponents in 2021 and having an overall record of 4-13 last season – only the Jaguars and the Lions held a worse return.
Positive moves were made in the 2022 NFL Draft, New York landing cornerback Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson and defensive end Jermaine Johnson in the first round – but getting immediate contributions from all three may be asking too much.
The Jets were comfortably the worst defensive team in the NFL last season, conceding an average of 397.6 yards per game, the highest in the NFL, and 29.6 points per game totalling 504 overall – the most by some distance ahead of the porous Lions (467).
Vulnerabilities were present across the field, with the Jets giving up an average of 138.3 rushing yards per game in 2021, the fourth-highest in the league, and 259.4 receiving yards per game, the third-highest total.
The Jets will be desperate to improve a turnover differential of minus 13. Doing so will be contingent on 2021 second overall pick recovering from his preseason knee injury and staying healthy and avoiding the poor decisions that were prevalent in his rookie year. He threw 11 of the Jets' 20 interceptions last season.
If Wilson fails to make those strides, the Jets could be debating whether to replace him with one of 2023's top quarterback prospects with the number one pick.
Seattle Seahawks
Losing Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos is a hit likely to send the Seahawks to the NFC cellar, as their 2012 third-round pick was responsible for moments of magic that kept Seattle's head above water in recent years.
The strength of Pete Carroll's defense had defined his reign in Seattle, but the Seahawks have gradually declined to become one of the league's worst teams on that side of the ball. Seattle conceded an average of 379.1 yards per game in 2021 – the fifth-most in the league.
Seattle have particularly struggled defending the pass, giving up 265.5 yards per game through the air in 2021 – putting them behind only the Baltimore Ravens.
Neither of Wilson's replacements have previously shown any indication of elevating an offense to a level to mitigate the defensive struggles as the franchise legend did so often during his storied spell in Seattle.
Indeed, neither Drew Lock nor Geno Smith can be considered capable of filling the void left by the nine-time Pro Bowl QB.
Lock's interception percentage of 2.8 since entering the NFL in 2019 is the ninth-worst in the league in that time. Both Lock (6.54) and Smith (5.88) were among the five worst quarterbacks (min. 50 attempts) by pickable pass percentage last season.
Simply put, the Seahawks do not possess the quarterback play to allow for the defense to be as bad as it is. It's a transition year in Seattle, and the Seahawks could soon be transitioning to Wilson's long-term replacement with the top pick.
Aaron Judge plundered a 47th home run of the season as the New York Yankees bounced back to form with a 4-2 Subway Series win over the New York Mets.
The Yankees had gone 6-14 in August prior to Monday's derby and the pressure seemed to be on.
Manager Aaron Boone had received the backing of GM Brian Cashman ahead of the first game of the series, but the Yankees needed a big performance after a run of 14 losses in 18 games.
Up stepped Judge, whose dispatching of a Max Scherzer fastball ended a nine-game homerless streak and set the Yankees on their way to a second successive win on the back of three straight defeats to the Toronto Blue Jays. The turnaround began with a 4-2 win in the fourth game against Toronto.
Judge is closing in on Roger Maris' single-season American League record of 61 home runs, set in 1961, though he claimed to be unaware of that prospect.
"It's news to me," said Judge, who has nine homers in 20 games against the Mets and is 13 clear of next-best Kyle Schwarber across all MLB players when it comes to round trips this season. "I really don't worry about that. I was just happy to barrel something up and add to the lead that we already had against one of the best pitchers in the game.
"We've got a special group of individuals that are mentally tough enough to bounce back. It's a long season and we haven't been playing the type of ball we want to. It's time to get back to what we do."
Subway Series debutant Andrew Benintendi picked up the mantle in the later innings, and said: "To string together a couple of wins in a row against two really good pitchers, your confidence can really go up."
Daniel Vogelbach went deep for the Mets, smashing a huge two-run homer beyond the fence and into the crowd, while the Yankees' Jonathan Loaisiga pitched brilliantly alongside Ron Marinaccio.
Philadelphia hit back
The Mets went into the clash in the Bronx after three wins out of four against the Philadelphia Phillies, who responded to that disappointing run by comfortably dispatching the Cincinnati Bengals 4-1.
Noah Syndergaard (8-8) allowed one run on three hits with one strikeout and two walks, as the pitcher continued his fine start to life with the Phillies following his move from the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline, while Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott both homered.
"Noah threw the ball well like he's been doing for us, and we hit the ball," Stott said, while Syndergaard added: "My time here so far has been amazing. I feel like I'm on cloud nine."
Dodgers blanked at home
The Los Angeles Dodgers do not tend to draw blanks at home. Indeed, they were on a nine-game winning streak at Dodger Stadium, yet that run came to a shuddering halt at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers, who cruised to a 4-0 triumph.
The Dodgers, who had won five of their last seven, including two successes against the Brewers last week, were blanked for a sixth time this season, but it is the first time they have failed to score on home turf in 2022.
Eric Lauer was on top form for the Brewers, claiming two strikeouts and two walk-outs, while Willy Adames, Christian Yelich, Luis Urias and Keston Hiura got the runs, with Milwaukee now 34-32 on the road for the season.
Dominic Thiem defeated J.J. Wolf to set up a showdown with top seed Grigor Dimitrov in the second round of the Winston-Salem Open.
Thiem showed signs of returning to his best with runs to the last eight or better in three tournaments in July, but the 2020 US Open winner was in danger of falling at the first hurdle in North Carolina when he lost the first set against the American wildcard.
But Thiem, a debutant in the competition, bounced back, and after a long rain delay he prevailed 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 7-6 (8-6), and he will now face Dimitrov, who is seeking a first trophy since 2017.
The Austrian had to save two match points during a last-set tie-break, and said afterwards: "First of all I'm super happy to get that win, [my] first win on hard courts since a very long time, since March 2021, I guess.
"It was not easy at all today with the rain delay, coming back out there at 11:15 p.m. It was very late. I had trouble [getting] into the match again.
"But luckily I raised the level a little bit in the third-set tie-break and compared to Kitzbuhel, where similar stuff happened with the rain, the luck was on my side today."
Second seed Botic van de Zandschulp also learned of his last-32 opponent on Monday, with Tallon Griekspoor beating fellow lucky loser Taro Daniel 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.
Last year's beaten finalist Mikael Ymer ensured a safe passage through, meanwhile, thanks to a 6-2 6-3 victory against Federico Coria.
Australia's James Duckworth also advanced with a 4-6 6-3 7-5 (7-5) comeback win over compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis, while Kyle Edmund saw off Michail Pervolarakis 6-2 7-5.
Sixth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili was a big-name exit, as he went down to Thiago Monteiro.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles explained Tom Brady's return to training camp after a planned absence has been a seamless one.
Brady left training camp on August 11 for an absence Bowles said was planned in advance so he could "deal with some personal things".
The seven-time Super Bowl champion returned to practice on Monday, as the Bucs step up their preseason preparations ahead of the new NFL campaign.
"Anytime you have all your guys back you feel good, you know, especially after the injury bug has hit lately. We're happy to have him back," Bowles told reporters.
Asked if Brady's attitude was a problem, or if his absence had in any way proved a distraction for the team, Bowles said: "He's been great. He's been great, same as when he left. He's been fine.
"We pretty much keep distractions out of our locker room. It wasn't a big deal to us because everybody knew what was going on."
As for what Brady has missed over the course of his break, Bowles added: "Probably just conditioning for the most part. He's a film junkie – I'm sure he's watched tape of everything.
"So [it's] him coming back in, picking up where he left off, just getting used to the mechanics again.
"He's very familiar with the offense, so him coming back in and us getting back to work is kind of normal. Just getting used to the heat and getting used to the guys, but he ran the offense well."
Bowles might not believe Brady's team-mates were in any way distracted, but tight end Cameron Brate conceded it was "weird" not to have the 45-year-old around.
"It was definitely weird," Brate said. "Tom is such an omnipresent being, he's like the unquestioned leader of the team. For him to not be there for 11 days it was kind of a good opportunity for other guys to step up and fill that void.
"It was different, Tom is usually kind of cussing guys up and down the field when we're messing up, but we didn't really have that. It was different, but I thought some of the other veterans stepped up. I thought Blaine [Gabbert] did a good job commanding the first team offense while Tom was out.
!I'm sure wherever Tom was, he was working out still and getting his reps in. If anyone can get away with an 11-day break during training camp, it's Tom. He came back firing on all cylinders. We are all excited he's back, and we are ready to move on with that."
Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin claimed her first victory since January at Tennis in the Land on Monday.
Kenin, who has struggled mightily with illness and injury since her triumph in Melbourne in 2020, has seen her ranking drop to 415 in the world.
She had lost her last nine matches but was back to winning ways in Cleveland, where Kenin earned a 6-4 6-3 win over qualifier Dalayna Hewitt in an all-American clash.
Bernarda Pera and Madison Brengle gave the home fans plenty to cheer about with first-round victories, while Lauren Davis came up short in three sets against third seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Seeds Martina Trevisan, Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Alize Cornet all sealed wins, the latter thrashing Dayana Yastremska for the loss of just three games.
At the Granby Championships, top seed Daria Kasatkina had to come from a set down to beat Greet Minnen 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-2 in just under three hours.
Seventh seed Kaja Juvan lost to 17-year-old Cadence Brace but seeds Jasmine Paolini, Anna Bondar, Nuria Parrizas Diaz, Tereza Martincova and Marta Kostyuk all emerged victorious.
New York Giants rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux is expected to miss around three weeks after sustaining a sprained right MCL in Sunday's 25-22 preseason win against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Thibodeaux, the fifth overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, was hurt on a cut block from Bengals tight end Thaddeus Moss on a running play early in the second quarter.
An MRI revealed the MCL sprain, leaving the door open for Thibodeaux to potentially play when New York open their season with a visit to the Tennessee Titans on September 11.
"Fingers crossed," first-year Giants coach Brian Daboll said. "Hopefully his rehab goes well."
New York selected Thibodeaux with the first of two top-10 choices in this year's draft following a standout three-year career at Oregon.
The 6ft 5in, 258-pound edge rusher amassed 19 sacks in 32 games for the Ducks, earned 2019 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honours and was a unanimous All-American in 2021.
Thibodeaux has been running with the first-team defense during training camp and is being counted on to boost a unit that tied for 22nd in the NFL with 34 sacks last season.
The competition for the Carolina Panthers' starting quarterback job for the season opener is complete.
Baker Mayfield will start in Week 1 when the Panthers host his former team – the Cleveland Browns – on September 11.
"When we started this process, we were looking at three things," Carolina coach Matt Rhule said on Monday. "Number one, mastery of the offense, number two, situational football excellence, and number three, moving the ball and getting guys involved. That's been our focus all along.
"Baker has made a lot of improvement, a lot of growth in all three areas in a short amount of time."
Mayfield and Sam Darnold had been battling for the starting job since the Panthers acquired Mayfield in a trade with the Browns in July.
"All along, we've felt like we need to have a really strong quarterback room, and have every quarterback ready to play," Rhule said. "The reality of this league is most teams will play multiple quarterbacks. Sam has worked incredibly hard, played really well for us during training camp, and will be ready to go if and when it's needed."
Rhule was not ready to name a starting QB after the Panthers’ 20-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Friday – a game in which neither Mayfield nor Darnold played – but with rookie third-round draft pick Matt Corral suffering a Lisfranc ligament tear in his foot in that game and the season opener now less than three weeks away, he is ready to give Mayfield the opportunity to lead the offense in Week 1.
"Like I said all along, when we know we know," Rhule said on Friday, "And we’ll announce something when it’s right."
Rhule did not say anything about the starting job being Mayfield’s all season, so it’s certainly possible Darnold could take over if the 27-year-old struggles or the losses pile up and the team needs a spark.
The two signal-callers will be forever linked as the top two quarterbacks taken in the 2018 draft, with Mayfield going first overall to the Browns and Darnold being chosen third by the New York Jets.
Mayfield started 59 games in his four seasons in Cleveland and helped lead the Browns to their first playoff victory since the 1994 season in 2020.
He battled injuries in 2021, however, and his production on the field dipped as he posted an 83.1 passer rating – fourth lowest among the 30 QBs with at least 350 pass attempts – as Cleveland struggled to an 8-9 record, prompting the team to pursue Deshaun Watson in the trade market.
Darnold spent three seasons with the Jets before being traded to the Panthers for draft picks last April. He won his first three starts with Carolina last season before finishing 4-7 with nine touchdown passes and 13 interceptions and a 71.9 QB rating – one spot worse than Mayfield.
Jamaica Basketball Association President Paulton Gordon hopes the recently concluded P.H.A.S.E 1 Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball League at the National Arena in Kingston will revitalize interest in the sport locally.
“Well, I’m hoping that it gives it a shot in the arm,” Gordon said in an interview with Sportsmax.TV on Saturday.
“Coming out of the pandemic, we wanted an activity that would stimulate interest and create more awareness as it relates to basketball and I think this will do it,” he added.
The league was the first of its kind to be played in the Caribbean and Gordon says he’s glad that Jamaica was able to be a part of history.
“Bringing pro basketball to Jamaica has always been our intention. We decided that we’d try to do a pilot during the summer and, based on the feedback, I think we have accomplished most of our objectives,” he said.
“The players are excited; the fans are coming out and entertainment around the games has been good. We’ve gotten good feedback as it relates to the packaging and production of the event from overseas and I think we’re on our way,” he added.
With the presence of both North American and local players in the teams, Gordon says he’s also encouraged by the lack of a skill gap between the two sets of players.
“I had some discussions with some of the coaches and some of the GMs. What I’m happy about is that there isn’t a big disparity between the North American players and our local players. The teams have integrated quite well and, just looking on, there’s not much difference you can see between the skill level of the overseas players and our local players,” he said.
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