Owner Andy Edwards feels the intermediate distance of Sunday’s Fleur De Lys Chase at Lingfield is perfect for the returning L’Homme Presse.
Venetia Williams’ 2022 Brown Advisory winner has not been seen since parting company with Charlie Deutsch at the final fence in that year’s King George VI Chase when booked for second.
Injury has kept him off the course for over a year, but he is one of nine entries in the £165,000 contest over two miles and six furlongs on the final day of the track’s Winter Million weekend.
Edwards, who owns L’Homme Presse in partnership with Peter Pink, said: “I think they are very confident of Sunday being on.
“He’s obviously been off a long time and it’s not as if we picked this race out months ago, we were trying to get him out before Christmas but without panic because we never thought Kempton (King George) was going to be the best place for him. So then we felt we may as well wait for this race.
“He has been given lots and lots of time and 99 per cent of them come back fine, but we’ll just have to wait and see. It’s exciting to be back after 13 months of concerns and waiting. There’s been lots of effort put in to get him back.
“I think this is the perfect comeback trip and it looks the perfect preparation race for any three-miler, I think, that intermediate distance.
“You’ve got to remember after he won the Scilly Isles a few years ago it looked as if he was going for the Turners and not the Brown Advisory, but it was me that pushed towards the three-mile race.”
Dan Skelton’s Protektorat, December Gold Cup winner Fugitif and Sam Thomas’ Iwilldoit look like providing the main opposition, along with Gavin Cromwell’s Limerick Lace.
Cromwell has plenty of entries over the Winter Million weekend and Limerick Lace has finished second in the Troytown and won a Doncaster Listed race easily in her last two outings.
Cromwell’s Only By Night could clash with Nicky Henderson’s Pawapuri and the improving Manimole in the Weatherbys Digital Solutions Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, while Master Chewy, First Flow and Triple Trade are among 14 in the Godstone Handicap Chase.
Saturday’s all-weather Flat card at Lingfield features the £100,000 BetMGM Winter Oaks Fillies’ Handicap.
George Boughey’s progressive Storymaker, Simon and Ed Crisford’s Twirling and stablemate Oh So Grand are among 10 possibles.
Colonel Harry has options at Sandown and Warwick for his next outing, with Jamie Snowden weighing up the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase and the Kingmaker.
While he clearly handled the step up to two and a half miles in winning the Grade Two Towton Novices’ Chase at Wetherby on Saturday, Snowden would not be put off dropping back down in trip if the ground is soft.
He will have entries for the Arkle and the Turners Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham, and how he fares in his next run will go a long way to deciding which race he goes for at the big meeting in March.
While he was no doubt helped by Kim Bailey’s Trelawne hanging badly right-handed at Wetherby, it was nevertheless a pretty smooth performance and backed up his second to Le Patron in the Henry VIII at Sandown.
“I thought the step up in trip really seemed to suit him and he did it nicely,” said Snowden.
“The Scilly Isles would definitely have to come into consideration now.
“He’s not short of speed by any means, it depends on the ground at the time because there is still the Kingmaker as an option at Warwick the following week.
“I think we’ll be looking at those two races. He does love it soft and depending on the ground I would not be averse to dropping him back to two miles at Warwick, but the Scilly Isles does look the obvious race.
“The Cheltenham entries close tomorrow (Tuesday) and I’ll put him in both the Arkle and the Turners and we’ll just have to see how he gets on in his next race, whether it be Warwick or Sandown, and that will determine where he goes for the rest of the season.”
The same GD Partnership silks were carried to victory in the Coral Gold Cup in November by Datsalrightgino, and Snowden has now decided where his next outing will be.
“He’s on target for the Cotswold at Cheltenham at the end of this month,” said Snowden.
“He wouldn’t want the ground too deep so we’ll just have to bear that in mind when it comes to that race.
“If it came up soft or heavy at Cheltenham then we might reroute for the Denman at Newbury, but as things stand he’s on target for the Cotswold all being well.”
Snowden’s Cheltenham Festival winner You Wear It Well has a couple of options this weekend and is in at Lingfield on Friday and Ascot Saturday. But with question marks over both meetings, no plans have been made.
“The ideal race for her was the one at Sandown a couple of weeks back, but they didn’t reschedule it so we’ll have to go for something which is perhaps less ideal now. We’ll just see what happens with the frost before we make a plan, she’s got the options anyway,” said Snowden.
Charlie Longsdon’s promising hurdler Rare Edition has a step up in trip booked after a comfortable Kempton success.
The seven-year-old had some respectable point-to-point form and won on his sole bumper start before embarking on a novice hurdling career last season.
He won his first three starts – with no rival able to get within seven lengths of him – after which he finished second in the Listed Sidney Banks before seeming to lose his way when pulled up in the Supreme and well beaten in the Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.
This year he returned to action at Doncaster to make his handicap debut in a competitive race, finishing third by only three-quarters of a length when the final three hurdles were omitted due to the low sun.
At Kempton on Saturday he lined up again for handicap duty under top-weight and made light work of it when prevailing under Harry Cobden as the 11-8 favourite.
The performance has confirmed suspicions the gelding will be well suited by an extended trip, a step he is now set to take after his victory replaced a prior plan to head to Lingfield for the Winter Million fixture.
“Initially our plan was to go to Lingfield on Friday, but with the forecast we thought we’d take our chances and go to Kempton,” said Longsdon.
“He’s won round there before, he was giving a lot of weight and he won comfortably enough.
“What we definitely learned is that he needs to step up in trip. We will see what the handicapper does but he won’t be running over two miles again.
“All he was doing that day at Doncaster was staying on and that’s all he did at Kempton as well.”
Both Longsdon and Cobden are agreed the bay is a chaser in the making but before that stage of his career, he is likely to finish off the season in good quality two-and-a-half-mile hurdles.
“Harry Cobden rode him and gave us some interesting feedback, it was very much that when he’s a year older and with a step up in trip he will end up being a three-mile chaser, but it’ll be two and a half (miles) over hurdles for the rest of the season,” the trainer said.
“There’s a race at Ascot on the Reynoldstown day, a race at Kempton on the old Racing Post Chase (Coral Trophy Handicap Chase) day – there’s a two-and-a-half-mile hurdle on both of those tracks.
“I’d love to look at a Coral Cup or Martin Pipe but it strikes me that Aintree might suit him better, we’ll see.
“It’s just nice to see him back to his form after his form tailed off last season.”
Andy Murray admitted he may well have played his last Australian Open match after a tame defeat by Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round.
The former world number one was beaten 6-4 6-2 6-2 by the 30th seed and was left mulling over his future in the sport.
Naomi Osaka’s grand slam comeback lasted only one match, the two-time champion beaten by an impressive Caroline Garcia, while Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova is also out.
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There will be a familiar name in the boys’ singles at Melbourne Park. Fifteen-year-old Cruz Hewitt, son of former world number one Lleyton, has been awarded a wild card.
Drinking it all in
The Australian Open is known for its innovations, which this year include a bar overlooking Court Six.
Dubbed the ‘party court’, it is likely to meet with mixed reviews from players.
France’s Arthur Rinderknech said it was like “playing in a nightclub” after his five-set loss to Pavel Kotov.
Fan friction
Another change is the decision to let fans into stadiums at the end of each game rather than only at changes of ends.
Novak Djokovic was left in two minds after being distracted during his win over Dino Prizmic, while learning of the new rule bizarrely led Australian Jordan Thompson to decry the event as the “wokest tournament ever”.
Fallen seeds
Women: Marketa Vondrousova (7), Ekaterina Alexandrova (17), Donna Vekic (21), Anastasia Potapova (23), Anhelina Kalinina (24), Marie Bouzkova (31)
Men: Nicolas Jarry (18)
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Emma Raducanu makes her grand slam return against American Shelby Rogers on Tuesday evening.
The remaining four British players in the singles draws – 19th seed Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans, Jack Draper and Katie Boulter – also begin their campaigns.
Iga Swiatek plays former champion Sofia Kenin in the first match on Rod Laver Arena while Carlos Alcaraz takes on veteran Richard Gasquet in the night session.
Constitution Hill will not line up at Cheltenham’s Trials day at the end of the month after returning an unsatisfactory scope.
The reigning champion hurdler made a successful reappearance in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, when he extended his unbeaten run to eight with the minimum of fuss.
Trainer Nicky Henderson had raised the prospect of a second outing before his Cheltenham Festival date in March, with the Unibet International Hurdle – rescheduled from the December meeting to Trials day on January 27 – an option.
However, a minor issue has put paid to that possibility, with the Seven Barrows trainer now plotting a direct course to his Champion Hurdle defence on March 12, for which he is the long odds-on favourite.
In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, he said: “We have reluctantly decided that Constitution Hill won’t be able to run in the Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham at the end of next week.
“A routine scope last week wasn’t entirely satisfactory and a follow up this morning shows the issue hasn’t resolved and therefore there would not be time to get him ready for next week.
“In the meantime he will continue with light exercise, be rescoped in a fortnight’s time and then start his preparation for March.
“Both Michael (Buckley, owner) and I and all the team had very much hoped for a better result this morning so that we could run on Saturday week but in the horse’s and indeed everyone’s interests, it would be foolish to do so and this does not affect any future plans.”
Injuries and a new captain look set to take centre stage when Wales boss Warren Gatland names his Guinness Six Nations squad on Tuesday.
Flanker Jac Morgan, who led Wales impressively during the World Cup in France, could miss the whole tournament due to a knee injury.
His World Cup co-captain Dewi Lake, meanwhile, went off injured during Ospreys’ European Challenge Cup victory over Perpignan, adding to a casualty count that also includes the likes of Taulupe Faletau, Christ Tshiunza, Taine Plumtree and Nicky Smith.
Captaincy contenders would potentially include Lake, Adam Beard, flanker Tommy Reffell and Beard’s fellow lock Dafydd Jenkins, who has led Exeter impressively on domestic and European fronts this season.
The more pressing issue is injuries, though, with number eight Faletau not having played since breaking his arm during the World Cup and Exeter forward Tshiunza recently suffering a setback during his recovery from a broken foot.
Wales kick off their Six Nations campaign against Scotland on February 3, and latest estimates on Faletau are that he could return to action some time next month.
Prop Smith and hooker Elliot Dee have also had injury issues, while Bristol fly-half Callum Sheedy, who has been tipped for a squad recall, is currently sidelined due to a knee problem.
Four players who were part of Gatland’s World Cup squad will not be involved, with Dan Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny having retired from Test rugby, Liam Williams now being based in Japan and Gareth Anscombe injured.
And centre Johnny Williams is facing a ban after he was sent off during the Scarlets’ Challenge Cup defeat against Clermont Auvergne.
Elsewhere, uncapped Cardiff trio Cam Winnett, Liam Belcher and Mackenzie Martin have their admirers, with selection speculation also having focused on back-row pair Rhys Ruddock and Cameron Hanekom.
Ruddock, son of former Wales head coach Mike Ruddock, won 27 caps for Ireland, but he has not represented them since mid-February 2021.
The 33-year-old, who has a Welsh-born father and grandparents, would qualify for Wales after their opening Six Nations games against Scotland and England.
World Rugby rules allow a player to switch countries as long as a minimum three years have elapsed since their last international appearance, and they are suitably qualified to represent any new nation.
Uncapped South African Hanekom, who is 12 years Ruddock’s junior, has a Welsh grandparent.
He has produced outstanding form for the Pretoria-based Bulls in the Investec Champions Cup and United Rugby Championship.
Asked about any link with Wales over the weekend, Bulls head coach Jake White said: “I’ve spoken to him about it. I think his grandmother is Welsh.
“He has been playing really well. He is a talent.
“At this point, I would think it is highly unlikely that he has had any contact (with Wales) because I think he would have told me.”
Paul Nicholls has high hopes for his two recent winning juveniles Kalif Du Berlais and Kabral Du Mathan.
Both had won previously in France which meant the pair had to carry penalties on their British debuts, but they proved a cut above their respective opposition.
Kabral Du Mathan won the Chatteris Fen at Huntingdon on Friday, while Kalif Du Berlais lived up to his lofty reputation at Kempton on Saturday.
“They both won well and both were carrying penalties in two different types of races,” Nicholls told his Betfair Ditcheat Diary.
“They are two totally different horses. Kabral Du Mathan is more a hurdling type at the moment, he was impressive at Huntingdon and he will probably go to Musselburgh or more than likely the Victor Ludorum at Haydock, which is a race we’ve had good success in. I dare say he will have an entry in the Boodles.
“Kalif, nothing is set in stone yet. I will give him an entry in the Triumph because you want to be in, but I’d say he’s possibly unlikely to run in that.
“I’d say he’s not that type, he’s a chaser, but he’s a good horse and he may well go for the Adonis at Kempton and I assume that will be his next run.
“They are two nice horses, as is Tutti Quanti who was second at Taunton, so we do have some nice juveniles coming along, but headed up by those two.”
Duron Harmon's defining memory of playing for Bill Belichick is not one of their three Super Bowl triumphs together, but the coach using a jar of marshmallows to motivate him in preseason.
Belichick's remarkable 24-year stint in charge of the New England Patriots came to an end last week after he oversaw a career-worst 4-13 season in 2023, with former linebackers coach Jerod Mayo taking charge.
The 71-year-old led New England to nine Super Bowls throughout his 24 seasons at the helm, winning six of those with the most recent coming against the Los Angeles Rams at Super Bowl LIII.
Safety Harmon was present for that triumph, as well as wins at Super Bowls XLIX and LI, as a regular fixture in a dominant Patriots side led by legendary quarterback Tom Brady.
Harmon remembers his time under Belichick fondly, but it is the coach's personable side, rather than his tactical acumen, which stood out most prominently.
Asked for his defining memory of Belichick while speaking to Stats Perform, Harmon said: "It's crazy. It's not even a football field memory. It was a training camp. I can't remember what year it was. It had to be 2016.
"We still had Logan [Ryan], it was me, Logan, Devin [McCourty], and I think at the time we were all maybe dealing with something, like little injuries. I don't think we were practicing.
"Bill came up to us. Logan, Dev, and I were stretching. I look up and he says, 'you Rutgers guys, you know what? You guys are soft like marshmallows'.
"We're like, 'what are you talking about?' He was like, 'not even practicing'. He goes on his spiel.
"The next day, when we go into the meeting room, there's three big jars of marshmallows at our seats. We just start dying, laughing, because a lot of people don't see that side of Bill, but for us, that's the side that we've seen all the time.
"Then that preseason game against the Panthers, all three of us got interceptions and he came up to us at the end of the game and said, 'maybe I need to put marshmallows by your seats weekly'.
"His great coaching style that I really appreciated was one thing, but having memories like that, where we can have a personable connection, will always go a long way for me."
Harmon believes Belichick's incredible work ethic is the secret to his success, saying: "When we won the Super Bowls, he let himself loose a little bit. I will tell you that. That's when you see him really just take a step back and enjoy it.
"I've been very privileged to be in this league for 11 years, and I can honestly say I've never been around anybody who works as hard as him each day.
"That is the reason why the Patriots organisation has been successful for as long as it has been. He believes that if you want to have a championship team, there has to be a standard of excellence no matter what you're doing."
The consistency Belichick instilled in the Patriots was perhaps his most impressive accomplishment, with the team enjoying 19 consecutive winning seasons from 2001 to 2019.
Harmon hailed his ability to motivate players to go again, saying: "When we came back after winning the Super Bowl, he'd let us know that it's over, we don't talk about previous years.
"There were even times when he wouldn't let us wear the Super Bowl gear that we got in the building anymore, because he wanted us to realise this is a new year.
"He does a tremendous job of letting us know we've got to put that year to bed. Now it's time to get working on the new one. Everybody buys in, because we know what happens when we do."
Bill Belichick's exploits with the New England Patriots will never be replicated and mark him out as the best coach in NFL history, according to the team's former safety Duron Harmon.
Last week, team owner Robert Kraft announced the end of Belichick's remarkable 24-year stint in charge of the Patriots, who he led to six Super Bowl titles – the most of any coach in the league's history.
Belichick led New England to 18 playoff trips after taking charge in 2000, but the team missed the postseason in three of his final four campaigns at the helm.
Their 4-13 record throughout the 2023 season was their worst under Belichick, whose last playoff win came back in 2019 as the Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams at Super Bowl LIII.
Despite a less-than-stellar end to his distinguished run in New England, Harmon – who won three Super Bowls throughout a six-year stint with the team between 2013 and 2019 – says Belichick's place in the history books is secure.
Asked what Belichick's Patriots legacy amounted to, Harmon told Stats Perform: "In my opinion, he's just the best coach who ever graced the NFL.
"What he was able to accomplish over those 20-plus years as a Patriots coach, we've never seen it before. It will never be duplicated.
"He set the standard extremely high for when people try to talk about dynasties. I'm just forever grateful that he chose me to be a part of his team and to be a part of his legacy."
While Belichick will turn 72 in April, it has been suggested that he may stay in the league as he chases down Don Shula's all-time record of 347 wins (regular season and playoffs), a tally he is currently 14 shy of.
The Los Angeles Chargers have been touted as a potential destination for Belichick, but Harmon cannot see the Patriots legend coaching elsewhere.
"I just can't see it," he said. "He and Tom Brady are the Patriots. They're what the Patriots stand for, to do your job, hard-nosed gritty football, those two together built the Patriots organisation.
"So to see him go somewhere else... me personally, I can't see it, but the beauty about sports is you just never know. In due time, we will figure out whether he'll be somewhere else."
For the Patriots, attention quickly turned to the search for Belichick's successor, and 37-year-old former linebackers coach Jerod Mayo became the league's youngest head coach when his promotion was made official on Friday.
Having shared a locker room with Mayo throughout his first three seasons with the Patriots, Harmon believes he has all the attributes required to be a success.
"My time there with him… he's a tremendous, tremendous leader. A leader of men, an intelligent person," Harmon said of Mayo.
"Most people say he's just a smart football player, but he's just an intelligent person. Straight out of retirement, he went and worked for a company, a big Fortune 500 company.
"It shows who he is as a person and as a leader, that as soon as he gets done playing, somebody wants to hire him to lead this division of their company.
"If I had to put my hat on or give my blessing to anybody, it would be Jerod Mayo."
No Flies On Him has the chance to take Edward O’Grady back to the top level when he appears at the Dublin Racing Festival next month.
Owned by JP McManus, the five-year-old accounted for Nicky Henderson’s Grade One winner Jango Baie in the pointing field and made the perfect rules debut when an easy winner at Leopardstown over the Christmas period.
No Flies On Him is now poised for an immediate step up to Grade One company at Leopardstown on February 4, where he will line up in the Tattersalls Ireland 50th Derby Sale Novice Hurdle that has often served as a stepping stone to the Cheltenham Festival.
O’Grady is no stranger to big-race success, but it has been over 12 years since Cash And Go’s Future Champions Novice Hurdle victory.
It is somewhat fitting his latest potentially high-class performer is owned by McManus, a long-time supporter of O’Grady’s Killeens Stables with the trainer always remembered as the man who first saddled a Festival winner in the famous green and gold silks.
“He goes to the Dublin Racing Festival,” said McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry.
“He has come out of his race well and we’re very happy with him. We couldn’t have been happier with him at Leopardstown.
“He won a maiden hurdle and did it nicely, but he has to step up again now and see where we go.”
Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown used a laptop to help demonstrate what he feels are calls to have gone against his team from the NBA officials.
Brown was ejected after he stormed onto the court to confront referee Intae Hwang during the fourth quarter of the Kings' 143-142 overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.
The Kings have lost three of their last five games, but coach Brown was not willing to let his team take full accountability for the loss to the Bucks.
Instead, during his postgame news conference, Brown wheeled out the technology to show what he believes were inconsistent calls from the referee.
"The referees are human, and they're going to make mistakes, but you just hope that there's some sort of consistency and there's some sort of communication between the refs," Brown said.
"The refs tonight, they were great, they communicated with me all night. But in terms of consistency, you guys saw it right here. In my opinion, the consistency wasn't here tonight.
"We had a chance to win the game and we didn't get it done," Brown said. "But I'm telling you, man, to go through [the inconsistency in calls], it's tough, man. It's tough to go through that."
Despite Brown's ejection, the Kings came back from 12 points behind to force overtime, in which they went ahead, only to be condemned to a defeat by Damian Lillard's long 3-pointer just before the buzzer.
Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said: "It was like we had the game and they stole it from us and we took it back at the end.
"When they went up six, it would have been easy for us to throw in the towel, but those guys are resilient. Probably one of our best wins of the season."
The Bucks look to be back on form after a slump earlier in January, and have now won their last three games. They sit second in the Eastern Conference, with the Kings sixth in the West.
The big two of El Fabiolo and Jonbon have scared off potential opposition in Saturday’s BetMGM Clarence House Chase at Ascot, with only two others entered for the Grade One showpiece.
Currently the best two-miler chasers in training, El Fabiolo and Jonbon finished first and second in the Arkle last March, with Willie Mullins’ El Fabiolo coming out on top.
When the pair met over hurdles at Aintree two seasons ago it was Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon that narrowly prevailed, and ever since it was first mooted the pair could meet again this weekend the third clash has been eagerly anticipated.
Given Jonbon has a rating of 170 and El Fabiolo 172, it perhaps should come as no surprise not many are keen to take the top-class pair on.
Joe Tizzard has entered the admirable Elixir De Nutz. Terry Warner’s 10-year-old is a dual winner already this year and finished third to Editeur Du Gite in the Desert Orchid over Christmas, but with a rating of 156 it shows the task he faces.
The only other entry is Dan Skelton’s 141-rated Unexpected Party, who is also engaged in the bet365 Handicap Chase.
The BetMGM Mares’ Hurdle has seen Henderson enter Marie’s Rock, Tweed Skirt and Theatre Glory.
Other notables include You Wear It Well for Jamie Snowden and West Balboa for Skelton.
Whether the meeting goes ahead due to the current cold snap, is still up in the air, however.
The track has been completely covered with fleece before the first of a forecast prolonged spell of freezing weather.
Clerk of the course Chris Stickels said on Monday morning: “It’s difficult to say what the prospects are at the moment.
“We are currently raceable, we covered the track on Friday and we are frost-free under the covers. We got down to minus 1.75C overnight.
“The forecast does indicate it is going to be quite cold through this week, with temperatures down to minus three or minus four on some occasions, but there are conflicting forecasts for Saturday.
“Some are suggesting it will still be sub-zero into Saturday morning while others are saying it will be a bit milder than that. It’s difficult to call at this stage, we just need to see how it develops as the week goes on.”
Michael O’Sullivan is eagerly awaiting Marine Nationale’s next appearance in the Goffs Irish Arkle at Leopardstown on February 3.
Barry Connell’s seven-year-old is unbeaten in six races under rules and made a perfect start over the bigger obstacles when winning at the Foxrock track over Christmas.
Having won last season’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, he is already a red-hot favourite to add this year’s Arkle back at the showpiece meeting in March.
“It was brilliant (at Leopardstown) – I suppose relief more than anything. (There was) a lot of pressure on his first run over fences, but for it to have gone so well was fantastic,” O’Sullivan told Leopardstown.
“He’s such an intelligent horse, you can see him looking at all his fences but I suppose until they go and do it on the track, there is still that doubt. He was very, very good.
“He really enjoyed it and he has come out of the race well.
“It was nice to show people that he is a versatile horse, a straightforward horse. For him to bowl along out in front, it was a lovely performance and, hopefully, he can build on that.
“I suppose last year as Barry said, we were under the radar a small bit but this year all eyes are on us. You could definitely feel that in Leopardstown. A Supreme winner on his first run over fences, there was a lot of attention.
“Obviously, we were all nervous, but we were happy with his work. He took a lot more work this year and I’d say he will come on from it a lot.
“We are looking forward to Leopardstown again the next day.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan insists he was a better player in his teens, despite becoming the oldest winner of the Masters at the age of 48.
O’Sullivan recovered from 6-3 down to beat Ali Carter 10-7 in the final at Alexandra Palace and claim a record-extending eighth Masters crown.
The world number one, who also won the UK Championship in December, has now won 23 Triple Crown titles, five more than Stephen Hendry, and can complete a clean sweep of the game’s biggest events with an eighth World Championship title at the Crucible.
However, O’Sullivan was typically self-deprecating when asked if there was any part of his game which was better now than when he won his first Masters title in 1995 at the age of 19.
“I thought when I was 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 I was even better then than I was now to be honest with you,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport.
“Technically I felt I was much better, more consistency. These days I’m a bit in and out and I search for it.
“It’s got better since 2001 and I’ve had to work on the technical side just to keep things as tight as I can.
“I have some good spells, some good months, good years sometimes, but then I have some awful months and awful years and I just accept that that’s how it is and just try and play my way through it and hopefully it comes good at some point.
“It’s quite a struggle for me the game at the moment, confidence wise.”
O’Sullivan won £250,000 for each of his UK Championship and Masters victories and can take his earnings from Triple Crown events this season to £1million by claiming the £500,000 first prize on offer in the World Championship.
Andy Murray admitted the window on his career is closing and that a meek loss to Tomas Martin Etcheverry may have been his last Australian Open match.
The five-time finalist was outplayed in a 6-4 6-2 6-2 defeat that was a far cry from his glory days and he looked emotional as he gave a lingering wave to all sides of Kia Arena.
It was only Murray’s second opening-round loss at Melbourne Park in the last 16 years, with the other coming five years ago against Roberto Bautista Agut after the Scot had revealed that hip problems could mean the end of his career.
Surgery and a gruelling recovery process has given him a commendable post-script, but Murray did not dispute that this much more low-key exit could signal his final goodbye.
He said: “It’s a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here. I think probably because of how the match went and everything. While you’re playing the match, you’re obviously trying to control your emotions, focus on the points and everything.
“When you’re one point away from the end, you’re like, ‘I can’t believe this is over so quickly, and like this’.
“In comparison to the matches that I played here last year, it’s the complete opposite feeling walking off the court. I wish I involved the crowd more. Just disappointed with the way I played and all of that stuff. (It’s a) tough, tough way to finish.”
Murray admitted at the end of last season he was not enjoying tennis, and it is increasingly hard to see him finding the sort of performances and results that will bring the joy back.
This was his fourth defeat in a row dating back to October and he has lost seven of his last eight matches – the worst run of his career.
At the Australian Open last year, Murray conjured two of the more memorable occasions with five-set wins over Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis, and there was optimism he could achieve the sort of results he has been striving for.
The 36-year-old is now struggling to hold on to that belief, saying: “I know in the last week, 10 days, how well I was playing against the best players in the world. That’s why it’s so frustrating that on the match court it’s not there.
“I’ve been telling myself that at some stage it will. But obviously when you have performances like today, or a batch of results over a period of time like I have done, it’s tough to keep believing in that.”
Murray has said previously he has an idea of when he would like to retire, but he admitted that date could be brought forward.
He added: “I know that Tomas is a really, really good player. I’m aware of that. Even if I play well today, I can still lose the match. It’s just the nature of the performance that makes you question things.
“I haven’t gained in belief from today’s match that at some stage I’m going to start playing really well again or winning tournaments or getting to the latter stages of major events.
“Last year was a slightly different story. Physically I held up well against two really good players. It’s a very different situation sitting here. So the timeframe narrows a little bit for me to get to a level that I want to be at.
“I’ve spoken to my family about it. I’ve spoken to my team about it. They’re very aware of how I feel about things, where I would like to finish playing, when that would be.
“I haven’t made any definite decisions on that. It’s obviously something that I need to think about and see exactly when that is.”
Murray and Etcheverry shared two close matches last season and the Scot knew to expect long, punishing rallies from the baseline.
There was little to choose between them in the first set, with Murray missing one chance to lead 4-2 when a lob fell short before Etcheverry broke.
Murray’s serve misfired from the start and his groundstrokes became increasingly wayward as the hopes of the former world number one and the supportive crowd faded away.
Monday’s meetings at both Hereford and Punchestown will go ahead as planned after the tracks passed morning inspections.
Officials at Hereford declared the venue fit for action following an 8am precautionary check, with the ground reported to be good, good to soft in places for a seven-race card.
Punchestown’s 7.30am inspection also had a favourable outcome, with a seven-race fixture on soft going.
Brendan Sheridan, IHRB clerk of the course at Punchestown said: “The track is fit for racing and the fixture today will go ahead.
“There is currently a grass frost here at present but Met Éireann have said this morning that temperatures will rise to three degrees during the day with some sunny spells.
“The ground remains soft and we will once again be using the inside hurdle straight for the first circuit and finishing on the main straight for all races.”
Damian Lillard's long 3-pointer just before the buzzer capped a remarkable rally in the final seconds of overtime for the Milwaukee Bucks, who came through with a thrilling 143-142 win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
The Bucks trailed 141-137 with under 30 seconds left in overtime before pulling out a third straight victory on late 3-pointers by Brook Lopez and Lillard, who scored nine of his 29 points in extra time and added eight assists.
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 27 points and 10 rebounds for Milwaukee, while Malik Beasley went 5 of 9 from 3-point range while finishing with 23 points and Bobby Portis contributed 22 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
Sacramento put forth quite a comeback of its own before being dealt a second straight loss, as the Kings overcame a 12-point deficit with under eight minutes left in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
Kevin Huerter led the Kings' comeback by scoring 11 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter. Sacramento also received a 21-point, 13-rebound, 15-assist triple-double from Domantas Sabonis while getting 32 and 28 points from De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, respectively.
Huerter buried a go-ahead 3-pointer and Monk followed with a jumper to give Sacramento a 141-137 lead with 33.9 seconds left in overtime. Monk missed two free throws on the Kings' next possession, however, and Lopez made them pay by sinking a corner 3 with 11.5 seconds remaining to cut the margin to one.
After Fox made 1 of 2 free throws to put the Kings up 142-140, Lillard dribbled past half-court and knocked home a 32-foot shot as time expired.
Milwaukee held a seemingly comfortable 113-101 lead with 7:53 left in the fourth quarter, but the Kings gradually closed the gap and forced overtime when Fox drove the lane and scored with one second remaining to create a 128-128 tie.
Edwards sparks rally as Timberwolves hold off Clippers
Anthony Edwards scored 33 points and led a second-half surge that propelled the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 109-105 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in a clash of Western Conference division leaders.
Edwards recorded 20 of his points in the third quarter and added nine rebounds and six assists to help the Northwest Division leaders to a second straight victory. The win put the Timberwolves a half-game ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder for first place in both the division and the West.
Minnesota outscored the Clippers by a 35-23 margin in the third quarter to take an 81-63 lead into the fourth, though Los Angeles cut an 11-point deficit down to three with an 8-0 run that trimmed the Timberwolves' advantage to 103-100 entering the final minute.
Rudy Gobert and Edwards combined to go 6 for 6 from the free-throw line in the closing stages, however, to keep the Clippers at bay.
Gobert ended with 15 points along with a game-high 18 rebounds.
Kawhi Leonard finished with 26 points and nine rebounds for Pacific-leading Los Angeles, which lost for just the second time in 10 games. Norman Powell had 24 points off the bench on 9-of-12 shooting, but Paul George struggled to a 5-of-19 shooting night while finishing with 16 points in the loss..
Jokic just misses triple-double, leads Nuggets past Pacers
Nikola Jokić finished just shy of another triple-double and was one of four Denver starters with at least 20 points as the Nuggets posted a 117-109 win over the Indiana Pacers.
Jokic compiled 25 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists to narrowly miss extending his league-leading triple-double total to 13.
Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. also had 25 points in the defending NBA champions' second straight victory, while Aaron Gordon recorded 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting along with 10 rebounds.
Denver went ahead to stay after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a 3-pointer that snapped a 71-71 tie midway through the third quarter. The Nuggets gradually extended the margin the rest of the way, and eventually went up comfortably when Jokic followed a Porter 3-pointer by tipping in Murray's missed shot with 3:16 remaining that increased their lead to 109-97.
Indiana, playing a third straight game without injured leading scorer Tyrese Haliburton, was led by former Nugget Bruce Brown's 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. The Pacers had won their first two games since Haliburton strained his hamstring on Jan. 8 and three straight overall.
Jack Draper has more confidence in his game and his body than his new Australian Open look.
The 22-year-old goes into his first-round clash with American Marcos Giron on Tuesday as the form British player having reached his second consecutive ATP Tour final at the Adelaide International last week.
Draper was hugely frustrated to miss out on silverware again, this time to Czech Jiri Lehecka, but his will be a name other players in the draw are hoping to avoid.
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There is no missing Draper’s new skin fade hair cut, though, for which he is expecting mixed reviews.
“I went to Adelaide with it, and I was saying to my coach, ‘Everyone’s going to be looking at me’,” said Draper.
“And then it turns out everyone in the city had the same haircut. I might get a few more fans here because of it. I like to be different and express myself. I think that’s part of tennis, expressing your game on the court.
“Some people might say it’s atrocious. But I’d say it’s bold, isn’t it? I saw a barber last week in Adelaide. And they did it and my coach was like, ‘It looks like they faded it much better, it looks good’.
“I said to him, ‘It’s not bold enough’. So I went to a Turkish barbers here and you know they’ll do the job all right.”
It is no surprise to see Draper making waves on the main tour. After an injury-disrupted 2023, he ended the year by reaching his first final in Sofia and he backed that up in Adelaide.
His run included an epic victory over Miomir Kecmanovic, who he lost to at the Davis Cup in November, in three hours and 39 minutes, as well as a much more straightforward one against 14th-ranked Tommy Paul.
He led Lehecka by a set in the final before the Czech fought back, but Draper, who reached the fourth round of the US Open last summer, headed to Melbourne in a buoyant mood.
“I had a great week,” he said. “I played a lot of tennis. My second-round match was a really long one and then to back up those performances again against top players was great.
“Obviously I came up short in the final, I was very frustrated about that. But it’s part of the journey. I’m doing a lot of great things on the court. I’m improving all the time, I think. I’ve just got to keep going. And it gives me a lot of confidence that I’m able to go deeper in these tournaments now.”
Most top players do not like playing a lot of matches the week before a grand slam but Draper is confident in the physical improvements he has made under new trainer Steve Kotze.
“I’m really pushing my boundaries,” he said. “And I think the main thing is that maybe in the years past I was a bit softer and I didn’t want to fully do the work. Whereas I’ve had enough experiences where there’s no hiding from it and I’ve really embraced what I’m trying to do.
“I’m as ready as I can be for this slam. I feel really good about my tennis and about my body and my mental side of things and where I’m at. So I’m really excited to get started here.”
Four-time Olympic champion Simone Biles said she was sexually abused by Team USA’s former gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, on this day in 2018.
Nassar was already serving 60 years in prison for having child sex abuse images on his computer and awaiting sentence after admitting assaulting female gymnasts.
Biles, who won team, all-around, vault and floor exercise gold medals at Rio 2016, said she was “one of the many survivors”.
“Most of you know me as a happy, giggly, and energetic girl,” the then 20-year-old wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.
“But lately… I’ve felt a bit broken and the more I try to shut off the voice in my head the louder it screams.
“I am not afraid to tell my story anymore. I too am one of the many survivors that was sexually abused by Larry Nassar.”
Three former US Olympians – Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney – had already accused Nassar of sexual abuse.
Nassar, who was aged 54 in January 2018, was involved with America’s world-beating gymnastics programme from the 1980s until July 2015, when the sport’s national governing body sacked him.
At the time of Biles’ statement, more than 130 women had filed civil lawsuits against him alleging abuse.
Nassar was later sentenced to between 40 and 175 years in prison for abusing athletes in his care after testimony from nearly 160 of his victims.
Biles, the most decorated American gymnast in history, went on to win bronze in the balance beam and silver in the team competition at Tokyo 2020 but withdrew from five of her six finals in Japan to focus on her mental health.
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