England's Matt Fitzpatrick and American Max Homa spoke about the unforgiving nature of The Country Club at Brookline, despite being two of 25 players to finish Thursday's opening round under par.
Fitzpatrick, who shot a two-under 68, is tied for seventh place, with a bogey-free front nine that featured birdies on the fifth, eighth and ninth holes, before three bogeys and two birdies on his second nine.
On a course billed as favourable to the long-drivers, Fitzpatrick did not finish inside the top-50 four driving distance on Thursday, but made up for it with terrific precision.
He was top-10 in driving accuracy, hitting 10-of-14 fairways, top-10 in strokes gained off the tee (1.26) and fifth in strokes gained around the green (2.59).
Speaking to the media after his round, he said enjoys the challenge the course presents, having also won the 2013 U.S. Amateur Championship there.
"I've got great memories of the place, and the whole time I've been out, I see shots that I hit and I see the places I was," he said. "I think because of that I'm a bit more at ease.
"I think the tight fairways… are a big deal. There is just a premium on driving accuracy. From there – I think you have to putt your way around here… you have to think about it.
"[Compared to the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot] I feel like there is a lot of drivers, but you are then going into the greens. You can't miss on the left side because the slope is so severe, and you have no shot.
"You might decide to play to a corner on 18 with a three-wood, or you just take it even further with driver. I just think it gives you plenty of options and things to think about around this place."
Homa, who finished one shot further back than Fitzpatrick at one under, said he enjoyed his day, but was blown away by the difficulty of the greens.
"It was good – the weather was really nice in the beginning of the day," he said. "The wind picked up, and it got a little more tricky than difficult.
"But the greens are just so – they're crazy, so it's just really hard to leave yourself good looks for birdie. I missed a bunch of putts today, but they just never felt very easy."
He added: "I have to get my speed better on the greens. They're very uncomfortable.
"I don't know how to make myself comfortable, but just maybe try to find a speed that I like seeing the ball go in at a little more, because right now my pace just feels a little bit inconsistent."
Set to start Friday's second round on the back-nine, Homa said he expects that to be the far tougher starting position due to the difficulty of holes 10 and 12 right out of the gate, but he acknowledged "it's the U.S. Open – it's always going to be hard."
Adam Hadwin ended Thursday as the outright leader following the opening round of the U.S. Open in Brookline, Massachusetts.
The Canadian shot a four-under-par round of 66, one ahead of five players tied for second, including Rory McIlroy, who had been four under himself before bogeying his final hole on the ninth.
Callum Tarren, David Lingmerth, Joel Dahmen and M.J. Daffue sit alongside McIlroy, with seven more players on two under, including Justin Rose and Dustin Johnson.
It was otherwise not a great day for some of the LIV Golf International Series participants, with Phil Mickelson carding an opening round of 78 (seven over), while Louis Oosthuizen managed just one shot better and Sergio Garcia finished on four over.
LIV Golf's new additions Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau ended even par and one over respectively.
World number one Scottie Scheffler recovered from a wobbly start to finish on even par, while PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas ended the day one under, as did the man he beat in a playoff for that trophy, Will Zalatoris.
Defending champion Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa and Adam Scott also shot one-under rounds of 69, while world number four Patrick Cantlay came away from Thursday two over.
Shot of the day
After ending up just off the green in the longer grass on the 12th, a precision chip from Matt Fitzpatrick still had a significant distance to travel, but slowly rolled its way straight into the hole to the delight of the Englishman and the Brookline crowd, sending him back to two-under straight after bogeying the 11th.
Player of the day - Adam Hadwin
Hadwin sat on one over after three holes, before birdieing five of the next six to catapult himself into the leading pack. The 34-year-old has never finished higher than T39th in this tournament, and also responded to a bogey at 12 with another immediate birdie at 13, and then ended with five tidy pars to head into day two as the outright leader.
Chipping in
Rory McIlroy: "I'm going into tomorrow with the mindset of 'let's keep it going', rather than 'where is the cut line' or whatever. If you don't get off to a great start, those thoughts start to creep in, 'okay, what do I need to just be here for the weekend?'"
Jon Rahm (asked about two children stealing his ball on the 18th hole): "Yes… I'm pretty sure I know who it was. I recognised the two kids that were running the opposite way with a smile on their face. (Laughing) I am 100 per cent sure I saw the two kids that stole it."
A little birdie told me...
- McIlroy's 67 was the 13th of his career at the U.S. Open, now level with Seve Ballesteros and Sergio Garcia for most by a European player at the tournament.
- Lingmerth, ranked 592nd in the world, has never finished worse than tied for 21st in three previous U.S. Open appearances, and the Swede started with a promising 67 here.
- The first round scoring average of the last 10 winners at the U.S. Open is 69.1, with 25 players hitting under that on Thursday.
Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid took the high road when responding to criticism from former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill, opting not to start a war of words through the media.
Mahomes did, however, say he did not expect to hear critical comments from Hill, who was traded to the Miami Dolphins earlier this offseason.
Hill said on the first episode of his 'It Needed To Be Said' podcast that the Chiefs and Mahomes may struggle without him and argued he should have received the ball more last season.
"I'm surprised a little just because I feel like we love Tyreek here," Mahomes said at the conclusion of the Chiefs' offseason program Thursday. "We've always loved him. We still love him.”
Reid's comments were brief but echoed a similar sentiment.
"I love Tyreek," Reid said. "He's a good kid. We think the world of him."
Hill made a career-high 111 catches in 2021 and carried the ball nine times, totalling 1335 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns.
He also said his new quarterback, Miami's Tua Tagovailoa, is a more accurate passer than Mahomes.
"It doesn't get to me at all," said Mahomes, a former league MVP, on being compared to Tagovailoa.
"As long as we're winning football games and we're putting up points, I think I'm doing my job the right way. It doesn't have to be the best accuracy and completion percentage in the world. So long as we're scoring touchdowns and winning Super Bowls, I'll take it."
Mahomes said he has not spoken to Hill since the release of the podcast but mentioned there was no tension between them when they attended a Formula One race together in Miami last month.
"It's something where I'm sure he's trying to show he loves where he's at in Miami - he loves his teammates," Mahomes said. "But at the end of the day, it's just going out there and playing football. You kind of let other people talk about who is the best and other type of stuff. You just want to go out there and win football games."
Hill has hinted on social media that his comments were made strategically in an attempt to boost the confidence of his teammates, chiefly Tagovailoa.
Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III said on Twitter, "Tyreek knows Tua isn't Mahomes. Two different styles of play and Mahomes has certified greatness. Tua is accurate but [Hill] is just tired of people going in on his QB and I respect his support."
Hill replied: "Finally someone gets the message."
Lamar Jackson has said he wants to be a Baltimore Raven for the rest of his career, but the 2019 NFL MVP was less definitive when asked if he will be present for the start of training camp in July.
As expected, Jackson's contract status was a main topic of conversation when he met with reporters following Thursday's final day of mandatory minicamp.
The dynamic quarterback is entering the final season of the five-year, $32.5million deal he signed as a rookie in 2018.
Jackson, who is representing himself in negotiations, said he and the Ravens have had discussions about an extension, but stopped short of saying for certain if he will attend training camp or play Week 1 without a new deal.
"We're having a conversation about it," he said. "I don’t know."
Jackson still remained optimistic he will remain a Raven past this season and beyond, though, adding when asked: "I expect so. Yes, I do."
Jackson did attend mandatory minicamp after skipping Baltimore's voluntary offseason training activities last month, though said his absence was not contract-related.
"I just wanted to stay away and just grind. I just wanted to come back and just see how it felt. [And] I feel good," he added.
Extension talks between Jackson and the Ravens have moved slowly, with general manager Eric DeCosta saying in March negotiations had gone on "at Lamar's urgency."
With a league MVP to his credit and being the only quarterback in NFL history with two 1,000-yard rushing seasons, the 25-year-old is in position for a big second contract – perhaps one that could exceed the record $230m in guaranteed money the Cleveland Browns gave quarterback Deshaun Watson on a five-year deal agreed to in March.
Jackson insisted the Watson contract would have no bearing on his situation, saying: "I'm a man of my own. I don't worry about what those guys get."
Jackson also responded to comments made by Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti earlier this offseason, which suggested the star signal-caller may not think he was worthy of such a lucrative long-term contract until he wins a Super Bowl.
"I still want my Super Bowl, though, but I think I'm worthy," Jackson stated. "Yes, sir, I do."
World number one Daniil Medvedev is through to the quarter-finals of the Halle Open after beating Ilya Ivashka in a routine straight-sets win. Medvedev only played and defeated the Belarusian six days ago at the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, and triumphed again as he came through in Germany 7-6 (7-4) 6-3. After saving three set points to stay in the opening set, Medvedev sealed it on a tie-break, before easing through in the second. "He is a great player," Medvedev said of Ivashka after the win. "He had a lot of bad luck with injuries at the beginning of the season. At the end of last season he was playing really great tennis. "I've known him since I was very young, we actually played in Futures, Challengers, and on the ATP Tour. He beat me once in the Davis Cup, which is a really important tournament. So he knows how to play tennis, he knows how to play well on grass, so I'm really happy that two times in a row I managed to pass a tough test." He will now play seventh seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the last eight after the Spaniard beat Tallon Griekspoor 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 6-2. Eighth seed Karen Khachanov is also through after defeating Serbian Laslo Djere 7-6 (7-4) 6-4, and will face Oscar Otte after the German overcame Nikoloz Basilashvili 4-6 6-0 7-6 (7-3).
At the Queen's Club Championships, second seed Matteo Berrettini came from a set down to finally see off Denis Kudla, winning 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.
Defending champion Berrettini was troubled by the world number 82, and was just a tie-break away from suffering an upset, but the Italian came through as he belted down 22 aces in the match.
Berrettini faces Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals after the American beat Stanislas Wawrinka in straight sets, 6-4 6-1.
Ryan Peniston carried on from knocking out number one seed Casper Ruud by beating Francisco Cerundolo 6-0 4-6 6-4, setting up a last eight clash with Filip Krajinovic after he came from behind to defeat Sam Querrey 4-6 6-3 6-4.
Rory McIlroy said he is in a "good spot" mentally after making a strong start to his quest for U.S. Open glory.
The four-time major winner headed to Brookline on the back of a superb victory at the Canadian Open last weekend and opened up with a three-under-par 67, a score that was enough for the co-lead when he finished his round.
McIlroy made a bogey on his final hole to put a slight dampener on things, but the Northern Irishman feels in good spirits as he bids to end an eight-year wait for a major trophy.
"I think [winning the Canadian Open gave me] comfort, more than anything else," said McIlroy, whose triumph in Canada was his 21st on the PGA Tour.
"Knowing my game is in good shape, knowing that when I had to answer the call, make some birdies or do something, I was able to.
"I feel like playing 72 holes in a U.S. Open is playing under pressure the entire time, even though the tournament doesn't really start until the weekend.
"But yeah, [it gave me] comfort with my game, mentally I think I'm in a good spot, and I showed that out there today, just trying to keep myself going.
"Overall, my wedge play was pretty good, I gave myself plenty of chances. Really nice at 17. It was a little skip up the hill, I could see it pitch into the hill and zip back down the green. I hit the putt at seven a little firm, but it was nice after a couple of par saves to see another birdie go in."
Also among the early finishers was defending champion Jon Rahm, who sank a 21-yard putt for birdie on the 18th, ensuring he finished his first round with a one-under 69.
Having endured a frustrating back nine, Rahm spoke of his relief at seeing one drop.
"I played a really good first eight holes besides the bogey on three," he said. "I played really, really solid, and then the wind picked up and it was a bit of a struggle, so to finish with that birdie makes me really confident and it's a really good way to start.
"I didn't see anything go in all day, and to see that one curl in after a wayward tee shot, I got a little lucky, got a great drop and I was able to make that birdie, it's a good feeling to finish like that.
"It got a little difficult out there, I hit a lot of bad iron shots [on] the last 10 holes, so to make that putt felt really good."
Competitive boxing will return to the local sporting landscape with an event dubbed 'Fight Night on Olympic Way' scheduled for this Saturday at 7:00 pm when the Sugar Knockout Boxing Gym will come alive at the Cling Cling Oval in Olympic Gardens.
The well-stocked fight card includes amateurs, females, and a professional match-up.
The Sugar Knockout Gym was also launched at its newest location - the Cling Cling football Oval, home of former Reggae Boy, Ian Pepe Goodison, who is president of the football club and supported the boxing gym taking up residency on the top floor of the clubhouse.
former boxer Lindel Wallace started the gym in 2008 as a way to give back to the young people in his community.
"I was a boxer. I trained at Tinson Pen first then Archmore, then I left from Archmore to go to Liberty Hall on King Street, then I left from Liberty Hall when Liberty Hall was destroyed and went to Race Course at Guinness Gym. Boxing is my life and what I love," Wallace said.
“Well, I boxed for a couple of years before turning professional. I love boxing so much that when I was done with it, I said I have to really turn into a coach. The first guys that I trained were (Khamal) Russell, (Dwayne) Rose, and Chad Richards. Russell came out as a champion. Chad Richards came out as a champion," he added.
Regarding the gym's current location, Wallace said, "I feel good about it because for a long time I was asking for a place to call home and now I have it. I need to improve more with my fighters." He also said that Digicel, UK-based Jamaican Shania Gordon, and the Jamaica Boxing Association provided financial support to upgrade the gym and equipment to stock it.
Vice President of the gym Felipe Sanchez spoke about the impact he wants the gym to have on the community.
"I have been involved in boxing in Jamaica for over four years. In total, boxing has been a part of my life for over fifteen years, and coming here to the boxing gym in Suga's Knockout Gym, it’s been wonderful to see the sense of community that has been built,” Sanchez said.
“The youth has built a sense of pride. We don't just teach them boxing; we teach them responsibility, so for me to see them grow as persons it brings me a lot of pride. For example, we have a club captain weekly who has to make sure that the gym is clean, the lights are turned off, the water is not running, and that the gloves are all accounted for, so this will help them at the end of the day because if boxing doesn't go well, you have to fall back on something else and the perfect transferable skills that you get from boxing can help you. We want to make champions in the ring and also in life," he added.
President of the Jamaica Boxing Association Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones also shared his thoughts on the developments.
"I am very, very pleased. Very excited. We are encouraged by what I saw today, by what we knew would be coming, and by what we know to be coming Saturday,” he said.
“The return of the sport has been long overdue but everything in its time. What I like most is that the card represents all levels, from the grassroots level to our elite national representative to a pro fight on the same night so the community will see boxing at a very high level. Most importantly is the return to the sport so this is not a one-off," Jones added.
He said that the fight card includes eight amateur bouts inclusive of one female matchup, and one pro bout between Jamaica's Headley 'Lights Out' Scott and Mexico's Israel Rojas. Two of the boxers, one male and one female will come in from the recently launched Top Level Gym in Montego Bay.
Two of the boxers, on the Card, Jerone Ennis, and Daniel Hylton, will represent Jamaica in the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
"Going to the Commonwealth Games, this fight is very important to me,” said Ennis.
“This fight will basically be a prep fight. Not expecting any competition but I have been training hard. Just come and expect a lot of fireworks from Jerone Ennis," he added.
The Mayor of Kingston, His Worship Delroy Williams, Major Jenekie Rowe - boxing officer at the Jamaica Defence Force, and Christopher Samuda - President of the Jamaica Olympic Association attended the launch and endorsed the event.
"It all started with Lindel. He has blazed a trail and he has created champions and achievers out of our young people,” Samuda said.
“We believe that young people must have options. Not everybody is an athlete, not everybody is a footballer or cricketer so we must give our young people options and boxing is a sport that provides a lot of opportunities," he added.
The Amateur matchups are:
Howard Levy (80 lbs, 10 yrs) vs Alex Grant (90 lbs, 13 yrs)
Tyreek Jackson (112 lbs, 16 yrs) vs Akeem Mignot (120 lbs, 24 yrs)
Damara Bowen (120 lbs, 18 yrs) vs Sharikee Moore (124 lbs, 20 yrs)
Juezier Heron (140 lbs, 23 yrs) vs Daniel Hylton (145 lbs, 22 yrs)
Shaine Blake (156 lbs, 28 yrs) vs Mickel Bernard (155 lbs, 33 yrs)
Renaldo Beckford (175 lbs, 24 yrs) vs Jerone Ennis (175 lbs, 27 yrs)
Kirk Patrick Heron (170 lbs, 26 yrs) vs Tomere Pearson (168 lbs, 25 yrs)
Jordan Blackwood (215 lbs, 16 yrs) vs Alex Walch (210 lbs, 31 yrs)
Ons Jabeur held off qualifier Alycia Parks to reach the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open, saving set point before winning a competitive second-set tie-break to set up a last-eight clash with Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
Jabeur took one hour and 31 minutes to overcome her stubborn opponent in the German capital, with the world number four triumphing 6-2 7-6 (10-8) to reach her eighth quarter-final of 2022 – each of which have been at WTA 500 level or higher.
The Tunisian will face Sasnovich for a semi-final spot next time out, with the Belarusian having won 26 matches so far this year (including qualifying draws). Only Iga Swiatek (42) and Beatriz Haddad Maia (29) have more victories so far this season on the WTA Tour.
The other seeds in action in Berlin on Thursday also progressed, with Coco Gauff overcoming Wang Xinyu 6-0 6-4 to tee up a clash with Karolina Pliskova, and Belinda Bencic downing Anna Kalinskaya 6-4 1-6 6-1.
Defending champion Ludmilla Samsonova, however, suffered a 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 defeat to Veronika Kudermetova.
Meanwhile, the Birmingham Classic's top seed Jelena Ostapenko fell to a surprise 3-6 7-5 7-5 last-16 reverse against Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska, who reached her first ever grass-court quarter-final on the WTA tour.
The world number 79 will face Zhang Shuai for a spot in the final four after she fought her way to a 6-2 2-6 7-5 win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
Third seed Camila Giorgi will join them in the last eight after recovering from losing her first set against American Lauren Davis to secure a 3-6 7-5 6-2 win.
Minkah Fitzpatrick says he feels "no pressure" of becoming the highest-paid safety in NFL history.
The Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday announced that the 25-year-old has agreed to a four-year contract worth in excess of $73.6million, with $36m guaranteed.
Fitzpatrick is confident he is worth his huge salary and will repay the Steelers with his performances.
He said: "I think I'm one of the best at what I do. So obviously, you would like to be paid in that way and represented in that way.
"In a week from now or a year from now, somebody's obviously gonna pass it up, but you always want to raise the bar for the guys behind you, want to raise the bar for the people in our locker room.
"I think Mr. Rooney and [general manager] Omar [Khan], they see the work that I put in, and obviously my play on the field reflects that. They're willing to make me that, and I'm appreciative."
He added: "Because I've done it, there's no pressure. That's the standard that I hold myself to day in and day out."
Fitzpatrick felt it was important to get his future resolved before training camp starts next month.
He said: "It was important. I wanted to be out there with my team-mates, practicing and competing.
"The thing I appreciate the most about this organisation is its commitment to winning. The season I came here, they lost their Hall of Fame QB. They could've tanked. But they went out, got me, and added some other guys. It was a season about winning."
A first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2018, Fitzpatrick was traded to the Steelers a year later, having expressed dissatisfaction with his role on the Dolphins' defense.
He was named a first-team All-Pro in 2019 and again two years ago and has 11 interceptions since the start of the 2019 campaign.
Only three safeties, Justin Simmons (14), Quandre Diggs (13) and Tyrann Mathieu (13) have registered more interceptions in that time.
He has also racked up 27 pass breakups, tied for seventh-most in the NFL, during that period.
Rafael Nadal was stepping up preparation for Wimbledon by training on Mallorca's best grass courts on Thursday, an apparently positive sign that he intends to play in London.
The Australian Open and French Open champion said after his Roland Garros triumph at the start of June that he would only appear at Wimbledon if he could compete without needing anaesthetic injections in a troublesome foot.
The 36-year-old said he was given a couple of injections before every match and announced he would undergo radio frequency injections in a bid to feature at the third grand slam of the year.
Nadal is halfway towards a potential sweep of the four majors, defying the foot trouble by producing results that few saw coming. Rod Laver in 1969 was the last man to win all four singles majors in a calendar year.
Spaniard Nadal was pictured by organisers of the Mallorca Championships on Thursday, during a practice session on one of the tournament's plush courts.
Nadal, who hails from the island, is reluctant to undergo major surgery to prolong his career.
Wimbledon starts on June 27, and it is a tournament that Nadal has won twice, in 2008 and 2010.
He leads the all-time list of men's grand slam singles title winners, with 22 to his name now, two more than Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have managed.
That is still one fewer than Serena Williams has managed during her stellar career, and the 40-year-old American rolled in to London on Thursday for another tilt at Wimbledon.
Due to injury, Williams has not competed on the WTA Tour since last year's championships at the All England Club.
She has received a wildcard into Wimbledon, where she has been a champion seven times, most recently in 2016.
Williams posted a video on Instagram of her arriving in London with daughter Olympia.
She intends to compete in doubles at Eastbourne, partnering Ons Jabeur, in the week leading up to Wimbledon.
Serena Williams' return to Wimbledon represents a "great example" to other players, according to Nick Kyrgios, who said tennis fans should not take her or other fellow greats Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, for granted.
Comparing the quartet to four-time NBA MVP LeBron James, Kyrgios says sports fans should enjoy the legends' "amazing" exploits while they still can.
It was confirmed on Tuesday that Williams – who has not played competitively since losing to Aliaksandra Sasnovich at Wimbledon last year – has been handed a singles wildcard to compete at the year's tournament, which begins later this month.
Williams, now aged 40 and ranked 1,208th in the world, has won seven singles titles at Wimbledon, the last of which came in 2016, and 23 grand slams in total.
Mercedes pushed Lewis Hamilton too far during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the team's head of strategy James Vowles has admitted.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton finished fourth in Baku, with team-mate George Russell claiming third, but called the race the "most painful" of his career after suffering severe back pain throughout.
Hamilton's discomfort, which saw him struggle to exit his car after finishing, was caused by the team's W13 car porpoising – bouncing unevenly – and led team principal Toto Wolff to initially suggest the 37-year-old could miss the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix.
While Hamilton has since quelled those fears by saying he "wouldn't miss it for the world", Vowles said the team had pushed him too far in the last race and could not afford to do so again.
"[Lewis] is an elite athlete that will push the bounds of endurance of himself and the car", he told Mercedes' YouTube channel. "That's what Formula One drivers do, that's what makes them exceptional.
"On this occasion, though, we pushed the package and our drivers too far, we are putting them into significant discomfort and we simply can't do that again.
"Our drivers are not the only ones suffering, you will see in the media a number of comments from a number of drivers who are equally in discomfort and pain. And we have a responsibility now to make sure that this doesn't carry on."
Having won each of the last eight F1 constructors' championships, Mercedes sit third in the current standings, trailing leaders Red Bull by 118 points eight races into the 2022 campaign.
While Vowles acknowledged Red Bull and Ferrari remain the "benchmark", he believes Mercedes could narrow the gap to the leaders in Montreal.
"We didn't expect perhaps to drop back as much as we did in Baku, but that provided a platform to learn from," he added.
"Montreal isn't going to be substantially different to the last two races, I think we will still have a package that isn't at the front on merit. Red Bull and Ferrari will still be the benchmark that we have to compare ourselves to.
"I think though that the large gap that you saw in qualifying in Baku perhaps won't be that big in Montreal – it will be back down from where it was and as we go through all the races from then onwards, I am fairly sure we will find small steps and developments that push us back towards the front."
Toto Wolff has dismissed a suggestion Lewis Hamilton is in decline and says the seven-time Formula One champion has proved he is a "genius" this season.
Hamilton dramatically missed out on a record eighth F1 title last year when he was dethroned by Max Verstappen in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
The Briton is languishing in sixth place in the driver standings eight races into the 2022 season, with his team-mate George Russell fourth.
Mercedes sit third in the constructor standings, 108 points adrift of leaders Red Bull, and Hamilton suffered back pain due to his rattling car during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last weekend.
Wolff, Mercedes' team principal, does not believe Hamilton's high standards have slipped this year.
"No, I don't think it’s like that, he is the best that has ever been," he said when asked if Hamilton is in decline.
"Between Abu Dhabi in 2021, dominating the last third of the season, to four months later, you are not losing your ability."
He added: "How they appear to me, both of them [Russell and Hamilton], it’s very professional.
"They have been given a car that is a bit sub-par, each of them tries to develop the car further, they have both gone [in] a different set-up direction, Lewis [during qualifying in Azerbaijan] again very experimental, but can be available in the long term.
"I think as long as the car is not good enough to really be racing at the front, the differences are small and I don't think you can have a pattern saying 'George is continuously outperforming Lewis' or the other way around."
Wolff pinpointed Hamilton's recovery from making contact with Kevin Magnussen on the first lap of the Spanish Grand Prix to finish fifth as an example of Hamilton's brilliance.
"He went as far as to say that in Barcelona, where Hamilton recovered from early contact with Kevin Magnussen to finish P5, the genius," he said.
"We have seen Lewis in Barcelona, he was the genius that we know, so I think what I enjoy is them working together and trying to bring the car back to the front."
Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar reflected on a thrilling Game 1 win of the Stanley Cup Final in front of his home fans, but said he is wary of the adjustments coming from the reigning back-to-back champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In a see-sawing contest, the Avalanche jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first period, before two Lightning goals in under a minute levelled it at 3-3 halfway through the second period.
The third frame was a hard-fought, scoreless battle, setting up a next-goal-wins finish less than 90 seconds into overtime by Andre Burakovsky.
Makar, who has 22 points in 15 playoff games as a defenseman and spent a game-high 28 minutes on the ice in Wednesday's series opener, told ESPN that the atmosphere in the building was like nothing he had experienced.
"It's incredible," he said. "Obviously the fans tonight were insane – I didn't think they could up the level from the past few rounds, but they were able to do that.
"It was definitely electric in that building, and it's incredible playing with a great group of guys in the Final like this."
While he was thrilled with the result, his attention quickly turned to the championship pedigree of the Lightning, and why the Avalanche need to be near-perfect to deny them a three-peat.
"Obviously great teams like them are going to find ways to exploit us defensively," he said.
"You look at their one goal where [Nikita] Kucherov goes around [Devon] Toews, and feeds [Ondrej] Palat backdoor.
"I mean I knew he was going backdoor the whole time, I just wasn't there, so overall it's about staying more mentally prepared and giving them a few less chances than they had."
He added: "They're a great team, they're going to come out with a different game plan, which I'm sure will be beneficial for them.
"We just have to be prepared for that, and obviously we're going to come up with a game plan with what they came at us with tonight. You have to adjust, and that's just the way the playoffs go.
"In order to beat great teams you have to do it, and [Tampa Bay have] been successful in that in years prior, so hopefully we can limit those improvements they make game-to-game."
The Avalanche are now 13-2 this postseason – winners of six games in a row – and have comfortably been the most potent offensive side in their run to the Final.
Averaging 4.6 goals per game, Colorado are well clear of the Pittsburgh Penguins (4.14) and the Edmonton Oilers (4.06), with another big gap to the fourth-placed Toronto Maple Leafs (3.43). The Lightning are eighth this postseason at 3.06.
Tampa Bay have instead been getting it done defensively, conceding just 2.5 goals per game, trailing only the Dallas Stars (2.14) who were eliminated in the first round. Crucially, the Avalanche have also excelled in their defensive end, conceding 2.87 per game.
When asked if the red-hot Avalanche have started to think about lifting the Stanley Cup, Makar said it is far too early for that.
"Not yet – I feel like, overall, this team has been so great at staying in the moment, especially success-wise, not looking too far ahead," he said.
"I feel if we start looking too far ahead then this is a team that's going to exploit those little mental lapses, like they did tonight.
"For us it's just staying mentally locked in on each game, and not focusing on the future, just focusing on what we can control in the present."
Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka trusts in Jayson Tatum to stay aggressive while facilitating the team, heading into Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
The Warriors have largely been able to restrict Tatum's scoring output on the way to taking a 3-2 series lead, with the Celtics now needing a win on home court on Thursday to save their season.
Tatum has averaged 23.2 points per game on 37.3 per cent shooting from the floor in this series, compared to the 27.8 points on 44.1 per cent in the preceding three series, despite an improvement to 47.5 per cent from beyond the arc against the Warriors.
More pertinently, however, his ability to feed teammates has diminished after setting a new career-high with 13 assists in Game 1.
Speaking to the media ahead of Game 6, Udoka believes the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and three-time All-Star can find the necessary balance to keep the series alive.
"From a scoring standpoint at times this whole series, not only in the fourth quarter, he's missed some things that he usually makes," Udoka said. "But we do want him to be aggressive and find that balance, as he's done all year.
"With Golden State specifically, they are trying to take him out of actions at certain times in the game, but it's on him to read that in positions where, understanding he's going to be doubled and be the bait at times and get everybody else involved.
"We have to make them pay as far as that. So, I wouldn't say his fourth is not as good or as bad as some of the other quarters. We want him to be aggressive and make the right read, which he's done all year."
On the other end, Boston's defensive approach on Stephen Curry changed in Game 5, but it freed up space for Klay Thompson.
The Celtics were much more aggressive guarding Curry coming out of the pick-and-roll in Game 5, but averaging 17.3 points on 35.8 per cent shooting in the opening four games, Thompson scored 21 points on an even 50 per cent. Thompson also shot five-of-11 from three, making up for Curry and Andrew Wiggins combining to shoot zero-of-15 from distance.
For Udoka, that is also a matter of balance.
"We don't feel we're as good as we had been in the first few games in other areas," he said. "Obviously, Curry got a ton of the credit for the shots he was making early, but our physicality and some of our adjustments we made on him were better.
"But we don't want to lose sight of everything else we've done well which is off-ball actions, whether he slips to the basket or Thompson, you saw our first two or three possessions, we had slips for layups to the basket.
"It was something we had taken care of well throughout the series as well as getting to Thompson. I think we lost the rope a little bit there."
Andre Burakovsky called it a dream come true to score the overtime match-winner in the Colorado Avalanche's 4-3 home victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
It was a terrific start for the Avalanche, going up 2-0 in the first 10 minutes through goals to Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin.
Nicholas Paul pegged one back for the Lightning, but Artturi Lehkonen struck on the power play to close the first period, giving Colorado a 3-1 lead heading into the first break.
After a relatively even start to the second, the Lightning turned the game on its head with two goals in under a minute, courtesy of Ondrej Palat and Mikhail Sergachev.
It set up a tense third period, with neither team able to find a winner before the end of regulation, but Burakovsky was not willing to stick around all night, netting the golden-goal winner just 83 seconds into overtime to send the home fans into raptures.
Speaking to ESPN immediately after the win, Burakovsky said it was a special moment, and even more so to do it in front of the screaming Colorado faithful.
"It feels amazing," he said. "I think we really battled through this whole game.
"We had a bit of a mental breakdown in the second period, but I think we bounced back in the third – an awesome job by the boys.
"I don't think we were hard enough at pucks, we were not winning races in the second period, giving them too much room. In the third, we bounced back and really fought through it, doing all the right things.
"[Before overtime] we just said keep going like we played in the third, send pucks to the net and take the rebounds. We feel confident about our game, and I think that's exactly what we did.
"These fans are amazing – they've been amazing the entire year for us – this is great, this is a dream since I was a kid."
While Avalanche coach Jared Bednar was happy with the win, he stressed he expects a strong response from the Lightning.
"We're playing a really good team, and they’re not going to roll over and lay back," he said. "They're going to have to push back."
Lightning coach Jon Cooper – who led them to back-to-back Stanley Cups from the past two seasons – said he knows what it takes to get the job done, and his side did not bring it in Game 1.
"There’s some positive signs for us in this game – but the right team won the game, so give them credit for pulling it out," he said.
"I don't think by a country mile we gave them our best game. To beat a team like that, we need to have better in us."
In a battle between two of the best teams and best pitchers in the majors, Nestor Cortes' New York Yankees prevailed 4-3 at home against Shane McClanahan's Tampa Bay Rays.
McClanahan is the current favourite to win the AL Cy Young Award while Cortes is close behind, and they both put on spectacular performances in Wednesday's top fixture.
It was a rocky start for McClanahan, who was punished in the very first inning by American League MVP favourite Aaron Judge, connecting on his league-leading 25th home run of the season to make it 1-0. Nobody else has hit more than 18 home runs.
That was the only earned run McClanahan would give up, although a fielding error in the fifth inning and an intentional walk set up a three-run Kyle Higashioka blast to give the Yankees a 4-0 lead.
McClanahan finished with seven strikeouts in six complete innings, allowing three hits and two walks.
Cortes held the Rays scoreless through five innings, eventually getting pulled in the sixth after the visitors finally got their first run on the board via a Manuel Margot RBI double.
Choi Ji-man's RBI base hit in the eighth inning cut the margin to 4-2, and Rene Pinto followed suit as the very next batter to make it 4-3. Clay Holmes was able to hold his nerve in the ninth frame to secure the save and the win for the Yankees.
After their performances, McClanahan (1.84 ERA) and Cortes (1.94 ERA) are two of only seven starting pitchers this season to allow fewer than two runs per nine innings.
The win moves the Yankees' league-leading record to 46-16 – six games clear of the New York Mets in second (41-23).
Astros' immaculate showing
The Houston Astros pitched two immaculate innings in their 9-2 road win against the Texas Rangers to retain the fourth-best record in the majors at 39-24.
After the Astros piled on six runs in the opening frame, including two-run doubles from both Yordan Alvarez and Martin Maldonado, Houston starter Luis Garcia took control.
In the second inning, Garcia struck out all three batters, throwing just nine pitches, with all being strikes, for a rare immaculate inning.
Incredibly, the feat was repeated in the seventh frame by Astros reliever Phil Maton, who also collected his three strikeouts in nine pitches. It is the first time in MLB history that a team has thrown two immaculate innings in the same game.
Phillies win in last-gasp walk-off
Philadelphia Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs was the hero in his side's 3-1 home victory against the Miami Marlins.
Kyle Gibson was terrific on the mound for the Phillies, giving up one run from seven hits and no walks, pitching eight full innings and striking out six – but his team trailed 1-0 going into the ninth frame.
After a lead-off strikeout, Alec Bohm singled, and J.T. Realmuto walked, but another strikeout meant Stubbs was the last chance to make something happen – and he duly responded.
From the fifth pitch of his at-bat, with two strikes, Stubbs connected on a hanging slider and sent it over the fence for a game-winning three-run homer. It is the Phillies' 11th win from their past 13 games.
The Dallas Mavericks entered this offseason with a need at center, and potentially filled that void by acquiring Christian Wood from the Houston Rockets in exchange for four players and a draft pick.
Wood, 26, was the Rockets’ leading scorer and rebounder this past season with 17.9 points and 10.1 boards per game. He was one of just nine players to average at least 17 points and 10 rebounds, joining the likes of Philadelphia's Joel Embiid, Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic of Denver.
Heading to Houston in the deal are Boban Marjanovic, Trey Burke, Sterling Brown and Marquese Chriss – all of which figure to fill reserve roles, at best – as well as the 26th pick in this year’s draft. Acquiring those players provides Houston with roster flexibility by trading one big contract for numerous smaller contracts, and gives them three first-round picks this year, adding to their selections at number three and 17.
Adding Wood gives Luka Doncic the frontcourt running-mate he has desired since the departure of Kristaps Porzingis, and he projects as the most dynamic pick-and-roll partner the Slovenian superstar has ever played with, playing in a system heavily focused on pick-and-roll offense.
Wood will be joining his seventh NBA team in his seventh season, but after failing to stick with the 76ers, Hornets, Bucks and Pelicans, he really started to shine in 2019-20 with the Detroit Pistons, leading to a sign-and-trade to the Rockets and a three-year, $41million payday.
In his first season with Houston, he scored a career-best 21 points per game to go with 9.6 rebounds. Wood has also become a capable outside shooter, connecting on 131 3-pointers this season to match his total from the previous two seasons combined.
The Mavericks were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, marking their deepest playoff run of the Doncic era.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr highlighted Klay Thompson's gradual improvement in these NBA Finals as critical for his side, heading into a possible close-out game against the Boston Celtics on Thursday.
Thompson has come up with big plays on both ends of the court, particularly on the defensive end down the stretch without Draymond Green, as the Warriors evened up the series on the road in Game 4.
Along with his ability to defensively hassle multiple players in this series, Boston's altered coverage on Stephen Curry allowed Thompson space to hit important shots in Game 5, scoring 21 points on 50 per cent shooting as the Warriors took a 3-2 series lead. On a night where Curry and Andrew Wiggins shot a combined zero-of-15 from long-range, Thompson was crucial, hitting five-of-11 three-pointers.
Speaking to media ahead of Game 6, Kerr believes Thompson has been able to grow into the series on both ends of the floor.
"The last couple of games he's looked great defensively," Kerr said. "I think there's been times earlier in the playoffs where he's looked really good as well, but I do think he's improved as this series has gone on.
"I thought those two shots and then Jordan's [Poole] two threes at the end of the third quarter [of Game 5] were the biggest shots of the game. They had seized momentum and Klay's two at the top of the key were just massive."
In each of the three previous series in the playoffs this season however, the Dubs have failed to close out on the first opportunity, dropping games on the road in Memphis and Dallas, as well as at home to the Denver Nuggets.
Irrespective of Game 5 being the first time the Celtics have dropped consecutive games in these playoffs, the 56-year-old insisted that it is simply difficult to win in those situations, and his side will have to be at their best to claim the NBA title on the road.
"I just think, it's the NBA," Kerr said. "You've got talented teams, you've got talented players you're going against. You're in somebody else's building and it's just not easy to close anybody out in the playoffs.
"There's not a common thread, we're just going to have to play really well to win to close out."
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