Nick Kyrgios insists he is serious about being ready to quit tennis the minute he wins a singles grand slam title.

The Australian went close last year to ending his long wait, only to lose in four sets against Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.

Now aged 27, Kyrgios wants to achieve glory at a major to satisfy that urge, before stepping off the court for good. If it comes at the Australian Open over the coming fortnight, it will be all the better for him.

Asked whether he stood by his previous comments, Kyrgios said: "A hundred per cent. It's a lot of training, a lot of work, and I just want to be able to eat whatever I want, drink what I want to drink and just relax.

"It's a hard lifestyle, the dedication these guys show day in day out. I did a bit of that last year, had a great year to show the world I'm still one of the best.

"I'm going to try to do it this year, and hopefully I can do it, but it'll be hard."

Kyrgios is ranked 21st by the ATP, but that can be considered a false position, given he collected no points for his career-best Wimbledon run. The tours stripped the London slam of ranking points due to its banning of players from Russia and Belarus.

The 1,200 points Kyrgios would ordinarily have taken away from the All England Club would have nudged him towards a top-10 placing.

There is the tantalising prospect of Kyrgios facing nine-time Melbourne Park champion Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarter-finals this year, and they went through a light-hearted dress rehearsal on Rod Laver Arena on Friday.

Speaking after that exhibition match, Djokovic said Kyrgios' two wins from their previous three tour-level encounters meant the sky was the limit for the man from Canberra.

"He is 2-1 against me, so as far as I'm concerned he can win anything," said Djokovic.

According to Djokovic, Kyrgios had been unaware of the potential for a meeting between the pair in the Australian Open last eight.

Serbian Djokovic has done his homework though, and appears to have mapped out his potential route to what would be a record-equalling 22nd men's singles grand slam title.

"I have to be honest, I think most of the guys are studying the draw pretty seriously, but you have to take it one match at a time," Djokovic said, speaking on Channel Nine.

"We think every player has so much motivation and inspiration to be able to play his best in the court, to perform well, so you cannot underestimate anybody, you cannot take any match for granted.

"It's a hopefully long two weeks. I know Nick and I are in the same part of the draw – he didn't know that by the way. Before the match I told him."

Novak Djokovic returned to action in front of a packed Rod Laver Arena crowd for the first time in two years, and declared: "It's great to be back."

The nine-time Australian Open champion was denied a role in last year's tournament when his vaccination status, having refused a COVID-19 jab, led to him being detained in a Melbourne immigration centre and later deported.

He was briefly released in January 2022 to practise at Melbourne Park before the tournament began, only to be effectively thrown out of the country days later.

With Australia's border controls having since been relaxed, and vaccination status no longer a condition of entry, Djokovic has had the red carpet rolled out this year, befitting his status as the most successful male singles player in the Australian Open's history.

He faced Nick Kyrgios in an exhibition match on Friday evening in Melbourne, with the stadium court sold out and the match screened on national television.

Kyrgios won 4-3 2-4 10-9, in what was a largely light-hearted encounter, a jumped-up practice session. It inevitably lacked the intensity of their last meeting, when Djokovic prevailed in four sets in the 2022 Wimbledon final.

A fierce backhand from Kyrgios in the match tie-break briefly caught out Djokovic, who was wrong-footed and volleyed out of court before slumping to the floor as though shot.

There was more than a little dramatic licence about his fall, and about the match in general, typified by the pair being joined on court by wheelchair players and a pair of leading juniors for the decisive tie-break.

The result did not matter, though it will if these two meet in the quarter-finals of the year's opening grand slam, as they might after the draw was revealed on Thursday.

Djokovic, who did not appear hampered by a recent hamstring niggle, told the crowd: "It just feels great to be back in Australia, back in Melbourne.

"This is the court and the stadium where I created the best memories of my tennis career. Back in 2008 it was the first time I won a grand slam here, and 15 years later I'm here again, and I'm competing at a high level, so I must be grateful for this opportunity to be here.

"Thank you guys for welcoming me in a good way tonight, I appreciate it."

It was a night for jollity and camaraderie, but should both reach that quarter-final date, Djokovic said: "I don't think we'll be this friendly to each other."

Kyrgios, who defended Djokovic during last year's January crisis, said of the 35-year-old Serbian: "It's so important to have him around.

"One of the greatest already left us last year, Roger [Federer], and I don't think we actually knew how special the guys are to our sport, so every time Novak's around at these events I want to beat him, even though I can't at a grand slam."

The Australian Open begins on Monday, when Djokovic facing Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena first. Djokovic is chasing a 22nd grand slam title, which would equal the men's singles record held by Rafael Nadal.

Kyrgios, yet to win a singles slam, starts against Russian Roman Safiullin.

Iga Swiatek has no interest in what people expect from her and the world number one will not be "living in the past" as she targets more success this season.

Swiatek was in a class of her own last year, winning a staggering eight titles to firmly establish herself as the best player in the world.

A second French Open title and a maiden US Open triumph were the highlights for the 21-year-old in a stellar 2022.

The Pole will start her quest to win the Australian Open with a first-round match against Germany's Jule Niemeier at Rod Laver Arena on Monday.

Swiatek is the favourite to be crowned champion at Melbourne Park, but will not be putting too much pressure on herself.

"When I don't care about what people think and what their expectations of me are, it's easier for me to succeed," Swiatek told BBC Sport.

"That was what I tried my best to do in 2022.

"Although I'm proud of them, I'm not going to try to match my previous achievements because it would not be constructive.

"A season like that is something amazing and rare. Sure, I would love to do it again, but it's not advantageous to live in the past."

Swiatek was beaten by Danielle Collins at the semi-final stage of the Australian Open 12 months ago.

Belinda Bencic will play Daria Kasatkina in the final of the Adelaide International 2, though neither of them had to play a semi-final.

Bencic was due to go up against Veronika Kudermetova in the second scheduled semi-final on Friday, only for the Russian to withdraw due to a hip injury.

It was a similar story for Kasatkina, who received a walkover after Paula Badosa pulled out of their match, citing a thigh problem.

While Bencic and Kasatkina will now get the chance to claim a trophy early in the season, the focus for Badosa and Kudermetova will be on regaining fitness in time for the Australian Open, which starts next week.

Badosa was confident she can recover for the upcoming major, where she has been drawn against American Caty McNally in the first round.

"I'm really disappointed that I had to withdraw because I was really looking forward to the match," Badosa told reporters.

"When I was playing [against Beatriz Haddad Maia], it was a very tough match, especially physical, so I felt a little bit in my abductor. I felt like I pulled it a little bit.

"I feel a little bit worse, so I have the Australian Open ahead, and I hope I can recover for that."

Badosa needed two hours and 35 minutes to get past the Brazilian on Thursday, having knocked off Anett Kontaveit and Kaia Kanepi in the earlier rounds.

"I played three really good matches," the Spaniard said. "I think that helps me, as well, on my confidence for the tournaments ahead. Now it's something that I cannot control, so it is what it is."

At the Hobart International, Elisabetta Cocciaretto set up a showdown with Lauren Davis.

Sofia Kenin, the 2019 champion, fell 7-5 4-6 6-1 to world number 67 Cocciaretto, who has reached her first Tour-level singles final.

"It’s unbelievable for me to be here in the final of such a great tournament, and I’m really happy about my performance," Cocciaretto said.

"[Kenin is] a very good player, I was a junior when she won the grand slam [2020 Australian Open], so for me it's an honour to play against her."

Davis, meanwhile, saw off Anna Blinkova in straight sets. She has not featured in a Tour-level final since clinching the trophy in Auckland in 2016.

MVP candidate Jayson Tatum revealed he is dealing with several ongoing injuries but the Boston Celtics small forward is not making any plans to take a rest.

Tatum has played 41 of the Celtics' 43 games this season and led the way with a double-double in Thursday's 109-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

But the 24-year-old shot several airballs, finishing with seven-of-22 shooting from the field, making only two-of-10 from beyond the arc, leading to questions about whether injuries played a part and if he needs a rest.

"If you look at my hand, I've got tape on my wrist, tape on my thumb," Tatum told reporters.

"Tonight I had to tape my middle finger and ring finger together... I love to play too much to sit out.

"I had some bad misses, but I would rather be out there trying to help my team win than not.

"It'll be alright. But I did airball three or four times. But it's good when you can laugh it off. We still won, so it made the night better."

When asked if he needed a rest, Tatum quipped: "Something me and [Celtics general manager] Brad [Stevens] will fight about, so when it gets to that point, maybe you'll see me sit out, maybe not."

Only four players in the NBA have averaged more minutes per game this season than Tatum, who revealed he tweaked the wrist injury in Boston's opening game of the campaign against the Philadelphia 76ers, having dealt with a similar issue during last season's NBA Finals. The thumb and finger issues, however, are newer.

"One game into the season, I remember I hurt it against Philly and I've been taping it ever since," he said.

"I've had issues with my thumb and recently my ring finger. But we're just going to keep figure out ways to tape it and wrap it up."

Tatum is averaging 30.8 points per game on 47.1 per cent shooting from the field and 35.2 per cent shooting from three-point range for the season.

Spencer Dinwiddie got the credit from Luka Doncic after the Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Lakers in double overtime.

Doncic helped himself to a 10th triple-double of the season – only Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets has more – as the Mavs triumphed 119-115 on Thursday at the Crypto.com Arena.

The 23-year-old top scored with 35 points and added 14 rebounds and 13 assists, ensuring the efforts of LeBron James – 24 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists – and Russell Westbrook, who grabbed 28 points off the bench, were not enough for the Lakers.

However, Doncic said it was Dinwiddie, who had six points in the second period of OT to pave the way for Reggie Bullock's game-winning free throw, who was responsible for the victory.

"He's an amazing player," Doncic said of Dinwiddie, who is averaging 16.1 points per game this season.

"He can dunk, he can score. He's really a great player, he helped us a lot. He won the game tonight."

Doncic forced both overtimes with clutch three-pointers, while Chris Wood delivered with a double-double of 24 points and 14 rebounds.

"I get to my step-back, that's it. We were down by three, so I was going to attack with a three," Doncic explained to TNT.

"It was very physical. Two overtimes, a lot of minutes. We had to stay focused, but we came through. A win is a win."

While the Mavs are fourth in the Western Conference with a 24-19 record on the season, the Lakers sit 13th with a sub-500 win percentage.

Matters could have been different had a foul been called when Tim Hardaway Jr appeared to have made contact with the shooting hand of Lakers small forward Troy Brown Jr during a three-point attempt with the scores tied at 101-101.

"It is what it is," Brown Jr told reporters. "At the end of the day, that's where I stand on it. I'm not deciding. At the end of the day, they're human.

"I thought there was contact, they don't call it. It is what it is. It's not my job to ref."

The Mavs were also unhappy with the officiating, with their owner Mark Cuban tweeting it had been the "worst officiated game". 

The New England Patriots are aiming to fend off the Cleveland Browns and the Carolina Panthers by extending inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo's contract.

While Cleveland are looking for a new defensive coordinator after firing Joe Woods, while the Panthers want a new head coach.

There appears little appetite from the Patriots' side to let linebackers coach Mayo leave, however, with a team statement confirming talks on a contract extension were under way.

"The Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick have begun contract extension discussions with Jerod Mayo that would keep him with the team long-term," read a statement released to the media.

Mayo has spent his entire senior career with the Patriots since he was drafted by New England in the 2008 draft.

He retired in 2016 after three successive seasons derailed by injury, but joined the coaching staff in 2019.

New England also confirmed they are on the search for an offensive coordinator after a disappointing campaign saw them miss out on the playoffs.

Jordan Spieth owns a share of the lead after the first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii, tied with Chris Kirk and Taylor Montgomery at six under.

A three-time major champion, Spieth has one PGA Tour win in each of the past two seasons, and this week he is seeking his first top-10 finish since The Open in July.

He posted seven birdies and one bogey during his first trip around the picturesque Waialae Country Club course to shoot 64, while Kirk and Montgomery reached their scores in identical fashion, joining Spieth at the top after both birdieing their final hole.

Kirk has not won a PGA Tour event since the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in 2015, but he flashed some form this past season with four top-10 finishes, including a tie for fifth at May's PGA Championship. Montgomery entered the season with no career top-10s, but has three in his seven starts this campaign.

There is a seven-way tie for fourth place at five under featuring Slovakia's Rory Sabbatini from the early group and South Korea's Seong-hyeon Kim from the late finishers.

The densely packed field means there is a further logjam at four under including Maverick McNealy and top-five finisher from last week's Sentry Tournament of Champions, J.J. Spaun.

England's Aaron Rai is at three under, Japanese major champion Hideki Matsuyama is at two under and fellow former Masters champion Adam Scott of Australia is at one under.

The highlight of the day came from Ryan Armour, who finished his round at even par, but enjoyed a moment he will never forget after hitting his second ace of the season on the par-three 17th.

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson believes a capable quarterback is the only thing missing from a team he called "loaded and ready to go".

The Jets boasted the fourth-best defense in the NFL based on yards allowed, but their offense could only finish 25th, hamstrung by mediocre quarterback play.

They tried to address their quarterback void by selecting Zach Wilson second overall in the 2021 draft, but after a horrific second campaign where he threw more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns (six), the Jets are not willing to persist with the 23-year-old as the starter.

Johnson addressed Wilson's struggles, and pointed to the instability at starter – as Mike White and Joe Flacco combined for eight of the 17 starts this season – as a reason for the dysfunction.

"Zach had a tough year, there's no denying that," he said. "I still have confidence that I've seen some kernels of real talent there. 

"[His] confidence level, whatever it was, went down, so that was certainly frustrating for him. And then we had that rotation, which is very hard to do in the NFL – changing quarterbacks."

He spoke about his willingness to reverse the fortunes of the offense in a similar fashion to the defense from a year ago, which was ranked as the league's worst in 2021.

"This team is loaded and ready to go," he said. "Our defense was an unbelievable story you saw this year, from last-place to close to the top in defense in terms of every measurable.

"If you can do the same thing on offense, it looks pretty good, right?"

The Jets are unlikely to enter the new season with another rookie under center, so to address their need, the Jets will need to either make a trade or venture into the free agent market.

The upcoming free agent class is headlined by the legendary Tom Brady and former MVP Lamar Jackson – players who will likely not come at a discount – but Johnson said he is willing to spend.

"Absolutely," he said. "We've got a cap, so there's an amount you can spend. But, yeah, that's kind of the missing piece."

When asked if he would give the coaching staff a playoff mandate, Johnson shot down the idea, saying it is not the right way to approach the situation.

"No, I don't do mandates," he said. "We've had a long wait. 

"Fifty-four years from the last Super Bowl is too long, way too long. I'd like to change that fast, but mandates don't work."

The NFL announced that Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host a potential AFC Championship Game between the number two seed Buffalo Bills and the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs.

In a statement released on Thursday, the NFL confirmed that the game would be played on Sunday January 29, with Atlanta only used as the venue if those two sides are matched up.

That came following the cancellation of the Week 17 game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals after Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field in the first quarter and went into cardiac arrest.

The NFL had already confirmed that in the event of a Bills-Chiefs' AFC Championship Game matchup that the contest would be played at a neutral site, given both sides played an unequal number of regular season games due to the Bills-Bengals' cancellation.

The Bills are due to host the seventh-seed Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Highmark Stadium in the Wild Card round, while the Chiefs have a bye and will face the lowest AFC seed remaining in the Divisional round.

"We are heartened by the continued improvement and progress of Damar Hamlin in his recovery, and Damar and his family remain top of mind for the entire NFL community," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in the statement.

"We are also grateful to Arthur Blank and the Atlanta Falcons for agreeing to host the AFC Championship Game in Atlanta should the Bills and Chiefs advance. We thank both of those clubs for their assistance in the planning process."

Mercedes-Benz Stadium was opened in 2017 and has an American Football capacity of 71,000.

The Baltimore Ravens haven’t had starting quarterback Lamar Jackson on the field in over a month and it does not appear he will be ready to play Sunday's Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jackson missed his 17th straight practice Thursday and then posted on social media that his left knee "remains unstable," putting his availability for Sunday in serious doubt.

"Thank you everyone for your support and concerns regarding my injuries," Jackson posted to Twitter. "I want to give you all an update as I am in the recovery process. I’ve suffered a PCL grade 2 sprain on the borderline of a strain 3. There is still inflammation surrounding my knee and my knee remains unstable.

"I’m still in good spirits, as I continue with treatments on the road to recovery. I wish I could be out there with my guys more than anything but I can’t give 100% of myself to my guys and fans I’m still hopeful we still have a chance."

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has not officially ruled out Jackson returning Sunday, but he has not practiced with the team since December 2, and has not appeared in a game since a 10-9 win over the Denver Broncos on December 4.

With Jackson likely unavailable, Huntley would be in line to start, but he has been battling shoulder and wrist injuries that kept him sidelined for the regular-season finale at Cincinnati last weekend.

Huntley resumed throwing at practice Thursday and was officially listed as a limited participant. It was the first time since January 1 that he was seen throwing passes.

"He looked good," Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. "It’s day-to-day. He’s making progress. We take stock on it every day."

Rookie Anthony Brown started the final game of the regular season and was 19 of 44 for 286 yards with two interceptions in his only career start, a 27-16 loss to the Bengals.

Baltimore went 8-4 and averaged 23.1 points in games Jackson started this season, and were 2-3 while averaging 13 points in games without him.

"Obviously, Lamar is Lamar," Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen said. "You can’t replace that kind of guy, but I do still think that we have quarterbacks who can go out there and get the job done and play at a high level."

Wide receiver Mike Williams has been listed as questionable by the Los Angeles Chargers due to a back injury for their AFC Wild Card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday.

Williams left Sunday's 31-28 loss to the Denver Broncos with back spasms, though initial X-rays were negative, offering hope the problem would not impact his participation against the Jags.

The 28-year-old has not practiced all week, although head coach Brandon Staley said Williams needed time off, having had chronic back issues for years.

"He's progressing, getting treatment," Staley told reporters. "Just trying to get him as much rest as possible because of the short time frame of the week.

"We're at the point of the season where the reps aren't what matters – the rest is – in his case. Just trying to get him as much rest up until game time."

Under-fire Staley was criticised for not resting key players against the Broncos, given they were locked into the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs ahead of the game.

"I stand behind what we did in that football game," Staley added on Thursday. "I didn't want anybody to get hurt in that game regardless of their status."

Williams has 63 receptions for a team-high 895 yards with four touchdowns this season.

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton will miss at least a fortnight after suffering a left elbow sprain and mild left knee bone contusion.

The Pacers confirmed the injuries on Thursday, having left Wednesday's 119-113 loss to the New York Knicks on crutches after falling awkwardly in the third quarter.

"He underwent an MRI this afternoon on his elbow and knee in Indianapolis and the team is awaiting additional opinion on the results of those scans," the Pacers announced.

"Haliburton will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks and updates will be provided as appropriate."

The 22-year-old has been enjoying an All-Star level season, leading the league in assists with 10.2 per game. He is also averaging 20.2 points per game while flirting with 50/40/90 efficiency, currently shooting 48 per cent from the field, 39.9 per cent from deep and 88 per cent from the free throw line.