Conor Murray has spoken of his surprise at being named British and Irish Lions captain after Alun Wyn Jones was ruled out of the tour of South Africa.
Jones suffered a dislocated shoulder early in the Lions' win over Japan on Saturday, while Justin Tipuric also misses the tour due to a shoulder injury sustained at Murrayfield.
Warren Gatland turned to Ireland scrum-half Murray to take over as skipper, with Adam Beard and Josh Navidi called up as replacements for their Wales team-mates Jones and Tipuric.
Murray was not expecting to be asked to lead the Lions in what will be his third tour.
Asked if he was surprised Gatland wanted him to step up, the pivot said: "A little bit to be honest.
"I didn't even think about it. I knew that Al was out and then you look around the squad and there are so many contenders.
"Warren asked me just before the cap ceremony and it was surreal. I still don't have my head around it, but it's an unbelievable honour. It's something that I never thought would be possible.
"I didn't think about it long. I said, 'absolutely, it'll be a massive honour. Thank you very much for this opportunity'.
"Then you kind of think about how big it is and then obviously my phone has gone a bit crazy since it was announced.
"I tried to call my girlfriend Joanna, but her phone was on one per cent as usual. Her phone was off and my dad is in Edinburgh, he was out with his friends having a few drinks, and so he was the first person I spoke to.
"My mum's in Kerry and I rang her. She's down with a few friends who were watching the Japan game and they're celebrating too, so it still hasn't sunk in to be honest."
Murray said the loss of Jones is a big blow for the Lions.
"We're very disappointed to lose Alun Wyn. He's been brilliant for the first two weeks. I've known him from the past two tours and he's been incredible. It's a huge loss,” Murray said.
"He came up to me and said 'congrats and just be yourself' and I think that's really important. Growing up, you probably thought you had to try and be a certain type of person to be a leader, but you just have to be yourself.
"Once you have the respect of the group around you, that's a massive plus, a massive thing that can calm you down a bit. If you have the respect of the lads and you do what you do and you do it honestly, then it should be fine.
"It's a huge honour, but there's such a good group of leaders in this squad that makes it less daunting, definitely. There are lads that you can lean on, lads who have captained their country.
"There's massive experience there so you know it'll definitely be a group thing. I'm going to enjoy it and again lean on those boys. It'll take a bit of getting used to, but it's such an honour."
Chris Froome will try and "survive" stage two of the Tour de France after crashing at high speed in the "carnage" of a crash on the first day of the race.
The four-time Tour champion was involved in the second major crash late in the opening stage from Brest to Landerneau on Saturday.
Froome appeared be struggling to stand after hitting the deck along with a whole host of other riders, but the Brit was able to finish the stage.
The Israel Start-Up Nation rider was in hospital until the early hours of Sunday morning, but will be on the starting line-up for a 183.5km second stage from Perros-Guirec to Mur-de-Bretagne Guerledan.
Froome said in an interview posted on his team's Twitter account: "That was definitely a bit of a crazy stage. One moment everything was fine heading towards the finish and the last 10ks and then 60-70km an hour, I think there was just a touch of wheels somewhere in the peloton and it was just carnage.
"Probably 50-60 riders on the floor, unfortunately there was just nowhere for me to go. I braked as hard as I could but still just went into the back of the guys who crashed in front of me.
"I hit my left side pretty hard, my left leg, and also the chest but went for scans last night and spent the whole evening in the hospital, got back at like 1am but all good.
"No fractures, just a lot of swelling, a lot of bruising. I'm pretty sore this morning but I'm going to try and get through today, survive the stage and hope over the next coming days it starts to feel better."
World champion Julian Alaphilippe delighted the home crowd by claiming the yellow jersey on day one.
Tyronn Lue is confident the Los Angeles Clippers can turn around their 3-1 deficit in the Western Conference Finals with the Phoenix Suns, describing the challenge as "very doable".
The Clippers fell to an 84-80 loss to the Suns on Saturday, leaving Los Angeles needing to win three straight games to progress to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
In Conference Finals, teams that have led 3-1 have gone on to win a seven-game series 52 times, with that advantage reversed on just four occasions.
Falling 3-1 behind is typically a death knell for a team in any round, with teams that have claimed 3-1 leads in best-of-seven series winning 95 per cent of the time (251-13).
But Lue has experience of coming from 3-1 down to prevail, having done so as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers when they incredibly overturned that deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.
The Warriors did not surrender the same lead in 2017, avenging that loss with a 4-1 Finals win over the Cavs.
Drawing inspiration from the Clippers coming from 2-0 down against the Utah Jazz in the previous round, Lue stated his belief in his team to overcome the odds.
"We beat Utah and won four games in a row," Lue said. "So it's very doable."
The Clippers' hopes of fighting back would be significantly boosted were Kawhi Leonard to return from a knee sprain that has seen him miss the final two games of the Jazz series and all four games with Phoenix so far.
But Paul George, who had a double-double with 23 rebounds and 16 rebounds in Game 3, does not want Leonard to rush back regardless of the Clippers' perilous situation.
"I can't speak for him, to the health of Kawhi," George said. "If he's not 100 [per cent], we don't want him out there. I mean, that's just as a brother, as a team-mate.
"His health long term is more important than what's going on now. I can't speak on the extent of his injury or, you know, what he [can] and cannot give us.
"Like I've been saying, his health is just more important than anything else."
After an enforced hiatus in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, tennis returns to SW19.
Novak Djokovic makes his way back to Wimbledon as the defending champion and with the men's grand slam record firmly in his sight.
Djokovic conquered Rafael Nadal en route to French Open glory and his 19th slam crown – one shy of the record shared by rivals Nadal and Roger Federer.
With Nadal and Dominic Thiem absent, Djokovic's path to a 20th major trophy has opened up in London.
The women's title is up for grabs after holder Simona Halep withdrew, and Serena Williams can still dream of making history.
As all eyes shift to the All England Club, Stats Perform looks at the numbers behind this year's slam, using Opta data.
Dominant Djokovic
World number one and top seed Djokovic begins his title defence against promising Briton Jack Draper in the first round.
French Open champion Djokovic has won four of the last six Wimbledon tournaments, including each of the past two – the last player to win more at Wimbledon in a row was Federer between 2003 and 2007 (five).
A five-time Wimbledon winner, Djokovic is the only man to have won the first two grand slam tournaments of a calendar year over the last 25 years, doing it in 2016 and 2021. The last man to win the first three grand slams of a calendar year was Rod Laver during his Grand Slam in 1969.
The 2019 Wimbledon final was the first slam decider to be decided by a final set tie-break, with Djokovic beating Federer 7-3 in that tiebreak, while it was also the longest final in Wimbledon history (four hours, 57 minutes).
No man has won Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year since Nadal in 2010.
Federer farewell?
The curtain appears to be closing on all-time great Federer, who withdrew from the French Open after a draining four-set win over Dominik Koepfer to preserve his body for the grass season.
This year's Wimbledon could be the 39-year-old's final realistic shot at a grand slam as Djokovic bids to become the greatest of all.
Seeded sixth, Federer – who meets Adrian Mannarino first up – has won the most Wimbledon titles among all male players in the slam's history.
Federer will aim to win his 21st grand slam, which would break a tie with Nadal for the outright men's record.
The 'Big Four' and their stranglehold
Injuries have forced two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray to fall out of the equation but there has been no getting past the original 'Big Four'.
Among the men, the last 17 years of Wimbledon has been dominated by the same four players – Federer (eight titles), Djokovic (five), Nadal (two), Murray (two). The last winner at Wimbledon before them was Lleyton Hewitt in 2002.
Since Wimbledon in 2004, only one of the 68 slams has not seen at least one of Federer, Djokovic and Nadal in the semi-finals – it was at the US Open last year.
The new generation is headlined by grand slam runners-up Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Medvedev has never passed the third round at Wimbledon, though his two defeats at that stage have both been in five sets. The Russian second seed has reached at least the quarter-finals in three of his last four major tournaments, after reaching that stage in only one of his previous 13.
Beaten by Djokovic in the Roland Garros final, Tsitsipas has reached the semi-finals in his last three slams, having done so only once in his previous 12. The third seed has never reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, however.
Wimbledon is the only slam where fourth seed Alexander Zverev is yet to reach the quarter-final, his best result being a fourth-round performance in 2017. Since the beginning of 2020, he has advanced to the semi-finals in three slam tournaments, after never doing it in his previous 18 such major main-draw appearances.
Serena's ongoing quest
The queen of WTA tennis for so long, Serena Williams is one slam success away from matching Margaret Court's record of 24 major singles championships. But the 39-year-old has been stuck on 23 since reigning supreme at the Australian Open in 2017.
Williams, who lost in the French Open fourth round, has won seven Wimbledon titles (level with Steffi Graf) – only Martina Navratilova has more in the Open Era (nine).
American superstar Williams has been a Wimbledon runner-up in 2018 and 2019. Chris Evert is the only player in the Open Era to have lost three consecutive Wimbledon finals (between 1978 and 1980).
Williams, the sixth seed who will clash with Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the opening round, is looking to become only the second woman to win 100 Wimbledon singles matches (currently 98), alongside Navratilova (120). She could also become the first woman to reach 100-plus wins in two different majors (106 wins at the US Open).
From the first Wimbledon final reached by one Williams sister in 2000 (won by Venus against Lindsay Davenport), only in four of 20 editions has neither of the two sisters reached the decider – in 2006 (Amelie Mauresmo-Justine Henin), 2011 (Petra Kvitova-Maria Sharapova), 2013 (Marion Bartoli-Sabine Lisicki) and 2014 (Kvitova-Eugenie Bouchard).
Barty party?
Former French Open champion Ash Barty heads to Wimbledon as the top seed and will kick off her title bid against veteran Carla Suarez Navarro.
However, world number one Barty has never reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals. Reaching the 2019 fourth round was her best result. The last Australian woman to reach the quarters at Wimbledon was Jelena Dokic in 2000.
The top seed in the Wimbledon women's singles main draw has been eliminated in the first round just three times in the Open Era – Graf in 1994, Martina Hingis in 1999 and Hingis again in 2001.
Wimbledon is the only major won by Kvitova in her career (2011 and 2014). She is one among the three current players with multiple titles at the All England Club, alongside Serena and Venus Williams.
Karolina Pliskova was the woman with the most aces per match made on average at Wimbledon 2019 (9.0, 36 in total) among players who reached the third round.
Novak Djokovic spent the week before Wimbledon enjoying a challenge for a most unlikely title in Mallorca.
The Serbian reached his first men's doubles final for 11 years when he and Carlos Gomez-Herrera knocked out the third seeds on Thursday. Were it not for an injury to the Spaniard forcing them to withdraw, you would not have put it past Djokovic, a man with 83 singles titles, to have lifted what would have been just a second doubles trophy in his career.
"I don't think we expected to reach the finals," Djokovic admitted after an unexpected, liberating week. "Everything clicked quite amazingly."
That Djokovic could prepare to defend his Wimbledon title by experimenting in the doubles in the Spanish sun should serve as a warning to the rest of the draw. He has not played a Tour-level singles match since that exhausting, extraordinary win at the French Open where he inflicted on Rafael Nadal just the third Roland Garros defeat of his career before recovering from two sets down to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. That treacherous transition from clay to grass is no problem at all, such is Djokovic's belief in his own powers.
And why not? He has been close to untouchable in 2021: 27 wins and as many titles as defeats, his three trophy wins including the first two grand slams of the year. He has 19 now, just one behind all-time record holders Nadal – who withdrew from Wimbledon and the Olympics after a gruelling clay season – and Roger Federer, who has played only eight matches since the 2020 Australian Open following two knee operations. Djokovic has won four of the past six championships at SW19 and is bidding to become the first man to win three in a row since Federer managed four from 2004 to 2007.
For Federer, 2021 has been about building for these next two months, for another fortnight in London and a final shot at Olympic singles gold. He pulled out of Roland Garros after a draining four-set win over Dominik Koepfer to preserve his body for the grass season, but his bid for an 11th title in Halle ended in a dispiriting second-round loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Federer would not admit it publicly, nor perhaps even to himself, but Wimbledon 2021 represents his best remaining chance at winning a major, not least with Nadal and fourth seed Dominic Thiem having pulled out. He should have taken the title the last time the event was played two years ago, when Djokovic survived two match points to win the longest final in history in four hours and 57 minutes. Now 39, having to pick and choose his matches to prolong his career, that unpalatable moment when Federer puts down his racquet for good is starting to loom large on the horizon.
It leaves things beautifully poised at the top of the men's game. Djokovic has always been hindered in conversations around the 'big three'. The 34-year-old has never won the hearts of the wider tennis public in quite the same way as Roger and Rafa, in spite of his best – and occasionally misguided – efforts.
Yet the fact remains we are entering a critical point in this particular GOAT debate. Djokovic leads the head-to-head record against Federer (27-23) and Nadal (30-28). He is the only man in the Open Era to win all four grand slams twice. Nobody has won more Masters 1000 titles (36, level with Nadal), and nobody else has won all nine of those events. He has been world number one for 326 weeks – also a record. And all of his major titles bar one have come in the past 10 years, a time in which Nadal has won 11 and Federer four. This has truly been his decade – at least, if you ignore the doubles.
Should Djokovic win a sixth Wimbledon title, and should he follow that with major number 21 at the US Open, there will be little objective reason not to crown him the greatest men's player ever to play the sport. He knows that.
Perhaps Federer does, too. The lingering regret of losing three finals here to Djokovic, the lure of lifting this trophy for a ninth time, the prospect of halting the Serbian's conquest of the game –perhaps that will inspire the Swiss to what would surely be the greatest triumph of his career. Perhaps, just once more, everything will click.
Phoenix Suns veteran Chris Paul is refusing to talk about a drought-breaking NBA Finals appearance despite his side taking a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference finals on Saturday.
The Suns won 84-80 over the Los Angeles Clippers to move within one victory of the franchise's first Finals appearance since 1993.
Paul, 36, debuted in the NBA in 2005 and is an 11-time All Star yet has never played in an NBA Finals series either.
"Not til the job is done. We can talk about all that then but right now it's laser focus," Paul said during the post-game news conference.
"Three wins don’t win a series. We did what we came to do. We got one of these [road wins]. We've got to stay focused. We need one more [win]."
Paul has played in 12 NBA playoffs series, coming closest to the NBA Finals in 2017-18 Conference finals with the Houston Rockets having been 3-2 up.
When asked about previously falling short, Paul added: "Everything happens for a reason. Don't dwell on things. I'm here now, excited about this opportunity. All I can worry about right now is Game 5."
Paul finished with 18 points but hit several last-quarter free-throws to ice the game after Devin Booker fouled out.
"It was crazy when I went to the free-throw line, I thought about my son," he said. "I talk to my son all the time about the importance of shooting free-throws. He's really getting into basketball.
"I seriously went to the free-throw line, I thought 'how the hell am I going to tell him to stay poised, if I don't'."
Paul, who missed both Game 1 and 2 after entering into the NBA's health and safety protocol, said he was excited to play at home for the first time in the series on Monday.
"I didn’t get a chance to feel that energy in Game 1 and 2," he said. "I was at the crib with my family. I'm excited to go back to Phoenix."
The Boston Red Sox survived a late scare to remain unbeaten this season against the rival New York Yankees, prevailing 4-2 at Fenway Park.
Boston held a 4-0 lead heading to the eighth inning after a dominant start by Nathan Eovaldi, who had not allowed a run to that point. After he retired the first two batters of the frame, DJ LeMahieu homered to end his night, with Hirokazu Sawamura coming out of the bullpen.
The reliever then walked Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Giancarlo Stanton to load the bases before former Yankee Adam Ottavino came on to get Luke Voit to ground out and end the threat.
Ottavino allowed another New York run in the ninth before striking out Judge with two men on to end the game.
Boston have now won all five games against New York this season and six in a row dating to their final meeting last September. Prior to this run, the Yankees had won 12 in a row in the series.
Arizona finally win on the road
Eduardo Escobar went four-for-five with a double and his 17th home run as the Arizona Diamondbacks stunned the San Diego Padres 10-1 for their first win away from home since April 25 after a record 24 straight road losses. Arizona scored more than nine runs in a game for the first time since May 15 as they ended San Diego's eight-game winning streak.
Cody Bellinger's home run with two outs in the ninth inning gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Bellinger did not start the game, coming on as part of a double switch in the seventh inning.
The New York Mets had a somewhat less dramatic 4-3 walk-off win over the Philadelphia Phillies, tying the game in the ninth on a bases-loaded walk by Luis Guillorme before Michael Conforto's sacrifice fly brought home Billy McKinney with the winning run.
The San Francisco Giants scored two runs in the bottom of the10th inning to beat the Oakland Athletics 6-5.
Rays get to Cobb again
Los Angeles Angels starter Alex Cobb has two losses in the last two months - both to his original MLB team. The Tampa Bay Rays put up six runs against Cobb on the way to a 13-3 rout of the Angels at Tropicana Field.
The Colorado Rockies' bullpen blew a chance for a rare road win as Carlos Estevez and Ben Bowden allowed six Milwaukee Brewers runs in the eighth inning of a 10-4 loss. The Rockies are now 6-30 away from Coors Field.
Goldie goes deep
Paul Goldschmidt highlighted the St Louis Cardinals' 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates with a towering home run in the fifth inning that traveled an estimated 470 feet, tied for the fifth-longest MLB homer this year.
Saturday's results
Detroit Tigers 3-1 Houston Astros
Houston Astros 3-2 Detroit Tigers
Milwaukee Brewers 10-4 Colorado Rockies
New York Mets 4-3 Philadelphia Phillies
Toronto Blue Jays 12-4 Baltimore Orioles
Tampa Bay Rays 13-3 Los Angeles Angels
Cincinnati Reds 4-1 Atlanta Braves
Boston Red Sox 4-2 New York Yankees
Miami Marlins 3-2 Washington Nationals
Texas Rangers 8-0 Kansas City Royals
St Louis Cardinals 3-1 Pittsburgh Pirates
San Francisco Giants 6-5 Oakland Athletics
Arizona Diamondbacks 10-1 San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 Chicago Cubs
Seattle Mariners 0-0 Chicago White Sox (suspended)
Minnesota Twins-Cleveland Indians (postponed)
Athletics at Giants
Bay Area rivals the Athletics (46-33) and Giants (49-26) close out the first of their two series this season as Cole Irvin pitches for Oakland and Sammy Long gets the start for hosts San Francisco.
When two whipsmart kids from Compton first walked through the gates of the All England Club, the history of tennis was ripe for a radical makeover.
With beads in their hair and an air of mystery tailgating them onto the tour, this pair of teenage prodigies soon had the world at their feet.
Now, Serena Williams and Venus Williams are as much a part of Wimbledon tradition as strawberries and cream, and the championships without them is almost unthinkable.
Stacking up a combined 12 singles titles from Wimbledon, and a string of staggering records, this great sporting double act has defined the past quarter of a century in the women's game.
Venus is now 41 years old, and kid sister Serena turns 40 in September. Both will be going flat out for more success at Wimbledon and over the course of the rest of the year. They have been relentless and supremely driven in the pursuit of greatness.
But it feels legitimate now to be talking about how the WTA Tour and the grand slams will look without the Williamses, because as much as they have together pushed the boundaries of achievement in tennis, neither can defy the march of time.
Or at least they cannot keep pushing back against that march, since both have done a truly spectacular job so far.
"Venus and Serena, they changed the game, they elevated the game, and that is the biggest thing that could happen to our sport," Johanna Konta, Britain's former Wimbledon semi-finalist, told Stats Perform.
"They changed the physical requirements, they pushed the whole level of the sport so high, which I think has really accelerated the depth of women's tennis that we're seeing today, and so I can't imagine the day coming when they're not playing.
"I'm sure it will come at some point, but I'm not too sure when that day will be."
AGE NO BARRIER?
Serena has a place in the record books as the oldest women's world number one, having last occupied that position in May 2017 at the age of 35 years and 230 days. Next on that list sit Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, both a relatively fledgling 30 when they were last in the top spot.
She is also the second oldest player to hold a top-10 WTA ranking. On Monday, as the championships begin, Serena, currently the world number eight, will be 39 years and 275 days old. Only Billie Jean King (39 years 322 days in October 1983) has held such a lofty place among the sport's elite later in life.
Navratilova comes next, with Venus just a short step behind in fourth place, having last been in the top 10 in July 2018, aged 38 and 29 days.
If Serena wins the women's singles title at Wimbledon this year – and several British bookmakers see her as favourite – it will make her the oldest player in the Open Era to win a title on the women's tour.
King won at Birmingham in 1983 at 39 years and 203 days, and Williams sits fourth on that particular list of the oldest champions for now, having captured the 2020 Auckland title at 38 years and 108 days.
The oldest Wimbledon women's singles champion remains Charlotte Cooper Sterry, triumphant for Britain in 1908 at 37 years and 282 days.
An injection of power and physicality, alongside a whole lot of finesse, has seen the Williamses bring a new dimension to tennis. It is far removed from the game Sterry might have played.
SERVING UP SCUDS
In 2010, only one player on the WTA Tour served more than 300 aces, yet by 2019, the most recent uninterrupted season, that had risen to seven players.
Advances in technology are a factor here, but so too is the scenario whereby a young girl watches Serena and Venus whizzing serves by opponents' ears around the turn of the century and wants to learn how that is done.
Serving need not just be the moment where a point begins, it can be the shot that ends the point too.
Venus owns the record for the fastest serve ever recorded by a woman at Wimbledon – sending down a 129 miles per hour scud on her way to victory in the 2008 final. The player on the receiving end of such vicious hitting that day? Serena.
"I'm glad she did it, because next time I know what to expect," was Serena's punchy post-match response.
From 2008, when the WTA first began to collect such statistics, through to 2016, Serena topped the charts every season when it came to the highest percentage of service games won.
She has also led the way in percentages of first-serve points won in eight of the last 13 seasons.
On July 5, 2012, Serena fired 24 aces past Victoria Azarenka in their Wimbledon semi-final and paired that women's singles record with another – her 102 aces across seven matches also setting an all-time tournament high.
Serena has a 98-12 win-loss career record in singles at Wimbledon, with Venus not far behind on 89-17. Where Venus has won five or her seven slam titles on the grass in London, Serena has accrued seven of her 23 majors at the championships.
Only nine-time champion Navratilova (120) has won more women's singles matches at Wimbledon than Serena. Roger Federer (101) leads the way among the men.
SHOWING SERENA THE WAY IN SAN JOSE
Konta handed Serena the heaviest defeat of her career in 2018, inflicting a 6-1 6-0 thrashing in San Jose.
The British player, however, is fully appreciative of Serena's standing in the game, the American's status as an all-time sports great. For Williams to leave the tour would leave a huge hole.
"I don't know anything else. I think that's a very lucky and privileged thing to say as an athlete, to be playing at the same time as one of our greatest ever," said Konta, a Jaguar ambassador.
"Equally, the men can say that with the likes of Roger, Rafa and Djokovic around, it's just a really exciting time to be part of the world of tennis.
"You constantly see players retiring as the years go by; it's a normal process. We had Maria [Sharapova] and Caroline [Wozniacki] retire at the beginning of last year. I think the way they timed their retirement was absolutely incredible.
"It's a normal course to happen, so from a player's perspective there'll be the initial thought of 'Oh my goodness, she's retiring', but the game keeps going and players keep playing.
"More than anything, not having Serena around anymore it will maybe be more noticeable in the fans, in the fandom, in the outside part of the sport, because she is such a big figurehead of our sport and rightly so."
Serena has reached the Wimbledon final on seven of her last 10 appearances in SW19, collecting five titles in that time. The final defeats during that span came in the last two years that Wimbledon has been held, however, with defeats to Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep sure to leave some scars.
THE KAFELNIKOV INFLUENCE
In recent years, Serena has invited the likes of showbiz A-listers Jay-Z, Beyonce and Drake to sit in her player's box at courtside, while she is a close friend of Meghan Markle and was a royal wedding guest.
She and Venus were once unknown quantities, but now both transcend their sport.
By the age of 16, Serena had it all mapped out, and her Wimbledon success can be attributed in a very small way to an unexpected Russian influence.
"I have decided when I go on the grass, I am going to serve and volley. There is one man player who plays great on the clay, and then on the grass he actually serves and volleys," Williams told a news conference at the 1998 Lipton Championships in Florida, weeks before her Wimbledon debut. "And I said, Serena, I have to do the same thing."
Who was this mystery man? All-court greats had been in short supply. Agassi?
"Yevgeny Kafelnikov, he plays great on the clay. He actually won the French Open," Williams said at the time. "He actually serve and volleys on the grass. I said, I have to do this too. If he can do it, I believe I can do it. That really helps me."
Former world number one Kafelnikov never went beyond the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, but his surprising influence lives on.
Serena is one short of Margaret Court's all-time record of grand slam titles and dearly wants to at least match that haul but ideally reach 25. The Wimbledon title looks out of reach for Venus, who has fallen out of the world's top 100, but for Serena it is a realistic target.
The elite field is thinning, with Naomi Osaka and defending champion Halep among the withdrawals, and there are question marks over the form and fitness of many other big names in the draw.
The eighth Wimbledon and 24th singles slam feels eminently achievable, and what a moment for the ages that would be.
GOING ON THE KONTA ATTACK
Konta was only denied a place in the 2017 Wimbledon final by a valiant Venus, the 37-year-old American experiencing a late-career resurgence during what proved a stellar year for her.
It nevertheless gave the Australian-born Briton a real taste, with a win over Halep en route to the semi-finals showing she has the game to take on the best on grass.
Another grand slam semi-final followed in 2019, this time on clay at the French Open, and quarter-final runs at Wimbledon and the US Open confirmed Konta was the real deal. She previously reached the 2016 Australian Open final four.
It has been tough going since then though, Konta going out in the first round at four of the last five grand slams. Injuries have got in the way, and the joy she felt at winning a title in Nottingham in June 2021 was tempered slightly by a slight knee problem.
That success on English grass was a first tour title for Konta since the 2017 Miami Open, and life for her is good in many respects. On May 17, her 30th birthday, she and boyfriend Jackson Wade became engaged, or as she puts it, they killed "two birds with one stone when it came to milestones on that day".
Assuming the knee holds up, success in Nottingham could pave the way for another fruitful Konta campaign at Wimbledon. Last year's tournament being cancelled due to the pandemic was a blow to everyone but particularly felt by the British players.
"I was really pleased with having won a title, the first title I've won in a few years," Konta said. "It's a very nice accomplishment and something I definitely don't take for granted, because coming by titles is very difficult.
"Obviously, I'm just trying to do the best I can in managing my body. After the quick change onto the grass I just need to take care of the different little niggles that I have and the ongoing things and anything new that arises, but I'm definitely looking forward to Wimbledon.
"I think it's just the fact that we have Wimbledon again this year. Wimbledon's such a big part of our sporting calendar here and our sporting summer.
"For the nation and for international tennis fans, I think it's just really brilliant. The fact we are going to have crowds, that will be almost a new experience having not played in front of big crowds for a long time."
Could Konta even win Wimbledon, becoming Britain's first women's singles champion since Virginia Wade in 1977?
"I definitely feel I have every chance to look to win seven consecutive matches," Konta said. "It's a hard ask and it's difficult to do, but I feel like I have every opportunity, every chance to give it a go and I'm looking forward to trying."
:: Johanna Konta is a Jaguar ambassador. Jaguar is the Official Car of The Championships, Wimbledon. To discover Jaguar’s unmatched experiences visit jaguar.co.uk/Wimbledon
The Phoenix Suns have claimed a hard-fought road win to go 3-1 up in the Western Conference finals with an 84-80 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
DeAndre Ayton was dominant in the paint with 19 points, 22 rebounds and four blocks as the Suns triumphed, leading the whole way but having to withstand a late Clippers challenge.
Devin Booker, who took his protective face mask off in the second half, led all scorers for Phoenix with 25 points but fouled out with 1:05 to go, leaving veteran guard Chris Paul (18 points and seven assists) to finish the job with a series of late free throws.
The Clippers, once again without the injured Kawhi Leonard, got within one point in the final quarter, including with 13.2 seconds to go, but never took the lead.
The result means Phoenix are one win away from qualifying for their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993. It would also be the first Finals appearance for 11-time All-Star Paul.
Phoenix had led by 14 points at half-time, but the Clippers stormed back into the game with a 30-19 third quarter.
Paul George fought hard for the Clippers with 23 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, while Reggie Jackson scored 20 points. Ivica Zubac was admirable with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
But the Clippers struggled from beyond the arc, shooting five from 31 (16.1 per cent), with Jackson hitting two-of-nine from three-point range, while George made one-from-nine.
The Suns did not fare much better from range, with Booker missing all five three-point attempts and Paul all three.
Phoenix's 84 points was the fewest in a win this season, regular or postseason.
The series returns to Phoenix on Monday, with the Suns chasing a close-out win.
Conor Murray has been named as the British and Irish Lions captain for the upcoming tour of South Africa after injury ruled out Alun Wyn Jones.
Jones was ruled out of the tour, along with Justin Tipuric, on Saturday after he sustained a shoulder injury in the Lions' 28-10 win over Japan.
Irish scrum-half Murray, 32, has been handed the captaincy, with Lions head coach Warren Gatland bullish about his capability in Jones' absence.
"We’re all incredibly disappointed for Alun Wyn and Justin," Gatland said. "The timing of these injuries seem particularly cruel given we fly to South Africa tomorrow [Sunday], but unfortunately they’re part of the game.
"Alun Wyn will obviously be a big loss, both on and off the field, but will be ably replaced by Conor.
"Conor is an outstanding rugby player and is held in the highest regard with both the players and coaches.
"As a three-time Lions tourist, he knows what will be required as captain and I am certain he will lead the squad with excellence. He will also be well supported by an experienced leadership group."
Adam Beard and Josh Navidi have been added to the Lions squad to replace Jones and Tipuric.
Valtteri Bottas has hit out at the three-place grid penalty he was given for the Styrian Grand Prix, insisting "everyone tries to screw you" in Formula One.
The Mercedes driver qualified second at the Red Bull Ring, ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton, but will have to start the race in fifth due to a penalty he received before the session.
Bottas spun his car in the pit lane in FP2 on Friday after leaving his pit box in second gear, leading to a punishment from the race stewards for "potentially dangerous driving".
Pole-sitter Max Verstappen and Hamilton will therefore occupy the front row for the first of two consecutive races in Austria.
A penalty was the last thing Bottas needed in a 2021 campaign where he is yet to finish in the top two and facing pressure for his seat amid speculation George Russell could replace him next year.
Since F1 returned to Spielberg in 2014, the eventual race winner has started on the first two rows in all eight races held, while on six of those occasions the victor came from the front row.
"My personal view is [that it's] quite harsh," Bottas said about his potentially costly punishment.
"I never imagined after that that there would be a penalty but of course other teams, when they see the opportunity, they complained that it was dangerous so that we would get penalised.
"That's how it goes, so everyone is always trying to screw you over in this sport.
"I mean yes, it can be a dangerous situation if there's many people in the pit lane but no..."
Bottas has strong previous form at the Red Bull Ring, with his impressive display in qualifying to beat the time of Hamilton coming at a circuit where he has more poles (three) than at any other in the sport.
The Finn knows overtaking is difficult in Spielberg but hopes he will be able to join Verstappen and Hamilton at the front.
"I don't think it’s the easiest," Bottas said when asked about overtaking, with Hamilton, Lando Norris and Sergio Perez promoted ahead of him in the grid order.
"The middle sector, the high-speed corners and the last two corners is a tricky part to follow closely.
"But there's long straights and, if you have the pace, if you have the right strategy for sure we can move up – and that's of course going to be the aim.
"In terms of strategy we're starting with the medium tyre. Some guys I'm battling with who are starting on the soft, so that can play a part."
Hamilton vowed to fight championship leader Verstappen hard but maintains Red Bull have more pace despite his team chipping away at the advantage.
"We gave it everything and we've got a long race so I hope that the balance works for us," said the seven-time world champion.
"It's going to be a tough battle with these guys - they've generally had the edge throughout the weekend and the analysis last night was that they are a quarter of a second ahead on long run pace.
"I hope through work we've closed that gap but finding the next two-tenths [to Red Bull] is a little bit difficult. We will not leave any stone unturned."
AlphaTauri had a good day with Pierre Gasly in sixth and Yuki Tsunoda qualifying eighth either side of Charles Leclerc.
But another grid penalty was handed out ahead of Sunday's race, with Japanese driver Tsunoda demoted to 11th – ironically for blocking Bottas – meaning Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll and George Russell benefit.
Triumphs for Verstappen and Red Bull team-mate Perez were impressive at the street circuits of Monaco and Baku.
But the Dutchman's win at the more traditional French Grand Prix last time out – a race Mercedes had dominated in the previous two years – was a huge statement that gave him a 12-point lead in the standings.
Verstappen continued his momentum to take pole and is now chasing his third career triumph in Spielberg, which would make this his most successful track in terms of wins.
Bottas and Hamilton won the two grands prix here last year, though there were sweet home successes for Red Bull in each of the two years prior.
Maverick Vinales is full of confidence after putting his disastrous German Grand Prix showing behind him to claim pole position for Sunday's Dutch TT.
The Monster Energy Yamaha rider finished last at Sachsenring last week, but stuck with the same bike at Assen and dominated qualifying on Saturday.
Vinales topped FP1, FP1 and FP3 before setting a new lap record of 1:31.814 seconds in qualifying, the 26-year-old finishing 0.071s ahead of team-mate Fabio Quartararo.
It was the perfect response on the back of last week's calamity, but Vinales insists the dominant showing at Assen should not come as a surprise.
"Honestly this should be the norm all weekends," he said. "I think we have a good level, our confidence is high.
"I have a really high confidence in what we are able to do but just we didn't find the way to do it before.
"This weekend we didn't touch anything. I said, 'don't touch the bike, it's perfect'. And working on that, it was good, I'm quite happy and now we'll see.
"Tomorrow we have a good chance, we will push at the maximum. For me the result isn't important – for me it's important to give the maximum from one to lap 25."
Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia will join Yamaha pair Vinales and Quartararo on the front row for Sunday's race, while Takaaki Nakagami and Johann Zarco are on row two.
Quartararo tops the riders' standings and has a 22-point lead on Johann Zarco, but the Frenchman accepts he faces a tough task overhauling Vinales on Sunday.
"I think with Maverick we need to be clever, because it's true that on the paper we have really good pace," he said.
"So, I think if we need to play something in my opinion it's great to be clever on the first lap and see at the end.
"But it will depend. I feel great to fight for the victory. It's not that because my main contenders are behind me that I need to be careful.
"For me, it’s the beginning of the championship, we are not even in the middle. So, if I have one chance to fight for the victory I will go for it."
Marc Marquez came out on top in Germany last week, but he will start from 20th in Sunday's 26-lap Dutch TT after crashing in qualifying.
The Repsol Honda rider was flung from his RC213V early on in Friday's FP2 session and admits that accident affected him the following day.
"It's true that today I started the morning and the first thing was I was like, 'OK, it will be impossible to ride the bike' because after the crash from yesterday I had a lot of pain," he said.
"Then it was very difficult. This was in the morning, then in the afternoon step by step I felt better, and this makes me happy because it looks like now if it's in a better way.
"But it's true that the crash from yesterday affected me a lot today."
Provisional classification
1. Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha) 1:31.814
2. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +0.071s
3. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) +0.302s
4. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) +0.500s
5. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) +0.580s
6. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM) +0.636s
7. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) +0.783s
8. Jack Miller (Ducati) +0.795s
9. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) +0.852s
10. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) +0.934s
11. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda) +1.016s
12. Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha) +1.105
British and Irish Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones has been ruled out of the tour of South Africa after suffering a dislocated shoulder in the 28-10 victory over Japan.
Jones had to be replaced in the eighth minute of the warm-up Test at Murrayfield on Saturday after sustaining the injury while being cleared out of a ruck as he attempted to get his hands on the ball.
Lions head coach Gatland confirmed after the match that Jones will not fly out to face the world champions.
The New Zealander said: "He's dislocated his shoulder.
"Prognosis of him being fit and very, very best-case scenario is the first Test [in Cape Town on July 24]. He's going to go and get a scan but we’re looking like we’re going to have to replace him."
Gatland added: "It’s pretty much made [the decision that Jones will not travel to South Africa], I was speaking to the physios, I’ve spoken to Alun Wyn.
"He understands, very best case scenario, he may get back for the Test but we need to call someone in and hopefully get them on the flight tomorrow.
"It's very disappointing, he’s been around rugby long enough, he's going to be gutted, I'm very disappointed for him. It's one of those things, you’ve got to put that behind you and move on as quickly as possible you can."
Gatland will consider who to replace lock Jones with in the squad and a new skipper.
He added: "We are discussing a couple of names at the moment, unfortunately I got called away to do a press conference.
"I'm going back to finalise that after I've spoken to you guys, we’ll make that call, have a discussion about who comes in and potentially who’s going to take over as tour captain as well."
Justin Tipuric also suffered a shoulder injury early on but Gatland is unsure of the extent of the damage.
The former Wales boss said: "It was a sting in the shoulder. We're going to check, to make sure there's no nerve damage.
"If there was nerve impingement that could rule him out - at the moment, pretty sure he’s going to be okay."
A hamstring injury sustained by Jack Conan will also be checked on.
Jelena Ostapenko has targeted a return to the top 10 of the WTA rankings after beating Anett Kontaveit in straight sets to win the Viking International in Eastbourne.
The Latvian was the first wildcard to reach the final since Daniela Hantuchova in 2000 and kept up her good form ahead of Wimbledon by beating Kontaveit 6-3 6-3.
French Open 2017 winner Ostapenko dominated from the start and picked up the victory in one hour and five minutes, adding to her three previous career WTA titles.
She has now won titles on all four surfaces – clay, hard, indoor and grass – and is hopeful of improving on her current ranking of 43rd in the world.
"I think it says that I can be dangerous and playing well on all surfaces probably," she said in her on-court interview.
"Of course I enjoy to play more on just some of them, but in general I can adjust well to different surfaces.
"I think this is just the beginning for me. If I keep playing the way I played this tournament, I think I can be back in top 10 and play well.
"I just have to keep that in my mind and work even harder."
Ostapenko made good use of her strong service game to break Kontaveit's serve in the third and fifth games.
Kontaveit earned a first break in the eighth game with four service return winners in a row, but Ostapenko recovered from 40-15 in the next game to take the opening set.
It was then plain sailing for Ostapenko in the second set as she earned the only break at 2-1 and held for the remainder, clinching the victory with her second championship point.
Ostapenko will face Leylah Fernandez in the first round of Wimbledon next week.
Alex De Minaur claimed the first grass-court title of his career with a hard-fought three-set victory over Lorenzo Sonego in the Viking International final.
De Minaur lost the first set against his Italian opponent, who reached a career-high ranking of 26 earlier this month, but the Australian fought back to prevail 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5).
Having forced a decider, it was De Minaur who had the most left in the third-set tie-break, which decided an entertaining contest that lasted two hours and 40 minutes.
It marked De Minaur's second title of 2021 following his success at the Antalya Open back in January.
Prior to Saturday, all four of De Minaur's ATP titles had come on hard courts.
However, an excellent backhand return of a second serve set him up for a forehand smash to clinch a triumph that should give him great confidence heading into Wimbledon.
De Minaur starts his campaign at the All England Club on Monday with a testing opening clash against Sebastian Korda while Sonego faces Pedro Sousa.
Speaking at the presentation, De Minaur paid tribute to Sonego, who recently lost his grandmother.
"Everyone should congratulate Lorenzo for an incredible week. Everyone should be scared of you at Wimbledon next week," said De Minaur.
"It's been a long week, I've played some great tennis, I've managed to pull through a very tough win.
"Hopefully I can keep it going through Wimbledon, I can't wait to go there next week."
Daniil Medvedev made light work of sealing his first grass-court title, as he defeated Sam Querrey in straight sets at the Mallorca Championships.
The world number two was playing in his first final on grass, and took just 63 minutes to win 6-4 6-2 and warm up for Wimbledon in emphatic fashion.
It brings up Medvedev's second title of the season and his 11th in total, though he had failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals in his last five tournaments since winning in Marseille in March.
Medvedev suggested he was clicking into gear after his win over Pablo Carreno Busta on Friday, and he backed up his point on Saturday, cruising to victory without offering up a single break point.
The 25-year-old broke world number 60 Querrey – seeking his first ATP Tour title since 2017 – on three occasions, and an ace, his 10th of the match, sealed victory.
Like at the French Open, Medvedev heads to Wimbledon as the second seed. He is the same half of the draw as 20-time grand slam champion Roger Federer, and has a first-round encounter with Jan-Lennard Struff, who knocked the Russian out of the Halle Open last week.
Captain Alun Wyn Jones suffered an early injury blow before three British and Irish Lions debutants scored tries in a 28-10 defeat of Japan at Murrayfield.
Jones was withdrawn in pain in the eighth minute of the first-ever Lions Test in Scotland on Saturday with what was reported to be a shoulder injury.
Justin Tipuric was also forced off with an injury in the first half of the Lions' first meeting with Japan ahead of the tour of South Africa, which Warren Gatland's side won comfortably to lift the 1888 Cup.
Josh Adams, Duhan van der Merwe and Tadhg Beirne marked their debuts with a try, while Robbie Henshaw also touched down and the excellent Dan Biggar was on target with all four conversions.
Japan, playing their first Test since losing to the Springboks in the quarter-finals of the 2019 World Cup, entertained in the second half and were rewarded with a try from Kazuki Himeno.
There was concern for the Lions when skipper Jones was replaced early on after doing damage while trying to turn the ball over before his Wales team-mate Adams got the first points on the board.
The winger showed great feet and good strength to come in off the line and power his way over following a strong run from Bundee Aki.
Tipuric also made a concerning early exit before Van der Merwe caught Japan napping, picking the ball up from the back of a ruck and crossing all too easily.
The Lions were dominant and Ireland centre Henshaw ploughed over from close range after taking a pass from Conor Murray, with the impressive Biggar's third successful conversion increasing the lead to 21-0.
Courtney Lawes, Jones' replacement, lost control before grounding the ball when he crashed over early in the second half, but Beirne took a great line and showed a sharp turn of foot to burst through and go under the posts.
The Brave Blossoms enjoyed themselves after the break and Himeno finished following a lineout routine as the Lions defence work given a great workout with bigger tests to come.
Lions wait on Jones and Tipuric
It takes a lot to keep Jones down, so the sight of the lock grimacing on the deck and taking a rueful look to the skies was a worry for the Lions.
Gatland faces an anxious wait to discover the extent of the most-capped player in Test history's injury before the Lions board the plane to South Africa.
Flanker Tipuric's involvement was also brief just under a month before the first Test against the world champions in Cape Town.
Debut delight
Wales winger Adams and Scotland flyer Van der Merwe wasted no time in marking their mark on their Lions bows.
Van Der Merwe, the leading try-scorer in the Six Nations this year, made 72 metres from eight carries and beat four defenders.
Adams did not see as much of the ball, but grasped his early chance, while Beirne made 49 metres from his 10 carries and won two turnovers in an eye-catching display.
Chris Froome's Tour de France hopes were left in tatters on the four-time champion's return to the race as he was caught up in the second of two major crashes on stage one, which saw Julian Alaphilippe lay down an early marker with victory.
The 197.8 kilometre ride from Brest to Landerneau had already been disrupted by a massive crash in the peloton at the 152km mark.
A collision between Tony Martin and a spectator's placard sent riders careering to the tarmac and saw the front of the race neutralised to allow the peloton to catch up.
Breakaway rider Ide Schelling, whose efforts on the climbs ensured he took the polka dot jersey at the end of the stage, was eventually reeled in, but there was more drama to come with 7.5km left.
Froome, making his first appearance at the Tour since 2018 for Israel Start-Up Nation, was left on the ground after another crash that came about in less controversial circumstances, with Greg Van Avermaet and Richie Porte also involved.
Those fortunate to avoid the carnage were left with the opportunity to pick up huge amounts of time on other general classification contenders and world champion Alaphilippe grasped that chance with both hands, the Deceuninck–Quick-Step rider attacking with 2.2km to go and making the move stick.
The Frenchman crossed the line to delight the home fans, ensuring he will swap the rainbow jersey for the yellow jersey with his sixth stage win at the Tour.
Froome, who was seemingly finding it difficult to stand following his crash, succeeded in getting back on bike and riding to the finish at a pedestrian pace.
Even if he can recover, Froome's chances of claiming a fifth title this year are surely already gone.
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