Max Verstappen admitted Red Bull were "a bit too slow" compared to Mercedes and McLaren after the first two practice sessions for the Dutch Grand Prix.
Verstappen is without a win since the Spanish Grand Prix in June but is looking to earn a fourth victory in a row on home soil on Sunday.
However, he ended up down in fifth place after Friday's second practice session, trailing George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, and Lando Norris at Zandvoort.
Having only made the podium in one race since his last win, Verstappen is eyeing big improvements ahead of qualifying on Saturday.
"Of course, in FP1 I didn't really get a lot of running in. I guess in FP2 you could see a little bit more where you are.
"[We're] a bit too slow on the short run, a bit too slow on the long run, so a bit of work to do.
"At the moment, [there's] no clear answer of how to improve that specifically, but we'll look into things. Just a bit too slow, as simple as that.
"It's where we've been the last few races, so it's not really a surprise. We'll try to just find a little bit more performance for Sunday."
Meanwhile, Ferrari also struggled to match the early pace set by Mercedes and McLaren, with Charles Leclerc placing ninth on the timesheet after the second session.
He was the sole representative for the team for most of the session after Carlos Sainz had gearbox trouble, and the Monegasque admitted they still had work to do to challenge.
"Tough [day]!" Leclerc said. "As expected, I would say. We don't quite have the pace of the guys in front, unfortunately.
"I think it's better than what it looks like on the timesheet at the end of the day, but still not quite in the fight for the win, for sure.
"There's quite a bit of work to do still. That's what we are doing, but I hope it will pay off soon."
Adam Scott is aiming to replicate his second-round form as he looks to hold onto his lead at the BMW Championship.
Scott carded a stunning 63 at Castle Pines on Friday to take an unlikely lead in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
The Australian is on 13 under par heading into the weekend, three shots ahead of first-round leader Keegan Bradley and four strokes clear of Ludvig Aberg, who matched Scott's 63.
Alex Noren, Aberg's Swedish compatriot, is a shot back in third.
"It's been a long time. I can't remember the last time I shot a 63 out here," Scott, who won The Masters in 2013 but has not claimed a Tour-level victory since 2020, told pgatour.com.
"But it feels good to go low, that I've still got that in me. Hopefully, there's one more this week."
Rory McIlroy is tied at 15th on three-under-par, while Xander Schauffele is a shot further back.
World number one Scottie Scheffler is tied at 29, however, after carding a par 72.
There was disappointment for Hideki Matsuyama, meanwhile, with the St. Jude Championship winner forced to withdraw due to a back problem.
"I am disappointed to have to withdraw from the BMW Championship after experiencing lower back discomfort while warming up this morning, which made it impossible to play," he said on Friday.
"Thank you to BMW and the Western Golf Association for a great experience here at Castle Pines."
When Novak Djokovic triumphed at Flushing Meadows last year, he surely thought the outright record for grand slam titles was all but his.
Yet just shy of a year later, Djokovic is still waiting for his 25th major win - and the one that would take him clear of Margaret Court, making him the undisputed greatest of all time.
He came close at Wimbledon, but Carlos Alcaraz ultimately had too much, with the Spaniard winning the final in straight sets.
Alcaraz, the 2022 US Open champion, will be one of the most likely candidates scrapping it out for Djokovic's crown over the next two weeks, along with world number one Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic avenged that Wimbledon defeat with a 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) win over Alcaraz in the final of the Paris Olympics, with the 37-year-old ending his wait for a gold medal.
But while that gold is now hanging around his neck (or, in his trophy cabinet, which must be pretty big), it did not settle Djokovic's desire for that record-breaking major triumph. His next tournament win would also bring up his 100th career title.
Should Djokovic fail to defend his crown, though, it will be just the fourth year since he won his first major in 2008 that he has not won a grand slam in a season, after 2009, 2010 and 2017.
But what do the Opta statistics tell us about the key storylines ahead of the US Open?
Can Djokovic dominate?
Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer have won the US Open a joint-record five times each. Should Djokovic win, he will join that illustrious trio on five Flushing Meadows titles.
Connors has appeared in (115) and won (98) the most singles matches of any player in the Open Era at the tournament, but Djokovic (88) has won the most among active players and could equal Federer (89) for the second-most by defeating Radu Albot in round one on Monday.
Should Djokovic reach the second round, he will also match Federer's tally of matches played in the competition (103).
At 87.1%, Djokovic holds the second-best win percentage at the US Open in the Open Era of players to have featured in at least 30 matches at the event, after Sampras (88.8%).
The Serbian great, who became the oldest player to win the men's singles at the US Open when he succeeded at the age of 36 years and 111 days in 2023, has featured in the most men's singles finals in the tournament's history (10). He is the only player in the Open Era to have reached 10+ finals at multiple grand slams, having also done so at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Should he reach the quarter-finals, barring walkovers, Djokovic will surpass Federer (429) for the most matches played at grand slams in the Open Era. If he were to then reach the last four, he would be the first male to appear in 50 major semi-finals, and the second player overall after Chris Evert (52).
Connors (109) and Federer (103) are the only players to win 100 Tour-level titles, while Djokovic is chasing his 72nd hard-court title, which would take him clear of Federer (71).
Could the kids have too much?
Djokovic may have outfought Alcaraz at the Olympics, but that was only after he had been dispatched by the world number three at the All-England Club.
Alcaraz, who said he had played his worst-ever tennis during a shock defeat to Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open earlier this month, could become only the third player in the Open Era to win the men's singles title at Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year after Rod Laver (1968) and Rafael Nadal (2010).
Aged 21 years and 126 days, he would also be the youngest man to win a singles title at three grand slams in a calendar year. He won his first major title at Flushing Meadows two years ago, and reached the semi-finals last season, losing to eventual runner-up Daniil Medvedev.
Then there is the world number one, and top seed, Sinner. The Italian was forced to miss the Olympics due to illness, but after going out in the last eight at the Canadian Open, he returned to form with a sensational run to triumph in Cincinnati.
That was his fourth title of the season. Excluding team events, Sinner (23 years, 23 days) could become the youngest player to win five ATP trophies on hard court in a calendar year since Andy Murray in 2009.
Since the Australian Open switched to hard court in 1988, Sinner could become only the fourth male to win that competition and US Open in the same year, after Mats Wilander (1988), Roger Federer (2004, 2006 and 2007) and Djokovic (2011, 2015 and 2023).
Sinner has now won three ATP 1000 hard-court titles in total. Across the past decade, only three players have won more Masters titles on the surface: Djokovic (17), Federer (seven) and Medvedev (five).
The last top seed to lose in their opening match at the US Open was Stefan Edberg, who lost to Alexander Volkov in 1990.
Indeed, the US Open is certainly not a tournament in which you can confidently say "expect the unexpected" when it comes to major shocks.
Only two top seeds in the Open Era have been eliminated in the first round of the men's singles – John Newcombe (1971) and Stefan Edberg (1990). Andre Agassi is the last first seed to not reach the second week at the event, losing to Arnaud Clement in straight sets back in 2000.
Shohei Ohtani hit a two-out, walk-off grand slam to become the fastest player in major league history to join the 40-40 club as the streaking Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-3 on Friday night.
Ohtani is the first Dodger to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season and the sixth ever. He broke the record held by Alfonso Soriano, who reached the mark in Game 148 for the Washington Nationals in 2006.
Ohtani, who stole his 40th base in the fourth inning, did it in the Dodgers' 129th game.
The other 40-40 members are Jose Canseco (1988), Barry Bonds (1996), Alex Rodriguez (1998) and Ronald Acuna Jr. (2023).
Will Smith was hit by Manuel Rodriguez leading off the ninth and Tommy Edman followed with a single. Smith and Edman moved up on Miguel Rojas’ sacrifice. Colin Poche came in and walked Max Muncy to set up Ohtani’s 389-foot slam to center.
Kike Hernandez accounted for all the Dodgers’ offence before Ohtani’s blast with a tying three-run homer in the fifth off starter Tyler Alexander.
Los Angeles has won five straight and 11 of 14 to remain four games ahead of Arizona in the NL West.
Junior Caminero and Christopher Morel went deep for the Rays, who dropped their second in a row.
Mariners rally to win Wilson’s debut
Leo Rivas singled home Dylan More in the 10th inning and the Seattle Mariners erased a four-run deficit for a 6-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants in Dan Wilson’s managerial debut.
Seattle scored four times in the eighth inning to pull even at 5-5, then saw Rivas come through in the 10th.
Pinch-runner Moore stole third base with one out and Rivas lined a 2-2 pitch from Erik Miller into center field to set off a celebration as Seattle won for just the second time in the 10 games.
Wilson was named manager of the Mariners on Thursday after Scott Servais was fired.
Luke Raley homered for Seattle, but it was a big eighth-inning rally that gave the Mariners a chance. They sent nine batters to the plate and scored four times with six consecutive singles off reliever Tyler Rogers. Justin Turner, Josh Rojas, Rivas and Raley all had RBI singles that helped make it 5-5.
LaMonte Wade Jr., Heliot Ramos and Michael Conforto homered for the Giants, who lost their second straight after winning three in a row.
Judge homers again as Yankees win
Aaron Judge homered for the fourth straight game with his major league-leading 49th and Carlos Rodon pitched six innings in the New York Yankees’ 3-0 win over the Colorado Rockies.
Judge homered for the fourth straight game, sending a 388-foot shot to left-center off Kyle Freeland in the sixth inning.
Judge has eight homers in his last 11 games and 17 homers in his last 34. He is one home run shy of becoming just the fifth player in history to record three 50-homer seasons. Judge is on pace to match the 62 homers he hit in 2022, when he broke the American League record set in 1961 by late Yankees slugger Roger Maris.
Judge is hitting .381 with 43 homers and 101 RBIs in 94 games since his average dipped to .197 on May 2.
Rodon (14-8) moved into a tie for the major league lead in wins, allowing four hits with one walk and five strikeouts.
Rodón, Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes have combined to toss 19 straight scoreless innings in the Yankees’ last three games.
New York won its third straight to remain 1 ½ games ahead of Baltimore in the AL East.
Jamaica’s Malone Bird successfully made it through to the second stage of the Boys’ U11 Singles competition at the Pan American Under 11 and Under 13 Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Wednesday.
Bird made it through the group phase after securing one win and one loss in his two matches on Wednesday.
After suffering a straight-set loss at the hands of Canada’s Daniel Liang (11-4, 11-9, 11-7) in his first game, he rebounded with a four-set win over Guatemala’s Omar Ixcaragua.
Bird won the first two sets 11-7 and 11-8 before Ixcaragua tried to mount a comeback with an 11-4 third set victory before the Jamaican shut the door with an 11-6 win in the fourth set.
Unfortunately, the second half of the Bird brothers, Shacoil, didn’t have the same success and failed to advance to the next phase after suffering a pair of straight set losses to Brazil’s Joao Ribeiro (11-7, 11-3, 11-7) and Ecuador’s Juan Gonzalez (11-9, 11-6, 11-1).
The draw for the second phase of the singles will be held on Friday. The Bird brothers will also take on Argentina in doubles on Friday.
George Russell believes this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix may be decided by the finest of margins after going quickest during Friday's practice in Zandvoort.
Russell, who was denied a third career win at Spa for his car being underweight last time out, finished the session 0.061 seconds quicker than McLaren's Oscar Piastri.
Mercedes' recent improvements were on show once more, with Russell's team-mate Lewis Hamilton finishing 0.111 behind him as Lando Norris ended up in fourth.
Defending world champion Max Verstappen endured another difficult time out on track, ending up in fifth ahead of tomorrow's qualifying sessions.
But despite the Dutchman's underwhelming display on the track, Russell did not rule out the threat of Verstappen, who has won the race on the last three ocassions.
“Really difficult out there because it was so windy. But the car was performing really well. It looks to be quite a close battle with the McLarens and Max.”
Hamilton, meanwhile, saw room for improvement in his own performance as he looks to continue his impressive form before the mid-season break.
The seven-time world champion has reached four podiums in the last five Formula 1 races, while also scoring the most points (95) than anyone else in the last five races.
But should he record four consecutive podiums for the first time since 2022, Hamilton acknowledged that his set-up must be spot, starting in qualifying.
“It was OK today. A big, big difference compared to last year so the car is feeling more alive and we’re right up there at the front," Hamilton said.
“I didn’t get the most out of it (on the single lap), there is still performance, left. I just have to work on set-up.
"I don’t know if I looked particularly quick (on the long run) but the set-up I had for a single lap was hindering the long run.”
Norris will also be looking to close the gap in the drivers' championship, currently sitting 78 points behind Verstappen with 10 races of the season remaining.
And after a promising session on Friday, the Briton is confident that McLaren can continue to push and challenge the Silver Arrows this weekend.
“Mercedes look a bit quicker but it is close. I don't think there is a quickest. It depends on different factors.
“We have been in good form since Miami but not brought any updates since Miami. This weekend’s our first time trying to make a bit more progress with the car.
“(I’m) optimistic, but have no idea whether it’s working or not how it’s performing at the minute.
“Today was a reasonable day and we are there or thereabouts. A little bit more to find tonight hopefully and we can challenge the Mercedes.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner insisted Max Verstappen is not available to fill Mercedes' vacant seat for 2025, having watched the world champion finish second to Lando Norris in first practice at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Verstappen has dominated Formula One since beating Lewis Hamilton to his maiden drivers' championship in 2021, winning a further two titles and topping the standings again this year.
However, the Dutchman has struggled of late amid rumours his future could lie elsewhere, failing to win any of his last four races – his longest drought since an 11-race run in 2020.
With Hamilton agreeing to join Ferrari for 2025, Mercedes are one of just three teams yet to finalise their driver pairings for next season.
They were strongly linked with a move for Carlos Sainz, but he will join Williams next year after being displaced by Hamilton at Ferrari.
Mercedes have repeatedly refused to rule out an ambitious move for Verstappen, and ahead of taking part in his 200th race this weekend, the Dutchman suggested he will not remain in F1 for another 200 outings.
Horner, though, says there is no chance of Verstappen joining the Silver Arrows next year.
"It's just like we've been stating all the way through the year: we know what our agreement is with Max and Max knows what his agreement with us is," he told Sky Sports.
"He's certainly not available to Mercedes for 2025, he never was.
"I'm sure whatever options they choose to take, they've thought carefully about. If they choose to give [Kimi] Antonelli the seat, you have to commend them for taking a risk with a youngster."
Verstappen fell narrowly short of topping the timesheets in FP1 on Friday, as high winds and rain produced difficult conditions upon his Zandvoort homecoming.
McLaren's Norris beat Verstappen by two tenths of a second with a fastest time of 1:12:322, after the inclement weather resulted in limited running for the first 30 minutes.
Hamilton was third ahead of Sainz, with Mercedes' George Russell fifth-fastest and Williams' Alex Albon sixth.
The United States' Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley built a one-shot lead in the first round of the BMW Championship, before a thunderstorm halted play near Denver.
Bradley was named USA captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup in a surprise selection last month, after Tiger Woods had been touted for the role.
He shot a six-under 66 in his first round at Castle Pines, Colorado, on Thursday, finishing his round just before inclement weather halted play for three hours.
When play finally resumed, Hideki Matsuyama missed a birdie putt on the final hole, which would have given him a share of the lead alongside Bradley.
Alexander Noren, Adam Scott and Corey Conners all finished one stroke further back at four under, with Xander Schauffele at three under and Rory McIlroy shooting a two-under 70.
Bradley only just scraped into the 50-player field and is aware of the importance of playing the big events ahead of next year's tournament in New York.
"I want to be out there with the guys and the Ryder Cup team," Bradley said after completing his first round.
"I want to be playing with them, on the range with them, in the locker room, in the tournament. It was really important for me to be in this top 50."
Lando Norris believes the Drivers' Championship is "still in reach" as McLaren introduces upgrades for the Dutch Grand Prix.
Ahead of the Formula One campaign resuming this weekend, Norris sits 78 points behind Max Verstappen in the individual standings, with 10 races remaining in the season.
Red Bull will also be feeling the pressure in the Constructors' Championship, as McLaren sit just 42 points behind.
And Norris remains confident that both he and McLaren remain in sight of titles this season.
"For the teams' championship, of course. For the drivers' championship, it's still in reach but it's a lot of points and it's Max, so I want to be optimistic and say there's still chances," he said.
"I know it's a lot and it's going to be a very difficult challenge performing, but how we are performing and how I know I can perform when things click, I still want to believe."
Both Norris and his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri have achieved their maiden race victories this season.
They have 12 podium finishes between them so far, with McLaren represented in the top three for the last 10 races.
Norris, however, has registered some disappointing finishes. Most recently he failed to take advantage of Verstappen's grid penalty with a fifth-placed finish in Belgium.
"I'm fighting for a championship, so I'm not going to be happy if I'm not performing at the level that I need to, to beat Max, Red Bull and other drivers," he reflected.
"I'm still happy with how the season has gone, just one or two too many mistakes and too many points given away, which is not the level I need to be at if I want to fight for a championship and fight against a driver like Max."
McLaren will be hoping to make up for any mistakes with their new upgrades for the back half of the season.
While Red Bull and Ferrari have both struggled after the introduction of big upgrades, Norris believes his team's decision to wait longer to implement theirs will pay off.
"We haven't had an upgrade since Miami. We have added little things to the car but nothing that we call an 'upgrade'," he explained.
"A lot of other teams have done, especially our main competitors. In a good sense, we have taken our time to understand things.
"We have seen teams put things on the car and it hasn't worked. We wanted to make sure we avoided that, so we have been patient."
Ons Jabeur has withdrawn from the US Open with a shoulder injury just days before the season's final grand slam gets under way.
Most recently, she featured at the Canadian Open in Toronto where she lost in straight sets to Naomi Osaka in the first round.
The Tunisian has been struggling with injuries all season, seeing her miss the Paris Olympics and tournaments in Washington and Cincinnati.
And, just hours after the draw for the US Open was made, the world number 17 decided that her shoulder injury will not allow her to compete at Flushing Meadows.
"I am truly sad to announce that my shoulder won’t recover in time for the US Open. I feel I need to give 100 % and today it's not possible yet," Jabeur wrote on Instagram.
"Life has ups and downs, but sometimes in the very negative moments we all need to find the positive in it. This year has been very tough for me, but I know somewhere the light is there.
"Always grateful for the unconditional support you all bring to me."
The 29-year-old will be replaced in the draw by Elise Mertens, who will become the number 33 seed.
Jabeur achieved her best grand slam result at the US Open, reaching the final in 2022, but lost in straight sets to Iga Swiatek.
She also came agonisingly close to a major title in two further final appearances at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023.
Aaron Judge continued his torrid home run pace with his major league-leading 48th and Gerrit Cole allowed one hit over six innings as the New York Yankees rolled to a 6-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday.
Judge homered for the third straight game and is on pace to finish with 61, two years after hitting 62 to break Roger Maris’ single-season AL record. Judge homered for the sixth time in seven games, seventh time in 10 games and 13th time in 23 games.
Judge had 49 homers through his first 128 games in 2022 and is the only Yankee with at least 48 through that point in multiple seasons. He joined Sammy Sosa (1998, 1999, 2001) and Mark McGwire (1998, 1999) as the third player in baseball history with at least 48 homers through 128 games in multiple seasons.
Cole allowed a single to Steven Kwan on his second pitch and tied a career worst with five walks. He struck out two and got eight outs on the ground, including a double play by rookie Jhonkensy Noel to end the sixth.
Cole became the fourth active pitcher to reach 150 wins, joining Justin Verlander (260), Max Scherzer (216) and Clayton Kershaw (212).
Giancarlo Stanton added a three-run homer for the Yankees, who moved 1 ½ games ahead of Baltimore for the AL East lead.
Cleveland lost for the fifth time in six games. The Guardians scored once and had five hits in the final two games of the series after scoring six times in the 12th in a 9-5 win on Tuesday.
Braves take series from Phillies
Rookie Spencer Schwellenbach retired 19 straight batters and Adam Duvall went 3 for 3 with a home run as the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 to take two of three in the series.
After Schwellenbach surrendered a one-out single to Bryce Harper in the first, he didn't allow another hitter to reach safely until Bryson Stott's infield hit off the pitcher's glove with two outs in the seventh.
J.T. Realmuto followed with a run-scoring double to the gap in right-center, cutting into Atlanta's 3-1 lead and ending Schwellenbach’s night. Pierce Johnson struck out Brandon Marsh to end the threat and worked around two walks in the eighth, retiring Trea Turner on an inning-ending double play.
Raisel Iglesias struck out the side in the ninth for his 28th save in 30 chances.
Schwellenbach gave up two runs and three hits over 6 2/3 innings with one walk and nine strikeouts – all swinging.
Duvall hit his 11th home run leading off the sixth to extend Atlanta’s lead to 3-1. His three-hit night came after he entered the game mired in a 1-for-29 slump.
Arrighetti pitches Astros to 9th straight road win
Spencer Arrighetti pitched three-hit ball over six scoreless innings and the Houston Astros extended their lead in the AL West to a season-high 5 ½ games with a 6-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Arrighetti walked one and struck out six before departing after throwing 94 pitches. He outpitched Orioles ace Corbin Burnes, who allowed five earned runs over 5 2/3 innings.
Ben Gamel drove in two runs in his Astros debut as they won their ninth straight road game, Houston’s longest run since an 11-game streak in 2018.
Gamel, acquired off waivers from the New York Mets, delivered RBI singles in the fourth and sixth, when Houston did all its scoring. The Astros are 62-39 since their 7-19 start, and they've opened a comfortable lead over second-place Seattle in the AL West. Houston was 10 games behind after losing to the Chicago White Sox on June 18.
The Orioles have lost five of seven to fall 1 1/2 games behind the AL East-leading Yankees.
The slumping Seattle Mariners are firing manager Scott Servais following a disastrous 1-8 road trip that has seen the club fall back in the American League West race, The Athletic reported Thursday.
According to the report, former Mariners' catcher Dan WIlson will take over the team for the remainder of the season, with an official announcement to come later Thursday.
Servais was in his ninth season with Seattle and led the Mariners to their first postseason appearance in 21 years in 2022, but the team has been mired in an extended slump as its once-sizeable lead atop the AL West has evaporated over the last two months.
The Mariners owned a 10-game advantage atop the division on June 18 but have gone 20-33 since, and now trail the resurgent Houston Astros by five games for first place.
A lack of offence has been the root cause of Seattle's downfall. The Mariners rank 27th in Major League Baseball in runs scored, last in batting average (.216) and 29th out of 30 teams in slugging percentage (.365).
Servais compiled a 680-642 record since taking over the Mariners in 2016, including a 64-64 mark this season, and ended the franchise's lengthy postseason drought by guiding the 2022 team to a 90-72 record and an AL wild-card berth. Seattle then swept the Toronto Blue Jays in the best-of-three Wild Card Round before being swept by the eventual World Series champion Astros in the AL Division Series.
The Mariners fell one game short of a playoff spot after going 88-74 last season, however, and this year's team has gone 12-21 since July 12 to seal Servais' fate.
Seattle will now attempt to salvage its season under Wilson, a popular former player with no managerial or coaching experience at the major league level. The 55-year-old had been serving as a special assignment coordinator with the Mariners after previously working as the organisation's minor league catching coordinator.
Wilson played 12 seasons for the Mariners from 1994-2005 and was named an All-Star in 1996. He was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2012.
Carlos Alcaraz will begin his bid for a third straight grand slam success against a qualifier at the US Open, while top seed Jannik Sinner will face Mackenzie McDonald in the first round.
Alcaraz won his fourth major title at Wimbledon in July, dominating Novak Djokovic in the final after also triumphing at the 2022 US Open, Wimbledon in 2023 and the French Open earlier this year.
Should the Spaniard progress through his first-round match, he could take on Botic van de Zandschulp in round two and Britain's Jack Draper in the third round.
Seeded third, Alcaraz could face world number one Sinner in the semi-finals, with the Italian starting his campaign against a home favourite in McDonald.
Sinner recently avoided a ban after twice testing positive for banned substance clostebol, with an independent tribunal finding he was inadvertently given the steroid in an over-the-counter spray by his physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi.
On the other side of the men's draw, Djokovic will also start against a qualifier as he bids to finally surpass Margaret Court's overall record of 24 grand slam titles.
Djokovic won his 24th major crown at the 2023 tournament at Flushing Meadows, beating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the final.
He has struggled to find top gear at this year's grand slams, though he did claim his first Olympic gold medal by beating Alcaraz in the showpiece match at Roland-Garros.
In the women's draw, top seed Iga Swiatek will start against a qualifier while Coco Gauff will open her title defence by taking on Varvara Gracheva, with a testing third-round date with Elina Svitolina potentially on the cards for the third-seeded American.
Aryna Sabalenka joins Swiatek in facing a qualifier first, while there is a tricky draw for 2021 US Open winner Emma Raducanu, who is set for her first Flushing Meadows appearance since 2022.
She will take on the United States' 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin, with the victor set to face another American in round two, in either Shelby Rogers or sixth seed Jessica Pegula.
The first round of the US Open begins on Monday, with the women's singles final set for September 7 and the men's showpiece match taking place one day later.
Max Verstappen failed to confirm whether his long-term future remained with Red Bull ahead of this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix.
Verstappen, who leads the Formula One drivers' championship by 78 points to McLaren's Lando Norris, joined the team in 2016 and has since won three world titles.
This weekend's race in Zandvoort will be Verstappen's 200th in the competition, becoming the 23rd driver to reach that tally while also surpassing Alain Prost (199).
During that time, the 26-year-old has won 61 times, reaching 107 podiums while also amassing 2863.5 points in the process.
But when asked if he would compete in another 200 races, Verstappen said: "No. We are past halfway for sure but it's been already an incredible ride.
"It doesn't feel like 200 races, but we do a lot of races in the year, so you add them quite quickly."
The three-time world champion put pen to paper on a new deal with the Austrian-based team in 2022, keeping him with them until at least the end of 2028.
But the Dutchman has been touted as a possible replacement for Lewis Hamilton, who will join Ferrari in 2025, at Mercedes.
"2028 is far away," said Verstappen on whether he could be persuaded to stay in F1 beyond his current contract.
"In my mind at the moment, I'm not thinking about a new contract. I want to see how it goes and see the new regulations to see if it's fun or not," he said.
"Then even in 2026 and 2027, there's a lot of time to decide what happens. I keep everything open and am quite easy-going about it."
Verstappen has struggled since his win at the Spanish Grand Prix five races ago, with the field the most competitive it has been in recent years.
However, he did come from 11th on the grid to beat championship rival Norris to fourth place last time out at the Belgian Grand Prix, but he isn't thinking about his points advantage ahead of this weekend's home race.
"If you look at the championship, Lando is the closest challenger, but lately you can see there are a lot of cars winning races," said Verstappen.
"It's very unknown, very close and attention to detail, getting the car in the right operating window, can really make a difference."
DRIVERS TO WATCH
Max Verstappen - Red Bull
While his future may not be certain, one thing is for sure. Verstappen is out to reclaim his place back on the top step on home turf.
The championship leader has won each of the last three races in Zandvoort, all three from pole position. If he repeats that on Sunday, he will equal Jim Clark as the driver with the most wins at this grand prix.
However, Verstappen has not won any of the last four races. He hasn't gone five without a win since the 2020 season, enduring an 11-race drought from Spain to Sakhir.
He has only one pole position in the last seven F1 races. If he fails to qualify fastest in the Netherlands, he will have gone as many grands prix without a pole position as in his previous 24 races.
Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
The seven-time world champion has shown signs of promise in recent weeks, picking up the most points in the last five races (95).
During that time, he has accumulated the biggest average points difference in those races compared to the first nine races of the 2024 season (12.9 - 19 from the Spanish GP to 6.1 until the Canadian GP).
The Brit has four podiums in the last five races (3rd in Spain, 1st in Great Britain, 3rd in Hungary and 1st in Belgium), one fewer than in the previous 28.
Should he find himself in the top three this time around, it will be the first time he has managed four consecutive podiums since 2022 between Canada and Hungary (five).
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 277
Lando Norris (McLaren) - 199
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 177
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 167
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 162
Constructors
Red Bull - 408
McLaren - 366
Ferrari - 345
Mercedes - 266
Aston Martin - 73
Carlos Sainz says he trusted his gut feeling telling him to sign for Williams for the 2025 season after signing a multi-year contract with them.
The Spaniard's deal ended months of speculation around his future after it was confirmed Lewis Hamilton would replace him at Ferrari.
Williams have found themselves as consistent backmarkers in recent years, but under team principal James Vowles, they look to be making strides towards becoming more competitive, helped by Sainz's arrival.
Sainz said he buys into Vowles' vision and sees it as a similar project to the one McLaren were starting when he left them in 2020.
"I've always had the feeling during all those negotiations, I always had Williams in the back of my head as I always had that good feeling with James [Vowles] and the investment group Dorilton," Sainz said.
"I've learned over the years in Formula 1 to trust in my feeling about people also. I remember when I left McLaren in 2020, I felt like the team was moving forward and was going to be successful in the future, having spent time working with Zak Brown and Andrea Stella.
"When I left McLaren, I said they might not be winning next year or the following year but this team with these people are going to be winning soon, four years later they're performing at an incredibly high level.
"I had this feeling at that time and now I have this feeling about the people and the culture in Williams, I need to trust that feeling, and this is what I committed to."
Sainz is currently fifth in the drivers' championship, while Ferrari are third in the constructors' championship, over 300 points above ninth-place Williams, who have just four points.
After the move was made public, Vowles admitted he had first approached the 29-year-old at the end of last season, making it a top priority to sign him, something that the driver appreciated.
"It was very important, obviously he's the leader of the project, and he has the vision, and he shared that vision, and he convinced me," Sainz added.
"He did a very good job in that sense into convincing me and into sharing the vision he has and the project he has in mind with me.
"I think we are relatively similar characters in that we are both very analytical, very fair and open, and he convinced me, as simple as that."
Jamaica’s team of brothers Malone and Shacoil Bird got as far as the Round of 16 stage of the Boys’ Under 11 Team category at the ongoing 2024 Pan American Under 11 and Under 13 Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The boys first advanced from Group 2 of the preliminary phase on Tuesday with a win 3-1 win over the Dominican Republic after suffering a 0-3 loss at the hands of the USA B.
They were then defeated 3-0 in the Round of 16 by Guatemala B on Wednesday.
Malone Bird and Gustavo Borrayo opened proceedings in the tie with a thrilling five-set battle which the Guatemalan eventually won.
Borrayo took the first set 11-8 before Bird won the second in a similar score line to tie the match at one-set all.
Borrayo then re-established a lead with a dominant 11-5 third set win before Bird rallied once again to win the fourth 11-6.
The deciding set was the least competitive as Borrayo ran away with an 11-3 win.
The second singles match between Shacoil Bird and Omar Ixcaragua was far less competitive with the latter winning in straight-sets (11-9, 11-6, 11-4).
The doubles encounter was next which the Guatemalans won in another five-set contest.
Borrayo and Ixcaragua took the first set 11-7 before Jamaica’s Bird brothers made it 1-1 with an 11-9 second set win.
Guatemala took the third in a similar score line as the first before the Jamaicans set up a decisive fifth set with an 11-3 fourth set win.
The deciding set was competitive with both pairs battling to an eventual 11-8 win by Guatemala.
Guatemala B got all the way to the semi-finals of the Boys’ U11 Team category where they lost 3-0 to USA B.
The category was won by USA A who beat USA B 3-2 in the final on Wednesday.
The Bird brothers will open their singles campaigns in the first phase on Thursday.
Malone Bird will take on Guatemala’s Omar Ixcaragua and Canada’s Daniel Liang in Group 3 while Shacoil Bird will face Brazil’s Joao Ribeiro and Ecuador’s Juan Gonzalez in Group 4.
They play Argentina’s Luca Marcial and Valentino Villegas in doubles on Friday.
Daniel Ricciardo admitted he thought there was a possibility he could replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull for the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Before the mid-season break, there was a lot of speculation over the Mexican's future after a difficult first half of the campaign despite him recently signing a two-year contract.
After four podium finishes across the first five races, Perez failed to finish above fourth across the next nine.
During the break, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner released a statement to confirm Perez would continue alongside Max Verstappen from this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix.
Ricciardo, who races for RB, was one of the names linked with Perez's seat if he was let go, and he says he would not have turned down the move if it was a possibility.
"I didn't rule it out," he said. "I thought maybe something could happen, but I also didn't expect it or get my hopes up.
"I was aware 'maybe something changes', but I just thought: 'Do what I'm doing and if I get a call, I get a call.' I didn't get a call, but that's what I mentally prepared myself for."
Ricciardo's contract is up at the end of the year, and with Liam Lawson "certain" of being in one of the Red Bull or RB cars next year, according to team advisor Helmut Marko, the Australian could find himself without a seat in 2025.
Lawson has been on the sidelines as a reserve driver so far this season, though impressed when he filled in for Ricciardo for five race weekends last year.
The 35-year-old believes Lawson deserves his place on the team next year, but is relaxed about his own future, which is still up in the air.
"I have every opportunity in front of me and that's the beauty, it's up to me," Ricciardo told Sky Sports F1. "Yes, there is always pressure from myself and that of the Red Bull system, but I know if I do a job, I will have a seat and somewhere to race.
"I got to see Liam drive the car last year and I think he did a great job and is worthy of a seat on the grid," said Ricciardo.
"In a way, I'm happy for him. If he's guaranteed a seat on the grid next year, that's good because he is a deserving driver.
"What that means for me is probably a bit unknown, but if I perform, they will find a spot for me somewhere!"
Kimi Antonelli has credited Mercedes boss Toto Wolff with giving him confidence in his ability during difficult moments at the start of his Formula 2 career.
Antonelli, who currently sits seventh in the F2 standings, has enjoyed a rapid rise through the motorsport ranks, bypassing F3 to compete in the category, although it hasn't all been smooth sailing.
Antonelli endured a difficult start to the campaign with PREMA racing, but finally finished on the podium as he claimed his maiden F2 victory at Silverstone in July.
He has since gone on to claim a win in Hungary, explaining that after a tough qualifying session at Silverstone, Wolff was on hand to deliver him some guidance.
"I am also very happy with the relationship I have [with Wolff],” said Antonelli. “In difficult moments I ask him for advice and he always looks for a way to give me confidence.
"I'll give you an example. After the disappointing qualifying in Silverstone I called him because it was a bit of a tough time.
"We talked a lot and that conversation gave me back my confidence, and the next day I won and it was really nice to see him under the podium.
"When you go through difficult times, I think you come out stronger in the end, also in terms of attitude. Silverstone and Budapest confirmed it."
While Antonelli's focus has been on his F2 campaign, as well as taking part in several test sessions with Mercedes, he has remained at the centre of speculation.
The Italian is among the favourites to replace the departing Lewis Hamilton, who is joining Ferrari for the 2025 season having spent 11 years with the team.
But with no confirmation yet on who will join George Russell at the squad, Antonelli is keeping his feet on the ground.
"I'm very happy to be considered [for F1], but I'm not asking for anything," he commented. "At the moment my goal is to do well in Formula 2, then we'll see.
"I still see it as a dream. I did happen to think about it, but it is a passing thought. In all honesty, I can tell you that for me today it is still a dream. We'll see if it comes true."
The Atlanta Falcons are making A.J. Terrell the second highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, handing him a four-year contract extension worth $81million.
Terrell will receive $65.8m in guaranteed money, according to a report from NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
The Green Bay Packers' Jaire Alexander, who signed a four-year, $84m extension in 2022, is the only cornerback to earn more than Terrell will make on his new deal.
Terrell was selected 16th overall by Atlanta in the 2020 NFL draft and has only missed seven games through his first four seasons with the team.
He was set to play on his fifth-year rookie option, worth $12.3m, in 2024, but the team have moved to tie him down for the long-term with his bumper new deal.
Terrell was voted into the second All-Pro team in 2021 and has compiled 247 tackles, 43 passes defensed, four interceptions and one sack for the Falcons to date.
He was an ever-present as they went 7-10 for a third straight season under Arthur Smith in 2023, prompting them to fire the head coach and bring in Raheem Morris as his replacement.
Atlanta have been busy revitalising their offense during the offseason, completing a huge free agency move for former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins before drafting Michael Pinix Jr. eighth overall as his long-term successor.
Tying Terrell down was seen as a key requirement on the defensive side of the ledger, and news of his extension comes as a major boost ahead of their season opener versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 8.
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