Suriname kept their slim hopes of claiming the gold medal in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship alive with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-15) victory against host Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena.
With the straight-sets win, Suriname, seeking a first title at this level, improved their win-loss record to 2-1 and 11 points, the same as Jamaica (2-1) and two points behind unbeaten leaders Haiti (3-0) as the trio will enter the final day of the five-team round-robin series all in contention for their first title.
Hosts Trinidad and Tobago, who needed a win to keep alive their medal hopes dropped to a 1-2 record and three points, just ahead of winless US Virgin Islands, who completed their four-match campaign with two points.
Despite the loss, Trinidad and Tobago still has a slim chance at a medal but will need to pull off a shock win over title-favourites Haiti.
On, Monday, July 11, in the final round of matches, Jamaica meets Suriname at 10 am, and Haiti meets Trinidad and Tobago at 4 pm, at the end of which, the top team will be declared champions.
South Africa centre Andre Esterhuizen has been ruled out of Saturday's series decider against Wales with a broken hand.
The 28-year-old sustained the injury during the Springboks' 13-12 loss in Bloemfontein over the weekend.
Boks assistant coach Deon Davids confirmed on Monday that Esterhuizen is facing around a month on the sidelines.
However, South Africa were always expected to revert back to the XV that started the first Test, which ended in a dramatic 32-29 victory.
That would see Lukhanyo Am and Damian De Allende recalled as the hosts' starting midfield combination for the Cape Town showdown.
Esterhuizen is now in a race against time to be fit for South Africa's opening Rugby Championship match against New Zealand on August 6.
Tennis great Roger Federer is no longer ranked by the ATP Tour after his remaining ranking points expired, meaning he has dropped out of the top 100 for the first time this century.
The 40-year-old has not played since undergoing knee surgery after a straight-sets defeat to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 2021, having also missed much of the 2020 season with a similar injury.
But Federer, a 20-time grand slam champion, has repeatedly ruled out retiring and recently said he intends to make an ATP Tour comeback in 2023.
His remaining ranking points have now expired, meaning he has not only dropped out of the top 100 for the first time in almost 23 years, but he is no longer ranked at all by the ATP.
According to Opta, the last time the Swiss superstar was not ranked among the 100 best players in the world was October 4, 1999, a remarkable 8,316 days ago.
Daniil Medvedev remains as world number one, while Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic slipped to seventh in the rankings despite his win over Nick Kyrgios at SW19 on Sunday, as ranking points were stripped in this year's tournament.
England flanker Sam Underhill will not feature in the Test series decider against Australia due to concussion, joining Maro Itoje on Eddie Jones' list of absentees.
Jones confirmed Itoje would be unavailable for the winner-takes-all clash in Sydney on Saturday, after England levelled the series with a 25-17 victory in Brisbane last weekend.
England have won four of their past five games in Oceania, having done so just once in their previous 12 away matches against teams from that continent, but the most recent victory came at a cost.
While Jones had already acknowledged Itoje would miss the third Test, England remained hopeful Underhill may be fit to feature after the pair both suffered concussions in the same game.
However, England announced on Monday that the pair had been withdrawn from the squad and no replacements have been called up.
Flanker Tom Curry has already returned home after being concussed in the first Test, with Australia's Jordan Petaia and Allan Alaalatoa making up the five players ruled out of the series due to concussion.
Jones will likely call upon Billy Vunipola and Courtney Lawes again, with Ollie Chessum, Lewis Ludlam and Jack Willis the alternate options for the final spot in the back row.
Novak Djokovic has slipped to seventh in the ATP Tour rankings despite winning Wimbledon, where ranking points were stripped in this year's tournament.
Players from Russia and Belarus were banned from competing at the third major of the year due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The ATP and WTA retaliated by stripping ranking points from the event at the All England Club, where the likes of world number one Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev did not feature.
Moscow-born Elena Rybakina, who switched to represent Kazakhstan four years ago, lifted the women's title in the singles competition, while Djokovic triumphed for a fourth straight time in the men's event.
Yet, Djokovic has lost 2,000 rankings points – the standard total awarded to a grand slam singles champion – after winning in SW19 last year, with no such rewards available on this occasion.
That meant the Serbian has dropped from third place to seventh, his lowest position since August 2018 when he fell to 10th.
Djokovic moved within just one major title of Rafael Nadal's record of 22 grand slams, and the Spaniard has jumped up one spot to third.
Medvedev and Alexander Zverev are unmoved as the respective top two after losing just 180 rankings points in the latest edition. Both missed Wimbledon, with the Russian banned and the German still injured.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz make up the top six after climbing a place each, while Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jannik Sinner are the trio behind Djokovic.
Nick Kyrgios appeared in his maiden major final against Djokovic at Wimbledon as world number 40, the lowest-ranked grand slam male finalist since Marcos Baghdatis (54) at the Australian Open in 2006.
Just a day later Kyrgios has dropped five places to 45th in the rankings, losing 90 points from his third-round berth last year. If the ban was not imposed, the Australian would have broken into the top 20.
Cameron Norrie is another loser from the ranking points fallout. His run to the semi-finals at the London major would have seen him climb to eighth, but instead he has to settle for 11th.
Keith Earls will captain Ireland for the first time when Andy Farrell's side face the Maori All Blacks in Wellington on Tuesday.
The Maoris eased to a 32-17 victory in the first warm-up meeting before Ireland responded to a comprehensive Test defeat against New Zealand by defeating the All Blacks away from home for the first time.
That teed up a winner-takes-all decider at the Sky Stadium on Saturday but Ireland clash with the Maoris once more before the Test series decider against New Zealand.
Farrell previously hinted at rotation to offer his second-string side valuable minutes on the tour, and he has made just three changes to his last team that lost to the Maoris in Hamilton.
Stuart McCloskey comes into midfield to partner Earls, who is Ireland's second-highest try scorer of all time, while Michael Lowry is another introduction at full-back.
The start for Lowry means Jimmy O'Brien will move to the left wing, while forward Niall Scannell replaces the concussed Dave Heffernan.
Jeremy Loughman has also been named in the starting side despite suffering concussion in the first meeting just two weeks ago, with Ed Byrne expected to make his first appearance off the bench.
Farrell hopes Ireland can find form in their warm-up against the Maoris and believes there is no player more deserving of captaining Ireland than Earls.
"For the likes of him, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, well everyone really, their attitudes have been top class and there has only been one thing on their mind and that is, 'how can we help the team-mates, how can we make the fellas who are starting in advance of them better?'," he told reporters.
"There is no more deserving man to captain Ireland against the Maoris than Keith.
"He was not as shocked as Bundee [Aki, to be named captain] but he has always been a leader, Keith, especially over the last five or six years that I have known him.
"He has always been curious about how he can learn more, such as edge defence as an example, or what more he can learn about back three play in general. He is able to get across at 13 no problem.
"He has always been one who has been able to take people with him, always one who wants to share and help. That has been at the forefront of his attitude for the last five or six years that I have known him and he will bring all that to the forefront on Tuesday night."
Ireland team: Michael Lowry; Jordan Larmour, Keith Earls, Stuart McCloskey, Jimmy O’Brien, Ciaran Frawley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell, Tom O’Toole, Joe McCarthy, Kieran Treadwell, Cian Prendergast, Nick Timoney, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Rob Herring, Ed Byrne, Finlay Bealham, Ryan Baird, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Joey Carbery, Mack Hansen.
Finding players of a similar profile to Robert Lewandowski is a difficult enough task, let alone trying to actually replace him.
That is the dilemma Bayern Munich find themselves in with the wantaway striker, however.
But the reigning Bundesliga champions might have identified the player who is closest in skill-set to Lewandowski, should he get his wish and leave for pastures new.
TOP STORY – KANE BAYERN'S TOP TARGET
Bayern have identified Harry Kane as the successor to Lewandowski, according to Kicker.
Kane's contract with Tottenham expires in 2024 and the 28-year-old would command a significant transfer fee, but one that would be reportedly attainable for Bayern in the event Lewandowski leaves.
According to the report, Lewandowski hopes Bayern will accept Barcelona's offer for him by Tuesday.
He is set to return for the commencement of pre-season training this week, but the German club seem to be preparing for the 33-year-old's departure. They have already brought in Sadio Mane from Liverpool.
ROUND-UP
– Barcelona believe they will be able to sign Bernardo Silva from Manchester City, Mundo Deportivo claim.
– Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is reluctant to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to Stamford Bridge this off-season, the Daily Mail reports.
– Juventus are looking to use the funds from Matthijs de Ligt's sale to pay for Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli, per Tuttosport
– Arsenal are in talks to sign Benfica left-back Alex Grimaldo after submitting an initial bid, The Express reports.
– Wayne Rooney is set to return to D.C. United to take over as the team's head coach, according to The Athletic.
For only the fifth time in history, a pair of brothers will suit up on the same All-Star team when designated hitter William Contreras of the Atlanta Braves joins Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras on the National League squad.
They will become the fifth brothers on the same All-Star team and the first since Sandy Jr. and Roberto Alomar for the AL in 1992.
"You almost can't even dream about something like that," William said when Atlanta came to town to play the Cubs in June. "But to have both brothers be All-Stars like that, I mean, it would just be unreal."
Willson, when asked about the possibility during the last Cubs home stand, said he was "speechless."
"If we can make it together, we’re both going to enjoy it a lot," Willson said. "My family would be really proud, and we would enjoy it. I’m speechless."
William Contreras, a first-time All-Star, is batting .273 with 11 homers and 22 RBIs. He was voted in on Sunday as a reserve by fellow players and was selected to start after Bryce Harper, who was elected by fans, broke his thumb for the Philadelphia Phillies in June.
Willson earned his third All-Star trip, all as an elected starter. He is batting .266 with 13 home runs and 35 RBIs.
The Boston Red Sox moved to third place in the American League after they rallied to defeat the New York Yankees 11-6 on Sunday.
The Red Sox reeled off four runs in the seventh inning to split their four-game series at Fenway Park and claim first place in the AL's wildcard race.
Nick Pivetta was pulled early after the Yankees shot out to a 6-2 lead at the top of the third inning, before Christian Vazquez's solo home run off Jameson Taillon kept them in touching distance.
It was the first of nine consecutive runs for the Red Sox, only a day after they managed three runs in the 10th inning to set up the series split.
Giancarlo Stanton and Matt Carpenter homered for the Yankees early, but the pitchers who followed Pivetta gave up only three hits over the rest of the game.
Marlins win after nine scoreless innings
An epic pitchers' duel between Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara and New York Mets former All-Star Taijuan Walker saw the two sides reach the end of regulation without a run scored, before the Marlins won 2-0 in extra innings.
The National League's Cy Young Award favourite Alcantara pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up six hits and no walks while striking out four. Walker was just as good, allowing three hits and one walk in his seven shut-out frames.
In the top of the 10th inning, the Marlins finally broke the deadlock through a fielding error by Mets catcher Tomas Nido, before Luke Williams collected the game's only RBI with a base hit to give his side some breathing room.
Grossman drops game and record for Tigers
The Chicago White Sox took advantage of a costly error from Robbie Grossman in the eighth inning to defeat the Detroit Tigers 4-2 at home.
With the scores tied at 2-2 in the eighth, with two outs, Grossman dropped a routine pop-up in left-field, keeping the inning alive and allowing the White Sox to capitalise with two runs after RBI base hits from A.J. Pollock and Eloy Jimenez.
It was Grossman's first error in 440 games – dating back to June 13, 2018 – setting a new major league record for games between errors by a position player. He was a perfect 821-for-821 in fielding opportunities over that period.
Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman made an encouraging return to competitive action on Sunday as his side defeated the San Antonio Spurs 86-85 at the Las Vegas Summer League.
Warriors fans did not have to wait long to see the number two overall pick from the 2020 NBA Draft make an impact, scoring the first points of the game when he got on the receiving end of a big alley-oop from Jonathan Kuminga 15 seconds into the contest.
Wiseman then blocked the Spurs' first shot attempt, gathered the rebound, and hit his first three-point attempt less than a minute later.
He had five points and two blocks in his first five-minute stint, and that would end up being his best stretch of play, with turnovers and fouls plaguing the rest of his game as he re-adjusted to the speed of NBA action.
Wiseman finished with 11 points on five-of-seven shooting, hitting the only three-pointer he attempted, but he also had seven personal fouls, three turnovers and only two rebounds in his 20 minutes, showing flaws that will hurt his chances of getting on the floor with the Warriors' real team if he can not clean it up.
Second-year Warrior Jonathan Kuminga was impressive, albeit inefficient, in a vastly expanded role.
As his side's top offensive option, he scored a team-high 28 points with seven rebounds and four assists, but he shot 10-of-22 from the field, and had even worse showings from long range (one-of-seven) and the free throw line (seven-of-18). He also committed five turnovers and five fouls in 26 minutes.
The Spurs almost ended up pulling out the win after two clutch three-pointers from Blake Wesley – the 25th pick from this year's draft – that turned a 81-79 deficit with 1:30 to play into a 85-81 lead less than 30 seconds later. Wesley finished with a team-high 22 points on seven-of-20 shooting, hitting four-of-seven from three-point range.
Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani's two-way selection for the second year in a row was the highlight of Sunday's All-Star Game roster reveal, while Seattle Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez was the only first-year player to earn the honour.
Ohtani, who learned Friday that he beat out the Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez in a fan vote for starter at DH, was also named to the AL roster as a pitcher.
The reigning league MVP has posted a 0.27 ERA in winning his last five starts, and he threw a 1-2-3 first inning in starting last year’s All-Star Game, becoming the first two-way All-Star in baseball history.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ Shane McClanahan, however, figures to start the game on the hill for the AL, as he leads the league in strikeouts (141) and ERA (1.73).
Two New York Yankees starting pitchers were named All-Stars in Nester Cortes and Gerrit Cole, as well as Clay Holmes out of the bullpen. Catcher Jose Trevino was named an All-Star reserve giving New York an MLB-high six All-Stars – the first time the Bronx Bombers had that many since 2011 – with outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton already named starters.
The two teams that squared off in last year’s World Series – the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros – were close behind with five All-Stars apiece, while the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays each have four.
For the defending World Series champion Braves, starting outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. will be joined by pitcher Max Fried, catcher Travis d'Arnaud, shortstop Dansby Swanson and DH William Contreras.
Contreras will not only be the starter with the fan-voted Bryce Harper on the injured list, but he also will be in the starting lineup with his brother after Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras was voted in by the fans.
They are the first brothers in the same All-Star Game since Aaron and Bret Boone in 2003, and the first brothers to start a Midsummer Classic since 1992, when Roberto and Sandy Alomar Jr. did it.
The host of this year’s All-Star Game already had two starters in outfielder Mookie Betts and shortstop Trea Turner, and those Dodgers will be joined by Tony Gonsolin and Clayton Kershaw, who is on an All-Star Game roster for the ninth time.
Gonsolin has an excellent chance to start the game on the mound in front of the fans in Los Angeles having gone 11-0 with an NL-best 1.62 ERA.
The Miami Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara, however, also could make a case to take the ball first after he lowered his ERA to 1.73 with seven shutout innings on Sunday against the Mets.
Mariners outfielder Rodriguez is the only rookie named to a roster and is one of 30 first-time All-Stars.
Below are the full All-Star Game rosters:
AL Starters, as voted on by fans
Alejandro Kirk, C, Blue Jays
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays
Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros
Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox
Tim Anderson, SS, White Sox
Shohei Ohtani, DH, Angels
Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees
Mike Trout, OF, Angels
Giancarlo Stanton, OF, Yankees
Reserves
Yordan Alvarez, DH, Astros
Miguel Cabrera, DH, Tigers (Special Selection)
Xander Bogaerts, SS, Red Sox
José Ramírez, 3B, Guardians
Jose Trevino, C, Yankees
Luis Arraez, 1B, Twins
Andrés Giménez, 2B, Guardians
George Springer, OF, Blue Jays
Byron Buxton, OF, Twins
Andrew Benintendi, OF, Royals
Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros
Julio Rodríguez, OF, Mariners
Starting Pitchers
Shane McClanahan, LHP, Rays
Nestor Cortes, LHP, Yankees
Alek Manoah, RHP, Blue Jays
Framber Valdez, LHP, Astros
Martín Pérez, LHP, Rangers
Paul Blackburn, RHP, A's
Gerrit Cole, RHP, Yankees
Justin Verlander, RHP, Astros
Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH, Angels
Relief Pitchers
Clay Holmes, RHP, Yankees
Emmanuel Clase, RHP, Guardians
Gregory Soto, LHP, Tigers
Jorge López, RHP, Orioles
NL Starters, as voted on by fans
Willson Contreras, C, Cubs
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Cardinals
Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B, Marlins
Manny Machado, 3B, Padres
Trea Turner, SS, Dodgers
Bryce Harper, DH, Phillies
Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Braves
Joc Pederson, OF, Giants
Mookie Betts, OF, Dodgers
Reserves
William Contreras, C, Braves
Nolan Arenado, 3B, Cardinals
Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets
Albert Pujols, DH/1B, Cardinals (Special Selection)
Jeff McNeil, 2B, Mets
Travis d'Arnaud, C, Braves
C.J. Cron, 1B, Rockies
Dansby Swanson, SS, Braves
Kyle Schwarber, OF, Phillies
Juan Soto, OF, Nationals
Starling Marte, OF, Mets
Ian Happ, OF, Cubs
Starting Pitchers
Clayton Kershaw, LHP, Dodgers
Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Marlins
Corbin Burnes, RHP, Brewers
Luis Castillo, RHP, Reds
Max Fried, LHP, Braves
Tony Gonsolin, RHP, Dodgers
Joe Musgrove, RHP, Padres
Relief Pitchers
Edwin Díaz, RHP, Mets
Josh Hader, LHP, Brewers
Ryan Helsley, RHP, Cardinals
David Bednar, RHP, Pirates
Joe Mantiply, LHP, Diamondbacks
The AL West-leading Houston Astros will be without MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez for a while as he deals with a right hand injury that has landed him on the 10-day injured list.
Alvarez has been bothered by soreness and inflammation in his right hand since originally injuring it on June 18 against the Chicago White Sox. He is expected to miss the next two series and the team hope he can return after the All-Star break.
"Yordan has been suffering with the injury for a couple weeks and it's gotten worse," Houston manager Dusty Baker said.
"We decided the only way to get this well is to try to use these [series] before the break [to] coincide with the 10 [days] that he has to be on the IL."
Alvarez has been among the best players in the AL this season, batting .306 with 26 home runs and 60 RBIs for an Astros team who have the second-best record in the league with a comfortable lead in the West.
The 2019 AL Rookie of the Year leads the majors with a .653 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.058.
Trey Mullinax sunk a clutch birdie putt on the final hole to secure his first PGA Tour victory, winning the Barbasol Championship by one stroke.
Mullinax, who only has one top-20 finish this season back in October at the Sanderson Farms Championship, was in fine form all week, shooting rounds of 65, 65, 67 and finishing with a six-under 66 to post a score of 25 under for the tournament.
In his last final trip around the Keene Trace Golf Club's Champions course, the American shot five birdies and two bogeys on an action-packed front-nine, and then went bogey-free down the back.
In one of the final groupings of the day, Mullinax and playing partner Kevin Streelman were tied for the lead, two strokes clear of the chasing field, heading onto the final hole.
Both played strong approach shots, but while Streelman's putt narrowly missed, Mullinax's attempt from the edge of the green found the hole for the win.
Speaking to The Golf Channel after the win Mullinax talked about the nerves on the final hole, calling the opportunity "what we dream about".
"Me and Jules, my caddy, all week were trying to commit to everything we were doing in the process," he said.
"No matter what Kevin did with his tee-shot, it didn't change what I was going to do, we just really tried to stay focused. I stayed focused for 72 holes.
"I missed a couple of opportunities with my putter, but I just told myself 'keep putting, you've been putting great' – and I've been hitting my irons beautifully all week.
"That was definitely the strongest point of my game this week – we had a pretty comfortable number (from the 18th fairway), we worked on it at the range and we knew we would have that shot a few times, and I hit a great shot at the right time.
"I said when we were walking up the 18th fairway 'this is what we dream about' – an opportunity to hole a putt for the win."
Streelman was the only other player to finish with four rounds of 67 or better, finishing outright second at 24 under.
Mark Hubbard was alone in third at 22 under, who shot a 65 for Sunday's round of the day, with Germany's Hurly Long the top international performer in outright fourth with a score of 21 under.
Vince Whaley rounded out the top-five at 20 under, Canada's Adam Svensson was one further back alone in sixth, and Michael Kim was outright seventh with 18 under, with a number of players finishing tied for eighth at 17 under.
Lewis Hamilton has condemned reports of racist abuse towards attendees at the Austrian Grand Prix, leading a host of other leading Formula One figures in affirming such behaviour has no place.
A packed crowd was in attendance at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, with over 300,000 fans on site over the three days, which culminated in Charles Leclerc's season-reviving victory ahead of world champion Max Verstappen.
Hamilton drove to a surprise third to round out the podium after Ferrari's Carlos Sainz suffered an engine fire, further underscoring Mercedes' improvements after a strong finish at the British Grand Prix a week prior.
But the Briton, who has been the target of frequent racist remarks and attacks throughout his career, has called out allegations that some attendees were verbally abused as a product of "ignorance".
The 37-year-old had described reports of racist and homophobic abuse as "disgusting" earlier in the race weekend and doubled down in his subsequent statements.
"It just highlights that it's still an issue all over," the seven-time world champion said.
"It comes down to education and, of course, ignorance. People should come, should feel safe, should feel included and should be able to follow whoever it is you want to follow.
"[It] shouldn't matter [about] your gender, your sexuality, the colour of your skin. It should just be everyone here to have a good time."
Verstappen – whose partner's father, former Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet, was involved in a racism storm concerning remarks about Hamilton last month – also condemned the claimed abuse.
"I read a few things, a few shocking things, so that's clearly not okay," the Dutchman added.
Meanwhile, Leclerc called for bans to be issued to those responsible, adding: "If we manage to find these people, we need to take hard action. They shouldn't be allowed to be anywhere close to our sport."
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner further added: "This is completely unacceptable, and we hope that security and the authorities deal with this swiftly as there is no place for it in racing or society."
Novak Djokovic is hoping for a change of policy to allow him to feature at the US Open after ending an "exhausting and demanding period" by winning his seventh Wimbledon title.
Djokovic clinched his 21st grand slam win by recovering from one set down to beat Nick Kyrgios in Sunday's Wimbledon final, moving to within one major title of Rafael Nadal's record of 22.
On his 32nd grand slam final appearance – an Open Era record – the Serb claimed his fourth consecutive title at the All England Club with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3) victory in a tense encounter.
But it has not been plain sailing for Djokovic this year, who missed January's Australian Open after being deported over his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and was unable to enter the United States to play the Indian Wells Masters in March.
The United States still does not allow unvaccinated foreigners to enter the country without an exemption – meaning Djokovic's ability to appear in New York is in doubt.
But he is hopeful a change in policy could alter that state of affairs before the tournament gets underway on August 29, as he reiterated he would not get vaccinated and saw an exemption as unlikely.
"It is a weird situation," Djokovic said. "I am on vacation. It has been quite an exhausting and demanding period for me. I got what I wanted here.
"I'll wait hopefully for some good news [a change of policy] from the US. I'm not vaccinated and I'm not planning to get vaccinated. I don't think exemption is realistically possible.
"We'll have to see what the schedule looks like then. I doubt I'll chase points. Things have changed in the last year and a half for me.
"I achieved the historic weeks of being ranked number one, that I worked for all my life. Now I prioritise slams and big tournaments where I feel good."
Djokovic's Wimbledon triumph comes at the end of a challenging few months, with the 35-year-old losing year's US Open final and exiting the 2022 French Open to Nadal either side of his much-publicised deportation from Australia.
And the Serb, who claimed a first career win over Kyrgios on the biggest stage on Sunday, acknowledged: "This year has not been like last year.
"In the first several months of the year I was not at a good place mentally, emotionally. Everything that followed Australia has been a huge challenge and obstacle for me to overcome emotionally.
"It wasn't that easy to close that chapter. It caused turbulence inside of me and I just had to weather the storm.
"I realised it would take time to regroup and rebalance. All these things off the court were causing so much distraction and pressure for me and the people around me. You can’t pretend it's not happening.
"By Rome and Paris I was already playing the tennis that I want to play. I liked my chances coming into Wimbledon. I think I managed everything pretty well today.
"Now I'm over the moon with joy and happiness of experiencing this moment once again. I don't take any wins for granted, and particularly not in Wimbledon. Every time feels special in its own way.
"Centre court and this tournament still has the most special place in my heart because it has always been my childhood dream tournament. Every time I step out on court it does not feel like anything else. I feel very connected with this court and this tournament. I'm very happy."
Sergio Perez has claimed that Mercedes' George Russell was at fault for their collision on lap one of the Austrian Grand Prix, which ultimately ended the Red Bull driver's race.
Perez started the race in fifth while the Mercedes driver started in fourth, and the two came into contact with both drivers blaming the other for the smash.
They came together as both exited turn four, leading to the Mexican driver spinning off and ultimately unable to continue the race.
Russell too sustained damage to his front wing in the incident whilst also receiving a five-second penalty, and yet went on to finish fourth.
Perez was visibly frustrated with what had happened, and was quick to put the blame on the Englishman.
The Mexican told Sky Sports F1: "It is a big shame for us.
"I clearly felt, from our side, that we did everything we possibly could to avoid the incident.
"It was only lap one and it was up to George to control his car. He couldn't control it, clearly.
"We ended up making contact when I was clearly ahead."
Perez's failure to finish the race, combined with Charles Leclerc's victory, means that the Red Bull driver drops to third in the drivers' championship standings.
Meanwhile, Russell's fourth-placed finish keeps him in fifth place in the standings, one place above Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Nick Kyrgios added further praise for Novak Djokovic in the news conference after a 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3) Wimbledon final defeat.
First-time finalist Kyrgios had lauded his opponent as "a bit of a god" on court after a 21st grand slam success, with Djokovic ultimately having too much for his opponent.
And those generous words continued in the interview room, where Kyrgios acknowledged Djokovic's renowned return ability was a huge factor in the result – as was his composure.
Kyrgios had started beautifully, winning 81 per cent of his service points in the opening set and taking advantage of a pair of double-faults to grab the early advantage.
But Djokovic's return game picked up from that point, taking the sting out of the Australian's best weapon as his success rate on serve plummeted, winning 57 per cent of his service points in the second frame and 58 per cent in the third.
Kyrgios also committed four double-faults in the third to hand a set advantage to the world number three, and when the fourth set came to a tie-breaker, it was Djokovic who would hold his nerve.
"[Djokovic] is just really composed," Kyrgios said. "It's weird, I felt like he didn't do anything amazing today.
"He returned obviously the way he returns – I feel like he's just a great returner – but he was just so composed. I feel like that's his greatest strength: he just never looks rattled."
Not disheartened from falling just short of his first grand slam title, Kyrgios said he had taken plenty of confidence from his run to the final.
"My level is right there," he said. "I'm not behind the eight ball at all.
"I played a slam final against one of the greatest of all time, and I was right there. [It gives me] confidence obviously.
"It was a hell of an occasion. People were probably expecting me to have something happen today.
"But I came out in the first set and I looked like I was the one who had played in a lot of finals. I thought I dealt with the pressure pretty well."
Former Tennessee Wildcats player, Nicholai Brown, was on Saturday selected as the number-one draft pick for the P.H.A.S.E 1 Academy Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball Summer League set to begin in August. P.H.A.S.E 1 Academy was founded by former basketball player Wayne Dawkins in Canada in 1993 and for the past 25 years has been organising and hosting basketball leagues and tournaments in Canada, the USA and Africa.
Brown, a 28-year-old power forward, selected by Team Red, was among the 20 local and overseas-based Jamaican players that were available for the draft and who will play in the league to be played at the National Arena from August 13-20 and will inaugurate the Fall professional season that is set to begin in October.
“It feels great, to be honest. It’s my first time experiencing all of this and having the support feels really great,” said Brown, who has previously played in Texas at Trinity Valley Community College and at Lindsay Wilson College in Kentucky.
“I just want to play ball to the best of my ability and compete against great players.”
The second player selected in the draft was David Gordon, who will play for Team Blue while Lushane Wilson was the third player selected overall and first for Team White. Nadjrick White was the first pick for Team Black.
During the second round, Dave Black was selected by Team Blue, Nick-Caro Golding was selected by Team White, Joel Bailey was picked by Team Black and O’Wayne Lawrence was chosen by Team Red.
The third round of the draft saw D’Andre Forbes being selected by Team White, Daniel Martillier going to Team Black, Anthony White selected by Team Red and Jaedon Lawe picked up by Team Blue. In Round Four, Team Black selected Derjean Royal, Kasheef Clarke headed to Team Read, Patrick Robinson went to Team Blue and Roman Parkes was picked by Team White.
Antjuan McFarlane went to Team Red, Adeeb Vernon was picked by Team Blue, Alex Levy was selected by Team White while Calvin Malcolm headed to Team Black in the fifth and final round of the draft that Jamaica Basketball Association President Paulton Gordon hopes will be the first of many in the years ahead.
“This is the first of a long-term plan,” he said.
“We want to use this opportunity to get more eyes on basketball and showcase the sport. As we all know unless there is prominence we don’t get the traction that we need because invariably what we want to do is to ensure that the base is good and we want to get the eyes on basketball and get the players playing.
“We want to transition from this into the NBL in October/November and then complete that period with another showcase after the NBL season.”
Gordon explained that the pro/am tournament that will have matches on August 13, 14, 17 and 20, will also see other players of Jamaican heritage joining the draftees in competition.
“We have actually invited some of the Jamaicans who are in colleges overseas to participate and we have some budding pros seeking jobs in Europe and Central America, who will be here,” he said.
JABA will be partnering with P.H.A.S.E 1 Academy and Ribbiz to host the tournament and Gordon revealed that several other potential partners could be coming on board in the coming days.
“We are speaking with a few others who will get involved,” he said. “There are some investors out of Canada, who support P.H.A.S.E 1, who are pretty sold on it and have contributed.”
Meanwhile, Wayne Dawkins, founder and CEO of P.H.A.S.E 1, said he was pleased with the quality of the players selected for the draft.
"We are excited about the group of players who were selected. These are players with the national team and professional experience and people with strong resumes, and players with strong playing experience is exactly what we need to get the E1CBL started off," he said.
"These players will set a very high bar for where we want to take the league."
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