Opportunities for women in sport continue to improve, but breaking down barriers of discrimination on or off the court was never going to be easy, according to London Lions women’s team general manager Vanja Cernivec.
Last summer, Slovenian-born Cernivec was appointed the first female general manager at a Women’s British Basketball League side.
Having previously been an international scout for the Chicago Bulls, the first woman in the NBA’s history to fulfil the position, Cernivec is no stranger to overcoming boundaries.
Emily Clarke was announced as the new general manager of the Women’s British Basketball League at the end of June.
Nevertheless, recent research commissioned by the Lions showed 25 per cent of women felt progressing in a sport, either at player or management level, was not viable as there were no role models to relate to.
Part of the study, which was conducted across a nationally representative cohort of 2,090 respondents, also revealed 20 per cent of females said they had experienced some kind of discrimination or exclusion which deterred them from participating in a sport.
Cernivec, though, feels appointments such as her own and that of Clarke – who previously held management roles at Basketball England – demonstrate there is a genuine drive to embrace change alongside having difficult conversations on delivering equality throughout the sport.
“Generally the reception (to my role) has been very positive,” Cernivec told the PA news agency.
“(London Lions owners) 777 have done an incredible step assigning that position. It didn’t matter who stepped in – in this case, it was me.
“By opening this position, they have kind of set a milestone and said how important this role is, setting the same standard for the women’s game as for the men’s.
“The hire of Emily as the GM (general manager) for the Women’s British Basketball League is a great step forward, but changes are never easy for people to accept.”
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Cernivec added: “Things are changing for the better, the fact we are talking about this right now says that.
“If you look at women’s sport globally, it is on the rise. It is not the next upcoming thing, it is the thing right now, so anyone who tries to ignore it is on the wrong path.
“But the fact that women still feel discriminated against in the grassroots and participation level is something which needs to be changed immediately – not only from a professional (sports) aspect, but also for the mental and physical health of our youth.”
Cernivec’s role also saw her become global director of London Lions Academy.
During June, the Lions took part in the inaugural junior NBA European finals in Valencia, sending both an under-15s boys and girls team to the elite youth tournament.
Cernivec hopes such projects can help further develop the talent pool of home-grown players and potential future professionals.
“If you look at the pathway for young British male or female players, it kind of ends in the last year of high school and if they want to continue playing (at an elite level), then they have to go abroad,” she said.
“That is something the Lions are trying to change and help create a professional pathway – with coaches around, nutritionists, mental health support, strength and conditioning, all that comes along with building the athletes to what they aspire to be.
“With the junior NBA platform, it was a great event which has exposed us to where the British talent is right now and where our coaching pool stands, so it was a great experience for everyone.
“We have a great pool of talent in Britain. It is just a matter of how fast we can build up the coaching staff and the facilities, everything which is needed to give them the right development they deserve.”
PA SPORT BIRTHDAYS
Sir Richard Hadlee (cricket) – New Zealand’s record-breaking all-rounder who was the first man to take 400 Test wickets, born 1951.
Henry Olonga (cricket) – former Zimbabwe Test bowler, best known for his protest against Robert Mugabe, born 1976.
Bobby Skinstad (rugby union) – former South Africa captain, born 1976.
Harbhajan Singh (cricket) – former India off-spinner, born 1980.
Tim Jonkers (rugby league) – former St Helens, Salford, Wigan and Leigh utility player, born 1981.
Sebastian Vettel (motor racing) – Four-time Formula One world champion, born 1987.
Winston Reid (soccer) – New Zealand and former West Ham defender, born 1988.
Ruesha Littlejohn (soccer) – Republic of Ireland midfielder, born 1990.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (tennis) – 2021 French Open finalist from Russia, born 1991.
Shannon Courtenay (boxing) – former WBA female bantamweight champion, born 1993.
ON THIS DAY IN SPORT
1902: Bramall Lane in Sheffield became England’s seventh Test cricket ground when it staged the third match between England and Australia. The tourists’ Clem Hill scored the only century on the ground, which was not used again for a Test.
1977: Britain’s Barry Sheene won the Belgian Grand Prix 500cc race at an average speed of 135.07mph, the fastest ever recorded at a world championship motorcycle race.
1997: Celtic appointed former Netherlands international Wim Jansen as head coach. He went on to lead the club to their first Scottish title in 10 years in his only season in charge.
2001: Arsenal signed Sol Campbell from north London neighbours Tottenham on a free transfer.
2005: Number one seed Roger Federer won his third Wimbledon title by beating Andy Roddick 6-2 7-6 (2) 6-4 in the men’s singles final.
2007: Relegated Sheffield United’s appeal against the Premier League punishment imposed on West Ham over the Carlos Tevez affair was dismissed by an arbitration panel.
2008: Red Bull Racing’s David Coulthard confirmed he was to retire from competing in Formula One at the end of the season.
2010: Serena Williams won her fourth Wimbledon title by beating Russian Vera Zvonareva 6-3 6-2 in the final.
2011: Novak Djokovic beat Spanish top seed Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-1 1-6 6-3 to win the Wimbledon men’s singles title for the first time.
2012: Dwain Chambers was selected to represent Great Britain at the London Olympics. The controversial sprinter had previously been banned for life from the Games under a British Olympic Association bylaw which was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport earlier in 2012. Chambers missed out on a place in the 100 metres final after finishing fourth in his semi-final.
2017: Former England captain John Terry joined Championship club Aston Villa on a one-year deal.
2018: England reached the World Cup quarter-finals after beating Colombia 4-3 on penalties in Moscow. The teams were level at 1-1 after 90 minutes and extra-time.
2019: Belgian duo Greet Minnen and Alison Van Uytvanck become the first same-sex couple to play together in a match at Wimbledon, beating British pair Katie Swan and Freya Christie in the first round of the women’s doubles.
2021: England thrashed Ukraine 4-0 in Rome to set up a Euro 2020 semi-final against Denmark.
PA SPORT SELECTIVE TV LISTINGS:
Today (Monday, July 3)
TENNIS: Wimbledon – BBC Two England 1030, BBC One 1345 and 1900.
CYCLING: Tour de France, stage three – Eurosport 1 1130, S4C and ITV4 1400.
CRICKET: ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, Netherlands v Oman – Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket 0730.
Tomorrow (Tuesday, July 4)
TENNIS: Wimbledon – BBC Two England 1100, BBC One 1345 and 1900.
CYCLING: Tour de France, stage four – Eurosport 1 1130, ITV4 1400.
CRICKET: ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, Zimbabwe v Scotland – Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket 0730; Women’s International T20, West Indies v Ireland – BT Sport 2 2145.
PA SPORT QUIZ
1. England wicketkeeper Amy Jones plays for which Hundred franchise?
2. Who did Savannah Marshall beat to become the undisputed super-middleweight champion?
3. How many Wimbledon singles titles did Roger Federer win?
4. Which NFL team play their home games at Soldier Field?
5. Who is captain of England Women’s rugby league team?
6. Who won the 2022 Tour de France?
7. Where will the 2026 Winter Olympics be held?
8. At which club did Cesc Fabregas begin his senior career?
9. Scotland will kick off their 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign against which team?
10. Jin Young Ko is a leading name in which sport?
ANSWERS: 1. Birmingham Phoenix; 2. Franchon Crews-Dezurn; 3. Eight; 4. Chicago Bears; 5. Jodie Cunningham; 6. Jonas Vingegaard; 7. Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo; 8. Arsenal; 9. South Africa; 10. Golf.
Domantas Sabonis and the Sacramento Kings have agreed to five-year contract extension worth $217 million, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The deal includes $195 million in new money, Sabonis’ agents said Saturday night.
The Kings are using the salary cap to deliver an additional $8.6 million to raise Sabonis’ earnings for 2023-24 to $30.6 million and will add a four-year extension that will give him nearly $200 million more over the life of the contract.
Sabonis’ first full season with the Kings in 2023-24 was an excellent one. He averaged 19.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists while shooting 61.5 percent from the field as he made third-team All-NBA.
Led by Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox, the Kings won the Pacific Division title and ended a 16-year playoff drought in 2022-23 with a 48-34 record.
Sabonis was acquired from Indiana in February 2022 in the deal that sent All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton to the Pacers.
David Haye came up short in his attempt to unify the heavyweight division as he was beaten on points by Wladimir Klitschko in Germany on this day in 2011.
Bidding to take the IBF and WBO belts from Klitschko to add to his own WBA title, Haye failed to make much of an impression in what was a much-hyped fight in Hamburg and claimed he had broken a toe after the match.
The judges scored the bout 117-109, 118-108 and 116-110 all in favour of ‘Dr Steelhammer’, handing Klitschko an easy victory after 12 rounds on a rainy night at the Imtech Arena.
In the pre-match build-up, Haye called Klitschko a “fraud” and “not tough enough” and claimed the Ukrainian looked “beaten and broken” before he even stepped into the ring for “the biggest fight in boxing”.
The then 30-year-old had predicted a straightforward win inside the distance but the outcome was far from it as German-based Klitschko outboxed his opponent in a highly-professional performance.
Haye previously spoke of retiring in glory before he turned 31 but defeat ended those dreams and was a disappointment to the 10,000 Britons in the 45,000 crowd.
Haye said after the match: “I broke my toe on my right foot.
“I couldn’t push off the right foot to throw the right hand.
“I thought adrenaline would get me through it but it was tough. It’s incredibly frustrating.”
The Atlanta Braves struck early again with six first-inning runs and rolled to their seventh consecutive win, 7-0 over the Miami Marlins on Saturday.
Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies hit back-to-back homers to ignite the six-run first and Charlie Morton struck out five in 5 2/3 innings to keep the Braves surging into July.
Atlanta (55-27) has won 23 of its last 27 games and has taken over baseball’s best record from the Tampa Bay Rays, who held the honour since opening the season 13-0.
After Acuna and Albies took rookie Eury Perez deep, Austin Riley and Matt Olson singled before Sean Murphy doubled home a run. Marcell Ozuna’s two-run double made it 5-0 and one out later another double by Orlando Arcia capped the early outburst.
The six runs gave the Braves 87 in the opening inning in their last 82 games, including 11 in the first two games of this series.
Perez entered the game with an MLB-best 21-inning scoreless streak and a 1.34 ERA but lasted just a third of an inning, allowing six runs and seven hits.
Atlanta has won eight of nine meetings this season against Miami by a combined 77-26 margin.
Bohm powers Phillies to rout
Alec Bohm hit two homers and drove in a career high-tying six runs to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 19-4 drubbing of the Washington Nationals.
Kyle Schwarber had a grand slam, and Nick Castellanos fell a triple shy of the cycle with three RBIs as part of Philadelphia’s 18-hit attack.
The 19 runs were the most scored by Philadelphia since a 20-1 win over the Miami Marlins on April 7, 2018.
Rangers’ Eovaldi shuts down Astros for 10th win
Nathan Eovaldi continued his stellar season with seven scoreless innings and the AL West-leading Texas Rangers defeated the second-place Houston Astros, 5-2.
Eovaldi struck out five and limited the Astros to two singles while working around a season-high four walks to join Tampa Bay Rays ace Shane McClanahan as the only 10-game winners in the AL.
All-Stars Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Josh Jung each drove in a run and Jonah Heim – also an All-Star – had three hits with a run scored.
Rickie Fowler came home with a wet sail at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Saturday, birdieing six of his last eight holes to take the lead in Detroit.
The American picked up three shots on the front nine but a bogey after the turn threatened to derail his round.
He righted the ship quickly however, his late flurry propelling him to 20 under par and a one stroke lead ahead of Adam Hadwin.
Speaking after his round, Fowler said: “Whether it happens (Sunday) or not, it’s going to happen here soon.
“I’ve been playing a lot of really good golf and been putting myself in good positions.
“This definitely won’t be the last.”
The Canadian carded a stellar third round 63 to gain seven spots on the leaderboard and keep in close range of Fowler, who has not won an event on the PGA Tour in four years.
England’s Aaron Rai is tied for fourth on 17 under following a Saturday score of 66.
The Charlotte Hornets and All-Star guard LaMelo Ball have agreed on a designated rookie maximum extension, multiple media outlets reported Saturday. The five-year deal is reportedly worth up to $260million.
Ball’s new deal comes a day after his draftmates – Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and Memphis’ Desmond Bane – also agreed to max rookie extensions.
Ball was the third overall pick in the 2020 draft and was named the 2021 Rookie of the Year. In his second season, Ball was selected as an All-Star.
A 6-foot-7 playmaker, Ball averaged career highs last year of 23.3 points and 8.4 assists but was limited to 36 games due to injury.
Ball missed the start of last season due to a slow-healing sprained left ankle, and his campaign ended abruptly in February when he fractured his right ankle.
Bucks keep Lopez
The Milwaukee Bucks are bringing back veteran center Brook Lopez after agreeing to a two-year, $48million contract, according to multiple media reports.
The agreement comes a day after the Bucks and swingman Khris Middleton reportedly agreed to a new three-year contract.
Lopez, 35, has been a pillar in the frontcourt next to Giannis Antetokounmpo since joining the Bucks in 2018 and helped Milwaukee win an NBA title in 2021.
Lopez finished second in voting for Defensive Player of the Year last season and averaged a career-high 2.5 blocks. He added 15.9 points per game last season while shooting 53.1 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from 3-point range.
Lakers retain Reaves, Russell
The Los Angeles Lakers have reached agreements to keep starting guards Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, according to media reports.
Reaves, who was a restricted free agent, will reportedly receive a four-year, $56million deal, while Russell’s deal is worth $37million over two seasons.
After going 43-39 last season, the Lakers are hoping to build on a run to the Western Conference finals.
Behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Reaves was the Lakers’ third-leading scorer in the playoffs at 16.9 points per game, while Russell was fourth at 13.3 points per game.
DiVincenzo joins Knicks
Donte DiVincenzo agreed to a four-year, $50 million deal to join the Knicks and former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.
DiVincenzo spent last season with the Warriors and won an NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, though he played in just three playoff games before tearing a ligament in his ankle.
He played a career-high 72 games last season for Golden State and averaged 9.4 points.
Cavs land Strus in 3-team swap, Heat shed salary
Max Strus is headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a three-team trade and will receive a four-year, $63million contract, according to media reports.
The San Antonio Spurs landed Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens and a future second-round pick in the deal.
The Miami Heat only received a future second-round pick in the deal but created some salary cap flexibility that could aid in acquiring a high-priced player like Damian Lillard or James Harden.
Strus scored a career-high 11.5 points per game last season for the Heat and was a key contributor in Miami’s run to the NBA Finals.
Brooks leaves Grizzlies for Rockets
Dillon Brooks is moving to the Rockets on a four-year deal worth nearly $80 million.
ESPN is reporting the deal may become a sign-and-trade, one that would create a massive trade exception for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Brooks averaged 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 73 games last season for Memphis.
He became a key player for a Grizzlies team that made the playoffs each of the past three seasons, earning a reputation as one of the league’s premier wing defenders.
Brooks was fined by the NBA for not talking to the media after some playoff losses last season and was ejected in Game 3 of the first-round series against the Lakers for striking LeBron James in the groin. That was after he called James “old” and led the NBA with 18 technical fouls last season, earning a pair of one-game suspensions in the process.
Westbrook stays with Clippers
Russell Westbrook will continue his run with the Los Angeles Clippers, agreeing to a two-year deal with the team he ended last season with.
The deal is worth $7.8 million, with the second year a player option, according to sources.
Westbrook began last season with the Los Angeles Lakers but was traded to the Utah Jazz at the deadline. He never played for the Jazz and was signed by the Clippers on February 22.
The 9-time All-Star averaged 15.8 points, 7.6 assists and 4.9 assists in 21 regular-season games with the Clippers.
Jason DaCosta's Mamma Mia, the 1000 Guineas winner, and Richard Azan's 2000 Guineas conqueror Mojito, were both hunting what would have been the second jewel in the Triple Crown series, but Thalita, also conditioned by DaCosta, spoiled the party, as she copped the 97th running of the Jamaica St Leger in commanding fashion on Saturday.
By virtue of this victory in the native-bred three-year-old Futurity contest over 10 furlongs (2,000m), Thalita prolonged punters wait to witness another Triple Crown triumph at Caymanas Park, since Supreme Soul's feat in 2019, and it was a joy for DaCosta.
Sent off at 9-1 in a 12-horse field, Thalita, partnered with leading rider Reyan Lewis came from behind competitors in an exciting stretch run to win by a comfortable six-length margin.
DaCosta will now have to decide on whether to run the Carlton Watson-owned filly in the Jamaica Oaks at the same distance or the blue riband Jamaica Derby over 12 furlongs (2,400m).
"My two fillies are pretty close in ability and both horses couldn't win so we had to come up with a plan where one goes to the lead and take the pressure and the other came off the pace. So, it worked out well and this one is ranked high in my achievements because nobody gave us a chance, everybody was talking about one horse Mojito and rightly so, so it's a good feeling to beat the odds-on favourite in a race like this," DaCosta said in a post-race interview.
At the off, it was Mamma Mia (Phillip Parchment) that expectedly dictated terms with Princess Sharon (Youville Pinnock), Thalita and Sensational Move (Shamaree Muir), all in a tight bunch heading into the clubhouse turn.
On the back stretch Mamma Mia and Princess Sharon continued their duel up front, with Huntsman (Raddesh Roman) and Mojito (Dane Dawkins), moving into striking positions, however, the latter who broke from the number one draw was bogged down on the inside rail and, as such, had no space for a run as the tempo increased.
When Mamma Mia and Princess Sharon made their moves and opened up a gap leaving the half mile, Thalita came knocking at the door and by the time they turned for home, the Soul Warrior-Luminous Trieste charger briskly swept by Princess Sharon and from there it was a matter of how far she would win, as the big favourite Mojito was nowhere to be seen.
Money Miser (Tevin Foster) closed well to snatch second from Princess Sharon, with Rhythm Buzz (Anthony Thomas) in fourth. Mamma Mia and Mojito placed fifth and eighth, respectively.
Thalita covered the distance in 2:11.0, behind splits of 24.1, 51.1, 1:15.4 and 1:41.4.
It was the second winner on the card for Lewis, who earlier won aboard Zabratone in the ninth race for trainer Nicholas Smith.
Dane Dawkins was the pick among the riders as the champion jockey tallied three winners on the 10-race card, following the abandonment of the second race.
Dawkins partnered Secret Traveller for trainer Robert Ffrench in the fifth race; Atomica for trainer Gary Subratie in the supporting feature Clovis Metcalfe Trophy; and God of Love for trainer Rowan Mathie in the Midnight Angel Trophy.
Meanwhile, trainer Lawrence Freemantle topped his peers on the day with two winners. He saddled the Love of God (Javaniel Patterson) in the first race and Shadowfax (Raddesh Roman) in the third race.
Briton Savannah Marshall scored a majority decision points win over Franchon Crews-Dezurn to become the undisputed super-middleweight champion in Manchester.
The judges scored the fight 95-95, 99-92 and 97-93 as the 32-year-old fighter recovered from a slow start to win out after a fast-paced encounter.
A 13th professional win for Marshall means she is now a two-weight champion.
“I just want to thank everyone who came out and bought a ticket,” she told Sky Sports. “As if you didn’t buy tickets I wouldn’t be in this position.
“She (Crews-Dezurn) is a tough, tough woman. I thought she came on stronger, some of the rounds were close but I felt landed the better shots.”
On the undercard, Natasha Jonas beat Kandi Wyatt to win the IBF welterweight title after the referee halted the bout in the eighth round.
Canadian fighter Wyatt offered little in response against Jones, who is also now a two-weight world champion and has won 14 of her 17 professional fights.
She is also the reigning WBC, WBO and IBF light-middleweight champion.
Dan Evans admits his comments on the state of British tennis have met with a mixed reaction but he will not stop expressing his opinions.
Over the past couple of months the outspoken 33-year-old has criticised other British players for not playing enough tournaments, hit out at the elitist nature of the sport and claimed Emma Raducanu’s US Open win papered over the domestic cracks.
Results on grass for home players have been broadly encouraging but Evans remains one of only three British singles players to earn entry to Wimbledon on their own rankings, with all the women needing wild cards.
“I was asked a few questions and I answered them honestly,” said Evans. “I think that’s what the players are supposed to do. I think we owe it back to you guys. I’ve had plenty of messages of support and plenty of messages of whatever the other word is.
“I’ve never made it personal towards anybody in particular. I’ve stated groups at certain rankings. I’m not singling people out. And I think we’d all agree it would be better if we had more players inside certain ranking brackets.”
The response from other British players has been largely to focus on the positive aspects, and Evans added: “We’re in a world now where we’ve got to be positive.”
Asked if more realism was needed, he said: “That would be my take on it but what do I know?”
Evans was more positive, though, about the future if the current crop of leading players are prepared to give back to tennis.
“After the current players stop I think British tennis will be in a decent spot five years after that if everybody gives a bit back to the game,” he said.
“I think people will do and I think it’s important. We’re very good at taking things but when it’s to give a bit of your own time back it’s not so easy.
“I practised with Andy (Murray) on Centre yesterday and he’s helping me there. I’m sure plenty of other people would want to hit with him. Today I played my hour with (20-year-old) Arthur Fery, which is also a good thing I think.”
Evans is the 27th seed for Wimbledon but it has been a difficult season and, after losing to Sebastian Korda in the first round at Queen’s Club, he branded his efforts embarrassing and said he was not looking forward to his home grand slam.
His attitude has softened a week on, with the Birmingham player, who takes on France’s Quentin Halys on Monday, saying: “When you come in (to speak to the media) after a loss, it’s difficult.
“I’m obviously looking forward to it. It’s Wimbledon, it’s an amazing experience to play here and win matches here so that’s my goal is to get through the first round.
“I’m a realist. I didn’t play very well and it’s important to know that. There’s no point kidding yourself. I’ve done some good work, I’ve played pretty well in practice and my game’s in a decent space now.”
Being British number one will not bring extra pressure at Wimbledon, according to Katie Boulter.
The 26-year-old rose to the top of the British standings by winning her first WTA Tour event in Nottingham last month and, in the absence of the injured Emma Raducanu, finds herself as the highest-profile home woman.
Asked if she felt additional weight on her shoulders, Boulter said: “I don’t think I do. I feel very comfortable in my own skin when it comes to that kind of stuff. I can do my best and at the end of the day that’s all I can do.
“I know I’ve put the work in. If it happens to come out this week, then great, it’s a dream come true.
“But I’ve sat here and I’ve watched Wimbledon and there’s been many times that I haven’t played Wimbledon, and I really don’t take anything for granted just being here and playing and being a part of this tournament.
“I haven’t seen any newspapers. Of course it’s nice to feel like people appreciate you, but at the same time it’s about the tennis and I’ve got a lot of work to do. I’ve got to get my job done and keep myself very grounded.”
As well as her Nottingham run, Boulter, ranked 88, will take confidence from last year’s Wimbledon, when she defeated former finalist Karolina Pliskova in the second round on Centre Court.
“The biggest thing for me was getting over the line against Pliskova,” she said. “That was one of the hardest things I think I ever had to do and I’ve taken a lot of confidence from serving out that match especially.
“It’s something I will be using on the court out there. Whatever happens, I’ll be fighting and I’m always going to put my heart on the line.”
Boulter is sharing a large house nearby with her team, long-term boyfriend Alex de Minaur and his team.
It has been a successful month for the tennis-playing couple with Australian De Minaur, who is ranked 16, reaching the final at Queen’s Club.
“I feel like we continually both push each other,” said Boulter. “There’s a lot I’ve learned from him as a person and as a player. I’m very lucky to have an insider who knows the emotions that I go through on and off the court.
“He’s an incredible player and, as you can see from his ranking, he does it week in, week out. I’ve got a lot to learn from him. I do my best to watch what he does and emulate it.”
Boulter begins her campaign on Tuesday against Australian Daria Saville.
England’s Andy Sullivan, Oliver Wilson and James Morrison are part of a six-way tie heading into the final round of the Betfred British Masters as tournament favourite Justin Rose battled to stay in contention.
The home trio were joined on seven under par by Holland’s Joost Luiten, Italy’s Guido Migliozzi and Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard as a blustery wind wreaked havoc at The Belfry.
Rose had been seven under following an opening 65, but carded a 73 in round two and was a shot worse on Saturday to fall three off the pace in an event he won in 2002 and hosted in 2018.
Nuneaton-born Sullivan admitted he was “absolutely buzzing” to be in contention for a fifth DP World Tour title in front of a partisan home crowd, birdies on the 17th and 18th completing a third-round 70 in style.
“I wanted to do something like that all day to try and get it going, fortunately it came on the last,” Sullivan said after holing from 40 feet on the last.
“I was just grateful for it to hit the hole because it might actually have gone down the other ridge. I didn’t get anything going all day, very steady, very solid, and then yeah, the last couple of holes it was sweet to finish like that.
“I’m buzzing. I’m absolutely buzzing. I’m not going to lie, I’ll probably go have a little beer right now to calm down.
“It’s been so nice to see so many friendly faces out there. It’s lucky I’ve got quite a few friends on Tour and I managed to scrounge about 120 tickets so it’s fantastic to have all these people come out and watch you.
“I’m very grateful for the support they give, taking the time out of their weekend and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
Wilson surged into the lead with four birdies in his first seven holes, but missed from three feet for another on the ninth and then dropped shots on the 10th and 11th before carding seven straight pars.
“It was a massive tale of two halves,” Wilson, who was part of the 2008 Ryder Cup team captained by tournament host Sir Nick Faldo, told the PA news agency.
“I was awesome on the front nine. I’m not good at bigging myself up but that was pretty good. I had a three-footer on nine to go five under for the day, missed that and then started to realise how hard it was.
“I just made a couple of errors on 10 and 11 and then it was a bit of a scramble but I did a lot of good stuff and it was so fiddly out there.
“It’s hard to keep it on the fairways on quite a few of the doglegs and every shot out of the rough is jumping. But I’m in good shape and look forward to seeing what I can do tomorrow.”
France’s Antoine Rozner had holed a bunker shot on the eighth and birdied the ninth to join Wilson in the lead on nine under, only to dump two wedge shots into the water on the 10th and make a quadruple-bogey eight.
Rozner stumbled home in 42 but was still within four of the lead on three under, while Thorbjorn Olesen’s chances of defending his title effectively disappeared when he also made two visits to the water on the par-five third to run up a triple-bogey eight, the Dane carding a 76 to finish the day one under.
Rose was initially put down for a triple bogey of his own on the 12th when he appeared to need multiple attempts to hack his ball out of a muddy lie on the edge of a water hazard, but had actually been taking two practice swings.
“My ball was plugged inside the hazard but fortunately there was a rule officials near me and he clarified you can take practice swings,” Rose explained.
“My thinking was if I just wallop it really, really hard can I kind of take all the earth that my ball is sitting in and just move it forward the three or four yards that I need.
“I took big heaves of a practice swing and felt like I could do it, so the third swing you saw was my attempt at the ball.”
As for his chances of victory, Rose added: “I’m in a position where there’s so many guys ahead of me on seven under that one of those guys is going to go out and play well.
“It means that it’s going to take a pretty low one from myself or the chasing pack to get it done, but maybe something along the lines of (my) round one might have a chance.”
Novak Djokovic remains hungry for more success as he starts the defence of his Wimbledon crown and goes in search of a 24th Grand Slam singles title.
Djokovic’s victory at the French Open saw him pass rival Rafael Nadal to stand alone at the summit of the men’s game.
The 36-year-old Serbian could go on to equal Margaret Court’s all-time singles mark with another triumph at SW19 on July 16.
Despite the focus on his longevity, Djokovic is determined to stay true to himself ahead of opening the tournament against Argentina’s Pedro Cachin on Centre Court on Monday afternoon.
“I don’t feel more relaxed, to be honest. I still feel hungry for success, for more Grand Slams, more achievements in tennis,” Djokovic said at a pre-tournament press conference at Wimbledon on Saturday.
“As long as there’s that drive, I know that I’m able to compete at the highest level. If that goes down, then I guess I’ll have to face probably different circumstances and have a different approach.
“So far there’s still the drive – a few days after Roland Garros, I was already thinking about preparation for grass and what needs to be done.
“The tennis season is such that it doesn’t really give you much time to really reflect or enjoy. Of course, I did enjoy with my family, but not for so long.”
Djokovic, who will bid to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles over the next fortnight, added: “A lot of people are coming up to me and congratulating me, reminding me of the historic success, which is nice of course, it’s very flattering.
“But at the same time my mind was already and is already directed towards Wimbledon, what’s the next slam, what’s the next task. That is the life of the professional tennis player.
“I think that kind of mentality is necessary for I guess maintenance of that intensity. If you really want to have a chance and have a go at more slam titles, you need to maintain that concentration and devotion.
“Part of me is very, very proud and very thrilled to be able to be in this position and have 23 slams.
“I want to try to use every Grand Slam opportunity I have at this stage where I’m feeling good in my body, feeling motivated and playing very good tennis, to try to get more.”
With Djokovic having won the last four singles titles at Wimbledon, the veteran Serbian remains very much the man to beat.
After picking up his maiden grass-court title at Queen’s Club, world number one and top seed Carlos Alcaraz has been tipped as the biggest threat.
“There’s always someone out there. There always has been and always will be,” Djokovic said.
“Carlos is a very nice guy who is carrying himself very I think maturely for a 20-year-old. He already has plenty of accolades to his name, making history of the game so young.
“He is great for the game as a player who brings a lot of intensity, energy on the court, and also being very humble and having a nice personality off the courts.
Djokovic added: “For me, I don’t need to have Carlos or anybody else really to find that extra drive and motivation when I enter slams because I know that I have to win seven matches to win a title.
“Whoever I get to face across the net, it doesn’t make a difference for me. I need to do what I need to do.
“Most of my attention is focused on my body and my mind, my game, trying to I guess bring it to the optimal state where I’m performing my best every match.”
Rather than taking part in a grass-court lead-in tournament, Djokovic made an appearance in the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic exhibition event at Hurlingham.
The world number two, though, is in no doubt he will be ready to meet the challenge of another Wimbledon campaign head on.
“When I enter the Centre Court, I guess it just awakens something in me and I’m able to perform at a very high level,” he said.
Max Verstappen said he was fortunate to avoid a high-speed shunt with Sergio Perez after accusing his Red Bull team-mate of forcing him off the road in Saturday’s sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen survived the early drama to win a chaotic 24-lap dash in damp conditions at Red Bull’s home race in Spielberg and extend his championship lead from 69 points to 70.
But despite racking up yet another victory on his probable gallop to a hat-trick of world championships, Verstappen expressed his disappointment with the conduct of Perez in the other Red Bull.
“The exit of Turn 1 was not really nice,” said Verstappen on his way back to the pits after he crossed the finish line 21 seconds clear of the Mexican.
“That could have been a big shunt so we need to have a chat about that because it was not OK.”
Verstappen was referencing the flashpoint between the Red Bull drivers which arrived after only a few hundred metres.
The Dutchman started from pole position, but he was unable to prevent a fast-starting Perez from muscling his way past on the run to the opening right hander.
Perez took the lead, but the Mexican then ran wide on the exit of the first bend allowing Verstappen the opportunity of a slingshot back past.
Verstappen drew alongside his team-mate, but he ran out of room, briefly dropping two wheels on the grass.
“He pushed me off, man,” yelled Verstappen over the radio. “What the f***.”
However, on the long drag to the third bend, Verstappen managed to maintain enough momentum to launch an aggressive move down the inside of Perez.
Verstappen, late on the brakes, ran deep into the right-hander, but he managed to make the move stick. And this time, it was Perez who felt aggrieved.
“What is wrong with Max, man?” he said. As Verstappen raced off into the distance, Perez then lost out to Nico Hulkenberg before eventually finding a way past the Haas driver.
The inquest started immediately after the flag dropped with Perez going over to Verstappen, while the world champion still had his crash helmet on.
The debrief continued into the weighing room as the team-mates spoke for a couple of minutes before revealing their verdicts.
“Max was angry that I went into Turn 2 but I did not see him,” said Perez.
“I had a very bad Turn 1 so I tried to protect [the lead] and once I realised he was there, I opened up the door and gave him the place back. It is all fine. We just spoke about it. The visibility was very bad out there.”
Verstappen was up next. “It was a hairy moment out of Turn 1,” he said. “When you get forced on to the grass it is very slippery but I managed to keep my car under control.”
Moments later, Verstappen headed to the official press conference for the top three finishers. Sitting alongside Perez, he moved to downplay the row.
“It might have compromised the result but it didn’t,” said Verstappen. “We don’t need to make this a big story.
“This is what happens sometimes. We talk about it. We clear it. And it is fine. That is how human beings work. Question, answer, solve it, done. You don’t need to write a whole article about it, I hope.”
Behind Verstappen and Perez, Carlos Sainz took third for Ferrari, while George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished eighth and 10th for Mercedes. Lando Norris started third and ended a disappointing ninth.
Hamilton fought back from 18th on the grid after he had three qualifying laps deleted for exceeding track limits.
Russell started 15th but managed to make up seven places and take the final point after his roll of the dice to move to slick tyres – the first driver to do so – with nine laps to run paid off.
Saturday’s result has no bearing on Sunday’s 71-lap Grand Prix, with Verstappen on pole as he bids to land his seventh victory from the nine rounds so far.
William Buick is ever confident he can retain the jockeys’ title he won for the first time last year, following a Newmarket treble on Saturday.
The champion was in fine form, booting home Star of Mystery and debutant Dance Sequence for Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby and completed a hat-trick when coming with a late rattle to get the William Haggas-trained Royal Charter up in the dying strides of the mile fillies’ handicap.
Having run away with the title last season with 157 winners – 66 more than his closest rival – he now has to contend with former champion Oisin Murphy, who missed last term when suspended.
Murphy is neck and neck in the race for the title, having been in double form at Newcastle with Batal Dubai for Harry and Roger Charlton and Nobel for Andrew Balding.
But Buick is relishing the challenge to retain the crown and said: “It will be a ding-dong. Nothing changes.
“It is a long way to go, but you just go and do your best every day and hope you knock a few in.”
Paddy Power make it a two-horse race, with Murphy at 8-11 and Buick even-money, with Tom Marquand next best at 20-1.
Murphy partnered winners for 38 different trainers for his last championship in 2021, but Buick feels he is in pole position and added: “I’d be pretty confident (of winning the title). You have got to be consistent.
“I’m in a very privileged position with Godolphin, obviously, and the jockeys’ championship is something that I am going for.
“It’s always difficult, but I managed to balance it well last year and hopefully I’ll do it again this year.
“It will be a fascinating battle. I think it is what the sport wants. It’s good. It’s going to be good fun.”
A practice session with his old foe Novak Djokovic showed Andy Murray how far he has come as he prepares for another tilt at Wimbledon.
Ten years after he beat the Serbian to win his first title at the All England Club, Murray took on Djokovic in a training set on Court 14, with many of the army of people putting the final touches to preparations for the tournament crowding round for a glimpse.
The last time Murray remembers practising with his former junior rival before a grand slam was a miserable session at the Australian Open back in 2019, a day before he tearfully laid bare the extent of his hip problems.
This was a very different occasion, and the Scot said: “I did well in the practice. Where I am today in comparison to where I was then is night and day, just from a mental perspective, my enjoyment of the game, and how I’m still able to compete with those guys.
“I didn’t feel like I could really back then. I’m happy to be in that position still. I really enjoyed it. We used to practise together quite a lot actually. It was nice to be back on the court with him again.”
Murray is not yet back at the stage where he could be considered one of the likely challengers to Djokovic for the title.
Despite winning successive events on the second-tier Challenger Tour in Surbiton and Nottingham, he missed out on a seeding for Wimbledon and will go in ranked 39.
He has not been beyond the third round at a grand slam since 2017 but chose to skip the French Open and prioritise grass-court preparations knowing that, if he is going to make the latter stages of a major event again, this is by far the most likely venue.
“I feel good,” he said. “I’ve obviously played lots of matches. Physically I’ve been feeling good. I’m ready to go.
“I want to go out there and perform at a level that I’m happy with. I do feel like I’m in a really, really good position to do that. I have the experience at this tournament. There’s only one player in the draw that has more experience of playing here than me, which is Novak.
“I certainly will be one of the only players that’s won against him here (he is the only one), as well. I need to use that to my advantage and use my experience to my advantage and take confidence from that.
“I do believe I’m one of the best grass-court players in the world, and I’m physically feeling really good. I prepared well, so there’s no reason why I can’t have a good tournament.”
Murray has been asked to relive his triumph of 2013 many times over the last few weeks and a bit of nostalgia will be inevitable as he prepares to play in the tournament for the 15th time.
He said: “I come here a lot during the year. Fortunately I’m a member here so I sometimes come to train or go to the gym or whatever.
“I feel very comfortable in these surroundings. I love coming to play the tournament here. When I walk out onto Centre Court to play, obviously I’m very nervous but incredibly excited to get the chance to perform here again on one of, if not the, most special court in our sport.
“I always really look forward to it. A couple days out from the tournament, I feel a bit nervous and stuff, which is always a really positive sign to me when I feel that way. Hopefully that bodes well for the event.”
Murray’s deadpan humour was on show as he was asked about playing a British player in the first round for the first time since his second title run in 2016.
“Brilliant,” he said. “Can we start celebrating now?”
On that occasion it was Liam Broady in his way, this time 27-year-old wild card Ryan Peniston.
“I know him pretty well,” said Murray. “We’ve practised together quite a lot. He obviously likes playing on the grass courts. He’s had some good wins on the surface. Lefty, moves very well. I need to be ready for that one.”
The 36-year-old, meanwhile, gave his thoughts on the news the ATP is in talks to forge links with Saudi Arabia, while the WTA is also considering holding tournaments in the country.
Murray has previously turned down the chance to appear in exhibition events in the country and said he would not do so in the future.
“If they become major tournaments on the tour, it becomes a slightly different question, and it’s a difficult one, really, based on how the tour and the rankings and everything work, how important they are to get into other events and stuff,” he said.
“When you start missing them, you obviously get penalised for that. It’s definitely something I would have to think about. Unfortunately it’s the way that a lot of sports seem to be going now.”
Damian Lillard has asked the Portland Trail Blazers to trade him, according to multiple media reports on Saturday.
An explicit trade request is the latest development in a months-long saga between Portland and the seven-time All-Star.
As an accomplished veteran on the Trail Blazers’ recent struggling teams, Lillard has long been considered a potential trade target. Until Saturday, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer insisted that he was focused on winning in Portland.
The Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets are among the teams with serious interest in Lillard, according to multiple media reports.
Portland used the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft on guard Scoot Henderson after Lillard – who will turn 33 later this month – had reportedly lobbied the club to trade the pick for veteran help.
Adam Yates beat twin brother Simon to victory on the opening day of the Tour de France to take the yellow jersey and his first Grand Tour stage win in Bilbao.
With their parents out on course, the 30-year-old twins relived the countless times they raced each other on training rides around the roads of Lancashire as youngsters before Adam got the better of Simon on the short rise to the finish.
The pair, riding for rival teams, went clear from a select group at the top of the Cote de Pike, 10km from the finish of a testing 182km stage around the Basque Country, as Adam’s UAE Emirates team-mate Tadej Pogacar and his main rival, defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, eyed each other up.
The twins opened up a 20-second gap on the chasing group as they descended into Bilbao before, as Jayco-Alula’s Simon said he began to suffer with cramp, Adam opened up several bike lengths to take the win.
Back in 2011, Andy Schleck took a stage win on the Galibier ahead of brother Frank but that was by a margin of more than two minutes. Here there were only four seconds as Simon watched Adam raise his arms in celebration.
“Honestly, I don’t even know what to say,” Adam said. “We tried to set the climb up for Tadej, he attacked but then it was a headwind on the descent. My brother came across to me and we started to work together.
“At first I didn’t know if I should work with him, I asked on the radio and they said, ‘Go for it’. I’m speechless. I knew he was going good, I speak to him every day. My brother and I are close and to share this experience with him is really nice.”
Adam is back in yellow after enjoying four days as leader in 2020. Simon is a two-time stage winner in the Tour but the 2018 Vuelta a Espana winner has never worn the leader’s jersey in cycling’s biggest race.
“I’m pleased for him of course, his first Grand Tour stage so I’m ecstatic for him but I also wanted to win,” Simon said. “We’re quite competitive…I have a fantastic relationships with my brother. I’m really happy for him but I’ll stick it to him in the coming days.”
This undulating stage through the Basque Country, one of the most difficult opening stages to a Tour in recent history, left itself open to a host of possibilities. Everyone from the general classification contenders to Classics specialists to strong sprinters had been tipped for victory.
It came down to the GC riders on the decisive final climb, with Pogacar and Vingegaard to the fore towards the summit before the Yates twins went away.
Pogacar has played up the doubts about his fitness given he has raced only once – winning last weekend’s Slovenian national road race – since breaking his wrist in April, but the road provided a more definitive answer as he set the fastest time up the Pike.
“I’m really happy with the performance,” said Pogacar, who led home a chasing group 12 seconds after Yates. “I think the engine started running today. The final climb was super happy but I was satisfied with the shape.”
With bonus seconds applied, Adam leads by eight seconds from Simon, with Pogacar 18 seconds down in third. Vingegaard is among a host of riders a further four seconds back.
Adam Yates started the day dismissing suggestions he was co-leader alongside Pogacar given the questions over the latter’s wrist, but whatever happens over the next three weeks Yates has already had a race to remember.
“Really I just want to keep my feet on the ground,” he said. “We’re here for Tadej, he’s the boss, he’s shown before he’s the best in the world and over the next few weeks I’m sure he’s going to show that again.”
Aryna Sabalenka admits she was left in tears having to watch Wimbledon last year during a ban on Russian and Belarusian players, but holds no expectations as she heads back to the All England Club.
Following last year’s ban due to the illegal invasion of Ukraine, Russian and Belarussian players will be able to play in next week’s showpiece tournament after Wimbledon organisers were heavily fined and threatened with further sanctions by tennis’ governing bodies.
Women’s number two Sabalenka will find herself in the spotlight once again, having opted out of some media obligations at the French Open citing mental health and well-being concerns following some terse exchanges with journalists.
Sabalenka made it clear ahead of a pre-tournament press conference held at Wimbledon on Saturday afternoon that she had no intentions of addressing the issues once again.
“Before we continue I would like to say I’m not going to talk about politics. I’m here to talk about tennis only. Please respect that,” Sabalenka said.
“If you have any kind of political questions, you can ask WTA or the tournament. They can send you the transcript of my answers from the previous tournaments.”
Sabalenka added: “It’s my personal decision.”
The world number two recalled how last year’s ban had been tough to endure.
“I was at home having a little vacation, then practicing, but, no, I didn’t watch Wimbledon a lot,” she said.
“I felt so bad and I just couldn’t watch it. Every time if Wimbledon would be on TV, I would cry, so I decided just to stay away from Wimbledon last year.
“I am always telling myself that the best I can do is focus on things I have control on. That is really helping a lot to not think about anything else on the tennis.”
Having enjoyed a run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2021, Sabalenka is hoping for another deep run in the tournament, which starts against Hungarian Panna Udvardy on Tuesday.
“I’m super emotional right now. I’m super happy to be back. I really miss this place,” she said.
“When I got here first time, I was just like enjoying (it). I couldn’t believe that I’m here.
“I’m feeling good. I don’t have any kind of expectations. The only one expectation I have is just to bring my best tennis every time I’m on the court, and hopefully I’ll do it.
“I only have hope that they (Wimbledon crowd) will support me as they did last year – hopefully.”
Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January, but suffered a disappointing defeat to unseeded Czech Karolina Muchova in the semi-finals at Roland Garros.
“That was really tough, tough end of the tournament,” said Sabalenka, who only made it to the second round in Berlin.
“I was really disappointed with that loss, but then we spoke with my team. It was a good lesson for me.
“I just had few days off, and then start my preparation for the grass season.”
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