The organisers of the Commonwealth Games say they will listen to any offer from the United Kingdom to step in as emergency hosts for the 2026 event after the Australian state of Victoria’s sudden withdrawal.

State premier Daniel Andrews announced Victoria was pulling out on Tuesday, citing rising costs.

Katie Sadleir, the chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), said her organisation was “open” to discussions with all members with a view to replacing Victoria as hosts – including the UK.

Before that, Sadleir said the CGF will work with its lawyers on agreeing a suitable compensation deal with Victoria following its withdrawal.

She told the PA news agency: “The UK are fantastic hosts and we would be very open to having a conversation with them about it, if that’s something they would be interested in doing.”

Birmingham stepped in as hosts of the 2022 Games after the CGF stripped South African city Durban of hosting rights back in 2017.

Asked if the British Government would encourage a UK bid for 2026, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said: “We are getting slightly ahead of ourselves.”

The Downing Street spokesman had earlier said he hoped a “viable solution” could be found to hold the event in Australia.

Asked if Australia remained the CGF’s first preference, Sadleir said: “We’re open to all opportunities, but Commonwealth Games Australia are a partner with us in terms of the hosting contract that we’ve all been working to for quite some time.

“I will be meeting with (Craig Phillips, CGA’s chief executive) to talk about what other (Australian) cities and states are interested, so we will have that conversation with them. But at the same time, we must be open to having discussions with our wider members as well.”

Victoria’s withdrawal will inevitably reopen the debate about the Games’ future and the cost of staging it.

Andrews said the estimated costs to his state for the bid were now up to seven billion Australian dollars (£3.6billion).

Victoria were the first hosts who were able to take advantage of the CGF’s new ‘roadmap’, which was designed to make staging the event more cost-effective. Among the measures within the roadmap were a reduction in the number of compulsory sports from 16 to two, and the removal of the requirement for a bespoke athletes’ village.

Sadleir believes Victoria had the flexibility to stage the Games much more cheaply, but chose not to, opting to hold the event over five provincial hubs rather than centring it on Melbourne.

“The cost of the Games is in relation to what the host country wants to get out of it,” she said.

“This was an expensive, unique Games, but it was driven by what the Victorian Government wanted to do.”

Sadleir, who described the news of Victoria’s withdrawal as “devastating”, said the CGF had been given eight hours’ notice of the decision to pull out.

Sadleir said CGA chief executive Craig Phillips was “correct” in his statement earlier on Tuesday that Victoria had “wilfully ignored” recommendations that could have reduced costs, such as using existing facilities in Melbourne.

“At all times we questioned whether or not they had really thought through the dispersed model,” added Sadleir.

“They increased the number of hubs from what the original bid was. They added additional sports, they decided to invest in facilities outside of Melbourne, some of them which had limited legacy because of the pop-up nature of them. But those were decisions that they made.

“We did go back to them several times to say, ‘are you sure?’ and were assured.

“We were aware there was a budget submission, it was a paper that went to the (CGF) board in mid-April. So we were aware (of an increase in estimated costs), but we did not have those figures that are (now) in the public domain.

“We definitely did provide a variety of solutions to actually reduce the cost of the Games. They said it was their unique model and they wanted to invest in regional economic development. They did not want anything in Melbourne that was existing, they wanted to invest in the regions and at all times we were led to believe that they had the funding to do that.”

The British Government put the cost of staging the Birmingham Games last year at £778million, and an independent report published in January said the Games had already contributed £870.7m to the UK economy by that point.

Asked if she could assure athletes there would be a Games in 2026, Sadleir said: “What I can assure them is that I will be working very hard to make that happen.”

On the subject of compensation from Victoria, Sadleir said: “We entered into a contract with (Victoria) to deliver a Games. They are defaulting on that contract.

“There are a series of clauses that articulate the kind of cash flows that would have happened if the Games had gone on. We are sitting down to look at options to come to a resolution that we will be happy with.”

Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s big-hitters and emerging stars have been backed to inspire a new generation after a hugely successful showing at the Para Athletics World Championships.

Reigning Paralympic champion Hannah Cockroft took gold in the women’s T34 100m and T34 800m, while Aled Davies secured a fifth world title in the men’s F63 shot put and Sammi Kinghorn a third in the women’s T53 100m.

However, 19-year-old Scot Ben Sandilands also led a group of potential future stars onto the podium in Paris with victory in the men’s T20 1500m to demonstrate the effectiveness of GB’s National Lottery-funded para athletics strategy drawn up in response to a disappointing return at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

Paula Dunn, head coach for para athletics between 2012 and 2022, told the PA news agency: “We had a strategy in terms of not just looking in the short term at athletes, but building a sustainable programme, having a clear pathway of talent coming through, having talent identification and recruitment drives ahead of 2012, which was an amazing opportunity to create some role models and just increase that profile and awareness of the sport.

“We are just reaping the benefits of that long-term continued investment in the sport, which we’re really fortunate in this cycle amounts to around £9million of lottery support.

“That’s critical for our continued success. It’s nice when a strategy comes together and it starts delivering.”

In all, lottery support for para athletics has totalled £214million and the success that has helped to generate – Britain finished fourth in the medals table in Paris with 29, 10 of them gold – has made athletes such as Cockroft and sprinter Jonnie Peacock, one of the stars of the 2012 Paralympics in London, household names.

Asked how their profile has helped to attract new blood to the sport, Dunn said: “It’s critical. The children who turn on the TV this year – and definitely next year when the Paralympics are on – will see somebody who looks like them, and if you see somebody that looks like you, you’re more likely to go and have a go at that sport.

“For us, it’s critical to make sure we keep the profile high to keep that fresh blood coming into the sport.”

Success at the World Championships will only increase excitement levels ahead of next summer’s Paralympic Games, which are also taking place in Paris, although Dunn knows only too well the hard work ahead of those hoping to thrive on the global stage again.

She said: “We always deliver. Is it going to be hard? Absolutely. The Paralympics now is exceptionally competitive. We can see that there are very small margins now between success and failure.

“We’ve got a great high performance system, we’ve got funding, so we’ve got everything in place now to deliver. But these guys now will be coming back, have a short break and then again their eyes will all be on Paris 2024 to go there and deliver on the global stage once again.”

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Alflaila will make his belated return from injury at York on Saturday week in the Group Two Sky Bet York Stakes.

The Shadwell-owned colt won four times from six starts as a three-year-old last term before sustaining an injury ahead of a run in Bahrain in November.

Trainer Owen Burrows feels he has had plenty of time to recuperate and thinks an outing on the Knavesmire, where he won the Strensall Stakes last August, will bring him on.

Though not having raced since defeating Ottoman Fleet in the Group Three Darley Stakes at Newmarket in October, he is entered in the Group One Juddmonte International.

Connections are keen to see if he will cope with 10 furlongs for the first time in his career, in preparation for a possible run at the top level in the August 23 contest at York.

Burrows said: “He will run in the Group Two at York on Saturday week. He was injured in Bahrain a few days before he was due to run.

“He has had his rehab back at Shadwell and touch wood it has all gone well.

“We have had plenty of time to prepare him and there was the Listed race at Newbury on Saturday or this race, and we’d have had a penalty in the Listed race, so we thought we’d have a punt and see how he fared in the Group Two.

“He won the Strensall at York, so he is a track winner and it would be nice to get him back on the track.”

Hukum, who made a winning return following a long injury lay-off in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown, heads to Ascot for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes on the same day.

However, Prix d’Ispahan winner Anmaat is set to take his place on the sidelines due to a foot problem that ruled him out of the Eclipse.

“Losing good horses (through injury) is what I think they call ‘character-building’,” quipped Burrows. “With Anmaat now likely sidelined for the rest of the season, I think I’ve done enough character-building for now.

“Hukum is in good form, though. It will be a big weekend for us, that’s for sure.”

Shadwell decided not to supplement Al Asifah into Saturday’s Juddmonte Irish Oaks at the Curragh, with no imminent plans.

The three-year-old daughter of Frankel, trained by John and Thady Gosden, was a runaway winner of a Goodwood Listed heat in June, before finishing a lacklustre sixth to Warm Heart in the Ribblesdale Stake at Royal Ascot 11 days later.

Angus Gold, racing manager to Shadwell, said: “We have left her alone since Ascot. We will just give her a little bit of time and will bring her back gently later in the season.”

Novak Djokovic will remain a force at the top of men's tennis despite the disruption to his dominance that has been caused by Carlos Alcaraz.

That is the view of former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli after the Serbian missed out on a fifth consecutive title, which would have been a record-equalling eighth overall, at the All England Club on Sunday.

Roared on by the Centre Court crowd, Alcaraz produced a dynamic performance in the final to earn a spirited five-set victory, storming back to win having lost the first set 6-1.

Despite only just turning 20, the Spaniard now has two grand slam titles to his name, having won the US Open last year.

And it is in New York where Djokovic will look to respond to only his second loss in nine Wimbledon finals.

Despite Djokovic's setback, Bartoli is confident 23-time grand slam winner is primed to win multiple further majors and one day reach 25, saying the veteran remains the man to beat.

"As the champion it is never nice to lose for sure and it will sting for a few days," Bartoli said to Stats Perform.

"I don't think he's going to come out of this match like 'yeah, it's fine I just lost it', as you don't win 23 grand slams without being a fierce competitor and without hating to lose.

"But there is the US Open coming up this year, so there is a lot on the line for him.

"He has absolutely no points to defend [in the US Open] and then he has the year-end championship [ATP Finals] that he won at the end of last year. 

"On the other end Alcaraz has the US Open to defend so it's more than likely that Novak Djokovic will be able to regain that number one ranking spot at the end of the US summer swing.

"He's going to get himself ready for that. I'm not sure what kind of schedule he will play, whether he's going to play the two Masters events before or maybe just one and go to the US Open because he's 36 and you just can't have the same schedule as someone like Carlos Alcaraz has, that is obvious.

"But can he pass and go over Margaret Court [on 24 major titles]? Absolutely. He's going to be the favourite to win the US Open equally with Alcaraz and he will be the overall favourite to win the next Australian Open.

"So absolutely it is very much more than achievable for him [to pass Court] and obviously I think by the end of 2024 that's where he should stand — at least 25 Grand Slams and alone on top of the world."

Djokovic had not lost at Wimbledon since going down to Tomas Berdych in the 2017 quarter-finals and the final was his first loss on Centre Court for 10 years, since Andy Murray beat him in the famous 2013 final, the same year when Bartoli won on the women's side.

Bartoli added: "So for sure it's just going to sting for him when he looks back at those tapes and sees back those points that he missed – two backhands during the tie-break, the drop shot that he missed in the net at 3-2 for him in the breaker, sees the swing volley that he decided to actually take in the air – maybe just let it drop and see if the ball actually will stay in the court or not.

"It is just two or three crucial points here and there that made the whole result at the end of the match change. He had set point to go up two sets to love. I think if he covered there, it is completely different. 

"He had a break point at the beginning of the fifth to go 2-0 up after winning the fourth and was carrying the whole momentum with him, so he was extremely close."

Bartoli thinks the rise of Alcaraz epitomises the new style of modern players, but thinks Djokovic's complete game means he is still well-placed to mix it with rising stars.

Alcaraz is the youngest player in the Open Era to win the singles title at both the US Open and Wimbledon.

But asked if the win for Alcaraz was a changing of the guard, she replied: "No, but I felt it was a new tennis. 

"It was very much a sort of new complete tennis that we'll be able to witness from the new generation of players coming in. I include in that Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner as the same [style] as Alcaraz. 

"The defence is there, the court coverage is there, the speed is there, coming to the net is there, playing the dropshot is there, play aggressive and defensive, and they can last for whatever time is required on the court. And in some sort of way in the middle, there is Daniil Medvedev and Stefan Tsitsipas too.

"That's what the new tennis on the men's side is looking for. Maybe for the next 10 years or so. And I think very much Novak was up to the task [against Alcaraz].

"So I don't think it was a change of the guard. I just felt it was a new tennis and because Novak has that type of tennis obviously he can sustain that level." 

Savethelastdance could have stablemate Warm Heart among eight rivals when she has another crack at Classic honours in Saturday’s Darley Irish Oaks at the Curragh.

Aidan O’Brien’s charge was sent off favourite for the Betfred Oaks at Epsom after a 22-length demolition job in the Cheshire Oaks, but she could not quite catch Soul Sister and was beaten a length and three-quarters.

Fellow Ballydoyle runner Warm Heart appears to be her chief threat, with that filly stepping up from a Newbury Listed win to claim the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot. O’Brien also has Be Happy, Lambada and Library in the field, while his son Joseph can call on Ribblesdale runner-up Lumiere Rock.

The Ralph Beckett-trained Bluestocking is familiar with Warm Heart, having been beaten a head at Newbury and just under four lengths when third at Ascot.

Dermot Weld’s Azazat and the Jim Bolger-trained Comhra complete the list of possibles.

Art Power has won each of his three starts at the Curragh and Tim Easterby’s charge leads 11 contenders for the Barberstown Castle Sapphire Stakes after finishing a fair fourth in the July Cup last weekend.

Karl Burke’s ParisLongchamp Group Three winner White Lavender has been supplemented for the five-furlong contest, which also features Ladies Church, Go Athletico and Moss Tucker.

Emily Dickinson could drop back to a mile and six furlongs in the Comer Group International Curragh Cup after coming home fourth over two and a half miles in the Gold Cup at Ascot.

Fellow Aidan O’Brien contenders include Broome and Gooloogong, winner of a Navan maiden, with Joseph O’Brien’s Duke of Edinburgh Stakes winner Okita Soushi a possible for the Group Two affair.

Valiant King, who was just touched off by Desert Hero in the King George V Stakes at the Royal meeting, is another to note for O’Brien junior, as is Rosscarbery for Paddy Twomey after her luckless Pretty Polly Stakes run.

The Jebel Ali Racecourse And Stables Anglesey Stakes has a rich history and after saddling Little Big Bear to win 12 months ago, Aidan O’Brien has five to pick from, headlined by narrow Chesham second Pearls And Rubies.

Twomey houses one of the key performers for Sunday’s Romanised Minstrel Stakes in Just Beautiful, winner of a Curragh Group Two when last seen in May.

Jumbly finished second on that occasion and could try her luck again, while Ger Lyons has three contenders, including recent Group Three scores Zarinsk and Power Under Me.

Coronation Stakes third Sounds Of Heaven is the star name in the Michael John Kennedy Memorial Stakes as she drops back to Group Three level and inches up to nine furlongs for Jessica Harrington.

Wigan head coach Matt Peet hopes to give out-going joint-owner and chairman Ian Lenagan a fitting send-off with more Challenge Cup glory at Wembley.

Lenagan, 77, announced last Saturday that he will stand down at the end of the season in November, ending his 16-year association with the club.

Wigan, who lifted the Cup at Wembley last season for a record-extending 20th time after victory over Huddersfield, take on Hull KR at Headingley on Sunday for a place in this year’s final.

Peet said: “I think everyone understands how much he has committed to the club, financially obviously, but in terms of emotion and dedication of his life and his family’s life.

“It would be fitting if we could get him to at least one more final. We’ll take this opportunity this week to try and do it, but we’re up against another proud club with plenty of motivation of their own.”

Since Lenagan bought the Warriors from Dave Whelan in 2007, they have been Grand Final winners four times and have won three League Leaders’ Shields, three Challenge Cups and a World Club Challenge.

Peet, promoted from assistant to head coach after Adrian Lam’s departure in October 2021, said: “I think it’s where (Lenagan) picked the club up and on and off the field, where the club was at and where he’ll leave them.

“Everything that’s gone on between will be the biggest indication and history will remember Ian Lenagan as one of the greatest leaders in the history of the club, and rightly so.

“The influence he’s had on the education in the town, community, the engagement and obviously on the field.

“He’s also made his mark on the game as a whole. Internally, we always make decisions which are best for Wigan, but he always has the bigger picture in mind of what’s best for the game.”

Peet has warned his side must produce top form if they are to beat Hull KR on Sunday to set up a Wembley showdown against either St Helens or Leigh on August 12.

Wigan lost 27-18 to Hull KR at Craven Park on the opening day of the Super League season in February and edged a 26-22 golden-point win in the return in May.

“They’ve outplayed us twice so it’s obvious anything less than our best performance of the season and we’ll not be in the final,” added Peet, who has no new injuries following Friday’s 26-12 win against Warrington.

Hull KR head coach Willie Peters, appointed as Tony Smith’s successor for the start of the season, is waiting for fitness reports on doubtful trio Ryan Hall, Jimmy Keinhorst and Elliot Minchella.

Rovers, who lost in the semi-finals to Huddersfield last season, have seen a strong Super League challenge hit by a string of injuries.

Australian Peters, 44, who played on the losing side for Wigan in the  2000 Super League Grand Final defeat to St Helens, said: “If we can beat a club like Wigan to go and play at Wembley, it would be huge.

“Everything we’ve been through, the adversity in terms of injuries, it would be massive.

“We need to enjoy ourselves, celebrate the little wins along the way, like getting to the semis, but every team wants to get to Wembley.

“If we were to do the job, it would give the club huge belief, that’s for sure.”

Downing Street has said it hoped a “viable solution” can be found for the 2026 Commonwealth Games to be held in Australia, insisting the idea of the UK stepping in to host the event was “getting slightly ahead of ourselves”.

Victoria’s state premier Daniel Andrews announced its withdrawal on Tuesday, citing a substantial rise in predicted staging costs.

“This is a disappointing outcome for both fans and athletes,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.

“We hope that the Victoria state government, the Games federation and Commonwealth Games Australia will now work together to find a viable solution to hosting the event in 2026.”

It remains to be seen whether a UK city or region comes forward to offer itself as a replacement, as was the case when the global governing body, the Commonwealth Games Federation, stripped South African city Durban of the hosting rights for 2022 back in 2017.

Birmingham ultimately won the race to stage those Games, with the Government announcing in 2019 that the event would cost £778million to stage in total, split 75-25 between central Government and Birmingham City Council.

Asked if the Government would encourage a home nation to step in to host the 2026 event, the spokesman said: “We are getting slightly ahead of ourselves.

“In the first instance it’s for those bodies and groups I’ve just mentioned to have those discussions and see if a solution can be found.

“Obviously the UK has been honoured to host the Games twice in the past decade (Birmingham 2022 and Glasgow 2014) so we will see what comes out of those initial discussions.”

Victoria’s decision to pull out has been heavily criticised, with Commonwealth Games Australia chief executive Craig Phillips angrily rejecting Andrews’ claims around cost as a “gross exaggeration” and saying Victoria had “wilfully ignored” recommendations to use purpose-built venues in Melbourne in favour of pursuing expensive, temporary venues in the state provinces.

He also dismissed Andrews’ assertion that Victoria had stepped in to host at the last minute, and said the government’s actions had jeopardised Melbourne and Victoria’s status as “a sporting capital of the world”.

Phillips said in a statement published on the CGA website: “The multi-city model for delivering Victoria 2026 was an approach proposed by the Victorian Government, in accordance with strategic roadmap of the Commonwealth Games Federation.

“It was pitched to the CGF after Commonwealth Games Australia had sought interest to host the Games from several states. They did not step in as hosts at the last minute, as indicated by the Premier earlier today.

“The detailed budgetary implications announced today have not been sighted or discussed with the CGF or CGA ahead of being notified of the Government’s decision.

“The stated costs overrun, in our opinion, are a gross exaggeration and not reflective of the operational costs presented to the Victoria 2026 Organising Committee board as recently as June.

“Beyond this, the Victorian Government wilfully ignored recommendations to move events to purpose-built stadia in Melbourne and in fact remained wedded to proceeding with expensive temporary venues in regional Victoria.”

He added: “The Victorian Government… has jeopardised Melbourne and Victoria’s standing as a sporting capital of the world.”

Andrews said at a press conference earlier on Tuesday that the original budget for the Victoria Games was 2.6billion Australian dollars (£1.3billion) and added: “I’ve made a lot of difficult decisions in this job. This is not one of them.

“It’s just quite obvious, we are not going to spend six to seven billion dollars on a 12-day sporting event.

“We don’t just make popular decisions – we do what’s right and it would simply be wrong.”

The CGF said it had received just eight hours’ notice of Victoria’s intention to withdraw, and described the decision to pull out as “hugely disappointing”.

The CGF’s statement added: “Since awarding Victoria the Games, the Government has made decisions to include more sports and an additional regional hub, and changed plans for venues, all of which have added considerable expense, often against the advice of the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Australia.

“We are disappointed that we were only given eight hours’ notice and that no consideration was given to discussing the situation to jointly find solutions prior to this decision being reached by the Government.

“Up until this point, the Government had advised that sufficient funding was available to deliver the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games.”

Victoria was set to be the first host to benefit from a new ‘roadmap’ for staging Games, designed to reduce costs and increase flexibility.

The number of compulsory sports had been reduced from 16 to just two (athletics and swimming), there was no requirement on hosts to build a bespoke athletes’ village and hosts were encouraged to make use of existing facilities wherever possible.

The national Commonwealth federations of England, Scotland and Wales expressed their disappointment at the news concerning Victoria.

Commonwealth Games England described the news as “hugely unsettling” for athletes.

Rowan Crothers, an Australian para-swimmer, highlighted the uniqueness of the Games, where para-sports events sit alongside non-disabled competition.

“Seeing the Games cancelled will suck for the state of inclusion,” he wrote on Twitter.

“For some athletes, a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games means more than a gold medal at the Paralympics – it’s not just a similar level, it’s the exact same thing the able-bods get. Recognition and equality can mean more than achievement.”

Nymphadora could have another opportunity to create some York magic with the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes in her sights following her impressive success in the City Walls Stakes.

Trained by Andrew Balding, the four-year-old showcased her love for the Knavesmire as a juvenile when winning the Marygate and although unsuccessful in the Lowther Stakes later that year, she made a winning return to the course on Saturday when casting a spell on her rivals to scoop Listed honours.

The daughter of No Nay Never looks to have earned herself a shot at a major sprinting prize later in the season and a return to York for the Nunthorpe on August 25 appears the obvious spot if conditions are suitable, with the Prix de l’Abbaye at ParisLongchamp (October 1) also on the radar considering Nymphadora’s love of soft ground.

“She definitely enjoys getting her toe in and loves York,” said Richard Brown, racing manager for owners St Albans Bloodstock Limited.

“She’s a multiple stakes winner and I love the way she can get to the front. In a Group One she is not going to get an easy lead but she has a lot of pace, she can get to the front and sustain, and we know she handles soft ground.

“I have not spoken to Andrew yet because we wanted to enjoy the victory, but I suppose, in my mind, I would have one eye on the Nunthorpe because she loves the track and five furlongs.

“She won the Marygate there and when she won there on Saturday she showed a lot of speed and she won pretty well in the end – she’s a quick filly. I would say we will definitely have one eye on it at least.”

Brown went on: “I think cut in the ground is important to her, so an Abbaye might also come into the thinking.

“We are going to have a crack at something and the great thing with a filly is even if she was fourth in one of those races, you can catalogue it and it’s an important thing to get on the page.”

Saturday’s City Walls triumph for Nymphadora was her second win from her four starts this term and the victory was one half of a fine weekend for owner Andrew Stone of St Albans Bloodstock, who also owns a share of Henry Candy’s Araminta who claimed the Group Three Prix Chloe at Chantilly.

Brown added: “It was a great weekend because Andrew also has a share in the filly that won the Group Three in France on Sunday. So he had two stakes winners in one weekend and he’s a very happy man at the moment.

“I’m delighted for him because he puts a lot in and it’s fantastic to see him getting these results.”

Rory McIlroy believes he has enjoyed the ideal preparation as he bids to end his long major drought in the 151st Open Championship.

McIlroy travelled to Hoylake on Sunday afternoon after winning the Scottish Open in brilliant fashion, the 34-year-old defying strong winds to birdie the final two holes and edge out home favourite Robert MacIntyre by a shot.

Since then the world number two has been reacquainting himself with Royal Liverpool, the venue where he lifted the Claret Jug in 2014 just a month before claiming the last of his four majors to date in the US PGA Championship.

For the second major in succession McIlroy cancelled a planned formal press conference, but he did give short interviews to TV and radio outlets.

“I could not ask for better preparation,” he told BBC Sport NI. “The way I played the last two holes (in Scotland) was an amazing finish and a perfect way to come into this week.

“I’ve had a great nine years and won a lot of tournaments but the big four have eluded me. Hopefully this week that’s something I can change.

“It’s nice to be back here. It’s not like I think about it all that often so it’s nice to come back and re-familiarise myself with the course. It’s nice to come back to a major venue you’ve won on, but it also makes you feel a bit old.”

McIlroy has recorded 19 top 10s in the 34 majors played since his last victory, with his best chances of a win coming in last year’s Open and June’s US Open.

At St Andrews McIlroy held a two-shot lead at the turn in the final round before being overhauled by an inspired Cameron Smith, while he finished a shot behind Wyndham Clark at Los Angeles Country Club following a final round containing one birdie, one bogey and 16 pars.

“It’s just golf,” he told Sky Sports News. “At the end of the day I have to go out there and try to shoot the best score I can for four days in a row and hope that is one shot better than everyone else.

“I’m just trying to keep it as simple as possible, forget all the noise, forget everything else and just go out and enjoy myself more than anything else.

“The course is great. It’s in superb condition. It’s basically how I remember it. It’s a very strategic golf course off the tee. It’s very, very well bunkered and I think the biggest challenge of this golf course is avoiding those pot bunkers off the tee.

“It’s a very strategic golf course, which I like. You really have to think your way around it and whether you challenge the bunkers or not or lay back.”

McIlroy will partner Ryder Cup team-mates Jon Rahm and Justin Rose in the first two rounds, teeing off just before 3pm on Thursday.

The epic Wimbledon final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic is among the best three tennis matches Marion Bartoli has ever seen.

Former Wimbledon champion Bartoli watched in awe as Alcaraz dethroned Djokovic at the All England Club on Sunday, coming from behind to win a classic contest 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 6-4.

Bartoli played in two Wimbledon finals herself and was commentating on the latest instalment of great showpiece battles on Centre Court as Djokovic was denied a record-equalling eighth title at the grand slam tournament.

"I definitely ranked it in the top three matches that I've ever seen," Bartoli told Stats Perform.

"Of course there are some finals I haven't seen especially from before [this era], but I think when you look at it as Roger [Federer] against Rafa [Nadal] at Wimbledon 2008, and then Rafa against Novak at Australian Open 2012 and then this one, you will very much have the top three matches ever played. That's my personal opinion. 

"Maybe some people will add two or three other matches, but it is 100 per cent in the top five without a doubt, and I think I could even put it top three." 

Djokovic was frustrated as the Centre Court crowd rooted for his younger opponent for much of a back-and-forth encounter.

But Bartoli thinks the 20-year-old Spaniard would command support against any player.

She stressed that Wimbledon great Djokovic still gets plenty of backing, and much of the crowd reaction in favour of Alcaraz would have been based on not wanting the match to end quickly as the sport's latest blockbuster rivalry begins.

Alcaraz became the first player not called Djokovic, Federer, Nadal or Andy Murray to triumph at Wimbledon since 2002 – before he was even born – and the British crowd were relishing his success.

"It seemed like there was such an affection for Carlos Alcaraz," Bartoli said.

"In terms of Carlos, I don't know if it's because he's won so many matches and he doesn't lose or maybe the crowd is naturally against Novak, but for me I think it's more of an admiration for Carlos.

"From what I'm seeing from the crowd it is more like when you have this new genius that comes around, everyone wants to be part of the journey. I very much feel that with him. 

"And it's around the world – the welcoming that he had at the US Open last year, look at the shouting from the crowd again in that incredible match against Jannik Sinner when he was really on the ropes and Sinner was leading all the way and just couldn't finish it out at the end. 

"I think it's more when you're recognising that there is someone that good, it's almost impossible not to be for him, unless he's playing a local player. 

"That will be interesting to see if he plays the Brits next year. What sort of Centre Court is it going to be then? But if it's against anyone else then for sure they are going to be on his side.

"But even then I feel Novak has been really getting some great support as well and I think very much the crowd wanted to have a five-set match or a long run. 

"They didn't want it [to end quickly] when Carlos lost the first set easily and when Carlos won the second set then they didn't want Carlos to run away with the match either. 

"They really wanted both players to go out for battle all out for four hours and 45 minutes just like they did, so I don't think it's going to be one-sided always for Carlos Alcaraz. 

"But everyone very much feels like he is really the new genius and everyone wants to see him." 

The loss for Djokovic was the first time he had been beaten in a five-set grand slam final since losing to Murray in the 2012 US Open.

Despite that, Djokovic overtook Chris Evert (34) as the player with the most appearances in major finals, among both men and women (35).

Amo Racing’s Persian Dreamer will have Group One aspirations when she returns in the autumn following her game success in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket last week.

Trained by Dominic Ffrench Davis, the two-year-old highlighted her potential when storming to success over five furlongs on debut, but failed to add to her tally in both the Marygate Stakes at York and the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot.

However, she looked much more at home when upped to six furlongs at the Royal meeting and built on that fourth-placed effort to thrive on the July Course, benefitting from rain-eased ground to strike at Group Two level.

Having got not only herself, but also her handler off the mark in Group company, connections are now eyeing top-table competition later in the year.

“It was a fabulous day for all concerned,” said Ffrench Davis.

“She’s great and we’re very happy with her and we’re now looking forward to having a crack at a Group One with her.

“It may be a little later on and she has come out of her race very well. She appreciates a bit of cut in the ground and when she does get it, her returns from her races are much better.”

Persian Dreamer is as short as 16-1 for next year’s 1000 Guineas but she is likely to leave trying a mile until her three-year-old campaign with Ffrench Davis highlighting Newmarket’s Cheveley Park Stakes – back on the Rowley Mile where she excelled on debut – as a potential end-of-season target.

He added: “I’m not ruling out staying at six furlongs and she’s got plenty of speed and I think six or seven for now will be the plan and we will leave going a mile to next year.

“However, you can’t make snap decisions and you have to let the horse tell you what to do and we will be guided by her.

“Obviously she has a liking for Newmarket, so you would like to think the Cheveley Park might be the end of season target. But she also has an entry in the Moyglare at the Curragh and the world is her oyster really. It might just be a case of choosing somewhere where the ground is right.”

However, one place Persian Dreamer will not be seen is Santa Anita, with the handler keen to rule out a trip to the Breeders’ Cup.

“I don’t think she would be the right sort of filly to take to America,” continued Ffrench Davis.

“Kia (Joorabchian) is keen on America and if we had the right article he would be very keen to go. But I think she is unlikely to get her ground out there at that time of year. It wouldn’t be her cup of tea.”

Rory McIlroy will go into this week’s Open Championship with high hopes of ending his long wait for a fifth major championship.

The 2014 champion has won only one major since but a combination of the return to the same Royal Liverpool course and McIlroy’s recent form, in both majors and tour events, has raised hopes this may finally be his time.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at McIlroy’s record.

McIlroy cancelled his scheduled Tuesday press conference at Hoylake but will still be the focus of attention as he goes into the Open on the back of a win at the Genesis Scottish Open, his third of the season after the CJ Cup on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

He also has runner-up finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the US Open and has finished in the top 10 in 10 of the 15 events he has played.

They include his last six starts, beginning at the US PGA Championship where he finished tied for seventh.

He matched that at both the Memorial Tournament and the Travelers Championship and was tied ninth at the RBC Canadian Open, in addition to his US Open and Scottish results.

The latter gave him a 32nd career win across the PGA Tour and European Tour, plus the 2013 Australian Open before it became a European Tour event. That tally includes four majors but none since 2014.

When McIlroy won the 2014 US PGA Championship at Valhalla, it was his second successive major and fourth in his last 15 attempts – coming hot on the heels of his Open win and following the 2011 US Open and 2012 US PGA.

He has won none of the 33 he has contested since, with a string of near misses building the frustration.

Aside from missing the cut at this year’s Masters, he has finished in the top eight at the other six majors this season and last – including second place in Los Angeles this year and the 2022 Masters and third in last year’s Open at St Andrews.

In 58 majors in his career he has three second- and four third-place finishes to add to his four wins, with 17 top-five and 29 top-10 placings overall.

Should McIlroy win this or a subsequent major title, it will come after one of the longest waits in golfing history.

Only 10 players have won majors with more time elapsed between them than the eight years and 347 days from McIlroy’s 2014 US PGA win to this Sunday at Hoylake.

Julius Boros holds the record with 11 years and nine days between his US Open wins in 1952 and 1963, with Hale Irwin also winning that event 11 years apart.

Henry Cotton, Ben Crenshaw, Tiger Woods, Lee Trevino and Ernie Els won majors after a decade-long wait, with John Henry Taylor and Bob Martin narrowly exceeding nine years.

Should McIlroy not win this week, any subsequent major would take him past the latter pair to the top eight of the list. Victory this week would place him 11th behind Willie Park Sr’s 1866 and 1875 Open wins.

Those victories tended to mark something of a swansong, with only Boros and Taylor going on to add a further grand slam event afterwards. At 34, though, McIlroy is younger than almost all of those players at the time of their win – Martin was 32, with Taylor (38) the only other under 40.

Bristol will host Leicester to kick off the new Gallagher Premiership season on Friday, October 13 before champions Saracens start the defence of their title with a trip to Exeter.

After Wasps, Worcester and London Irish all entered administration while Championship winners Jersey Reds did not meet the minimum standards criteria for promotion, the new top-flight campaign will feature just 10 teams.

The revamped schedule for the 2023-24 campaign gives all clubs one home fixture in the opening two weeks of the season.

After Saturday’s 1.30pm kick-off at Exeter’s Sandy Park, Bath host Newcastle at 3pm while Harlequins will travel to Gloucester.

To complete the opening weekend’s action, Sale – beaten by Saracens in the Premiership final at Twickenham – will welcome Northampton on October 15, which will also be broadcast live on TNT Sports.

The Premiership final is set to take place on June 8 at Twickenham.

There will be a ‘Derby Weekend’ in round six from November 17 to 19, which will see Sale play Newcastle and Bath host Bristol on the Friday night.

The action on the Saturday sees Northampton travel to Leicester with Saracens at London rivals Harlequins. Both matches will be shown live ahead of Exeter playing Gloucester on the Sunday afternoon.

Clubs will also have one home fixture over the Christmas period, which it is hoped will allow families to enjoy games together.

December 30 will see Harlequins’ ‘Big Game’ series back in the festive schedule when they take on Gloucester at Twickenham.

Following a break of league action during the Guinness Six Nations, Saracens play Harlequins at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in March before Northampton face Quins back at Twickenham during round 16 in April.

As well as the live schedule on TNT Sports, which has been announced through until January 2024, there will be highlights of all 90 regular-season games on ITV along with seven full free-to-air fixtures and the Premiership final.

Premiership Rugby chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor said: “Today is always an exciting day in the sporting calendar and I know that our dedicated Gallagher Premiership Rugby fans, players and clubs are counting down until the big kick-off.

“It’s great to welcome our new-look broadcast partner TNT Sports in their debut season under their new brand and we look forward to delivering unmissable world-class sporting entertainment together.”

::Opening Premiership fixtures: October 13 – Bristol v Leicester (7.45pm, TNT Sports); October 14 – Exeter v Saracens (1.30pm, TNT Sports), Bath v Newcastle (3pm), Gloucester v Harlequins (3pm); October 15 – Sale v Northampton (1.30pm, TNT Sports)