A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
Rafael Nadal's decision to skip the US Open because of health concerns has added another twist to the intriguing three-way battle for the most career men's Grand Slam titles and, in many eyes, the title of Greatest Of All Time (GOAT). Had the 34-year-old Spaniard managed to retain the title he won in a five-set thriller against Daniil Medvedev last year, he would have joined Roger Federer at the top of the list with 20 titles. Instead, his decision has cleared the path for 33-year-old Novak Djokovic to edge to within one of Nadal's Grand Slam tally with a fourth title at Flushing Meadows and 18 in total.
Nadal said the two-week gap between the French Open and Wimbledon was not enough time for him to recuperate
'I have the feeling that people [are] starting more and more to... respect what he has done in tennis more and more, because he continues to beat the records'.
Putin also told his French counterpart that Kyiv does not comply with the agreements reached with Moscow on the evacuation of civilians from combat areas, the Kremlin said.
Not that cash will be the motivator for world number one Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and debutants Andrey Rublev and Diego Schwartzman when the tournament's 50th edition starts on Sunday.
A summary of Wednesday's action at the US Open.
ATP chief Andrea Gaudenzi says tennis is strong enough to thrive after Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic hang up their rackets.
'When we play against Djokovic, many times we didn't know exactly what we had to do. This is more difficult, for me. I prefer to play against Federer'
Serena Williams, hoping to win a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title, will start her campaign against fellow American Kristie Ahn.
This year's French Open welcomes up to 5,388 spectators
The FIFA 2022 World Cup will kick-off in Qatar on Sunday, November 20. Here is a list of the 26-man squads playing in the quadrennial global football extravaganza.
Nadal said he did not expect to go all the way at Melbourne Park
Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova said on Wednesday that she will not travel to New York to take part in the US Open later this month as organisers could not guarantee her health and safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The US Open is set to be played from August 31-September 12 even as the country leads the world with over 4.7 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 157,000 deaths.
'The world is suffering in general, so we can't complain'
Rafael Nadal shrugged off his derailed bid for the Grand Slam record with a pledge to keep "fighting" but the Spaniard leaves the Australian Open with familiar regrets after bowing out to a rising talent on Wednesday.
Images from the Nations League matches played on Thursday.
Alberto Contador is auctioning his bike from the 2011 Giro d'Italia and Tour de France while Rafael Nadal is selling the shirt he wore when he won the 2019 French Open to raise money for the Spanish Red Cross' fight against the coronavirus.
Xisca is a supremely private person, so much so that she is not on social media. She does not discuss her relationship with her family either.
A quick look at Rafael Nadal's domination of Roger Federer at Roland Garros.
Rafael Nadal warmed up for the French Open with a battling 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 win over world number one Novak Djokovic as the Spaniard claimed a record-extending 10th Italian Open title in Rome on Sunday in the latest chapter of their rivalry.
The tennis star also opened the doors of his Rafael Nadal Academy to those who were affected by the storm.
Federer being out of the way does not hand Nadal a free path to glory in Melbourne
"(Novak) has said that he views this as a private matter for him. We would love to see Novak here, he knows that he'll have to be vaccinated to play here."
Victoria Azarenka, 31, won a bronze medal for Belarus in singles and a gold in mixed doubles at the 2012 Summer Games in London. Angelique Kerber, 33, won the silver in singles for Germany at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Tennis is on hold until at least the start of August because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while there have been positive noises about the prospects of the US Open taking place, followed by the French Open, Rafael Nadal served a dose of reality.
Organisers are confident a rain-hit opening day will not hold up the tournament.
Rafael Nadal will be aiming to win a record-extending 13th French Open when the re-scheduled claycourt event starts at the end of September.
World number one Novak Djokovic, bidding for a record-equalling sixth title at the event, is in the Tokyo group with Russian Daniil Medvedev, Germany's Alexander Zverev and Argentine first-time Diego Schwartzman.
Novak Djokovic still feels inspired by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the men's world number one tennis player has said, adding that the rivalry between the so-called 'Big Three' is a great promotion for the sport.
'I'm happy to have the chance to try to stop, one more time, somebody from making history.'
A summary of Friday's action at the US Open.
A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
Spaniard Rafael Nadal will team up with perennial rival Roger Federer for the third edition of the Laver Cup in Geneva next year.
Novak Djokovic posted black screenshots on his Twitter and Instagram pages with the message "Black Lives Matter", and was joined by Federer and Nadal, the other members of the "Big Three" of men's tennis.
'...What is at stake, however, is his ability to assess the need for vaccinations or whether the vaccine has been tested for a sufficient period of time. And ... he has neither the knowledge nor the studies nor the research work that would allow him to form an opinion about it.'
The 33-year-old said that he has not had enough time to practise sufficiently due to inflammation in his left wrist.
Rafael Nadal may have won the French Open a record 12 times but the Spaniard feels this year's conditions will be the most difficult he has ever faced at Roland Garros and mean he must be at his best to have a chance of retaining his title again.
Rafael Nadal's hopes of winning the year-ending ATP Finals for the first time live on after the Spaniard beat defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 on Thursday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday.
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