Images from the football matches played across Europe on Tuesday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
World number two Rafael Nadal dropped a set at the Barcelona Open for the first time in four years before advancing to the last 16, beating Argentine Leonardo Mayer 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday.
Champions Bayern Munich opened up an eight-point lead in the Bundesliga at the start of the German season's one-month winter break by beating Hanover 96 1-0 on Saturday amid mounting speculation over the future of coach Pep Guardiola.
Top seed Alexander Zverev crashed out in the second round of the Stuttgart Open, losing to world number 170 Dustin Brown.
Hot favourites Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis fell by the wayside at the French Open, beaten by seventh seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova in the quarter-finals of the women's doubles
Maria Sharapova's comeback from a doping ban will include an appearance at the Rogers Cup in August after the former world number one was granted a wild card by the organisers of the Toronto tournament on Tuesday.
Former World No 1 Maria Sharapova suffered a setback on her return from injury when she lost 6-4, 6-3 to Lucie Safarova in the first round of the Madrid Open on Sunday.
Indian qualifier Prajnesh Gunneswaran achieved the biggest win of his career when he stunningly knocked out World No 18 Nikoloz Basilashvili at the Indian Wells ATP Masters event, continuing his dream run.
Naomi Osaka is also the first woman to win a second Slam immediately after her first since Jennifer Capriati in 2001 but her meteoric rise has been followed by a distinct dip ahead of Roland Garros.
Justine Henin reached her third final in fourth months since her comeback when she brushed aside Shahar Peer in her semi-final at Stuttgart's indoor clay tournament on Saturday.
Bayer Leverkusen beat a second-string Bayern Munich 2-0 on Saturday to move up to third in the Bundesliga and get back on course for an automatic Champions League spot with three matches left in the season.
Bayern Munich can either move closer to three titles or miss out on them completely in the coming "weeks of truth", their coach Louis van Gaal said on Monday.
Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez, the Bundesliga's most expensive ever purchase, is already feeling insecure at his new club.
Bayern Munich will be without experienced Franck Ribery when they meet Manchester City in their Champions League Group E opener on Wednesday with fellow winger Arjen Robben also doubtful, coach Pep Guardiola said.
Former Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann ended his illustrious 22-year career on Saturday with VfB Stuttgart's final league match of the season, a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim.
Justine Henin was inspired to return to tennis by Roger Federer and the decision was rewarded on Sunday when she beat Australia's Samantha Stosur in the final of the Stuttgart indoor tournament for her first title since her comeback. It was the Belgian's first tournament on clay, her favoured surface on which she has won four French Open titles, since she ended her 19-month self-imposed exile at the start of the year.
European auto giant Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft on Tuesday said it has bought 49.9 per cent stake in luxury car maker Porsche AG for 3.9 billion euros ($5.8 billion).
AC Milan were handed a comfortable UEFA Cup assignment on Tuesday after being drawn with Heerenveen, Braga, Portsmouth and Wolfsburg in the group stage.
Philippe Coutinho scored his first league goal since returning to Barcelona to help his side draw 1-1 at home to an excellent Sevilla side in La Liga on Sunday.
Leaders Bayer Leverkusen set a Bundesliga record for the longest unbeaten start to the season when they drew 0-0 at home to Cologne on Saturday.
Mercedes Benz just about managed to keep its neck ahead last year, with a lead of 537 units over BMW, according to data available with the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. However, handicapped by inadequate vehicle kits for the first nine months of this year for one of its models, a senior company executive stated it is unlikely Mercedes Benz will be able to surpass its own total posted last year. Mercedes Benz India sold 3,445 units last calendar year, while BMW s
Veteran tennis player Rohan Bopanna said he plans to team up with Divij Sharan and represent India in the men's doubles event in next year's Tokyo Olympics.
Britain's Paul di Resta is set to become a grand prix regular as Force India's reserve driver while compatriot Gary Paffett will be McLaren's main tester, according to team principal Martin Whitmarsh.
Arsenal eased into the group stages of the Champions League on Wednesday by outclassing Celtic 3-1 to enter Thursday's draw where they will be joined by Fiorentina, VfB Stuttgart, Olympiakos and APOEL Nicosia.
The 21-year-old is looking to become just the 11th woman to claim a third consecutive Grand Slam title.
Hamburg SV and Bayer Leverkusen drew 0-0 on Saturday to remain undefeated at the top of the Bundesliga. Schalke 04, who won 2-1 at struggling VfB Stuttgart, stayed on their heels on 19 points while Bayern Munich notched their first victory in three games with a 2-1 triumph at Freiburg that moved them up to fifth on 15 points.
Schalke 04 won 2-1 at struggling VfB Stuttgart to stay on the heels of the Bundesliga leaders on Saturday while Bayern Munich notched their first victory in three games with a 2-1 triumph at Freiburg.
With Federer certain, young Austrian Dominic Thiem is third in the ATP race to London, followed by Stan Wawrinka, Alexander Zverev, Djokovic, world number one Andy Murray, and Belgium's David Goffin.
Former world number one Maria Sharapova will miss the grasscourt season, including this month's Wimbledon qualifying tournament, after failing to recover from a left-thigh injury she suffered during last month's Italian Open.
World number nine Svetlana Kuznetsova marched into the Stuttgart Grand Prix final on Saturday, crushing fellow Russian Elena Dementieva 6-4, 6-2 in just 67 minutes.
Defending champion Garbine Muguruza of Spain was knocked out of the French Open when she lost 6-1 3-6 6-3 in the fourth round against France's Kristina Mladenovic on Sunday.
Priced at about Rs 31,000 (450 euros), the N97 Mini features a tilting 3.2" touch display, QWERTY keyboard and fully customisable homescreen.
Indian tennis star Sania Mirza says she would do all it takes to maintain her world number one ranking.
World champions France had eight players, one less than former holders Spain, in international players' association FIFPro's 55-name shortlist for its World XI of 2018 award.
'No words, games, or actions will ever stop me from reaching my own dreams. And I have many'
Maria Sharapova can rise above the furore surrounding her return from a 15-month doping ban if she accepts the decision to deny her a wild card entry to the French Open without rancour, former world number three Pam Shriver has said.
The level of media coverage surrounding Maria Sharapova's return to tennis from a doping suspension has been a key factor in the five-time Grand Slam winner being offered wildcards to events, men's world number one Andy Murray has said.
Penpix of the top women's contenders at the 2017 French Open:
The Russian can qualify for the main draw at Wimbledon by reaching the semi-final of either the Madrid or Rome tournaments.
