Stanislas Wawrinka had to dig deep to beat Borna Coric at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Wednesday and conceded his thoughts had been far from tennis over the past few days.
Champions Barcelona reclaimed top spot in La Liga on Sunday by overcoming a dogged Villarreal side to win 2-0 at home with goals from stalwart defender Gerard Pique and youngster Carles Alena taking them above Sevilla.
With the year sprinting to a close, we bring you, in pictures, some of the best action from the sports world.
A summary of Thursday's Euro 2020 qualifying matches.
Reigning champions Spain left it late but Gerard Pique's 87th-minute header earned them a deserved 1-0 victory over a dogged Czech Republic in their Euro 2016 Group D opener on Monday.
'We can go with smaller ensembles -- even 15 or 20 creations from a designer.' 'We are keeping the focus squarely on quality over quantity.' 'India Couture Week is, after all, about the best of the best,' FDCI Chairman Sunil Sethi tells Veenu Sandhu
These baby images swimming will surely induce an 'aww' from you. But other than the cuteness overload, the photographer also has a message.
FIFA chief Sepp Blatter often talks about being the head of the "football family" but if the boos that greeted his appearance at the Asian Cup final on Saturday are anything to go by, he is not too popular with his Australian cousins.
The United fans, who celebrated the victory at the end of the game with the manager and players, have not been the source of criticism of Solskjaer -- indeed the Norwegian has enjoyed strong backing from supporters who attend games at Old Trafford and those who travel away.
These workouts will help you build strength and stamina without going to the gym.
Sutton United's FA Cup fairytale ended as Arsenal forward Theo Walcott scored his 100th goal for the club in a 2-0 fifth round victory on a surreal night at Gander Green Lane on Monday.
Red Star, who won the European Cup in 1991 and reached the latter stages the following season, finished second in Group H behind Arsenal who crushed BATE Borisov 6-0.
Ramkumar Ramanathan fetched the crucial win but Yuki Bhambri made the day memorable even in defeat as India and Canada shared the honours on day one of the Davis Cup World Group Play-off tie, in Edmonton.
The 2017 edition of the Guinness World Records reveals a selection of the most jaw-dropping records and record holders.
Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham Hotspur can cement their status as the top dogs in the capital if they end an eight-year wait and defeat Arsenal in the North London derby on Sunday.
If the US President is the master of awkward handshakes, the Indian Prime Minister has cornered the market on awkward hugs. Which one will it be when the two meet?
'As I waited in the bathroom for the pink line or lines to form, I caught my reflection in the mirror and held my own gaze.' 'My heart was thudding so loudly in my chest I thought it would wake Kunal who was sleeping in the bedroom some feet away.' 'I brought the stick up into my eyeline and there it was.' 'Two pink lines -- not faint or shy but bold and unabashed like the legs on a flamingo.'
Images from Day 6 of the French Open matches played at Roland Garros in Paris on Friday.
IMAGES from all the action on Day 8 the Australian Open on Monday
Indeed, if you look at this hypothesis with sufficiently jaundiced eyes, you will find plenty in common in the way 'Team India' conducts its affairs and the way 'Team Modi' does, argues Krishna Prasad.
Images of the events that shaped the world last week.
Don't bet everything you have, Lemon Tree's Patu Keswani tells Pavan Lall.
A summary of the action on Day 3 at the US Open.
Australia's Bernard Tomic thinks he is playing some of the best grasscourt tennis of his career and is in a good place off the court as he heads into the Wimbledon championships main draw for the seventh time.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
Roger Federer made a winning return to competitive tennis after six months out of the game on Monday, thrilling a packed Rod Laver Arena as he beat qualifier Juergen Melzer 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the Australian Open second round.
Hardik Pandya stood tall amid ruins with his all-round prowess but hosts South Africa were still very much in command with a current lead of 142 runs against India after an enthralling second day in the first Test in Cape Town
Real Madrid have defied injuries to keep the pressure on leaders Barcelona and notched up over 100 La Liga goals but they now face arguably the toughest test of their title charge in an away match to Sevilla on Saturday.
IMAGES from Day 6 at Wimbledon on Saturday.
Modi said that Gandhi wouldn't have approved of this.
Opener Lokesh Rahul starred with the bat as he scored a career-best 158 to steer India to a big lead, on Day 2 of the second Test against West Indies, in Jamaica, on Sunday.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
"I will admit coming here...wasn't the easiest thing for me," the former secretary of state said.
Going beyond the tiger fixation at Pench National Park.
Tottenham Hotspur's status as Premier League title chasers was seriously harmed on Saturday as they fell to a first defeat in seven league games, losing the lead to go down 3-1 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Pujara was the dominant figure with his second century of the series, a dogged but faultless 106 off 319 balls
Ghana outclassed Colombia 1-0, while New Zealand held Turkey to a 1-1 draw in the opening matches of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup on Friday.
As Melania Trump arrives in Ahmedabad, Sheela Bhatt offers the First Lady Of The United States a primer on one of India's oldest, and historic, cities.
Indian hockey captain PR Sreejesh, who played a pivotal role in his side's 2-1 win over Argentina at the Rio Olympics, said it's his job to "give life" to the team in the dying moments of a match. Leading 2-0 with Chinglensana Singh and Kothajit Singh's strikes in the first three quarters, India survived a final-quarter onslaught from Argentina for a nail-biting win to virtually secure a quarterfinal berth at the men's hockey competition.
There was no celebratory run down the touchline, no dancing on the pitch, just a sober reflection of a job well done from Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho on Sunday after his side beat Crystal Palace to win the Premier League title.
