Sports / Tennis

Rafael Nadal beats Taylor Fritz in epic five-setter to seal Nick Kyrgios semifinal clash

Rafael Nadal battled injury problems to come from behind twice to reach the Wimbledon semifinals as he beat American Taylor Fritz 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 (10-4) in an epic final set tie-breaker.

Nadal’s quest for a Calendar Grand Slam and a record 23rd major was in serious doubt when he required a medical timeout to treat an abominable issue in the second set. He admitted in his post-match interview he considered throwing in the towel but after four hours and 20 minutes on court the 36-year-old somehow came through it.

Channelling the same mentality that saw him come from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev to win the Australian Open back in January, Nadal found his rhythm in the latter stages of the match and saved his best til last in a crucial final set tie-break. A dejected 11th seed Fritz departed Centre Court to huge cheers as he missed out on a first Grand Slam semifinal appearance. Instead, it’ll be Nadal who takes on Aussie livewire Nick Kyrgios, who sailed through his quarterfinal in straight sets against Cristian Garin.

Rafael Nadal vs. Taylor Fritz result

1 2 3 4 5
Rafael Nadal (2) 3 7 3 7 7 (10)
Taylor Fritz (11) 6 5 6 5 6 (4)
…
Sports / Tennis

Novak Djokovic fights back from two sets down to beat Jannik Sinner in Wimbledon quarter-final

Novak Djokovic is a man made for five-set tennis. Only once out of 11 five-setters at the All England Club has he been a loser and that was back in 2006 to Mario Ancic. This incredible win also meant Djokovic pulled back a two-set deficit for the seventh time in a grand-slam match.

It may have been five years since the Serb has been defeated at Wimbledon and he has stretched his winning streak to 26 with this quarter-final victory, but it was not made easy for the six-time champion as he lost the two opening sets to the 20-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner. Djokovic did not look himself as he missed multiple drop shots in those two sets, but he maintained his habit of being a master of the marathon as he set up a semi-final with Britain’s Cameron Norrie.

Some may argue that the status quo prevails in the men’s game but Djokovic did look fallible and given how young Sinner is and the fight he put up, this is surely a positive sign for a player in his first Wimbledon quarter-final and another name to add to the list of young male grand slam challengers of the future.

Djokovic was frank in his assessment of both how he will be received by a partisan crowd when he takes on Norrie and the gulf in experience that exists between the world No  3 and No  12.

“Playing here in Wimbledon on Centre Court semi-finals of a slam in his country, of course I know what to expect, you know, in terms of the crowd support,” Djokovic said. “For him, [he has] not much to lose. Every victory from now onwards is a big deal for him. I know that.”

Djokovic moved comfortably on the grass in the opening games of the match and the defending champion moved 4-1 up, but Sinner – buoyed by the cheers of “Andiamo” [here we go] and, of course, his own determination and talent – began to find his natural game and …

Football / Sports

Barcelona sign Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen on free transfers

Barcelona have confirmed the signings of Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen on free transfers from AC Milan and Chelsea respectively.

Kessie, 25, has joined Barca on a four-year deal after his contract expired with Milan on June 30.

The midfielder has a €500 million release clause in his new contract, which runs to 2026. Barca will present him on Wednesday.

The Ivory Coast international’s move to Camp Nou ends his five-year stay at the Rossoneri where he made 224 appearances and scored 39 goals.

Kessie strengthens coach Xavi Hernandez’s options in midfield and will compete for a place in the team with Sergio Busquets, Pedri, Gavi and Nico Gonzalez.

After moving to Italy with Atalanta in 2015 and following a loan spell with Cesena, Kessie joined Milan on loan in 2017 before making the move permanently in 2019.

He played a central role this season as Milan won a first Serie A title in 11 years, scoring six times in 31 appearances, including one against Sassuolo last weekend as the league was wrapped up.

Meanwhile, Denmark international Christensen, 26, joins Barca after his contract expired with Chelsea last month.

The defender’s move to Camp Nou brings an end to his 10-year stay at Chelsea, where he made 161 first-team appearances.

Christensen strengthens the centre-back options for the club that includes Ronald Araujo, who recently signed a new long-term contract, Gerard Pique and Eric Garcia.

Clement Lenglet, Samuel Umtiti and Oscar Mingueza all remain at the club, too,

After making his senior debut for Chelsea in 2014, Christensen completed a two-year loan spell at Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach between 2015 and 2017.

He has featured regularly under several different coaches since returning to Stamford Bridge, helping the club win the Europa League in 2019 and the Champions League in 2021.…

Football / Sports

Tyrell Malacia signs for #mufc on a four-year contract plus the option of an extra year

“Tyrell [Malacia] is an exciting, dynamic young footballer with excellent experience for his age, including five seasons in the Eredivisie, a European final and full international honours for the Netherlands.

John Murtough: “We look forward to seeing him [Malacia] continue to develop under the guidance of Erik ten Hag and his coaching team in the years ahead. Everyone at #mufc welcomes Tyrell to the club.”

Tyrell Malacia: “It’s an incredible feeling to have joined #mufc. This is a new chapter for me, a new league with new team-mates and a tremendous manager leading us.” “I know from playing against his [Ten Hag] teams in the Eredivisie, the qualities that he has and what he demands of his players. “Whilst I know that I am still young and will continue to develop, I can promise the #mufc fans that I will leave everything on the pitch every time I pull on the red shirt.…

Basket Ball / Sports

Trade grades: Jazz net huge haul for Rudy Gobert; Wolves must contend for title to justify paying steep price

The Utah Jazz are trading Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a six-player deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. Minnesota is sending Utah Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Walker Kessler, Leandro Bolmaro, Jarred Vanderbilt and four first-round picks for the All-Star center. Those picks are unprotected first-rounders in 2023, 2025, and 2027, an unprotected swap in 2026 and a top-five protected pick in 2029.

Gobert is a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and is widely considered the league’s best rim protector. In Minnesota, he will link up with Karl-Anthony Towns, who is one of the NBA’s better offensive big men, to form one of the NBA’s best frontcourts.

Minnesota finished a surprising 13th in defense last season with an aggressive trapping scheme, but Gobert takes them to an entirely different level. The Wolves will have to change their style, but no Gobert defense has finished below 13th in the past seven seasons. Utah, meanwhile, officially ends one of the more successful runs in franchise history. The Jazz have been a consistent playoff team with Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, but after a first-round flameout against the Dallas Mavericks, it became clear that change was needed. With head coach Quin Snyder also out, the Jazz will enter the 2022-23 season with a completely different looking team.

Now the question is whether or not Mitchell will be the next Utah star out the door. Rumors have linked him to the New York Knicks for years, and the Miami Heat also appear to be on the prowl looking for star talent. If they could get four first-rounders for Gobert, they’d likely be able to fetch even more for the younger Mitchell, and moving him now would have the added benefit of positioning the Jazz to potentially land one of the top picks in the loaded 2023 NBA Draft. Headlining that class is another French center, Victor Wembanyama, who has been compared to Gobert defensively, but has a much more diverse game offensively.

For most of Utah’s time in the playoffs, Minnesota has been …

Football / Sports

Mauricio Pochettino sacked at PSG: What’s next for the Argentine manager?

After weeks of being one of the worst kept secrets in European soccer, it is now official: Mauricio Pochettino is no longer Paris Saint-Germain head coach. The Argentine has been shown the door by the French giants along with sporting director Leonardo with Luis Campos of AS Monaco and Lille OSC fame now shaping the project and Christophe Galtier leading it on the pitch.

“Paris Saint-Germain confirm that Mauricio Pochettino has ended his role at the club,” read an official statement on Tuesday. “The Argentine coach and his team joined the club in January 2021. A former captain of the Rouge & Bleus, Pochettino took charge of 84 competitive games. Under his tenure, Paris Saint-Germain won the 2020 Trophée des Champions and the 2020/21 Coupe de France, as well as the club’s historic 10th Ligue 1 title last April. The club would like to thank Mauricio Pochettino and his staff for their work and wish them the best for the future.”

Galtier, who led the Lille OSC side which pipped PSG to the 2020-21 Ligue 1 title, replaces Pochettino in the French capital after an underwhelming 18-month spell at Parc des Princes with a 50% domestic cup success rate given that he secured one Championnat, Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions title apiece. The 50-year-old South American did manage one UEFA Champions League semifinal from two which can only be bettered by predecessor Thomas Tuchel, but the recent round of 16 exit at the hands of Real Madrid negates that somewhat.

Ultimately, the ex-PSG captain’s spell in France was a false dawn given that the emotional return of a former player who had spoken so highly of never truly materialized. However, where Pochettino was judged and failed to deliver was on the pitch with his only full season in charge bitterly disappointing despite the presence of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi in his squad.

The man from Murphy’s inability to stamp any real identity on this group of players meant that PSG never really felt like a …

MMA / Sports

Israel Adesanya survives Drake curse with victory against Jared Cannonier

Nigerian-born New Zealand professional Mixed Martial Artist (MMA) Israel Mobolaji Adesanya was victorious against Jared Cannonier at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 276.

The 32-year-old Adesanya recorded a unanimous decision victory against Cannonier after five rounds in the octagon.

Adesanya the reigning UFC middleweight champion came into the fight with pressure as Canadian rapper, singer, and actor Aubrey Drake Graham made a huge bet on him to win.

Drake bet one million dollars that Adesanya would win and even had a face time with him a day before the fight.

Adesanya showed no signs of pressure as he came into the fight with the theme song of popular wrestler the Undertaker.

At the octagon at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, Las Vegas Metropolitan Area Adesanya established his dominance from the start to put Cannonier on the back foot.

His tactics resulted into a convincing victory despite a late combination of hits by Cannonier.

After the fight, it was confirmed that Drake had won his one million dollar bet on Adesanya.

The Drake curse was coined after the Canadian star loses whenever he places a bet on a fighter to win.

Nigerian born-British professional boxer suffered from the Drake curse when he posed with the Canadian rapper ahead of his first fight against Andy Ruiz in New York.

…
Sports / Tennis

Tatjana Maria Stuns Jelena Ostapenko for first Wimbledon quarterfinals

Tatjana Maria, 34, stunned Jelena Ostapenko in the Wimbledon last-16 and made tennis history in the process as she is now the oldest woman in the Open Era to make a Wimbledon quarterfinal debut. Maria had her back turned against the wall and was facing an elimination but somehow was able to produce a stunning comeback and edge out 12th-seeded Ostapenko 5-7 7-5 7-5.

Ostapenko was up by a set and a break before Maria stormed back to win in three sets. In the 10th game of the second set, Maria saved two consecutive match points and then also won the following two games to force a decider.

Ostapenko started the second set with an early break and a 2-0 lead but Maria managed to recover and complete a stunning comeback win. In 2021 July, Maria returned to tennis following a second maternity leave.

Maria after stunning Ostapenko

“There’s always the belief that I can do it.

I mean, that’s why I came back after the first one. It’s why I came back after the second one. If not, if I don’t believe I can do these things, then I would not be here. So there’s always this believing and keep going and improving and trying my best at the end,” Maria explained, per the WTA website.

“It’s also really hard work. It’s not coming from nowhere, let’s say. We are outside on the court every day. We are working. Yeah, like I said, we are trying to improve. But maybe in myself there’s this feeling now, OK, I can do it, I can go for it.

Sometimes little things can change a whole match. It’s really little parts.” Maria now has a good chance of reaching her first Wimbledon semifinal as she plays next fellow compatriot Jule Niemeier. Niemeier is also having a great Wimbledon and it will be interesting who of the two Germans will reach the semifinal.…

Sports / Tennis

Lorenzo Sonego admits he was not happy with Rafael Nadal action during their match

Italian tennis player Lorenzo Sonego said Rafael Nadal distracted him with his action and added the Spaniard should have had a word with the chair umpire if he was having some issues. After Sonego broke back Nadal in the eighth game of the third set to tie the set to four games apiece, Nadal went to the net and called Sonego for a quick chat.

Once the match continued, Sonego got broken back in the ninth game as Nadal served out for a 6-1 6–2 6-4 victory in the 10th game. “A player should not call his opponent on the net. You cannot do that at Wimbledon.

Nadal should have just had a word with the umpire. He distracted me,” Sonego said after the match.

Nadal apologized to Sonego

After the match, Nadal went to Sonego in the locker room to apologize. Also, Nadal admitted he was wrong in his decision to call Sonego to the net in the middle of action.

“Well, first of all, I have to say that I was wrong,” Nadal said. “I should not call him to the net. So apologize for that. My mistake in that. No problem. I recognize that. “Then after that, all the stuff during the match that I don’t want to comment, because is something that I spoke with him in the locker room and it stays there.

Only thing I can say is I saw him personally. I apologize for that. My intention was never to bother him at all. Just to tell one thing that was bothering me that I think he was doing
in that moment, but that’s it. I think there is some codes between players.

Yeah, we had some issues there. But that’s it”. Even though Nadal didn’t publicly disclose what was the reason for his decision to call Sonego to the net, many suspected that the reason for that was the Italian’s grunt.…

Football / Sports

Arsenal sign Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City

Arsenal have completed the signing of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City, both clubs and the player announced Monday.

Sources also added that Arsenal will pay £45 million plus a further £10 million in add-ons to sign the striker, who will wear their No. 9 shirt.

“It’s been a pleasure to play for Manchester City,” Jesus said. “I feel like I am a better player now than when I arrived — and to win 11 trophies has been amazing.

“My four Premier League titles are particularly special for me. I want to thank everyone at City — the manager, my teammates and the fans — for all the support they have given me over the past 5½ years.”

As Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta added, “I’m very excited. The club has done a tremendous job to recruit a player of this stature. I know Gabriel personally very well, and we all know him well from his time in the Premier League and being really successful here.

“This is a position that’s been on our radar for a long time now, and we have managed to get a player that we all wanted, so I’m really happy.”

Arsenal, who have already signed midfielder Fabio Vieira and United States goalkeeper Matt Turner, are looking to strengthen after missing out on Champions League football.

Arteta’s side were in need of a striker after Alexandre Lacazette returned to Lyon on a free transfer this summer while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Barcelona for free in January.

Jesus, who had only one year remaining on his contract at City, contributed 13 goals and 12 assists in all competitions for the Premier League champions last season, and the 25-year-old can play in all attacking positions.

In total, he scored 95 goals in 236 matches for City.…

Football / Sports

Man City sign Kalvin Phillips from Leeds United

Manchester City have completed the signing of Kalvin Phillips from Leeds on a six-year contract, in a deal worth an initial £42m.

Phillips becomes the Premier League champions’ third signing of the summer following the arrival of Erling Haaland and back-up goalkeeper Stefan Ortega Moreno.

The 26-year-old, who will wear the No 4 shirt at the Etihad, was Pep Guardiola’s priority target to replace Fernandinho at the base of midfield.

Phillips leaves boyhood club Leeds having become a key figure at Elland Road as part of their return to the Premier League during Marcelo Bielsa’s three-and-a-half seasons in charge.

“I am absolutely delighted to have joined Manchester City,” Phillips said. “City have again proved to be the best team in the country with an amazing squad and a manager in Pep Guardiola who is rightly considered to be the finest in the world.

“To be able to play under Pep and learn from him and his coaching staff as well as be part of such a fantastic squad is a prospect that I am incredibly excited about.

“City are a world-class club with world-class staff and facilities and it’s a dream come true to have joined the club. Now I can’t wait to get started and to look to try and help the team to go on and achieve more success.”

Injury restricted Phillips to just 23 appearances in all competition last season but he returned towards the end of the campaign to help Jesse Marsch’s side escape relegation to the Championship.

The 26-year-old is also considered a key part of Gareth Southgate’s England set-up and is expected to travel as part of the squad for the World Cup in Qatar in November.

Txiki Begiristain, City’s director of football, said: ““We are absolutely delighted to be able to welcome Kalvin to Manchester City.

“He is a player that we have long admired, and at both domestic and international level, he has proved his fantastic ability and quality over the past few seasons.

“His reading of the game, alongside his passing …

Athletics / Sports

Nigeria celebrates as men’s 4x100m relay team makes it to Oregon

Twenty-four hours after Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay team was disqualified from Oregon 2022 World Athletics Championships due to Blessing Okagbare’s additional one-year drug ban, officials of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) were in joyous mood following confirmation that the country has officially qualified for two relay events, including the men’s 4x100m.

World Athletics officially confirmed Nigeria’s qualification for two, out of the five relay events for Oregon 2022, which holds from July 15 to 25 in the United States.

Apart from the Men’s 4x100m relay squad, Nigerian athletes will also compete in the 4x400m Mixed Relay event.

For the 4x100m event, Nigeria, against all odds, secured qualification from the just concluded National Trials in Benin-City, Edo State, where the quartet of Favour Ashe, Godson Brume, Alaba Akintola, and reigning World U-20 champion, Udodi Onwuzurike, stormed to a Season’s Best Time of 38.35 seconds on an opening day.

The winning time saw Nigeria leapfrog South Africa into the 16th position, which is the last qualifying spot for the World Championships.

Just before the National Trials ended in Benin City on Sunday, news filtered into the stadium that Liberia had done a better time to push Nigeria from the 16th spot. It sparked apprehension among the athletes and their coaches.

But it has turned out to be mere speculation, following the confirmation by the World Athletics of Nigeria’s 4x100m team qualification for Oregon.

Though Nigeria squeezed into the top 16th position among the qualified countries, AFN President, Tonobok Okowa, told The Guardian that the qualification is a moral booster for Team Nigeria.

“I am sure this will boost the morale of our athletes, coaches and everyone involved in this qualifying campaign,” Okowa stated.

Head coach of the AFN, former jumper, hurdler and sprinter, Seigha Porbeni, also spoke with The Guardian, yesterday, saying that more work would be done to turn the men’s 4x100m relay team into a medal-winning squad at Oregon 2022.

Porbeni described as ‘unfortunate’ the disqualification of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m team from the World Championships after it initially qualified …

Basket Ball / Sports

Spurs, Hawks Agree To Trade Involving Dejounte Murray

The San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks have agreed to a trade centered around Dejounte Murray. There was significant talk in recent NBA trade rumors surrounding a possible trade involving the Spurs and Hawks, but now, there is finally an agreement in place on a deal.

According to ESPN, the Spurs are trading Murray to the Hawks in exchange for Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks and a future first-round pick swap. There were reports of the asking price being a “Jrue Holiday-type return” and this deal satisfies that asking price.

The specific draft picks the Spurs are receiving from the Hawks include a 2025 first round pick (ATL) , 2027 first round pick (ATL), 2026 swap (ATL) and 2023 protected first round pick (CHA).

Murray, 25, is coming off his first All-Star season and was among the top honorable mentions for one of the guard spots in All-Defensive Team voting. He averaged 21.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 2.0 steals in what became a breakout campaign. With Murray set to earn just $16.6 million during the 2022-23 season and signed only through the 2023-24 campaign, this offseason could be an ideal time to capitalize on his trade value. The Spurs would have been capped to offering just a starting salary on a contract extension up to 120 percent of his 2023-24 salary ($17.7 million).

The Spurs would have risked Murray entering unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2024 with the possibility of losing him for nothing. By trading him away now, it’s clear they are now on the fast track to sinking toward the bottom of the NBA standings ahead of a loaded 2023 draft class. With skepticism around the league about San Antonio having a franchise player, a rebuild could address that.

The Hawks have sought to add a secondary ball handler since their rough first-round exit caused by the Miami Heat. Trae Young had an abysmal performance with averages of just 15.4 points while averaging more turnovers (6.2) than assists (6.0) in addition to shooting …

Sports / Tennis

Andy Murray knocked out of Wimbledon by big-serving John Isner

Andy Murray was blown away by big-serving American John Isner in four sets as his Wimbledon campaign ended in a blur of aces.

Two-time champion Murray failed to reach the third round for the first time as 6ft 10in missile launcher Isner secured a first career victory over him at the ninth attempt.

Murray threatened another of his epic, late-night comebacks from two sets down when he won a third-set tie-break.

But this time he was unable dip into that seemingly endless well of reserves as Isner clung on for a 6-4 7-6 (4) 6-7 (3) 6-4 victory.

Isner, at 37 two years older than his opponent, crashed down 36 aces among 60 unreturned serves to leave Murray in a daze.

In fact the Scot managed to win only 15 points against the relentless Isner first serve.

But there was so much more to the 20th seed’s victory, with a host of neat drop shots and deft touches at the net leaving Centre Court stunned.

Murray’s serve needed to be firing as well, but too often in the early stages he gave Isner a look at his second attempt, and it was a searing return which was too hot for the home favourite as he was broken in the third game.

It was only the second time Isner had broken the Murray serve in 25 sets of tennis over the last 12 years.

The second set whizzed by with neither player laying a glove on the other, but Isner drew first blood in the tie-break and when Murray got a solitary chance to retrieve the damage he dumped a simple pass into the net.

On set point Murray actually did well to get a racket on the 136mph rocket, but the return floated wide and Isner had a 2-0 lead.

In the inevitable third-set tie-break errors from Isner crept in for the first time, a long forehand and a volley into the net giving Murray the initiative and the fired-up former champion jumped wildly in delight as he halved the …

Football / Sports

Romelu Lukaku loaned back to Inter Milan

Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan confirmed: Lukaku’s second spell at Chelsea came to another unceremonious end on Wednesday, when Inter Milan re-signed the Belgian striker on a season-long loan.

This time around, Lukaku scored 15 goals in 44 appearances (all competitions – 8 in 26 in the Premier League), bringing his Chelsea career total to 15 goals. In total, Chelsea have paid roughly $155 million for Lukaku. Quick math says, $10 million per goal.

10 months after Chelsea, then the newly crowned champions of Europe, paid $135 million to themselves re-acquire Romelu Lukaku as the missing piece to a Premier League title challenge, the 29-year-old heads back to Inter Milan for less than 10 percent of that number. Initially, Chelsea wanted a $10.5-million loan fee; Inter Milan were put off by the price, but an agreement has since been reached (financial details still to come).

Getting Lukaku’s wages off the books at Chelsea and removing a disgruntled star from the locker room is all the moral victory the Blues can claim on this one.

Lukaku played a massive part in Inter Milan’s 2020-21 Serie A title, scoring 24 goals in 36 league games (30 in 44 in all competitions). AC Milan reclaimed the scudetto last season for the first time since 2011, beating Inter to the top spot by just two points.…

Athletics / Sports

Okagbare’s additional one-year ban has badly depleted our squad, AFN laments

For the first time, Nigeria’s athletics is feeling the impact of the ban placed on U.S.-based sprinter, Blessing Okagbare, who was handed an extra one-year suspension on Monday night for doping violations.

Okagbare will now be out from athletics scene for 11 years after an extra year was added to the previous 10-year ban she received from World Athletics on February 14, 2021.

Before her 10-year ban last year, Okagbare had helped the Nigerian 4x100m relay team to qualify for the World Championships during an event held at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, where she, alongside Grace Nwokocha, Rosemary Chukwuma and Tima Godbless competed in an International Relay race attended by some other African countries.

Speaking with The Guardian yesterday, an official of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), described as ‘sad development’ the additional one-year ban placed on Okagbare.

“This additional one-year ban on Okagbare has completely depleted our squad to the World Championships,” the official said. “Between our men and the women’s teams, our hope for medals was more on the girls because for the first time in a long while, we have four of our women running sub 10.00 seconds, which is good for Nigeria. Even without Okagbare, we still had a strong relay squad, but this additional one-year ban is a big disaster for us.”

MEANWHILE, the additional one-year ban on Okagbare may not affect Nigeria’s women 4x100m relay team’s participation at the Commonwealth Games next month in Birmingham, England.

Another official of the AFN told The Guardian that the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) rules apply only to events being organised by World Athletics. I can tell you that our women’s 4x100m relay team to the Commonwealth Games is intact because it is a competition by entry and not by standard as stipulated by World Athletics.
All these Out of Competition Tests (OCT), which our athletes do before attending World Athletics events, are not applicable to the Commonwealth Games,” the official explained.

The Guardian recalls that early last year, Okagbare was handed a career-ending 10-year ban …

F1 / Sports

Nelson Piquet apologises to Lewis Hamilton over comments but denies racial intent

Nelson Piquet has apologized “wholeheartedly” to Lewis Hamilton but “strongly condemns any suggestion” he racially abused his fellow Formula 1 world champion, claiming his comments have been mis-translated.

An interview with the Brazilian from last year surfaced this week, in which he twice used a racially offensive expression when referring to Hamilton.

It led to widespread condemnation from the whole F1 paddock, with Hamilton himself calling for “action” and insisting that “archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport”.

On Wednesday, Piquet issued his own statement where he said he wanted to “clear up the stories”.

“What I said was ill thought out, and I make no defense for it,” said Piquet, a three-time F1 champion.

“But I will clarify that the term used is one that has widely and historically been used colloquially in Brazilian Portuguese as a synonym for ‘guy’ or ‘person’ and was never intended to offend.

“I would never use the word I have been accused of in some translations. I strongly condemn any suggestion that the word was used by me with the aim of belittling a driver because of his skin color.

“I apologize wholeheartedly to anyone that was affected, including Lewis, who is an incredible driver, but the translation in some media that is now circulating on social media is not correct.

“Discrimination has no place in F1 or society and I am happy to clarify my thoughts in that respect.”…

Basket Ball / Sports

Knicks trading Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel to Pistons to clear cap space for pursuit of Jalen Brunson, per report

Last week, on draft night, the New York Knicks traded Kemba Walker and the No. 13 overall pick (Jalen Duren) to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for a future first-round pick. Now, just a few days later, the two sides have come together to make another deal.

This time, the Knicks will send Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, two future second-round picks and $6 million in cash to the Pistons in order to clear more cap space for their pursuit of Jalen Brunson, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. The Pistons will not be sending any players back to the Knicks in the deal.

By moving Burks and Noel, the Knicks will be able to clear an additional $19 million from their books. Combined with the money shed by trading Walker, they now have around $30 million in cap space this summer, which will be more than enough for them to offer Brunson a deal worth $100 million over four years.

Early on Tuesday, multiple reports suggested that the Knicks are now the favorites to sign Brunson. They’ve hired his dad as an assistant coach, worked to clear cap space and will now be able to make a competitive offer when free agency opens at 6 p.m. ET on June 30. While the Mavericks are better set up for immediate success, Brunson will get to take on a new challenge in New York and also have a bigger role on offense.

It’s also worth noting that because the Knicks now have the cap space to sign Brunson, the Mavericks’ chances of salvaging the situation by working out a sign-and-trade have been greatly reduced. As it stands, the Mavs are likely to lose Brunson for nothing, which will be a huge blow to their hopes of making another run in the playoffs next season.

As for the Pistons, this deal also impacts their summer plans. While reports after their successful draft suggested they would no longer pursue Deandre Ayton, there was still a chance they could go that route. Now, they are …

Sports / Tennis

Serena Williams loses Wimbledon thriller, discusses tennis future

Serena Williams lost in her first singles match in 364 days as 115th-ranked Frenchwoman Harmony Tan outlasted her 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (7) in the Wimbledon first round in Williams’ longest match in a decade — 3 hours, 10 minutes.

Williams, a 40-year-old with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, did not say definitively in a press conference afterward whether she plans to continue playing competitive tennis.

Asked if it was likely her last singles match, she said, “That’s a question I can’t answer. Who knows? Who knows where I’ll pop up.”

Asked if she’s OK if this is her last memory at Wimbledon, she said, “Obviously not. You know me. Definitely not.”

Asked if there’s any part of her that wants to play the U.S. Open in two months, she said, “That being the first place I’ve won a Grand Slam [in 1999], is something that’s always super special. … There’s definitely lots of motivation to get better and to play at home.”

Williams followed a rusty first set with a more Serena-like second set, which included a marathon 30-point second game.

She squandered a third-set break of serve but managed to force the 10-point super tiebreak, where she won the first four points, then lost the next four points. Tan went up a mini break at 8-6 in the tiebreak, then served it out.

It was Williams’ first three-hour match since her 2012 French Open first-round loss to another Frenchwoman, Virginie Razzano (which was 3:03). Those are her lone two defeats in completed first-round matches in her Grand Slam career.

Before the tournament, Williams said she was largely motivated to take a wild card into Wimbledon by what happened last year at the All England Club. Last June 29, she tore a hamstring in a first-round match and withdrew, leaving her future in tennis in the air.

“It was always something since the match ended that was always on my mind,” she said Saturday. “So it was a tremendous amount of motivation for that.”

Also Tuesday, …

Boxing / Sports

Tyson Fury Responds to Jake Paul About $1M Bet for Tommy Fury Fight

The $1 million bet between Tyson Fury and Jake Paul is apparently on.

Fury responded to Paul’s taunting of him on social media Sunday, saying the YouTuber-turned-boxer will need some new teeth once Tyson’s brother, Tommy, is done with him.

Tommy Fury is set to fight Paul on Aug. 6 at Madison Square Garden. Fury and Paul were originally supposed to go head-to-head last December, but Fury was forced to pull out due to a bacterial chest infection and broken rib. Paul instead fought Tyron Woodley for a second time, knocking out the former UFC welterweight champion in Round 6.

Viewed largely as a joke in the boxing world initially, Paul has become one of the sport’s biggest draws over his five-fight career. He’s earned victories over YouTuber AnEsonGib, former NBA star Nate Robinson and former UFC fighter Ben Askren in addition to his pair of victories over Woodley.

The second Woodley fight was a financial disappointment, thanks in large part to the bout initially being promoted as Paul vs. Fury.

This will be the first time Paul has taken on a professional boxer. Fury is 8-0 in his own boxing career and is coming off a win over Daniel Bocianski in April.

While his younger brother isn’t seen as the next superstar boxer in the family, Tyson Fury is apparently confident enough to put $1 million on the line in support.…