Matteo Berrettini pulled out of the Australian Open without playing a match as his injury woes continued.

The former Wimbledon finalist had been due to face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round on Rod Laver Arena on Monday in one of the plum ties of the first round.

But on Sunday afternoon the tournament announced he had withdrawn with a right foot injury, making it the fourth time in the last eight grand slam tournaments where he has not been able to play a match.

The popular Italian, a semi-finalist in Melbourne in 2022, has been off the tour since suffering an ankle injury during his second-round match against Arthur Rinderknech at the US Open.

He had previously missed the French Open because of an abdominal injury, while in 2022 he also sat out Roland Garros following hand surgery and then tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of Wimbledon.

Once ranked as high as world number six, the 27-year-old, beaten by Djokovic in the Wimbledon final in 2021, is now down at 125.

He has been replaced in the draw by Belgian lucky loser Zizou Bergs, who will take on Tsitsipas on Monday.

Fourth seed Jannik Sinner, one of the favourites for the title following his stellar end to 2023, began his campaign with a straight-sets win over Botic Van De Zandschulp.

Sinner, who beat Djokovic twice in a matter of days at the ATP Finals and Davis Cup in November, was a 6-4 7-5 6-3 winner on Rod Laver Arena.

The Italian did not play a warm-up tournament after his late finish to last season, and he said: “I feel like I started off actually really well for the first match.

“Then after, I had some moments where I made a couple of wrong choices, but this can happen. Even if you made maybe some matches, this can happen. Maybe you are a little bit tired sometimes.

“It was important today for me because I was looking forward to stepping on the court.”

Former finalist Marin Cilic played his first grand slam match since the US Open in 2022 following knee surgery but was beaten in four sets by Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan.

Former Olympic road race champion Nicole Cooke retired from cycling with immediate effect on this day in 2013.

Cooke was a trailblazer for cycling in Britain and in 2008 became the first rider, male or female, to win Olympic and world road race gold in the same year.

Announcing the decision to call time on her 13-year career, the 10-time British champion said: “My time in the sport is finished. I am very happy with my career.

“I have many, many happy memories over what has been my life’s work since I was 12. I have won every race and more that I dreamed I could win.”

Her speech did not shy away from the dark side of cycling, however, addressing at length the doping scandals prevalent in the sport as well as the barriers to female riders.

Cooke, who retired at the age of 29, was a four-time world junior champion.

After turning professional, she won gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, before becoming the youngest rider to win the Giro d’Italia – aged 21 – in 2004 following on from triumph at the 2003 World Cup.

Cooke won Britain’s maiden gold of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing in heavy rain by the Great Wall of China – the first claimed by a Welsh athlete since 1972 – and backed that up with World Championship gold later that year in Italy.

Four years on, she was part of the team as Lizzie Armitstead won road race silver for Britain’s first medal of London 2012.

Cooke had thought she could put an indifferent four years behind her and mount a defence of her title, but finished only 31st.

Following her retirement, British Cycling president Brian Cookson said: “There is no doubt that Nicole has been a pioneering force in women’s cycling.”

Jayson Tatum had 27 points and eight rebounds before he was ejected and the Boston Celtics remained unbeaten at home with a 145-113 victory over former coach Ime Udoka and the Houston Rockets on Saturday.

Jaylen Brown scored 32 points and Payton Pritchard added 19 to help the Celtics improve to 19-0 at home this season with their 26th straight regular-season home win.

Cam Whitmore scored 22 points and Alperen Sengun had 19 with 10 rebounds for Houston, which dropped to .500 with their third loss in four games.

Udoka was coaching in Boston for the first time since he was suspended, and then fired, on the eve of the 2022-23 season for inappropriate workplace behaviour.

Surging Jazz defeat Lakers

Lauri Markkanen tallied 29 points, nine rebounds and five assists to help the Utah Jazz stay hot with a 132-123 win over the slumping Los Angeles Lakers.

Collin Sexton scored 27 points and Jordan Clarkson added 21 as the Jazz won their fifth straight overall and eighth in a row art home.

With LeBron James out with a left ankle injury, D’Angelo Russell picked up the slack with a season-high 39 points and eight assists. Anthony Davis had a triple-double with 15 points, 15 boards and 10 assists but shot 5 of 21 from the field as the Lakers dropped their sixth in eight games.

Win gives Thunder share of West lead

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 37 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the short-handed Orlando Magic, 112-100 for tie for the Western Conference lead.

Jalen Williams scored 16 points and Chet Holmgren had 15 to help the Thunder win their fourth straight and match Minnesota with a 27-11 record.

Paolo Banchero had 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, but the Magic dropped their third in a row. They played without Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris and Joe Ingles.

The Kansas City Chiefs outlasted the Miami Dolphins in freezing conditions to take a step towards a fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years.

With the temperature at a near-NFL-record low of minus 20C, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was instrumental in leading his side to a dominant 26-7 victory.

Mahomes threw for 262 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over on a night where rushing was the focal point of Kansas City’s offence.

The strategy paid off as the Chiefs opened the scoring in the first few minutes and stayed in front from there.

An injury-depleted Miami was far from their high-scoring best, finishing with just 264 total yards as the Dolphins remain without a play off victory since 2000.

The cold weather wreaked havoc across the first day of the super wild card round, with the matchup between the Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers in Buffalo being rescheduled to Monday due to a potentially dangerous snowstorm.

Elsewhere, CJ Stroud threw for three touchdowns as the Houston Texans demolished the Cleveland Browns 45-14.

Stroud racked up 274 yards in the air without a turnover, while Browns quarterback Joe Flacco was picked off twice in the heavy loss.

Evan Bouchard scored on a power play 2:01 into overtime to lift the Edmonton Oilers to their franchise-record 10th straight victory, 2-1 over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

Leon Draisaitl had the other goal and Stuart Skinner stopped 23 shots as the Oilers improved to 18-3-0 in their last 21 games.

Connor McDavid assisted on the winning goal, giving him a 10-game point streak with five goals and 11 assists.

Draisaitl has seven goals and four assists during the win streak and Skinner has won seven straight starts with a .951 save percentage.

Cole Caufield scored and Sam Montembault made 39 saves for the Canadiens, who lost for the seventh time in nine games.

Kraken rally for 9th straight victory

Jared McCann scored two goals and set up another and the Seattle Kraken rallied for a 7-4 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, their ninth in a row.

Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and two assists and Brian Dumoulin added a goal and an assist for the Kraken, who have the longest win streak in the franchise’s three-year history. Seattle is 11-0-2 in its past 13 games, a stretch that directly followed an eight-game losing streak.

Joey Daccord made 30 saves to win his eighth consecutive start, posting a 1.49 goals-against average in that span.

Devils snap Panthers’ 9-game winning streak

Nico Daws turned aside 35 shots and Alexander Holtz and Jesper Bratt scored first-period goals as the New Jersey Devils stopped the Florida Panthers’ 9-game winning streak, 4-1.

Erik Haula and John Marino had the other goals for the Devils, who improved to 6-2-1 in their last nine games.

Sam Reinhart tallied his 31st goal as Florida tasted defeat for the first time since Dec. 21. He has 13 goals in his last 10 games and has scored in each of the last six.

Matthew Tkachuk assisted on the goal to extend his point streak to eight games (seven goals, 10 assists).

Jodie Burrage was unable to build on a good start as her Australian Open debut ended with a first-round loss to German Tamara Korpatsch.

Burrage earned her spot in the main draw for the first time with a strong year in 2023 and she played with confidence and purpose to take the opening set as the year’s first grand slam made its maiden Sunday start.

But, as Korpatsch steadied, Burrage’s unforced error count began to rise and it was the German who came through 2-6 6-3 6-0.

The pair had met twice in the closing months of last season, with Korpatsch winning both, but Burrage knew she had the power advantage and she used it well in the first set.

The 24-year-old served strongly and seized on her opponent’s weaker delivery to break twice.

She was in the ascendancy again to start the second set but Korpatsch hung on and the momentum began to swing as the German, who had looked uncomfortable and unsettled, asked Burrage more questions.

The British number two had chances to get back on serve at the end of the second but could not take them and the decider quickly ran away from her in a slew of errors.

Seko Fofana and Jean-Philippe Krasso lifted tournament hosts Ivory Coast to a 2-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau in front of an elated Abidjan crowd to kick off the Africa Cup of Nations.

Fofana fired the Elephants in front inside four minutes at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, punishing their Group A rivals for a lapse at the back, and came inches away from adding another before the break.

Krasso doubled the lead with a volleyed effort to buy his side a bit of breathing room in the 58th minute as former Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba looked on from the stands.

The visitors came closest when Mama Balde put Franculino Dju through on goal late in the second half, but they never looked like staging a serious comeback.

Fofana’s opener was the result of a defensive lapse by the visitors, who gave the ball away in a dangerous position allowing the Manchester City academy graduate to latch onto Franck Kessie’s low pass and whip the ball past Guinea-Bissau goalkeeper Ouparine Djoco into the top corner.

Fofana nearly doubled his side’s advantage when he forced Djoco into a brilliant fingertip save, the keeper getting enough contact to push against the crossbar and out of danger.

Despite a decent start from Guinea-Bissau, who did have their chances and made it perhaps a closer contest than some expected for a side 54 places above them in FIFA’s world rankings, the home nation continued to control proceedings after the break.

Another Guinea-Bissau error led to Krasso’s alert effort as he patiently controlled the ball on a bounce inside the area before volleying low into the right corner to seal the result.

Erik ten Hag says Manchester United will only succeed with “hungry players” after letting Jadon Sancho leave little more than a year after Cristiano Ronaldo’s high-profile departure.

The Dutch coach was brought in 19 months ago to change things on and off the pitch at Old Trafford, where he has had to deal with a fair share of distractions.

Unhappy star Ronaldo’s second spell at United ended in acrimonious fashion in November 2022 and another big name has left midway through a Ten Hag season in charge of the Premier League giants.

Sancho has been banished from the first-team since September, when he claimed on social media that he had been made a “scapegoat” after the Dutchman said he omitted him from a matchday squad due to his training levels.

The 23-year-old this week returned to former club Borussia Dortmund on loan for the rest of the season and, while he wished the winger luck, the United boss underlined the need for the right mentality at the club.

“If you want to perform, you need hungry players,” Ten Hag said.

“I already said, we need personalities and players who are very hungry to fight for the badge, so fight for this club, and to do this in the team.”

Discipline is a key pillar of Ten Hag’s approach and was backed during the Ronaldo situation by the Glazers, while new incoming minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has not stood in the way of Sancho’s exit.

“I think it is not about discipline, it is about normal behaviour,” the Dutchman said. “It is about that, so what you can expect from a top professional.”

United are preparing for Sunday’s home clash with Tottenham – their only Premier League match this month.

The Red Devils need a win having lost nine of their 20 top-flight matches in an injury-hit season, with results and performances increasing the pressure on Ten Hag.

But the United boss trusts a process he believes will improve as absentees return, including Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez.

Ten Hag said: “If you ask me the question ‘is it difficult for you (to deal with things)?’, no, it is not difficult for me.

“Because I could expect from the start of the season when this happened the process could go negative, then, as a manager, you have to stay positive and get the process in the right direction.

“In the meantime, you have to be pragmatic, get as much points as possible and wait until the players are fit.

“In the meantime, work on your team, work on individuals that they go to higher levels, that you set conditions that the team is performing better, that the results will rise again.”

Hakan Calhanoglu and Lautaro Martinez both scored twice as Inter Milan won 5-1 at Monza to extend their lead at the top of Serie A.

Marcus Thuram was also on target as Simone Inzaghi’s side moved five points clear of Juventus, who host Sassuolo on Tuesday night.

Inter had started brightly, with Federico Dimarco flashing an early chance across the face of goal with an angled drive from the edge of the area.

The visitors were awarded a penalty in the 12th minute for handball by Roberto Gagliardini as he jumped to block a header from Martinez. The decision was given after a review by the referee on the pitchside monitor.

Calhanoglu confidently dispatched the spot-kick low into the bottom right corner.

Before Monza could recover, they fell further behind in the 14th minute.

Dimarco got away down the left following a swift counter attack and played the ball across the six-yard box where Martinez swept it in from close range.

Inter showed little sign of sitting back, with Thuram volleying wide after another dangerous ball from Dimarco.

Monza thought they had reduced the deficit in the 28th minute when Matteo Pessina nodded in from a free-kick when the ball dropped through to the back post – only for the goal to be ruled out following a lengthy VAR review for offside.

There was a stoppage before half-time when Monza forward Dany Mota and Inter defender Benjamin Pavard both needed to be bandaged up following a clash of heads.

Thuram blasted wide of the right-hand post from 20 yards after another swift counter attack.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan sent a half-volley from the edge of the box flying just wide as Inter looked to further extend their lead in the second half.

Calhanoglu picked up a caution in the 59th minute, which will see him suspended for the next Serie A game against Fiorentina following the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.

The Turkey midfielder showed no signs of letting that concern him as he slotted in Inter’s third goal following another breakaway.

After clearing from a Monza corner, Mkhitaryan darted down the left and cut the ball back for Thuram who unselfishly laid it off for Calhanoglu to net his second of the night.

Pavard’s towering header was clawed away by Monza keeper Alessandro Sorrentino, before the hosts were awarded a penalty with 20 minutes left following a foul by Matteo Darmian on Mota.

Monza captain Pessina rolled the spot-kick into the bottom left corner, sending Yann Sommer the wrong way.

Inter were awarded their second penalty of the night in the 84th minute when Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro went through the back of substitute Davide Frattesi. Martinez confidently converted for his 18th Serie A goal of the season.

Four minutes later, Thuram cut inside from the left to fire in a low drive after yet another surging run from Mkhitaryan to complete the rout.

Pep Guardiola is relieved to have “special player” Kevin De Bruyne back after he inspired Manchester City to victory at Newcastle on his return to Premier League action.

The 32-year-old Belgium international, who had not made a league appearance since August because of injury, endured a disappointing start to his evening on Tyneside when he drilled a free-kick harmlessly into the defensive wall with his first touch.

But he drew City level within five minutes of his introduction and then set up fellow substitute Oscar Bobb to snatch a 3-2 victory in stoppage time.

Asked about his contribution, Guardiola said with a smile: “I am so disappointed in him and upset and grumpy because the free-kick, he didn’t score a goal.

“Apart from that, I had the feeling he was not ready for 90 minutes after five months. We cannot forget – people say, ‘OK he’s ready, he can play after five months 90 minutes’.

“It’s not the case, so that is why he was in that situation. But we had control of the game and his impact in the last 35 minutes, the goal, the assist and how many times he arrived at the byline for the crosses…

“He is a special player. He is a legend, he is beloved by our people and he is fresh in his mind because five months is a lot of time. Hopefully in the second part of the season, he can help us be there until the end.”

City looked to be on their way when Bernardo Silva cheekily back-heeled Kyle Walker’s cross past Martin Dubravka, but superb finishes from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon inside two minutes put the Magpies ahead.

They retained their advantage until 16 minutes from time when De Bruyne, who had been introduced as a replacement for Silva five minutes earlier, levelled with an astute finish before setting up fellow substitute Bobb to win it in stoppage time.

Assessing a win which took City back into second place behind Liverpool to enhance their title hopes, Guardiola said: “Why should we not try it again?

“We have won (the title) three times in a row, five in the last six, so why not? It’s really important because Liverpool are flying over the last month and we have to go to Anfield, so it’s better to be close to them.”

For Magpies boss Eddie Howe, there was pride in a fine display, but one which ended in disappointment to join a series of near misses this season against the likes of Liverpool and Paris St Germain.

“There was so much promise and so many good things, so to be sat here with nothing is very, very painful,” Howe said.

“The lads have given so much physically in that game. The first half was everything that we want to be. We wanted to be aggressive and front foot. When you do that, you take risks, but those risks were worth it.

“You could see that it paid off at the other end. We still wanted to do that in the second half, we still wanted to play the same way, but we just couldn’t deliver that in the second half.”

On De Bruyne’s contribution, Howe added: “You just hope he’s rusty and not up to full speed yet, but then he comes on and delivers that and you think, ‘Well, there’s no rustiness there’.”

Jadon Sancho made an instant impact on his Borussia Dortmund return as he set up a goal in a 3-0 Bundesliga win at Darmstadt on Saturday.

England international Sancho rejoined Dortmund on loan this week after being frozen out of the first-team picture at Manchester United.

The 23-year-old had not played senior football since August but he wasted little time after entering the action as a 55th-minute substitute.

Sancho had a shot blocked soon after coming on and in the 77th minute he found space in the area to tee up Marco Reus for the visitors’ second goal.

Dortmund, who had been leading since a Julian Brandt opener after 24 minutes, wrapped up victory in the closing moments through Youssoufa Moukoko.

Sancho said on Sky Sports: “Ever since I’ve come back it’s felt like home and I’m happy to be on the pitch again.

“I just want to be happy again, be back on the pitch and help the team get back in the top three and qualify for the Champions League.

“I’ve got personal goals that I’m not going to say for now. I just want to help the team.”

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna praised his team’s level of commitment as they ended a five-match winless run by beating Sunderland 2-1.

The Tractor Boys trailed to Jack Clarke’s opener after 26 minutes, but Kayden Jackson levelled matters seven minutes later before Conor Chaplin completed the comeback in the 75th minute with a powerful header.

Victory sees Ipswich retain second spot in the Championship, seven points adrift of leaders Leicester who lost to Coventry, and McKenna felt it was a gutsy performance from his players.

He said: “It was a really tough game against a good side.

“They have lots of talented players with a really high technical level so it was a really hard-fought game. I thought a really strong and committed performance was needed to get the win and that’s what we gave.

“It wasn’t our smoothest performance in terms of some of our build-up and some of our connections through the pitch, but that’s normal and to be expected and it’s normal across the season.

“You’re not always going to be at your best, especially with the players we had missing and new players coming in. Things aren’t always going to be smooth, but when you’re not at your absolute highest level then you have to show the other ingredients, commitment, intensity, work rate for the team, and we certainly showed all that.

“I thought we carried a threat throughout the game and we had the better of the chances and great to get the winning goal from a set play.”

Sunderland, meanwhile, sit just outside the top six on goal difference and head coach Michael Beale admitted the result was a bitter pill to swallow.

“It was a good game between two good teams,” he said. “I thought we had enough of the game to get a result out of it.

“I thought we had two big chances before we scored in the first half, and obviously the big miss at the start of the second half, and how naive we are to give away a free-kick (for Ipswich’s winner)?

“The smallest player on the pitch has had a free header in the middle of the goal and we’ve got ourselves to blame.

“It was a good game, two good teams giving each other problems and going at each other, it was a refreshing game I thought. It would have been a good game for the neutral.

“But it’s the naivety that’s cost us the points. If we had gone up back up the road with one point, we would have had ifs and buts at the chances that we had. But to go up the road with nothing, it’s really disappointing.”