Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is reportedly facing "a significant suspension" for violating "organisational guidelines", according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The report is incredibly vague and lacking in any detail about what exactly Udoka did to warrant a significant internal response from his Celtics bosses, however it does say it is believed he is not in danger of getting fired.
Hours later, The Athletic's Shams Charania added that Udoka had "an improper intimate and consensual relationship with a female member of the team staff", which has been deemed a violation of the Celtics' code of conduct.
After Udoka's top assistant, Will Hardy, was hired as the new head coach of the Utah Jazz, Boston's Joe Mazzulla is the favourite to take over in the interim role.
Udoka, 45, became the fifth rookie head coach in the past 25 years to take his team to the NBA Finals this past season when his Celtics emerged as the best defensive team in the league.
He is also the first rookie head coach to win multiple Game 7s in his first playoff run, taking out both the Miami Heat and the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks.
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was limited in practice Wednesday and remains day to day after suffering fractured rib cartilage last Thursday.
Herbert was more of a bystander during the portion of practice open to the media, performing some handoffs to running backs, but did not do any throwing.
Chargers coach Brandon Staley said Herbert is day-to-day as one of three players listed as a limited participant on the team’s practice report. The star quarterback was injured by a hard hit in the fourth quarter of last week’s 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Herbert only missed one play after taking a hit from Kansas City defensive lineman Michael Danna on a completion to Gerald Everett on Thursday, but was clearly in discomfort for the remainder of the contest.
''He's had a lot of rest since the last game, but I think the nature of the week is truly going to be a case-by-case, day-by-day basis,'' Staley said. ''We're just going to see where his comfort level is, and truly trust him and let him be the guide of where we're at, and make sure that we are prepared either way.''
Staley said the decision to play Herbert Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars begins with the quarterback himself.
"It will start with him and then obviously him feeling good about what the medical team feels like is best, him weighing the options and then us making a good decision," Staley said.
The Chargers have had issues with injured quarterbacks before.
The doctor caring for Herbert is being sued for medical malpractice by former Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who is seeking at least $5 million in damages.
In 2020, Taylor suffered a rib injury against the Cincinnati Bengals and a team doctor then punctured Taylor’s lung while attempting to give him a pain-killing injection. Taylor was taken to a hospital and Herbert was thrust into his first NFL start less than a minute before kickoff, with Taylor never recapturing his starting role.
The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court in May 2021 and a trial was scheduled to begin in November, but has been moved to June 2023.
Chase Daniel would be in line to start if Herbert could not go. The 13-year veteran has six career starts, most recently in 2019 for the Chicago Bears.
In two games this season, Herbert is 59-of-82 for 613 yards with six touchdowns and one interception.
Marcos Giron was the highest seed in action on Wednesday at the San Diego Open, and he had little trouble dispatching Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4 6-3.
Giron, the third seed, was a force a from the baseline, collecting 18 winners in the first set, while Etcheverry could only muster six. While he was not as dominant in the second frame, Etcheverry helped him out with 14 unforced errors and five winners.
Giron will meet James Duckworth next after the Australian defeated America's Mitchell Krueger 6-3 7-6 (7-4).
Duckworth has now won six of his past eight matches, and he showed off his impressive serve against Krueger, winning the ace count 11-to-one.
Meanwhile, Mackenzie McDonald has earned a shot against his American compatriot and second seed Jenson Brooksby after hammering Switzerland's Henri Laaksonen 6-0 6-2.
McDonald was strong in all areas, but particularly in limiting his errors, finishing the match with no double faults and six unforced errors with 19 winners.
Rising Chilean talent Alejandro Tabilo used his powerful serve to overwhelm the similarly hard-serving Steve Johnson, winning 7-5 6-2.
Tabilo served 11 aces with no double faults, and won 80 per cent (41-of-51) of his total points on serve, while Johnson had three double faults with his seven aces and could only manage a 60 per cent (34-of-57) success rate on serve.
In an all-Australian matchup, Christopher O'Connell advanced past Jason Kubler after the latter was forced to retire due to injury with the match tied at 4-6 6-3 heading into the last set.
The New York Yankees had three home runs in their big 14-2 home win against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, but Aaron Judge had to settle for a pair of doubles as he finished two-for-four with a walk.
Judge remains one home run away from tying the Yankees and American League all-time record of 61, set 61 years ago in 1961 by Roger Maris.
While fans in attendance missed out on that history-making moment, they were treated to some early fireworks as the Yankees loaded the bases in the first inning, setting up Oswaldo Cabrera for a grand slam.
Cabrera would end up with five RBIs after another double in the eighth inning, and he would be one of two Yankees players to tally five RBIs in the game as Gleyber Torres joined him.
Torres finished three-for-five at the plate with two home runs – and incredibly, both home runs came in the eighth inning – becoming the sixth Yankee to ever hit two homers in the same inning.
On the mound, Luis Severino was credited with the win after allowing one run in his five innings, striking out six batters.
With the win, the Yankees are now 90-58 with 14 games to go, leading the AL East by six-and-a-half games from the Toronto Blue Jays.
McKenzie strikes out 13 in Guardians win
Cleveland Guardians rising star Triston McKenzie dominated in his side's 8-2 win against the Chicago White Sox, striking out 13 batters.
McKenzie pitched eight full innings in the win, giving up six hits and no walks in an even 100 pitches. With this performance, the six-foot-five 25-year-old now boasts an ERA of 3.04, and the sixth-best WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) in the majors at 0.96.
With the bat, rookie Steven Kwan was three-for-five with a home run, and Josh Naylor also chipped in with a two-run homer.
Marlins waste a great Luzardo start
Miami Marlins pitcher Jesus Luzardo struck out 11 batters, but it was not enough as his team went down 4-3 against the Chicago Cubs.
Luzardo departed the game in the seventh inning, having pitched six-and-two-thirds for one earned run with 11 strikeouts and his team leading 3-1, but the bullpen could not finish the job.
Steven Okert was saddled with the loss after failing to record an out from the three batters he faced, resulting in two walks and an error as he tried to field a sacrifice bunt, but ended up throwing it away.
Kenny Golladay is making an average of $18million per season as part of the four-year, $72m deal he signed with the New York Giants prior to 2021 – and he wants his playing time to reflect it.
Under those terms, the Giants paid him roughly $500,000 for each of the two snaps he played in Sunday’s 19-16 win over the Carolina Panthers.
The Giants' previous ownership paid Golladay like a true number one wide receiver, but he barely saw the field this past week after playing 42 snaps (77 per cent) in Week 1.
Against the Panthers, after head coach Brian Daboll made it clear he plans on rotating his wide receivers based on week-to-week matchups and game-planning, it was David Sills V – who is on a one-year contract, with two career catches and is making $825,000 this season – who assumed Golladay's Week 1 role,
"I don’t agree with it," he said Wednesday, via video from SNY. "I came here to play. I didn’t like the decision whatsoever."
Golladay said the decision to keep him on the sidelines was particularly perplexing because all the feedback he has been getting from ownership and coaches is that he has a good work ethic, and additionally there hasn’t been any friction between himself and Daboll.
The Giants, who are 2-0 for the first time since 2016, host the Cowboys on Monday night, though it’s uncertain what kind of role will be given to the wide receiver with the highest salary cap hit in the league this season.
"I’m preparing like I’m going to be playing, but who knows," he said. "The GM, head coach, all these coaches keep saying, 'you do everything right; you handle yourself the right way'. It’s a little confusing."
In his first year with the Giants, Golladay led the team with 521 receiving yards on 37 receptions. This year he is tied for fifth on the Giants with two receptions going for 22 yards.
Richie James, who signed a one-year, $1.065million deal over the offseason, leads New York with 10 catches for 110 yards.
"I should be playing regardless," Golladay said. "That’s a fact."
Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball will be sidelined for the next four-to-six weeks after undergoing an arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, the team announced on Wednesday.
Ball, 24, last played in January before he tore his meniscus, and at the time he was given a six-to-eight week recovery time, but the pain persisted and kept him out of the final months of the season.
The former second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft was in the midst of a career-best shooting season with the Bulls, with his 42.3 per cent shooting from beyond the arc on 7.4 attempts per game marking the first time he has ever posted a three-point percentage above 37.8.
He was also averaging 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and was one of the best defensive guards in the league, tallying 1.8 steals per game.
The Bulls are scheduled to kick off their season on October 19 against the Miami Heat, so his current injury timeline makes it incredibly unlikely that he will be ready for the start of the season, with November a more realistic target.
Ball is entering the second year of a four-year, $80million contract, with the fourth year being a player option that Ball can decide to void if he feels he can secure a larger long-term deal.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver says Robert Sarver's decision to sell the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury is "right next step for the organisation and community."
Sarver on Wednesday announced that he intends to sell up after an investigation found him to have engaged in racist and sexist conduct.
The 60-year-old was suspended for one year and fined $10million by the NBA last week after an investigation questioned 320 people over allegations about Sarver's behaviour during his 18 years with the Suns.
Silver believes it is the right move from Sarver to seek buyers for the Suns and Mercury.
He said: "I fully support the decision by Robert Sarver to sell the Phoenix Suns and Mercury. This is the right next step for the organisation and community."
Sarver earlier declared: "Words that I deeply regret now overshadow nearly two decades of building organisations that brought people together – and strengthened the Phoenix area – through the unifying power of professional men's and women's basketball.
"I expected that the commissioner's one-year suspension would provide the time for me to focus, make amends and remove my personal controversy from the teams that I and so many fans love.
"But in our current unforgiving climate, it has become painfully clear that that is no longer possible – that whatever good I have done, or could still do, is outweighed by things I have said in the past.
"For those reasons, I am beginning the process of seeking buyers for the Suns and Mercury.
"I do not want to be a distraction to these two teams and the fine people who work so hard to bring the joy and excitement of basketball to fans around the world.
"I want what's best for these two organisations, the players, the employees, the fans, the community, my fellow owners, the NBA and the WNBA. This is the best course of action for everyone.
"In the meantime, I will continue to work on becoming a better person, and continuing to support the community in meaningful ways. Thank you for continuing to root for the Suns and the Mercury, embracing the power that sports has to bring us together."
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss the start of Oklahoma City Thunder's preseason training camp due to a knee injury.
The guard has sustained a grade two MCL sprain in his left knee just under a month before the Thunder start their NBA campaign with a road game at the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 19.
Gilgeous-Alexander will be assessed again in a fortnight to discover when he may be able to return.
The Canadian will play no part in the preseason games against the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks on October 3 and 5 respectively.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 24.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 56 games last season before being sidelined by an ankle injury.
Stan Wawrinka will face Daniil Medvedev in the second round of the Moselle Open after beating Joao Sousa in straight sets.
Wawrinka came through two qualifying matches to take his place in the main draw before defeating Sousa 7-6 (7-1) 6-2 in Metz on Wednesday.
The three-time grand slam champion's victory was only his fourth in a main draw at tour-level this year following a 13-month absence due to a foot injury.
Wawrinka said after setting up a showdown with top seed Medvedev: "It's the first time I won three matches in the same tournament for more than two years, so it's great.
"I'm getting confidence from winning a few matches, so I'm feeling a bit more relaxed, the way I'm moving. I think the level was good from me, and I'm happy with the win."
Dominic Thiem also advanced at the indoor hard-court event, seeing off Richard Gasquet 6-3 7-6 (7-3).
Sebastian Korda was the first man to seal a quarter-final spot, sending third seed Lorenzo Musetti packing with a 6-3 7-6 (8-6) victory in the last match of the day.
Meanwhile, Alexander Bublik, Gregoire Barrere and Benjamin Bonzi were the other first-round winners.
Conor McGregor is "not interested" in a rematch with Floyd Mayweather despite the American suggesting they were set to fight next year.
Mayweather stopped McGregor in the 10th round of the final fight of his professional career in August 2017.
The 45-year-old has competed in three exhibition bouts since then and will take on Mikuru Asakura in another this weekend.
Mayweather revealed on Wednesday talks were at an advanced stage with McGregor over a fight in 2023, with a decision still to be made on whether it would be an exhibition or "a real fight".
But Irishman McGregor took to social media later in the day, posting an image of their first fight with the caption: "#notinterested".
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mayweather had said: "I want to go out there this weekend and have fun. Then I have another exhibition Dubai in November [against British YouTube star Deji] and me and Conor McGregor in 2023.
"We don't know if it's going to be an exhibition or a real fight. But there's been talks of both. I would prefer an exhibition.
"I am not into fights where I am going to take any real punishment.
"So, guys like Conor McGregor and guys that don't really hit hard, such as YouTubers or UFC guys, I don't really mind colliding with those kinds of individuals.
"But nothing where I am going to put myself in a position where I am going to harm myself or hurt myself."
Robert Sarver has announced his intention to sell the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury after an investigation found him to have engaged in racist and sexist conduct at the workplace.
Sarver was suspended for one year and fined $10million by the NBA last week after an investigation questioned 320 people on allegations of Sarver's behaviour over his 18 years spent with the Suns.
The investigation prompted widespread criticism of both Sarver and the NBA's response, including four-time MVP LeBron James saying: "Our league definitely got this wrong."
In a statement, Sarver declared: "Words that I deeply regret now overshadow nearly two decades of building organisations that brought people together – and strengthened the Phoenix area – through the unifying power of professional men's and women's basketball.
"I expected that the commissioner's one-year suspension would provide the time for me to focus, make amends and remove my personal controversy from the teams that I and so many fans love.
"But in our current unforgiving climate, it has become painfully clear that that is no longer possible – that whatever good I have done, or could still do, is outweighed by things I have said in the past.
"For those reasons, I am beginning the process of seeking buyers for the Suns and Mercury.
"I do not want to be a distraction to these two teams and the fine people who work so hard to bring the joy and excitement of basketball to fans around the world.
"I want what's best for these two organizations, the players, the employees, the fans, the community, my fellow owners, the NBA and the WNBA. This is the best course of action for everyone.
"In the meantime, I will continue to work on becoming a better person, and continuing to support the community in meaningful ways. Thank you for continuing to root for the Suns and the Mercury, embracing the power that sports has to bring us together."
The NFL has upheld Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans' one-game suspension for his actions during last week's game against the New Orleans Saints.
Evans was deemed to have violated unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct rules when he knocked Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore to the ground during the fourth quarter of Tampa Bay's 20-10 win. He was ejected along with Lattimore, who provoked the incident by getting in the face of Bucs quarterback Tom Brady before Evans intervened with a blindside shove that prompted a brief melee between the teams.
The four-time Pro Bowler will miss Sunday's game at the Green Bay Packers after appeals officer and former NFL wide receiver James Thrash denied Evans' request to overturn the penalty.
Evans' absence further depletes a Buccaneers receiving corps that was already shorthanded last week with Chris Godwin and Julio Jones both inactive. Godwin is reportedly expected to miss multiple games after injuring his hamstring in Tampa Bay's season-opening win at the Dallas Cowboys, while Jones sat out the New Orleans game with a knee injury and is uncertain to return against the Packers.
The Buccaneers did sign veteran slot receiver Cole Beasley to the practice squad on Tuesday, though it is unclear if he'll be ready to help out immediately.
Evans, the only player in NFL history to begin his career with eight consecutive seasons of 1,000 or more receiving yards, leads Tampa Bay with eight catches and 132 receiving yards through two games.
The 29-year-old was previously suspended one game in 2017 for a similar confrontation with Lattimore.
In this latest incident, NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan determined that Evans' actions were excessive and unnecessary and broke league safety and sportsmanship rules.
"After a play had ended, you were walking toward your sidelines. When you noticed your team-mates engaged in a confrontation with Saints' players, you ran toward that area on the field and violently threw your body into and struck an unsuspecting opponent who was part of that confrontation," Runyan wrote in a letter to Evans informing him of the decision.
"You knocked your opponent to the ground and a melee ensued involving players from both teams. Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury to your opponent and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional."
As the global squash fraternity embarks on raising awareness for the sport, President of the Jamaica Squash Association Karen Anderson wants more women to be involved with the sport.
Justin Thomas has little sympathy for LIV Golf Invitational Series players' complaints over not receiving world ranking points, describing it as "their own fault".
The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) does not currently recognise LIV Golf events, leading to arguments from defectors such as Open champion Cameron Smith, who says LIV Golf's roster "warrants" ranking points.
All 48 players who featured at the weekend's LIV Golf Chicago event sent a collaborative letter to OWGR chairman Peter Dawson to encourage the granting of ranking points to players on the controversial Saudi-backed tour.
But two-time major winner Thomas is unsympathetic to those requests, telling reporters: "I mean, I don't understand. It's very obvious and written there right in front of them.
"They just naturally want what's best for them. Just like the decision they made to go there [LIV Golf].
"I totally understand if I was [in] the same situation, I would want it, but that doesn't necessarily make it right.
"The governing bodies have created a system for a reason, and that's to try and create the best system possible to determine the best players in the world.
"Now, is it going to be skewed because some of the top players aren't in there? Yeah, but that's their own fault."
Smith closed with a three-under 69 for a three-shot victory in Chicago for his first title since switching to LIV Golf.
"Anticipation has the habit to set you up for disappointment."
That refrain from The Arctic Monkeys song 'The View From The Afternoon' applies perfectly to the world of fantasy football, where high expectations are often not reflected by the end result.
While it is too early in the NFL season to be writing off teams and players who have not lived up to their hype as yet, there will already be fantasy owners getting impatient with certain players they drafted to help their team to glory.
Fans of the Las Vegas Raiders will certainly be irritated by their winless start while two offensive stars in the NFC West have yet to deliver much for differing reasons.
Keep that theme and that division in mind as Stats Perform dives into this week's edition of fantasy picks.
Quarterback: Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders @ Tennessee Titans
Is it time to panic in Vegas after an 0-2 start? It certainly will be if the Raiders do not get it done against the also winless Titans.
Recent evidence quite clearly points to the Raiders' quarterback putting Las Vegas in a position to finally get up and running against a Tennessee defense that was shredded by the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.
The Titans are giving up seven yards per pass play, the seventh-most in the NFL, while the six passing touchdowns they have conceded are the third most.
Las Vegas' offense may not be on the same level as that of Buffalo, but the Raiders should have more than enough to consistently take advantage of a Titans defense that has been hit by injuries and reward fantasy players willing to give Carr a shot.
Running Back: Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Commanders
The Eagles' offense is built around quarterback Jalen Hurts, with his ability to thrive running the ball a critical component of their early success this year.
But Sanders' 20 touches in the win over the Minnesota Vikings illustrated that he too is a key part of the attack.
Through two weeks, he is averaging 88 yards per game on the ground and this week gets to face a Commanders defense allowing 7.48 yards per rush, the highest average in the NFL.
Sanders should, therefore, be a high-floor fantasy play at running back this week, though Hurts' involvement in the ground game somewhat limits his ceiling.
Wide Receiver: Allen Robinson, Los Angeles Rams @ Arizona Cardinals
The highly anticipated return to form for Robinson following his move to Los Angeles has yet to come to fruition, though he did find the endzone last week against the Atlanta Falcons.
In Week 3, he has a clear opportunity to build on that showing against a Cardinals team whose failures should not be masked by their incredible comeback win over the Raiders.
The Cardinals have allowed 7.65 yards per pass play in the first two games and seven passing touchdowns, the most in the NFL.
In other words, the Rams should have little problem moving the ball on Arizona, putting Robinson in position to have a big day as a mismatch in the red zone.
Tight End: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers @ Denver Broncos
The Niners should get Kittle back from a groin injury this week, and the fact the Jimmy Garoppolo has had to step in for the injured Trey Lance is unlikely to have any negative impact on his production.
Kittle's chemistry with Garoppolo is well-established and, though theoretically he has a tough matchup against a stingy Broncos defense, there is room for optimism he will immediately hit the ground running in his season debut.
That optimism stems from the Broncos' performance against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, when Denver allowed eight catches for 102 yards and a touchdown to tight ends, an average of 12.75 yards per reception.
If Kittle is allowed to do similar damage, then arguably the best yards after catch threat at his position could make it a long night for Denver and a great one for fantasy players with him on their roster.
Defense/Special Teams: Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints
OK. Listing the 0-2 Panthers here might elicit a double take, but there's logic behind this pick, believe it or not.
The Panthers may be heading to a complete teardown come the end of the year, but the defense is not the reason behind their struggles.
They have given up just 4.31 yards per play, the fourth-best average in the NFL, and just three offensive touchdowns.
Yes, the Saints are the better team, but they are also starting a quarterback in Jameis Winston who has four fractures in his back.
A low-scoring struggle is the most likely outcome in this NFC South matchup and, for that reason, the Panthers are a defense worthy of streaming for fantasy players in a bind at that spot.
The top two seeds were eliminated in the second round of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo as Paula Badosa and Caroline Garcia both crashed out on Wednesday.
Badosa was defeated in just 78 minutes by Zheng Qinwen, with the number one seed going down 6-3 6-2.
It was 19-year-old Zheng's first completed win against a top 10 opponent in her career, and she said afterwards: "Even though the score was like this, there were a lot of emotions for me in this match and I'm very proud of myself. It's not a surprise. I always knew I had the level, I just had to make it."
Second seed Garcia hit 27 aces in her match against Zhang Shuai, the most in a single WTA-level contest since Kristyna Pliskova against Monica Puig in Luxembourg 2019 (28), but it was not enough as she lost two tie-breaks to lose 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5).
Number three seed Garbine Muguruza had more success as she beat Greek opponent Despina Papamichail 6-4 6-2, while Claire Liu also eased to a win against Elise Mertens 6-4 6-1, and will play Zheng in the quarter-finals.
Eighth seed Elena Rybakina suffered a first-round exit as she lost to Liudmila Samsonova 6-2 6-4, who will play Xinyu next.
The seeds fared better over at the Korea Open, with Emma Raducanu sealing a first-round win against Moyuka Uchijima 6-2 6-4, while Magda Linette also eased past Arianne Hartono, 6-2 7-5, though fifth-seed Varvara Gracheva was knocked out by Anna Blinkova 6-4 7-6 (7-1).
In the second round, third seed Ekaterina Alexandrova is through after beating Han Na-lae 6-1 6-3, as is Lin Zhu of China following her straightforward 6-1 6-3 victory against India's Ankita Raina.
There were also wins for Tatjana Maria against Kimberly Birrell, and 17-year-old Andorran Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva against eighth seed Rebecca Marino.
Ahead of his retirement from tennis, Roger Federer has said he "totally overachieved" in the game.
The 20-time grand slam champion announced last week he will bring an end to a highly decorated career after the upcoming Laver Cup.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Federer admitted his disappointment in being forced to retire through injury, but reflected on one of the most impressive careers the sport has ever seen.
"The last three years have been tough to say the least," he said. "I knew I was on very thin ice for the last year ever since I played Wimbledon.
"I tried to come back but there was a limit to what I could do. And I stopped believing in it, to be honest."
After a scan earlier in the year that Federer said was "not what I was hoping for", he added: "Very quickly we realised this was it.
"Then the question becomes 'How do you announce and when do you announce?' This is when it becomes reality. It was OK but stressful."
The 41-year-old had been spending the last few weeks preparing his retirement statement, and said that part of the process almost felt like "rehab".
"It's been an emotional few weeks to go through those words to try to get them right, that they reflect how I'm feeling and thanking all the people who have helped along the way," he said.
"I always pushed my retirement thoughts away. I said, the more I think about it, the more I'm already halfway retired and this is not the way to go to work, you know, for me as a tennis player, so we'll deal with it when it comes. And it did. And I dealt with it.
"I think writing those words was, for me parts, partially also like rehab, like going myself through all those words, feeling them."
Federer has spent 750 weeks in the top 10 of the men's singles rankings, the highest tally for a male player since they were first published in 1973.
The Swiss maestro has also won more men's singles main draw matches in grand slam tournaments than any other player in the Open Era (369).
"I don't think anybody grows up and thinks they're gonna win this much," he added. "You know, you're happy with winning a Wimbledon title, which is already crazy, or becoming number one, being the best.
"But then you don't think how many weeks, this is only the media and the fans talking about breaking records.
"Before it was just, I hope to be on tour one day. Just to make it into the top 100 is a huge deal. Coming from a small country, we don't have a base of so many players.
"I totally overachieved in my mind. It's been an absolute dream that I've had for so long. And I know that, and that's why I'm totally happy to step away as well."
Federer also praised the "incredible storytelling" in the game, and reminisced about the period of dominance after his emergence was followed by Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray through the 2000s.
"When I came up, we didn't expect it either," he said. "We were more on a bit of a downslope after [Pete] Sampras retired. What's gonna come next, right? Well, here I came, and then came Rafa. And then there was Novak, and then Andy, all together.
"All of a sudden, there was this beautiful mix, we're all winning for 10 plus years, all the same tournaments, almost nobody else could win anything else. It was like a lock on the big tournaments.
"So I think, also for the fans, it's been a joy to watch, and I'm sure some fans will be sad I'm leaving, of course, but then again, there will always be wonderful new people.
"I think our tour allows for incredible storytelling so that's why I know that the game is very safe, and I'm sure it will see incredible new superstars."
Raul Rosas Jr., the UFC's new youngest fighter, has outlined his aim to become a champion by the time he is 20.
The Mexican bantamweight fighter is only 17 but defeated Mando Gutierrez by unanimous decision on Dana White's Contender Series on Tuesday.
Rosas was offered a deal by White before the end of the show to make him the youngest contracted fighter in the UFC's history.
And speaking afterwards, Rosas revealed his intention to secure a belt as soon as possible.
"I'm the new king in here, so I'm coming for that belt now," he said. "Respect to everybody, but I'm going to be champion when I'm 20, or even earlier. Nobody is going to stop me."
The youngest UFC champion to date is legendary light-heavyweight fighter Jon Jones, who captured his belt in 2011, aged 23, when he defeated Brazilian Mauricio Rua by technical knockout.
Rosas could also become the youngest person to fight in the UFC should he compete in the next 216 days, taking that record from Dan Lauzon (18 years, 198 days).
It seems the teenager has no plays to slow any time soon, adding: "I'm ready to fight every week, every month – all gas, no breaks.
"I'll rest when I'm retired, when I'm old, but right now we are just getting started."
Rosas is unbeaten in his six professional fights so far, with his debut bout only taking place in November last year. His bout on Tuesday was his first to go the distance, with all previous bouts finishing via submission or TKO.
White, the UFC president, was certainly enthused by what he saw.
"I've never seen anything like it," he said. "He's absolutely, positively talented. He's special, he's different."
Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Bobby Hart has been suspended for one game after hitting a Tennessee Titans coach.
The NFL confirmed the ban for an action at the end of the Bills' 41-7 victory over the Titans on Monday.
Hart was deemed to have taken a swing at an opposing player and missed, making contact with a coach instead, although the NFL did not identify either Titan.
In a letter to Hart, NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote: "As both teams were heading to the tunnel, you walked directly across the field to seek out your opponent.
"You approached him near the end zone and a coach had to hold you back as others shook hands.
"Once you and your opponent were in the end zone near the tunnel, you confronted him and immediately swung at him with a closed fist, striking the head of a Tennessee coach.
"Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional."
ESPN reported Hart, who played three games for Tennessee last year before joining the Bills, would appeal against the suspension.
Having played in a quarter of Buffalo's offensive snaps during Monday's game, Hart is eligible to return to their active roster following Week 3, in which the Bills play the Miami Dolphins.
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