Roger Federer has announced his retirement from tennis, declaring next week's Laver Cup in London will be his farewell tournament.
The Swiss great, who has won 20 grand slams, becomes the first of the 'Big Three' on the men's tour to call it a day, with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic still active.
Federer said he was making a "bittersweet decision", having battled knee injuries in the hope of returning to the tour.
Now 41 years old, Federer wrote in a statement on social media on Thursday: "As many of you know, the past three years have presented me with challenges in the form of injuries and surgeries.
"I've worked hard to return to full competitive form. But I also know my body's capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear.
"I have played more than 1,500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognise when it is time to end my competitive career.
"The Laver Cup next week in London will be my final ATP event. I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but just not in grand slams or on the tour."
The Swiss great, who won eight men's singles Wimbledon titles, said he would "miss everything the tour has given me".
He returned to Wimbledon this year for a parade of champions, and said at the time he hoped to play there again, but in a competitive sense that will not happen.
Federer said there was "so much to celebrate", adding: "I consider myself one of the most fortunate people on Earth. I was given a special talent to play tennis, and I did it at a level that I never imagined, for much longer than I ever thought possible."
A player whose skills could take the breath away, Federer might trail Nadal by two and Djokovic by one on the all-time list of men's grand slam winners, but to many he will be remembered as the greatest of the trio.
Federer was a virtuoso with racket in hand, going past the previous record of men's grand slam singles wins held by Pete Sampras when landing his 15th major after an epic victory over Andy Roddick in the 2009 Wimbledon final.
He thanked his family and his support team in his announcement on Thursday, and hailed the fans who have always had his back.
Last year, Federer won the ATP's Fans' Favourite award for a 19th successive season.
He said: "You will never know how much strength and belief you have given me. The inspiring feeling of walking into full stadiums and arenas has been one of the huge thrills in my life. Without you, those successes would have felt lonely, rather than filled with joy and energy."
Federer has a financial stake in the Laver Cup, and earmarked it earlier this year as one of two comeback events, along with his home Swiss Indoors event in Basel next month.
However, now the hopes of playing that Basel event look to have been dashed.
His retirement decision comes in the wake of Serena Williams announcing last month she would be "evolving away from tennis".
Although she has tenuously left the door open for a change of heart, Williams' announcement was also effectively one of retirement too, and she was given a rousing send-off at the US Open.
Federer, whose career ran in close tandem with that of Williams, described his own career as "an incredible adventure".
"While it sometimes feels like it went by in 24 hours, it has also been so deep and so magical that it seems as if I've already lived a full lifetime," he added.
"I have had the immense fortune to play in front of you in over 40 different countries. I have laughed and cried, felt joy and pain, and most of all I have felt incredibly alive."
He recalled being "a ball kid" in Basel in his youth, and seeing players of a past generation at close quarters.
"They were like giants to me and I began to dream," Federer wrote. "My dreams led me to work harder and I started to believe in myself."
Federer had a reputation early in his career as a racket-smasher, and it was not clear that he had the temperament to maximise his talent.
That soon emerged, though, and Federer explained: "Some success brought me confidence and I was on my way to the most amazing journey that led to this day.
"So, I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart, to everyone around the world who has helped make the dream of a young Swiss ball kid come true."
He added: "Finally, to the game of tennis, I love you and will never leave you."
With a security detail to rival that of a president, Roger Federer strode along St Mary's Walk and into Court 14, crowds on the concourses urged to clear a path for a man rarely seen in such parts of the All England Club.
This was the king among his people, out in the boondocks by his standards. With a mighty swish of his racket, he might just be able to launch a tennis ball onto Centre Court's roof from down here.
It was day two of the 2015 Wimbledon championships, a warm Tuesday morning, and Federer needed a warm-up before his opening match against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, a player that later in the day he would trounce for the loss of just seven games. That would of course be a Centre Court assignment. Invariably all of Federer's matches get centre stage.
The tiny Court 14 seats a couple of hundred spectators, maybe a handful more at a push, and whispers had spread to mean many were occupied for what was an unadvertised practice session, a Federer guerrilla gig. The media had been given a little advance notice, and a glimpse of Federer at close quarters is hard to turn down.
There was a hefty hint Federer would be arriving when Stefan Edberg - his coach and childhood idol - showed up several minutes ahead of his charge and began to limber up, while Rob Walker of Wimbledon TV stood patiently with a camera crew and a stack of notes, ready to tell the story of the day Federer played where only mere mortals usually tread.
Suddenly more news crews appeared, a stream of day-trippers strolling past the inconspicuous court became more like a scrum, and out came the camera phones, ball boys and ball girls craning for a view, making sure of a close-up shot. A woman working for IBM grinned ear to ear. And in walked Federer, dressed head to toe in white Nike gear, carrying a couple of Wilson tennis rackets and a cap bearing his RF insignia.
A G4S security man practically bit off his bottom lip while attempting to keep a straight face and simultaneously enforce crowd control as Federer passed by him. Thou shalt not smile.
Applause rang out, fans with cheap-rate ground passes cooed at the sight of the then seven-time champion. Federer acknowledged the swelling crowd.
And for the next half-hour or so he and Edberg gently put in a light session, rallying from the baseline, these great champions going through the motions that on another day might have taken place out of public sight. It amounted to little more than a balm to the ego before lunch.
And this was just another day in the life of Roger Federer, who has now announced his retirement. He has probably forgotten all about it. Some will remember it for the rest of their lives.
Edberg takes on a real relevance in the story of Federer's retirement because they spoke together about how to go through the process.
Swedish great Edberg announced his own decision to quit in December 1995, a month before his 30th birthday, and the 1996 season became his farewell tour, feted everywhere he went.
But Edberg struggled with his form in that year of goodbyes and glad-handing, reaching only one final, losing to Boris Becker in the Queen's Club title match, and he ultimately regretted the hoopla that followed him around.
Speaking to The Tennis Podcast in 2020, Edberg explained how he warded Federer off following his example.
"We actually talked a little bit about it and I would not recommend it to anybody actually, even if it's a nice thing to do, because it does put too much pressure on yourself and there would be too many things going on in your mind," Edberg said.
"So if you're going to announce it, I would do it just before my last tournament or have it in my mind, but not for anybody else to know. It's very tough to handle, but at the same time it was a very memorable year, but I would not recommend it."
Federer only worked in tight tandem with Edberg for two years, but he has so much respect and admiration for the man that such advice was sure to have registered.
And now the 20-time grand slam winner is retiring. Let that sink in.
It will take some getting used to, tennis without Federer. Without his ritual beastings of young upstarts on tour, without his perfect manners, quasi-aristocratic foibles, and those multilingual, exquisitely delivered, post-match news conferences. Without Anna Wintour gazing down adoringly from the Royal Box. Without Mirka.
"I wanted to be a tennis player or a soccer player from a very young age," Federer said at Wimbledon some years ago.
Was there a Wimbledon final that tilted him the way of tennis?
"I think the Becker-Edberg final. I don't remember which year because they played a few times. I was sitting at home in the living room, watching them play, thinking hopefully one day I can be like them, you know," Federer said.
Edberg and Becker met in consecutive Wimbledon finals from 1988 to 1990, the Swede winning the first and last of those matches. Theirs was a great rivalry.
"That's I guess where idols and inspirations are good. They push you forward," Federer said. "Then along the way you joke around and say it's coming closer. When you win a practice match, you just fake like you've just won Wimbledon. All of a sudden it's really happening."
It was "really happening" for Federer by the late 1990s, as he won the boys' singles at Wimbledon in 1998, beating Georgia's Irakli Labadze, and barely 12 months later he was a top 100 player on the men's tour.
But he was a firebrand too as a teenager, something he was compelled to explain at Wimbledon in 2001, when the 19-year-old Federer became the centre of attention for the first time after defeating Pete Sampras, champion for the previous four years, in the fourth round.
Federer had been a picture of composure in that match and was asked whether he modelled his approach on ice-cool Pistol Pete.
"Not at all actually. I was throwing around my racket like you probably don't imagine," Federer said. "I was getting kicked out of practice sessions non-stop when I was 16. Now since maybe I think this year, I started just to relax a little bit more on court.
"I'm not smashing as many rackets as before. I realised that the racket throwing didn't help my game because I was always getting very negative."
When Federer got his hands on a grand slam trophy for the first time, it was Wimbledon in 2003 and he was lobbed a prescient question by a reporter who asked whether he might one day emulate seven-time champion Sampras at Wimbledon.
"This is one of his seven, you know. I'm so far away," he said. "I'm just happy to be on the board. If I look at all the players who have won here, a lot have been idols to me. Just to be on the board with (Bjorn) Borg and these people, it's just nice to be a part of history at Wimbledon."
Nevertheless, that was the first of five consecutive Wimbledon triumphs for Federer, matching a Borg record. Around such feats are legends created; because of the vicarious pleasure he provided to so many, crowds will forever flock around Federer, whether on Centre Court, Court 14 or his local food court.
As Federer's slam stack grew, and he nudged nearer Sampras' hauls of seven Wimbledon titles and 14 majors, the American great made his Swiss successor a promise: he would be there when those records began to fall.
When Federer fended off Andy Roddick 16-14 in the fifth set of the 2009 Wimbledon final to go to 15 slams, Sampras indeed was there, albeit he arrived late.
"It was a bit special," Federer said. "When he walked in and I saw him for the first time, I did get more nervous actually. I said hello to him, too, which is unusual. But I thought, I don't want to be rude."
And in 2017, nudging 36, Federer triumphed at Wimbledon for an eighth and final time, beating an injury hampered Marin Cilic.
"Winning eight is not something you can ever aim for, in my opinion," he said afterwards. "If you do, you must have so much talent and parents and the coaches that push you from the age of three on, who think you're like a project," he said. "I was not that kid. I was just really a normal guy growing up in Basel, hoping to make a career on the tennis tour."
At the beginning of 2018, he added a sixth Australian Open title to reach 20 slam crowns, a figure beyond the wildest dream of anyone in men's tennis before the Big Three showed up.
The argument rages on about who has been the greatest men's tennis star of all-time, and whether it should be Federer, Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal from this era who is the prime contender for such a nebulous crown.
Federer has a losing head-to-head against both his younger rivals, there is no escaping that fact. He trails Nadal 24-16 and Djokovic 27-23. Both have been whittling away at his records, taking their fair share. Yet Federer still has the most Open Era match wins among men at Wimbledon (105) and the Australian Open (102), the most wins in slams overall by a man (369), and the most grass-court singles titles in ATP tour history (19).
He won 103 tournaments, second only to Jimmy Connors (109). He underwent knee surgery twice in 2020 and returned to seek more silverware, because he believed he could still win, even as his 40th birthday approached.
Federer is the man who recalibrated the levels that players can reach in men's tennis, the game-changing figurehead that Nadal and Djokovic have been chasing from the outset of their own magnificent careers.
Without Federer to aim for, perhaps Nadal and Djokovic would not have scaled such great heights.
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps...
What is certain is that the Federer era is ending. And that's the thing about eras, they always end. Sometimes, you've just got to be grateful to have lived through them. Roger that?
Roger Federer has announced his retirement from tennis, declaring next week's Laver Cup in London will be his farewell tournament.
The Swiss great, who has won 20 grand slams, becomes the first of the 'Big Three' on the men's tour to call it a day, with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic still active.
Federer said he was making a "bittersweet decision", having battled knee injuries in the hope of returning to the tour.
Now 41 years old, Federer wrote in a statement on social media on Thursday: "As many of you know, the past three years have presented me with challenges in the form of injuries and surgeries.
"I've worked hard to return to full competitive form. But I also know my body's capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear.
"I have played more than 1,500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognise when it is time to end my competitive career.
"The Laver Cup next week in London will be my final ATP event. I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but just not in grand slams or on the tour."
Simona Halep has announced her season is over after undergoing nose surgery to address problems with her breathing.
Working with Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou, Halep enjoyed a promising 2022 following an injury-hit 2021 campaign, reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon and moving up to ninth in the WTA rankings.
However, the two-time major champion has struggled since winning the Canadian Open last month, losing in the first round at the US Open.
Prior to her success in Canada, Halep was forced to retire in the second round of the Citi Open after enduring breathing difficulties, and the ongoing problem prompted surgery this week, with Halep disclosing she also elected for cosmetic changes to the nose.
The former world number one will miss the final events on the WTA Tour this year, but she explained the procedure was necessary.
She wrote on Twitter: "As you all know already because I've talked about it many times, in February, I was very close to stopping tennis because I didn't believe I have enough power to come back to top 10. I was going through many anxious moments and I thought it is time to stop cause it is emotionally unhealthy.
"Then I was lucky to discover Patrick's academy where I felt so much passion that it gave me back my passion for tennis. Thanks to Patrick, I slowly started to believe that I still can play a good level of tennis.
"My goal was very clear: I gave myself one year to get back to top 10. And faster than I ever expected, in only two months, I was back to top 10. Goal achieved!
"But then, when I lost at the US Open, I realised that I'm completely exhausted mentally. Having problems with the breathing for many years already and becoming worse with the time, I decided to follow the advice of my doctors and do the needed surgery.
"I could never do it earlier because I never found the necessary three months for the recovery, because tennis was always the first priority in my life. But I felt it's the right time to do it and also to do something for myself as a person.
"That is why I did also the aesthetic part, that I wanted to do for a long time as I did not like my nose at all. So I did it, I solved the functional part and the aesthetic part.
"I don't know how long the recovery will take, for the moment I am not thinking about anything but recovery. What is sure, is that this year I won't be able to compete in any official tournament anymore.
"My 2022 season is over. 2022, you have been an interesting year full of everything! See you on court, 2023! I feel I still have a lot to do on a tennis court and still have some goals."
New Zealand squandered an 18-point lead before recovering to snatch a dramatic 39-37 victory over Australia as they moved a step closer to winning the Rugby Championship.
The All Blacks led 31-13 in a Bledisloe Cup classic at a packed Marvel Stadium with an hour played, yet they trailed 37-34 with normal time up in Melbourne.
However, Beauden Barrett capped a truly remarkable contest by touching down in the corner with nearly 81 minutes on the clock to break Australian hearts, after a controversial decision that saw the hosts penalised for time-wasting and the visitors handed a scrum in front of the posts.
New Zealand have now won 17 of their past 21 Tests against Australia, including four in a row, and are five points ahead of Argentina and South Africa, who meet on Saturday.
Donovan Mitchell has admitted he "came close" to heading to the New York Knicks, before eventually being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The former Utah Jazz guard and three-time All-Star was part of arguably the biggest trade of the offseason, with the Jazz receiving three unprotected first-round picks.
They include two future first-round pick swaps in guard Collin Sexton and stretch forward Lauri Markkanen, as well as Ochai Agbaji, the 14th selection from this year's NBA Draft.
Mitchell had been one of the most desirable names on the market after it became clear the Jazz were entering a rebuild following their trade of three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Despite being "excited" to be in Cleveland, Mitchell – who is from New York – told ESPN he was close to signing for the Knicks.
"Very close, I won't say more than that, I know a little bit more than most, but definitely very close," he said. "I was truly excited when I got traded [to the Cavaliers], but we were, it was, it was close [to the Knicks]."
He also disputed comments from Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, who claimed earlier in the week that Utah's players last season "didn't really believe in each other".
"I don't think we didn't believe [in each other]," Mitchell riposted. "I said at the end of the season, 'don't trade [Gobert]. Let's figure this out, let's do.' And that didn't happen.
"For [Ainge] to say that after six months around the team, I disagree. But you know, at the end of the day, that's his decision."
The 25-year-old spent five seasons in Utah, averaging 23.9 points per game, as well as 4.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
LeBron James and Chris Paul believe Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver deserves a stronger punishment after an investigation found he engaged in racist and sexist conduct at the workplace.
The NBA announced on Tuesday that Sarver, who also owns the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, has been suspended for one year and fined $10million following a 10-month independent investigation.
A scathing 43-page report found Sarver was known to make a number of inappropriate comments to women in the workplace – including discussing oral sex at a business meeting as recently as 2021 – as well as repeating the n-word on five occasions in situations where he claimed he was "recounting the statements of others".
Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling received a lifetime ban from the league in 2014 over alleged racist comments he made over the phone to an ex-girlfriend, whereas Sarver will be allowed to resume duties in 12 months' time.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver defended that decision on Wednesday, claiming the Sarver and Sterling cases cannot be compared, which led to criticism from high-profile stars James and Paul on social media.
In a series of Twitter posts, Los Angeles Lakers star James said: "Read through the Sarver stories a few times now. I gotta be honest…Our league definitely got this wrong. I don’t need to explain why.
"Y'all read the stories and decide for yourself. I said it before and I'm gonna say it again, there is no place in this league for that kind of behaviour. I love this league and I deeply respect our leadership. But this isn’t right.
"There is no place for misogyny, sexism, and racism in any work place. Don't matter if you own the team or play for the team. We hold our league up as an example of our values and this ain't it."
Twelve-time All-Star Paul, who has played for the Suns since 2020, also questioned the severity of the punishment.
"Like many others, I reviewed the report. I was and am horrified and disappointed by what I read," he wrote on Twitter. "This conduct especially towards women is unacceptable and must never be repeated.
"I am of the view that the sanctions fell short in truly addressing what we can all agree was atrocious behaviour. My heart goes out to all of the people that were affected."
The NBA will donate Sarver's $10m fine to organisations that are committed to addressing race and gender-based issues in and outside the workplace.
In a statement released after the report was published, Sarver said: "While I disagree with some of the particulars of the NBA's report, I would like to apologise for my words and actions that offended our employees.
"I take full responsibility for what I have done. I am sorry for causing this pain, and these errors in judgement are not consistent with my personal philosophy or my values."
Greg Norman has hit out at the PGA Tour, saying it is "trying to destroy" the LIV Golf invitational series.
Norman, the chief executive of LIV Golf, has defended the new series on multiple occasions, with plenty of criticism from figures in the sport including Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.
Speaking to The Australian newspaper, Norman said LIV Golf is not trying to destroy other tours, insisting it is actually the other way round.
"This notion we're trying to destroy tours is not true," Norman said. "The PGA Tour is trying to destroy us, it's as simple as that. The PGA Tour has not sat down and had a conversation with myself or any of my investors.
"We tried awfully hard, I know I did personally for the past year. When we knew we were never going to hear from them, we just decided to go.
"We have no interest in sitting down with them, to be honest with you, because our product is working."
The latest LIV Golf event begins in Chicago on Friday, following the last one earlier this month in Boston, which was won by Dustin Johnson.
Some opponents of LIV Golf have expressed concern about Saudi Arabian investment in the series, due to that country's human rights record. Critics have made claims of 'sportswashing', which organisers have rejected.
There were several protestors in attendance in Boston, but Norman said he does not focus on the series' detractors.
"I don't even pay attention to that, to be honest with you," he added. "All I can tell you is I'm here for the game of golf. I focus on building the best league we can."
Aaron Rodgers believes a little tough love will help Packers rookie wide receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs make "the jump" into fully-fledged NFL performers.
The Green Bay quarterback saw Watson's early drop of a would-be touchdown prove costly against the Minnesota Vikings as the Packers began with a 23-7 loss on Sunday.
That Week 1 blow could prove a bellwether of the Packers' season, following the trade of All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Rodgers appeared frustrated when second-round pick Watson beat veteran Patrick Peterson but let a perfectly placed deep ball slip through his fingers, scuppering the prospect of bringing the Packers back to level terms at 7-7 early in the game.
Speaking after the game, Rodgers said that Watson knew there would be "growing pains" as he looks to become established at the top level.
With time to think since the game, Rodgers said on Wednesday the Packers have "got to be patient",
"The most important thing we're going to be harping on is the preparation and the fundamentals and the little things," he said.
"The jump happens when you don't become a robot anymore. You understand the 'why' and the 'what' – why are we doing what we're doing and what are we trying to accomplish? And it takes a while for anybody."
Rodgers does not believe there should be too much leeway, though, and says any player should be given it straight, in an appropriate way, if they fail to come up with the goods.
"There's going to be mistakes. So, hold them accountable and prepare and communicate as well as we can, but it's not throwing to older guys out there," Rodgers said.
"It's young guys who are very talented, who are going to make some great plays by not actually knowing what they're doing sometimes, and there's going to be times when they don't make the right reaction and just having patience with that because, I think, by the end of the year, they'll have it figured out."
That bodes well for the future, if Rodgers' vision plays out, and Packers coach Matt LaFleur is trusting his QB to nurture the relationship with 23-year-old Watson and 22-year-old Doubs.
The Packers tackle the Chicago Bears in Week 2.
LaFleur said Rodgers would likely want to try again with some of the plays he attempted on Sunday.
"That happens every game, right?" said the Packers coach. "But I think he's done a great job of demanding the urgency from those young guys, yet putting an arm around them as well at the same time."
The New York Yankees took advantage of an outrageous three-run error to defeat the Boston Red Sox 5-3 on the road on Wednesday.
With the game scoreless entering the fifth inning, a fielding error allowed Aaron Hicks to reach base safely for the Yankees, and after Aaron Judge got on base as the next batter with an infield single, the Red Sox committed a costly mistake.
Gleyber Torres hit a regulation single to right-field, and while Hicks came around to score, Red Sox catcher Connor Wong tried to pick Torres off at first base, but instead sent his wild throw wide and back into the outfield, allowing Torres and Judge to both round the bases and score.
Instead of a 1-0 game, it was a 3-0 score, with those two runs proving to be the difference.
Wong would do his best to make up for the error later in the fifth inning, driving in a run with his double, but the poor fielding continued throughout the night.
The Red Sox were gifted a run in the eighth inning to cut the margin to 4-2, before another error in the ninth inning handed the Yankees an insurance run, with Clay Holmes coming in to collect the save.
Torres finished three-for-five at the plate, and he was the only player to register more than one hit.
On the mound, Nestor Cortes was credited with his 10th win of the season as he went five innings, allowing one run from three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts.
Brayan Bello took the loss for the Red Sox, despite having no earned runs in his five innings, striking out six batters in five innings.
With the win, the Yankees are now six games clear of the Toronto Blue Jays in the race for the AL East, and six games behind the Houston Astros for the best record in the American League.
J-Rod makes more history in Mariners win
Seattle Mariners standout rookie Julio Rodriguez became the first player to ever reach 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases in their first season, nabbing his 25th base and 26th home run in his side's 6-1 win against the San Diego Padres.
The heavy Rookie of the Year favourite hit a home run as the very first Mariners batter of the game, and after being hit by a pitch in the fifth inning, he stole second base to accomplish the feat. Mike Trout in 2012 and Chris Young in 2007 both technically reached 25 and 25 as rookies, but it was their second season after both debuted at the tail end of the previous campaigns.
It was another tremendous start for the Mariners' big addition at the trade deadline, with Luis Castillo pitching six scoreless innings, striking out nine batters while only allowing five baserunners.
Guerrero, Harper bring up milestones
Both Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr and reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies brought up home run milestones on Wednesday.
Guerrero became the 10th-youngest player to reach 100 home runs after turning 23 in March. He reached triple figures in 486 games, which is 48 games more than it took his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr, although Senior was two years older.
Meanwhile, Harper hit his 100th home run as a member of the Phillies after arriving in 2019, bringing his career total to 283.
The Phillies beat the Miami Marlins 6-1, and the Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1.
St Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina made their 325th career start together on Wednesday to establish a record for the most by a battery in MLB history.
Fans at Busch Stadium waved towels with the number 325 as Wainwright opened the game with a first-pitch strike to the Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich.
The previous record was held by Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich and catcher Bill Freehan between 1963-75.
Wainwright and Molina made their first start together on April 6, 2007, with Wainwright throwing seven innings of one-run ball in a 4-2 victory over the Houston Astros.
''A lot has taken place in that time span and that's why I think this record is pretty darn cool,'' St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said before the game. ''I don't see anyone coming close to ever reaching it again.''
The closest active pitcher-catcher pair is not even a third of the way to Wainwright and Molina’s mark as the Chicago Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks and Willson Contreras have made 105 starts together.
Wainwright and Molina are unlikely to add too many more starts to their record as the 40-year-old Molina is planning to retire at the end of the season.
The 41-year-old Wainwright has yet to decide on if he’ll pitch in 2023.
Thursday night’s marquee matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs features two potent offenses, but one team will be decidedly short-handed with decorated Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen ruled out due to a hamstring injury.
Allen was forced to leave the Chargers’ Week 1 24-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half after he had four receptions for 66 yards. Allen said he felt a slight pull, and the hamstring tightened after he planted his foot to the turf during the second quarter.
Coach Brandon Staley on Tuesday said Allen's injury ''is going to take some time''.
Without Allen, fellow receivers Mike Williams and Joshua Palmer figure to assume enlarged roles, with DeAndre Carter also likely to see increased playing time. Both Palmer and Carter had three catches against the Raiders.
Allen has been mostly durable during his 10-year career and has appeared in 16 games in four of the previous five seasons. The only significant time he missed was after he tore his ACL in the opening week of the 2016 season.
The 30-year-old Allen has caught at least 95 passes each of the past five years, tied for the second-longest streak in NFL history. He leads the league in catches over the past five seasons, where he has posted at least 1000 receiving yards in each and is a five-time Pro Bowl selection.
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina advanced to the third round of the Slovenia Open after a convincing 6-4 6-1 victory against Tereza Martincova on Wednesday.
Rybakina, who in July became Kazakhstan's first ever grand slam champion, was too strong for her Czech opponent, creating 14 break point opportunities in the match while only facing two herself.
Her first serve accuracy was not great at 52 per cent, but she was devastating when she landed it fair, converting 21-of-24 chances.
Rybakina will face Lesia Tsurenko in the next round after the Ukrainian upset fifth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5 7-6 (7-5).
Second seed Beatriz Haddad Maia also had no issue navigating the challenge of Cristina Bucsa 6-1 6-4, and she will meet Ana Bogdan in the third round after the Romanian defeated Tamara Zidansek 6-1 6-7 (7-5) 6-1.
Meanwhile, in India at the Chennai Open, popular Canadian Eugenie Bouchard collected consecutive wins for the first time March 2021 following a lengthy recovery from shoulder surgery.
The 28-year-old defeated Karman Kaur Thandi 6-2 7-6 (7-2) as she looks to climb back up the rankings, currently sitting 902nd in the world after peaking at number five back in 2014.
Earlier in the day, sixth seed Qiang Wang was upset by Japanese qualifier Nao Hibino 6-2 6-3, while fifth seed Rebecca Peterson was also eliminated, going down 6-4 6-2 to Linda Fruhvirtova.
Wrapping up the day's action, Canada's Rebecca Marino booked a potential showdown with third seed Magda Linette after beating Poland's Katarzyna Kawa 7-5 6-3.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has defended his decision to not impose a lifetime ban on Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver following the outcome of an independent investigation into his tenure with the franchise.
The scathing 43-page report found Sarver was known to make a number of inappropriate comments to women in the workplace – including discussing oral sex at a business meeting as recently as 2021 – as well as repeating the n-word on five occasions in situations he claimed he was "recounting the statements of others".
There is precedent for forcing an owner to sell his team, with former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling receiving a lifetime ban from the league in 2014 – barring him from owning a team, entering the Clippers facility, and ever attending an NBA game.
Instead, Sarver was issued with a $10million fine and one-year suspension, in a ruling that caused superstar LeBron James to come out and tweet "our league definitely got this wrong".
But when addressing the media following Wednesday's meeting with the Board of Governors, Silver said they were very different situations, and that Sarver's comments were "wholly of a different kind than we saw in the [Sterling] case".
That outlook comes from the authors of the investigative report concluding that Sarver's behaviour was not the result of "racial or gender-based animus", giving him the benefit of the doubt with what they describe as his "sophomoric" sense of humour and desire to provoke.
"I think all of us would want to be judged by the totality of all we’ve done, good and bad," Silver said.
"His track record of hiring, his track record of support for particular employees. There were many, many people who had very positive things to say about him. I took all of that into account."
Silver repeatedly defended the 60-year-old real estate developer, saying he had taken "complete accountability and seemed fully remorseful" during a recent conversation, and asserting that he had done "many very positive things" during his time as owner of the Suns.
When asked why Sarver should be allowed to retain ownership of the team when any other employee would surely be fired, Silver highlighted the difficult process of actually removing an owner, and implied that the hit to Sarver's reputation is a punishment in itself.
"There are particular rights here for people who own an NBA team," he said.
"There’s no neat answer here. Owning property, the rights that come with owning a team, how that’s set up within our constitution… is different than holding a job. It just is, when you own a team. It’s just a very different proposition.
"The consequences are severe here for Mr. Sarver, reputationally. It’s hard to even make those comparisons to somebody who commits an inappropriate act in the workplace in an anonymous fashion, compared to what is a huge public issue.
"In terms of future behaviour, he’s on notice. He knows that."
In a statement on Tuesday, Sarver said he disagrees "with some of the particulars of the NBA's report".
Week 1 didn't go to plan for a host of NFL teams expected to contend to go deep into the postseason.
As a result, fantasy owners who picked players from those apparent contenders may have seen their line-ups fail to deliver the points needed for victory.
But in many cases, Week 1 is not indicative of how a team's season will pan out, with the opener often seen almost as an extension of the preseason.
There is plenty of time for teams to get back on track, especially following the advent of the 17-game season, and the four players and a defense selected as this week's fantasy picks all come from teams who will be looking to bounce back from defeat in Week 1 on Sunday.
Quarterback: Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams vs. Atlanta Falcons
Is it time to worry about Stafford after his and the Rams' opening night shocker against the Buffalo Bills?
Probably not, but it may well be if those struggles are repeated against the Falcons.
The Falcons allowed the ninth-most yards per play in the NFL last season and conceded 16 fourth-quarter points in their collapse versus the New Orleans Saints last week.
Stafford should have no problems exploiting their defense and rebounding in style with a performance to delight fantasy owners.
Running Back: Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals @ Dallas Cowboys
Mixon struggled to get going against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Bengals' remarkable overtime loss last week. He should not have the same difficulty against the Cowboys, who were gashed for six yards a carry by Leonard Fournette of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1.
With Mixon also making seven catches and winning his matchup with a defender on six of his nine targets against Pittsburgh, according to Stats Perform data, he should also be in line for plenty of touches through the air as Joe Burrow and the Bengals look to frustrate a Dallas pass rush that should have plenty of success against their offensive line.
Mixon likely won't come close to the 34 touches he had last week, but he will still be heavily involved and will be expected to have much more success on the touches he does receive against a defense that showed scant resistance to the ground game in its opener.
Wide Receiver: Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks
With the 49ers' starting running back, Elijah Mitchell, going down with a knee injury in Week 1, the lion's share of the carries in the backfield are up for grabs.
Chances are they won't go to Mitchell's backups in the running back room, but to Samuel, San Francisco's 'wide back'.
The versatile wide receiver was the heartbeat of the 49er offense down the stretch in their run to the NFC Championship Game last season and had eight carries for 52 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco's surprise Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears.
With Mitchell on the sideline, Samuel should see a much larger workload against a Seahawks defense that surrendered 5.2 yards per rush on Monday against the Denver Broncos.
Through the air last season, Samuel racked up 156 yards and two touchdowns in his lone game against the Seahawks. With the prospect of additional running back work on top of his receiving targets, Samuel could be the difference for the Niners and for scores of fantasy players in Week 2.
Tight End: Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Arizona Cardinals
After giving up 121 yards and a touchdown to Travis Kelce in their blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cardinals draw another of the game's top tight ends in Week 2.
Waller was held to 79 yards receiving in the Raiders' loss to the Los Angeles Chargers but won his matchup with his defender on five of his six targets.
Look for Waller to emulate Kelce in taking advantage of a Cardinals back seven seemingly ill-prepared for the challenge of facing an elite tight end and putting a together an impressive statistical performance.
Defense/Special Teams: Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears
It may be easy to be concerned about the Packers after their opening 23-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but such worries are likely to alleviated against the Bears.
Even with Justin Jefferson exploding for 184 receiving yards and two touchdowns, the Packers' defense still produced what should have been a winning effort in Week 1.
Green Bay gave up fewer first downs than Minnesota and held the Vikings to 4-13 on third down, but the Packers' defense received little support from the offense.
That will not be the case versus Chicago. The Bears stunned the 49ers in Week 1 with 19 unanswered points, but they turned the ball over twice while Justin Fields completed just eight passes. A Packers defense that has talent at every level should have similar success forcing Chicago into negative plays and generating fantasy points in a bounce-back win for Green Bay.
Jon Rahm has denied speculation he is set to become the latest addition to the LIV Golf Invitational Series, making his position clear on social media.
The controversial Saudi-backed series is at loggerheads with the PGA Tour, snatching the services of a host of high-profile stars, including Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka.
Speculation regarding future additions persists, and Rahm's name was thrown into the mix by a social media account claiming a move for the Spaniard was "indeed a GO".
"I've never been wrong about a LIV signing," the post from a claimed "LIV Golf Insider" added. "Just look at my track record. PGA Tour is on the ropes."
But Rahm responded on his own Twitter account, swiftly quelling any concern he would be the latest big name to abandon the PGA Tour.
"I must inform you that you have started a losing streak because you and your source are wrong," he replied, adding alongside a crying laughter emoji: "I want to thank you for the lift in the PIP."
Rahm's comment referenced the PGA Tour's Player Impact Programme, which financially rewards the players who bring the most attention to the sport each year.
New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson returned to the practice field on Wednesday for the first time since undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee last month.
Wilson, who was injured in the Jets' preseason opener on August 12, did some throwing and took some dropbacks, according to ESPN. The 2021 No. 2 overall pick has yet to be cleared for team drills and isn't expected to return until the team's Week 4 game at the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 2 at the earliest.
Head coach Robert Saleh told reporters veteran Joe Flacco will make a second straight start in Wilson's place when the Jets visit the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Flacco threw for 309 yards in last week's season opener, though the Jets' offense struggled as a whole in a 24-9 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The veteran completed 37 of 59 attempts with one interception and one touchdown, a three-yard strike to tight end Tyler Conklin in the game's final minute with the outcome already decided.
Though he admitted Flacco’s performance left room for improvement, Saleh attributed the offense's ineffectiveness to several other factors beyond the quarterback’s control. Jets receivers dropped four passes on the day and there were notable protection issues as Flacco was sacked three times and took nine knockdowns.
"There was a comedy of errors that just led to what looked like a bad performance by [Flacco]," Saleh said. "Now, it wasn't his best performance, but I don't think it was as bad as people think.
"When you look back at the game, when he had a clean pocket, he was very, very efficient. Part of the clean pocket is the offensive line's responsibility to give it to him and for him to just deliver the ball where it needs to and get off of certain reads."
Flacco has now lost all six of his starts with the Jets over the past three seasons, and last week's showing had fans at MetLife Stadium calling for the former Super Bowl MVP to be replaced by backup Mike White throughout the second half.
White made three starts in place of an injured Wilson last season and won the first by throwing for 405 yards and three touchdowns against the eventual AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals. The 27-year-old had a combined 346 passing yards and four interceptions in losing the other two, however, and opened camp as the Jets' No. 3 quarterback until Wilson's latest injury.
To measure the scope of the Presidents Cup, a suggestion is to travel back in time – 28 years, to be exact – to when this international team golf tournament was introduced.
It was the brainchild of Tim Finchem, back when he was a deputy for PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beman. But when Beman handed the reigns over to Finchem early in the summer of 1994, going full throttle on the debut of Presidents Cup consumed him.
The naysayers were lined up, but Finchem was steadfast in his belief that great players from beyond the borders of the United States and Europe deserved to compete on a global stage in an international team match. Should you point to the lopsided results – the Americans are 11-1-1 and have won eight in a row – you would be an egregious point-misser.
The Presidents Cup was about bringing the game a little closer together, because global golf, Finchem insisted, was here to stay. He knew it would be a somewhat awkward fit at first, but he begged for patience and offered a vision that a lot of folk struggled with.
To wit, there would be a day when the world's best players competed in the same tournaments dozens of time per year and American golf fans would know the international stars quite well.
If he were the type to seek the limelight, Finchem could take a bow. But instead, let's take a measurement to indicate how his vision has played out beautifully.
In 1994, half the International Team needed to introduce themselves to their American counterparts at the Robert Trent Jones Club in Gainesville, Virginia. Aussie Bradley Hughes had only played in six PGA Tour tournaments that season, while Mark McNulty of Zimbabwe (five), Peter Senior of Australia (three) and Frank Nobilo of New Zealand (two) attended even fewer. As for Robert Allenby of Australia and Tsukasa Watanabe of Japan, they hadn't played at all.
In all, the 12 International Team members had combined for just 141 PGA Tour tournaments in 1994, which is not an indictment of them whatsoever. It is a reminder of the era, when global traffic was limited to the world's very elite names and, while the Presidents Cup perhaps appealed back then to those who are intrigued by players they know little about, Finchem was convinced the stature of the competition would grow as American fans became educated about the Aussies and South Africans, the South Americans and the Canadians.
"In 20 years," he told reporters back then, "we can have an event of really premier quality."
Critique Finchem's statement as much as you'd like, there is an argument to be made that he's been proven correct. Three of the past five competitions have been close (16-14 in Australia in 2019; a one-point match in South Korea in 2015; a closer-than-it-looks 18.5-15.5 decision at Muirfield Village in 2013), and then there is the familiarity aspect: whereas 28 years ago the 12-man International Team combined for just 141 PGA Tour starts, in 2021-22 the 12 members of this year's Presidents Cup team totalled 282 starts.
That is a growth of 100 per cent, and the difference can be seen up and down the line-up. Eleven of the 12 members of this year's International Team made 20-plus Tour starts this year – Tom Kim appeared in 11 events as he eventually earned his card by the end of the season – while seven of them made 25 starts or more.
Budding stars from Chile (Mito Pereira, 27 starts) and South Korea (Lee Kyoung-hoon, 28) head the list of workhorses. Lee's fellow countryman, Kim Si-woo, will join him in Charlotte for his second Presidents Cup after a team-leading 29 starts this season.
Corey Conners made his first team after a year of admirable consistency, as did fellow Canadian Taylor Pendirth (21 starts). Aussie Cam Davis (25), South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout (24), Colombian Sebastian Munoz (25) and Japanese Hideki Matsuyama (21) also help comprise the roster.
Round out the team with South Korean Im Sung-jae, who with 'only' 26 starts this season is almost slacking off, and you have an International Team that is getting more and more comfortable in the US by the week. That, in turn, is why optimism continues to be an International strong suit.
"We're still talking about 18 holes of match play, and we've got to remember anything can happen in an 18-hole match," Adam Scott told reporters at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in late July.
"Momentum plays a big deal in these things. We saw that at the last one. We kind of got up early and we nearly hung on [to win]."
Veteran that he is, Scott would tell you that even as he and his mates have become more comfortable in the US thanks to a full complement of PGA Tour tournaments, another aspect of this biennial affair continues to make matters difficult.
That is an American team that is constantly deep and consistently young.
How deep? Ten of the 12 players on the US team are ranked in the top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking, and the only two who aren't check in at numbers 22 (Max Homa) and 26 (Kevin Kisner). The team features number one Scottie Scheffler and four others in the first 10 – Patrick Cantlay, number four; Xander Schauffele, number five; Justin Thomas, number seven; and Collin Morikawa, number nine.
How young? Two are just 25 years old (Morikawa and Cameron Young) and five others are in their 20s. As for the 'old' guard, we're talking Cantlay, 30; Max Homa, 31; Tony Finau, 32; and Billy Horschel, 35.
That's deep, that's young, and that's one potent group teeing it up next week at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.
It's an indication that the Americans will likely be heavy favourites to win for a ninth straight time. Then again, being the underdog is news to the Aussies, the South Africans, the Fijians, the Kiwi, the Canadians, the South Americans, the Japanese and the Koreans.
True, they've not yet come up with an answer to this biennial puzzle, but you'd be doing them a massive disservice if you sold them short. The big picture does them justice as you look at the 2021-22 season: four of their players (Matsuyama, Im, Lee and Kim) combined for five wins on the PGA Tour this season.
True, the Americans have bigger numbers (they combined for 18 victories this season), but Finchem's vision has played out as he predicted. International players have established global stature thanks to a high level of play on the PGA Tour and that will be prominently displayed in this year's Presidents Cup.
Focus on the individuals who'll make up the two line-ups, and not the past results, and you'll likely find 15 of the world's top 20 names. As promised more than 20 years ago, the Presidents Cup has reached a level of premier quality.
Tyson Fury's long-awaited bout with Anthony Joshua is '90 per cent' finalised, according to promoter Frank Warren, who says "everybody wants it to happen".
Fury has made a series of U-turns on his decision to retire following a sixth-round stoppage of Dillian Whyte in April, and originally sought a unification fight against Oleksandr Usyk – who beat Joshua in Saudi Arabia last month.
However, the Ukrainian's reluctance to fight before the end of 2022 led Fury to offer Joshua the chance to face off for the WBC heavyweight belt.
On Tuesday, Joshua's management team 258 revealed the terms of the fight had been agreed last week, only for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II to delay confirmation.
Warren, who handles Fury's fights, says there is still work to be done on the bout – which will seemingly take place on December 3 – but does not anticipate any issues.
"The contracts are on their way," Warren told talkSPORT on Wednesday. "I'm not going into great detail about this, because we saw what happened last time around with people making statements and so forth, and it all fell apart.
"This fight won't be on until it's signed, but everybody wants it to happen.
"The basis of the deal, 90 per cent of what counts, is okay, 10 per cent we've got to sort out. There aren't any obstacles in the way, so hopefully very quickly we can get it over the line.
"When you're a promoter, you're an optimist. That's what you do. You're in the business of trying to make events happen, so we're all excited by it.
"I'm excited about it as a fight, because I always felt that Tyson has the beating of AJ, and now we're going to find out if we get this over the line."
While Fury is unbeaten in his 33 professional fights, winning 32, Joshua has suffered three defeats in his last five bouts.
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