Doctors told him walking would be a struggle. Just watch him golf.
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USA Today
2 minutes ago
- USA Today
Jannik Sinner and Emma Navarro top list of US Open mixed doubles teams
The USTA confirmed 14 of the 16 teams Tuesday for the new U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament that has been reimagined with the goal of enticing top singles players to participate. Leading the entry list, at least in star power, will be No. 1 Jannik Sinner paired with American Emma Navarro and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz playing alongside 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu. Venus Williams, who came back to the tennis tour last week at age 45, received a wild-card entry to play with her longtime friend Reilly Opelka, the 6-foot-11 serve specialist currently ranked No. 74 in the world. The USTA announced its mixed doubles overhaul in June, hoping to bring eyeballs and pizzaz to an event that had fallen off the public's radar as tennis further stratified into singles and doubles specialists. Long gone are the days when top players like Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe would regularly play at least one doubles event at the Grand Slams. But with players now preferring to focus all their energy on singles, the USTA completely overhauled the format. Not only will mixed doubles now take place during qualifying week – the week before the main draw begins – the USTA also pumped up the prize money with $1 million going to the winning team. The first three rounds of the tournament will be played in a short format with sets to four instead of the normal six, no-ad scoring and a tiebreaker in lieu of a full third set. The final will be played with sets to six and a 10-point tiebreaker if there's a third set. Making the format friendly for players as they prepared for the main draw was enough to attract most of the top-10 on both the men's and women's tour to enter initially. The USTA awarded eight direct entries into the 16-team field based on the team's combined singles ranking and reserved eight wild cards to use at the tournament's discretion. Novak Djokovic, the all-time leader with 24 men's Grand Slam singles titles, received a wild card because he chose Olga Danilovic, a 24-year old Serbian ranked No. 40, as his partner. The last two wild cards will be announced closer to the tournament. There is also a possibility at least one team will be forced to withdraw, potentially opening up more spots in the field. Teams for the US Open mixed doubles tournament No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 11 Emma Navarro No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 33 Emma Raducanu No. 3 Alexander Zverev and No. 20 Belinda Bencic No. 4 Taylor Fritz and No. 12 Elena Rybakina No. 5 Jack Draper and No. 10 Paula Badosa No. 6 Novak Djokovic and No. 40 Olga Danilovic No. 7 Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend (No. 1 in doubles) No. 9 Holger Rune and No. 7 Amanda Anisimova No. 12 Francis Tiafoe and No. 8 Madison Keys No. 13 Casper Ruud and No. 3 Iga Swiatek No. 14 Daniil Medvedev and No. 5 Mirra Andreeva No. 15 Tommy Paul and No. 4 Jessica Pegula Reilly Opelka and Venus Williams Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani (defending US Open champions)
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
Rory McIlroy Issues Clear Message on What PGA Tour Must Learn From LIV Golf
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. After years of resistance, Rory McIlroy is finally leaning into the idea that LIV Golf might have gotten a few things right. The five-time major winner, once the PGA Tour's loudest critic of the renegade league, has softened his stance in recent months. From joking around with Bryson DeChambeau on the set of "Happy Gilmore 2" to openly admitting he and others should have been "more open-minded" about the PGA-LIV merger, McIlroy is now urging the PGA Tour to take notes from LIV's playbook, especially when it comes to attracting younger fans. AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 11: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland watches his second shot on the 18th hole during the second round of the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 11,... AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 11: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland watches his second shot on the 18th hole during the second round of the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 11, 2025 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by) More Getty Images "I think tapping into a different demographic. You know, if you talk about being a golf purist and a traditionalist, and I think that's the PGA Tour appeals to that type of golf fan," McIlroy stated on the "How Leaders Lead with David Novak" podcast. "Where LIV (Golf) appeals to a completely different demographic ... the average age of a golfer in the United States is over 60 years old. So, how can you tap into this younger demographic where hopefully they're gonna hopefully gonna watch golf for, you know, the remainder of their life?" "So, being a little more forward-thinking and having a little more vision, I think it is something that LIV (Golf) has done pretty well," McIlroy commented during his interview posted on YouTube last week. McIlroy's comments come at a time when the PGA Tour is still the most-watched golf platform globally, but LIV Golf has made undeniable waves. Though LIV Golf stopped reporting its TV ratings, claiming it has made it challenging to determine its current viewership situation. But the comparisons with the PGA Tour show a significant gap. According to reports from the PGA Tour averaged 3.1 million viewers on CBS/NBC during head-to-head Sundays in May, while LIV pulled in just 175,000 on FOX/FS1/FS2. Even during LIV's best weekend, Miami in April, reports suggest the league's 484K viewers were dwarfed by the PGA Tour's 1.7 million for the Valero Texas Open. Still, McIlroy believes the disruption was a necessary wake-up call for the PGA Tour. "They've definitely been a disruptor in the game of golf, he told Novak as quoted. "Sometimes things need a shakeup and if anything, I think it was a bit of a wake-up call for the PGA Tour to maybe focus a little bit more on the future." He didn't shy away from criticizing LIV Golf's format, calling out the 54-hole structure, shotgun starts and team element, that he thinks still needs But at the same time, acknowledged that the league had to launch with an imperfect product. McIlroy's broader message was clear that the PGA Tour must evolve or risk losing relevance. "There are so many inbuilt advantages that the PGA Tour has over LIV (Golf) ... But at the end of the day, all of that stuff goes away -- the sponsorship deals and media rights -- if people aren't willing to watch and engage with the product you're putting out there." And while he reaffirmed the PGA Tour's dominance, he also highlighted the growing desire among fans to see the best players compete together again. "A lot of people that I talk to are outside of the golf world that just enjoy watch golf, would much rather all the best players be together again," the grand slam winner stated in the podcast released after his Open Championship battle in Scotland. That sentiment is echoed by new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, who took office on July. Rolapp, a former NFL executive, has already emphasized the importance of "growing the Tour" and "moving on from a position of strength". His relationship with LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil, dating back to their time at Harvard Business School, could be key in navigating future unification talks. As McIlroy put it, "We just need to see the bigger picture and try to do what's best for the game of golf." And with both sides inching toward common ground, that picture might finally be coming into focus. More Golf: PGA Tour pro goes unrecognized in 'undercover' club fitting video
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sean Payton: Dre Greenlaw plays like Mike Tyson
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw made the most of the first day in pads at Broncos training camp. Greenlaw filled gaps and delivered hits throughout team drills in Denver and head coach Sean Payton said you didn't even have to be watching to know that Greenlaw was the one landing blows. Payton said "you can hear it" when Greenlaw makes a hit and then went on to compare his style to another knockout artist from a different sport. "He plays like Mike Tyson," Payton said, via the team's website. "He's tough, he's physical. He's built that way. There's not a lot of leaky yardage. Some guys [allow that]. He's a knock-back tackler. They stop where he hits them. There's an intensity to how he plays. He's one of those players that if you put the film on and didn't say anything, at some point early, you'd ask, 'Who is this guy?'" Greenlaw was limited to two games for the 49ers last year because of injuries and a quad injury interrupted his first offseason in Denver, so one key for the Broncos will be making sure Greenlaw's healthy enough to deploy that physicality on a regular basis. If he is, facing an already tough Broncos defense will be even less enjoyable for opposing offenses in 2025.
