Latest News in Sports
5 minutes ago
- Sport
Novak Djokovic has a 'good feeling' after breezing through Roland Garros opener
Novak Djokovic says he has a "good feeling" after easing through his first round match at the French Open. Fresh from winning his 100th ATP title in Geneva on Sunday, the Serbian set about his attempt to win a record 25th grand slam with a 6-3 6-3 6-3 win over American Mackenzie McDonald. The decision to go to Switzerland, after skipping the far more prestigious Italian Open, was a surprise but it seems to be paying off so far. "I think it was good move to go to Geneva, to be honest, because I was struggling a little bit with confidence levels, doubting my game a bit," said the 38-year-old. "So it was good that I got four matches under my belt, won a title. Coming into Roland Garros, it feels different than I had comparing to the feeling I had three weeks ago. "Let's see how far I can go here, but I have a good feeling for now." Djokovic spent much of the first set complaining to the umpire about the rain falling into Court Philippe-Chatrier, before eventually he got his wish for the roof to be closed. "At one point the supervisor told me, 'but they're playing everywhere on the outside courts in the same conditions'," he explained. "I said, 'yeah, but we are on the court with a roof. Why do you have the roof then? What's the point?' "In the end they closed the roof, which I think most of the stadium wanted. If I understood well in French, they were asking basically for the roof to be closed. I think it was better for everyone. For the players, for the stands, as well." Coco Gauff made it safely through to the second round despite taking to the court without any rackets. The American second seed only realised her elementary error when she opened her bag, and a ball kid had to fetch them from the locker room. "Honestly, I thought they put the rackets in the bag, and my side court bag is filled with drinks and everything," Gauff told TNT. "It felt like I had enough weight. And then I got on court, and I opened the first zipper. I was like, 'OK, no rackets.' The second zipper, I was like, 'Oh my God. I went on court with no rackets'." Once she was properly equipped, Gauff dispatched Australia's Olivia Gadecki 6-2 6-2. Men's third seed Alexander Zverev's preparation for Roland Garros was hindered by being violently ill at the Hamburg Open, and then the small matter of his plane being struck by lightning as he left for Paris. But the German put that troubled build-up behind him as he beat American teenager Learner Tien 6-3 6-3 6-4. "I didn't have the ideal preparation," said last year's runner-up. "I think throwing up three days before a tournament starts is not ideal. "Look, I'm doing my things, I'm doing my job, I'm looking at myself at the moment. Then when it's semi-finals, finals, whatever, then we look at who I play. "Right now, everybody needs to win the matches, everybody needs to beat the opponents that are in front of them. "Today was Tien. After tomorrow it's going to be someone else for me. Yeah, it's about taking care of your things first." Dutchman Jesper de Jong, who beat Britain's Jack Draper in the first round last year, awaits in round two.
Daily Mail
5 minutes ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I'm the world's smallest football coach and most of the kids are taller than me.. the hate is never-ending - here's why I love it
Despite standing at just 3ft 7in tall, Connor Sanderson insists he is just like any other PE teacher. The 21-year-old from Salisbury was born with sacral agenesis - a rare congenital condition which means he has no femurs and an abnormal pelvis. Doctors told Connor's parents he was unlikely to survive for long and would certainly never be able to walk. But the Arsenal fan refuses to let his disability define him and not only walks but plays wheelchair rugby, coaches football, and teaches PE. Connor reckons he is 'pretty much the shortest football coach in the world' - with most of the children he teaches towering far above him. He has always hoped to be an inspiration for young people and to prove 'if you've got your mindset, you can do anything'. And last year, his dream came true when a video of him coaching went viral on TikTok. The clip racked up more than 220,000 likes but also drew many hateful comments, with some viewers poking fun at Connor's height. But the Arsenal fan refuses to let his disability define him and not only walks but plays wheelchair rugby, coaches football and teaches PE However, the ambitious 21-year-old says the cruel remarks are 'English banter' and is just happy his message is reaching so many people. He told MailOnline: 'Their (viewer's) engagement is the most important thing, even if it is negative. 'I just shrug it off. There's no need to worry about it, it that just gives me more publicity.' The coach added: 'It's like English banter. There's no point being down from it, so I go along with the jokes.' But, although Connor prides himself on his sense of humor, he admits that sometimes people 'take it too far'. He said: 'When they try and sneakily video me without permission - and they're really bad at sneakily doing it - just because I'm different and small. I get frustrated.' Connor started coaching football at his school when he was 16 and has always loved the sport. But, he never thought he would be able to turn his passion into a career until his boss saw him in action and offered him a job. Connor says his condition has not affected his ability to coach - or presented any problems he can't solve. 'There's there's no barrier you cannot climb over. For example, I can't skip because I've got no knees but as long as I put my mind to it I can still coach it. 'They say online, "well, you can't coach if you've not played and if you've got no legs or no knees". 'But I can because I've got my words and if you've got words, you can teach anything.' Connor also said that although children often laugh and stare at him the first time he teaches them, they soon look past his differences and just see him as their coach. 'It takes about two, two sessions for them to understand my condition and then I'm their favorite PE teacher,' he said. 'They (students) definitely just see me as their coach. And they just let just get on with me and just I'm just I try and keep my lessons engaging,' Connor added. The football fanatic thinks he developed his unwavering determination early on in his life, after having the odds stacked against him since birth. 'When I was born, I was told I was never going to walk. 'If I was told I was never going to walk and then all of a sudden I can walk. 'That just shows that if you put your mind to anything, you just give it a go you can do it.'
Reuters
5 minutes ago
- General
- Reuters
Stars F Roope Hintz (lower body) game-time decision for Game 4
May 27 - Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz is a game-time decision for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday night in Edmonton, coach Pete DeBoer said at the morning skate. Hintz sat out the optional morning session, just as he had missed the Stars' 6-1 loss in Game 3 to the Oilers on Sunday because of a lower-body injury. Edmonton leads 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. "Of course you want to go every night, but sometimes you just can't," Hintz, 28, said on Monday. "So, yeah, I don't know how close I (was to playing). But I have played many years (and I) know when it's good and when it's not. I should be good to know that (when) it comes to that decision." Hintz was a game-time decision for Sunday but didn't play after participating in warmups. "Heal and get better, and we'll cross our fingers," DeBoer said of playing Hintz on Tuesday. "He'll try it again in warmup and we'll see." Hintz was injured at 3:46 of the third period of Game 2 on Friday when he was slashed in the left leg by Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse. Hintz was in front of the Oilers' net and shoved Nurse, who retaliated by swinging his stick at Hintz's leg. Hintz was on the ice for several minutes before he was helped off and did not return to the game. Nurse, who was assessed a two-minute penalty for slashing, talked about the incident for the first time on Tuesday. "I was just backing up," Nurse said. "I got a shot at the back, and I think it's just a natural reaction. It's probably a play that everyone in this room, whether you're a net-front guy or (defenseman), probably happens a dozen to two dozen times in a year, and unfortunately (it) must have got him in a bad spot. "You don't want to go out there and hurt anyone, but it was just one of those plays that happens every so often." Hintz has 11 points (five goals, six assists) and a plus-1 rating in 15 playoff games. He collected 67 points (28 goals, 39 assists) and a plus-18 rating in 76 regular-season games. Hintz has spent his entire NHL career with the Stars, who drafted the native of Finland in the second round in 2015, and has totaled 377 points (175 goals, 202 assists) and a plus-95 rating in 468 regular-season games over seven seasons. Hintz has recorded 68 points (26 goals, 42 assists) with a plus-4 rating in 93 postseason games. --Field Level Media
New York Times
6 minutes ago
- Business
- New York Times
Josh Allen — franchise quarterback and groom to be — makes a statement by attending Bills OTAs
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen could have skipped voluntary practices without any static this week. He has missed them before, to yuk around a golf course for 'The Match,' and everyone would have understood if Allen chose to focus on an even bigger match: his wedding to movie star Hailee Steinfeld, reportedly four days away. Advertisement We must say 'reportedly' because the Steinfeld-Allen wedding details have been confidential. A few months ago, chatty left tackle Dion Dawkins, the guy who's supposed to protect Allen at all costs, let slip that May 31 was the big day. Everybody has been sheepish since. Bills coach Sean McDermott on Tuesday danced around a question about Allen possibly demonstrating any pre-wedding jitters — answering would have confirmed the event was near. 'I'm not going to get into any of that. Good try,' McDermott replied. 'But he is as confident and calm, cool and collected as he always is.' Still, there was no denying the meaning of Allen's presence on Tuesday, to McDermott and the rest of Buffalo's organization. Allen doesn't truly need to be here right now. This is his eighth NFL offseason, with enviable coaching continuity; he's entering his third season with Joe Brady as offensive coordinator. Allen is the reigning MVP and in March signed a six-year, $330 million contract extension with $250 million in guarantees. He is Buffalo's unquestioned bellwether. There is nothing he must prove to anyone at One Bills Drive, but he was there for the voluntary workout. 'I think it says everything,' McDermott said. 'He is the face of our organization. He is the leader of our team. When he's here, like anything else as a leader, it speaks and it holds a tremendous amount of weight. Like any leader, and in particular the leader of the team, those words that he says and his actions are exponentially impactful to the whole roster, the whole team.' In May 2022, the very offseason Buffalo promoted Ken Dorsey to be a first-time offensive coordinator, Allen skipped two voluntary practices to participate in 'The Match,' a nationally televised golf event that paired him with Patrick Mahomes against Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Some patted Allen on the back for taking a private jet to return to practice faster, but the Bills would have been more impressed had he turned down golfing altogether. Advertisement Bills fans have delighted in Allen's playfulness. They've referred to him as their golden retriever of a quarterback. He's a rascal, a lovable prankster, a dude just soaking up fun with a willingness to please, slinging that football and hurdling defenders. But he turned 29 last week. His contract carries the heftiest guarantees in NFL history, and since 'The Match' he has finished three more seasons without a Super Bowl trip. Allen knows — now more than ever — he must be the grownup an entire franchise relies upon. 'He cares about getting better and making sure that people know that he's here,' said Allen's co-captain, linebacker Terrel Bernard. 'If Josh is here, then why wouldn't anybody else be here? If a guy coming off an MVP season is here and working out when it's optional, we should all be here.' That's not to say Bills running back James Cook's behavior makes him a bad teammate for being the only player who didn't show on Tuesday, the first of three practices this week. Cook's circumstances are apples to Allen's oranges. The running back hasn't attended any offseason workouts because he wants a new contract. He is entering the final season of his rookie deal and will make about only $5.3 million this year after a second straight 1,000-yard rushing campaign and an NFL-best 16 rushing touchdowns last year. In February, Cook posted '15 mill a year' on social media and confirmed in subsequent posts that the number is what he felt he deserved. Several of Cook's teammates received handsome extensions this offseason; the list includes Bernard, cornerback Christian Benford, edge rusher Gregory Rousseau and receiver Khalil Shakir. But a month after the Philadelphia Eagles gave Saquon Barkley a two-year, $42.1 million extension, and three days after Bills general manager Brandon Beane said the sides were too far apart and that a deal likely wouldn't get done before the season, Cook put his Orchard Park house up for sale. Bernard and Dawkins expressed confidence Cook is working intently on his own and that the two-time Pro Bowl running back will be ready to perform when it matters. Buffalo has three more voluntary workouts next week. Mandatory minicamp takes place June 10-12. Advertisement 'Everybody wants us to play football — how many days in a year? — 365 days in a year,' Dawkins said. 'That's what the world would want, but it's impossible, and this is voluntary. This shouldn't be hurting anything that's going on, and whatever's going on, I just hope it continues to go in a peaceful way.' As it would be in most NFL cities, the absence of a star player in the midst of a contentious contract negotiation was supposed to be the biggest news out of One Bills Drive. Instead, the quarterback who showed up reminded everyone his presence means everything.
Calgary Herald
6 minutes ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Facing a franchise-defining week, Ottawa Charge can safeguard its future
Served alongside the Ottawa Charge's PWHL finals defeat was a bitter side dish: that their current collection of players will not have the privilege of running it back next year. Article content Following an exclusive free-agent signing window from June 4 to 8, each of the PWHL's original six franchises will lose four players to the league's two new franchises in Seattle and Vancouver on June 9. That's before league-wide free agency opens, when teams will be gutted even further. Article content Article content Teams will be afforded just three slots with which they can protect players, with an additional player being eligible for protection once two players have been lost by either the signing window or the draft. Article content Article content While it may seem like Ottawa has little control over the coming roster upheaval, the three players the Charge puts down on its protection list next Tuesday will significantly influence the direction of the franchise — and its timeline for a return to the PWHL finals in a parity-driven league. Article content Ottawa faces the challenge of identifying the select few players it can truly build a perennial championship contender around, and sentimentality can't factor into that equation. Article content Fortunately for the Charge, general manager Mike Hirshfeld has shown he's not afraid to make tough calls. Over the past two seasons, he's demonstrated a willingness to make bold, even unpopular, roster moves in pursuit of a stronger competitive edge. Article content Article content In March 2024, he acquired forward Shiann Darkangelo from the Boston Fleet, parting with fan favourite Lexie Adzija. Despite posting just a single assist with Boston, Darkangelo became a top-six fixture for Ottawa this season, finishing third in team scoring with 17 points. Meanwhile, Adzija scored just six points for the Fleet. Article content Article content Another tidy piece of business was swapping depth defender Amanda Boulier for the Montreal Victoire's Tereza Vanišová on the same day. Vanišová blossomed into the Charge's top goal scorer this season, with only Marie-Philip Poulin and Hilary Knight lighting the lamp more across the PWHL. Article content Hirshfeld's most criticized move came this season, when he shipped out defender Savannah Harmon, the team's first-ever draft selection, for the league's oldest player in Jocelyne Larocque. All she did was regain her elite shutdown form alongside Ashton Bell, anchoring a defence-first approach en route to the PWHL finals.
