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Rafael Nadal showed no signs of his bad back in his win over Laslo Djere in the first round at the Australian Open as teenager Carlos Alcaraz was impressive in his highly-anticipated Grand Slam debut match; Russia's ATP Cup stars Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev both cruised through By Adebimpe Isaiah      7:55, Tuesday 09 February 2021 Image: Rafael Nadal allayed fears over a back problem with a straightforward opening victory at the Australian Open Rafael Nadal defied his gloomy injury prognosis to reach the second round of the Australian Open, while Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev also cruised through on Tuesday. Nadal did not play in any of Spain's ATP Cup matches last week and gave a downbeat assessment of his fitness ahead of the tournament. But for the most part he was untroubled during a 6-3 6-4 6-1 success against Serbia's Djere, loosening up in particular in the third set. Nadal said in his on-court interview: "It has been a tough 15 days for me because I

The draw for the 2021 Australian Open men's singles tournament in Melbourne with world No 1 Novak Djokovic leading the top half and looking to win his ninth title in Melbourne while No 2 Rafael Nadal heads up the bottom half     7:59, Tuesday 09 February 2021 Image: Novak Djokovic is the eight-time winner of the Australian Open The full draw for the 2021 Australian Open men's singles tournament in Melbourne. Men's Singles Draw (Seedings in brackets): First Round Top Half Novak Djokovic (Ser) (1) bt Jeremy Chardy (Fra) 6-3 6-1 6-2 Frances Tiafoe (USA) bt Stefano Travaglia (Ita) 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 6-2 Reilly Opelka (USA) bt Yen-Hsun Lu (Tpe) 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 Albert Ramos-Vinolas (Spa) v Taylor Harry Fritz (USA) (27) Stan Wawrinka (Swi) (17) bt Pedro Sousa (Por) 6-3 6-2 6-4 Marton Fucsovics (Hun) bt Marc Polmans (Aus) 4-6 6-3 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 Corentin Moutet (Fra) bt John Millman (Aus) 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 3-6 6-2 6-3 Milos Raonic (Can) (14) bt Federico Coria (Arg) 6-3 6-3 6-2 Emil Ruus

Bayern Munich will face Mexican side Tigres in Thursday's Club World Cup final; plus, Atletico Madrid moved eight points clear at the top of La Liga despite being held to a 2-2 draw by Celta Vigo By Adebimpe Isaiah      23:47, Monday 08 February 2021 Image: Robert Lewandowski scored twice as Bayern Munich secured their place in the FIFA Club World Cup final Robert Lewandowski scored twice as Bayern Munich secured their place in the FIFA Club World Cup final with a 2-0 victory over Al Ahly, while Atletico Madrid were held in La Liga by Celta Vigo. Lewandowski opened the scoring against the African champions at Qatar's Ahmed bin Ali Stadium after 17 minutes following Serge Gnabry's assist. In the closing stages, the Poland forward then doubled Bayern's advantage when he headed home Leroy Sane's cross. It marked Lewandowski's 29th club goal of the season. The European champions will face Mexican side Tigres in Thursday's final. Image: Lewandowski scored his 29t

Liverpool vs RB Leipzig Champions League round of 16 first leg to be staged in Budapest due to Covid-19 restrictions.  By Adebimpe Isaiah      UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RB LEIPZIG V LIVERPOOL LIVERPOOL RB LEIPZIG The Premier League champions will travel to Hungary later this month after plans to play at Red Bull Arena in Germany had to be scrapped Article continues below Liverpool's Champions League round of 16 first leg tie against RB Leipzig will be staged in Budapest. It was reported on Thursday that Liverpool would be unable to travel to Germany for the fixture on February 16 due to the country's coronavirus protocols, which forced Leipzig to have to come up with an alternative solution. The match will now be played at the Puskas Arena in Hungary, with the Reds confirming the news on Saturday afternoon. What was said? A statement on Liverpool's  website  reads: "Liverpool's Champions League last-16, first-leg tie with RB Leipzig will be played in Budapest. Article

Report and free match highlights as Pep Guardiola's Manchester City go 10 points clear of Liverpool; Ilkay Gundogan misses first-half penalty but scores twice; Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden also on target     18:46,Sunday 07 February 2021 Alisson was punished for a chaotic second-half spell as Manchester City stretched their lead at the top of the Premier League after a 4-1 win over Liverpool in a heavyweight clash with significant ramifications for the title race. Mo Salah's 63rd-minute penalty had wrestled back momentum for the faltering champions after Ilkay Gundogan - who missed a first-half spot-kick - had made the breakthrough at Anfield shortly after the interval (50). But two unforced errors from Brazillian goalkeeper Alisson in the space of four minutes allowed Gundogan (73) and Raheem Sterling (76) to dramatically haul the contest - and seemingly the Premier League crown - back in City's favour. Phil Foden then capped an impressive display with a late fourth (83)

Rafael Nadal admits doubts remain over his fitness ahead of Australian Open, which starts on February 8 Rafael Nadal pulled out of Spain's ATP Cup tie against Australia on Tuesday with a lower back problem and his name was also absent from Spain's ATP Cup tie on Friday against Greece at Melbourne Park's John Cain Arena as he prepares for the Australian Open, which starts on Monday By Adebimpe Isaiah       12:34, Thursday 04 February 2021 Image: Rafael Nadal admits he cannot play at 'full intensity' with the Australian Open just around the corner Rafael Nadal feels he is still far from the level required to play at the Australian Open, which is scheduled to start on Monday, February 8. Nadal pulled out of Spain's ATP Cup tie against Australia on Tuesday with a lower back problem and, despite improvement he remains below his best level. The 34-year-old, however, practised for an hour on Thursday evening at the Rod Laver Arena although his name was also absent from

"I don't care about weight class with any of these guys," says Floyd Mayweather but will the strange prospect of the boxing great stepping into the ring with the YouTubers and the rapper actually happen? By James Dielhenn, Senior Boxing Journalist  Written By Adebimpe Isaiah      8:25, Thursday 04 February 2021 Performance against Kostya Tszyu would have beaten Mayweather Floyd Mayweather has bizarrely set his sights on meeting Jake Paul and 50 Cent in the ring, after his planned meeting with Logan Paul. The retired great with the 50-0 record claimed on social media that he would entertain a host of exhibition matches in 2021 against the YouTuber brothers and the rapper. Mayweather said: "This year I will focus on several exhibitions. I will have an exhibition in Tokyo, Japan, again. Image: Mayweather and Logan Paul's match was postponed "Of course the one with Logan Paul and I; and if Jake Paul can get past his next opponent Ben Askren, I will have an exhib

Lionel Messi is out of contract at Barcelona in the summer; Angel Di Maria replied "Yes, I hope so" when asked about the prospect of his Argentina team-mate joining him at Paris Saint-Germain; Barca boss Ronald Koeman called the comments "disrespectful " By Adebimpe Isaiah      12:56, Thursday 04 February 2021 Image: Angel Di Maria (L) and Lionel Messi (R) are team-mates at international level Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has accused Paris Saint-Germain winger Angel Di Maria of being disrespectful for saying he hopes Argentina team-mate Lionel Messi will join the French club. Messi is out of contract at the Nou Camp at the end of the season and questions remain over whether he will stay or move elsewhere. Barcelona face Paris Saint-Germain in a first-leg round-of-16 tie in the Champions League on February 16. "Yes, yes, I hope so," Di Maria said when asked whether Messi could join him in Paris. "There are many possibilities. We have to be calm and thi

Irving puts up season-high 39 as Nets down Clippers, Sabonis matches career-high 32 as Pacers pummel Grizzlies; Sky Sports coverage of the NBA continues on Thursday night when the Golden State Warriors travel to Dallas, join us from 12.30am on Sky Sports Arena By Adebimpe Isaiah   8:27, Wednesday 03 February 2021 Highlights of the Toronto Raptors up against the Orlando Magic in Week 7 of the NBA Fred VanVleet set a franchise record with 54 points and hit a career-best 11 3-pointers as the Toronto Raptors beat the short-handed Orlando Magic 123-108 in Florida on Tuesday night. VanVleet made 11 of his first 12 attempts from 3-point range. He finished 17 of 23 from the field and 9 for 9 at the free-throw line to surpass the previous Raptors record of 52 points scored by DeMar DeRozan against Milwaukee on January 1, 2018. VanVleet took a video call from DeRozan in the locker room after the game congratulating him on the feat. Fred VanVleet set a franchise record with 54 points as the Toron

US Open champion Naomi Osaka extends her winning streak to 13 matches but only after riding out a stiff challenge from Katie Boulter to beat the Briton 3-6 6-3 6-1 and reach the quarter-finals of the Gippsland Trophy; Johanna Konta falls to Irina-Camelia Begu as Dan Evans opens with a win By Adebimpe Isaiah   8:13,  Wednesday 03 February 2021 Image: Katie Boulter could not stop Naomi Osaka from extended her winning streak to 13 matches Britain's Katie Boulter gave a great account of herself but could not stop Naomi Osaka from extending her winning streak to 13 matches at the Gippsland Trophy on Wednesday. Boulter beat teenage American Coco Gauff in the second round of the Australian Open warm-up and another upset looked on the cards when she matched her Japanese opponent's power-hitting to take the opening set on Margaret Court Arena. The second-seeded Osaka, who won the Australian Open in 2019, raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set but the 24-year-old Briton would not fold and