Six-time champion returns for opening ceremony World No 1 to face Adam Walton in first round Roger Federer hailed the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as the six-time champion returned to the Australian Open for the first time since his retirement in 2022. Federer, who last travelled to...
England’s T20 World Cup plans hit by Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed visa delays
Indian government yet to issue visas to spinners Ahmed and Rashid unlikely to fly to Sri Lanka this week England have had a setback in their preparations for the T20 World Cup next month with the Indian government yet to issue visas to the spinners Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed....
Sports piracy explodes in UK with 3.6bn illegal streams and rise of black-market bookmakers
Unlicensed betting has surged over the last four years Gambling Commission accused of underestimating issue The number of illegal streams of sports events in Britain has more than doubled to 3.6bn in the past three years according to a new report, which provides a stark illustration of the challenge facing...
What’s in a club DNA? Alonso exit shows the only reliable predictors of success are wealth and good decisions | Jonathan Liew
Real Madrid and Manchester United put their faith in familiarity but the lesson of Ferguson is dynastic greatness rests not in tradition but ditching principles “It is all too easy to make mistaken inferences unless the process involved is already very well understood.” Francis Crick, molecular biologist “This club is...
Watching James Bond play my great uncle Brendan in Giant was surreal and spooky | Sean Ingle
Biopic charting Naseem Hamed’s rise has reopened old wounds but is also a reminder of what was and what might have been The first time I watched Prince Naseem Hamed train, my jaw couldn’t have dropped any faster if he had hit me with one of his lassoing uppercuts. I...
Finn Russell ready for bruising clash with Scotland colleagues against Edinburgh
Bath fly-half up against fellow Scot Duhan van der Merwe ‘I’d imagine there’ll be a couple of late shots,’ he says Finn Russell is braced for a potentially bruising reunion with his Scottish international teammates but is intent on winning the “bragging rights” when Bath host Edinburgh on Friday in...
John Higgins and Kyren Wilson win at Masters as curious run of 6-2 scorelines goes on
Wilson defeats Si Jiahui, Higgins sees off Barry Hawkins All six matches at Alexandra Palace have ended 6-2 Kyren Wilson, the 2024 world champion, defeated Si Jiahui in impressive fashion to reach the Masters quarter-finals with the 6-2 result continuing a curious statistic: every match at Alexandra Palace this week...
Xabi Alonso failed to control Real Madrid’s egos in brief and bitter reign
Hired as a systems coach, the manager was undermined at a club where players – and Florentino Pérez – call the shots Pep Guardiola sat in the press room at the Santiago Bernabéu and told Xabi Alonso to do it his way but around here, he knows, it tends not...
The three ages of Michael Carrick … and what they say about Manchester United
From his competitive debut to his first spell as interim, the former midfielder has seen much at Old Trafford over the past two decades 23 August 2006, Charlton 0-3 Manchester United The 25‑year‑old new signing was eased into United’s midfield as a second-half substitute in the second game of the season,...
Emma Raducanu recovers in Hobart to post first win in over three months
Briton wins tight encounter with Camila Osorio 6-3, 7-6 Match with Colombian was delayed overnight by rain Emma Raducanu offered an impressive demonstration of her resilience at the Hobart International as she rallied from an overnight second-set deficit in her rain-delayed first-round match to defeat Camila Osorio of Colombia 6-3,...