Emma Raducanu opened her Madrid Open campaign with a gritty victory against a quality, in-form opponent, holding off Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands 7-6 (4), 6-4 to reach the second round. Over the past three-and-a-half years, as Raducanu has tried to navigate the pressure, stress and discomfort that accompanied her spectacular arrival, there have been … Read more
Andrew Flintoff has described his return to cricket as a coach over the past 18 months as “the one thing that saved me” as he struggled to come to terms with the mental and physical scars caused in a car accident during filming for the BBC’s Top Gear in December 2022. Flintoff talks for the … Read more
Liverpool’s coronation as Premier League champions will have to wait a few more days, although it’s now only a matter of when, not if. In a match that could have represented a microcosm of their domestic season, Arsenal appeared to be heading towards a narrow victory over a dogged Crystal Palace side after Jakub Kiwior … Read more
Rory McIlroy has admitted to being taken aback by the scale of reaction to his Masters triumph. Two US presidents – Donald Trump and Barack Obama – plus huge names from worlds outside sport have contacted the Northern Irishman since he completed the career grand slam at Augusta National. Amid moving scenes at Augusta, McIlroy’s … Read more
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Crystal Palace were hoping to move this game forward by 24 hours. The Premier League were not for turning, which makes Oliver Glasner’s team selection for tonight’s game quite tricky. Do you rest players? Try to give them half an hour? … Read more
The London Marathon has revealed that it is permanently boycotting X, with event director Hugh Brasher accusing the social media platform of “descending into a gutter” since Elon Musk took charge. Brasher’s comments came after he was asked about the horrific levels of abuse suffered online by Eilish McColgan, who has been accused of “looking … Read more
Ronnie O’Sullivan made a mockery of his recent period of inactivity by reeling off three centuries in five frames as he completed a 10-4 win over Ali Carter in the first round of the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield. The seven-time champion, who has not played on the professional tour since he crashed out of … Read more
SOUTHBOUND AND UP The Premier League, Major League Baseball, The Human League, The National Football League, The League of Gentlemen, the Indian Premier League or your pick of Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea. Everyone has their own favourite league, despite what various excitable pundits and commentators would have you believe, but the … Read more
A mulleted former Collingwood VFL player with the ability to kick with both feet heads a crop of Australians seeking to prove themselves at the highest levels of American football, as the sport’s spotlight shines on Green Bay for this week’s NFL draft. An upcoming NFL regular season match in Melbourne – for which 90,000 … Read more
It remains one of the most enduring images in the history of sport: Sir Roger Bannister collapsing at the finish after becoming the first person to shatter the four-minute-mile barrier. Since that day in 1954, when Bannister achieved a feat many had thought was impossible, just over 2,000 others have followed in his footsteps – … Read more