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'Clear mind' over doping case helped Sinner win Melbourne title
Jannik Sinner says the possibility of a doping ban ruling him out of upcoming Grand Slam tournaments did not provide extra motivation to win the Australian Open.
The 23-year-old Italian says he could not have won back-to-back Melbourne titles if he did not have a "clear mind" that he had done nothing wrong.
Sinner was cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent panel after testing positive for banned substance clostebol in April.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) appealed against the decision and is seeking a ban of between one and two years.
The world number one will have his case heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) from 16-17 April, just over a month before the French Open begins.
Sinner beat German second seed Alexander Zverev in straight sets on Sunday but said the uncertainty around his future did "not really" drive him to win again at Melbourne Park.
"I keep playing like this because I have a clear mind on what happened," Sinner said.
"If I know if I would be guilty, I would not play like this, and that's it.
"I just came off an amazing run again here. I want to enjoy this moment."
Zverev heckled over domestic abuse allegations after final
In October 2020, former girlfriend Sharypova accused Zverev of violence and emotional abuse during their relationship. Zverev denied the allegations and said they were "unfounded".
Sharypova did not press charges, and a 15-month investigation by the men's ATP Tour found there was "insufficient evidence" to substantiate claims made by Sharypova and so Zverev did not face disciplinary action.
In November 2023, Zverev was given a penalty order and fined by a German court after being accused of physically abusing his ex-girlfriend Patea.
Zverev denied the claims and lodged an objection against the order, which resulted in a public trial.
The trial was discontinued in June 2024 after a settlement was agreed between the defendant and the complainant.
At the time, the court told BBC Sport: "The decision is not a verdict and it is not a decision about guilt or innocence."
'Sinner will be one of greatest players we've ever seen'
The image of Sinner vomiting into a wheelie bin by the side of the court is not one many would expect to mark the start of a new reign of dominance in men's tennis.
But that image, as he battled illness at the China Open in October 2023, has become synonymous with the moment Sinner evolved into a serial title winner.
He would go on to win that match. And that tournament. And most matches he has contested in the 15 months since.
From the start of that tournament in Beijing, Sinner's record is 98 wins and just nine defeats - and three of those losses were against four-time Grand Slam champion and rival Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner replaced Novak Djokovic as world number one in June 2024 and since then has won a record-equalling 47 of his first 50 matches as the top ranked men's player, matching Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors.
He also has a 30-2 record at Slams since winning his first Melbourne title 12 months ago.
Cash said: "Sinner and Alcaraz are so far ahead of everybody else.
"Until other young guys come through it is a two-horse race. We saw that for a while with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, then [came] Andy Murray, Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka.
"Things can change really quickly, but as of now it's a one-horse or two-horse race for the Grand Slams."
Wales prop WillGriff John is a major doubt for at least their Six Nations opener against France in Paris on Friday.
The 32-year-old failed a Head Injury Assessment after leaving the field in the first half of Sale Sharks' 32-23 home English Premiership defeat by Bath on Sunday.
John is one of three tight-head props in Warren Gatland's squad alongside Cardiff's Keiron Assiratti and Henry Thomas of Scarlets.
But the number three jersey is problematic for Wales with with Bath's Archie Griffin unavailable following shoulder surgery and Leon Brown having recently retired.
John has not played for Wales since 2021 and, against Bath, was making just his second start for Sale this season with four further replacement appearances.
Assiratti was second choice to Griffin during Wales' autumn internationals and Thomas was an unused squad member as Wales completed 2024 without a win.
Glasgow strengthened their grip on second place in the United Rugby Championship table by grinding out victory over a resolute Connacht at Scotstoun.
The Irish side crossed the whitewash first through David Hawkshaw, but Warriors hit back with tries from Sebastian Cancelliere and Ben Ashfar to lead 17-5 at the break.
Hawkshaw and Cancelliere exchanged further scores in the second half and although Piers O'Conor crossed late on for the visitors, Glasgow held firm to secure the victory.
Franco Smith's side now lead third-placed Bulls by seven points having played two games more than the South African outfit.
With both teams shorn of a raft of internationals before the Six Nations kicking off next weekend, a lack of cohesion was evident for large spells of what was a scrappy contest in difficult conditions.
Having first joined the club back in 2010, Duncan Weir was leading the Glasgow side as captain for the first time and the fly-half banged over a penalty to get Warriors up and running.
Connacht were dominating the exchanges in the opening quarter however, and got their reward when Hawkshaw charged down Ollie Smith's attempted clearance kick before gathering to score.
Henco Venter got Glasgow back on the front foot with a powerful burst and when the ball was whipped wide Cancelliere darted through a gap to go over for Glasgow's first try.
The game was bobbing along without much happening until a majestic show-and-go from prop Fin Richardson saw him slip through the Connacht defence, before offloading to Alex Samuel who sent Ashfar sprinting free to the try line.
Glasgow led by 12 at the break but it was Connacht who struck early in the second half, some neat handling sending Hawkshaw away for his second try of the match.
Having played into a strong breeze in the first half, the Irish side now had the wind at their backs and had an opportunity to reduce the deficit to two points, only for JJ Hanrahan's penalty attempt to come back off the upright.
Warriors gave themselves some breathing space with their third try. Strong carries from Smith and Jack Mann took Glasgow to the brink of the Connacht line before Cancelliere found himself in the right place at the right time again to dot down.
The visitors were not done yet and O'Conor raced over two minutes from time to set up a nervy finish, but Glasgow managed the final moments well to see it out for the win.
Furlong out of Ireland's England Six Nations opener
British and Irish Lions prop Tadhg Furlong has been ruled out of Ireland's Six Nations opener against England on Saturday by injury.
Furlong, 32, suffered a recurrence of a calf injury at Ireland's training camp in Portugal on Saturday and has returned to Dublin for further assessment.
Connacht's Jack Aungier has been called up to the Six Nations holders' squad as a replacement.
The experienced tighthead prop missed all four November internationals for Ireland with a hamstring issue and only returned for Leinster in their win over La Rochelle three weeks' ago before missing the province's last European game against Bath.
Furlong's absence means Finlay Bealham is likely to start against England at the Aviva Stadium but Ireland's usual third-choice in the position, Tom O'Toole, is suspended for the first two games of the championship.
Hooker Dan Sheehan and wing James Lowe linked up with the Ireland squad on Sunday after returning from injury to play in Leinster's United Rugby Championship win over the Stormers on Saturday.
Sheehan was making his first appearance of the season after sustaining a knee injury in Ireland's summer tour of South Africa while Lowe has been ruled out since sustaining a calf injury in Ireland's final November international against Australia.
The duo's Leinster colleague Jack Boyle also joined up with the squad on Sunday with Connacht scrum-half Caolin Blade also set to arrive in Portugal on Monday.
Bristol: Lane; Heward, Jenkins, Janse van Rensburg, Kavouvou; Byrne, Marmion; Thomas, Oghre, Lahiff; Dun, Owen, S. Grondona, Harding, Mata.
Replacements: Capon, Woolmore, Kloska, Luatua, Heenan, Wolstenholme, Elizalde, Bailey.
Newcastle: Obatoyinbo; Pepper, Hearle, Clark, Stevenson; Connon, Stuart; Brocklebank, Blamire, McCalllum; De Chaves, McDonald Seran, Van der Walt, Lockwood, Chick.
Replacements: Fletcher, Rewcastle, De Bruin, Hawkins, Leatherbarrow, Davis, Wilkinson, Spencer.
Sin bin: Hearle (66 mins)
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys
In another blow for Sale, prop WillGriff John was forced off at half time after failing a head injury assessment, ruling him out of Wales' Six Nations' opener against France next week.
They hade been more than competitive in the first half, despite losing five of their first-choice pack to England call-ups, as they sought to extend an 11-match winning streak in their northern fortress.
The forwards powered the ball to within a metre of the posts and when Rob du Preez slung a long pass over the top, Reed showed his finishing ability by stepping inside the cover to score.
Du Preez added a penalty but after Louis Schreuder forced an error at the breakdown, Bath went onto the attack and McConnochie sprinted over out wide to close the gap.
Sale stormed forward again and when Tom O'Flaherty picked up Carpenter's grubber and was held up just short, du Preez picked up and darted over on the blindside, before adding another penalty, to put Sale clear again.
Bath struck back just before the break, with McConnochie again stretching away from the home defence, and Russell's conversion setting the match up nicely for the second half.
Bath were superb in the second 40 minutes, with Russell pulling the strings.
He seemed to have set up Ojomoh for a quick try, but the wing had juggled the ball against O'Flaherty's shoulder to knock on before diving over, with a video review chalking it off.
Eight minutes later, Bath cycled through 20 phases of attacking play and this time Russell's sweeping pass found Joe Cokanasiga and when he was stopped, Ojomoh powered over with two tacklers unable to stop him.
Russell's conversion and subsequent penalty took him past the century mark for the campaign, and then he produced a marvellous piece of quick thinking in a pivotal moment to turn a difficult moment into a 13-point lead.
Reed had shot through a rare Bath gap but when Sale were penalised at the breakdown, Russell quickly kicked the penalty long despite Sale claiming he had not done so from the mark.
Carr-Smith was on the fly-half's wavelength and sprinted the length of the field to kick on and score.
Carpenter barged his way over to make the last couple of minutes interesting but Russell had converted Carr-Smith's try and then added his late penalty to seal the win.
Ford Mustang GT3 Claims First Global Win at 63rd Rolex 24
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. In a classic battle of iconic American car brands, Dennis Olsen drove the Ford Multimatic Motorsports No. 65 Ford Mustang GT3 to the models first global victory, besting Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Alexander Sims in the No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class Sundays season-opening IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race.
Considered one of the worlds greatest endurance events, the 63rd running of the Rolex 24 absolutely lived up to its reputation with both Grand Touring classes of competition ultimately decided by less than two-seconds after 24 grueling, eventful hours on the Daytona International Speedways 3.56-mile, 12-turn combination of speedway high banks and traditional road course winds and turns.
While Ford celebrated in victory lane in the 15-car GTD PRO class, the Corvette was victorious in the 22-car GTD class with British driver Matthew Bell ultimately steering the No. 13 AWA Corvette Z06 GT3.R to the win by 1.454 seconds over the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992).
This Detroit special in the GTD PRO class featuring Ford and Chevrolet in a dramatic trophy duel during the closing minutes of competition was not only significant for Fords new GT3 brand but also a sentimental victory between these two longtime rivals.
While it marked the Mustangs 20th victory in the race, it was the first for the new GT3 model introduced in 2024. The winning No. 65 Fords sister car the pole-sitting No. 64 Mustang completed the GTD PRO podium.
I think it is quite historical, said Belgian driver Frederic Vervisch, who shared the car with Norwegian Olsen and German Christopher Mies. Yesterday we met (Ford CEO) Jim Farley and he said, Whatever you do, you have to be in front of Chevrolet. He was joking, of course. They were extremely strong and so super proud to be ahead and perhaps out-strategize them.
At no point was there an odds-on favorite to hoist the trophy in the end. There were 10 different race leaders in the GTD PRO class with the winning No. 65 Mustang taking the lead for good on a final restart with only 42 minutes remaining.
Olsen got a little breathing room in those last laps as the No. 3 Corvette driven by Sims had to fend off Englishman Sebastian Priaulx in the other Ford. Olsen conceded after the race that both the Corvettes and BMWs speed concerned them.
The fourth-place finishing No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW was also among the mix leading nine times for 187 of the races 723 laps ultimately being spun from a podium finish by the No. 4 Corvette and driver Nico Varrone with less than 12 minutes remaining.
Only an hour earlier, the No. 1 BMWs sister team, the No. 48 was penalized for impeding the Corvettes move forward and their fight for the lead. Out of competition for the win since a multi-car accident late Saturday night, the No. 48 BMW was 55 laps off pace but raced the Corvette hard ultimately causing an off by the No. 4 Corvette that drew a penalty from IMSA.
Trackhouse Racing
Another all-star GTD PRO entry fielded in part by NASCAR team owner Justin Marks the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing by TF Sport Corvette featured NASCAR stars Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, IndyCar winner Scott McLaughlin and IMSA veteran Ben Keating. It finished ninth in class after a comeback drive to get near the podium with a little more than an hour remaining.
Its been so much fun bringing Trackhouse to IMSA and getting to run the Rolex 24 with this team, said the 18-year-old Zilisch, who sought to defend his 2024 Rolex 24 win in Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2).
All my teammates were a blast to be teammates with and also to hang out with off the track. I had a lot to learn and Im very grateful I got to race with these guys and learn from them. Frustrated with how the race ended, but looking back on the last two weeks, I had so much fun.
Tower Tops Tumultuous, Rough-and-Tumble LMP2 Affair
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Tower Motorsports found itself atop the pylon at the end of a competitive, chaotic and dramatic Rolex 24 At Daytona within the 12-car Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class full of ORECA LMP2 07 cars.
The quartet of Sebastien Bourdais, John Farano, Sebastian Alvarez and Job Van Uitert shared the winning No. 8 ORECA, emerging almost clear of trouble while contenders rose and fell like the temperatures over the 24-hour endurance classic.
Three such challengers dropped out in the eighth hour when Louis Deletrazs No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R spun and came back on course exiting Turn 2. The resulting contact eliminated the No. 2 United Autosports USA and No. 73 Pratt Miller Motorsports ORECAs, while despite incurring damage the No. 8 Tower car kept going.
By the halfway point, it appeared the second United entry, the Motul Pole Award-winning No. 22 car, along with defending class champions Inter Europol Competitions No. 43 car and AO Racings Spike No. 99 car were set to challenge. Penalties took the No. 22 and 43 down the order and heartbreak befell the No. 99 once the final couple hours happened.
AOs No. 99 car, with Christian Rasmussen driving, dropped out of the fight with just over 80 minutes remaining. The car pitted with a low battery warning and the team diagnosed the issue under the rear deck lid, losing several laps and ending Spikes victory charge. This car led a race-high 280 of 765 laps.
Era Motorsport, then, appeared in position to repeat its 2024 win with an adjusted lineup in its No. 18 ORECA, courtesy of a strategic move to take fuel only on its final stop before the last 40 minutes. Those hopes went away when Mathias Beches No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports car hit Paul-Loup Chatins No. 18 Era car into a spin at Turn 1. Beches No. 52 car was assessed a drive-through penalty for incident responsibility.
That promoted the Tower car, which kept enough relative momentum alive to stay in contention, back to the lead. Bourdais added his third Rolex 24 win, first in LMP2 to pair with a Prototype and overall win in 2014 and a GT Le Mans win with Ford in 2017, while his trio of teammates, Farano, Alvarez and Van Uitert all secured their first victories and combined to lead 118 laps.
Bourdais even admitted post-race that the rough-and-tumble affair extended to his co-driver Farano, who fought through back pain to keep driving and complete his stints.
I was part of the big one, big time, Bourdais explained. The car over my left fender, a car over my right fender and I dont think I had time to back off because I made contact because I was in the gearbox of the Pratt Miller car and it all came to a stop. It was like Days of Thunder.
Yeah, honestly, when it all cleared in front of me and the car still had four wheels on it and the steering wheel was straight, I was like, man, this is just a miracle.
For Bourdais, its also his second straight IMSA win albeit in a very different driving situation. With the end of the Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing program in GTP after the 2024 Motul Petit Le Mans season finale, Bourdais shifted into the highly competitive LMP2 class to remain in the IMSA paddock.
Its almost like it was awarded to us in some respect because it seemed for a minute that nobody wanted to win it, Bourdais laughed. Ive rarely seen someone torpedo another car like Beche did with Paul-Loup. It was just one incident like this after another in front of us or behind us or around us.
It was a weird race, but we had hopes at times. Sometimes it felt like it was a bit hopeless, and to come out on top no matter how you got there at some point, its just one of those races where nobody remembers how you got there, and personally its my third, but it never gets old winning. Im really happy that we could bring the result for John whos been running after that Rolex for a little while.
Despite some setbacks throughout, the No. 22 United car rebounded to a runner-up finish, courtesy of polesitter Daniel Goldburg sharing the car with Paul Di Resta, Rasmus Lindh and James Allen. That car finished 44.697 seconds in arrear of the Tower car.
Riley completed the podium with its No. 74 LMP2 entry, co-driven by Felipe Fraga, Gar Robinson, Josh Burdon and Felipe Massa.
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