Sports & Casinos UK

Mariano Navone wins 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 to end Serb’s hopesDjokovic vomits numerous times and has to fight off crampsThe first night session of the US Open this year was approaching the three-hour mark when Novak Djokovic walked briskly to the corner of the vast Arthur Ashe Stadium court, bent down and vomited the contents of his stomach straight into the towel bin.This was neither the first nor the last time that Djokovic threw up during an excruciating four hours and 36 minutes of suffering, and his miserable night ended around midnight with the 24-time grand slam champion in tears as he was defeated 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 by Mariano Navone in the first round. Continue reading...

Basketball Australia refers proposed rule changes to FibaIdea aimed at delivering more highlights met with mixed reactionsThe slam dunk has long been a staple of basketball, its biggest billboard, showcasing the athleticism and ferocity of its athletes. Now, some within the game want more.The Australian men’s professional league, the NBL, has lodged a request with the sport’s rule-makers about trialling a way to deliver more of these highlights in a proposal that threatens to alter the game’s fine balance. Continue reading...

Martínez and Jackson latest duo to move between clubsGoretzka and Suzuki could make debuts against ArsenalUnai Emery has said Aston Villa and Chelsea are enemies rather than friends, insisting the clubs want to “kill” each other despite regularly doing business in recent years.Emiliano Martínez became the latest player to move between the teams, after Chelsea paid £117m to sign Morgan Rogers from Villa this summer. Nicolas Jackson, who could become Villa’s record signing after joining in a deal worth up to £65m, and Alejandro Garnacho both joined Villa from Chelsea in this window, the latter on a loan deal with a conditional obligation to buy. Continue reading...

Ballon d’Or winner Putellas leads influx of superstar names at independent club aiming to bridge gap to very bestGuardian writers’ predicted position: 4th (NB: this is not necessarily Suzanne Wrack’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)Last season’s position: 6th Continue reading...

Arsenal manager says dropping players ‘affects wellbeing’Serie A allows 25-player matchday squads and La Liga 23Arsenal have asked the Premier League to increase the size of matchday squads, with Mikel Arteta saying the current system is detrimental to player welfare. Top‑flight clubs can name 20 players for games, including a minimum of three homegrown players. In Spain’s La Liga, clubs can name a matchday squad of 23, while Italy’s Serie A allows 25.Arsenal have competed on multiple fronts in recent seasons. Last year, as well as winning the Premier League, they reached the finals of the Champions League and Carabao Cup, as well as the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. With pressure increasing on the football calendar and players facing more matches, Arteta sees no reason why English teams should operate with smaller squads than those from other European leagues. Continue reading...

Promoted Málaga slump to 4-0 defeat at the BernabéuComo defeat Napoli; Jones makes Inter debut in winReal Madrid maintained their perfect start to the season in La Liga with a comfortable 4-0 home ⁠win over promoted Málaga on Sunday, scoring three times inside 30 minutes before adding a late fourth.Jude Bellingham’s brilliant solo opener, an own ⁠goal by the Málaga goalkeeper, ⁠Alfonso Herrero, and ​a sharp Kylian Mbappé volley in effect settled the contest before half-time, with the substitute Arda Guler wrapping up the victory in added time at ⁠the Bernabéu. Continue reading...

Los Angeles were already Super Bowl favoritesDefensive tackle was 10-time Pro Bowler with Rams35-year-old aiming to win second Super Bowl in LAAaron Donald, one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, is coming out of retirement to rejoin his only professional team, the Los Angeles Rams.During a 10-season career with the Rams, who drafted him with the 13th overall pick in 2014, Donald was a three-time defensive player of the year and an eight-time first team All-Pro. He won a Super Bowl with the Rams at the end of the 2021 season before announcing his retirement in March 2024 at the age of 32. Continue reading...

Durham completed a 10-wicket win over Gloucestershire to cement their place at the top of Division TwoIn a round for bowlers, Clarke has stood tall. Notts 321-7 and searching for batting points.Ha, I missed that Gloucestershire opened with Ollie Price’s loopy loops. Silly season a month early. Continue reading...

A lack of offers and problems in finding a replacement may be behind the move, but that does not mean it cannot workThe first chant of the match was for Marcus Rashford, Manchester United’s returning rogue son, the one banished for 18 months, first to the Midlands and then Catalonia. Every football fan loves an academy product who has risen up the ranks, from scrawny child to getting 76,000 off their seats. Rashford is one of these, living out the dream of everyone inside Old Trafford and they are willing to forgive but want something in return.Not since 7 December 2024 has Rashford been seen in red at Old Trafford. Then it was as a substitute forlornly trying to turn things around in an eventual 3-2 defeat by Nottingham Forest. His relationship with Ruben Amorim was already deteriorating, the second head coach to have become irritated with Rashford. After loans with Aston Villa and Barcelona, everyone is surprised to see him back; it feels like a marriage of convenience because of a lack of offers and securing a replacement was deemed complex. Continue reading...

Ollie Robinson’s metronomic medium-nip represents the new age – sometimes, you just get the heroes you needEach age makes its own heroes. Two hours from the end of the final day of the second-last Test at the fag‑end of the post‑Bazball summer, the cheer from the Lord’s crowd at deep fine leg had something pointed about it, a crackle of event glamour.Ollie Robinson turned as he ambled back and raised an arm in gladiatorial salute. “Oh Ollie Ollie, Ollie Ollie Ollie Ollie Robinson” was the response from a scattered, woozy swell, again with something arch and transgressive in it, the smell of anti-hero. What are you rebelling against, Johnny? What have you got? Also, if you really want to know, buzzword culture and enforced fitness regimes. Sometimes, you just get the heroes you need. Continue reading...