Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam winner, says he is “shocked” and “overwhelmed” by the news that Rafael Nadal will retire at the end of the season.

Reflecting on the exit of three of the ‘Big Four’, Djokovic said “a part of me left with them” as Nadal follows Andy Murray and Roger Federer in choosing to retire from the sport.

READ MORE: Djokovic & Federer lead tributes to retiring Nadal

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Bo Nickal reiterates he is in no rush to climb to the top.

Nickal (6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) faces his most notable name to date when he takes on Paul Craig (17-8-1 MMA, 9-8-1 UFC) in a middleweight bout at UFC 309 Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden.

Although Nickal is a highly touted prospect, he isn’t looking to be fast tracked. He has an idea of how his path to the UFC title will look like.

“This is a good step up with Paul Craig,” Nickal said on his YouTube channel. “So, take care of business and then I want to (fight) two more guys that are unranked. Then fight a ranked guy.

“So at that point, I’ll be 7-0, 8-0, 9-0, fight a ranked guy, 10-0. 11-0, probably fight a top-five guy, and then fight for the belt around 12-0. That’s what I’m planning on right now. We’ll see, but definitely zoom focused on this next fight.”

If he can get through Craig, Nickal hopes to draw bigger names moving forward.

“I’m just going to smash this guy, and then I want to get exciting fights now,” Nickal said. “I feel like I’ve fought enough guys that have kind of not really been very dangerous to me. I haven’t even been hit really in a real fight yet.

“So I want to start fighting better guys for sure. Once I get a ranked fight, I think I’m only going to have to fight two or three before the belt. At that point, it’s like straight to it.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

After securing the title with a thumping win over their nearest rivals on the pitch, Cliftonville lifted the trophy at the home of their neighbours.

Crusaders gave a guard of honour as Kelsie Burrows led Cliftonville out at Seaview, and, despite the celebrations that followed the win over Glentoran, they did not look like a team with a hangover on the pitch.

They dominated the majority of possession in the early stages, and Marissa Callaghan clipped the top of the crossbar with a long-range effort.

The Northern Ireland midfielder then hammered the crossbar with a header from Toni-Leigh Finnegan’s cross.

The pressure continued to build as Fi Morgan, Caitlin McGuinness and Carla Devine all saw chances slip away.

Callaghan was denied the opener by the offside flag as she chipped the ball into the bottom corner, and Devine fired over late in the half as the teams went in level.

After Callaghan poked an effort wide after the restart, the deserved winner came in the 52nd minute when Maxwell’s cross drifted into the bottom corner to give the visitors a lead they would not relinquish.

Finnegan fired over as the Reds looked for a second, and substitute Kirsty McGuinness saw an effort parried away by Harvey-Clifford.

The Crues had a huge chance to level the game with 20 minutes to play when Rebecca Mann raced through on goal but the substitute hooked her effort wide.

McGuinness forced Harvey-Clifford into a superb diving save, and further chances fell to Caitlin McGuinness, who hit over from Katie Markey’s cross, and Maxwell, who fired narrowly wide.

The game fizzled out in the closing stages, with the Reds perhaps having one eye on Saturday’s cup final but when the final whistle blew, the Cliftonville bench ran onto the pitch to celebrate with their team-mates.

BRITISH middle distance Robbie Fitzgibbon has died at the age of 28.

His tragic death was announced by his club, Brighton Phoenix, on Friday evening.

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The team confirmed he had died on October 7 as they paid tribute.

A statement from chairman Mike Townley and vice chair Josh Guilmant said: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of one of our most cherished athletes, Robbie Fitzgibbon.

“A friend to many, and a source of motivation for all who had the privilege of knowing him, Robbie was the epitome of a runner’s runner, embodying everything we value at Phoenix.

“Though Robbie will no longer run alongside us, share his stories, or lift our spirits with his humour and kindness, his presence will continue to be felt in everything we do as a club.

“His contribution to Phoenix is enduring, living on through the countless memories we have shared.”

Fitzgibbon had been a standout talent at junior level, winning the English schools 1500m title in 2014 and finishing fifth in the 1500m final at the European Athletics U20 Championships.

He finished 13th in the 1500m in the London Anniversary Games in 2017.

Fitzgibbon had originally joined Phoenix at the age of 12, and continued to represent Great Britain at international level, including several Diamond League events.

“In recent years, Robbie took a step back from the intense nature of track running moving from middle-distance to becoming a key member of our distance group, finding enjoyment again not just in racing cross country and road but being part of the team and wider Phoenix community.

“He would always be the first to put his hand up for another race.

“This summer, he was part of the South Downs Way Relay team, setting a leg record along the way, medalling in the County Cross Country Champs at Goodwood where he started his club running career and running Christmas day parkrun at Preston Park on a monumental hangover.

“Robbie gave so much to the club, and we know the club meant just as much to him.

“It is difficult to find the right words in moments like these.

“Robbie was not just an athlete to us; he was a friend, a team-mate, and an irreplaceable part of our Phoenix family.”

More to follow.

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Darren Till certainly knows how to pick his social media targets.

Undefeated UFC middleweight Bo Nickal is the latest fighter to draw Till’s ire, with the former welterweight contender taking a shot at Nickal on Thursday.

In post on Twitter responding to Nickal outlining his future plans on his YouTube channel, Till wrote, “The ginger ninja doesn’t even fight. Talks more than me and I talk a lot.”

The timing of Till’s comments are somewhat strange given that Nickal is set for his second appearance of 2024 when he fights Paul Craig at UFC 309 on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York. A three-time NCAA Division-I wrestling champion who made his pro MMA debut in 2022, Nickal has so far lived up to his enormous hype, going 6-0 and finishing all but one of his opponents in the first round.

However, Till isn’t impressed with the quality of competition nor does he feel that Nickal passes the eye test.

“He even shit talks me and hasn’t beat an opponent who’s record is a winning one,” Till wrote.

There is some truth to Till’s statement. All of Nickal’s UFC opponents came into the cage with winning pro records, but none of them were over the .500 mark inside the octagon.

Even when Till went on to compliment Nickal, he made sure to throw in a few nasty digs.

“Yes, his wrestling is good but his striking is appalling and his cooking videos make me want to stab myself to death,” Till wrote.

It’s unclear what Till’s angle is here as he is not currently competing in MMA. Till previously fought for the UFC welterweight title against Tyron Woodley at UFC 228, where he was submitted by Woodley in Round 2. He parted ways with the UFC in February 2023.

Currently, Till is dabbling in the world of boxing. He made a successful debut this past July with a controversial win over Mohammad Mutie, and was supposed to fight veteran Julio César Chávez Jr. on July 20 on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson card, but that event was postponed to Nov. 15. Till’s bout was not re-booked.

Check out Nickal’s podcast below.

Sale: Carpenter, Roebuck, Addison, Bedlow, Reed, R du Preez, Warr; McIntyre, Cowan-Dickie, Harper, Bamber, Andrews, van Rhyn, B Curry, T Curry.

Replacements: Caine, Onasanya, Opoku-Fordjour, Beaumont, D du Preez, Thomas, Curtis, Dugdale.

Sin-bin: Cowan-Dickie (50)

Newcastle: Obatoyinbo, Radwan, Spencer, Hutchison, Stevenson, Grayson, Stuart; Brocklebank, Blamire, Palframan, Rubiolo, Hawkins, van der Walt, Gordon, Chick.

Replacements: Fletcher, du Bruin, McCallum, Lockwood, Scott, Davis, Metcalf, Brown.

Sin-bin: Chick (29)

Referee: Karl Dickson