Sports
2025 Australian Open: Nick Kyrgios to make Grand Slam return in Melbourne
Like Kyrgios, Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Belinda Bencic is also set to use her protected ranking to enter the Australian Open main draw after missing all of this year’s Grand Slams following the birth of her daughter Bella in April.
British number one Draper has never gone beyond the the second round at the Australian Open but will be hoping to build further momentum after reaching the semi-finals of the US Open in September.
Kartal, 23, will make her main draw debut in Melbourne, while Burrage, 25, had a first-round exit in 2024.
Defending champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, who top the men’s and women’s rankings, are both on the main draw list, while 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic, who is targeting a record 11th Australian Open crown, is also confirmed for the event.
Former world number four Kei Nishikori is another player using his protected ranking to return to the Australian Open for the first time since 2021.
Barcelona fight back from being two goals down twice to snatch a dramatic late victory away at Benfica to clinch their place in the Champions League last 16.
Sports
Ronnie O’Sullivan pulls out of another event as snooker hiatus continues after German Masters withdrawal
Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from a second snooker event in consecutive days, with his team announcing he will not participate in this weekend’s exhibition match in Helsinki.
The seven-time world champion’s latest withdrawal comes just one day after pulling out of next week’s German Masters tournament.
Both cancellations have been attributed to medical reasons, though specific details about O’Sullivan’s condition have not been disclosed.
The exhibition match was set to feature O’Sullivan against fellow snooker legend John Higgins in the Finnish capital.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has had a tough start to the yearPA
The exhibition match had been scheduled for Saturday in Helsinki, where O’Sullivan was due to face four-time world champion Higgins.
The high-profile encounter will now need to be rescheduled for a later date.
O’Sullivan’s team moved quickly to inform fans of the cancellation, releasing a statement expressing their regret over the situation.
In a statement, O’Sullivan’s team said: “We are really sorry to have to cancel the event in Helsinki this weekend. We will work with the promoters to find a date to reschedule a show when Ronnie is feeling better.”
The team thanked fans for their understanding regarding the late cancellation.
Ronnie O’Sullivan will be taking a break from snookerPA
The statement suggests O’Sullivan’s team are committed to ensuring Finnish fans will get to see the match at a future date once the player has recovered.
No specific timeline has been provided for when, or if, the exhibition match might be rearranged.
O’Sullivan claimed a hectic schedule prior to the Triple Crown event last week led to his decision not to play at the Alexandra Palace. “I’ve obviously been on this three-week trip, away playing, and I think I just exhausted myself,” he said.
“There was a lot of pressure while I was away and the build-up of all that kind of got too much.
“I lost the plot on Thursday and snapped my cue so that’s unplayable, so I just knew at that moment in time, the right decision was not to play.
“It’s such a big tournament I felt whoever was going to come in should at least have a couple of days’ notice.”
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Ronnie O’Sullivan revealed he has been struggling in recent weeksBBC
It’s unclear where O’Sullivan will play next as he failed to make it through to the next stage of the Champions League.
He’s been included in the field for the Welsh Open, which gets underway on February 10.
Rodrygo scores his second goal of the night to put Real Madrid 2-0 up against Red Bull Salzburg thanks a “brilliant” assist from Jude Bellingham.
Sports
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou gets another lifeline with Hoffenheim win as Europa League fate decided
Ange Postecoglou’s impressive record in cup competitions for Tottenham this season continued on Thursday night with a difficult 3-1 win away to Hoffenheim.
Spurs had lost just one of their 10 cup matches in all competitions prior to the match against Hoffenheim.
But they headed into the match low in confidence following another disappointing Premier League defeat.
Pressure has been mounting on Postecoglou to turn things around at the north London club with Tottenham currently 15th in the table.
Ange Postecoglou has a strong cup record
REUTERS
However, the Europa League has been an opportunity for Spurs to build up some confidence and a trip to Germany offered them a chance of sealing their Europa League fate.
A defeat to Hoffenheim would have made things difficult for Tottenham heading into the final game of the league phase.
But their big stars stepped up when it mattered for Tottenham with James Maddison and Son Heung-min getting on the scoresheet to give them a 2-0 advantage going into the break.
Tottenham’s lack of confidence was evident in the second half though as they invited pressure onto the makeshift backline with Brendon Austin making his European debut in goal.
Momentum was building for the home side and it was only a matter of time until they halved the deficit through Anton Stach.
Son then bagged his second of the game to restore Tottenham’s two-goal lead with 13 minutes remaining.
But there were still nerves on show in the latter stages with Hoffenheim scoring a second in the 88th minute.
Tottenham managed to hold on for a valuable win, moving them up to fourth in the table with just one game remaining.
Their tally of 14 points is also enough to ensure they make it through to the next round, although there’s still some work to be done to finish inside the top eight.
Son Heung-min scored twice
REUTERS
Tottenham face a favourable fixture at home to IF Elfsborg next week where a win will make sure they finish inside the top eight.
Spurs are still seen as the favourites to go all the way and win the Europa League – ending their long wait for silverware.
And despite their woeful Premier League form, the cup competitions have offered Postecoglou a lifeline for his job.
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Tottenham are up to fourth in the table
REUTERS
Thankfully for the Spurs boss, three of his next five fixtures are in cup competitions which could ultimately play a huge role in his future.
They hold a 1-0 advantage over Liverpool heading into the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg next month.
And Spurs face a tricky FA Cup fourth round tie away to Aston Villa just a few days after.
For now, attention will turn to this weekend’s fixture against Leicester where Tottenham willl be desperate to pick up all three points.
Declan Rice gives Arsenal an early lead in the Champions League, as he scores within the first two minutes to put them 1-0 up against Dinamo Zagreb.
Sports
Andy Murray shows true colours with gesture behind the scenes as Novak Djokovic coach at Australian Open
Andy Murray has not been shy in putting his ego to one side and fully stepping into his coaching role with Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.
The announcement of Murray teaming up with Djokovic in his first coaching role since retiring from the sport caught many by surprise.
While the two tennis stars were close growing up, they had spent the following two decades competing against each other at the highest level.
Now Murray was set to step into Djokovic’s corner and help the Serb clinch a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title Down Under.
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have been a force to be reckoned with this year
Reuters
There’s been some lighthearted moments caught on camera with Djokovic and Murray hitting with one another on the practice courts.
But it’s also been clear to see that the pair have kept things strictly professional when it matters most.
It was only a few months ago when Murray brought his own tennis career to an end and he’s not let his own status get in the way of some of the more mundane coaching tasks.
Former world No 4 Sam Stosur noted how ‘serious’ Murray was taking the role when she saw him at the tournament earlier on.
“When I saw Andy walking through the corridors with all Novak’s racquets, taking them to the stringer, you could see he is taking this job very seriously,” she said.
It’s unclear if Murray will continue as Djokovic’s coach beyond the Australian Open, but the former world No 1 has certainly left his mark.
Djokovic has been full of praise for Murray’s influence throughout the Australian Open.
The Serbian superstar embraced his temporary coach in a warm exchange immediately after his win over Alcaraz.
Andy Murray retired from tennis in the summerPA
Djokovic explained afterwards that the gesture was a way to thank his former rival for being in his corner.
“I felt to do it in the end of the match,” Djokovic said.
“I feel more and more connected with Andy every day. We face challenges every single day. People don’t see that obviously.
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Novak Djokovic is through to the semi-finals of the Australian Open
Getty
“I mean, we try to make the most out of every day and grow together. He’s been as committed to my career and this tournament as he can be.
“So it was kind of a gesture of appreciation, respect for him, and the fact that he’s out there, and he doesn’t need to be. He accepted to work with me. He’s giving all his support to me, to the whole team, and trying to make it work.
“This was a huge win for all of us, including Andy and myself, you know, for the relationship.
“Yeah, that’s why I went to him, because I just felt very grateful that he’s there.”
Those who know him say he is not a captain in the Vincent Kompany mould, someone who would roll up their sleeves and head to the trenches.
Walker, 34, is a people person, a joker, a wind-up merchant. Not too intense, a 1990s-style player still cutting it in the 2020s. He looks out for his team-mates and makes the dressing room atmosphere a positive one. When youngsters perform their media duties, he wants to know how they have done.
In delivering his pre-final message in Turkey, Walker was effectively saying ‘winning this competition has been my dream, I have looked after you guys, now you owe me a favour in return’.
It is the reality for most right-backs that their abilities tend to get overlooked.
Gary Neville was an outstanding player in his own right. But what carried him to eight league titles and 85 England caps was the unselfish way he overlapped first David Beckham, then Cristiano Ronaldo, over and over, without getting the ball.
Walker is not Trent Alexander-Arnold. He cannot spray pinpoint passes around the pitch. Ultimately, he is not the player Guardiola felt could be the inverted full-back the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach wanted.
What Walker had was blinding pace and an insatiable competitive streak.
These attributes were presumably overlooked when a Tottenham official, reflecting on the player’s £50m move north in 2017, said his club felt they had struck a good deal because Walker was not an ‘absolute top player’ and they still had Kieran Trippier.
Six league titles and 93 England caps suggests Tottenham got their assessment wrong.
Kyogo arrived at Celtic from Vissel Kobe for an undisclosed fee in July 2021 and has been one of the key players in the club’s domestic dominance.
He has won three Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two League Cups with the Glasgow club.
His involvement in securing those titles was pivotal, scoring 85 goals in 165 games – including 137 starts – as well as providing 15 assists.
The Japan forward, who is contracted to 2027, has scored 12 goals from 32 games this season as Celtic have opened up a commanding lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership and qualified for the knockout phase of the Champions League.
He played for 75 minutes of Wednesday’s victory against Young Boys that secured Celtic’s progress to a Champions League play-off tie.
Kyogo scored his first Celtic goal in his first start against Jablonec in the Europa League in August 2021 and netted a 67-minute hat-trick in his next match – a 6-0 win against Dundee.
His 20-goal tally in his first season included two strikes against Hibernian in the League Cup final at Hampden.
The following campaign he opened the scoring against Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the final of the Scottish Cup that sealed the Treble.
He also scored twice to see off Rangers in the Scottish League Cup final earlier that season.
Since his debut in the Premiership he has scored 63 goals, 12 more times than the next highest scorer, Lawrence Shankland, during that period.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.
Stuttgart’s Jamie Leweling scores twice in a 3-1 away win, ending Slovan Bratislava’s chances of making the Champions League play-offs.
Formula 1 drivers could face race bans and hefty fines for criticising the sport’s governing body or using offensive language under controversial new rules introduced for 2025.
The FIA has established a three-strike system that could see drivers suspended from competition for one month and lose championship points for repeated infractions.
The changes to the sporting code mark a significant shift in how the governing body handles criticism and inappropriate conduct from drivers.
The new regulations will also apply to other top-level motorsport championships, including world rallying, world endurance and Formula E.
Under the new system, a first offence will result in a €40,000 fine for top-level championship drivers.
A second violation carries an €80,000 fine and a suspended one-month competition ban.
For a third offence, drivers face a €120,000 fine along with an immediate one-month suspension and potential championship points deduction.
FIA chief Mohammed Ben Sulayem has introduced some controversial new rules
PA
The penalties are four times higher for Formula 1 drivers and others competing in premier championships compared to standard rates.
Team principals, who also hold FIA licences, will be subject to the same penalty structure.
Multiple sources within the FIA have revealed internal opposition to the new rules, which were reportedly pushed through without proper consultation.
One source told the BBC the changes were implemented via a “snap e-vote and with no consultation with other stakeholders or the GPDA or the FIA’s own drivers’ commission”.
Another source described the process as “not right” and questioned why the matter couldn’t have been discussed at the next world motorsport council meeting.
The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) has declined to comment on the new regulations.
The changes are seen as the latest in a series of moves by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to limit dissent and criticism.
The new rules follow growing tensions between drivers and the FIA leadership.
Max Verstappen was punished for an outburst in Singapore last year
Reuters
Last November, the GPDA wrote an open letter asking to be treated like “adults” and questioning the appropriateness of fines in motorsport.
The letter came after Max Verstappen was ordered to perform public service for swearing during a Singapore Grand Prix press conference.
Verstappen subsequently appeared at a grassroots motorsport event in Rwanda alongside Ben Sulayem.
Mercedes driver and GPDA director George Russell had recently expressed that drivers were “a bit fed up with” the FIA leadership.
The GPDA’s letter requesting transparency about fine expenditure has received no response.
The new sporting code outlines two key areas of prohibited behaviour.
One clause bans “language that is offensive, insulting, coarse, rude or abusive” as well as physical assaults and incitement.
The second forbids “words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA” or damage to motorsport’s interests.
Earlier this week, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu expressed frustration with the governing body.
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George Russell has hit out at the FIA
PA
“Don’t write it (in a) headline: ‘Ayao says FIA is in a mess,’ but that’s what everybody thinks. That’s what everybody experiences,” Komatsu said.
When asked to elaborate, he added: “I don’t want to get into that political battle.”
An FIA spokesperson defended the changes, saying they aim to “further enhance transparency and consistency in decision-making”.
The spokesperson said the new appendix provides clear guidance to stewards regarding penalties for specific code violations.
“By establishing a more structured framework, the FIA seeks to ensure that penalties are applied uniformly and transparently,” the spokesperson added.
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