Sports
Australian Open 2025: Novak Djokovic ‘grateful’ for coach Andy Murray after beating Carlos Alcaraz in Melbourne
First came a visceral roar. Then a tender hug.
Novak Djokovic’s emotions poured out after securing an Australian Open quarter-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz that defied opinion, logic and expectation.
Exuding joy and relief, Djokovic turned straight to his coach Andy Murray and buried his head in the Briton’s chest.
The celebration between the rivals-turned-colleagues came following the biggest success of Murray’s shock first coaching job.
“It was kind of a gesture of appreciation and respect for him for the fact that he’s out there and he doesn’t need to be,” said 37-year-old Djokovic, who was born a week after Murray in May 1987.
“He accepted to work with me. He’s giving all his support to me, to the whole team, and trying to make it work.”
When 24-time major champion Djokovic announced in November he was employing the recently retired Murray as his new coach, it felt like a prank.
But there is nothing more serious for both men than winning tennis matches.
Murray has regularly cut a tense figure during Djokovic’s run at Melbourne Park, appearing deep in thought about how he can help the seventh seed land a record 25th Grand Slam title.
His relief at the Serb edging past Alcaraz, 21, showed with a heavy exhale of breath.
Then came the moment when Djokovic, who had battled through an upper left leg injury to beat Spanish third seed Alcaraz, trudged over to hug his fist-pumping coach.
“This was a huge win for all of us – including Andy and myself for the relationship,” added Djokovic.
“That’s why I went to him because I felt very grateful that he’s there.”
They also pointed to changes to scheduling caused by coronavirus as well as exceptionally wet weather as factors which contributed to their pitch problems.
Williams believes the current issues may be partly down to the fact that the surface is simply “getting older”.
“The artificial stuff that is woven into the pitch has a lifespan,” he said.
“Once you kick that stuff out, no matter how much sunshine or ultraviolet light or watering you give it, artificial grass doesn’t grow back.”
Williams says the problems do not help a Swansea side who are renowned for playing a possession game, which requires a quality surface.
“It makes it tougher, the way we want to play, in particular,” he added.
Ospreys are to end their stay at the Swansea.com Stadium, which is owned by the Swans, before the 2025-26 season, with the region in the process of making St Helen’s their new home.
There is a particularly busy week on the horizon for the stadium in the spring, with Swansea playing home games against Derby County on Saturday, 5 April and Plymouth Argyle four days later, while Ospreys host Scarlets in the European Challenge Cup on Sunday, 6 April (17:30 GMT).
Wrexham AFC midfielder James McClean suffered cuts and bruises following a car crash on Wednesday morning near Wrexham Golf Club.
The Republic of Ireland international was involved in a single-vehicle incident amid treacherous weather conditions in North Wales.
Fog and ice made driving conditions particularly hazardous at the time of the accident, which occurred as McClean was travelling to training.
Wrexham AFC released a statement confirming one of their first-team players had been involved in a car accident on his way to training.
Wrexham AFC midfielder James McClean suffered cuts and bruises following a car crash on Wednesday morning near Wrexham Golf Club
PA
“It was a single car accident with no other vehicles involved and the relevant local authorities were quickly present at the scene,” the club stated.
The statement added that the player had reported to the club and would undergo further medical checks as a precaution.
Eyewitnesses reported significant damage to McClean’s black Audi following the off-road incident, according to the Daily Mail.
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The midfielder faced abuse from fans during a recent league match, after which he took to social media to criticise the town.
“In fairness if I was born and raised in Shewsbury I’d probably be this angry as well because it’s an absolute cesspit full of inbreds,” McClean wrote.
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McClean has previously attracted attention for his stance on wearing the poppy, including standing apart from team-mates during a Remembrance Day silence last year.
The midfielder has explained his position, stating: “If the poppy was simply about World War One and Two victims alone, I’d wear it without a problem.”
James McClean has been regularly abused by fans over his refusal to wear a poppyPA
“It stands for all the conflicts that Britain has been involved in. Because of the history where I come from in Derry, I cannot wear something that represents that,” he added.
It is currently unclear if McClean will feature in Wrexham’s upcoming clash with Birmingham on Thursday night (8pm).
The Welsh side currently sit third in the League One table, having picked up 51 points from their 26 matches so far.
Wrexham captain James McClean will be assessed by the club’s medical team after he was involved in a car accident on his way to training on Wednesday morning.
The League One club confirmed a first-team player – who they did not name – had been involved in a single car accident with no other vehicles involved and that emergency services attended the scene.
The statement added: “The player reported to the club this morning and will undergo further medical checks.”
Local media reports named the 35-year-old former Republic of Ireland international McClean as the player who was involved in the accident.
North Wales Police confirmed in a statement that they had received a report of road traffic collision on the A534 in Wrexham, near to Wrexham Golf Club shortly before 09:00 GMT.
The statement added: “Officers and colleagues from the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service attended the incident, which had blocked the road until the vehicle was recovered shortly before 10am.
“No serious injuries were reported from the scene.”
Masters snooker champion Shaun Murphy has jokingly admitted how he now wishes he’d never revealed completing sport’s hardest hat-trick.
The potting ace previously told how he has the unique title of bagging a nine-dart finish at darts, a hole in one at golf and a 147 at snooker.
Murphy’s claim has since become a talking point on social media and even featured in a hilarious advertising campaign ahead of the Masters – which he won on Sunday.
Speaking exclusively to GB News, the 42-year-old said: “I will say we had a lot of fun with it in the build up to the tournament, Paddy Power got involved with it, and we were all over it.
Masters snooker champion Shaun Murphy has jokingly admitted how he now wishes he’d never revealed completing sport’s hardest hat-trick
GBNEWS
“We had a lot of laughs with it, but the amount of people who were up in arms about it on socials was hilarious, but it was a long time ago.
“I don’t play darts anymore, as recent footage shows, it’s awful these days, and I was never that good, if truth be told.
“But what can I say? It was a random night in the pub, and it’ll never happen again. Part of me wishes I’d never mentioned anything!”.
Murphy, now a top UK motivational speaker, is returning to the practice table today ahead of flying off to the German Masters.
Speaking to Eamonn Holmes and Ellie Costello he admitted he’d thought his days of winning majors were gone. But now, following his Masters success, he thinks he has an outside chance for the World title in April.
JUST IN:James McClean left injured after car crash as Wrexham provide update on controversial star
He continued: “To be totally honest with you, I’d sort of thought that those days were numbered for me. I really thought those days had gone.
“It’s been such a long time since I competed for any of the majors in snooker. I’ve won events over the years, but those big ones, they’re a little bit different. They’re in a bit of a league of their own.
“I thought those days were gone, so I’m still in shock about it, to be honest. It still hasn’t sunk in at all.”
Asked about practicing, he said: “I think as you get older, the practice time goes down a little bit as you get other commitments in your life.
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“I’ve sort of started out in my own broadcasting career. I do the BBC events for them, I’ve got my podcast and all my socials and stuff like that. I’ve got my YouTube channel going on. I’m trying to practice as well for these events.
“It’s probably not nine to five anymore, but it’s every day, and I’ve had a couple of days off since the win at Ally Pally. Today is actually my first day back.
“I’m going to go to the ‘office today, going to get the cue out, see if I can still pot a ball after the excitement of the last few days, because we head to Germany on Sunday for the German masters. So we’re straight back on the bike and have no time to rest.”
On the World Championship, he continued: “I suppose it’s all totally changed now, following the win last weekend. I hope it doesn’t come across as a bit of a line, but my belief had totally gone that I could do that still.
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Shaun Murphy is a man on top of the world following his recent Masters triumph
PA
“I’ve paired up with Peter Ebdon. A lot’s been made of that. He’s helped me rediscover my self-belief.
“I’ll go to the World Championship now thinking that actually, I could win it. Whether I will or not obviously remains to be seen. There are plenty of good players who are going to try and stop me and win it themselves.
Shaun Murphy is confident of winning the World Championship after securing Masters glory
PA
“But in years gone by, you can kid everyone else, but you can’t kid yourself. And, you know, I perhaps had lost that belief and just didn’t really, truly believe it, whereas now I’ve got the trophy to show myself that actually I can still do it.”
Sports
Australian Open 2025 results: Britain’s Henry Patten ‘trying to replicate Wimbledon win’ as he reaches doubles last four
Britain’s Henry Patten says he and Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara will “try and replicate” their Wimbledon success at the Australian Open after the pair reached the men’s doubles semi-finals in Melbourne.
The pair claimed a thrilling victory at Wimbledon last year, just three months after joining forces.
They moved a step closer to a second Grand Slam title together with a 6-3 7-5 victory over Monaco’s Hugo Nys and Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin in Wednesday’s quarter-finals.
Sixth seeds Patten and Heliovaara, who have yet to drop a set at Melbourne Park, will face German duo Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz in the semi-finals.
“We’ve been in this position before, although not in Australia,” Patten said.
“And when we were here last we played very, very well, so it’s nice to have that in your back pocket.”
Patten returned to court later on Wednesday in the mixed doubles, but he and fellow Briton Olivia Nicholls lost 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 to Australian wildcards Kimberly Birrell and John-Patrick Smith in the semi-finals.
Patten is the last Briton in the doubles after Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool were beaten 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-5) by Krawietz and Puetz.
Chelsea midfielders Erin Cuthbert and Guro Reiten take on the ultimate friendship test and reveal a few home truths to one another in Honesty Cards.
Watch Arsenal v Chelsea in the Women’s Super League on Sunday, 26 January at 12:30 GMT on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website & app.
Sports
Lewis Hamilton fans suffer blow as F1 legend drives a Ferrari for the first time ahead of 2025 season
Lewis Hamilton’s eagerly anticipated first drive of a Ferrari Formula One car was largely obscured by thick fog at the Fiorano Circuit in Italy.
The seven-time world champion took to the track in an older Ferrari F1 car, but visibility was severely limited for the spectators.
“He has disappeared in the mist,” joked one fan on social media.
“Looks like some kind of a secret reveal. Just need to wait for the mist to clear and we will see Hamilton,” another commented.
Lewis Hamilton drove a Ferrari for the first time on Wednesday
REUTERS
Sky Sports News’ attempt to broadcast the historic moment live was thwarted by unfortunate timing.
Reporter Craig Slater had to inform viewers: “I am afraid your timing is very unfortunate because Lewis Hamilton has just flashed past in the last few seconds.”
The broadcaster then had to wait for Hamilton to complete another lap, but the heavy fog made it nearly impossible to see the car clearly.
JUST IN:James McClean left injured after car crash as Wrexham provide update on controversial star
Lewis Hamilton’s eagerly anticipated first drive of a Ferrari Formula One car was largely obscured by thick fog at the Fiorano Circuit in Italy
SKYSPORTS
Ferrari released footage of Hamilton, now 40, emerging from the historic house of founder Enzo Ferrari wearing their iconic red race suit.
The British driver has been at Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello since the start of the week following his arrival from Mercedes.
On Monday, Hamilton was photographed in front of the iconic Ferrari house wearing a stylish suit during his first day at the Scuderia base.
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Around 1,000 fans gathered at the Fiorano Circuit hoping to catch a glimpse of their new star driver.
The atmosphere was electric despite the challenging visibility conditions.
“This is absolutely awesome, what a moment,” one supporter wrote on social media.
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Another fan expressed their disbelief, stating: “Still feels like I am stuck in a dream.”
Hamilton’s move to Ferrari comes after ending his illustrious 12-year partnership with Mercedes at the conclusion of last season.
The British driver has signed a two-year contract with Ferrari, reportedly worth £100million.
Lewis Hamilton will be aiming to win a record eighth F1 title in 2025
REUTERS
Adding to the significant changes, Hamilton’s trusted colleague Angela Cullen is set to join him at Ferrari.
Cullen, described as Hamilton’s “chief confidante”, will reunite with the driver after spending the last two years working apart.
Testing for the new season begins in Bahrain on February 26, with the first race of the season poised to take place in Australia on March 16.
Watch Lorenzo Sonego score an incredible winner with a volley that spins back over the net during his Australian Open quarter-final defeat by Ben Shelton.
Celtic winger Luis Palma, 25, is being chased by Sunderland, Stoke City, Swansea City and Queens Park Rangers as well as several European clubs. (Football Insider), external
Meanwhile, Celtic have been handed a boost in their quest to bring 27-year-old Scotland defender Kieran Tierney back to the club with the emergence of talented teenage Arsenal left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly opening the door further for a January exit from London. (Record), external
However, Celtic are unlikely to reach Aston Villa’s asking price for Louie Barry after reportedly having a £10m bid rejected for the 21-year-old forward. (Football Insider), external
Rangers are demanding a price for striker Cyriel Dessers that is unaffordable for Leganes, who tried to sign the Nigeria international when he was with Feyenoord. (AS), external
Vicko Sevelj wants Dundee United to bounce back from their Scottish Cup exit against Rangers in Sunday’s Premiership meeting and believes catching the second-placed team is still a possibility. (Record), external
United need to start games the way they are finishing them, says former defender Lee Wilkie. (Courier – subscription), external
Luke Littler opted for video games over his first legal pint as the darts star celebrated turning 18 on Tuesday.
The teenage star marked his milestone birthday with an intimate family dinner at his parents’ house in Warrington, shunning traditional pub celebrations.
The low-key affair offered Littler a chance to unwind after a remarkable year that saw him dominate the sport and claim multiple major titles.
Instead of heading to the pub, Littler enjoyed a family takeaway dinner, with his father Anthony Buckley making a trip to Castlerise Fish & Chips in Runcorn.
Luke Littler opted for video games over his first legal pint as the darts star celebrated turning 18 on Tuesday
PA
The proud dad was spotted wearing a ‘Nuke’ branded hoodie, referencing his son’s nickname, while collecting the food.
The meal marked a change from Littler’s usual favourite – a kebab wrap with doner meat, lettuce, onion and mayonnaise, accompanied by chips and a fizzy drink.
Back at home, Littler spent his birthday hosting a live stream while playing EA FC 25, the popular football video game.
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Luke Littler opted to play on his Xbox, rather than go to the pub, after turning 18
TIKTOK
The stream attracted 3,500 viewers at its peak, with the darts champion sharing footage on his TikTok account.
His gaming content reached his substantial social media following, which includes 686,000 TikTok followers.
The birthday celebrations provided a welcome break from competitive darts for the young star, who enjoyed a successful 2024 winning the Premier League, Grand Slam and World Series Finals.
READ MORE: Man Utd legend Bryan Robson faces massive tax bill after losing HMRC case as ‘disguised employee’
His recent success culminated in winning the PDC World Championship, defeating Michael van Gerwen 7-3 at Alexandra Palace at the start of the year.
The victory earned him a £500,000 prize, pushing his total earnings to £1.18m and securing him second place in the PDC Order of Merit.
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After celebrating his birthday, Littler will return to competitive action at the Dutch Darts Masters, which begins on January 24.
Littler’s success has been closely supported by his parents, Anthony and Lisa, who have accompanied him to tournaments due to his previous age restrictions.
Luke Littler recently won the World Darts Championship
PA
His father played a crucial role in his career path, encouraging him to switch from football to darts at age nine.
The family’s support was evident at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award ceremony in December, where they shared an emotional embrace before Littler collected the runner-up prize.
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