Sports
Australian Open 2026 men’s final: Why Novak Djokovic needs Melbourne victory more than Carlos Alcaraz
Whoever wins Sunday’s Australian Open men’s singles final between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will create history.
Djokovic, 38, has been stuck on 24 Grand Slam titles since September 2023 – and one more success will take him clear of Margaret Court’s record of major singles titles.
One of the young guns stopping Djokovic has been 22-year-old Alcaraz.
The Spaniard has already lifted six major trophies – and victory in Melbourne would seal a maiden Australian Open title and make him the youngest man to have won all four Grand Slams.
Unlike Alcaraz, Djokovic does not have time on his side.
That is why this final feels so crucial for Djokovic – and that could provide the fuel to fire him to crowning glory.
At the beginning of the season-opening Grand Slam, Djokovic insisted he did not feel this fortnight was “make or break” for his ambition of hitting the magic number of 25.
It felt like Djokovic was attempting to release the pressure on himself, and that has continued going into Sunday’s showpiece.
Asked about its significance in the context of his career, Djokovic said: “The final of a Grand Slam, there is a lot at stake. But it is no different from any other big match that I play.”
Only Djokovic knows if he truly believes that.
There is little doubt, however, that the longer time ticks on, the less likely it is he will clinch the elusive 25th title he so dearly craves.
NEW DELHI: Like the Delhi weather over the past two days, chilly and cold on Tuesday evening to warm and hot on Wednesday afternoon, Vaishnavi Adkar also had contrast in fortunes and performance in the BJK Cup.On Tuesday, against Indonesia’s Aunchisa Chanta, she was swept aside by the left-hander’s shot-making, letting nerves dictate her debut for the national team.A day later, starting the Asia/Oceania Group 1 tie against New Zealand, she was on the money with her forehands and the errant serve had also subsided. In a contest lasting an hour and 30 minutes, she beat New Zealand’s Aishi Das 6-2, 6-4 for her first win in the national team colours.
“This is something that I have been looking forward to for so many years. Like getting on to the team, not just as a reserve, but as one of the playing five. So being able to get the win is really special because it means a lot. Because there is a lot of emotion behind it,” she told reporters after the win.“So it really feels very special. Especially when it’s at home, and I’ve got the crowd support and everything. It really means a lot,” she continued.The far more experienced Indian, who became the top-ranked Indian this week, made the most of World No. 1151 Das’s inconsistent show. Ironically, less than 24 hours after having her serve repeatedly put under the pump, Adkar closed out the first set with an ace. The 21-year-old had her lead cut and was broken to bring the second set to 4-4. But the Indian hit back immediately as Das’ error count went against her chances to force a decider. The change in weather and conditions did play a role, she admitted.“Yeah, when it’s cold, the ball travels a bit faster. And when it’s warm, the balls feel heavy, and it travels a bit slow. So definitely, it was more controlled today than yesterday. So I think that also really helped me a lot,” she stated.
Sahaja Yamalapalli in action (Photo by DLTA)
Vaishnavi wasn’t the only Indian to celebrate a milestone win. Sahaja Yamalapalli, too, notched her first win in India colours in the team competition. Since making her debut against China in 2024, she went through ties against New Zealand, Thailand, Korea, Slovenia, Netherlands and Thailand again only to come out second best.Having suffered a three-set defeat to Patcharin Cheapchandej in a match that resumed on Wednesday morning, Sahaja walked up to the court once again with the hope of picking her first win.It took her all of 76 minutes to dispatch Valentina Ivanov 6-1, 6-3 to not just seal her maiden ‘W’, but also assured India of an unbeatable scoreline.“Definitely I’m happy. I know my record has not been great in the BJK Cup but I also played really tough matches. So it was tough to get a W. But I’m happy to get one win under my belt.“I don’t want to look at it that way also. I want to take it one match at a time and focus on what I can do and not on my records,” she told TimesofIndia.com after the match.
Vaishnavi adkar doing serve (Photo by DLTA)
Sahaja, who has come through the US Collegiate system, was broken to start wtih but quickly bounced back to win the next eight games in a row, including the first set along the way.Ivanov tried to mount a comeback in the second set, bringing things back to serve, and then saving three break points but couldn’t fend off a fourth.Yamalapalli sealed the deal on the first match opportunity, forcing Ivanov into an error.Rutuja Bhosale and Ankita Raina made it 3-0 to India, pocketing their second win of the day, after beating Monique Barry and Erin Routliffe 6-4, 6-2.
Day 1 Scores from BJK Cup Asia/Oceania Group 1
- India 1-2 Thailand
- Korea 3-0 Mongolia
- New Zealand 1-2 Indonesia
Day 2 Scores from BJK Cup Asia/Oceania Group 1
- India 3-0 New Zealand
- Indonesia 3-0 Mongolia
- Korea 3-0 Thailand
Sports
Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Titans LIVE Score, IPL 2026: Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, Washington Sundar Slam Fifties; GT Post 210/4 vs DC
Gujarat Titans XI vs DC: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Ashok Sharma.
Straight swap as Gill replaces Kushagra. No changes otherwise for GT despite two losses in a row. Jason Holder remains on the bench.
Monday brought the first day of 2026 Masters week. Eager patrons entered the gates excited to experience Augusta National’s hallowed grounds, all while on their best behavior. That is except for one ticketless Masters fan, who was arrested after refusing to leave the property.
He hoped to find himself watching the pros at Amen Corner, but he ended up spending the day in jail.
Here’s what you need to know.
Man arrested for refusing to leave Augusta at 2026 Masters
According to a report from the Augusta Press, Matthew Stroud, a 36-year-old from Easley, Ga., arrived at Augusta National’s North Gate on Masters Monday “intoxicated.”
Once there, Stroud allegedly walked up to Masters patrons waiting to get into Augusta and requested their tickets for Monday’s practice round. Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies first asked Stroud to leave the premises at 11 a.m. ET.
Tears, magic and a returned check: Masters patrons share favorite memories
;)
But the incident was not over. Richmond County Sheriff’s Captain Scott Gay told the Augusta Press that Stroud initially agreed to their commands and left. Sometime later, though, Stroud returned and “continued the behavior” of harassing patrons for their Masters tickets.
Officers again told Stroud to leave, but this time he refused. At that point, officers placed Stroud under arrest for criminal trespassing.
From there, he was taken to the local Charles B. Webster Detention Center. Stroud was released on a $285 bond later in the day.
You can read the full Augusta Press report here.
Masters ticket scheme leads to charges for Texas family
Masters tickets are one of the hottest commodities in sports, and one of the hardest to come by. Most tickets are awarded via the Masters ticket lottery, and reselling tickets is strictly prohibited by Augusta National.
But in the past, multiple people have been arrested over Masters ticket schemes.
;)
How Augusta National gets put to bed each night of the Masters
In 2019, a Texas family was convicted of conspiring to commit mail fraud in relation to an illegal Masters ticket venture.
The four relatives arrested in the incident bought mailing lists to obtain the names and addresses of people, which were used to create fake accounts for the online ticket lottery for the Masters, according to court documents. The fake accounts were entered into the lottery using email addresses belonging to the family.
“These profiteering con artists thought they had succeeded in hijacking the Augusta National’s generous ticket lottery system to satisfy their own greed,” said Bobby Christine, who then served as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, in a statement at the time.
Leicester City have lost their appeal against their six-point deduction for breaching English Football League financial rules.
The sanction was imposed on the club in February by an independent commission and saw the Foxes fall from 17th to 20th, however they have since dropped into the Championship relegation zone and are a point adrift of safety with five games remaining.
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They were initially charged by the Premier League in May 2025 for breaching profit and sustainability rules (PSR) relating to the 2023-24 season, when they were in the Championship.
“With the matter now at an end and five games of the season remaining, everyone at the club is fully focused on the matches in front of us and on shaping the outcome of our season through our results on the pitch,” a Leicester statement said.
“We know this has been a challenging period, and we thank our supporters for the backing they continue to give the team.
“The responsibility now is to ensure these remaining games are approached with the focus and intent our current situation demands.”
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Leicester were “disappointed” when it was announced they were docked six points on 5 February and described the punishment as “disproportionate”.
Under PSR, Premier League clubs cannot lose more than £105m over three years but the figure is reduced by £22m for every season a club spends outside the top flight.
Despite being charged by the Premier League, the EFL took on the case following their relegation last year and they were found guilty of breaking PSR rules in the English Football League.
Leicester had argued their case should have been considered over a 36-month period rather than 37 months, caused by a delay in submitting their accounts for 2023-24.
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The commission ruled that it should be 36 months meaning the club’s overspend of the EFL’s rules during that period was £20.8m above the £83m limit.
The Foxes appealed the decision two weeks later – and less than 24 hours after the club appointed Gary Rowett as their new interim head coach until the end of the season.
Since they were deducted six points, Leicester’s form has slumped further and they now face an uphill battle to survive a second successive relegation, after a run of just one win in 12 games in all competitions.
NEW DELHI: The BCCI has introduced a new rule in IPL 2026 to limit the movement of substitute and benched players during matches, according to a report from Cricbuzz. Under this update, only the 16 players named in the match squad are allowed on the field, while others must stay in the dugout. The move is seen as an effort to tighten on-field discipline, though no official reason has been given.
New rules for substitutes
The report understands that the teams have been told that players who are not part of the playing 16 cannot step onto the field, even for routine tasks like carrying drinks or messages. Only a maximum of five players, wearing bibs, are allowed to move near the boundary at any time.“Instructions have been passed to us only recently that all substitutes cannot move around during the match. They are also not allowed to carry drinks onto the field. Only the 16 named in the team for the match can do so. In addition to that, only five outside the playing XI can move around. The others can sit in the dugout, but cannot move between the boundary line and LED advertising boards,” team sources said.
What this means
Earlier, larger squads often had several players assisting on the field during matches. Now, the BCCI has tightened existing rules to reduce unnecessary movement and maintain better control. The change applies to all IPL teams this season, where squads can have up to 25 players but only 16 are officially part of a match.While the exact reason remains unclear, the decision is being seen as a stricter enforcement of playing conditions to streamline match operations and avoid overcrowding around the field.
Ademola Lookman will be at the centre of attention as Atlético Madrid aim to end their 20-year wait for an away win against Barcelona at the Camp Nou.
Atlético have not beaten Barcelona away since 2006, but much of the belief ahead of this Champions League quarter-final clash is now built around Lookman’s form.
The Nigerian forward has made a bright start since joining Atlético from Atalanta in January. In a short time, he has scored five goals, provided four assists, and become one of the team’s most dangerous attacking players.
Lookman already showed his quality against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, where he scored and assisted in a 4-0 victory. That performance proved he can deliver on the big stage.
Manager Diego Simeone is expected to start Lookman after resting him in the recent league defeat to Barcelona. The decision was aimed at keeping him fresh for this important European tie.
Atlético are likely to defend deep and stay compact, but Lookman will be key when they move forward. His pace, dribbling and direct style make him the perfect player for quick counter-attacks.
Barcelona, under Hansi Flick, will try to control the game with possession and high pressing. However, this approach could leave space at the back — an area where Lookman can be very dangerous.
With players like Julián Álvarez supporting the attack, Atlético will look to release Lookman quickly whenever they win the ball.
Despite Barcelona’s strong home record, Atlético will take confidence from past Champions League meetings where they knocked the Spanish side out of the competition.
Team news could also favour Atlético. Barcelona are dealing with injuries to key players, which may give Lookman more chances to exploit gaps in defence.
All eyes will now be on the Super Eagles star. If Lookman delivers another strong performance, he could help Atlético finally break their long-standing record at the Camp Nou.
Koen Bergs, the father of Jannik Sinner‘s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters doubles partner Zizou Bergs, is reporting on social media that Sinner is withdrawing from doubles. He says the Bergs and Sinner team will not play in Round 2.
The blue checkmarked X account seemingly belongs to Bergs’ dad. Koen is his father’s name, and the description mentions Zizou’s name as a family member and Koen’s role as an entrepreneur and ATP coach.
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MORE: Carlos Alcaraz’s recent comment should end questions about ATP World No. 1 ranking
What’s happening
Though it is not validated by the Tennis Channel or members of Sinner’s team, it appears to be true. It is unfortunate because fans enjoyed seeing Sinner’s playful side on the doubles court.
MORE: Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys react to Rafael Nadal working with Iga Swiatek
Sinner has been playing a lot of tennis this spring
Bergs told the media that Sinner reached out to him and asked him to play in Monte Carlo.
This may be the result of how much tennis the World No. 2 has played in the past month. He won the Sunshine Double so he has logged a lot of matches in Indian Wells and Miami.
The clay court season brings new challenges, and perhaps Sinner wants to pull back from doubles to focus on the surface change.
Singles players withdraw from doubles competition all the time, and some are criticized for it. It is a tightrope they walk in wanting more competitive matches on court without overplaying.
Armagh coach Conleith Gilligan feels his players are “cute enough” not to underestimate Tyrone in Sunday’s Ulster Senior Football Championship preliminary round clash at the Athletic Grounds.
The Orchard men go into the game as overwhelming favourites to move into a quarter-final against Fermanagh 13 days later, but Gilligan insists they are not thinking along those lines.
Armagh retained their Division One status in the league while Tyrone did likewise in the second division, but the Red Hands had been tipped to do much more at the outset.
Malachy O’Rourke’s side struggled to hit top form, but Gilligan feels Sunday’s derby match could well produce a much different Tyrone challenge and it is one Armagh are ready for.
“The proximity of Armagh to Tyrone, even our younger players would have looked at their younger players winning Hogan Cups and All-Ireland U20s, so there’s no illusion with the younger players as to the quality Tyrone have,” Gilligan said.
“The older players, they’ve been through the mill before and been stung in big games before where they were supposed to be favourites. Last year’s Kerry game was the prime example, where the expectation was that Kerry wouldn’t beat Armagh, and look how that turned out.
“The fact that the league is done now, every team’s looking for that one big win to ignite their summer. From a Tyrone perspective, going to Armagh to do that would be high on their list of priorities.”
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Shubman Gill issues worrying injury update despite IPL return: ‘It’s something similar’ | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: Shubman Gill issued a worrying update on his neck injury despite returning to action during IPL 2026 Match 14 between Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday. Delhi Capitals chose to bowl first against Gujarat Titans in their IPL 2026 clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, continuing their strong start to the season.
While DC came into the game with two wins, Gujarat Titans were still searching for their first victory. The match also marked the return of GT captain Shubman Gill after he missed the previous game due to a muscle spasm.
Gill’s injury concern and return
Gill’s comeback was a boost for Gujarat, but his update on his fitness raised some concern. When asked about whether it was the same recurring injury he picked up during India’s home series against South Africa, he admitted, “It’s much better, thank you. Yes, it’s something similar.”This suggests the neck problem he faced earlier could still be lingering, even though he is fit enough to play.
DC vs GT news
At the toss, Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel explained the decision to bowl first, pointing to pitch conditions and recent success while chasing.“We will bowl first. We’ve chased well in the last two matches and this is a fresh wicket. It’s been raining; there could be some moisture. Bowl first, have a look at the wicket, restrict them and chase down the score,” he saod.Delhi have looked strong so far with back-to-back wins, while Gujarat Titans have struggled, losing both their matches. With Gill back in the lineup, GT will be hoping to turn things around and get their campaign on track, but concerns over his fitness could remain a talking point going forward.
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Doha Diamond League, where Neeraj Chopra breached 90m mark, postponed this year – here’s why | More sports News
NEW DELHI: The Diamond League athletics meet in Doha has been postponed by six weeks due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with organisers prioritising safety amid regional tensions. The event, which was originally scheduled for May 8, will now take place on June 19. The decision comes even as a temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran has been announced, reflecting continued uncertainty in the region.The Doha leg holds special significance for Indian fans, as it was at last year’s event that Neeraj Chopra achieved a major milestone.
The Tokyo Olympic champion breached the 90-metre mark for the first time with a throw of 90.23m, though he finished second to Germany’s Julian Weber. His performance was widely seen as a landmark moment in Indian athletics.
Event changes and safety concerns
Organisers made it clear that the postponement was driven by concerns over the safety of athletes, officials and spectators.“In the interests of athlete and spectator safety, a decision has now been taken to postpone the meeting. Should conditions allow, it will now be held on June 19,” they said in a statement, as quoted by AFP.In addition to the date change, the venue has also been shifted from the Qatar Sports Club to the Khalifa International Stadium. The move is aimed at tackling extreme weather conditions, as the stadium is equipped with temperature-control technology and has previously hosted major global events like the World Athletics Championships and FIFA World Cup matches.
Wider impact on sports
The disruption is not limited to athletics. The ongoing conflict has already forced the cancellation or postponement of several high-profile sporting events across the region. Formula One races in Bahrain and Jeddah were cancelled, while football’s Finalissima clash and other competitions like MotoGP and gymnastics events in Qatar were also affected.Despite this, some events have gone ahead, including a high-profile horse racing meet in Dubai. Meanwhile, the Diamond League season will now begin in Shanghai on May 16, as organisers adjust the calendar to navigate the uncertain situation.
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