Stefanos Tsitsipas recently reacted to the brutal criticism that has been meted out to him by his ex-coach Goran Ivanisevic. Responding to the Croatian, the World No.49 stated that he had been ‘really hurt’ by his comments.
Tsitsipas and Ivanisevic began working together in May 2025, after the Greek star fired his father. However, their partnership was short lived and they parted ways only two months later after a series of uninspiring results. After their split, Ivanisevic publicly criticised Tsitsipas, telling SportKlub
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“He has to find a solution for his back issue. I was shocked. I’ve never seen such a poorly prepared player in my life. Me, at my age and with this bad knee, I’m three times in better shape than him.”
More recently, Ivanisevic doubled down on his criticisms about Stefanos Tsitsipas. Reacting to the Croatian’s harsh words, the former World No.3 told The Times,
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“If it was a way of him pushing me into working harder and getting my s— together, it was definitely not the right tactic. I was really hurt. I never expected that a coach could do that to me, and the worst thing is what he said was not true. I was not fit because I had been injured. I hadn’t been practising properly for over two weeks. It was like he kicked me when I was already down.”
Since parting ways with Goran Ivanisevic, Tsitsipas has paired up with his father Apostolos once again.
Stefanos Tsitsipas set to begin Monte-Carlo Masters campaign against Francisco Cerundolo
Tsitsipas at the Miami Open (Image Source: Getty)
Stefanos Tsitsipas spent the latter half of his 2025 season on the bench as he struggled with a back injury. The Greek star returned to action earlier this year with the Adelaide International, but he has failed to string together consistent wins.
His best result this season has been a quarterfinals finish he accomplished at the Qatar Open. Except for that impressive outing in Doha and a round of 32 appearance at the Miami Open, the 27-year-old has failed to move past the second round in any tournament, including the Australian Open and Indian Wells.
Now, Stefanos Tsitsipas is scheduled to kick off his clay season at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The event takes place between April 5 and April 13 at the Monte-Carlo Country Club and promises some exciting tennis action. Tsitsipas will begin his campaign at the ATP 1000 event against 16th seed Francisco Cerundolo.
Francisco Trincao scored in the 37th minute, Joao Felix added a goal in the 59th and Portugal beat the United States 2-0 in a friendly on Tuesday night to deal the Americans their eighth consecutive defeat against European opponents.
U.S. star Christian Pulisic was moved from a wing to the top of the attack but failed to convert a pair of good scoring chances.
Pulisic, who played only the first half, is scoreless in eight national team games dating to November 2024 and in 12 games with AC Milan since Dec. 28.
Preparing to co-host the World Cup, the U.S. has been outscored 22-6 during its losing streak against Europe and is winless against the continent in 10 matches since 2021.
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U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino announces his World Cup roster on May 26, and the Americans play their last warmups against Senegal five days later and Germany on June 6. The Americans open the World Cup on June 12 against Australia, face Paraguay a week later and close the first round vs. Turkey on June 25.
Before a pro-US crowd of 72,297 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Portugal went ahead after American midfielder Weston McKennie knocked a hard-to-control pass from Alex Freeman to Vitinha, who played a through ball to Bruno Fernandes. As defenders Chris Richards and Auston Trusty converged on the midfielder, he dropped a backheel pass to Trincao, who took a touch and slotted it past Matt Freese and inside the far post for his third international goal.
Felix scored his 12th international goal following Fernandes’ corner kick. Left unmarked just outside the penalty area, Felix sent a half-volley in on two bounces off the far post.
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Freese was back in goal after his streak of 12 straight starts ended when former No. 1 goalkeeper Matt Turner played in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Belgium.
Preparing for a World Cup group with Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia. Portugal was missing captain Cristiano Ronaldo (hamstring).
Moses Itauma, like many, does not see Derek Chisora vs Deontay Wilder going the distance.
Chisora has built a reputation on toughness and volume, often dragging opponents into uncomfortable territory, while Wilder’s game remains centred around his devastating right hand.
The clash, should it have happened with both men in their primes, would present an interesting dynamic between pressure and power.
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However, with talk of retirement surrounding both fighters and fans dubious that they could currently compete at the top level, the stakes feel heightened. Add to that that at least one retirement has been promised, and it becomes a relatively high stakes affair outside of the title picture.
Itauma, when giving his thoughts to the BBC, gave the edge to his countryman by KO.
“I’m going for Chisora. He wins by mid-to-late stoppage.”
Chisora is favourite for the win given how the recent form stacks up. His latest victories against Otto Wallin and Joe Joyce were impressive at this stage of his career and have given him the benefit of activity.
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Wilder, who years ago would have been considered a very dangerous opponent for the Brit, looked nothing like his former self in losses to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, and his comeback win against Tyrrell Herndon did not tell fans man.
There are just hours to wait to see what the veteran heavyweights bring to the table.
Over the years, as Masters coverage has expanded to capture every shot from every corner of Augusta National Golf Club, many fans have come to feel as if they know the course to its last blade of grass.
Paul Latshaw actually did.
From 1986 to 1989, Latshaw served as Augusta National’s superintendent, presiding over four Masters on a property renowned for its meticulous conditioning. It was a luminous stretch within a 40-year career that carried him across some of the game’s most exacting stages — from Oakmont to Congressional to Winged Foot, and beyond — and made him the only superintendent to oversee host courses for all three U.S.-based men’s major championships.
His influence, though, extended far beyond the grounds he tended. To peers and protégés, Latshaw was a tireless innovator and generous mentor who helped shape the careers of scores of industry professionals. By some estimates, more than 100 of his former employees and pupils went on to become superintendents, turfgrass scientists or leaders in the game, including his son, Paul Jr., who is now director of grounds at Merion near Philadelphia.
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In recognition of those contributions, Latshaw was honored earlier this year with the USGA’s 2026 Green Section Award, presented annually for distinguished service to the game through turfgrass management. Latshaw, 85, whose health has been declining, was unable to attend the ceremony at the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s trade show in Orlando. His son accepted on his behalf.
“He was the Michael Jordan of superintendents,” the younger Latshaw told GOLF.com
The man recognized as one of the most influential figures in his field was not himself an avid golfer, nor did he grow up in the game. Raised in Red Cross, Pa., he served in the U.S. Navy after high school and planned to study poultry production at Penn State before answering a newspaper ad for a golf course maintenance job. He took it and was hooked.
He pivoted to Penn State’s two-year turfgrass program, graduating in 1964. But as his son put it, his education never stopped.
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“He was constantly seeking information, attending seminars, eager to learn,” he said. “He always wanted to be on the cutting edge.”
Latshaw’s first superintendent job was at The Country Club of Jackson in Michigan, followed by Shaker Heights Country Club in Ohio. In 1976, he arrived at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, where he oversaw the 1978 PGA Championship and the 1983 U.S. Open. That proving ground — on a course with storied greens of its own — helped propel Latshaw to Augusta, where he arrived in time for Jack Nicklaus’ historic 1986 victory, 40 years ago this spring.
The move from Oakmont to Augusta plunged Latshaw into a different agronomic world, away from push-up greens and Poa annua and into warm-season turf and fall overseeding. He embraced the changes with curiosity and conviction, experimenting constantly, even when it meant unsettling convention.
One afternoon, his assistant, Matt Shaffer, came across Latshaw behind the 5th green, pumping air across the putting surface with a leaf blower.
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“I said, you’re pushing 90-degree air across the green at 70 miles an hour and you think something good is going to happen,” Shaffer recalled. “What are you even doing?”
“Experimenting,” Latshaw replied.
With air movement, to be exact, in a tree-shaded setting that stifled it. The results were promising enough that Latshaw soon began jury-rigging fans in the maintenance shop and putting them to work on the course, an unconventional practice that became standard at Augusta and, eventually, elsewhere. He also tweaked the club’s green aerification schedule, shifting it into the fall (before Latshaw’s arrival, Shaffer said, the club punched only in summer, when the course was closed). It was a bold move, with professional (if not agronomic) risks, and it briefly disrupted play and ruffled feathers. But it improved turf health.
“That was his thing,” Shaffer said. “His first priority was always: what’s best for the grass.”
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Working under Latshaw, Shaffer said, felt at times like a daily chemistry lesson. Where Shaffer and many of his peers focused largely on major nutrients — nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium — Latshaw worked deeper on the periodic chart, fine-tuning elements like boron, magnesium and calcium.
“He could push grass to points I never thought possible,” Shaffer said. “Right to the edge, where you’d swear it couldn’t come back. And then he’d bring it back.”
When the two first met, Latshaw was at Oakmont and Shaffer was working at a little-known Pennyslvania club, feeling stalled.
“I had a chip on my shoulder,” Shaffer said. “Like I wasn’t getting what I deserved.”
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When Latshaw offered him a job as an assistant at Augusta National, just after the 1986 Masters, the pay wasn’t life-changing, the title (assistant) was a downgrade and the pressure exponentially higher. Shaffer accepted anyway, recognizing a rare chance to learn from a master.
“I thought I was a pretty good grass grower,” he said. “Then I stood next to him and realized how little I knew.”
If Latshaw’s expectations were exacting, so was his work ethic.
“He didn’t just delegate,” Shaffer said. “If we worked 150 days straight, he worked 160. He was smart, he was driven, and he was endlessly curious. He changed my life.”
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After Augusta, Latshaw’s résumé continued to swell with the names of marquee clubs: Wilmington Country Club, Congressional Country Club — where he hosted his second U.S. Open, in 1997 — and a simultaneous consulting role at Riviera. He closed his on-course career at Winged Foot before retiring in 2001 to work as a consulting agronomist.
In total, he ran the agronomic show for four Masters, two U.S. Opens, a PGA Championship and two U.S. Senior Opens. His broader legacy was bolstered through the people he trained, and in the practices he helped normalize.
“Maintenance techniques he introduced that once seemed radical are now standard,” said Darin Bevard, the USGA’s senior director of championship agronomy. “He was always curious, always willing to learn from anyone, and that’s what kept him at the top for so long.”
Years after leaving Augusta, Latshaw was still mentoring Shaffer, who by then was superintendent at Merion, preparing for the 2005 U.S. Amateur under challenging weather conditions that had left the course in less-than-ideal condition. Latshaw arrived with underground soil sensors he believed could help. Shaffer resisted.
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“It told him I didn’t have time to mess around with sensors,” Shaffer said. “I’ve got a course I need to get in shape.”
Latshaw persisted. The sensors went in. And worked.
In addition to this year’s Green Section honor, Latshaw also received the GCSAA’s Old Tom Morris Award in 2017. The following year, Penn State, established a turfgrass graduate fellowship in his name.
Over the years, Paul Jr. said, he and his father haven’t always watched the Masters together.
The Grand National is just days away and a racing expert has named his three picks for the big race
A racing expert has revealed his three picks for the 2026 Grand National.
With the festival at Aintree taking place over three days, all attention will be firmly fixed on horse racing’s most iconic event – the Grand National – which begins at 4pm on Saturday, April 11.
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This year’s race looks particularly wide open, with the likes of 2024 winner I am Maximus and last year’s champion, Nick Rockett, both expected to feature. Picking the winner from 34 runners over the 30 famous fences is no easy task for any punter.
But Ladbrokes ambassador Josh Stacey has named three runners he believes could be set for a standout performance. Among them is the bold 25-1 selection Stellar Story for those looking for a bigger price.
Sharing his exclusive tips, Stacey said: “The modern National often favours classier, higher-weighted runners but if this turns into a proper stamina test, Stellar Story fits the bill perfectly. A thorough stayer, he’s a Grade 1-winning hurdler who keeps finding off the bridle. If it becomes attritional, he could outrun his odds.”
For those seeking a horse specifically trained for this very moment, Stacey points towards Willie Mullins’ camp. While Captain Cody hasn’t been at his best recently, Stacey is backing the 20-1 gelding to come good on the day.
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The racing broadcaster said: “Not at his peak since landing last season’s Scottish National but this has clearly been the long-term target. Stamina is assured, he handles spring ground well, and if arriving in top form, he’s a major contender.”
Stacey also named 16-1 shot Panic Attack among his top selections. The mare arrives at Merseyside on the back of an impressive third-place finish at the Cheltenham Festival, with Stacey convinced that the longer distance will suit her perfectly.
He said: “A standout for Dan Skelton this season, landing both the Paddy Power and Coral Gold Cup. She arrives in great form after a strong Festival third against sharper rivals. Nicely weighted and travelling powerfully, she’ll have backers dreaming turning for home.”
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Stacey’s backing of the Dan Skelton yard with Panic Attack comes as little surprise. Skelton has established himself as the master of target training for such handicap chases.
The fact Panic Attack has already claimed both a Paddy Power and a Coral Gold Cup this season suggests she is the most improved stayer currently in training. If she handles the unique Aintree fences, she could become the horse to finally bring end the 75-year wait for a female runner to win the famous race.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) recently expressed their interest in existing and new areas of cooperation in cricket with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) through a letter. “We maintain regular communication with various countries’ cricket boards. As part of that regular communication, we recently reached out to the Board of Control for Cricket in India via a letter, through an email, to communicate with them”, Nazmul Abedin Fahim, Director (Cricket Operations) of BCB, told ANI, over the phone.
“In the letter, we mentioned that the Indian national cricket team is scheduled to come to Bangladesh in September to play a series, and after that, our women’s team is supposed to go to India. We also included in the letter a request to explore any other possibilities for reciprocal cricket collaborations,” he added.
Earlier, the Kolkata Knight Riders, ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL), had hired a Bangladeshi player, Mustafizur Rahman, to play in the tournament. However, due to political objections from local parties, the BCCI didn’t permit Mustafizur to play. And this created a bit of a rift between Bangladesh and India.
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After the controversy, Bangladesh boycotted the T20 World Cup in India.
After the election on February 12, under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the current government took power, and relations between Bangladesh and India have been improving.
On April 7 and 8, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister, Dr. Khalilur Rahman, is visiting India. In the context of improving relations between the two countries, cooperation in cricket is also increasing.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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IPL 2026 | Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton Hammer KKR, Carry MI To 1st IPL Opening Game Win In 14 Years
As he enters his fifth season training, Reece Goodwin maintains his habit of checking online sales for low-cost horses.
Coastwatch, a previous stakes winner, represents one of his latest picks, heading into the Group 3 Victoria Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday in his first start for the new handler.
Initially trained by Chris Waller, Coastwatch later joined Richard and Will Freedman, the father-son partnership, until being sold after a last-place effort at Canberra back in November.
Coastwatch triumphed in a Listed race at Sandown earlier in 2025, though the gelding was unplaced in all eight starts thereafter.
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Goodwin believes Coastwatch matches the profile for his stable upon acquiring him.
“It’s what we have been doing for a number of years now,” Goodwin said.
“He’s a horse that has shown plenty of ability previously and tapered off in form for whatever reason, and sometimes we can get them going again, and sometimes we don’t.
“The older they are and the higher rated they are, the tougher it is to get them going, but it wasn’t too long ago that he was running OK and everything is price relative as well.
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“If he had brought $40,000 or $50,000, we wouldn’t have him, but he only made $20,000 which we thought was a price worth risking on a horse that is going to be running in a race like Saturday, a $200,000 race, even though it’s probably a bit more competitive, or stronger, than I anticipated.”
Goodwin holds no high hopes for quick success with Coastwatch, who has trialled well lately, notably third at Pakenham behind Doncaster Mile fancy Sheza Alibi.
Coastwatch draws poorly for Saturday, Goodwin observed, yet closing well would delight the trainer.
“We’ll probably ride him quiet, but it would be good to see him getting through the line late and then we’ll look to step him up to 1600 (metres) second up and see him a bit more competitive then,” Goodwin said.
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“We won’t be searching for anything interstate. We’ll keep him at home and try and pick off a race or two and we basically only have to win one of these races to be well in front.
“He does handle some sting out of the ground and being an older horse with some wear and tear, he certainly wouldn’t suit summer.
“We’re just looking for a good kick-off on Saturday and building our way from there.”
Visit betting sites to find racing odds for the Group 3 Victoria Handicap at Caulfield.
BOTTOM LINE: New Orleans will try to end its seven-game slide when the Pelicans take on Orlando.
The Pelicans are 16-23 on their home court. New Orleans is 14-24 in games decided by 10 points or more.
The Magic are 17-20 in road games. Orlando has an 18-25 record against teams above .500.
The Pelicans score 114.9 points per game, 0.5 fewer points than the 115.4 the Magic give up. The Magic average 11.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.4 fewer made shots on average than the 14.2 per game the Pelicans allow.
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The two teams square off for the second time this season. The Magic defeated the Pelicans 128-118 in their last matchup on Jan. 11. Desmond Bane led the Magic with 27 points, and Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 22 points.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Trey Murphy III is averaging 21.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals for the Pelicans. Saddiq Bey is averaging 3.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Bane is averaging 20.4 points and 4.2 assists for the Magic. Paolo Banchero is averaging 22.2 points over the last 10 games.
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LAST 10 GAMES: Pelicans: 3-7, averaging 111.5 points, 41.2 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 8.9 steals and 6.2 blocks per game while shooting 46.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.8 points per game.
Magic: 3-7, averaging 114.2 points, 38.7 rebounds, 25.8 assists, 7.5 steals and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 123.6 points.
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INJURIES: Pelicans: Karlo Matkovic: day to day (back), Dejounte Murray: day to day (achilles), Bryce McGowens: day to day (toe).
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Magic: Anthony Black: out (abdomen), Jonathan Isaac: out (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Heavyweights Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder will reach a combined 100 professional fights when they meet at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday.
British veteran Chisora, 42, made his professional debut in 2007 and has recorded 36 wins and 13 defeats.
Former world heavyweight champion Wilder, 40, was once considered the most feared puncher in boxing. However, he has lost four of his last six bouts, leaving his record at 44-4-1.
Chisora says this will be his final fight. If he is to be believed, can he bow out on a high? And with Wilder no longer at his peak, could a win on the road reignite his career?
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BBC Sport asks figures from across the boxing world for their predictions.
It is 11:29 p.m. in freezing Zenica when Haris Tabaković places the ball on the spot for the decisive World Cup playoff clash between Bosnia and Italy. Facing him is Gianluigi Donnarumma, one of the best goalkeepers of this generation. Gladbach’s loan striker takes one last deep breath, then smashes the ball unstoppably under the crossbar. He screams out his relief, flexes his muscles, and ecstatically thumps his broad Bosnian chest.
Four penalty takers later, his home country sensationally books its World Cup ticket and sends Italy into despair. Also because Tabaković had forced extra time with his goal late in regular time. Now, at 31, he is heading to the World Cup. A scenario that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Back then, it seemed the train for a big career had already left the station.
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In the spring of 2020, the striker found himself without a contract after suffering a torn ACL at Hungarian club Diósgyőri. Despite being available on a free transfer, finding a new club was no easy task. Many clubs could not or would not take the risk, also because of the coronavirus pandemic and its financial consequences.
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In this existential crisis, Alexander Kiene entered the picture. At the time, the German coach was in charge of Austria Lustenau in Austria’s second division and saw the potential in the unattached striker. However, the enthusiasm was not mutual at first: “Haris was initially skeptical because it was only the second division,” Kiene recalls in an interview with ‘Bild’.
📸 Alex Bierens de Haan – 2026 Getty Images
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But since Tabaković had gone almost a full year without match practice, he agreed to take the gamble after intensive talks. It proved to be the starting signal for an impressive transformation. According to Kiene, the success was based on three pillars. First, the focus was on mental strength: “We had a lot of one-on-one conversations,” reports the 48-year-old. Tabaković also sought outside help from a mental coach to grow into his new role as a leader.
Secondly, the striker worked relentlessly on his physique to regain trust in his own body after the serious injury. During this time, the Bosnian also put on a considerable amount of muscle mass. The third factor was the tactical system, which was perfectly tailored to him: “We defended high, had short distances to goal, and worked the ball into the box with lots of passes and crosses,” Kiene explains. For him, the collaboration was a “win-win situation for everyone involved.”
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The raw numbers prove him right: in 48 competitive matches for Lustenau, Tabaković scored a phenomenal 46 goals and also provided 11 assists. That rate catapulted his career to a new level. Via Austria Wien, he moved to Hertha BSC, where he became the top scorer in the 2. Bundesliga. After a spell at Hoffenheim, he eventually ended up on loan with the Foals on the Lower Rhine.
There, he personally also made a very good start. In 26 matches, he has managed 11 goals and four assists. That also makes him Gladbach’s top scorer this season. Although he has now gone five Bundesliga matches without scoring, he recently showed — not least in the national team shirt — that he has certainly not lost his nose for goal.
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A development that does not surprise his biggest and perhaps most important mentor: “In the end, he achieved all of this because he is a complete professional who truly lives for football,” says Kiene. In his private life as well, Tabaković leaves nothing to chance, continuing his education in FIFA sports management courses and reading specialist literature on entrepreneurship.
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When Tabaković returns from the national team full of confidence and self-belief, the focus will clearly shift back to the Bundesliga and Borussia. In the home game against bottom side Heidenheim, he will want to end his little dry spell. Not only would a win mean another huge step toward safety, but with every additional goal, the loan striker strengthens his case for staying permanently in Mönchengladbach. Even though Gladbach do not have a purchase option for the 31-year-old, a permanent move is not out of the question. Tabaković is still under contract at Hoffenheim until 2027.
“For now, it’s still an open and honest ‘I don’t know,’” Tabaković told ‘RP online’ when asked about his future. “There haven’t been any talks, so I really can’t say anything about it. The eight games can still change a lot, including the perspective of sporting directors, if I put myself in their shoes. I don’t know what will happen,” he adds.
Still, a certain degree of planning certainty would not be unwelcome for him, as he reveals in the same interview. After all, this summer he has other commitments too — together with Edin Džeko and company.
World boxing champion Lauren Price says the structure in her life is what gives her the “confidence” to win.
Price splits her time between her home in Wales and her training camp in Sheffield, living away from her family and partner in the build-up to a fight.
On Saturday she will fight in front of a home crowd in Cardiff to defend her titles against Stephanie Pineiro.
;)
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