The world’s top tennis players have expressed their “deep and collective disappointment” at the prize money on offer at this year’s Roland Garros.

While French Open organisers have announced an increase of 9.5 per cent in total prize money for this year’s tournament, rising to an overall pot of €61.7m (£53.7m), several leading players from the men’s and women’s top 10 continue to be frustrated.

The group of star players, including Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, have long argued that they should receive a greater percentage of the revenues generated by the four grand slam tournaments and were similarly disappointment by the prize money at this year’s Australian Open.

According to the group, their share of the overall revenue generated by Roland Garros is projected to decline to 14.3 per cent this year. In recent years, the players have pushed for that figure to be closer to the 22 per cent received at mixed events on the ATP and WTA Tours with equal prize money, such as Indian Wells and this month’s Italian Open.

In response, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) said a decision had been made to focus prize money increases on “players who exit the tournament in the early rounds of the main draw and the qualifying stages”. Figures released by Roland Garros reveal an increase of around 11 per cent for the first three rounds of the main draw, compared to a 9.8 per cent increase for the singles champions.

A statement from the players said: “As Roland Garros looks to post record revenues, players are therefore receiving a declining share of the value they help create. More critically, the announcement does nothing to address the structural issues that players have consistently and reasonably raised over the past year. There has been no engagement on player welfare and no progress towards establishing a formal mechanism for player consultation within grand slam decision making.

“While other major international sports are modernising governance, aligning stakeholders, and building long-term value, the grand slams remain resistant to change. The absence of player consultation and the continued lack of investment in player welfare reflect a system that does not adequately represent the interests of those who are central to the sport’s success.

“The players who were signatories to the initial campaign remain united in their desire to see meaningful progress, both in terms of fair financial distribution and in how the sport is governed. They will continue to advocate for constructive dialogue and for reforms that ensure the long-term health and integrity of professional tennis.”

The players initially outlined their proposals in letters to the four grand slams in March last year, detailing their desire for the major tournament to start contributing to a player welfare fund, supporting pensions, healthcare and maternity leave, and for more consultation with tournaments around matters such as scheduling.

Last season, Sinner, Sabalenka and Gauff were among the players to meet with the grand slams at Roland Garros but there was further frustration last autumn when further discussions were delayed. Ben Shelton, the world No 6 and top-ranked American man, told The Independent that players are “at the bottom” when prize money as a percentage of revenue was compared to other sports.

The FFT said the increase of prize money at this year’s French Open “reflects a sustained commitment to increasing player compensation over time”.

It added: “Beyond prize money, the Roland-Garros model is based on a specific economic framework. The FFT is a non-profit organization. All revenues generated by the tournament are reinvested into the Roland-Garros tournament, as well as the development of tennis in France and internationally.

“This includes direct support for the development of the sport at grassroot level, training and pathway programs, strong commitment to women’s tennis, inclusive tennis and wheelchair tennis, as well as significant contributions to international tennis development through the ITF.

“The FFT has also recently invested more than €400m in the Roland-Garros infrastructure, notably to significantly enhance player conditions and on-site services.

“Finally, the FFT remains fully committed to ongoing dialogue with all stakeholders in global tennis, including speaking directly with individual players. It will continue working to improve overall player conditions, in line with its responsibilities and its model.”

Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi is not getting carried away despite his side taking a major step towards Premier League safety with a 2-1 win at Aston Villa.

Spurs put in their best performance of the season to claim three crucial points at Villa Park, thanks to first-half goals from Conor Gallagher and Richarlison.

They look a different side under De Zerbi, registering back-to-back league victories for the first time since August, and are now favourites to beat the drop.

The north London club leapfrogged West Ham in the table and with a home game to come against Leeds, after the Hammers host Arsenal, their position could be even rosier next week.

But the Italian has called for balance, with three games to go.

“I am very happy for the performance, we won a great game against a great Aston Villa,” the Italian said.

“They had to play Thursday, a very important game for them, but this is always very tough playing against (Unai) Emery, against this Villa in this stadium.

“For that I am really pleased, it was a good performance with the ball, without the ball. Without the ball we showed great courage and we showed great qualities.

“I am happy for this type of performance more than three points. We are one point more than West Ham but the most important thing is to play a great game and believe more and more in ourselves and believe in our qualities.

“The crucial thing now is keeping our head of what was the situation before the Wolverhampton game. This is the most important memory to keep in our head.

“In football it is very easy to change, if you lose, you are stupid. If you win, you are a champion.

“No, you have to find a balance. We have to work this week because Leeds is a very tough game.

“We have to remember in ourselves what we have done in the past.”

Spurs were fortunate to come up against a Villa side who produced their worst display of the season, with their attention clearly on Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest.

Indeed, Villa were so bad they scored in the sixth minute of time added on with their only effort on target, with Emiliano Buendia heading home.

Villa boss Emery defended his team selection, having made seven changes from the side that lost at Forest on Thursday.

“We lost on Thursday and we lost last week against Fulham, different players, different matches,” he said.

“We analysed a lot of things about the players playing in the starting XI. Maybe it is better to play with the same players but we lost (the last two matches).

“Before the match I knew my challenge, it was to win with some changes, but I believe in the players.

“If supporters or the media don’t believe in some of players…but (it) is not different when we are losing. I made changes against Sunderland but you were not asking, because we won.

“But I accept some criticism.”

Asked if he was disappointed with some of the performances of his players, Emery added: “No. Because those same players three months ago were winning a lot of matches in a row.

“Of course sometimes they don’t have the performance with individual quality. But I am so proud of them, so, so proud of them, how we are doing the season.”

Rohit Sharma (Image credit: Mumbai Indians)

NEW DELHI: The two bottom-placed teams – Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants – will face off in an IPL 2026 clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday. With their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, both sides are desperate to turn things around and shift into top gear.Mumbai Indians, currently ninth on the table, have managed just two wins from nine matches. They head into the game after three consecutive defeats, including a heavy eight-wicket loss to Chennai Super Kings.LSG, placed at the bottom, also have two wins but from eight matches. They are struggling with five straight losses, the latest being a Super Over defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders.Mumbai’s campaign has been hit by inconsistent performances from key players such as Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and captain Hardik Pandya, whose leadership has also come under scrutiny.The absence of Rohit Sharma due to a hamstring injury has further weakened the side, leaving them with little margin for error. Mumbai would ideally want Rohit back at the top of the order, but his availability for this crucial clash remains uncertain.

Will Rohit Sharma play against Lucknow Super Giants today?

Mumbai Indians have not provided any official update on Rohit’s return. The former skipper, who led the franchise to five IPL titles (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020), has not played since suffering a hamstring injury nearly three weeks ago during a match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Rohit retired hurt on 19 in that game and has since missed matches against Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings.However, Rohit was seen batting in the nets ahead of the LSG clash in a video shared by Mumbai IndiansSquads:Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Shrijith Krishnan (wk), Bevon Jacobs, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Keshav Maharaj, Raj Angad Bawa, Vignesh Puthur, Corbin Bosch, Trent Boult, Karn Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, VS Penmetsa, Arjun Tendulkar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jasprit Bumrah.Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahamad, Arshin Kulkarni, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ayush Badoni, Mohammad Shami, Avesh Khan, M. Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, Anrich Nortje, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan

The Minnesota Vikings’ roster changed a bit in the last couple of months, even if free agency wasn’t too eventful. The club let some notable veterans walk while onboarding a draft class nine men deep. And now, entering May, it’s time to rank the roster by position.

Free agency and the draft changed the depth chart. One position now stands above the rest.

From bottom to top, these are the Vikings’ stronger roster spots after the draft (No. 1 = best roster position per personnel).

Minnesota’s Best Position Group Has a New Combatant

A new position takes the crown.

11. RB

Main Commodities:

RB1: Aaron Jones
RB2: Jordan Mason
RB3: Demond Claiborne
RB4: Zavier Scott

This group is not weak; it’s just the Vikings’ least promising position because Jones usually gets banged up, and the team opted not to draft a running back in the first few rounds. Unless Claiborne becomes a phenomenon, it’s “more of the same” for the Vikings at tailback.

10. TE

Main Commodities:

TE1: T.J. Hockenson
TE2: Josh Oliver
TE3: Ben Yurosek
TE4: Gavin Bartholomew

If Minnesota uses Hockenson as a pass-catcher — not a run blocker like last year — this group can be formidable again. But there’s no evidence that will actually happen.

9. iOL

Main Commodities:

LG: Donovan Jackson
C: Blake Brandel
RG: Will Fries

Minnesota signed Fries a year ago — to a meaty contract — and if he had lived up to his end of the bargain in 2025, this group would rank higher. However, Fries did not do that, and fans will spend the next four months determining if he’s capable of a rebound season.

It’s worth noting, though, that this iOL group is much stronger than it was in the Mike Zimmer days. There’s that.

8. Safety

Main Commodities:

S1: Josh Metellus
S2: Jay Ward
S3: Theo Jackson
S4: Jakobe Thomas

This is four decent players — no superstars. Nobody is too scared about the safety spot, but in Brian Flores’s world, it’s a pretty milquetoast group.

It’s why mock-draft brains were so insistent on Dillon Thieneman to the Vikings for two months.

7. OLB

Main Commodities:

OLB1: Andrew Van Ginkel
OLB2: Dallas Turner
OLB3: Bo Richter
OLB4: Tyler Batty
OLB5: Chaz Chambliss

This would’ve been the deepest spot on the roster if the Vikings didn’t trade Jonathan Greenard during the draft. Tsk tsk.

Now, it’s all a matter of whether interim general manager Rob Brzezinski signs a player like Von Miller, Joey Bosa, Cameron Jordan, or Jadeveon Clowney. If so, this spot can return near the top of the list.

6. CB

Main Commodities:

CB1: Byron Murphy Jr.
CB2: Isaiah Rodgers
CB3: James Pierre
CB4: Charles Demmings

With Pierre and Demmings in the mix, the CB room is much better than last year, when the Vikings decided Jeff Okudah was a smart choice as the CB3.

Still, this section of the roster lacks a shutdown cornerback, ideally a young one like Mansoor Delane would’ve provided if he fell down the draftboard.

5. QB

Main Commodities:

QB1: Kyler Murray
QB2: J.J. McCarthy
QB3: Carson Wentz

Without Murray, this spot would rank last on the list. But that’s irrelevant because Murray is indeed the Vikings’ QB1.

This group can also become the deepest position on the roster if the summer and/or fall reveal that McCarthy has taken the next development step.

4. WR

Main Commodities:

WR1: Justin Jefferson
WR2: Jordan Addison
WR3: Tai Felton
WR4: Myles Price

If the Vikings lock Jauan Jennings in with a free-agent contract, even if it’s only for one year, this becomes the top position on the roster. Simple as that. He’s that good, and the roster needs a WR3 that much.

3. iDL

Main Commodities:

DT1: Jalen Redmond
DT2: Caleb Banks
DE3: Domonique Orange
DE4: Levi Drake Rodriguez
DE5: Tyrion-Ingram Dawkins

One could make an argument for this as the Vikings’ deepest roster spot. It would be believable. Nevertheless, for that to be completely true, we probably have to, you know, see Banks and Orange play NFL football first.

2. OT

Main Commodities:

LT1: Christian Darrisaw
RT1: Brian O’Neill
OT3: Ryan Van Demark
OT4: Caleb Tiernan
OT5: Walter Rouse
OT6: Blake Brandel

This group is utterly fantastic if you’re into the Vikings having offensive tackle depth. In years past, believe it or not, it wasn’t guaranteed.

Anytime an offensive line has Darrisaw and O’Neill as the starters, the unit is in great shape. The rest — Van Demark, Tiernan, Rouse, and Brandel — make this a phenomenal spot for the 2026 Vikings.

1. ILB

Main Commodities:

ILB1: Blake Cashman
ILB2: Eric Wilson
ILB3: Ivan Pace Jr.
ILB4: Jake Golday

This transformation of depth at this position in the last few months is remarkable. In mid-January, Wilson was scheduled for free agency; so was Pace Jr. Golday wasn’t a thing yet, and Minnesota — for some reason — had released rookies Kobe King and Austin Keys down the stretch of 2025.

In fact, the Vikings looked a bit foolish for roster management at ILB.

Now, if one assumes that Golday is not a bust, this roster spot is arguably the Vikings’ deepest. It does not have All-Pro talent, but the four main off-ball linebackers can be trusted to start in a pinch. That’s pretty rare for Vikings football — and the NFL on the whole.

A North Korean women’s soccer club will visit South Korea for a face-off between the rival neighbors, making it the first sports team since 2018 to play on the South’s soil, the Unification Ministry in Seoul said on Monday.

North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC is set to play against the South Korean Suwon FC ​Women ‌on May 20 in the semi-finals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Champions ⁠League.

What do we know about the rare game?

Pyongyang has sent ​a list of a delegation of 27 players ⁠and ​12 staff ​who would visit ​South Korea ‌for the semi-final ​of ⁠Asia’s top-tier women’s football club competition, ​the ministry said.

It did not give further details on the exact date of the team’s arrival, but the French AFP news agency reported they would arrive on May 17.

The winning club would play the league’s final against either Australia’s Melbourne City or Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza on May 23.

“The losing team in the semi-final will return home on Thursday, May 21, with no third-place playoff scheduled,” the South Korean Unification Ministry said in a press statement.

What is the history of the North-South sports interactions?

The last time North Korean athletes competed in South Korea was in 2018 when shooting, youth football and table tennis delegations traveled there.

The two Koreas had also formed a historic unified ice hockey team at the 2018  Winter Olympics, held in Pyeongchang.

Monday’s development comes as Seoul, under President Lee Jae Myung, seeks to mend a years-long strained relationship with Pyongyang.

The two sides technically remain at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice rather than a formal peace treaty.

Edited by: Rana Taha

This first-round series against the Orlando Magic was a major test in the rapidly ascending career of Cade Cunningham, and he passed it with flying colors. For the first time in his five NBA seasons, Cunningham is headed to the second round of the playoffs after the Pistons defeated Orlando, 116-94, in Game 7 on Sunday. 

This was dicey for the Pistons, who were in pure survival mode in this series. When they went down 3-1, they looked all but finished in a particularly problematic matchup against one of the only teams that can match the Pistons’ defense and physicality. Only two factors provided real hope of a comeback: Orlando’s painfully poor offense and Cunningham. Both came through.

Outside of Paolo Banchero, Orlando’s offense was utterly inept in Game 7 and for most of the series overall. You could’ve pulled a fan out of the stands to shoot better than Jalen Suggs. Meanwhile, Cunningham was incredible, particularly when Detroit’s margin for error shrank to zero. 

It goes way beyond the numbers, but that’s where we’ll start. With it all on the line, Cunningham became the first player in history to record at least 30 points, 10 assists, two blocks and two 3-pointers in a Game 7, and he cleared those filters comfortably with 32 points, 12 assists and four 3-pointers on Sunday.  

Cade vs. elimination

For the series, Cunningham averaged 32.4 points, 7.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the only other player who averaged 30 points through the first round). The Pistons won his minutes by 49 points, and lost his bench minutes by 16. 

Over the final three elimination games, Cunningham scored 109 points. It’s tied for the most a player has ever scored in Games 5-7 of a series while overcoming a 3-1 deficit, along with LeBron James (109 points in the 2016 Finals vs. Golden State) and Jamal Murray (109 points in 2020 vs. Utah in the first round). 

In Game 6, with the Magic leading by as many as 24 and appearing well on their way to becoming the seventh No. 8 seed in history to upset a No. 1 seed, Cunningham proceeded to outscore the Magic 24-19 by himself in the second half. 

It’s easy for people to drop the “this is what superstars do” line in moments like this, but the truth is, very few superstars actually do what Cunningham just did. Last season the Pistons were playing with house money. In these playoffs, Detroit is expected to contend. That’s a different animal. And there isn’t a single player in these playoffs with more on his shoulders than Cunningham. 

Give Tobias Harris his flowers (30 points with five 3-pointers in Game 7, and 22 and 8 for the series), but for all intents and purposes, the Pistons were pretty exposed as a one-man show in this series. 

The Magic are a nasty, pressure defensive team, and the Pistons, devoid of any real shooting threat, did not force them to space out. As a result, Cunningham basically had 10 eyeballs, and multiple bodies, on him at every turn and still managed to pull 227 points and 50 assists out of these rugby-scrum possessions. 

You largely excuse his 41 turnovers in this series because of how much he had to do and how much pressure he was under while doing it. It wasn’t always efficient for the same reasons, but in the end he finished with a true-shooting percentage north of 60 and was 40% from 3. 

Even in the stretches when nothing was going right, he never lost his poise or compromised his pace; if anything, that is what superstars do. He kept attacking the paint. Kept working himself to the free-throw line, where he was 62 for 74 for the series. When it counted, his shot was pure. He finished 11 for his last 19 from deep. 

“We built a lot of momentum going into these playoffs, and to lose in the first round would have really stung,” Cunningham said following Game 7. “It would have stung the city. The city has gotten more and more excited about this team, and we feel the love, so we wanted to perform.”

Suffice it to say, Cunningham performed. And he’ll have to continue to do so if the Pistons are going to get past Cleveland in the conference semifinals. Hopefully Jalen Duren rediscovers his offensive juice, and as a whole the Pistons are able to provide Cunningham with more proper support, but no matter what happens, from here on out Detroit will have the best player on the floor in Eastern Conference series it enters. 

That counts for a lot. 

Think of it this way: Cunningham has now seen by far the toughest defense in the Magic he’ll see the rest of the way through the East, so in that sense things get considerably easier from here. Don’t be surprised if the Pistons take off after escaping this upset. Again, Orlando was like playing their twin. Against Cleveland, and potentially New York or Philly, they can get back to winning bully-ball style. 

This was a huge step for Detroit. And for Cunningham, as he continues to force his way into the top-tier of the superstar conversation. He isn’t a finalist for MVP, but he’s an MVP-caliber player. He proved that all season. And he definitely proved that in this series. 

Inter Milan won the Italian Serie A title after beating Parma 2-0 at home on Sunday, 3rd May 2026. SportsRation reports.

Goals from Marcus Thuram and Henrikh Mkhitaryan helped Inter secure their 21st league title with three matches still left to play.

The victory moved Inter to 82 points, giving them a 12-point lead over second-placed Napoli, who played a goalless draw against Como on Saturday.

Inter only needed one point to become champions, but they celebrated in style with a comfortable win in front of their fans.

Speaking after the match, Nicolo Barella praised the spirit of the team.

“I always said that you can make mistakes on the field, but this team never lost the desire to stay together. We always gave everything we had. You can win or lose, but I am so proud of these players,” Barella told DAZN.

Inter controlled most of the first half and nearly scored in the 25th minute when Barella hit the crossbar with a powerful shot.

The breakthrough finally came in first-half stoppage time when Thuram finished calmly after receiving a pass from Piotr Zielinski.

Inter continued to dominate after the break but wasted several chances to increase their lead.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan made sure of the win in the 80th minute when he scored from close range after a pass from captain Lautaro Martinez.

The title success was a strong response from Inter after last season’s disappointment, when they lost the Serie A title on the final day and later suffered a heavy defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.

“We feel so happy now. It was not easy to start again after a season where we lost all the competitions we were in right at the end, but I am very happy today with this achievement,” Martinez said.

“It was a very important objective for us. Maybe many people did not see us as favourites after what happened last season, but we worked very hard on and off the field.”

Liverpool boss Arne Slot was not happy when he spoke after his side’s defeat to Man Utd in the Premier League.

Arne Slot embarked on a fiery rant about referee decisions against his side in response to a question about Benjamin Sesko scoring for Manchester United against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

Sesko made it 2-0 in the first half against Liverpool and VAR reviewed the goal for a possible handball. The Premier League’s Match Centre said: “The referee’s call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed there was no conclusive evidence that Sesko handled the ball before scoring.”

Liverpool fought back with two goals in quick succession at the start of the second half, but Kobbie Mainoo scored in the 77th minute to inflict an 11th defeat of the Premier League season on Slot’s side.

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During his post-match press conference, Slot was asked whether the goal should have been chalked off for handball, a question that prompted a fiery rant from the Dutchman about refereeing decisions.

“If it was a touch, which I think it is, because if you know a bit about ball sports, you know that if a ball has a certain curve and the curve changes, there must have been a contact,” Slot said.

“But if it’s light then we should have a debate in football about whether that’s enough to disallow a goal. But the rule is if there was a touch then it should have been disallowed.

“I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone this season that if there’s a VAR intervention or if there’s something that could be left or could be right (50-50) then the decision goes against us.

“That has been the whole season every single time this season. I remember Paris Saint-Germain at home, getting a penalty for a soft touch on Mac Allister but of course the VAR intervenes and says no, no, no, this is not a penalty. Then one week later when I see Paris Saint-Germain play against Bayern Munich and get that same soft touch but the penalty stays.

“I saw last week my goalkeeper on the floor with an injury and the referee doesn’t stop the game. I see a player of United off the pitch today and the referee stops the game when we try to play on.

“That has been our whole season. But the second goal we didn’t concede because of a handball, we conceded it because we lost the ball in a stupid position and we lost a few big moments afterwards in duels.

“We have to first look at ourselves, that is completely clear and obvious, but that decisions have gone every single game against us, that’s also completely clear and obvious.

“When we played United the first time this season, I had one of my players needing five stitches on the floor, and the referee didn’t stop the game and we conceded. This is a complete pattern over the whole season, but there is also a pattern that we concede ridiculous goals when we are the better team, one or two are switching off and then we concede a goal.

“That we have more influence on, so I should focus much more on that than on these referee decisions that go against us. It’s clear that it’s the whole season the same.”

United’s win means they did the double over Liverpool in a Premier League season for the first time in 10 years. The victory also gives the Reds a strong chance of finishing above their fierce rivals for the first time since 2022/23.

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

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