The French Open kicked off Sunday in sizzling temperatures and without injured defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, leaving many fans to wonder what – if anything – could stop Italy’s Jannik Sinner from lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires this year.
“It’s a dream being here – but a bittersweet one in the absence of Alcaraz,” said Noah Kouchachi, a student from Cologne in Germany, holding a “Get well soon, Carlitos” banner in the colours of the Spanish flag.
The 23-year-old said he did not see anyone capable of denying Sinner, the world No.1, the one Grand Slam title he is still chasing.
“Djoker (Novak Djokovic) is the only one who could pull it off,” he added. “But at his age – and in this heat – one has to be realistic.”
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Farewell to ‘La Monf’
Djokovic is one of just two men to beat Sinner this season, having ended his Australian Open reign in an epic five-set semi-final in January. But the Serbian, who turns 39 this week, has played – and lost – just one match on clay this year, and is struggling for form as he battles to hold back time in his quest for a record 25th major.
Another ageing darling of the crowds, France’s Gaël Monfils will hang up his racquet at the end of the season and is waving goodbye to his home Grand Slam, where he takes on fellow Frenchman Hugo Gaston in the first round on Monday.
The 39-year-old reached the last four in Paris in 2008, one of his two major semi-final appearances, and has won 13 ATP titles over a career spanning two decades. Despite never winning a major, his showmanship and entertaining tennis have made him a fan favourite at home and around the world.
“Never mind the Grand Slams – Gaël has brought so much more than titles to the sport,” said Roberta, a tennis fan from Italy, making her first trip to Roland Garros. “His positive, relaxed and uncomplaining attitude has always been refreshing for the sport.”
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As Djokovic put it on the eve of the tournament, “I don’t know anyone that really doesn’t like Gaël.”
“La Monf” has rarely disappointed his Paris fans, even if he’s never matched the feat of Yannick Noah, the last Frenchman to win Roland Garros – in 1983.
“I was not strong enough to win a Grand Slam,” Monfils told the crowd during a special tribute on the eve of the tournament. “But I perhaps won more. I won a career that I’m proud of.”
Battling for Ukraine
Monfils’s farewell event saw him team up with his wife Elina Svitolina to win a star-studded exhibition match that featured former Davis Cup teammates Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet, adding a nostalgic touch to the occasion.
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In a wide-open women’s draw, Svitolina is among the contenders for the French Open title after triumphing last week at the Italian Open. The 31-year-old outlasted defending Roland Garros champion Coco Gauff in the final after battling wins over world No.2 Elena Rybakina and third-ranked Iga Swiatek.
Still chasing an elusive Grand Slam title, Svitolina has adopted her partner’s calm mindset, telling reporters she’s at peace with her career and that – “it’s OK if I never win a Slam”. As in recent editions, she knows she can count on the support of French fans starved of success, who have adopted her as one of their own.
Svitolina, who took a maternity break in 2022, has had to work her way back from a ranking that year of No. 236. Her return to the highest level has been a source of inspiration for many female players – and for her war-torn home nation too.
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She leads a group of seven Ukrainians in the top 100 of the women’s rankings. They include world No.15 Marta Kostyuk, seen as another Roland Garros hopeful after her breakthrough win at the Madrid Open earlier this year.
Kostyuk – who has not shaken hands with Russian players since the 2022 invasion – enjoyed plenty of support during her first-round match on Sunday, a straight-sets win over Oksana Selekhmeteva, who was born in Russia but obtained Spanish nationality four days ago.
“I think it was one of the most difficult matches of my life. This morning, 100 metres from my parent’s house, a missile fell,” Kostyuk said on Court Simonne-Mathieu, dedicating her win to the people of Ukraine.
One of several spectators wrapped in the blue-and-yellow colours of Ukraine, 35-year-old Viktoria cheered from the stands: “Last night, like every night, Russian bombs rained down on our cities,” she said. “When the girls play and win matches here at Roland-Garros, it’s a gift to our families and our people back home.”
Another non-French darling of Roland Garros, Stan Wawrinka is also safely through to the second round on his 21st appearance here – but without even playing.
The 2015 champion, whose first-round opponent Arthur Fils has pulled out injured, is making his last appearance at the French Open, aged 41. It promises to be another emotional farewell on the Paris clay – depriving the sport of one of the great one-handed backhands, which has long captivated the game’s purists.
“I grew up on clay, grew up watching clay-court specialists, I grew up watching Roland Garros dreaming about maybe playing one day. It is part of me,” the Swiss said in an interview with French Open organisers.
Wawrinka’s stunning 2015 run, when he defeated Djokovic in the final after downing Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, is fondly remembered by tennis aficionados. So are the striking pink checkered shorts he wore that year, which are now at the nearby tennis museum.
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Whether the unlikely fashion item makes a final bow on Court Philippe Chatrier remains to be seen.
“One needs to ask the museum, I’m not sure if they need to be cleaned beforehand,” the three-time Grand Slam champion joked during his pre-tournament press conference. “I had not planned that, I’ll think about it.”
The last-minute exit of Arthur Fils, due to a hip injury, has deprived the French of their best chance of a home player making it to the second week this year.
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“It’s baffling that we can’t produce a Grand Slam candidate,” said French Open habitué Alexandre, looking on as his children tested virtual-reality glasses at one of many stands tailored for youths.
“And it’s infuriating when you see that Spain seems to produce a new one each year,” he added.
Spain’s latest teenage sensation, Rafael Jodar, has rocketed this year from 165th in the world to 29th on the back of a string of good performances on clay, including winning his first tour-level title in Marrakesh in March.
The 19-year-old has gone on to make last-eight runs at both the Madrid and Italian Opens, as well as reaching the semi-finals in Barcelona, and is seen by many players and pundits as a future Grand Slam winner.
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“Spain always had incredible players, now you have one more,” Sinner wrote on social media after defeating the new ‘Rafa’ at the Madrid Open earlier this year.
But while he shares the same first name and nationality as 14-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal, the Spanish teen has told reporters that he plans to do things his way.
“Being from the same country as Carlos (Alcaraz) and Rafa (Nadal), doesn’t mean you are going to accomplish or achieve the same things that they have,” Jodar cautioned ahead of his first-round clash with Aleksandar Kovacevic of the US.
The heat factor
While the young Jodar ultimately proved too green to really threaten Sinner in Madrid, sweltering conditions in Paris could yet produce an upset.
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The French Open’s iconic panama hats were out en force on Sunday as spectators sought shelter from the scorching sun and players slogged it out in temperatures hitting 31 degrees Celsius.
Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina battled for over four hours in gruelling conditions, with the Spaniard prevailing in five sets. Other matches were a lot shorter, with experts predicting that days of intense heat could make the clay courts faster than usual.
“All the points I saw rarely exceeded four shots. The conditions will be very hot and very fast this year at Roland Garros,” said veteran tennis reporter José Morgado.
Those conditions could prove a sterner challenge for Sinner than many of his opponents. The Italian suffered from cramps at the Australian Open in January when temperatures neared 40C, and he appeared to be sick during his tough battle with Russia’s Danil Medvedev in Rome earlier in May.
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“I don’t see any player capable of beating Sinner this year,” said Kouchachi, the fan from Cologne. “But the heat could still beat him.”
It’s bedlam in the Big Apple as the New York Knicks are officially on the doorstep of basketball supremacy.
The Knicks made sure of it in dramatic fashion on Wednesday, rallying past the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals to secure a 3-1 series lead.
The remarkable 107-106 victory required coming back from down 29 points, which included a furious 20-4 run in the fourth quarter and a tip-in from OG Anunoby with 1.2 seconds left. It’s officially the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history, surpassing the previous record of 24 points, as the Knicks outscored the Spurs 32-16 in the final frame.
Leading New York’s historic rally was Jalen Brunson, who finished with 36 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Not far behind him was Anunoby, with 33 points, including 7-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.
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As for the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama led the way with 24 points and 13 rebounds, but did so on 9-of-25 shooting and just five points in the fourth quarter — including a pair of missed free throws in the final moments. San Antonio as a whole shot just 4-of-19 in the final frame. Rookie Dylan Harper was the Spurs’ second-leading scorer with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting off the bench.
The Knicks are now just one victory from the franchise’s first NBA championship in 53 years and third all-time. As for the Spurs, they face the unenviable task of trying to be just the second team in NBA Finals history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit.
Action resumes on Saturday for Game 5 in San Antonio.
Jun 9, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels catcher Sebastian Rivero (38) is greeted after scoring a run against the Houston Astros during the second inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Angels catcher Sebastian Rivero was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, one day after fracturing his left hamate bone during a game against the Houston Astros.
Rivero told reporters he will undergo surgery and miss approximately four weeks. He underwent a CT scan earlier Wednesday.
Rivero injured his hand and wrist area while fouling off a pitch during the fifth inning of Tuesday’s 10-1 home victory. He was in immense pain and was lifted in favor of fellow catcher Logan O’Hoppe.
Rivero had two singles earlier in the contest and had a string of seven straight hits when he departed the game. O’Hoppe finished the at-bat by taking a called strike three and the strikeout was charged to Rivero to end his hit streak.
Rivero, 27, is batting .245 with eight RBIs in 24 games this season. He has appeared in 35 games for Los Angeles over the past two seasons.
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The Angels recalled catcher Logan Porter from Triple-A Salt Lake. He recently signed a minor league contract with them after becoming a free agent. He had batted .241 with one homer and 10 RBIs in 17 games with the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A afifliate in Sacramento.
Porter, 30, has appeared in 16 major league games — 11 with the Kansas City Royals in 2023, four with San Francisco last season and one with the Giants this season. He is batting .184 with one homer and four RBIs.
The Angels also transferred right-hander Jack Kochanowicz to the 60-day injury list to open up a 40-man roster spot for Porter. The club revealed Tuesday that Kochanowicz will soon undergo Tommy John surgery.
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The Angels also said Tuesday that third baseman Yoan Moncada will undergo right knee surgery next week.
First baseman Nolan Schanuel, who left Tuesday’s game with left calf tightness, wasn’t in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Astros.
Haiti have been forced to change their kit design just days before their World Cup opener against Scotland after their shirt, depicting a war scene, failed to comply with Fifa rules.
An illustration of the Battle of Vertieres in 1803, which secured Haiti’s independence, with the country’s flag had been embedded on the shirts worn in both of their pre-tournament friendlies.
However, equipment regulations set out by the world governing body prohibits the use of any “political, religious, or personal messages or slogans” on kit.
In a statement, Colombian manufacturer Saeta said its original design “was a tribute to the men and women who contribute every day to Haiti’s future” and “was not intended as a political statement”.
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It added: “Fifa determined that certain visual elements could be interpreted differently under its equipment regulations and ultimately requested modifications to the design.
“While this interpretation differed from our intention, Saeta respected the process and implemented the final requirements communicated by Fifa.”
Haiti begin their first World Cup campaign in 52 years against Scotland at Boston Stadium, Foxborough on Saturday evening (Sunday 02:00 BST).
The Caribbean country then face five-time winners Brazil and Morocco in Group C.
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In their only previous World Cup appearance in 1974, Haiti lost all three group games and conceded 14 goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a forgettable outing for Portugal in the team’s final FIFA World Cup warm-up match against Nigeria. The Portugal captain, leading the attack for his national team in his historic sixth World Cup, missed several sitters against the African side. Although Portugal went on to beat Nigeria 2-1 despite Ronaldo‘s disappointing performance, the veteran striker’s possible decline in form has raised eyebrows. With Portugal set to begin their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign in Group K against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 17, many are wondering if he is still the right man to lead the attack for the Euro 2016 champions.
Ronaldo, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star, is the record goalscorer in international football with 143 strikes to his name. Yet, he failed to add to his tally during the warm-up match, despite being served multiple golden opportunities on a platter by his teammates.
The 41-year-old was eventually substituted in the 65th minute by manager Roberto Martinez. Despite his early exit, Ronaldo still spent more time on the pitch than any of his outfield teammates who started the game.
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They did everything, put it right on a plate for Cristiano, and he still blasts it into the stands. pic.twitter.com/gFnMeL2RGE
Even some of the touches Ronaldo had shocked spectators. The man who scored 28 goals in 30 games for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League looked like an amateur footballer at times. The coming games would prove if Ronaldo indeed has what it takes to deliver for Portugal at this level, at the age of 41.
It was PedroNeto who opened the scoring for Portugal, finding the back of the net in the 23rd minute. Akor Adams later equalised for Nigeria in the 14th minute of the second half. However, Francisco Conceicao, who came on as a second-half substitute for Portugal, scored the winner in the 75th minute, not long after Ronaldo had been taken off.
In the upcoming World Cup, Portugal is placed in Group K and will take on the Democratic Republic of the Congo in their opener, before facing Uzbekistan and Colombia. Portugal will begin their campaign in Texas, United States. Nigeria, meanwhile, will not be participating in this World Cup, having failed to qualify.
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Arsenal keen to sign Athletic Club winger Nico Williams, Juventus open talks with Aston Villa over deal for keeper Emiliano Martinez, while Paris St-Germain target Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise.
Paris St-Germain will to try to sign Bayern Munich’s 24-year-old French forward Michael Olise this summer. (L’Equipe – in French), external
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Manchester United are monitoring Everton‘s 26-year-old Senegal forward Iliman Ndiaye as they look to bolster their squad for a Champions League return next season (Sky Sports), external
Liverpoolare prepared to let Italy forward Federico Chiesa, 28, leave this summer for around £17m, with the player keen on a move back to Serie A. (Caughtoffside), external
Barcelona are aware of interest from Chelsea and Arsenalin Spain winger Dani Olmo, but will only allow the 28-year-old to leave if their £60m valuation is met. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external
Barcelona intend to sell Spain midfielder Marc Casado to raise money for other signings, with Bayer Leverkusen and Premier League clubs tracking the 22-year-old. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external
Leeds United want to break their transfer record to sign Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting, with an offer of up to £35m and another £8m in add-ons. (Mirror), external
Crystal Palace are preparing to rival Everton for Middlesbrough’s English midfielder Hayden Hackney, 23, this summer with a £20m offer. (Mail), external
Shortly after the New York Knicks’ Game 3 defeat in the NBA Finals, Mike Brown turned his attention to the officiating.
“I talked to [the officials]. They outshot us 14-3 in the third quarter from the free throw line. I talked to them, and they said, well, this is a foul, this is a foul,” Brown told reporters after the San Antonio Spurs trimmed the Knicks’ series lead to 2-1. “That’s the question I had with them is, you’re right. Maybe we did foul. But they fouled, too.”
Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the catalysts behind New York’s postseason success, struck a different tone ahead of Game 4.
New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown observes the game during the NBA Finals in Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.(Al Bello/Getty Images)
“Naw, that ain’t cost us the game,” Towns told reporters when asked about Brown’s comments. “Turned the ball over. Didn’t execute. Didn’t do what got us 13 straight wins in a row. That’s how you lose a game. We didn’t do what we’ve been doing for 13. We decided to do something different. … And throwing the ball away is a clear indication of how you’re going to lose the game, especially in the playoffs.”
The box score seemed to underscore Brown’s primary complaint, as the Spurs attempted three times as many free throws as the Knicks in the second half of Monday’s 115-111 victory.
The Knicks were in the penalty for the majority of the fourth quarter. A cold-shooting second half saw New York connect on 36% of its field-goal attempts.
Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks defends Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter of Game 3 in the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 8, 2026.(Al Bello/Getty Images)
While it remains to be seen whether officiating will play a role in Wednesday night’s game at Madison Square Garden, Brown appeared intent on making it part of the buildup to Game 4.
“It’s going to be that because I said it. The story is going to be there,” Brown continued during a news conference. “But there are some controllables that we did not do a good job of doing. We allowed them to hit first at the beginning of the game. We allowed them to hit first in the beginning of the second half.”
Mike Brown talks with the New York Knicks during a timeout in the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 8, 2026.(Al Bello/Getty Images)
Towns finished Game 3 with 11 points and eight rebounds, a noticeable drop from his team-high 21-point performance in New York’s Game 2 victory over the Spurs. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks in scoring Monday with 32 points.
Game 4 tips off at 8:30 p.m. EDT, with the series returning to San Antonio for Game 5 on Saturday.
Back in November, new LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler sat at the dais in Naples at the CME Group Tour Championship and fielded questions from reporters about his plan to elevate women’s golf in the same way that the WNBA, NWSL and other women’s sports have exploded in recent years. Kessler showed he had a vision and ways to get the wheels turning. A new T.V. deal arrived that week, putting every LPGA round on live T.V. and promising an enhanced broadcast. He brought in Aramco to sponsor a big-money event in Las Vegas, talked about reworking the schedule and moved the Chevron Championship to Memorial Park. The plan to grab and keep attention was clear.
Kessler didn’t have all the answers that week. And the biggest question concerned something he had no control over. It seemed unanswerable at the time, but it was clear it would eventually determine how successful his plan would be and the pace at which it would deliver results: Could the LPGA break through to a larger audience with depth and parity? Or would it need a star to transcend the game and reach a wider audience?
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“No silver bullets to creating stars,” Kessler said that week.
“You have the best players, you have the most marketable players, and you have the ones who are actually willing to lean in and do the work. It’s the handful of players at the center of that Venn diagram that we are going to invest our resources against in order to create global superstars and create that player and fan connection.”
That Kessler faced these questions the week after Caitlin Clark, who lit the fuse for the WNBA’s explosion, played in the pro-am for the Annika was purely coincidental but it was a sign of what the LPGA likely needed to achieve the growth it desires and the women’s game deserves: a superstar who grabs eyeballs by winning, winning a lot and doing it in a way that demands attention.
The most likely candidate to do this was, of course, Nelly Korda; even her contemporaries noted how vital a resurgent Korda, who went winless in 2025, could be to the league’s popularity, especially in America. The depth and parity are great for the global health of women’s golf. But for American fans and American television audiences, especially those who aren’t golf diehards, stars sell.
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“As a tour and even from a fan perspective, yes, it’s great to have somebody like Nelly that was so dominant last year,” Hall of Famer Lydia Ko said in November. “Catches a lot of attention, especially with her — in Nelly’s case, being an American player. That catches a lot of different attention. In the case of even if you don’t play golf, you know who Tiger Woods is. Like having that kind of a figure is, yes, very important.”
Seven months later, Nelly Korda has delivered on her part.
She snapped her winless drought with a 54-hole, weather-shortened win at the Tournament of Champions and then went 2-2-T2 before running away with the year’s first major. She followed that with a win in Mexico, then arrived at the U.S. Women’s Open, the women’s game’s marquee event, held at a world-renowned venue, and won when everyone expected her to and wanted her to.
She has now won the year’s first two majors and should head into the KPMG PGA Championship at the end of the month with a world of hype surrounding her. A win at the Evian or the AIG Women’s Open later this summer will give her the LPGA’s career Grand Slam (four out of five). If she wins both, she’ll be a Super Slam winner, or she’ll have what Ko and others call the real Grand Slam.
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Nelly Korda winning the biggest prize in women’s golf, the tournament she has long craved and seemed born to win, and doing so in dramatic fashion on a famed course is a moment for women’s golf. Per NBC, Korda’s U.S. Women’s Open win had an average of 1.3 million viewers on Sunday, peaking at 2.2 million when her final putt narrowly lipped in. That’s the second-highest-rated U.S. Women’s Open since Michelle Wie’s 2014 win at Pinehurst No. 2 (2 million). Only Allisen Corpuz’s win at Pebble Beach in 2023 (1.6 million) has had more average Sunday viewers.
Stars and venues are the LPGA’s ticket to the dance that has been the women’s sports boom of the past few years. Nelly Korda is a superstar and has been for some time. She first reached World No. 1 status five years ago, has a gold medal, now has four majors and is two points away from the Hall of Fame. She should already be a star far outside the world of golf. That she hasn’t already reached the level of Clark, A’ja Wilson, Simone Biles and others speaks to the issues within the LPGA that predate Kessler and the new brain trust — ones they are trying to remedy.
Nelly Korda is a once-in-a-generation American talent, armed with a picture-perfect swing and a charismatic personality that is coming out more and more. She’s winning everything in sight right now and just had a monumental win on a course people know well.
Now it’s up to the LPGA to make the most of the opportunity Nelly Korda’s world-beating golf has created. There should be a full-sell hype machine around Korda over the next few weeks in the lead-up to the KPMG and it should continue into the summer. Putting her on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, the second time she has joined this year, is the type of move that’s needed to help introduce her to a larger, non-golf-centric audience that the LPGA is hunting.
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Back in November, Kessler was adamant the LPGA didn’t want to put everything on one player or personality to push the game and league higher. “If we are reliant on one person, whether it’s a star or a celebrity, to carry the weight of the Tour on their backs, I think we’ve missed the boat,” Kessler said. “There’s so much magic happening on the LPGA and we have to bring all of it to life.”
That’s a long-term, big-picture view that’s reasonable and measured. The LPGA is indeed littered with great stories and talented, charismatic athletes like Charley Hull, Ko, Rose Zhang, and potential budding stars in Megha Ganne (who just turned pro) and amateurs Asterisk Talley and Kiara Romero. But as Ko noted, “everyone knows Tiger Woods.” Just like everyone knows Caitlin Clark, Michael Jordan, and many others who have elevated their sport and brought new fans into the picture by being a gateway to it.
Nelly Korda can do the same as long as women’s golf and the LPGA make the most of what her 2-foot, 10-inch putt delivered on Sunday.
San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama avoided adding a third flagrant point to his postseason total. Under NBA policy, players are automatically subject to suspension once they receive four flagrant foul points.
Wembanyama made contact with Jalen Brunson’s upper body while the New York Knicks guard was attempting to set a screen in the first quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday. When the Spurs center turned around during the play, he pushed Brunson, who fell backward to the floor.
Referees did not blow the whistle for a foul on the play, despite forceful objections from the Knicks bench. ESPN reported Tuesday, citing sources, that Wembanyama would not retroactively be assessed a “flagrant upgrade on the uncalled foul.”
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The play sparked debate across the sports world, and President Donald Trump, who attended Monday’s game, was among those weighing in.
President Donald Trump watches the start of Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 8, 2026.(Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
“I thought it was a very bad call. Absolutely. I thought it was a very bad call, personally. But I’m not the ref, you know?” Trump told the New York Post on Wednesday.
Trump watched the Knicks’ first NBA Finals game in 27 years from a suite with his granddaughter Kai Trump and was seen sitting next to team owner James Dolan. Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend an NBA Finals game.
The Spurs outlasted New York 115-111 in Game 3, trimming the Knicks’ series lead to 2-1 entering Wednesday’s Game 4.
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks works against Dylan Harper and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs during the third quarter in Game Three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 8, 2026.(Al Bello/Getty Images)
“Look, they’re pretty evenly matched, right? It’s two great teams. I’ll tell you, that Brunson is some player,” Trump added. “I think Brunson is amazing, [Stephon] Castle [of the Spurs] is amazing, Wemby is amazing, [Karl-Anthony] Towns [of the Knicks] is amazing. They’re like great players. That’s why they’re there, right?”
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson reacts as San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama looks on during the second quarter of game three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 8, 2026.(Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)
A New York native, Trump regularly sat courtside alongside other celebrities over the years before entering politics. “If you grow up in New York, you’re a Knick fan,” he noted.
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Taylor Swift, who is engaged to NFL star Travis Kelce, headlined Wednesday’s star-studded celebrity row at Madison Square Garden.
The Spurs came out hot for the second consecutive game Wednesday, racing to a 41-22 lead by the end of the first quarter. Wembanyama paced San Antonio with 13 points in the opening period, while OG Anunoby led New York with seven.
The Brazilian star still has an important role to play in his final weeks as a Manchester United player
Casemiro only has 20 days left to run on his Manchester United contract before he is officially considered a free agent. But the Brazil international can still play an important role in their future and, more specifically, his impending replacement, Ederson, over the next five weeks.
The 34-year-old announced his farewell in March after the club decided not to offer him a renewal on his contract, and head coach Michael Carrick has wasted no time in finding his successor. United reached an agreement with Atalanta to sign 26-year-old midfielder Ederson for £35million, with £4m in potential add-ons, with the deal only waiting for an official announcement before it is completed.
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Ederson was busy planning for his new life in Manchester before he was drafted into Brazil’s World Cup squad at the eleventh hour last week. Selecao coach Carlo Ancelotti called up the central midfielder after full-back Wesley was ruled out with injury, giving Ederson the chance to link up with his new team-mates Matheus Cunha and Casemiro in the United States.
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The latter has endured a turbulent time at Old Trafford but ultimately finished on a high, bagging a career-high nine league goals as the Reds secured third place in the Premier League. He has been one of their most impressive performers in the 2025/26 season, but there was a mutual acknowledgement that his four-year spell at the club had come to end after signing from Real Madrid in 2022.
Despite some difficult moments, Casemiro has savoured his positive relationship with the United faithful when reflecting on his time at the club. Ederson’s inclusion in the Brazil squad means he and Cunha can be his confidants in the Brazil camp, imparting any wisdom or advice he has to help him settle into his new home.
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“All I can do is be grateful, because I am really enjoying myself a lot. Not just me, but all my family. It is an honour for us to listen to the fans’ love and affection,” he said in April after his exit was announced.
“Lots of people think it is just the last few months, since the announcement, but I have to be thankful, since the very first day that I arrived here, the fans have been amazing with me and my family. So, I am so grateful to the fans, and the United fans, I am going to remember for the rest of my life.”
The main difference between life with Atalanta in the Serie A and playing for a global club like United is the pressure that comes with it. Casemiro was no stranger to that, having played for Real Madrid where the demands for strong performances are exceedingly high, particularly in the Spanish press.
But at United, the atmosphere around the club is entirely different. The stinging criticism from club icons who now work as pundits, chiefly when Gary Neville narrowed in on his performances, can be difficult to shake off. Every pass, move and mistake will be under the spotlight when Ederson pulls on that red shirt for the first time.
Casemiro can provide some coping mechanisms for his compatriot when the going gets tough. But the biggest takeaway he can pass on is that hard work and discipline go a long way in the eyes of a United supporter. The early comparisons that suggested he was an overpaid flop have dissipated over time; on his way out, he is recognised as a midfield stalwart who left his mark in M16.
As Ederson prepares to take his spot next season, no one will have a better viewpoint on how to perform his role than the man he is replacing. And that can only be a positive thing for Carrick and United going forward as they look to build on an impressive season.
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Sky is knocking 20% off its entire range of Glass TVs to mark the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to the Sky smart TV that’s ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 per month when taken alongside a Sky TV and Netflix package.
Many will have never heard the refrain “I am from Bosnia, take me to America” until the Bosnian national team upset Italy in a playoff final in March. It put the small Balkan nation through to the World Cup for just the second time since the country gained its independence in 1992.
Thousands of fans at the match in Zenica belted out the song, just as they did when the national team were feted at a square in the capital, Sarajevo, a few hours later.
But had you spent time in Bosnia over the past decade and a half, chances are good that the tune will have been oddly familiar. The song, originally titled “USA,” was actually released by the Bosnian band Dubioza Kollektiv some 15 years ago. And it actually had nothing whatsoever to do with football.
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‘Typical Balkan experience’
“It’s from our album Wild Wild East from 2011,” band member Vedran Mujagic, who plays bass, told DW of the song, now known as “I am from Bosnia, take me to America.”
“It’s about a typical experience of someone from the Balkans, going abroad in a search of a better life — in this case, in search of the “American dream.”
“But then, faced with the reality of immigrant life, life in the diaspora, he kind of realizes that it’s not all perfect (there) and he decides there is no place like the motherland and he goes back.”
The band had been playing the song at concerts for years when, to their astonishment, it turned up when Bosnia played Wales in the two-legged World Cup playoff semifinal that booked them a date with Italy.
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“Of course we’re watching that game. And then we saw a big, big banner that supporters rolled out during the game, and it read, “I’m from Bosnia, take me to America,” Mujagic recalled.
“And in that moment, it seemed almost like science fiction because we needed to beat Wales — which of course we did.”
By the Italy match, the song was long-since established as the “Dragons’” unofficial hymn.
Bosnia-Herzegovina have qualified for just their second major tournamentImage: Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse/ZUMA/picture alliance
The icing on the cake came after that match, when some of the players stormed Bosnia coach Sergei Barbarez‘ press conference singing the song.
Updated World Cup version
“Ten days later we decided to actually do a supporter’s version with changed lyrics and to address some of these football, subculture feelings and emotions that surrounded qualification for the World Cup,” Mujagic said.
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Interestingly, while the original version was completely in English, much of the new version is sung in Bosnian. The lyrics play on local stereotypes, and urge on the national team, while bemoaning what is still a sore point among fans old enough to remember the 2014 World Cup.
“And that (goal) against Nigeria, wasn’t offside,” they sing.
It wasn’t. Video footage shows that Edin Dzeko was clearly onside when he scored, but there was still no VAR (video assistant referee) at the time, and after the goal was called back momentum shifted, and Bosnia lost the match. They also failed to make it out of their group.
And while the new version being mostly in Bosnian may seem like a barrier to international success, it’s simply taken off. Mujagic thinks he knows why.
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Vedran Mujagic plays bass in the bandImage: Zoran Veselinovic/Avalon/IMAGO
Striking a chord
“I guess it has to do with the music video we shot for it, which features the band members playing football in a neighborhood courtyard with neighbors grilling (meat) and having, like, this regular Balkan fun,” he said.
The video, shot on a mobile phone, seems to have struck a particular chord in South America.
“A lot of people recognized that this looks like some of their neighborhoods, like a favela in Brazil or this looks like Chile because it is the same thing,” he added.
There’s also something slightly subversive about the low-budget production.
“It is like a response to this hyper-stylized aesthetic that FIFA music promotional videos have,” Mujagic explained, adding that it struck a chord with those frustrated by the modern, money-driven game.
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The diaspora experience in reverse
As for the newfound success of the national team, the majority of whom weren’t actually born in Bosnia, Mujagic gives all the credit to coach Barbarez and sporting director Emir Spahic.
“Spahic and Barbarez did an excellent job by recruiting and creating a team out of all these kids that grew up in the diaspora. They’re the ones whose parents went seeking the ‘American Dream’ or were refugees during the war,” he said.
“It’s like they (the children) have different experiences, and they experience even this song in a completely different manner,” he added.
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There’s little doubt that when Bosnia-Herzegovina kick off their World Cup campaign against co-hosts Canada in Toronto on Friday, this song will be ringing through the stands.
Edited by: Matt Pearson
Maida Besirevic of DW’s Bosnian service contributed to this report.
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