Sports
World Darts Championship star snubs Luke Littler and Luke Humphries with wild claim
Peter Wright has sensationally claimed that the ‘best side of the competition’ does not feature either Luke Littler or Luke Humphries at this year’s World Darts Championships.
Both Littler and Humphries are seen as the favourites to win the world title this year and the latter got off to a strong start at the weekend.
The defending champion won all nine legs as he thrashed Thibault Tricole to reach the third round, where he will face either Nick Kenny, Stowe Buntz or Raymond van Barneveld.
Wright is on a collision course with Humphries in the fourth round as he aims to put his torrid year behind him.
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries are the favourites for the PDC World Darts Championship
GETTY
The Scottish darts star was knocked out in the opening rounds of the Players Championship Finals, European Championships, World Grand Prix and World Matchplay and has dropped to 17th in the Order of Merit.
But he pulled off an impressive win over Wesley Plaisier and will face Jermaine Wattimena for a place in the fourth round.
Humphries will likely await, but Wright has surprisingly tipped Van Barneveld to pull off a huge upset and beat the world No 1.
Littler is also on the same half of the draw as Humphries, however Wright feels the other side features more dangerous players.
“It’s annoying. This year I gave out all my presents, all the people that beat me it’s only down to me own self why they beat me,” he said.
“They’ve had their presents and you ain’t having no more presents. You’ve had them.
“Luke Humphries and Luke Littler drive me on as I know I can still compete with them.
“I actually know I can be better than them. Gary (Anderson) spurs me on as well. These little old guys can still do it.
Peter Wright fancies his chances of an upset
PA
“I believe Barney will beat Luke (Humphries) and then me and Barney will have the best game ever you’ve seen on that stage. Barney get your finger out.
“I believe that I’ve got the game. My practice was better when I won it and I told you I was going to come and win it.
“That’s how I feel and I just played absolutely rubbish up there but I’m through to after Christmas and that’s all that counts.
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Peter Wright is through to the third round
PA
“I’m ready to upset Luke Littler and Luke Humphries. The best side of the competition is not my side, it’s the other side.
“You’ve got the champions on that side, I think one guy who will do well is Michael Smith. He’s going to be a danger.”
John McEnroe has blasted the Australian Open crowd for booing Novak Djokovic following the 37-year-old’s exit from the competition on Friday.
The tennis icon had gone into the showdown willing to play through the pain, having suffered a muscle injury during his four-set triumph over Carlos Alcaraz earlier in the week.
But Djokovic, after losing the first set, opted to quit the match – much to the dismay of those in attendance.
Fans at the Australian Open booed the 10-time winner as he made his way off the court, something that’s sparked a huge backlash online.
Novak Djokovic pulled out of his Australian Open match with Alexander Zverev on Friday
REUTERS
And McEnroe, commenting for Australia’s Nine network, was left stunned by their antics.
“They can’t possibly be booing him. Please!” he stated.
“He’s won this 10 times. I mean, come on. I mean, clearly something was up.
“The guy is a battler. I mean, him and Rafa [Nadal] have dug deeper than any two players I have seen.
“So to do that [boo], because he decided that he couldn’t go on after what he’s done here I thought was absolutely ludicrous, honestly.”
McEnroe wasn’t the only pundit left stunned by the crowd’s decision to jeer Djokovic as he walked away, potentially for the last time.
Former Australian Open tennis star John Millman was also unhappy, with the 35-year-old adding: “The crowds have been questioned a lot and rightly so.
“I just think it’s a bit of a shambles, some of the behaviour has crossed the line and that one takes the cake for me.
“This is a guy who has won it 10 times, have some respect.
“He is one of the greatest of all time, if not the greatest — he’s definitely the greatest on this court.
“I don’t care how much you’ve paid for your ticket, have some respect.”
With Djokovic out, Alexander Zverev is now through to the Australian Open final.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
John McEnroe has blasted the Australian Open crowd for booing Novak Djokovic following the 37-year-old’s exit from the competition on Friday
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The German will do battle with either Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton when the event kicks off on Sunday.
And Zverev also criticised the Australian Open crowd for jeering Djokovic, with the 27-year-old fuming: “Please, guys, don’t boo a player who leaves the court due to injury. I know that everyone paid to be here and hopes to see a great five-set match.
“But you have to understand that Novak Djokovic has given his all to this sport for 20 years.”
He continued: “There is no one I respect more on the tour than Novak.
Novak Djokovic was hailed by Alexander Zverev following his Australian Open withdrawal
REUTERS
“I have always been able to send him a message, call him when things were not going well.
“He has helped me a lot. Last year in Shanghai, when things were really not going well after the US Open, we talked for hours.”
We reflect on Rangers’ match with Manchester Utd and preview the weekend’s action.
Sports
Novak Djokovic reveals Andy Murray reaction after withdrawing from Australian Open due to injury
Novak Djokovic has revealed both himself and Andy Murray are ‘disappointed’ and ‘hot-headed’ after the Serb was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open on Friday.
After losing the first set at the Rod Laver Arena to Alexander Zverev, Djokovic opted to pull out due to injury.
He sustained a muscle tear during his epic victory over Carlos Alcaraz earlier in the week and, ultimately, was unable to play on.
Speaking after the match, Djokovic was asked about potentially working with Murray again.
Novak Djokovic has revealed both himself and Andy Murray are ‘disappointed’ and ‘hot-headed’ after the Serb was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open on Friday
REUTERS
The pair united for the Australian Open but it’s unclear, at the current moment in time, if that alliance will go on.
Djokovic stated: “I don’t know [if they will work together again].
“You know, we both were disappointed with what just happened, so we didn’t talk about the future steps. We are so fresh off the court.
“I’ll definitely have a chat with Andy and thank him for being here with me.
“You know, give him my feedback, which is, of course, positive, and see how he feels and we make the next step.”
He continued: “We are still hot-headed and disappointed, so it’s kind of hard to switch the page and start talking about what the next steps are.
“I think we both need to cool off a little bit and then we’ll have a chat.”
Djokovic had been hoping to win a record 25th Grand Slam title this winter, as well as an 11th Australian Open crown.
But it is Zverev who is now through to the final, with the 27-year-old poised to lock horns with Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton.
Murray, for his part, believes it is ‘unfortunate’ that Djokovic had to pull out.
“I think he was always going to go out there and give it a good shot,” said the British tennis legend.
“He obviously didn’t train the last couple of days.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Novak Djokovic plans to have talks with Andy Murray about the Briton’s future now the Australian Open is out of the way
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“He practised right before the match and was feeling good enough to give it a go. It was an unfortunate way to finish.
“The match that he played against Alcaraz was some incredible tennis, amazing to watch from the side from that close, it was an amazing performance.
“He’d been getting gradually better as the tournament was progressing I think.
“It’s obviously a really unfortunate way to finish.”
Novak Djokovic won’t be winning a record 25th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open this winter
REUTERS
On possibly working with Djokovic again in the future, he stated: “Me and Novak agreed that after the tournament we would speak.
“We’ll do that.”
Frenchman Rudi Garcia has been appointed head coach of Belgium.
The 60-year-old replaces Italian Domenico Tedesco, who was sacked last week after less than two years in the post.
Garcia’s last job was at Serie A side Napoli, but he was dismissed after just 16 games in charge in 2023.
He will be formally introduced at a news conference on Friday.
Before taking the Napoli job, Garcia – who has also managed Lille, Marseille and Lyon and had a three-year spell at Roma – took charge of Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League in 2022.
He left the club by mutual agreement after 10 months in charge.
Belgium, who are ranked eighth in the Fifa world rankings, face Ukraine in the Nations League play-offs in March.
Sports
Andy Murray makes feelings clear and reveals plan after Novak Djokovic withdraws from Australian Open
Andy Murray believes it is ‘unfortunate’ that Novak Djokovic has had to withdraw from the Australian Open due to injury.
The tennis legend lost the first set 6-7 (5-7) to Alexander Zverev on Friday morning before then pulling out of the match altogether.
Djokovic sustained the injury, a muscle tear, during his gruelling victory over Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday.
And Murray, who was part of the Serb’s corner for the tournament, has now opened up on the 24-time Grand Slam winner’s decision.
Andy Murray believes it is ‘unfortunate’ that Novak Djokovic has had to withdraw from the Australian Open due to injury
REUTERS
The British tennis legend, who won three majors during his own career, labelled it ‘unfortunate’.
And he also insisted that Djokovic did everything to play through the pain, saying: “I think he was always going to go out there and give it a good shot.
“He obviously didn’t train the last couple of days.
“He practised right before the match and was feeling good enough to give it a go. It was an unfortunate way to finish.
“The match that he played against Alcaraz was some incredible tennis, amazing to watch from the side from that close, it was an amazing performance.
“He’d been getting gradually better as the tournament was progressing I think. It’s obviously a really unfortunate way to finish.”
Murray struggled with injuries towards the end of his own career.
And he’s expressed sympathy for Djokovic, adding: “Yeah, it’s hard.
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“When you get to that stage of the tournament, you feel like you’re getting very close to something very special, and it’s unfortunate if the body’s not responding in the way that you would like.
“With Novak there’s always hope with him because of how great a player he is and has found ways out of difficult situations before. It just wasn’t to be this time.”
On potentially working with Djokovic again in the future, he stated: “Me and Novak agreed that after the tournament we would speak.
“We’ll do that.”
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Andy Murray will discuss his future with Novak Djokovic now the Serb’s Australian Open campaign is over
REUTERS
Djokovic, meanwhile, has fuelled talk that he could retire and may have played his last Australian Open match.
“I don’t know. There is a chance. Who knows? I will have to see how the season goes,” he said.
“I want to keep going. But whether I’m going to have a revised schedule or not for the next year, I’m not sure.”
He did, however, insist that he’d ideally love to return to the Rod Laver Arena in pursuit of a record-extending 11th Australian Open title.
Novak Djokovic may have played at the Australian Open for the last time
REUTERS
“I normally like to come to Australia to play. I’ve had the biggest success in my career here,” he continued.
“So I’m fit, healthy, motivated. I don’t see a reason why I wouldn’t come. But there’s always a chance, yeah.”
When asked to compare the Women’s Super League (WSL) with the elite level of the game in the USA, Holiday thinks the standard is higher in the NWSL, for now.
“I think the NWSL [has the edge] right now because of how close all the teams are and how they compete,” she said.
“There’s more disparity in the WSL, but other than that I think it’s a highly respected and coveted league and there’s a lot of attraction for USA players to want to play there.”
Since the WSL’s inception in 2013, it has become one of the best leagues in the world, attracting some of the game’s top talents.
In the past few years some of the most high-profile stars in US soccer have turned out for English clubs, including Holiday’s former national team-mate Carli Lloyd at Manchester City, and Alex Morgan at Tottenham Hotspur.
This week, USA defender Naomi Girma has agreed terms to join Chelsea on a long-term deal for a world-record transfer fee.
All a far cry from Holiday’s early playing days, when the path to success for top female footballers was through the United States and few, if any, went in the opposite direction.
It is partly why Holiday spent her entire career in the US, where she helped FC Kansas City to two league titles before retiring in 2015. In 2023 she was inducted into the NWSL Hall of Fame.
As our conversation draws to a close Holiday ponders what the future could look like for women’s football. “I think the sky’s the limit,” she said.
“I believe people care about women’s sports, and now they have seen the value and what it looks like when we properly invest in women’s sports.
“It was never that we were not equal. It was never that we were incapable of what the men did. It was that we didn’t have the marketing dollars, we weren’t shown on prime-time television. There were so many factors to it.
“Now people are saying ‘Hey, we need to invest in women!’ I think that’s going to continue to grow. I don’t think that we’re going to let anyone down.”
Sports
Novak Djokovic sets off alarm bells over future with retirement hint after withdrawing from Australian Open
Novak Djokovic has hinted he could retire from tennis after being forced to withdraw from his Australian Open clash with Alexander Zverev on Friday.
The tennis icon opted to withdraw after losing the first set 6-7 (5-7), just days after he’d battled past Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic had previously opted against practicing on both Wednesday and Thursday amid fears he could worsen his condition.
With the 37-year-old struggling against Zverev, however, he ultimately opted to quit with his hopes of a record 25th Grand Slam title going up in smoke.
Novak Djokovic has hinted he could retire from tennis after being forced to withdraw from his Australian Open clash with Alexander Zverev on Friday
REUTERS
Speaking after the match, Djokovic was asked about his future.
And the former world No 1 hinted that there was a ‘chance’ that he’s played Down Under for the last time.
“I don’t know. There is a chance. Who knows? I will have to see how the season goes,” he said.
“I want to keep going. But whether I’m going to have a revised schedule or not for the next year, I’m not sure.”
However, Djokovic did insist that he would ideally like to play at the Australian Open again – having won the tournament 10 times over the years.
“I normally like to come to Australia to play. I’ve had the biggest success in my career here,” he continued.
“So I’m fit, healthy, motivated. I don’t see a reason why I wouldn’t come. But there’s always a chance, yeah.”
Some fans might feel Djokovic only quit against Zverev because he was injured.
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Yet the tennis legend insists he did ‘everything I possibly can’ to play on, with the pain ultimately proving too much.
“Yes, I did everything I possibly can to basically manage the muscle tear I had,” he insisted.
“Yes, medications and I guess the strap, and the physio worked helped to some extent today.
“But yes, towards the end of that first set I just started feeling more and more pain.
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Novak Djokovic lost the first set against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open
REUTERS
“It was, yes, too much, I guess to handle for me at the moment. Yes, unfortunate ending, but I tried.”
With Djokovic pulling out, Zverev is now through to the final.
The German will be making his third Grand Slam final appearance, having lost his previous two.
Zverev was unable to get the better of Dominic Thiem at the US Open in 2020, losing 6–2, 6–4, 4–6, 3–6, 6–7.
Novak Djokovic was visibly in pain during his Australian Open clash with Alexander Zverev
REUTERS
And Carlos Alcaraz beat the 27-year-old 3–6, 6–2, 7–5, 1–6, 2–6 to win his first major at the US Open in 2022.
Zverev will lock horns with either Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton in the final.
Britain’s Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid won a sixth successive Australian Open wheelchair doubles title while Andy Lapthorne triumphed in the quad doubles final.
Top seeds Hewett and Reid defeated Spain’s Daniel Caverzaschi and Frenchman Stephane Houdet 6-2 6-4 at Melbourne Park.
It is their 22nd Grand Slam title as a partnership.
Lapthorne and Dutchman Sam Schroder won the quad wheelchair doubles with a 6-1 6-4 victory against the top seeds, Niels Vink of the Netherlands and Israel’s Guy Sasson.
Lapthorne, 34, has now won eight doubles titles in Melbourne.
Hewett, 27, will play in the wheelchair singles final against Japan’s world number one Tokito Oda on Saturday.
Hibs’ David Gray would like to sign Nectarios Triantis permanently, but the head coach says that will depend on the 21-year-old midfielder’s chances of first-team football when he returns to parent club Sunderland for the final year of his contract. (Edinburgh Evening News), external
St Mirren have held talks with Walsall over a deal for 22-year-old defender Harry Williams, who has six months left on his current contract. (Sky Sports), external
Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell has confirmed a “very significant” bid for Lennon Miller has been rejected but believes the 18-year-old Scotland Under-21 midfielder will still be at Fir Park next season unless interested clubs substantially increase what is being offered. (Daily Record), external
Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes expects Danny Armstrong, who is out of contract this summer, will still be at Rugby Park come the end of the transfer window despite Heart of Midlothian being keen on the 27-year-old and a six-figure bid from an unnamed European club being rejected. (Daily Record), external
St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari has no doubts that bids will come in for Benjamin Kimpioka before the transfer window closes, with interest in the 24-year-old forward, who is out of contract in the summer, from at least two clubs in Europe, as well as in Israel. (The Courier), external
St Johnstone signing target Daniels Balodis will not need to go before the Scottish FA eligibility panel because the 26-year-old centre-back, currently with RFS, is an established Latvian international and joins Swedish midfielder Jonathan Svedberg in awaiting a work permit. (The Courier), external
St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari has left the door open for a second bid to sign Roman Eremenko this summer after the SFA eligibility panel rejected the transfer because of the league the 37-year-old was playing in and his low salary with Gnistan in Finland. (The Courier), external
Portsmouth are keen on Celtic striker Daniel Cummings, with the Championship club exploring the possibility of a pre-contract agreement with the 18-year-old, whose current deal expires in the summer. (Sky Sports), external
Celtic have earned a guaranteed £38m after securing their place in the Champions League knockout round play-offs. (Football Insider), external
Dundee chief executive John Nelms says he remains open to a potential ground share with city rivals Dundee United if the club’s Camperdown stadium plan gets the green light. (The Courier), external
Dundee United owner Mark Ogren has definitively stated that the Tannadice club have “no appetite” to ground-share with city rivals Dundee at their proposed new Camperdown Park home. (Daily Record), external
Owner Mark Ogren has stated that Dundee United are not for sale but has confirmed that the club are open to investment and have been approached by numerous parties already. (The Courier), external
Sports
Australian Open 2025: Novak Djokovic unsure on Melbourne return after retiring injured from semi-final
Novak Djokovic says he will return to the Australian Open next year if he is still “fit, healthy and motivated”.
The 37-year-old Serb, aiming for a record-extending 11th men’s singles title, retired injured from his semi-final against Alexander Zverev on Friday.
He raised both thumbs in the air towards the 15,000 fans as he left Rod Laver Arena – which he has often described as his “second home”.
Asked if it might be his final appearance at Melbourne Park, Djokovic said. “I don’t know. There is a chance. Who knows? I’ll just have to see how the season goes.
“I want to keep going. But whether I’m going to have a revised schedule or not for the next year, I’m not sure.”
It is the second successive year that Djokovic has lost in the Melbourne semi-finals.
Djokovic has stripped back his schedule in recent seasons and prioritised being ready for the biggest tournaments – namely the four Grand Slams.
The former world number one continues to seek a 25th Slam to move clear of Australia’s Margaret Court, who won 24 women’s singles titles between 1960 and 1973.
The Australian Open is where Djokovic has enjoyed most of Grand Slam success followed by Wimbledon, where he has won seven titles.
He has also won three French Open and four US Open titles.
“I normally like to come to Australia to play,” seventh seed Djokovic added.
“I’ve had the biggest success in my career here. So if I’m fit, healthy, motivated, I don’t see a reason why I wouldn’t come.
“But there’s always a chance [it is the last time].”
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