CNN – Sports

By George Ramsay, CNN Four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka exited the French Open in the first round on Monday as she lost 7-5 6-4 against Amanda Anisimova. The 20-year-old Anisimova, a surprise semifinalist at Roland Garros three years ago, has now beaten Osaka in back-to-back grand slams after her third-round victory at the Australian

By Ben Church, CNN Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola described his players as “legends” after they completed one of the most memorable comebacks in English Premier League history on Sunday. At 2-0 down to Aston Villa with less than 15 minutes left, even the most ardent City fan must have been dreading the worst, knowing

By Ben Morse, CNN It may only have been French Open’s first day, but already there’s been a notable surprise in the women’s draw as No. 6 seed Ons Jabeur was stunned by Magda Linette 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 at Roland Garros in Paris. After a dominant first set, the 30-year-old Tunisian missed opportunities to

By Matias Grez, CNN The Golden State Warriors took a 3-0 series lead and edged closer to a place in the NBA Finals thanks to a 109-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. History is now on the Warriors’ side, as no team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit in the

By Ben Morse, CNN Justin Thomas won the 2022 PGA Championship on Sunday, the second major of his career, after a dramatic playoff. Thomas won with a score of two-under after the three playoff holes with fellow American Will Zalatoris at Southern Hills Country Club at Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 29-year-old finished his round a shot

By Ben Morse, CNN Jordan Spieth is not afraid of the spectacular. And on Saturday, he added another shot to his long repertoire of unique and resourceful shots. In what has been a relatively unforgettable few days at the 2022 PGA Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the three-time produced a moment of magic during the third

By Jack Bantock, CNN It was so close and yet so far for Liverpool. As Manchester City trailed 2-0 at home to Aston Villa with just 15 minutes to go, Liverpool knew that — barring a miracle at the Etihad Stadium — a win over Wolves would secure a 20th league title for the Merseyside

By Ben Church, CNN If you’re going to win a league title, you might as well add a bit of drama. Manchester City did exactly that when producing a simply stunning comeback to beat Aston Villa 3-2 and win the English Premier League on Sunday. The host knew a win on the final day of

By Jack Bantock, CNN Max Verstappen took advantage of Charles Leclerc’s retirement to go top of the the drivers’ standings after the Dutchman’s third consecutive victory led Red Bull to a dream one-two at the Spanish Grand Prix. As temperatures reached 36C (97F) on a scorching afternoon at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, reigning world champion

By Issy Ronald, CNN Once a ruling dynasty has been established, it can prove difficult to shift. The reign of the “Big Three” — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic — over men’s tennis has spanned Carlos Alcaraz’s entire life. On July 6, 2003, the day after Alcaraz turned two months old, Federer won

By Jacob Lev, CNN During the New York Yankees’ 7-5 win over the Chicago White Sox Saturday, Yankees’ third baseman Josh Donaldson, who is White, made a racist comment to Chicago shortstop Tim Anderson, who is Black, White Sox manager Tony La Russa told reporters. “He made a racist comment and that’s all I’m going

By Ben Morse, CNN Grab your popcorn and your drinks, the PGA Championship is heating up. Fans could be set for a thrilling final day on Sunday after an intriguing third round left things finely poised. World No. 100 Mito Pereira leads the chasing pack by three shots after posting a one-under 69, leading the

By Ben Morse, CNN Between treacherous greens, long rough, and changing conditions, players at the 2022 PGA Championship have a lot to think about. But for Richard Bland, he realized during Friday’s second round that there are many more things to consider, including the local wildlife. The English golfer posted a video on social media

By David Close, CNN Four-time tennis grand slam champion Naomi Osaka returned to the French Open to meet the media on Friday — a year after her sudden withdrawal from the major tournament. Twelve months on from refusing to speak to the media during the event, citing mental health reasons, Osaka met the press with

By Ben Church, CNN The 147th Preakness Stakes is set to run on Saturday at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, on what is expected to be the hottest day of the year so far in the city. Thankfully the post time of 7:01 p.m. ET will not be at the peak heat of

By Jacob Lev, CNN After struggling in the first round, Tiger Woods rebounded in the second round of the PGA Championship to make the cut. Woods shot a 1-under-par 69 on Friday and finished at 3-over through the first 36 holes. The cut line was 4-over. Woods had shot a 4-over 74 in the first

By Jill Martin, CNN Wimbledon, the third of the four majors on the tennis calendar, is arguably the most famous tennis tournament in the world. This year, however, the men’s and women’s professional tours, along with the International Tennis Federation (ITF), have opted to strip its ranking points for the grand slam event. The announcements

By Ben Morse, CNN When it comes to living their life, their way, no one does it quite like John Daly. The 56-year-old was one of the stars of the opening round at the 2022 PGA Championship on Thursday, decked out in his green top and extravagant trousers as is tradition. Daly was in the

By Aimee Lewis, CNN Twelve months ago, teenager Carlos Alcaraz needed to qualify to make the main draw of the French Open. This year, he is among the favorites to win the men’s section of the tournament. His is the sort of meteoric rise sport craves and should he achieve what many are predicting —

By Issy Ronald, CNN On the ninth hole of the first round, Tiger Woods slammed his golf club into the ground in frustration. Afterward, he walked up to the green with a more pronounced limp than had been seen earlier in the day and eventually finished the hole with a bogey, kicking off a run

By Ben Church, CNN Marcus Smart inspired the Boston Celtics to a 127-102 victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday to level the Eastern Conference Finals. Smart had missed the opening game of the series through injury but returned with a vengeance in Game 2, racking up 24 points, 12 assists, nine rebounds and three

By Christina Macfarlane and Issy Ronald, CNN It was windy and it was snowing. “A very classical Norwegian evening,” as Ada Hegerberg puts it. Despite the inclement weather conditions at the Release Arena in Sandefjord, the Norwegian’s overriding emotion was one of joy.She was playing her first match for Norway in five years, celebrating the

By Ben Morse, CNN Rory McIlroy ended April’s Masters with a bang, and he maintained his blistering form at the 2022 PGA Championship on Thursday. Just over a month after finishing with a final-round 64 at Augusta National — including a brilliant chip-in from a bunker on the 18th — to finish second and a

By Issy Ronald, CNN The Western Conference Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Dallas Mavericks was billed as a matchup between two of the NBA’s biggest stars: Steph Curry and Luka Doncic. But it was Andrew Wiggins who made the difference, holding the Slovenian to 20 points on 6-of-18 shooting, including 2-of-10 on

By Ben Church, CNN Human rights group Amnesty International has urged FIFA to earmark at least $440 million to compensate migrant workers who it says have suffered labor abuses in the preparations for the men’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar. In an open letter sent to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Amnesty International and a selection

By Jack Bantock, CNN For Seville, it was the hottest day of the year. For Eintracht Frankfurt it was one of the greatest nights in the German club’s 123-year history. Amid deafening noise and sweltering 31C (88F) heat on Wednesday, Frankfurt beat Glasgow Rangers 5-4 in a dramatic penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw to

By George Ramsay, CNN Tuesday proved to be an eventful day for Biniam Girmay, who made cycling history at the Giro d’Italia but later had to go to the hospital with an eye injury sustained during his podium celebrations. Eritrean Girmay became the first Black African to win a stage of one of cycling’s Grand

By Wayne Sterling, CNN The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the United States Women’s National Team Players Association (USWNTPA) and the United States National Soccer Team Players Association (USNSTPA) have agreed to a deal that achieves “equal pay and set the global standard moving forward in international soccer.” US Soccer, under the agreements, will become

By Issy Ronald, CNN Jimmy Butler poured in 41 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocked shots — numbers never seen before in an NBA playoff game — as he led the Miami Heat to a 118-107 comeback victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. “MVP

By Ben Church, CNN NBA commissioner Adam Silver says he’s “working side-by-side” with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert in order to get detained star Brittney Griner out of Russia. The two-time Olympic gold medalist, who stars for the Phoenix Mercury but who plays for a Russian basketball team during the WNBA off-season, was arrested in February.

By Aimee Lewis, CNN And still there is hope for Liverpool. A come-from-behind 2-1 win against Southampton on Tuesday night means Jurgen Klopp’s men have a chance of winning the English Premier League this weekend. It is, as Klopp himself said after the match, “not likely but possible” as Manchester City, the league’s leader, is

By Kevin Dotson, CNN Tiger Woods strongly defended the legacy of the PGA Tour ahead of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf professional series teeing off next month. Addressing the media Tuesday before the start of this week’s PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Woods made it clear he is in full support

By George Ramsay, CNN If last week’s Premier League defeat against Tottenham Hotpsur was damaging, over the course of 90 minutes against Newcastle on Monday, Arsenal’s Champions League hopes were all but extinguished. What really hurts for Arsenal’s fans is that before those two games, the club had been shaping up to announce its return

Aimee Lewis, CNN It shouldn’t matter. But it does. When 17-year-old Jake Daniels publicly came out as a gay on Monday, phones pinged as the UK’s media raced to push out news alerts. This is a big story. In less than 24 hours, the young footballer has become a household name; written about on the

By George Ramsay, CNN Trevor Anderson calls it a “lightbulb” moment for Jordan Spieth. Anderson, a performance coach with 27 years’ experience, was guiding the three-time major winner through a series of exercises for a photoshoot back in 2014 when he saw something click. The pair were using a TRX “rip trainer” — a resistance

By George Ramsay, CNN Tiger Woods says he is feeling “a lot stronger” than he was at the Masters last month as the 15-time major champion ramps up his return to golf at the PGA Championship. Woods was playing his first tournament for close to 17 months at Augusta National having suffered serious leg injuries

By Ben Church, CNN British police are investigating the alleged racist abuse of two English Premier League footballers’ families during Brentford’s match against Everton in Liverpool, Sunday. Brentford players Ivan Toney and Rico Henry tweeted the allegations against the unidentified supporters after the match at Goodison Park. “I never usually speak out on things that

By Jessie Yeung, CNN China has pulled out of hosting the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asia Cup, a possible sign the country’s strict zero-Covid policy could remain in place for some time to come. The quadrennial tournament, which features 24 teams from the continent, was scheduled to take place across 10 Chinese cities in

By Matias Grez, CNN Chelsea narrowly got the better of Manchester City in a thrilling Women’s FA Cup final, as Australian star Sam Kerr’s deflected strike secured a 3-2 win for Emma Hayes’ side in extra time. It was a tantalizing match up between the two most in-form teams in the country; coming to Wembley,

By Zoe Sottile, CNN Steph Curry is succeeding on and off the court. Thirteen years after he left Davidson College to enter the NBA Draft, the basketball superstar is finally set to graduate today with his bachelor’s degree, according to a tweet from the college. Curry, 34, only needed to complete one semester of coursework

By Matias Grez, CNN Novak Djokovic became just the fifth man in history to reach 1,000 Tour wins as he defeated Norway’s Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-3 in the Italian Open semifinals. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl are the only other men to have reached the historic milestone. Djokovic reached his 1,000th

By Amanda Davies and George Ramsay, CNN The Formula One season is only five races old, but it already has a different complexion compared to previous years. That’s largely due to the contrasting fortunes of two teams — the resurgence of Ferrari and the struggles of Mercedes — making the outcome of this year’s championship

By Ben Morse, CNN A seven-foot man pulls up at a Serbian stable in a horse-drawn carriage. Within moments, he’s in tears. Far away from the glitz and glamor where he showcases his many skills, Nikola Jokic is being presented with the trophy given to the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Most Valuable Player (MVP) outside

By Amanda Davies and Ben Morse, CNN A hulking six-foot-four NFL colossus and an Italian team principal of a Formula One team are not the likeliest of best buddies. But JJ Watt and Guenther Steiner are breaking that mold. Three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Watt fell in love with Formula One through Netflix’s

By Jacob Lev, CNN Phil Mickelson has withdrawn from the upcoming PGA Championship, the PGA of America announced Friday. “Phil is the defending champion and currently eligible to be a PGA Life Member and we would have welcomed him to participate,” the PGA said on Twitter. “We wish Phil and Amy the very best and

By Jason Hanna and Anna Chernova, CNN A Russian court has extended the pretrial detention of US basketball star Brittney Griner — held since February on accusations of drug smuggling — by another month, Russian state news agency TASS reported Friday. Griner, who the US government has said is being wrongfully detained, now can be

By Ben Morse, CNN The Dallas Mavericks forced a Game 7 in the Western Conference semis, blowing out the Phoenix Suns 113-86 on Thursday night to level the best-of-seven series at 3-3. Luka Doncic, facing the first elimination game of his young career, came up big with 33 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists to

By Issy Ronald, CNN Waves of light blue crashed around the stands of the Etihad Stadium as Manchester City fans bounced up and down, colliding into one another in their delirium. Over in Sunderland, Manchester United fans stood shell-shocked despite their team’s 1-0 victory, frozen by one of the most dramatic conclusions that the English

By Ben Morse, CNN It’s always a time of endless optimism and hope, and this year’s NFL schedule release was no different. But to spice up what is usually a relatively straightforward procedure, teams really took the opportunity to get creative. On Thursday, the NFL and its franchises announced the schedule for the 2022 season,

By Ben Church, CNN Rafael Nadal‘s bid to win a record-extending 14th French Open title has been dealt a blow as he continues to struggle from chronic foot pain. The 21-time grand slam champion missed a large part of last season with the injury and says he is still learning to live and play through

By Darren Lewis and Issy Ronald, CNN The German phrase ‘Luftschlösser bauen’ literally translates as ‘building castles in the air,’ a whimsical image indicative of the idiom’s meaning — daydreaming about pipedreams. This season, ‘Luftschlösser bauen’ is an idea that might resonate with many Liverpool fans. Back in January, Liverpool was a seemingly insurmountable 14

By Don Riddell, CNN Amelia Cline can still remember what she loved about gymnastics; the 32-year-old Canadian says it was the chance to explore the limits of gravity. “I was fearless,” she told CNN from her home in Vancouver. “Every child likes to learn how to flip, all of my early memories are pretty happy

By Kevin Dotson, CNN Fresh off his victory at the 148th Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike will not race at the upcoming Preakness Stakes — the second leg of the horse racing’s triple crown, the horse’s owner Rick Dawson said in a statement Thursday. “Our original plan for Rich Strike was contingent on the KY Derby,

By Ben Church, CNN Despite a disappointing season on the pitch, Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi was the highest-paid athlete in the world over the last 12 months, according to Forbes. The soccer sensation is reported to be bringing in pre-tax gross earnings of $130 million a year from on-field and off-field pursuits, keeping him

By Wayne Sterling, CNN Former Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo is suing the NFL team, alleging that former Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer created a “hostile work environment.” In the lawsuit, filed in the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court in Duval County, Florida on Tuesday, Lambo claimed that during a practice in August, Meyer “kicked him

By Ben Morse, CNN The Golden State Warriors emphatically missed the opportunity to clinch their Western Conference semifinals playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. In a dominant performance in Game 5 of the best-of-seven series, the Grizzlies won 134-95 — leading by as many as 55 points — at the FedExForum. Memphis

By Ben Morse, CNN Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has been named as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the second season in a row. The 27-year-old Serbian — who was the 41st pick of the 2014 draft — was named as an All-Star for the fourth successive season after another dominant year from the

By Matias Grez, CNN When Erling Haaland burst onto the Champions League stage, everybody in the world of football immediately sat up and took notice. Playing in European football’s premier competition is supposed to be hard. Haaland made it look anything but. In September 2019, then 19 years old, the Norwegian sensation bagged a hat-trick

By Aya Elamroussi, CNN Bob Lanier, an eight-time All-Star and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, died Tuesday, the NBA said. He was 73. Lanier, who played for 14 years in the NBA, died after a short illness, surrounded by family, the NBA said in a statement. “Bob Lanier was a Hall of Fame player

By Aimee Lewis, CNN One of the most prolific and sought-after strikers in world football is set to play in the English Premier League next season after Manchester City confirmed an agreement has been reached with Borussia Dortmund for Erling Haaland. There had been months of speculation concerning the 21-year-old’s future, with rumors of a

Exclusive by Matias Grez, CNN Video by Amy Li, CNN As MMA fighter Yaroslav Amosov walks through the streets surrounding his hometown of Irpin, which sits around 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) west of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, there are fleeting moments when it seems like an ordinary day in May. The skies are clear and

By Tina Burnside, Kevin Dotson and Amy Woodyatt, CNN Former NBA player Adreian Payne was shot and killed in Orlando, according to authorities in Florida. Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting just after 1 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday, where they found Payne, 31, shot. The gunman, who was later

By CNN Sport staff From one magnificent feat to another, Shohei Ohtani is having a season to remember. On Monday, the Los Angeles Angels star achieved his first grand slam as a professional as he helped his side to a 11-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Anaheim, California. Ohtani, Mike Trout and Jared

By Theresa Waldrop, CNN There may be some people who believed they could strike it rich with the racehorse Rich Strike — whose 80-1 odds in the 148th Kentucky Derby made him one of the longest shots in the race’s history — but his jockey Sonny Leon wasn’t one of them. “I didn’t have an

By Wayne Sterling, CNN The New York Islanders have relieved Barry Trotz of his coaching duties after four seasons with the club, Islanders President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello announced Monday. The Islanders missed the Stanley Cup playoffs this past season after finishing with a 37-35-10 record. “It will be a tremendous understatement to say

By Toyin Owoseje, CNN Kelly Meafua, a Samoan rugby star, has died after falling from a bridge in France following his team’s final game of the season. French rugby club US Montauban confirmed the 32-year-old back-row forward had not survived the fall into the river Tarn in the early hours of Saturday morning, despite the

By Issy Ronald, CNN The Dallas Mavericks cruised to a 111-101 home win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday afternoon to tie their Western Conference semifinal series at two games a piece, but it was an off the court incident that stole the headlines. The game was overshadowed by an incident involving Suns guard Chris

By Jacob Lev, CNN Las Vegas Raiders team president Dan Ventrelle has been fired, the team’s owner Mark Davis said in a statement Friday. Davis didn’t provide a reason for the termination in the statement, which was posted on the NFL team’s Twitter account. “Dan Ventrelle is no longer with the Raiders organization,” Davis said

By Christina Maxouris, CNN Nearly six years ago, Eric Reed almost called it quits from the horse training business. A fire engulfed one of the barns at his Lexington, Kentucky, equine center, in the middle of a December night, killing 23 thoroughbred horses and causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. “When we drove

By Kevin Dotson and Christina Maxouris, CNN In a stunning upset that sent the crowd roaring, Rich Strike won the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday. The horse entered the race at 80-1 odds — the biggest long-shot in the 20-horse field. Rich Strike began the derby week as