SPORTS

Conditions at the US Open were described as “dangerous” as five men had to retire from their first-round matches on Tuesday because of heat-related issues. Temperatures close to 38C (100F) in New York were made more stifling by humidity levels of over 50%. French player Julien Benneteau, who won on day two, said matches in the middle of the day ...

Carlo Ancelotti will make his home debut on the Napoli bench on Saturday against the team he turned into world beaters during an eight-year spell as coach. In one of the delightful twists that football has a habit of providing, AC Milan will be Napoli’s first opponents of the season at the San Paolo as last season’s runners-up aim to ...

Nicki Minaj and Future have cancelled the entire North American leg of their joint tour. The rapper has apologised saying she “simply doesn’t have the time to rehearse… to give the level of show I need to give”. But there are unconfirmed reports of low ticket sales. In a video she said she was “working tirelessly to give you the ...

Cristiano Ronaldo said it had been an easy decision to leave Real Madrid for Juventus as he bids to become just the second player to win the Champions League with three different clubs.”I want to win the Champions League with Juventus and we will do everything to win it,” the 33-year-old Portuguese superstar said in an interview with streaming broadcaster ...

Lebogang Manyama has signed for Kaizer Chiefs, joining on a free transfer after an abortive season in Turkey. No details of his contract were given by Chiefs, who made the announcement on their twitter account. The 27-year-old Manyama was named the best player in the Premier Soccer League at the end of the 2017-18 season and back home after having ...

Northern Ireland midfielder Chris Brunt has announced his retirement from international football, the Irish Football Association said on Tuesday. The 33-year-old West Bromwich Albion player won 65 caps for his country across a 14-year period. “I have spent a lot of time thinking it over but I feel, at this point in my career, I need my sole football focus ...

South Africa’s flyhalf stocks may be questionable in terms of consistency at the moment, but the emergence of Damian Willemse as a credible option for Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has added a new dimension to the debate for the Rugby World Cup. While Erasmus has Handre Pollard and Elton Jantjies to rely on, further than that there is the injury-prone ...

Mario Balotelli has signed a new deal to stay at Nice despite strong interest from French rivals Marseille, the Ligue 1 club announced on Monday. The striker, whose strong form in the last two seasons at the Allianz Riviera has seen him return to the Italy team, has scored 43 goals for the club. Nice have got off to a ...

Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Mohamed Salah make up the three-man shortlist for the Uefa Player of the Year award for the 2017/18 season, European football’s governing body announced on Monday.Ronaldo – the winner in each of the last two years – and Modric both starred for Real Madrid as the Spanish giants won the Champions League for the third ...

Jose Mourinho warned of the troubles that could lie ahead for his Manchester United side, but the Portuguese must still accept much of the responsibility from a 3-2 defeat at Brighton that has the Red Devils’ season off to a bad start. The concern for United is now whether Mourinho is capable of stemming the tide to turn things around ...