NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic is finding it tough to deal with issues related to his breakaway players body in the middle of the US Open, but the world number one says he is moving forward with it as more professionals join the cause daily.

BARCELONA — It will be difficult for Lionel Messi to remain at Barcelona after he made public his desire to leave the Spanish club, his father and agent Jorge Messi said on Wednesday as he arrived in the city to negotiate his son’s future.

DELAYED by the coronavirus pandemic, Season 2 of The Nationals finally kicks off this weekend.

A season’s worth of disappointment was etched on Donovan Mitchell’s face as he met members of the media, in the aftermath of Game Seven of the Jazz’s opening-round playoff series. To argue that he was deflated would be an understatement; he entered the 2019-20 campaign determined to do all he could to better their immediate-past, one-and-done postseason showing. And, for a while there, he seemed ready to live up to his own outsized expectations; he sported a more complete playmaking arsenal en route to an All-Star berth, his upward trajectory stalled only by circumstances off the court. Unfortunately, it still proved wanting in the face of the Nuggets’ superior talent base.

THE DENVER NUGGETS survived a frantic finish to complete a rally from a 3-1 postseason deficit Tuesday night, getting a go-ahead hoop from Nikola Jokic with 27.8 seconds remaining for an 80-78 victory over the Utah Jazz in Game 7 of their Western Conference first-round series in the NBA bubble near Orlando.

NEWLY FORMED TEAM Maharlika Football Club is the latest addition to the Philippines Football League (PFL) after its license to operate was approved by the local governing body for the sport.

LIONEL Messi is unlikely to change his mind about leaving Barcelona, the club’s presidential candidate Victor Font has said.

WITH no fans to cheer her on, Serena Williams was left to push herself to a record-breaking straight-sets victory in the first round of the US Open on Tuesday.

Jayson Tatum scored a playoff-career-high 34 points, Marcus Smart sunk five 3-pointers during a furious fourth-quarter comeback and the Boston Celtics rallied past the Toronto Raptors 102-99 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series Tuesday night near Orlando.

THE Board of Managing Directors of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines is set to meet today to discuss further the alleged “training bubble” conducted by member-schools which, if proven to be true, is in violation of existing health and safety protocols put up by the government.

The local esports community has enhanced its structure when the Philippine Esports Organization (PeSO) recently got the nod to operate as the official national sports association for the sport.

CHRIS PAUL scored a team-high 28 points and carried the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 104-100 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday near Orlando, forcing a decisive seventh game in the teams’ Western Conference first-round playoff series.