Rafael Nadal was born on the Spanish island of Mallorca, known for its sandy beaches, but the tennis star will be forever associated with another surface --...

A trendy preseason dark horse pick, the Atlanta Dream are starting to turn things around, winning three straight to move back to .500 on the season.Allisha Gray is playing elite basketball right now, pushing her season points per game average to 18.7 while shooting 49.2 percent from the field an...

Erik ten Hag admits he is at a loss to explain Manchester United’s poor defensive performances. The Red Devils have conceded 14 goals in their last five games and 10 in the last three, with three goals against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday not enough even to earn them a point. United boss Ten Hag said: “We have shown that we can do it because last year we had the most clean sheets in the Premier League because of the team, because we defended very good as a team, so we have to get back to that standard. “Of course I am pushing the team and demanding from the team, and from the start of the season, but they are human beings, not robots, so, why they are not doing it, I try to find out and I try to give the solutions and try to motivate the players to do the job. “When you are in a period like we are in always as a manager you are asking yourself these questions. My job is to get them to do the job.” On United’s tendency to concede goals soon after a restart, Ten Hag added: “(We’re) not concerned but we are aware of it. Of course you can’t close your eyes for things like this so we coach the players, we coach the team in that fact.” Question marks have been raised about the attitude of United’s squad, with clips from the Bayern game apparently showing players not chasing back as hard as they might. Ten Hag does not believe a lack of willingness was to blame, though, saying: “It’s always a concern when we didn’t run but I think against Bayern it was not the case. “In certain situations yes so it’s also to recognise in which situation is it about they didn’t recognise it and didn’t make the right decisions or is it about willingness? “Against Spurs, we didn’t run too much. But I think against Bayern we did our best from physical outputs but we didn’t always run in the right moment. “If we bounced back like we did in Munich, you can’t say the spirit isn’t right. I think we have other problems than that.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Everton have begun overhauling their board by announcing a trio of departures led by chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale, with the future of chairman Bill Kenwright set to be addressed in the next 48 hours. Barrett-Baxendale, chief finance and strategy officer Grant Ingles and non-executive director Graeme Sharp – who is also the club’s record post-war goalscorer – have left their roles a fortnight after the club escaped relegation from the Premier League on the final day of the season. Everton will announce their interim replacements, along with a decision on the future of Kenwright, this week. Along with Kenwright, the three directors had been prevented from attending matches at Goodison Park since mid-January because of fan opposition that entailed “threats to safety and security”. Supporters chanted “sack the board” at every game, including after the club’s Premier League survival was ensured. “The outgoing directors have worked tirelessly over recent months to assist with the preparation for a transition to a new board,” an Everton statement read. “The club is very appreciative of this generous accommodation, which is both characteristic of them and entirely in the spirit of the best values of our club.” Everton have cumulative losses of more than £430m and the exit of the directors was seen as inevitable with American investors MSP Sports Capital in talks about investment to fund the new stadium but the possibility of a full takeover also on the table. “We have all been fully committed during our time here and are disappointed to have made the decision to leave Everton,” a statement from the three directors read. “We have worked tirelessly alongside our chairman in what has been a challenging period to deliver some of the most significant projects in Everton’s history – projects that will safeguard and sustain the commercial future of the club for generations to come. “It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as directors. We would like to thank everyone who has supported us during our time here. We wish the club we have loved to serve every success in the future.” Read More Everton’s great escape will not automatically solve problems – leading academic Everton fans storm pitch after beating relegation before chants to ‘sack the board’ Everton chairman Bill Kenwright ‘hurt’ by having to stay away from Goodison Park

Conor Benn may have one more hurdle to overcome in order to fight in Britain, Eddie Hearn has confirmed, despite the boxer being cleared by UK Anti-Doping this week. After Benn failed two drug tests in 2022, which led to the collapse of his planned bout with Chris Eubank Jr, the welterweight was cleared by the WBC earlier this year and by UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) this week. Benn, 26, and his promoter Hearn celebrated the Ukad ruling as the end of a saga, but the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) said in a statement on Tuesday (1 August): “We wish to reconfirm that the Ukad Rules which apply to those proceedings provide all parties, including the BBBofC, with a right of appeal. “The BBBofC takes all anti-doping matters extremely seriously and is considering the exercise of its rights.” Hearn then told iFL TV: “He’s cleared to fight in Britain, subject to the approval of the BBBofC, which is the next process to undertake. “I would like Conor Benn to go through the process with the board, and we’ll do that, and hopefully – after being cleared from the WBC and in that [Ukad] hearing – we can move forward with a licence. “Maybe [the BBBofC will appeal]. I can imagine the whole world and their dog is calling the board, telling them to appeal it. We live in a strange, strange business, but ultimately everything that has been asked of Conor Benn, he’s done. He’s been cleared by the WBC, the suspension has been lifted by Ukad. “It’s up to the board if they want to. We’re ready for everything. We’re a year in, fighting every day, so we ain’t going anywhere.” Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend Errol Spence Jr drops hint over next move in social-media update Terence Crawford’s masterclass puts him in conversation to be an all-time great

Today's USMNT news includes Folarin Balogun being linked with Lille, Zack Steffen is a target for Leicester City and Ricardo Pepi is set to join PSV.USMNT news: Folarin Balogun to LilleArsenal are set to go on a tour of the USA next month, where they will play fixtures against the MLS ALL-S...

Italy's chances of defending their European Championship crown suffered a blow on Saturday after a 1-1 away draw at North...

Ferran Torres is adamant that he will not leave Barcelona this summer regardless of whether or not he features in Xavi's plans. Arsenal, Newcastle and Aston Villa have all shown interest in the 23-year-old.

Nebraska tight ends coach Bob Wager has resigned after being cited for suspicion of drunken driving

The New York Giants signed Saquon Barkley to a one-year deal on Tuesday morning, thus ending his very brief and unsuccessful holdout.Barkley, as of just a week ago, sounded willing to hold out into training camp and beyond rather than play on the franchise tag. While he technically received a ne...

VIDEO: Rob Gronkowski didn't like what he saw when he actually watched Mac Jones.

DETROIT (AP) — Alex DeBrincat scored three goals for his fifth career hat trick and the Detroit Red Wings beat the road-weary Calgary Flames 6-2 Sunday for their fifth straight win.