The San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Reds play an early afternoon matchup on Saturday, July 1 with what could end up being a lopsided pitching matchup.Michael Wacha (7-2, 2.90 ERA) gets the ball for the Padres against Reds rookie Brandon Williamson (1-1, 5.82 ERA). The Reds have gone 6-2 in Willi...

Aston Villa have announced captain John McGinn has signed a new long-term contract. The midfielder’s new deal keeps him at the club until 2027. McGinn moved to Villa Park from Hibernian in 2018 and helped them earn promotion to the Premier League in 2019 with a goal in the Championship play-off final against Derby. The 28-year-old was named club captain last summer and was a key part of the Villa set-up last season, making 34 Premier League appearances. He helped the club secure European football for the first time since 2010 after a stunning turnaround under manager Unai Emery saw Villa finish seventh in the league. McGinn also represents Scotland on the international stage, earning 56 caps for his country, and he recently featured in their Euro 2024 qualifying wins against Georgia and Norway. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh says he’s spoken to his brother, Jim, quite a bit, and he’s proud of how the Michigan coach has handled the sign-stealing scandal that put the program under investigation

Patrick Esume has been the face of NFL broadcasts in Germany for years and has played a big role in helping football to grow in a key international market

New Italy coach Luciano Spalletti makes his debut when the Azzurri visit North Macedonia in European Championship qualifying

Two-time LeMans winner Mike Rockenfeller has been chosen to replace suspended driver Noah Gragson in the next two NASCAR Cup Series races

Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen says he’s bypassing his senior season to enter the NFL draft

Coco Gauff said learning how to smile more often is behind her dazzling run at the US Open after she stormed into the semi-finals with a straight sets...

With Wimbledon underway and Nick Kyrgios already out due to injury, is tennis actually any good for you? Every tournament brings fresh injuries into the public eye, but the sport’s praises are often sung by fitness fans all over the world. So, how does it weigh up health and safety-wise? Is it worth investing some time in the sport if you enjoy Wimbledon? Tennis elbow The most common injury in tennis is tennis elbow, says Lucy Macdonald, physiotherapist at Octopus Clinic, and it’s something which has affected the likes of Andy Murray and Venus Williams. “Tennis elbow is the generic term for pain in the elbow, normally where irritation of the tendon runs over the elbow.,” she says. “It is often caused by a sudden overload on a tendon, in a way it is not used to, and it cannot cope with the forces that are on it. Treating it involves modifying what you are doing. “It can also be caused by other racket sports, and even things like breastfeeding a baby or cutting hedges and gardening,” she explains. But, it isn’t the end of tennis dreams. You can treat it. “Do not completely rest, modify the load going through the elbow, reduce the frequency and longevity of playing tennis, but things like physical support and tape can also help. “Changing your technique to take pressure off the tendon can help,” Macdonald explains. “The long-term treatment is to gradually build up the resilience of the tendon – a top spin stroke adds the most pressure – and alongside that, use static contractions – exercises that are just contracting the muscle, holding it and then relaxing.” Wrist injuries Kyrgios has pulled out of Wimbledon already, due to a wrist injury. “People may get wrist injuries if they fall and fracture the wrist. Or if they get a repetitive strain injury – if you use your wrist a lot in terms of the strokes you use with a lot of topspin – you can get some overuse and cause a flare up,” says Macdonald. Ankles and knees “Being on a slippery court, it can be easy to go over on your ankle,” she continues. “It happens in a lot of sports, if you’re running for a ball or trying to change direction. “You might get some knee problems, as they take such a hit generally with any propulsive sport – you get wear and tear on the knees, and sudden twists could impact your medial meniscus. Strength training is the best thing for that.” The benefits Should you be worried about all these injuries if you want to start playing, though? “The main cause of injuries in tennis is the sporadic nature people play it. If they suddenly go and play once every few months, the body is not used to the movements required in tennis, ” Macdonald notes.“You may suddenly run across the court and strain your calf or rupture your Achilles, because you haven’t run in months. “If you play it regularly and are consistent with the amount you play, it can be really beneficial,” she says.Any exercise is good, but the social aspect of tennis is hugely motivating, if you’re meeting up with three friends to play tennis, you have to show up – it gets you exercising regularly if you do it consistently. Tennis is beneficial for “increasing your heart and breathing rate, which is really good for your cardio and respiratory system. It keeps the range of motion in your shoulders, improves your balance with direction changes, and reduces your risk of falling,” says Macdonald. So, don’t let the risk of injury put you off. “There are so many positives that outweigh the negatives. Exercise, in general, extends your life span, and every illness out there is reduced by doing exercise. Even though it may have some impact on our musculoskeletal system, it is overwhelmingly positive for your mental and physical health.”

Summer McIntosh, the 16-year-old Canadian who promises to be a star at next year’s Paris Olympics, has won her second gold medal of the World Aquatics Championships

Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde insists he will not be betting on how many goals he'll score this season with manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hailed Ryan Gravenberch’s “obvious talent” as the midfielder paved the way for the 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise with his first goal for the club. The Netherlands international, a £34million summer signing from Bayern Munich, made only his third start of the season and after impressing in the first European outing another all-round performance was capped with what he described as “the easiest goal of my career”. Gravenberch capitalised on an error from goalkeeper Anthony Moris, who fumbled Trent Alexander-Arnold’s shot to present a tap-in for the 21-year-old a minute before half-time. It was a crucial goal as Liverpool had wasted a number of chances prior to that and although they were rarely in trouble Diogo Jota’s goal in added time at the end of the second half secured a second successive Europa League victory. “It is really obvious how good he is, the talent he is,” said Klopp of a player who arrived on transfer deadline so has had to be gradually introduced to English football with three Premier League substitute appearances. “He is enjoying the situation and it is very important the confidence back, that is really good to see. “We thought he might be able to play 90 (minutes), we wanted to give him 90 but we saw he dropped a bit so that’s why we took him off.” Jota responded to Saturday’s sending off for two yellow cards – which means he is suspended for Sunday’s trip to Brighton – with his fourth goal of the season. “How should he deal with it? I knew it would be difficult. That (controversial defeat to Tottenham) is long ago and we are over that and Diogo is over it as well. We are not children. “From a focus point of view, it was not a problem to focus on the game, in the game it was a problem to keep being focused because that was how it looked a little bit. “We got a bit sluggish, I didn’t like that too much but that was nothing to do with the last game or the last week. That’s the challenge in football any way.” Two successive wins puts Liverpool two points clear at the top of Group E and victory over Toulouse, two points behind, in three weeks’ time would put them on the verge of qualification for the knockout stages. But it was far from the sort of free-flowing performance seen by the side this season as they missed a number of chances and then started to lose their way in the second half. “(I liked) the start and the result. The goals, the chances we created. What I didn’t like is we lost rhythm after 25 minutes,” Klopp added. “It’s very difficult to keep rhythm in games like this but it’s important. We should have scored earlier but got the second in stoppage time. “We should use our chances better more often if we want to be successful in competitions but I’m not angry or concerned, it’s just how it is. We know we have to do better. “It was a mature professional performance, we got the result we wanted but know we can do better.” Union coach Alexander Blessin knew his side were up against it before a ball was even kicked but was disappointed they did not gain more confidence from keeping their hosts at bay for almost the entire first half. “In the end I’m proud of the team, but we saw the strength of Liverpool,” he said. “I had the feeling that the game changed (after Liverpool’s start) and in those moments you need it to go your way.” Read More Respect matters says Unai Emery after late goal gives Villa an important win Nothing’s changed with VAR, says Gareth Southgate Dan Burn’s dream comes true on a ‘special’ night for Newcastle Steven Davis remains confident in Rangers squad despite defeat to Limassol ‘Maverick’ Lucas Paqueta impresses David Moyes in West Ham’s Europa League win Roberto De Zerbi hails ‘incredible’ Brighton reaction to salvage Marseille draw