England forward Beth Mead will miss the Women’s World Cup after failing to recover in time from a knee injury

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The 2023-24 Euroleague season is approaching quickly, with less than a month to go. Get ready with essential details on the format, schedule, key dates, predictions, and more. Stay tuned!

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.”

Despite the postseason not even starting yet, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora intends to name Chris Sale as the opening day starter for 2024, raising questions about the team's future.

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The internet is impossible to predict – after all, who could have seen a track by 90s rockers Creed becoming one of the most popular songs of 2023? If you’re an avid TikTok user, the chances are you’ll have heard ‘Higher’ on your feed in some form or another this year. The 1999 track from the Florida band’s album Human Clay has found a brand new audience as more and more people discover it online. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by its new popularity, given how good the track is. Creed - Higher (Official Video) www.youtube.com It’s right out of the 90s mold of epic rock tracks, and more American in its makeup than Uncle Sam chowing down on a corn dog at a demolition derby. It still slaps in 2023, and it’s become the soundtrack to countless posts this year – but how? Mostly, it’s due to a special connection with sports fans which goes back all the way to the late 90s and early 00s. In their pomp, Creed performed an NFL halftime show, helping to mark Thanksgiving at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in 2001. Thanxgiving Medley (Higher/My Sacrifice/Don't Stop Dancing www.youtube.com Footage of the performance has been recirculating this year, and it's perhaps no surprise given the bombastic of the track and the high-octane staging – which saw a number of aerialists fly into the stadium twirling in huge strips of material. Since then, the band seems to have had a connection with American sports fans – and now ‘Higher’ seems to have become an unofficial anthem, much like ‘Sweet Caroline’ by Neil Diamond has done for the England football team in recent times. It was clear just how much the song has been embraced by crowds when Texas Rangers fans sang the track with the help of a huge karaoke screen during a baseball game this year. Texas Rangers fans singing some CREED - 2023 ALDS www.youtube.com It’s not just fans who have made the song popular again, either. After the Texas Rangers made the tune their theme song this year, the players belted it out in the dressing room after claiming the World Series too. However, the first person to really get the song circulating again was TikTok user @maceahwindu, who brought us a brilliant version of the tune. As another sign of the song making an impact in the world of sport, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs replied to a clip of @maceahwindu mixed with highlights of the Vikings’s overtime win against the Atlanta Falcons, writing: “I wish I could hit that note.” It's here to stay, so expect to hear 'Higher' more and more in the sporting world and beyond. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

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