Hope heals

In the semifinals on Friday, the second-seeded Spaniard will face Australia's Nick Kyrgios who beat Chile's Cristian Garin 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) in an another last-eight encounter. Nadal's hopes of landing a first calendar slam remain alive after he dug deep to edge Fritz in a fifth-set tie-break and reach the semifinals. Competing at this stage of a Grand Slam for a 47th time - compared to a first time for Fritz - Nadal battled through the pain barrier to prevail at SW 19. Nadal, who was regularly checked over by his physio, will now face the temperamental Kyrgios as he looks to add to the Australian Open and French Open crowns already won this year. Fritz had not dropped a single set en route to the final eight, but facing Nadal initially appeared a challenge too far when the Spaniard broke his serve in the opening game. However, the number 11 seed responded brilliantly by whittling off five games in a row - breaking Nadal twice - to take the first set and lay down a … [Read more...] about Wimbledon 2022: Nadal survives injury and Fritz scare to enter semifinals as he keeps career slam hopes alive

Getty Images Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans thought quarterback Tom Brady was pulling his leg when he said he was returning to the team after a brief retirement early this year, but that change of plans hasn’t impacted his view on what tight end Rob Gronkowski will do this year. Gronkowski recently announced a retirement that his agent and many others think may not last much longer than Brady’s time as a retiree. During an interview with Ari Alexander of KPRC, Evans was asked if he shares that opinion. Evans said he’s hopeful that he’ll be sharing the field with Gronkowski again this year, but that he doesn’t think that’s how things are going to play out. “I hope he comes back. With Tom and Gronk, you never know,” Evans said. “I wouldn’t be mad if he came back. I’d actually be really excited if he came back, but I feel like he’s done . He plays the tight end position and he plays it max effort. Gives it his all, practices really hard, takes a lot of shots, … [Read more...] about Mike Evans: I hope Rob Gronkowski returns, but feel like he’s done – ProFootballTalk

Getty Images Before players turn their attention to the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews, they will first head to North Berwick, Scotland, for the 2022 Scottish Open. Serving as a precursor for the year's final major championship, the Scottish Open marks the first co-sanctioned event between the DP World Tour and PGA Tour outside of the World Golf Championships. As such, a stout field has taken shape with 14 of the top-15 players in the Official World Golf Rankings choosing to tee it up at The Renaissance Club. The lone name missing from this list is that of world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, who culminated four straight weeks of competition at the Travelers Championship. The Northern Irishman is readying for the Open on his own, and given the fact he has finished inside the top 10 of all three major championships this season, should probably not be questioned. In his absence, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will look to reenter the winner's circle for the first time since his … [Read more...] about 2022 Scottish Open: Live stream, watch online, TV schedule, tee times, radio, golf coverage

Getty Images The Atlanta Braves were one game under .500 at the All-Star break last year but went 44-28 in the second half to capture their fourth straight NL East title and proceeded to win the fourth World Series in franchise history. The club did not wait as long to recover from a poor start this year as it has gone 25-7 since June 1 after posting a 23-27 record over the first two months of the campaign. Atlanta (48-34) hopes to continue its surge when it hosts the St. Louis Cardinals (44-39) on Wednesday for the third contest of their four-game set. The Braves, who have won four of their last five, trail the first-place New York Mets by 2.5 games in the NL East, while the Cardinals are three behind Milwaukee in the NL Central after dropping three straight. First pitch at Truist Park is set for 7:20 p.m. ET. Atlanta is the -170 money-line favorite (risk $170 to win $100) in the latest Braves vs. Cardinals odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while St. Louis is the +143 … [Read more...] about Braves vs. Cardinals odds, prediction, line: 2022 MLB picks, Wednesday, July 6 best bets from proven model

USATSI Louis Oosthuizen has been a consistent performer at the Open Championship, so he will hope that success carries over to the 2022 Open Championship, which starts Thursday, July 14. He made it to a four-way playoff before eventually losing to Zach Johnson the last time this event was hosted by St. Andrews (2015), which is the host course again this year. Oosthuizen has five top-20 finishes at the Open Championship, including a win in 2010, and is 35-1 in the latest 2022 Open Championship odds at Caesars Sportsbook. Oosthuizen will have to take down the likes of Rory McIlroy (9-1), Jon Rahm (11-1) and Scottie Scheffler (12-1) to win the title. Which golfers should you back with your 2022 British Open bets? Before locking in your 2022 Open Championship picks or entering any PGA DFS tournaments on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, be sure to see the PGA Tour predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven golf model . SportsLine's proprietary model, built by DFS … [Read more...] about 2022 British Open odds: Surprising PGA picks, golf predictions by analytics model that nailed the Masters

/ Getty Images Last week, wide receiver Terry McLaurin agreed to a three-year extension worth up to $71 million to remain with the Washington Commanders beyond the final season of his rookie contract. Before signing that extension, McLaurin was holding out of OTAs and minicamp, which he said on Wednesday was an unusual feeling for him. "It was weird. I don't miss practice. I know how important those reps are," McLaurin said . "That was really hard for me. But you understand the business and what has to happen." Now that his contract is locked in, he's ready to get back on the field. And one reason he's excited to do so is the relationship he's already building with new Commanders signal-caller Carson Wentz . They were in touch while McLaurin was waiting for the deal to be completed. "During the process he reached out to me," McLaurin said . "That's why I can't wait to get out there and start throwing with him. ... I'm really excited to see what he does." … [Read more...] about Terry McLaurin contract: Commanders receiver says ‘it was weird’ missing practice during negotiations

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports Last month, legendary tight end Rob Gronkowski made the decision to retire . It's something he's done before, which is why not everyone is sold on his claim that he's hanging up the cleats again. In fact, Gronk's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN that he wouldn't be surprised if Tom Brady calls in the middle of the 2022 or 2023 season, and Gronk ends up returning to the field. Those who have a better idea of Gronk's mindset are his former teammates on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Wide receiver Mike Evans recently called him "the best tight end ever," and said that the offense will certainly miss him. However, he does believe Gronk is officially done with football. "I hope he comes back," Evans told KPRC2 . "With Tom and Gronk you never know. I wouldn't be mad if he came back, I'd be excited. But I think he's done. He plays the tight end position with max effort, he takes a pretty big beating and I've seen his body after some of the … [Read more...] about Buccaneers’ Mike Evans believes Rob Gronkowski will not come out of retirement this time: ‘I think he’s done’

Getty Images Due to China's ongoing battle with the COVID-19 pandemic, the PGA Tour announced on Wednesday the cancellation of the WGC-HSBC Champions scheduled for Oct. 27-30. This marks the third straight season in which the event has been axed from the playing schedule. Rory McIlroy remains the reigning champion of the event, having won at Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai in 2019. "We have worked with all Tours, as well as the China Golf Association, on the viability of hosting the WGC-HSBC Champions this fall, but unfortunately the logistical implications forced the difficult decision to cancel the event," said PGA TOUR Senior Vice President, International, Christian Hardy. "We are thankful for HSBC's partnership during these trying times as we continue to navigate the changing COVID-19 climate." In its place, the Bermuda Championship will stand alone and once again receive a full share of FedEx Cup points in addition to a purse of $6.5 million. The PGA Tour is not the … [Read more...] about PGA Tour, LPGA Tour cancel upcoming golf tournaments in China due to COVID-19 concerns

USA Today Training camp is just around the corner in the NFL, and then comes the 2022 season. Plenty of teams have been busy this offseason, spending big to upgrade their lineups. Others have been more focused on rebuilding, tearing things down with the hopes of a brighter future. But which clubs boast the best all-around talent entering the hottest days of summer? Let's rank all 32 teams strictly according to their rosters going into camp, with full knowledge that the remainder of the offseason, the preseason and particularly the real games this fall will come to determine the true pecking order: 32. Falcons Arthur Smith is essentially starting from scratch for a second straight season, and this time, he doesn't have Matt Ryan's veteran savviness to at least mask the offense's thin weaponry. Kyle Pitts and Drake London could form a solid big-boy duo at pass catcher, but there's still a general lack of explosiveness here. Regardless of whether it's Marcus Mariota … [Read more...] about Ranking all 32 NFL rosters ahead of 2022 training camp: Bills, Buccaneers, Chargers crack top five

With 2022 NHL Draft this week, the team at McKeen’s Hockey has prepared a mock draft to give you an idea of how the first day could unfold. Director of Scouting, Brock Otten , Director of Video Scouting, Will Scouch , Video Scout, Sam McGilligan and Publisher Robert Howard got together and made our picks for whom we thought best matched the team on the clock. It was a fun and interesting process. They certainly do not mirror our McKeen’s rankings , which are not trying to predict the draft, but which prospects will develop into NHL players and at what level in five years’ time. ] Every NHL team has its own list, its own goals, and surprises are expected, so, enjoy our best guess on who your teams next great hope is going to be. The McKeen’s team has published our annual NHL Draft Guide which includes profiles on over 300 players, feature articles plus much more. It is available as a direct download with a subscription, or on its own. You can learn more here . 1. … [Read more...] about NHL Mock Draft: Wright, Slafkovský, Cooley top 2022 class