AP National Sports

By CHRIS LEHOURITES AP Sports Writer WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Novak Djokovic makes history just about every time he wins another match. And the top-ranked Serb did just that by winning another Wimbledon match. Djokovic beat Kwon Soon-woo 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Centre Court for his 80th victory at the grass-court major. That made

By JIM HEINTZ Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Shackled and looking wary, WNBA star Brittney Griner was ordered Monday to stand trial by a court near Moscow on cannabis possession charges, about 4 1/2 months after her arrest at an airport while returning to play for a Russian team. The Phoenix Mercury center and two-time

By CHRIS LEHOURITES AP Sports Writer WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Quick reactions are a hallmark of being a professional tennis player and Jodie Burrage showed the Wimbledon crowd she could respond to adversity quickly. The British player noticed a ballboy who was feeling faint on the sidelines during her match so she rushed over to

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Billionaire sports businessman David Blitzer has officially joined the Cleveland Guardians as a minority owner and eventually will take control of the ballclub. The team announced Blitzer’s agreement with the franchise, the final step in him taking a minority stake in the American League team. Owner

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer The Minnesota Twins must make a midseason change to their field staff with the sudden exit of pitching coach Wes Johnson. He is leaving for a lucrative college job at LSU. The Twins announced that Johnson will work the five-game series at Cleveland this week before departing. The 50-year-old

NICE, France (AP) — French club Nice has hired Lucien Favre as coach saying he replaced Christophe Galtier who is expected to take over at Paris Saint-Germain. Nice says Favre returns after a first spell that was “engraved in the history” of the club. Favre’s first season in 2016-17 ended with a third-place finish in

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Five-time All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly is returning to the Carolina Panthers as a member of its radio broadcast team. A seven-time Pro Bowler who retired in 2020, Kuechly will be joining play-by-play announcer Anish Shroff and either Jordan Gross or Jake Delhomme for seven games this season. Kuechly will be in

By JESSICA GRESKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court sided Monday with a high school football coach from Washington state who sought to kneel and pray on the field after games, a decision that could strengthen the acceptability of some religious practices in other public school settings. The court ruled 6-3 for the

DUBLIN (AP) — Spain will remain out of the Rugby World Cup next year after its appeal to overturn a penalty for using an ineligible player was dismissed. World Rugby says an independent appeal committee denied Spain’s attempt to throw out a 10-point deduction that left it out of next year’s tournament. The points deduction

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP Sports Writer BRUSSELS (AP) — Two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe and ace sprinter Mark Cavendish won’t be on the starting line when the Tour de France kicks off Friday from Copenhagen. Alaphilippe has not recovered enough in the two months since his horrific crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. His Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team

By JIM HEINTZ Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — More than four months after she was arrested at a Moscow airport for cannabis possession, a Russian court has set the start date of the criminal trial of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner for July 1. The Phoenix Mercury star was also ordered to remain in custody

MADRID (AP) — Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas will lead Spain’s squad at the women’s European Championship in England next month. Putellas is the highlight of the 23-player list announced by coach Jorge Vilda. She is among nine players from Barcelona, while six play for Real Madrid. Spain is unbeaten in 22 matches, with 19

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer TOKYO (AP) — Japanese referee Yoshimi Yamashita agrees with Pelé or whoever it was decades ago that first described soccer as the “beautiful game.” Yamashita is one of three women picked by FIFA to be referees at the men’s World Cup in Qatar, which opens on Nov. 21. It’s

LONDON (AP) — Former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech will leave his role as technical and performance adviser at the Premier League club this week. Cech’s departure after three years in the role is the latest change under Chelsea’s new ownership. The club also recently announced that sporting director Marina Granovskaia is moving on. Cech spent

By JIM HEINTZ Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — More than four months after she was arrested at a Moscow airport for cannabis possession, American basketball star Brittney Griner is to appear in court Monday for a preliminary hearing ahead of her trial. The Phoenix Mercury star, considered in some polls to be the United States’

By NOAH TRISTER AP Baseball Writer Mark Appel is proof that even for a No. 1 draft pick, the road to the major leagues is sometimes a bumpy one. Appel was called up by the Philadelphia Phillies nine years after he was drafted first overall by Houston. He bounced around the minors and was traded

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon saved his best performance in the Stanley Cup Final for when it mattered most. MacKinnon scored a goal and set up another to help the Colorado Avalanche win the Cup by beating the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6. MacKinnon

By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Sports Writer DENVER (AP) — Joe Sakic was so busy relishing and reminiscing that he nearly missed the team photo with the Stanley Cup before racing over just in time to join the on-ice celebration at Amalie Arena. The general manager of the Colorado Avalanche joined fellow Denver icon John Elway

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly presented the Stanley Cup to Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog in Commissioner Gary Bettman’s absence. Bettman previously tested positive for the coronavirus and was unable to produce enough negative results to get back to the series in time. It’s the