Sports

MADRID: Veteran midfielder Luka Modric has signed a contract extension which will keep him at Real Madrid until the end of next season, the La Liga giants announced on Tuesday (May 25). The 35-year-old Croatian international, who won the Ballon d'Or in 2018, has played 391 times for Madrid since joining from Tottenham in 2012. "The Croatian midfielder will remain at our club until 30 June, 2022," Real said in a short statement. Modric has remained a key player for Zinedine Zidane's men

PARIS: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will set their sights on more Grand Slam history at Roland Garros as the French Open embraces a new and eerily empty era of night time tennis. A 14th title in Paris for Nadal would take him to a record-setting 21st major, surpassing the mark he shares with Roger Federer who has already written off his hopes of adding to his lone success in the French capital back in 2009. Djokovic, the champion in 2016, can move

UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus over their attempts to launch a breakaway Super League, European soccer's governing body said on Tuesday. The clubs are the only three of the original 12 to have not distanced themselves from the project following an outpouring of criticism. "Following an investigation conducted by UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors in connection with the so-called 'Super League' project, disciplinary proceedings have been opened against Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus FC for a potential

India's cricket board (BCCI) considering moving IPL resumption date to September 19, avoiding clash with fifth Test between India and England at Old Trafford, scheduled to finish on September 14; IPL postponed earlier this month due to coronavirus cases England's Test series with India is set to go ahead as scheduled this summer, despite reports earlier this week that Indian cricket's governing body, the BCCI, had enquired about moving the fifth Test at Old Trafford. There had reportedly been concerns over a clash

Top-seeded Bianca Andreescu needed just 61 minutes on Monday to post a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Spanish qualifier Andrea Lazaro Garcia in the first round of the Internationaux de Strasbourg in France. The Canadian won 83.9 percent of her first-serve points while winning in her first match since losing to Australia's Ashleigh Barty in the Miami Open final on April 3. Andreescu next faces Belgium's Maryna Zanevska, who defeated Yuliya Hatouka of Belarus 6-2, 6-1 in a battle of qualifiers. Among other matches,

Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson won the Kia NBA Sixth Man Award, learning of the accomplishment while sitting with teammate Joe Ingles during a TNT interview. The two carved out a spot in league history, too, marking the first one-two finish by teammates in Sixth Man voting. Clarkson is the first player in Jazz franchise history to win the award. Clarkson received 65 first-place votes (407 total points) from 100 sportswriters and broadcasters around the globe. Ingles collected 34 first-place votes and 272

KIAWAH ISLAND, South Carolina: Phil Mickelson is not the first middle-aged person to change his diet and engage in brain training in a quest to feel and perform better, but he is the first to win a major golf championship after turning 50. While Mickelson's performance at the PGA Championship might not open the floodgates to a sudden glut of Senior Tour-eligible winners, it at least will provide further evidence to those creeping up in age that it is not too late to

LONDON: Sergio Aguero is close to agreeing a move to Barcelona that would unite him with fellow Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, according to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. City's record goalscorer, who has spent a decade at the Etihad, scored a quickfire double in the champions' 5-0 win over Everton in his final Premier League appearance for the club on Sunday. The goals took his Premier League tally to 184 - the most by any player for a single club. The 32-year-old forward

LONDON: Mateo Kovacic has three Champions League winners' medals tucked away but the Croatian has never played a minute of a final. The versatile midfielder hopes that changes on Saturday when Chelsea take on Manchester City in Porto. "I've played my part in three (Champions League winning teams) at Real Madrid, not the biggest, maybe not like here," Kovacic, who was injured for the 2016 final in Milan and was an unused substitute in Cardiff in 2017 and Kiev in 2018. Obviously, I

American Coco Gauff is brimming with confidence ahead of the French Open, buoyed by strong results in Italy on clay in the past two weeks that have helped the 17-year-old climb 10 places to a career-best 25th in the rankings. Gauff has already made the fourth rounds of the Australian Open and Wimbledon in her nascent career, and this week she will be seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time in her career when the clay court major starts on Sunday

Canadian Denis Shapovalov said on Sunday he will not play at the French Open due to a lingering shoulder injury. The world number 14 lost to Norway's Casper Ruud 7-6(6) 6-4 in Saturday's Geneva Open final. "I'm saddened to share that after consulting with my medical team I've made the difficult decision to withdrawal (sic) from @rolandgarros," he tweeted. "Unfortunately my shoulder has been bothering me and while medical tests look good, it is for the best to rest. See you in 2022,

The CAF Super Cup 2020 Local Organising Committee (LOC) has announced that fans will be permitted to attend the 29th edition of the match will be played in Doha, Qatar. The tournament match will be played by the TOTAL CAF Champions League champions Al Ahly SC, of Egypt, and Moroccan team RS Berkane, who won the TOTAL CAF Confederations Cup. The match will be held at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Qatar on Friday, as the game is scheduled to commence at 7pm.

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo finished the 2020-21 campaign as Serie A's top scorer to become the only player to achieve the feat in the Premier League, La Liga and Italy's top flight. The 36-year-old scored 29 goals as the Bianconeri finished the season in fourth place. Inter Milan won the Serie A title, ending Juve's nine-year dominance. In Ronaldo's third season in Italy, he has won the Capocannoniere race for the first time after having scored 21 in 2018-19, which was five behind

KIAWAH ISLAND, South Carolina: Phil Mickelson became the oldest major winner in golf history on Sunday (May 23), the 50-year-old left-hander capturing the PGA Championship by two strokes for his sixth and most iconic major title. The age-defying American took the US$2.1 million top prize with an epic victory for the ages, producing a dazzling shot-making display at windy Kiawah Island while younger rivals faded. "It has been an incredible day," Mickelson said. "Certainly one of the moments I'll cherish my entire life."

MANCHESTER: Sergio Aguero signed off for Manchester City in style on Sunday, scoring twice in a 5-0 romp for the Premier League champions against Everton before lifting the trophy for the fifth time in his Etihad career. City's record goalscorer, who is leaving the club after next week's Champions League final, hit a quickfire double after coming off the bench with 25 minutes remaining. His efforts added to earlier strikes from Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus and Phil Foden as City showed no

BIRMINGHAM: Liverpool and Chelsea grabbed the final two Champions League places but Leicester City fell short of a top-four finish for the second successive season on a nerve-jangling final day of the Premier League season on Sunday. Liverpool avoided any drama as they beat Crystal Palace 2-0 to finish in third spot - a silver lining to a difficult season in which their attempted defence of the title crumbled. Chelsea lost 2-1 at Aston Villa - a result that could have been curtains

Sunday will see supporters given the chance to say their goodbyes to two of the club's best-loved players Leeds United have confirmed that Gaetano Berardi and Pablo Hernandez will leave the club at the end of the current season. The duo are two of the club's most-loved players, both having key roles in helping the Whites win promotion back to the Premier League, and supporters will have the opportunity to bid an emotional farewell to the pair on Sunday when a limited number

Russia will allow foreign ticket holders for Euro 2020 matches in St. Petersburg to enter the country without a visa to attend the tournament, the local organising committee said on Thursday. Russia has limited foreigners' entry into the country because of the COVID-19 pandemic, only allowing citizens of countries with which it has resumed international flights to cross its borders. "In the current difficult conditions, the movement of people has been severely reduced, and we were met with understanding by the federal authorities

BRUSSELS: Club Brugge were crowned Belgian champions for the third time in the last four years after drawing 3-3 away at Anderlecht on Thursday. The point was enough to put Brugge out of the reach of second-placed Racing Genk, who had beaten Antwerp 4-0 earlier in the day. Brugge were 3-1 up with 25 minutes left, after Hans Vanaken had scored twice, but conceded two goals in the closing stages as Anderlecht threatened a win which would have taken the title race to

LONDON: Cristiano Ronaldo leads a formidable front line for defending European champions Portugal as coach Fernando Santos unveiled his Euro 2020 squad on Thursday. Ronaldo, who added the Italian Cup to his collection this week and has scored over 100 goals for Juventus, is joined by Manchester City's Bernardo Silva and Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes. Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix, who can win the Spanish league title this week, and Liverpool striker Diogo Jota complete their frontline for the tournament starting on June 11.