MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Serena Williams is ready to win her first Grand Slam title as a mother, having arrived at the Australian Open in her best condition since coming back from maternity leave, according to her coach Patrick Mouratoglou. Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 13, 2019-Serena Williams of the

(Reuters) – The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) executive committee will take up a recommendation on Jan. 22 regarding Russia’s failure to turn over data from a Moscow laboratory by a Dec. 31 deadline, it said on Saturday. FILE PHOTO – A woman walks into the head office of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in Montreal,

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut will give no quarter to Andy Murray in their first round clash at the Australian Open and expects the injured Briton to “fight” hard in what could be his last match as a professional. Tennis – ATP – Qatar Open – Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha,

(Reuters) – Adam Svensson shot a stunning nine-under-par 61 to take a one-stroke lead as Jordan Spieth struggled in the opening round of the Sony Open in Hawaii on Thursday. Jan 10, 2019; Honolulu, HI, USA; PGA golfer Andrew Putnam lines up a putt on the 18th hole during the first round of the Sony

FILE PHOTO: Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece at the Royal Tennis Hall, Stockholm, Sweden – October 20, 2018. TT News Agency/Erik Simander/File Photo Top-seeded and world No. 15 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece will have more time than he wanted to rest before the Australian Open after falling in three sets to eighth-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy

Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 10, 2019 – Serbia’s Novak Djokovic at practice match against Britain’s Andy Murray. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic gave Andy Murray a reality check in the lead up to next week’s Australian Open, dominating the Briton 6-1 4-1

Top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas dismissed Argentina’s Guido Andreozzi 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday to earn his first tour victory of the season at the Sydney International in Australia. FILE PHOTO: Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece at the Royal Tennis Hall, Stockholm, Sweden – October 20, 2018. TT News Agency/Erik Simander/File Photo The 20-year-old rising star from Greece broke

FILE PHOTO: Simona Halep of Romania at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Aug 27, 2018; New York, NY, USA. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY/File Photo (Reuters) – World number one Simona Halep crashed to a straight-sets defeat against unseeded Ashleigh Barty in the second round of the Sydney International on Wednesday. Halep, playing

FILE PHOTO: Japan’s Saori Yoshida reacts after defeating Canada’s Tonya Lynn Verbeek on the final of the Women’s 55Kg Freestyle wrestling at the ExCel venue during the London 2012 Olympic Games August 9, 2012. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem/File Photo TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s three-times Olympic wrestling champion Saori Yoshida announced her retirement on Tuesday at the age

James Harden produced another sparkling double-double but this time received plenty of help as the Houston Rockets extended their home-court winning streak to 10 games with a 125-113 victory over the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets on Monday. Jan 7, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) walks on the court during the

MOSCOW (Reuters) – With the clock ticking toward new sanctions, Russian authorities said on Monday they would allow a World Anti-Doping Agency inspection team to return to a Moscow laboratory to retrieve data it had earlier been denied. FILE PHOTO: Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov attends Russia’s Sports Ministry awards gala in Moscow, Russia December

Jan 5, 2019; Maui, HI, USA; PGA golfer Xander Schauffele tees off on the first hole during the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions golf tournament at Kapalua Resort – The Plantation Course. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports (Reuters) – Xander Schauffele equalled the course record with an 11-under-par 62 to win

(Reuters) – Simona Halep will be without a coach for the first few months of the 2019 season after Australian Darren Cahill left her team due to “family reasons”, the world number one said on Sunday. FILE PHOTO: Simona Halep of Romania at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Aug 27, 2018; New York,

Stephen Curry connected on 10 3-pointers as part of a 42-point performance Saturday night, helping the Golden State Warriors outlast the host Sacramento Kings 127-123 in a game that featured the most combined 3-pointers in NBA history. Jan 5, 2019; Sacramento, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) attempts a shot over Sacramento

Fifth-seeded Karolina Pliskova advanced to her second career Brisbane International final with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Donna Vekic of Croatia on Saturday in Australia. Tennis – Brisbane International – Women’s Semi Finals – Pat Rafter Arena, Brisbane, Australia, January 5, 2019 Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova in action during her match against Croatia’s Donna Vekic

LONDON (Reuters) – Everyone loves an underdog but Mercedes believe Formula One fans will still have plenty to cheer about next season even if the reigning champions dominate for a record-chasing sixth successive year. FILE PHOTO: Formula 1 Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport team chief Toto Wolff attends FIA news conference in St. Petersburg, Russia December