AP National Sports

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer PARIS (AP) — The ATP men’s professional tennis tour says it will not award ranking points for Wimbledon this year because of the All England Club’s ban on players from Russia and Belarus over the invasion of Ukraine. The ATP announced its decision two days before the start of

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer Clint Dempsey acknowledges the limelight changed him later in his career as he felt responsible for his club and American soccer. He is free to be himself four years removed from playing and on the eve of his induction into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame. Dempsey scored

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press MONTMELÓ, Spain (AP) — Formula One leader Charles Leclerc of Ferrari has topped both practices at the Spanish Grand Prix. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were next in their Mercedes. Mercedes has struggled to keep up with Ferrari and Red Bull this season. Defending champion Max Verstappen for Red Bull

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — Relegation-threatened Burnley and Leeds have asked the English Premier League to form a panel to decide if Everton should be punished for breaching financial rules to fund the squad that has just retained its place in the topflight. A person familiar with the request told

CUNEO, Italy (AP) — One of the overall favorites for the Giro d’Italia has pulled out of the grand tour during the 13th stage. Romain Bardet climbed off his bike about a third of the way into the stage and got into a Team DSM car. He was suffering from a stomach bug. He was

By PAT EATON-ROBB AP Sports Writer UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Yvonne Anderson understood that making a WNBA roster as an undrafted rookie was going to be tough and getting that chance a decade after she left college would be even tougher at age 32. But the former Texas standout, who made a name for herself

CUNEO, Italy (AP) — One of the overall favorites for the Giro d’Italia has pulled out of the grand tour during the 13th stage. Romain Bardet climbed off his bike about a third of the way into the stage and got into a Team DSM car. He was suffering from a stomach bug. The stage

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer Steven Gerrard never got to win the English Premier League for Liverpool in 17 years there as a player and team captain. It was the biggest regret in his career because it denied him what he has called “the icing on the cake.” On Sunday he could help win

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Prosecutors in Poland have filed blackmailing charges against the former manager of Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski. Cezary Kucharski publicly accused the Poland national team captain and his wife of tax irregularities in Germany and threatened to reveal the details if they didn’t pay $21.1 million. Lewandowski has denied any wrongdoing

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press MONTMELÓ, Spain (AP) — Formula One team Aston Martin has been cleared of suspicion that it broke competition rules by allegedly copying a design from a Red Bull car. The governing body for F1 said an investigation had concluded that Aston Martin had not reverse engineered parts of a Red

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Police have opened an investigation after Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira was involved in an altercation with a fan during the latest in a series of pitch invasions that have marred the end of the English soccer season. The Football Association says it is “very concerned” about the trend and confirmed

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer PARIS (AP) — Naomi Osaka cracked jokes at Roland Garros on Friday — and, yes, laughed at those jokes. She smiled after some reporters’ questions. She paused to contemplate, as is her wont, before offering answers. All of which seemed to confirm this assessment that she offered during an

PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino says he has no idea whether Kylian Mbappé will leave the club amid widespread speculation he could join Real Madrid. Mbappé’s contract expires in June and he has been linked with a transfer to the Spanish club. Mbappé has made clear that he will make his decision

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer There will be a slew of farewells for players, managers and even referees on the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday. Some will be heartfelt and others most certainly won’t be. Divock Origi and Antonio Rudiger are leaving Liverpool and Chelsea, respectively, to move abroad and

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press MONTMELÓ, Spain (AP) — Two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso has accused the FIA race stewards of incompetence and says one of the directors lacks the professionalism for the role. The Spaniard made the allegations at his home grand prix in Barcelona. He’s angry about a penalty he received two

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach says Russian athletes and officials who have been banned from international sporting events because of the war in Ukraine are being protected rather than punished. Most Olympic sports bodies followed the IOC guidance given within days of Russia’s invasion by