Rafael Nadal chose to look on the bright side when it comes to the torn hip muscle that will keep him out of the Australian Open and extend his absence from tennis to more than a year.

At least, he told the world via social media on Sunday, this is not the same part of the hip that he hurt in Melbourne last January and that required surgery last June. At least, the 22-time Grand Slam champion explained, he still can point to his main goal for 2024, which remains to be fit and ready to compete in a serious way at the French Open on his beloved red clay.

It has been a slow start to the January transfer window in the Premier League.

Expect that to change pretty quickly.

Jurgen Klopp has wished Mohamed Salah good luck — sort of — for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

Liverpool's top scorer this season could be absent for more than a month depending on how Egypt performs in the Ivory Coast.

Rafael Nadal missed three match points and needed a medical time-out Friday before losing to Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals of his tournament comeback following a year-long injury layoff.

The 22-time major winner failed to convert a match point in the 10th game of the second set and two more in the tiebreaker before No. 55-ranked Thompson rallied to win 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3 at the Brisbane International.

U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff overcame hard-hitting Czech teenager Barbara Fruhvirtova 6-3, 6-0 and extended her winning start to the year and Auckland Classic defense to the quarterfinals on Thursday.

The 16-year-old Fruhvirtova came out hitting harder than any player at the tournament so far, generating enormous power off both hands. She troubled Gauff at first and broke the American's serve to love in the third game.

When Rafael Nadal faced three break points while serving for a commanding first set, a voice in the crowd at the Brisbane International yelled out to Jason Kubler: "You've got him worried now!"

It was a fleeting concern for the 22-time major winner on Thursday in his second match back from a year-long injury layoff.

Kylian Mbappé gave Paris Saint-Germain a glimmer of hope he might stay by insisting he has not yet decided on his future.

Mbappé's contract runs out in June, and last year he caused a stir by refusing to sign a 12-month contract extension, meaning he can leave on a free transfer at the end of this season. The France star is also authorized to talk to clubs in January and sign a pre-contract agreement.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 36 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped Boston’s six-game winning streak with a 127-123 victory on Tuesday.

A heavyweight clash between two of the league's top teams lived up to its billing as Oklahoma City's youthful line-up went toe-to-toe with the Celtics, who lead the NBA's Eastern Conference.

Poland became the first team through to the United Cup semifinals with a dominant 3-0 win over China in Perth on Wednesday after France completed a sweep of Italy in Sydney to progress to the quarterfinals.

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek beat No. 14 Zheng Qinwen 6-2, 6-3 in the women's singles to give Poland an unassailable 2-0 lead after Hubert Hurkacz's 6-3, 6-4 win over Zhang Zhizhen in the men's singles.

Luke Littler reached the final of the world darts championship at the age of 16 on Tuesday, extending one of the most unlikely stories in the history of the sport.

Littler, an unseeded player from Runcorn in northwest England who started throwing darts as a toddler, beat 2018 champion Rob Cross 6-2 to get into Wednesday's title match against Luke Humphries.