World champion Lewis Hamilton vehemently denied on Thursday that he has requested “number one” driver status in the Mercedes team and claimed he and team-mate Nico Rosberg are reunited 'without any issues' in this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.

Five days after beating Rosberg at the Chinese Grand Prix to extend his lead in the drivers' championship, Hamilton was the chief attraction at a routine pre-race news conference in which he was asked also about his champagne-spraying celebrations.

Hoffenheim coach Markus Gisdol has signed a two year contract extension at the club lying seventh in the Bundesliga ahead of Bayern Munich's visit this weekend.

"It was an easy decision, we've made giant strides in the past two years and I see huge potential," the 47-year-old manager said on Thursday.

Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal and Atletico Madrid's Mario Suarez and Miranda will escape further sanction after Tuesday's heated 0-0 draw in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final, UEFA has confirmed.

Carvajal appeared to hit out at Atletico striker Mario Mandzukic as the two clashed inside the Real box midway through the second-half.

Turkish top-flight football team Fenerbahce will return to the pitch Thursday after an almost two week absence following the gun attack on their team bus earlier this month.

Fenerbahce had refused to play after the attack on April 4 in the Black Sea region of Turkey and the Turkish Super Lig was also suspended by one week.

Rafael Nadal fought off a challenge from John Isner to earn a 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 6-3 win that took him into the quarter-finals on a day of upsets at the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday.

Nadal, bidding for a ninth title on the clay of the Country Club, was tested by a dozen aces from Isner, a huge hitter not noted for his finesse on the dirt.

New Orleans and Brooklyn are in the NBA playoffs. Indiana and Oklahoma City are out. And while San Antonio slipped to sixth in the loaded Western Conference, the defending champions are looking awfully dangerous again.

Forget the 82-game grind of the past six months. There are no more back-to-back sets, no more uneven schedules, no more excuses.

Former NFL star Aaron Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in a late-night shooting, sealing the downfall of an athlete who once had a $40 million contract and a standout career ahead of him.

Hernandez, 25, once starred for the New England Patriots, one of the National Football League's most dominant teams in recent years. His murder trial was yet another distraction for America's most popular professional sport, which has been beset by scandals over star players who committed physical abuse and the league's handling of players' concussions.

Manny Pacquiao intends to put on a show when he faces Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2 1/2 weeks.

He really hopes Mayweather is also coming to fight, for the fans' sake — and maybe for his own strategic purposes as well.

Michael Phelps is aiming to compete in a fifth Olympics next year in Rio, although the 18-time Olympic champion won't swim in the world championships this summer.

Phelps confirmed his intention to make one last run at the Olympics on Wednesday.

Two goals from Ricardo Quaresma in the first 10 minutes helped FC Porto to a surprise 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday.

Bayern, a five-time European champion but currently hit by injuries, paid for its defensive blunders as it struggled to dominate a Portuguese side which is unbeaten in the competition.