Sports

Dec 18, 2022 ESPN News Services MELBOURNE, Australia — Venus Williams has been awarded a wild-card entry to play at the Australian Open next month, 25 years after she played the Grand Slam tournament for the first time. The 42-year-old Williams has reached the final twice in Australia, including a loss to her younger sister,

3:27 PM ET The 2022 World Cup in Qatar has flown by. Wedged into the middle of the European club season, it has had to. It’s hard to believe that the tournament began 26 days ago, yet so much has transpired in that time, including whittling down a field of 32 to just France and

Dec 16, 2022 England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) on Friday approved the application by a bidder for the planned takeover of Wasps but rejected another for Worcester Warriors after an assessment by the governing body’s Club Financial Viability Group. Financially-hit Wasps and Worcester have both been suspended for going into administration and will drop from

8:00 AM ET 2022 featured the breakout of many boxers, the retirement of others — some of them short-lived — and a few new undisputed champions. The year also included plenty of upsets, disappointing performances, and of course, controversies. What fight will be remembered as the best of 2022? Who did we select as Fighter

9:30 AM ET Ryan Hockensmith Close Ryan Hockensmith is a Penn State graduate who joined ESPN in 2001. He is a survivor of bacterial meningitis, which caused him to have multiple amputation surgeries on his feet. He is a proud advocate for those with disabilities and addiction issues. He covers everything from the NFL and

5:07 PM ET Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. — Twenty years have passed since Padraig Harrington first faced Tiger Woods on the weekend at a major, and he has kept a close watch ever since. He doesn’t think Woods is finished. Harrington says Woods can win another major if he can just get to the final

Dec 15, 2022 Associated Press SANDUSKY, Ohio — Hailie Deegan will drive full time in the NASCAR Truck series next season with ThorSport Racing. ThorSport formally added Deegan to its driver lineup Thursday as it announced a manufacturer move from Toyota to Ford. Deegan, a 21-year-old California native, will race in the Truck series for

Dec 15, 2022 Associated Press LONDON — Iga Swiatek and Rafael Nadal were honored by the International Tennis Federation as its 2022 ITF World Champions on Thursday after each claimed two Grand Slam titles this season. The ITF determines its awards based on criteria that include all events and give special weight to the four

9:21 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN INDIANAPOLIS — Stephen Curry will receive an MRI on Thursday in Philadelphia after injuring his left shoulder in the Golden State Warriors‘ 125-119 loss at the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. Curry sustained the injury with 2:04 left in the third quarter after attempting to strip Indiana’s Jalen Smith of the

6:00 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN ALLEN PARK, Mich. — A familiar face was reintroduced to the Detroit sports community Jan. 21, 2021. And he could hardly contain his excitement. On this rare occasion, Dan Campbell eschewed any team-issued gear for a dark suit while addressing reporters for the first time, via Zoom from the broadcast

Dec 14, 2022 December 14, 1947 was a Sunday afternoon. Yes, most of the men who gathered in Daytona Beach, Fla. on that chilly, gray day were dressed in suits. But no, it was not a church service. Far from it. There was entirely too much brown liquor on the table and cigar smoke in

Dec 1, 2022 Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Goodyear will remain the exclusive tire for NASCAR’s top three national series under a new multiyear deal announced Thursday. Specifics of the extension weren’t included, but the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company will continue as title sponsor of the annual Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway as part

Dec 14, 2022 British No. 1 Emma Raducanu branded comments about her as untrue as she said the attention she has received after her meteoric rise in tennis has been “intense.” Raducanu, who received an MBE award from King Charles for her services to tennis, broke onto the scene with an impressive Wimbledon campaign in

12:33 PM ET Before we knew Mike Leach was a first-ballot hall of fame interview, before the sideline dissertations about marriage or candy or anything in the world, really, there was Mike Leach, the football genius. Leach, who died Monday night at 61, likely would scoff at that notion, that anyone needed to be a

Dec 11, 2022 ESPN staff Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is currently chasing down career NHL goal No. 800. After starting the 2022-23 season at 780, he has scored 17 goals thus far. Ovi is third on the all-time NHL goals list, behind Wayne Gretzky (894) and Gordie Howe (801). The next highest active player

7:07 PM ET The trade: A three-team deal that lands C Sean Murphy with the Braves Braves get: C Sean Murphy (from A’s)Brewers get: C/DH William Contreras (from Braves), RHP Joel Payamps (from A’s), RHP Justin Yeager (from Braves)A’s get: LHP Kyle Muller (from Braves), RHP Freddy Tarnok (from Braves), RHP Royber Salinas (from Braves),

9:24 AM ET Associated Press Tony Stewart‘s Superstar Racing Experience is moving to ESPN and a new night as the network plans to use the all-star summer racing series to revitalize its “Thursday Night Thunder.” ESPN said Monday it signed a multiyear agreement with Superstar Racing Experience that begins in July. SRX will air on

5:52 PM ET The World Cup semifinals are set! With Croatia and Argentina clinching their spots on Friday, history was made on Saturday with Morocco beating Portugal to be the first African team to reach the final four. They’ll meet defending champions France, who outlasted England in the other quarterfinal match. Be sure to check

Dec 9, 2022 Associated Press NEW YORK — Trainer Jason Servis, whose horse Maximum Security was the 3-year-old champion in 2019, pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges involving a widespread scheme to drug horses. The 65-year-old New Jersey-based trainer faces four years in prison when he is sentenced next May in U.S. District Court in

9:37 AM ET If you were hoping for the venom of a Phil Mickelson–Tiger Woods showdown in previous iterations of The Match — or certainly what a rematch might bring today — then Saturday night’s made-for-TV clash featuring Woods and world No. 1 Rory McIlroy against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas might seem more like