Rafael Nadal eases past Florian Mayer at Australian Open

Rafael Nadal had to apologise for his Mallorcan time-keeping but there was nothing sloppy about the Spaniard’s tennis as he swept aside Florian Mayer to reach the Australian Open second round. After defeating Mayer 6-3 6-4 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena, Nadal came into his press conference staring at his watch.

Former Man Utd manager Van Gaal says he may not coach again

The 65-year-old Dutchman has not led a team since being fired by Manchester United in May last year following a disappointing two-year tenure that followed one of his greatest triumphs – leading the Netherlands to the semifinals of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. In comments to Dutch daily De Telegraaf published Tuesday, Van Gaal says that he considered himself on a sabbatical after being axed by Manchester, “but now I don’t believe I will return to the coaching profession.”

What wedding? First things first for Serena Williams

It wasn’t until after another routine opening-round beatdown that Serena Williams offered a startling glimpse into the ruthlessly compartmentalized mindset that accompanies her to the Grand Slams. She was engaged recently to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, but said she wasn’t going to fully process the life-changing, milestone event — until February.

Johanna Konta battles her way to victory in Australian Open first round

Johanna Konta could not deliver the same brilliance that won her the title in Sydney last week but still proved too strong for Kirsten Flipkens in the Australian Open first round. The British number one produced a scratchy performance in her opening match on Margaret Court Arena but it is a sign of her rising class that she could still convincingly overcome Flipkens, under-ranked at 70th in the world, 7-5 6-2.

LVG’s Man Utd highlights

The former United manager appears to have called time on his coaching career , saying he is unlikely to take another job for family reasons. He has been out of work since leaving United last May, with his two-year spell ending with victory in the FA Cup final over Crystal Palace .

Justin Bieber reaffirms love for Arsenal FC by rocking a red and…

Justin Bieber reaffirms love for Arsenal FC by rocking a red and blue team jacket at low-key dinner in LA ahead of upcoming Purpose tour dates He famously enjoyed a tour of the team’s training ground with top players Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back in October. And Justin Bieber proved his support of Arsenal FC has not faltered upon return to the States, as he stepped out in team merchandise on Sunday.

Murray, Kerber win their 1st major matches as top seeds

Shelby Rogers of the United States celebrates her win over Romania’s Simona Halep in their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 16, 2017. Romania’s Simona Halep raise her arms after missing a shot while playing Shelby Rogers of the United States during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 16, 2017.

Top seed Kerber battles into Open second round

Germany’s Angelique Kerber celebrates her victory against Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko during their women’s singles match on day one of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 16, 2017. AFP / PETER PARKS Melbourne: World number one Angelique Kerber battled past Lesia Tsurenko to get her first Grand Slam title defence off to a stuttering start at the Australian Open Monday.

Fiorentina offer tantalising glimpse of true potential

Federico Chiesa of Acf Fiorentina celebrates the victory of a match at the end of the Serie A soccer match between ACF Fiorentina and Juventus at Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence, Italy on January 15,2017 MILAN: Fiorentina’s performance in the 2-1 win over Serie A leaders Juventus on Sunday offered their fans a tantalising glimpse of what they are capable of when they put their minds to it. The Violets outplayed their opponents, exposing weaknesses in Juve’s much-vaunted “BBC” defence of Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, with a display worthy of title contenders rather than a team stuck in eighth place.

The Latest: CoCo Vandeweghe overcomes heat, illness to win

CoCo Vandeweghe overcame the heat and illness to beat 15th-seeded Roberta Vinci 6-1, 7-6 and advance to the second round of the Australian Open.Vandeweghe was down a break in the second set when she slumped to her knees, facing the backboard at Margaret Court Arena, and needed help from medical staff. The trainer rubbed some water on Vandeweghe’s neck as she stayed in the shade for a couple of minutes, not moving, before the tournament doctor went out to help.

‘I’m pretty good at this’

Venus Williams of the U.S. reacts after winning her Women’s singles first round match against Ukraine’s Kateryna Kozlova. Photo: Reuters Venus Williams survived a rocky start to reach the second round of her 17th Australian Open on Monday, putting her 7-6 7-5 victory over Kateryna Kozlova down to hard-earned experience.

Ramos sees reverse in fortunes as Real’s record run ends

Sergio Ramos has so often been Real Madrid’s man of the moment but the captain saw the tables turn as his own goal helped his former club Sevilla to a 2-1 win over the La Liga leaders on Sunday, ending a record-breaking 40-game unbeaten run. The Real defender’s reputation for rescuing his team in their hour of need took a twist when he headed Pablo Sarabia’s floated free-kick past his own goalkeeper Keylor Navas in the 85th minute to cancel out Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty.

The Latest: 4th-seeded Halep loses to American Shelby Rogers

The Puerto Rican player, seeded 29th, was the first player to win a match at Melbourne Park this year, defeating Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig 6-0, 6-1 in 53 minutes. Puig was close to shutting Tig out completely, known in tennis as a “double bagel,” but made several unforced errors to give the Romanian her first game at 6-0, 5-1.

Staying number one harder than getting there, says Kerber

Melbourne Park was ground zero for the stunning breakthrough of Angelique Kerber’s tennis career so the German has naturally savoured some golden memories before the defence of her Australian Open title. The emotions bubbled to the surface as the late-blooming left-hander was driven through the Melbourne Park gates for the first time since coming back this year.

Valencia tops Espanyol to end winless run in Spanish league

Valencia has finally won again in the Spanish league, beating Espanyol 2-1 to end a three-month drought and move further from the relegation zone. Martin Montoya scored from close range in the 17th minute and Santi Mina sealed the victory in the 73rd at Mestalla Stadium as Valencia snapped its eight-game winless streak to open a four-point gap to the relegation teams and has a game in hand.

Guardiola virtually concedes title after heavy loss for City

The English Premier League season is barely passed the halfway point and already Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has virtually given up on winning the title Guardiola virtually concedes title after heavy loss for City The English Premier League season is barely passed the halfway point and already Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has virtually given up on winning the title Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/2iAkdwT Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, centre, celebrates scoring his side’s first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017.

United v Liverpool – Team-Sheets

Manchester United entertain Liverpool this afternoon in a game that both teams need to win. Liverpool need the points to close the gap on the Premier League leaders Chelsea whilst Manchester United need the three points to keep in touch with the top-four.

Olsson Having Swansea Medical

Martin Olsson is on the verge of completing his 4.5m move to Swansea City according to Sky Sports via the EDP Sky report that both Olsson and Spurs midfielder, Tom Carroll are undergoing medicals this weekend with a double announcement expected tomorrow The pair of prospective new Swans signing were both in Wales over the weekend and Olsson was omitted from Alex Neil`s squad as a result. Steven Whittaker took his place in the Norwich side and was at arguably at fault for both of the goals that Norwich conceded at Rotherham on Saturday.

Crystal Palace (h) – Post-Match Fascinating Facts

Following the rarity this season that is an emphatic home Premier League win, we took the opportunity to delve into the record and form books. Here are a few facts and figures that might interest you: a In providing assists for all three goals, Michail Antonio became the first West Ham United player to provide three assists since Paulo Di Canio did against Coventry back in April 2000.

Hammers v Palace – Managerial Views

The Hammers got back to winning ways in impressive fashion at the London Stadium, beating Crystal Palace 3-0. The win will come as a welcome relief to Hammers supporters who had learned during the week that Dimitri Payet wants to leave.

Two Goals And A New Song

Callum Connolly admitted he was lost for words after he ended his Wigan Athletic debut with two goals and a new song! The youngster’s loan switch to the DW Stadium was only confirmed at 2pm on Saturday afternoon but he went straight into Warren Joyce’s starting line up for their trip to Burton Albion. Connolly then netted headers in each half to give his new side a 2-0 victory and left the pitch to a chorus of chants from the Latics’ jubilant away following.

Terras: Matthews aims to prove himself after fans’ forum

TERRAS’ boss Jason Matthews believed there was a “positive feeling” following Saturday’s fans’ forum at the Bob Lucas Stadium. The Weymouth player-manager sat down alongside chairman Chris Pugsley following the 1-1 draw with Stratford Town, to field questions from supporters about a range of topics involving the club.

Annual MLK parade draws crowd, bands and celebrities

The community came together Saturday afternoon in downtown Vicksburg to mark Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a parade, a cookout and four world champion boxers. During the 2 p.m. parade down Washington Street, former heavyweight champion boxers – Evander Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, Ray Mercer and James Toney – each rode through the parade route in a separate vehicles smiling, waving and talking to the crowd gathered on the street.