Guardian Sport

Andy Murray has been forced to withdraw from the singles draw at the last Wimbledon of his career after he was unable to recover sufficiently from the back surgery he underwent 10 days before the tournament began.

“Unfortunately, despite working incredibly hard on his recovery since his operation just over a week ago, Andy has taken the very difficult decision not to play the singles this year. As you can imagine, he is extremely disappointed but has confirmed that he will be playing in the doubles with Jamie and looks forward to competing at Wimbledon for the last time,” Murray’s representatives said in a statement.

Murray’s preparations for his final Wimbledon suffered a painful blow two weeks ago when he was forced to withdraw from Queen’s due to pain and numbness in his back and right leg. Murray soon underwent back surgery to remove a spinal cyst and he has been rushing to recover in time to compete in his scheduled first round match against Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic.

Murray will, however, compete in the doubles with his brother Jamie.

2 months ago | [YT] | 25

Guardian Sport

It's gloomy and cold as the pack rides past a monument during the fourth stage of the Paris-Nice cycling race, taking in the 183km between Chalon-sur-Saone and Mont Brouilly.

#Cycling #Sport #France

Photo: Thomas Samson/AFP/Getty

6 months ago | [YT] | 7

Guardian Sport

The mass start to the 100th edition of the Vasaloppet, the world’s biggest cross-country ski race, in Sweden.

Photos: Ulf Palm/EPA

6 months ago | [YT] | 12

Guardian Sport

A moment of calm in the gallery during the Phoenix Open as the setting sun hits the clouds near the eighth hole.

The tournament is renowned for being one of the most raucous stops on tour, and on Saturday organisers even had to briefly halt sales of alcohol and turn away some fans amid chaotic scenes.

Photo: Ross D Franklin/AP

7 months ago | [YT] | 11

Guardian Sport

When former Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade recently wore nail varnish at a ceremony celebrating his induction into basketball’s Hall of Fame, he was heavily criticised in some quarters for daring to express himself differently in the hyper masculine world of male sport.

On his hit YouTube sports talkshow It Is What It Is, the rapper Ma$e said seeing Dwyane Wade wear nail polish while being honoured during a recent Miami Heat game was like catching “Jordan in lingerie. It’s just crushing me.”

Wade is not the only one to come under fire for his fashion choices. USC quarterback Caleb Williams also decorates his nails, unveiling a new paint scheme every time he takes the field.

His gameday tradition takes inspiration from his mother, who is a nail technician. “You gotta keep your hands fresh,” Williams said. “This is where all the gold comes from.”

To read Andrew Lawrence’s full piece visit our website.

Photo: Lynne Sladky/AP

7 months ago | [YT] | 12

Guardian Sport

Viva Las Vegas: Max Verstappen was made to work hard for victory in the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix after a thrilling nighttime battle on the streets of the city. The world champion had to fight back after a five-second penalty and make a series of passes before beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc into second and his Red Bull teammate, Sergio Pérez, into third. After fears the race would be something of a procession – and criticism of the venue from Verstappen himself – Sin City delivered a genuine contest lit up by the landmarks, lights and a series of superlative drives across the field.

Picture by Antonin Vincent/DPPI/Shutterstock

9 months ago | [YT] | 13

Guardian Sport

Novak Djokovic jumps for joy after winning his seventh Paris Masters title. The world No 1 saw off Grigor Dimitrov with a 6-4, 6-3 win and is now unbeaten since losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon men's final in July. 'The match was closer than the scoreline indicates but another amazing win,' Djokovic said afterwards. 'I’m very proud of this one.' He now heads to the ATP Finals in Turin, where he will be hot favourite to seal his status as the year-end world No 1.

Picture: Stéphanie Lecocq/Reuters

10 months ago | [YT] | 41

Guardian Sport

Hawaiian surfer Steve Roberson rides a huge wave as a big swell hits the Peahi break, known as Jaws, on the north shore of Maui.

Photo: Brian Bielmann/AFP via Getty Images

10 months ago | [YT] | 9

Guardian Sport

Novak Djokovic has bad news for Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and all the other grand slam hopefuls in men’s tennis: "I’m going to keep going," he said after winning the US Open final in New York.

Djokovic beat Medvedev in straight sets to win the 24th grand slam singles title of his career. His victory moves him above Serena Williams and level with Margaret Court on the all-time list, but she won many of her 24 titles in an era when slams were contested by amateur players.

Djokovic shows no signs of waning. “I’m going to keep going. I feel good in my own body. I still feel I’ve got the support of my environment, of my team, of my family. The grand slams have been always the highest goal and the priority of mine in the whole season. I don’t play as much in terms of other tournaments, so I try to prioritise my preparation so that I can peak in slams.

“These are the moments and the kind of emotions I motivate myself with every single day when I’m not playing a tournament. Yeah, occasionally I ask myself ‘why do I need this still at this stage after all I have done? How long do I want to keep going?’ I do have these questions in my head, of course.

“But knowing that I play at such a high level still, and win the biggest tournaments in this sport, I don’t want to leave this sport if I’m still at the top and am still playing the way I’m playing.”

His coach, Goran Ivanisevic, was emphatic about what Djokovic had done. "This is one of the biggest achievements in sport history," said his coach Goran Ivanisevic. "We're not talking about tennis. We are talking generally, in sport. If he wins 25, he's going to think 'why not 26?' It's always one more, something more. He's taking care of his body, he's taking care of everything, every single detail has to be perfect."

#tennis #sport #usopen #newyork #sports #novak #novakdjokovic

1 year ago | [YT] | 47

Guardian Sport

On this day 10 years ago, Andy Murray won his first Wimbledon title. He would win the tournament again three years later, cementing his status as one of Britain's sporting greats.

1 year ago | [YT] | 47