U.S./World Sports category, Page 328

PARIS — Roger Federer, 37, joked to a stadium filled with screaming kids that he’s “so super old.” Stan Wawrinka, 34, pulled a crying boy out of a crush of autograph-seekers in the stands. Rafael Nadal, about to turn 33, offered this advice to youngsters at his match who might...

TORONTO — There was a time, in the not-too-distant past, when Masai Ujiri would have been labeled a heretic, a lunatic or both. In the moments after the Toronto Raptors advanced to the NBA Finals with Saturday’s Game 6 win, the franchise’s president, with a piece of confetti still resting...

PARIS — Naomi Osaka’s body language made her plight plain. For all she’s already accomplished, the internal pressure stemming from aiming to do even more was ruining her debut as the No. 1 seed at a Grand Slam tournament. Fed up with her poor play in a first-round match at...

LAS VEGAS — The annual World Series of Poker opened Tuesday in Las Vegas with dozens of scheduled card tournaments and a special event to celebrate the 50th run of a series known for minting millionaires each year. The seven-week poker festival is expected to again draw tens of thousands...

NEW YORK — Sports Illustrated magazine has been sold for $110 million to a company that specializes in managing fashion, entertainment and sports brands, including marketing rights to Shaquille O’Neal and Muhammad Ali. The seller, Meredith Corp., will continue running the print edition and the website SI.com for at least...

We’re four wins away from one team to know the thing we’ve tried to figure out since the very first game of this NBA season. The whole point of the 82-game marathon and the month-plus of playoffs is to figure out the best team in the league this season. It’s...

INDIANAPOLIS — The forecast called for a potential washout of the Indianapolis 500, yet the fans still packed the Snake Pit, crowded the Midway and roamed Gasoline Alley hoping rain wouldn’t ruin one of the most revered events in the world. IndyCar, slowly trying to race its way back into...

ARCADIA, Calif. — The owner of Santa Anita is investigating whether new rules were followed before the 26th horse death at the Southern California racetrack. Kochees, a 9-year-old gelding, was euthanized Sunday after injuring his left front leg in a race a day earlier. It was the third horse death...

CONCORD, N.C. — Martin Truex Jr. left no doubt at the Coca-Cola 600 that Joe Gibbs Racing remains the powerhouse team. Still, those chasing JGR have reason to be encouraged for the second half of the NASCAR season. Truex overcame a flat tire after hitting the wall early, then won...

PARIS — This was one mistake too far for Serena Williams. Sure, the bad backhand put her behind only 15-30 at the outset of the second set of her opening match at Roland Garros on Monday. What made the miscue so bothersome? She already had dropped the first set against...

Pete DuPre, a 96-year-old World War II veteran known as “Harmonica Pete,” performed the national anthem on a harmonica in a fitting tribute to mark Memorial Day. DuPre performed before the start of a friendly soccer match between the U.S. women’s national team and Mexico on Sunday at Red Bull...

Former Ford City High School standout and NFL quarterback Gus Frerotte sits down with Jimmy Lynn, a former AOL vice president who oversaw AOL Sports’ strategic partnerships, in the latest edition of the podcast “Huddle Up with Gus.” In each episode, Frerotte discusses with guests how sports has shaped their...

INDIANAPOLIS — Conor Daly needed a solid Indianapolis 500 result to help jump-start his IndyCar career. A top-10 finish can’t hurt — and it might even lead to more work this season. The 27-year-old American stayed near the lead pack through most of Sunday’s race before a surprise ruling and...

FORT WORTH, Texas — Kevin Na always believed he could win at Colonial, so he paused to visualize his name on the wall of champions at the first tee before making another run at it. The South Korean-born American will get to read his name on that wall next year....

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Marko Anttila helped lead Finland to its third world hockey title, scoring the tying and go-ahead goals in a 3-1 victory over Canada on Sunday. Anttila tied it at 1 on a power play early in the second period and the Finnish captain made it 2-1 early...

PARIS — Roger Federer entered a refurbished Court Philippe Chatrier for his first French Open match since 2015, greeted by the sun peeking through the clouds and the full-throated support of spectators in their designer sunglasses, straw hats and sweaters tied over their shoulders. Were it permitted, perhaps some ticket-holders...

INDIANAPOLIS — Simon Pagenaud gave Roger Penske a golden victory at the Indianapolis 500. He may have saved his job doing it. Pagenaud outdueled Alexander Rossi in a breathtaking, 13-lap sprint to the finish Sunday that delivered an 18th victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” to the venerable team...

TORONTO — Kawhi Leonard had 27 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Toronto Raptors into the NBA Finals for the first time with a 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. The Raptors overcame a 15-point deficit in Game 6 to win the series and will host...

FORT WORTH, Texas — If Jordan Spieth thinks a winless streak approaching two years seems like forever, he might want to check with fellow major winner Jim Furyk. Both have a chance to end droughts at Colonial — if they can overtake third-round leader Kevin Na. Na settled for a...

INDIANAPOLIS — His hair was jet black and his shirt starched white when Roger Penske rolled into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time as a team owner with Mark Donohue behind the wheel. He was young and ambitious and ready to conquer the racing world. Much has changed...

The Big 3 are still very much around. They’re still leading the rankings, still collecting the biggest trophies. And they’re still the dominant figures in men’s tennis, responsible for the main storylines when the French Open starts Sunday. Roger Federer returns to Roland Garros for the first time since 2015...

Two roads diverged in a crazy world of hockey and brought coaches Bruce Cassidy and Craig Berube to the Stanley Cup Final. Cassidy guided the Boston Bruins to this point a decade and a half after a disastrous tenure in Washington. Berube took the St. Louis Blues from worst to...

CONCORD, N.C. — With a furrowed brow, NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip scoffed at the notion the Coca-Cola 600 race is too long and should be shortened by, say, maybe a hundred miles or so. “Is that what some thirty-something said?” the 72-year-old Waltrip said to the Associated Press. Well, as...