Joachim Low disappointed after Germany’s 2-0 loss to England in the Euro 2020 round of 16 - Bavarian Football Works

It wasn’t exactly a swan song for Joachim Low as Germany crashed out of the European Championships by virtue of a 2-0 loss to England at Wembley thanks to goals from Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane. The odds were always going to be in England’s favor playing in front of 45,000 fans at Wembley, predominantly comprised of England fans, but Germany went out swinging in what was Low’s final competitive match in charge of Die Mannschaft before Hansi Flick takes over for him.

For larger portions, especially in the first half, Germany created their chances and had England on their heels. Timo Werner had a decent chance in the first half, and Kai Havertz forced an excellent save from Jordan Pickford midway through the second half. In moments, the intensity was there from Germany, and speaking after the match, Low rued his side not making the most of the chances that they created (Tz). “It’s a big disappointment for all of us, the belief in the team was absolutely there. Unfortunately, we didn’t take our chances — now we’re out. We’ve worked hard the last four weeks, the guys have pulled along well,” he explained.

Gareth Southgate’s decision to introduce Jack Grealish for Bukayo Saka in the 69th minute proved to be a game changer and the Aston Villa skipper was involved in the buildup for Sterling’s goal in the 75th minute. Shortly after the deadlock was broken, Thomas Muller missed a 1v1 chance, capitalizing on a sloppy giveaway from Sterling and drifting beyond John Stones and Harry Maguire. He pulled his shot wide of the far post. For Low, that was a defining moment of the match that really could’ve changed the complexion; “Normally, Thomas makes that. It’s difficult to talk about everything immediately after the game. At the moment, all the players are in a dead silence. Everyone is extremely disappointed.”

Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images

As was the case for the 2-2 draw against Hungary, and for parts of the group stage opener vs. France, Low felt that his side lacked the proper creativity in attack. Southgate had made the decision to start Stones, Maguire, Kyle Walker, Luke Shaw, and Kieran Trippier in what was a back five, but at times, a back three with two wingers. Low felt that his side found that deeper block hard to break down. “We lacked a bit of penetrating power up front. We still had two great chances. We are very disappointed. [Serge] Gnabry and [Leroy] Sané didn’t show what they can do. They are actually good players,” he said.

Low brought on Jamal Musiala in the 92nd minute, so there wasn’t much that the 18-year old could do to try and make a meaningful impact like he did in the draw against Hungary. Low insisted that the decision to wait so long to bring him on was because his fitness isn’t exactly where people think it might be based on how positive he was against Hungary, helping create Leon Goretzka’s all important goal; “He’s not as far along as some people think after one game, either. We lacked cleverness, the team still needs to grow up. We have developed a good team spirit. The stamina was missing.”

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Joachim Low disappointed after Germany’s 2-0 loss to England in the Euro 2020 round of 16 - Bavarian Football Works
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Final farewell? Injured Serena Williams quits Wimbledon in tears - Deccan Herald

American legend Serena Williams's dreams of winning an eighth Wimbledon singles title and equalling Margaret Court's Grand Slam record of 24 ended in tears on Tuesday as further doubt was cast on her future in the sport.

The 39-year-old was leading 3-1 in the first set of her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus when she slipped and had to have her left ankle examined.

Williams returned from receiving medical attention but called it a day at 3-3 and walked off Centre Court in tears.

Perhaps tellingly, she waved to all four sides of the court as she left.

It is the first time that Williams has bowed out in the opening round of Wimbledon in 20 appearances.

Read more: Venus, 41, rises to 90th Wimbledon win in 90th career major

She had only once previously lost in the first round at any Slam in the 2012 French Open.

The tears said it all as with the withdrawals of 2019 champion Simona Halep and of Naomi Osaka prior to the tournament the American would have fancied her chances of at last equalling the controversial Court's landmark.

"Brutal for @serenawilliams but centre court is extremely slippy out there. Not easy to move out there," tweeted British star Andy Murray.

Wimbledon's 2019 star Coco Gauff said she could not look as the player who inspired her to take up tennis wept as she left the stage.

"I turned away," said 17-year-old Gauff after beating British wildcard Francesca Jones in her first round match.

"I was in the gym actually stretching. I turned away because stuff like that makes me, like, really emotional."

Gauff, who in 2019 as a qualifier beat Serena Williams's elder sister Venus on her way to the last 16, said she hoped the injury was not too severe.

"I wish that hopefully she can have a speedy recovery," said Gauff.

"Yeah, you could tell she was really emotional.

"Nobody ever wants to retire, but especially at a Grand Slam, a place as special as Wimbledon after waiting two years to come back (it was cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic)."

Williams, who also had strapping on her right thigh, hasn't won a Slam since the 2017 Australian Open losing in four finals, twice at Wimbledon and two at the US Open.

Sasanovich said she felt for her "a great champion, and it's a sad story."

"It was very slippery, I felt, as well.

"When she did the angled shot, I couldn't run because it was so slippery.

"But, okay, it's the same for everyone," added Sasanovich.

William's slip came at the same end of the court as that of Adrian Mannarino which brought a premature end to the Frenchman's hard fought match with Roger Federer.

Mannarino slipped and fell late in the fourth set and pulled out at the beginning of the fifth set.

Federer felt the surface was more slippery when the roof is in use which it had been due to rain earlier on Tuesday.

"You do have to move very, very carefully out there. If you push too hard in the wrong moments, you do go down," said Federer.

"This is obviously terrible that it's back-to-back matches and it hits Serena as well. Oh, my God, I can't believe it."

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Final farewell? Injured Serena Williams quits Wimbledon in tears - Deccan Herald
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Giannis Antetokounmpo injury update: Bucks star to have MRI after hyperextending knee, per report - CBS Sports

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Milwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had to leave Game 4 against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night after suffering a hyperextended left knee during the third quarter of the contest. The injury occurred when Antetokounmpo went up to block an alley-oop attempt by Clint Capela. Antetokounmpo landed hard on his left leg and injured his knee in the process. 

You can see the play where the injury occurred below: 

Antetokounmpo was down on the court for several moments afterward, and he was eventually helped back to Milwaukee's locker room. He returned to Milwaukee's bench briefly during the third quarter, but he headed back to the locker room again after a few moments. He was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the game due to a left knee hyperextension. He is expected to undergo an MRI on Wednesday, and more will be known about the severity of the injury at that point. 

Before exiting the game, Antetokounmpo had 14 points and 8 rebounds in 24 minutes of action. Once he went down, the Hawks quickly pulled away from the Bucks and pulled out a 110-88 win to even the series up at two games apiece. Game 5 of the series is scheduled for Thursday night. 

At this point, Antetokounmpo's status for the remainder of the series is not known. The Bucks just have to hope that the injury was one that looked worse than it actually was. 

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Trail Blazers president on Neil Olshey on hiring Chauncey Billups: ‘You’re just going to have to take our word’ - NBC Sports

Trail Blazers president Neil Olshey wasted little time at today’s introductory press conference addressing the controversy looming over Portland hiring Chauncey Billups as coach: In 1997, a woman accused Billups – then a Celtics rookie – of rape. He denied it and was never charged, though he settled a civil suit years later.

“With Chauncey’s support, his encouragement, we not only conducted our traditional background check after offering him the position, we also commissioned an independent investigation into the incident in question in 1997,” Olshey said. “The findings of that incident corroborated Chauncey’s recollection of the events, that nothing non-consensual happened. We stand by Chauncey.”

Who conducted the investigation? Whom did they talk to? What information was gathered to reach that conclusion?

“You’re just going to have to take our word that we hired an experienced firm that ran an investigation that gave us the results we’ve already discussed,” said Olshey, who called the answers to those questions “proprietary.”

Unfortunately, Olshey isn’t the most trustworthy person around.

This was such an unacceptable defense of Billups. It’s unfair to assume he’s guilty, but if allegations are to be refuted, it should be through evidence – not just the “you have my word” Olshey offered.

Hopefully, the Trail Blazers had the incident properly investigated and maybe found sufficient information from decades ago to exonerate Billups. But they can’t just be trusted to have done so. They weren’t a neutral party. They wanted Billups.

Billups could have answered many questions: What happened that night? Does he have a sense why the woman accused him? What evidence can he offer in his defense? Why did he settle the civil suit?

Instead, Portland cut off even the most basic request for elaboration.

“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about how every decision that we make could have a profound impact on a person’s life,” Billups said. “I learned at a very young age as a player – not only a player, but a young man, a young adult – that every decision has consequences. And that’s led to some really, really healthy but tough conversations that I’ve had to have with my wife – who was my girlfriend at the time in 1997 – and my daughters about what actually happened and about what they may have to read about me in the news and in the media. But this experience has shaped my life in so many ways – my decision-making obviously, who I allow to be in my life, the friendships and the relationships that I have and how I got about them. It’s impacted every decision that I make. It really has, and it’s shaped me in some unbelievable ways.”

But when Billups was asked how it helped shape him, Trail Blazers Senior Vice President of Communications, Community and Diversity Ashley Clinkscale interjected.

“We appreciate your question,” Clinkscale said. “We’ve addressed this. It’s been asked and answered. So, happy to move onto the next question here.”

This is not the way to move on. The way to move on is to transparently answer questions with satisfactory answers.

Before the press conference devolved, Billups tried to project optimism.

“This is my dream job, and we knew we would have to address this,” Billups said. “But this is my dream job. This is one of the best days of my entire life.”

Billups said coaching Damian Lillard added appeal. However, the blowback from the hire reportedly could cause Lillard to leave Portland.

Does that concern Billups?

“When I tell you this is a dream job for me,” Billups said, “I mean what I say.

“At the end of the day, I want to be the head coach at a storied franchise,” Billups said. “So, it didn’t deter me at all from going after my dream. It didn’t then, and it doesn’t now. So, I’m excited for the opportunity, regardless.”

More on the Trail Blazers

Trail Blazers’ Zach Collins undergoes yet another ankle surgery

Report: Trail Blazers agree to five-year contract with Chauncey Billups

Report: Damian Lillard could leave Trail Blazers due to blowback over Chauncey...

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Serena Williams Exits Wimbledon With a Leg Injury - The New York Times

Williams started her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich aggressively, but she slipped on the grass court and later fell after injuring her right hamstring.

WIMBLEDON, England — Serena Williams’s 20th Wimbledon ended shortly after it began. She retired 34 minutes into the first set of her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich on Tuesday night because of a right hamstring injury.

“I was heartbroken to have to withdraw today after injuring my right leg,” Williams wrote in a post on Instagram, adding: “Feeling the extraordinary warmth and support of the crowd today when I walked on — and off — the court meant the world to me.”

It was poignant to see Williams, one of the great champions in any sport, in pain and in tears on the famous patch of grass where she has often triumphed through the years. She has won seven Wimbledon singles titles, six women’s doubles titles and one mixed doubles title on Centre Court.

Tuesday brought her earliest exit in singles at the All England Club. Her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, said in a text message that the injury was to the “top of the hamstring.”

Williams started her match against Sasnovich with her right thigh taped, just as it was during the French Open early this month in Paris.

But Williams still began in impressive fashion Tuesday, ripping second-serve returns with ruthless precision to take a 3-1 lead under the closed roof on Centre Court.

But while serving in the next game at 15-15, Williams slipped as she changed direction. After losing the point, she stopped for several seconds, staring down at the grass. She went on to lose her serve and then walked gingerly to her chair, where she was examined by a trainer. Williams left the court for treatment and returned several minutes later, limping slightly. She resumed play, but struggled to move as Sasnovich held serve to make the score 3-3. Williams, in obvious distress, began crying at the baseline as she prepared to start her next service game.

Unable to push off, she missed her first serve, then put a low-velocity second serve in play and slapped a backhand winner as the crowd roared to encourage her. But on the following point, Williams hit a forehand awkwardly into the net. The next point turned out to be the final one. She tried to shift direction during a baseline rally and cried out in pain as she fell forward onto the grass.

Coco Gauff, the rising 17-year-old American, was watching on television in the Wimbledon gym. She said she had to turn away from the screen.

“It was hard for me to watch that,” Gauff said. “I’m a big fan of her, even though I’m a competitor now. But she’s the reason why I started to play tennis. It’s hard to watch any player get injured, but especially her.”

The chair umpire, Marija Cicak, climbed down from her post and was soon by Williams’s side. They walked toward the net together, where Williams retired and shook the 100th-ranked Sasnovich’s hand.

It was the second consecutive retirement on Centre Court. In the preceding match, Adrian Mannarino of France stopped play early in the fifth set against Roger Federer, an eight-time Wimbledon singles champion.

“This is obviously terrible that it’s back-to-back matches, and it hits Serena as well,” Federer said when informed of Williams’s retirement. “I can’t believe it.”

After gathering her belongings, Williams limped off Centre Court, her accreditation badge dangling from her hand, and performed one of her traditional pirouettes. But after a final wave to the crowd, she stumbled again as she reached the passageway behind the most famous court in tennis, where she last won the singles title in 2016. Though she stayed on her feet, she needed help to walk into the clubhouse.

Williams, 39, has been chasing a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title since returning to the tour in 2018 after the birth of her daughter, Olympia. Seeded sixth at Wimbledon, she was still considered a favorite for the title by many bookmakers, along with the world No. 1, Ashleigh Barty.

“It’s not like she lost a match,” said Tracy Austin, a former No. 1. “She was winning and then one slip and minutes later she’s out of the tournament. Everyone knows her opportunities are diminishing. Maybe we’re all focusing too much on the record instead of celebrating what she has accomplished.”

This was only the second first-round exit from a Grand Slam singles tournament in Williams’s long career. She was beaten in the first round of the French Open in 2012 by Virginie Razzano of France.

A tearful Williams shook hands with Aliaksandra Sasnovich before leaving the court.Peter Nicholls/Reuters

“It’s very sad for me honestly, when your opponent feels bad,” said Sasnovich, a former top-30 player from Belarus who had never faced Williams before. “She’s a great champion, and it’s a sad story.”

Williams, who said earlier this week that she would not play at the Tokyo Olympics, has had increasing trouble with injuries since her comeback. She withdrew during the French Open in 2018 and 2020. At the 2019 Australian Open, she injured her left ankle during her quarterfinal loss to Karolina Pliskova but completed the match.

This time, after waiting two years to return to Wimbledon because of the pandemic-related cancellation in 2020, she could not finish, and her injury raised questions about the condition of the grass. Slips and tumbles are not uncommon in the opening days of the tournament, as players navigate the fresh grass behind the baselines before it gets worn.

“Those first two matches are always extremely difficult, but it’s always been like this,” said Federer, who is playing in his 22nd Wimbledon. “I feel for a lot of players. It’s super key to get through those first two rounds, because the grass is more slippery. It’s more soft. As the tournament progresses, usually it gets harder and easier to move on.”

Sasnovich said she had also struggled to stay on her feet. “When she did an angle, I couldn’t run because it was so slippery,” she said of Williams.

The chair umpire, Marija Cicak, accompanied Williams as she walked to the net to retire and shake her opponent’s hand.Peter Nicholls/Reuters

Experience, often an advantage on grass, was not enough to keep champions from tumbling in the first round. Novak Djokovic, the No. 1 men’s player and a five-time Wimbledon champion, fell twice in his victory over Jack Draper on Monday. Mannarino, a French veteran who turned 33 on Tuesday, was leading Federer by two sets to one. But Mannarino slipped as he changed direction with Federer serving while leading by 4-2 in the fourth set. Mannarino landed awkwardly, his left leg extending and his right knee twisting. He said he heard “a crack” in his knee and remained on his back on the grass for more than a minute before limping to his chair to be examined by tournament medical officials.

After Federer closed out the fourth set at 6-2, Mannarino retired following the opening point of the fifth set, and Federer, 39, advanced to the second round. “Warming up before the match, the court seemed quite slippery, and I didn’t feel comfortable,” Mannarino said. “The weather was rather humid. I don’t know if there were problems with the court. I’m not a specialist. I can only talk about my sensations.”

Federer said that Gerry Armstrong, the tournament referee, had asked him after the match for his opinion on the court’s condition.

Adrian MannarinoAdrian Dennis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

“I said, ‘I think the court plays normally as we know it,’” Federer said. “I do feel it feels a tad more slippery maybe under the roof. I don’t know if it’s just a gut feeling. You do have to move very, very carefully out there. If you push too hard in the wrong moments, you go down. I do feel it’s drier during the day. With the wind and all that stuff, it takes the moisture out of the grass.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Williams’s older sister Venus, 41, defeated Mihaela Buzarnescu of Romania, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. It was the first victory at Wimbledon for Venus Williams since 2018.

It remains to be seen how many more moments Serena Williams will have on Centre Court. She, like Federer, is approaching her 40th birthday, but she has a role model in her own family who has demonstrated that 40 is not an impassable barrier in tennis.

Ben Rothenberg contributed reporting.

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Serena Williams Exits Wimbledon With a Leg Injury - The New York Times
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Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo set for imaging after hyperextending left knee, sources say - ESPN

10:05 PM ET

ATLANTA -- Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo sustained a hyperextension of his left knee that forced him out of Milwaukee's 110-88 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night.

He is expected to undergo further imaging on the knee on Wednesday, sources told ESPN.

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer did not have an update on Antetokounmpo after the game, saying, "We'll see how he is tomorrow." Game 5 of the series, now tied at 2-2, is Thursday.

• 

With just over 7 minutes remaining in the third quarter and the Bucks trailing the Hawks 62-52, Antetokounmpo jumped up to contest an alley-oop from John Collins to Clint Capela. The two-time MVP landed awkwardly on his left leg, with his knee buckling.

Antetokounmpo immediately fell to the floor and stayed down on the ground for several minutes -- with Bucks and Hawks players and coaches surrounding him -- before sitting up.

Antetokounmpo was helped to his feet by his brother and teammate, Thanasis. Giannis walked gingerly off the court with the help of Thanasis.

Television monitors showed Antetokounmpo walking back to the locker room without assistance, but he had a significant limp. He returned to the bench briefly before again heading to the locker room after the Hawks blew open the game by extending their lead to 20 points. Soon after, the Bucks announced he would not return.

Following a slow start to the game, Antetokounmpo had scored eight of his 14 points in the opening minutes of the second half.

"It's not great," P.J. Tucker said of trying to regroup without Antetokounmpo. "It's an opportunity for someone else and everybody else to step up. It's the Eastern Conference finals. There are no excuses. It doesn't matter who's playing, who's not playing. They got guys out. Everybody's hurt. Everybody's banged up ... you got to fight through and win."

The Hawks were without their leading scorer, Trae Young, who was held out with a bone bruise in his right ankle.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young (right foot) ruled out for Game 4 vs. Bucks - ESPN

7:36 PM ET

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ATLANTA -- Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young has been ruled out of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday with a deep bone bruise in his right foot, the team announced shortly before tip-off.

Lou Williams started in place of Young.

Young exhausted every avenue to find a way to return to play, but a severe lack of mobility and significant degree of pain made it impossible, sources told ESPN.

Young will continue to rehab with hopes of a Game 5 return, according to sources.

With 36 seconds remaining in the third quarter of Game 3 on Sunday, Young inadvertently stepped on the right foot of referee Sean Wright. Young went back to the locker room briefly before returning to the game with just under nine minutes remaining.

Young, who had 32 points through the first three quarters of Sunday's game, wasn't as explosive when he returned to the game. An MRI on Monday revealed the bone bruise.

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