WIMBLEDON
Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams has lost in the first round of her 24th appearance at the All England Club. Williams fell to the ground at Centre Court early on against Elina Svitolina and her right knee was treated twice by a trainer. The 43-year-old American kept playing but could not manage to overcome 2019 Wimbledon semifinalist Svitolina in a 6-4, 6-3 defeat at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament. Williams was the oldest player in this year's field and the fourth-oldest to compete in the main draw at Wimbledon. Svitolina was only 2 when Williams made her Wimbledon debut in 1997 and just 5 when Williams won the event for the first time.
Sofia Kenin has surprised Coco Gauff by beating her 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the first round of Wimbledon in a back-and-forth matchup between two American women who both have reached No. 4 in the rankings and been to a Grand Slam final. One key difference: Kenin was the 2020 Australian Open champion; Gauff was the runner-up at the 2022 French Open. And while Gauff was seeded No. 7 at the All England Club, Kenin has tumbled so far down after three consecutive first-round exits at major tournaments that she is ranked 128th this week and needed to make her way through qualifying rounds just to get into Wimbledon’s main draw.
Andy Murray will be back at the site of some of his greatest triumphs today: Centre Court at Wimbledon. So will Roger Federer. It’s where Murray won his first Olympic gold medal during the 2012 London Games. Where he became, in 2013, the first British man in 77 years to win the title at the All England Club. Where he added another Grand Slam championship three years later. And it’s where he will play British wild-card entry Ryan Peniston in the first round on Day 2 of this year’s tournament. Before that, 2022 women’s champion Elena Rybakina will play against American Shelby Rogers. And before that, Federer will be feted by the All England Club.
NBA
The Minnesota Timberwolves have made it clear. They’re going to build around Anthony Edwards. The Timberwolves and Edwards agreed on a max extension Monday. It's for five years and worth $207 million with a chance of the deal reaching $260 million. Agent Bill Duffy confirmed the agreement to The Associated Press. Edwards’ new contract will begin in the 2024-25 season. He becomes the fourth player to get the max rookie-scale extension so far this summer, joining Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball and Memphis’ Desmond Bane.
NHL
The Philadelphia Flyers have signed veteran defenseman Marc Staal to a $1.1 million contract for next season. Staal is coming off helping the Florida Panthers reach the Stanley Cup Final. He fills a void expected to open when Philadelphia trades Tony DeAngelo back to Carolina. Elsewhere around the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Max Domi to a $3 million, one-year contract. Domi joins the organization his dad, Tie, played with for more than a decade.
MLB
Harrison Bader hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning and the New York Yankees rallied for a 6-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in the opener of a four-game series between AL East playoff contenders. Anthony Volpe scored the tying run in the seventh on a wild pitch by All-Star reliever Yennier Cano before the Yankees completed the comeback ahead of a postgame fireworks show. After showing bunt on the first pitch, Bader drove a 1-1 sweeper from Danny Coulombe into the left-field seats for his seventh homer. Clay Holmes struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth for his 10th save.
Meanwhile, the Mets, Red Sox, and Phillies didn’t play last night. New York will start a three-game set against Arizona at 4:10 today in Phoenix. Boston begins a three-game set at home against Texas at 1:35 today. Philadelphia starts a three-game set against the Rays at 4:10 today in St. Petersburg.
Clayton Kershaw was placed on the 15-day injured list by the Los Angeles Dodgers before Monday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates due to left shoulder soreness. The Dodgers recalled right-handers Michael Grove and Gavin Stone, and optioned left-hander Victor González to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Kershaw was selected to his 10th All-Star team Sunday, which tied him for the most in franchise history. He said he was planning to attend next week’s game in Seattle despite being unable to pitch.
HORSE RACING
Churchill Downs is extending trainer Bob Baffert's suspension through 2024 citing continued concerns regarding the threat to the safety and integrity of racing he poses. Baffert initially was suspended for two years after 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a postrace drug test. In a statement, Churchill Downs Inc. said Baffert continues to peddle false narratives about Medina Spirit's failed drug test. The company went on to say it will re-evaluate Baffert's status after 2024. Baffert says he's at a loss to explain the decision.
GOLF
The PGA Tour is sending two leading figures to next week's Senate panel reviewing its surprise business agreement with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf. The head of the Saudi Arabian national wealth fund and LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman have cited scheduling conflicts in declining to appear. The July 11 hearing is before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Richard Blumenthal is the chair. He says he wants answers on how the deal came together and what it means for the U.S.-based PGA Tour. The two tour executives are chief operating officer Ron Price and Jimmy Dunne, who helped negotiate the deal.
MOUNTAIN CLIMBING
Officials say a Polish climber has died after scaling Nanga Parbat, one of the world's tallest mountains. Local police said Tuesday that Pawel Tomasz Kopec died after he collapsed on what's known as “killer mountain” due to breathing problems while descending with two other climbers in harsh weather conditions. It was unclear whether any operation will be launched to bring down the body, police said. Nanga Parbat is 8,126 meters (about 26,660 feet) above sea level. Every year, hundreds of local and foreign climbers try to scale K2, Nanga Parbat and other mountains located in the north.
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