At age 39, Novak Djokovic can still wear opponents down.Even opponents nearly half his age and in front of a hostile crowd.Djokovic came back from a set down for a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 victory over 22-year-old home player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round of the French Open on Sunday in his record 82nd Grand Slam appearance.Obviously playing a French player, center court at Roland Garros is never so easy. The crowd gets into it and then you feel the pressure even more, Djokovic said after the 2 hour, 51-minute encounter. But all in all it was a good match to be part of: Three hours, just what the doctor ordered at age 39.Grunting during long rallies and digging deep on the opening night session on Court Philippe-Chatrier, it wasnt until 1 hour, 45 minutes in that Djokovic finally found a way to break his 6-foot-7 (2.01-meter) opponent and even the match at a set all.The crowd was pumped for a potential stunner after all, Djokovic hasnt lost in the first round of a Grand Slam in 20 years. But after two tense sets, Mpetshi Perricard seemed deflated of energy.Djokovic, meanwhile, was just getting warmed up in only his second match on clay this year. In his other match on the surface this season, Djokovic lost to Croatian qualifier Dino Primi at the Italian Open after two months out due to a right shoulder injury.Just by stepping on court two days after his 39th birthday, Djokovic set the mens record for most Grand Slams contested one more than Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez. Djokovic has won a record 24 of those 82 Grand Slams.Djokovic also tied French players Richard Gasquet and Antoine Gentian with a mens record 22nd appearance at Roland Garros. He has reached at least the quarterfinals in 19 of the last 20 editions and raised the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy in 2016, 2021 and 2023.Djokovic taunts the pro-French crowdThe 80th-ranked Mpetshi Perricard had plenty of crowd support and the fans erupted into chants of Gio-vanni, Gio-vanni, Gio-vanni when he ripped a forehand winner on his fourth break point to conclude a long rally during a tense game at 5-5 in the first set. Mpetshi Perricard then finished the set off with consecutive aces the first of which clocked in at 223 kph (139 mph).Djokovic said afterward that Mpetshi Perricard who he played for the first time has one of the most tremendous serves in terms of precision and speed that I have ever faced in my career.Djokovic couldnt convert a break point until his 10th try when he concluded the second set with a drop shot that Mpetshi Perricard couldnt get back. Then Djokovic held his hand to his ear to taunt the pro-French crowd.Late in the fourth set after he pulled off a delicate half-volley winner, Djokovic skipped back to the baseline in apparent glee. And when it was over, Djokovic performed a celebratory wiggle on the baseline.Djokovic can't meet Sinner until the finalDespite his reduced schedule of late, it should be remembered that Djokovic reached this years Australian Open final where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz and has made the semifinals or better at five straight Grand Slams.With Alcaraz, the two-time reigning French Open champion, sitting out Roland Garros and Wimbledon with an injured right wrist, Djokovic sees a chance for himself in the lower half of the draw. He would meet top-ranked Jannik Sinner, who is on a 29-match winning streak, only in the final.Along with 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka, who is playing in his final French Open, Djokovic is the only former mens singles champion competing in Paris.Match-fixing whistleblowerDjokovic wasnt the only player at an advanced age in the win column at Roland Garros on Sunday.Marco Trungelliti, who at 36 recently became the oldest man in the professional era (since 1969) to break into the top 100 of the rankings, beat Kyrian Jacquet 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.Im reaching my peak (at) 36, Trungelliti said.Trungelitti partly attributed his late development to being ostracized from the tennis tour years ago when he became a whistleblower against match-fixing in the sport.Really hurt me back then, said Trungelitti, who still lives in exile in Andorra and feels uncomfortable going home to Argentina. I was very innocent in the sense that I was expecting that the system would help me out a little bit, and it was completely the opposite.The whole package of institutions were never there, and they are still not there, Trungelitti added. I have a spine in my heart, and its going to be there forever.Sorana Cirstea, another 36-year-old who this week became the oldest player to make her debut in the top 20, beat 17-year-old Ksenia Efremova 6-3, 6-1.And on Monday, 41-year-old Wawrinka will play Jesper De Jong.___AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Alex Scott became emotional as Football Focus aired for the final time after 52 years on television.The long-running BBC programme officially came to an end on Sunday following the broadcaster's controversial decision to axe the iconic football show amid declining viewing figures and mounting criticism from some fans.Scott struggled to hold back tears during the closing moments of the final episode after being presented with a framed photograph featuring herself alongside legendary former host Bob Wilson.The touching tribute was handed to Scott by popular pundit Garth Crooks, who returned specially for the programme's farewell broadcast.TRENDINGStoriesVideosYour SayLooking visibly moved by the gift, Scott admitted: "That's got me."The frame also included a message reading: "Alex, congratulations for all you have achieved."As the programme drew towards its conclusion, Scott delivered an emotional speech reflecting on Football Focus' remarkable history."For 52 years, wow, this show has done one thing," she said."Week in week out, it has brought football into your Saturday afternoons."Scott then appeared close to tears as she addressed viewers directly."I won't pretend this isn't hard, as you can see," she admitted."But what I know is the football doesn't stop, the story doesn't stop and the goals don't stop, the drama, the heartbreak, it just finds a new home."LATEST SPORTS NEWS:Gabby Logan set to be given historic BBC role for World CupTyson Fury and Zlatan Ibrahimovic set to buy football club with Netflix twistLuke Littler left appalled by Oleksandr Usyk controversy as boxing branded 'gone'Alex Scott says farewell to Football Focus after its final episode pic.twitter.com/wD9hlgyFtd Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) May 24, 2026 The former Arsenal and England star thanked everyone who had worked on the programme over the decades before inviting Wilson to deliver the final sign-off.Now aged 84, Wilson returned for the special episode alongside several former presenters and contributors who helped shape Football Focus across generations."All good things come to an end," Wilson said."Thank you to all of you at home for watching Football Focus for the last 52 years, we've had a ball."The final programme also featured tributes from former presenters including Dan Walker, while the show closed with a montage celebrating some of its most memorable moments.Despite the emotional farewell on screen, reaction online remained deeply divided.Some viewers blamed the programme's downfall on what they described as a "woke" direction in recent years.One fan wrote on social media: "Watching the last ever Football Focus and you can see why it's come to an end... utter woke nonsense."Another posted: "Football Focus A great example of what happens when you go woke with a long standing TV programme."A third added: "The last Football Focus is on. Died a woke death."The BBC's decision to end the programme was first reported earlier this year following a sustained decline in viewing figures.Audience numbers reportedly averaged close to one million viewers before the Covid pandemic and even climbed above 1.1 million during the 2020-21 season.However, figures later dropped significantly, with some broadcasts during the 2022-23 campaign attracting fewer than 700,000 viewers.The show also faced criticism from sections of the audience who claimed the format had become stale and lacked the sharp football analysis that once made it a Saturday lunchtime staple.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

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Oscar Piastri finished out of the points position in Canada as Kimi Antonelli won his fourth consecutive race of 2026.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Speedway, Ind.) David Malukas sat motionless in his No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet in his pit box for a moment. Dejected, he took his time before climbing out, leaning against his car with one hand and burying his helmet-covered face in the other. He was frozen, heartbroken and seemingly in disbelief after being on the losing end of the closest Indianapolis 500 finish in the 110th running of the race Sunday. He was devastated with tears in his eyes. "Every strategy, everything we did everything correct with this team," 24-year-old Malukas told us and other reporters on pit road. "This just comes down to the IMS gods not picking us yet. But it's coming." Despite Malukas taking the lead going into Turn 1 on a one-lap shootout for the crown, Felix Rosenqvist won the drag race down the frontstraight to the Yard of Bricks finish line, winning by .0233 seconds. Few could believe the finish, Malukas included. "Lot of anger, lot of pain. I feel like Im mourning and just a lot of shock," Malukas continued, choking up and fighting through tears. "I just I still can't believe it. Just to be that close to winning the damn thing. I just can't believe it." It's the second straight year Malukas earned a second-place Indy 500 finish. Last year, with A.J. Foyt Enterprises, he got bumped up from third after Marcus Ericsson's second-place finish was disallowed after his car failed the post-race inspection. When Malukas finally stood up, his pit crew was ready with hugs and words of encouragement. But those are hard to embrace after being oh-so-close to his first INDYCAR win in the biggest race in the world. He couldn't believe he squandered "perfect position" off the final restart. He had the checkered flag within his grasp until the final few feet of the 200-lap race on the iconic 2.5-mile track. "We had that opportunity right there," Malukas said. "I really thought we could hold it, and I don't know what else we could have done. Maybe something different with deployment racing, but I don't know. "Felix had such an incredible run. So I don't know, I don't think there was anything else we could have done." While barely missing out on an Indy 500 crown is brutal, Malukas' teammate, Scott McLaughlin, had an entirely different attitude after finishing third. In last year's Indy 500, McLaughlin infamously crashed on the pace laps before the race even began, later calling it the "worst day of [his] life." "It's zero to third," McLaughlin told us and other reporters on pit road. "It's great, but I want to win." The No. 3 Team Penske driver said he was "happy" with his third-place finish, particularly because he said his group didn't have "a fast enough car." But he acknowledged that, in addition to a little luck, Indy 500-winning teams successfully assemble all the puzzle pieces, he and his team weren't quite there. While congratulating Rosenqvist, McLaughlin empathized with Malukas' post-race heartbreak. "You're young, pal. You're gonna be around for a long time," McLaughlin said when asked what he'd say to Malukas. "And if he drives like that, he's gonna be just fine. "Hopefully, he gets one, I get one, and I have no doubt our cars are fast enough. It's just about putting ourselves in position. It's gonna hurt for him for a bit, but he'll be proud that he was leading the Indy 500 with a lap to go."

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