Sam Darnold picked the right time to have a career year. But in the coming weeks, that’s likely to create unique dilemmas for both the 27-year-old quarterback and the Minnesota Vikings.

A Pro Bowler for the first time this season, Darnold’s latest opportunity to build the case he’s finally blossomed into the franchise QB he was forecast to be when the New York Jets made him the third overall pick of the 2018 draft will come Monday night – when the Vikings play the Los Angeles Rams in the final wild-card game of the 2024 playoffs. It will mark the first postseason start for Darnold, who set an NFL record among quarterbacks by earning 14 wins in his first season with a team, Minnesota already the fourth of his seven-year career.

‘(I)t’s exciting, man, to be able to step into an environment like we’re gonna step into on Monday night,’ Darnold said Thursday.

‘All the guys in that locker room are very excited about it, but we know and we understand that we have to put the work in this week to be able to go out there and earn that excitement that we’re going to feel on Monday night.’

(However the feelings will be somewhat mixed for Darnold, a Southern California native and USC product who’s also felt the effects of the wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area.)

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But regardless of Monday’s outcome, sooner or later the Vikings and/or Darnold must come to a decision about their relationship with his one-year, $10 million contract set to run out. He joined the team last March after spending the 2023 campaign as a backup for the San Francisco 49ers and was joined a few weeks later by J.J. McCarthy, whom Minnesota made the 10th overall pick of last year’s draft. Darnold earned rave reviews in the offseason before inheriting the starting job by default when McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury in preseason.

But good luck finding almost anyone who predicted what followed: Minnesota (14-3) tied for the league’s third-best record, largely propelled by Darnold’s breakthrough. His 4,319 yards and 35 TDs through the air plus a 102.5 passer rating were all career highs by an exponential deviation. Head coach Kevin O’Connell has regularly praised him as a leader, competitor and reliable decision-maker.

Soon enough, Darnold and the team will have to assess their relative options following a campaign that could be a one-year wonder, might be indicative that he’s put it all together, or perhaps something in between – the right player finding the right situation to maximize his talents. What’s not in doubt is the way Darnold, who’s typically been well liked by teammates regardless of disappointing results earlier in his career, has been embraced by this locker room and staff.

“Just to see how he’s ultimately been able to maximize everything about his opportunity, our football team loves him for it,” O’Connell said after last month’s defeat of the Green Bay Packers, in which Darnold threw for a career-best 377 yards and was mobbed by teammates and doused with water afterward in an uproarious locker room.

“I’ve had an absolute blast coaching him.”

So what’s next? Darnold and the Vikings are basically looking at three options – and there is some added variance – before landing on a resolution, though one seems to be the obvious choice:

Sam Darnold leaves in free agency

Perhaps the Vikings let him walk, and perhaps that would be his preference. McCarthy was clearly selected with the objective that he’d be the long-term replacement for Kirk Cousins, who departed for the Atlanta Falcons last year. The Michigan product displayed, albeit briefly, the athleticism and composure during his preseason action that would suggest he might just be capable to translate his championship-caliber résumé with the Wolverines to the NFL … at some point.

Meanwhile, with the quarterback crop in the 2025 draft seemingly far more limited than the previous one – McCarthy might well have been the No. 1 pick had he waited to go pro this year – Darnold could be highly coveted given the supply-and-demand dynamics of team sports’ most high-profile position. And while it’s highly unlikely he’d sniff the $60 million-per-year bar set by the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott last September, it’s quite probable that Darnold would significantly outstrip the mid-tier QB pact his 2018 draftmate and former Carolina Panthers teammate, Baker Mayfield, took while re-signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024 for three years and $100 million.

If the Vikings don’t want to be in a more expensive neighborhood than that, they can turn over the keys to McCarthy, reap a third-round compensatory pick in 2026 – maybe keep reclamation project Daniel Jones around as the McCarthy insurance plan – and let Darnold leave for what might or might not be greener pastures if almost assuredly a greener bank account.

Sam Darnold re-signs with Vikings

The depth of Minnesota’s playoff run will doubtless heavily influence Darnold’s future with the franchise – particularly after his disappointing performance in the Week 18 loss at Detroit cost the Vikes the NFC North title and No. 1 playoff seed.

“He just kept proving himself,” former New York Giants vice president of player personnel and longtime NFL scout Marc Ross told USA TODAY Sports. “If they go on a nice run, and he balls out again, they gotta lock this guy up.”

And given how the Mayfield marriage with the Bucs has flourished, why not? While the appeal of building a roster around a quarterback on a rookie contract is alluring, so is the prospect of a young passer who can be in town for a protracted period – without necessarily commandeering the salary cap – assuming the staff and front office are comfortable he’s a reliable commodity vis-à-vis McCarthy, who’s never taken a regular-season snap and hardly had to carry a talented Michigan squad for two seasons.

“I think the level of confidence that that group has in their quarterback and the level of confidence the quarterback has in the 10 guys in the huddle is significant,” O’Connell said last month.

Sam Darnold and the franchise tag

It makes a lot of sense on a lot of levels and seems like the only logical decision, at least in the near term – even if it’s just the catalyst in a multi-step sequence.

Franchising Darnold, presumably with the non-exclusive tag, opens up a world of possibilities:

He doesn’t depart for well below the market rate of a Pro Bowl-caliber QB1.

Darnold would be guaranteed, at minimum, the biggest payday of his career – something in the neighborhood of $40+ million for the 2025 season, and that’s likely only a starting point.

If the Vikings don’t intend to retain him and operate completely from the standpoint of their own self-interests, the tag could incite a bidding war and outside offer sheet – which would return two first-round picks if Darnold signs and Minnesota doesn’t match it.

Minnesota could also leverage Darnold and help him simultaneously, the tag also permitting GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to simply shop his services to interested suitors – especially ones Darnold might prefer – and still getting a handsome return on the investment, whether it’s players, draft picks or a combination thereof.

As with most players who are tagged, the mechanism could merely be the opening move of a longer process which still ends with both parties agreeing to a multi-year extension.

And it could also simply mean one more season for Darnold in the Twin Cities while further assessing McCarthy’s progress.

One other compelling route the tag can potentially create is a trade market for McCarthy – again, the 2025 draft is not expected to be a bountiful one when it comes to quarterbacks – while talks with Darnold can unfold in parallel.

“At the very worst, you’re going to keep (Darnold) in some kind of way. Franchise him, that’s the floor for him. Judge the market, and see if they can get a haul for him,” says Ross.

“With the dearth of quarterbacks in the draft, teams are gonna be desperate as can be. I mean, Sam Darnold’s gonna be the guy, you’re gonna have people fall over themselves to get him. That only works into the Vikings’ favor.’

And should only fuel one of the more fascinating offseason quarterback quandaries in years.

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***

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In the wake of a second loss to Oleksandr Usyk, British boxer Tyson Fury has announced his retirement.

This isn’t the first time Fury, 36, has said he’s stepping away from the sport. However, it comes this time after the former unified heavyweight champion lost his rematch last month with Usyk by unanimous decision in his bid to reclaim the title.

‘I’m gonna make this short and sweet,’ Fury said. ‘I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing. It’s been a blast. I’ve loved every single minute of it.’

If this is indeed the end, Fury finishes his career with a record of 34-2-1 after previously losing a split decision to Usyk in May.

The move apparently thwarts a potential bout against countryman Anthony Joshua in what would likely have been the biggest-ever British boxing event.

We’re almost done with this.

Since Mark McGwire debuted on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot in 2007, voters have had to reckon with the context of MLB’s Steroid Era and thus far, have excluded some of the greatest players in the history of the game from Cooperstown.

And when Alex Rodriguez falls off the ballot after failing to get elected in 2031, there may never be another obvious ‘Hall of Famer’ denied due to their use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Rodriguez (fourth year) and Manny Ramirez (ninth) represent the two final would-be-slam-dunks, appropriate considering they were the only ones actually suspended for PEDs. The suspensions are explicitly a red line for some voters, who were simultaneously in favor of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens while opposing the candidacies of Rodriguez and Ramirez.

McGwire later admitted usage, while Bonds and Clemens were named in the Mitchell Report, all coming up short of the required 75% vote share in their stints on the ballot.

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Their potential inclusion was a topic of serious scholarly debate – particularly when Bonds, Clemens and Sammy Sosa debuted on the 2013 ballot. And by the time Rodriguez arrived in 2022, everybody was so beat down and resigned to their own corners that there’s no longer an effort to earnestly sway hearts and minds. Some (myself included) had bought into a prophecy that a demographic shift younger among Hall of Fame voters would get the MLB icons of our youth over the hump.

Some cases will pop up in the next few years of fringe Hall guys who got busted. But does anybody really feel strongly enough to shout in defense of Robinson Cano, Ryan Braun or Nelson Cruz?

No, it will be the end of an era when Rodriguez and Ramirez are gone from the ballot.

Wherever you land on PEDs and the Hall of Fame, it’s of the utmost importance to future generations that we don’t simply wave away the Steroid Era in a telling of baseball history. Passing down the appreciation of these generational players is more vital to baseball history than any plaque in Cooperstown.

Baseball Hall of Fame voting results

Alex Rodriguez

2022: 34.3%
2023: 35.7%
2024: 34.8%

Manny Ramirez

2017: 23.8%
2018: 22%
2019: 22.8%
2020: 28.2%
2021: 28.2%
2022: 28.9%
2023: 33.2%
2024: 32.5%

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It’s a great time to be a basketball fan in the state of Michigan.

Michigan State and Michigan faced uncertainty entering the season. The Spartans have their streak of 26 consecutive appearances in the men’s tournament, but they’ve only been to the Sweet 16 once since 2019, leaving wonder if Tom Izzo had another deep run left in East Lansing. Meanwhile, Michigan brought in Dusty May to turnaround a program that was coming off its worst season in more than 40 years.

But with a mix of old and new, the two programs are thriving and leading the Big Ten with 5-0 conference records.

May mastered the portal in his first season in Ann Arbor, primarily with him bringing Vladislav Goldin with him from Florida Atlantic. During Michigan’s five league wins that includes a sweep at the California schools, the big man has averaged a conference-best 22.0 points and added 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 67.9% from the field.

For Izzo’s squad, it’s been a mix of veterans led by senior Jaden Akins and freshman Jase Richardson propelling Michigan State to a nine-game win streak. The Spartans have been playing the typical solid defense, but the offense has improved by getting to the foul line and making their shots at the charity stripe, the second best free-throw percentage in the country (81.5%).

It’s become somewhat normal for both fanbases to feel uneasy about the postseason, but there’s now a renewed sense of optimism, and both teams lead the top storylines from the past weekend in hoops.

Top teams survive on the road

Plenty of the nation’s top teams were tested over the weekend with road contests, likely foreshadowing numerous tough bouts heading their way in conference play.

After the thumping it took at Florida, top-ranked Tennessee regrouped and showed resilience by pulling away from Texas for a 74-70 road win. Auburn got a major scare when player of the year candidate Johni Broome suffered an ankle injury, but the Tigers rallied past South Carolina. Then there was Iowa State, who surely looked like would lose to Texas Tech before a buzzer-beater got the Cyclones into overtime before winning in the extra period. That doesn’t include Alabama, Kentucky, Florida and Connecticut leaving hostile crowds with some close victories.

With the exception of Auburn, all of those top teams earned Quad 1 victories, much needed as all of them jockey for positioning in March. Yet plenty of tests await them the rest of the way, and any opportunity to show some fight is needed.

Southern California gets big win over Illinois

The Eric Musselman experience at Southern California has had a rather bumpy start, but the first-year head coach got his first signature win when the Trojans went into Champaign and gave Illinois a taste of its own medicine.

Illinois has been a scoring juggernaut so far, but it was the USC offense that couldn’t be stopped in the second half of an 82-72 win. Trailing by three points at intermission, USC shot 57.6% from the field in the second half and limited one of the best rebounding teams in the country.

The Trojans have a long way to go before they can be considered for the tournament picture, but getting the first Quad 1 win of the season while also achieving the first ranked road win since 2010 is a great start as Musselman tries to rebuild the program.

Arizona reviving season in Big 12 play

Almost a month ago, Arizona was sitting at 4-5 after blowing a second-half lead against UCLA. The Wildcats, a regular season powerhouse under Tommy Lloyd, looked like they’d be heading toward a brutal first season in the Big 12.

Instead, Arizona has found its form and are now winners of six in a row since that loss to the Bruins, joining Iowa State and Houston on top of the conference. The Wildcats have done it against some quality opponents as well, picking up a roads win against Cincinnati and avenging a loss to West Virginia. It’s easy to tell the win streak has coincided with veteran guard Caleb Love finally shaking off a rough start to the season. Love is averaging 19.5 points per game during the win streak while the big men have continued to control the boards.

Lloyd and company are red-hot, and they’ll get week of possibly boosting the resume with Baylor and Texas Tech on deck.

Utah State continues to thrive as coaches change

It doesn’t matter who’s in charge in Logan, Utah State continues to do one thing: win.

The Aggies, now on their third coach in three seasons, are the early leader in the Mountain West and have the most wins in Division I with a 16-1 record. However, the latest victory came in one of the most ridiculous ways, with Ian Martinez converting a miraculous four-point play in the final seconds to beat Boise State.

If you haven’t watched Jerrod Calhoun’s team, they are absolutely one to watch. In addition to the raucous environment inside the Smith Spectrum, they’ve found ways to win by either scoring in bunches or playing some tough defense. The Aggies look well on their way to their third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, this time with their eyes set on reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1970.

Alcorn State becomes final team to win

There will be no winless teams in Division I this season. After starting the season 0-14 with one of the worst scoring margins in the country, Alcorn State defended its home court by beating Alabama A&M 62-52 on Saturday. It may not mean much nationally for the Braves to finally get in the win column, but it ensures there won’t be a winless team in the country, which hasn’t happened since Grambling State went 0-28 in 2012-2013.

The NFL’s wild-card round is very nearly in the books, with only one game – the Minnesota Vikings at the Los Angeles Rams – left to play Monday night.

And, with Sunday’s games through, the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders have all stamped their berths to the divisional round.

And with that, Washington became the first lower-seeded team of the NFL playoffs to pull off the road upset. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels was efficient and directed a game-winning drive inside the final minute of the game, playing like a steady veteran.

Elsewhere, fans were treated to another efficient quarterbacking performance in the form of MVP candidate Josh Allen, who extended plays and helped humble one of the league’s top defenses.

Here are the winners and losers from Sunday of wild card weekend.

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WINNERS

Efficient Josh Allen

The Denver Broncos posted the NFL’s third-best scoring defense, allowing 18.3 points per game over the regular season. They ranked eighth in turnovers forced (25). All that Allen did was complete 20 of 26 passes for 272 yards and two scores while adding 46 rushing yards in a 31-7 rout.

As he has all season, Allen emphasized efficiency and ball protection. Coupled with his ability to extend plays, that compromised Denver’s defensive assignments and allowed Bills receivers to leak out into open space. That was most evident during a fourth-and-1 touchdown pass late in the third quarter to running back Ty Johnson in the back of the end zone, a score that built considerable momentum for the Bills.

Jayden Daniels plays like a vet, a seasoned one at that

Making his first playoff start, Daniels lifted Washington to its first playoff victory in 19 years. In fact, Daniels was 5 years old the last time the franchise broke through in the postseason, also in a road game against the Buccaneers. Yet the moment, on the road, was nowhere near too big for him – especially in high-leverage situations and in the clutch. On 15 third- and fourth-down passing attempts Sunday night, Daniels scored two touchdowns while also picking up eight first downs.

Late in the game, with the score tied at 20, Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury leaned on Daniels to make the right decision on a pair of key third downs: a 21-yard completion up the middle on third-and-6 to receiver Dyami Brown and a 4-yard keeper on third-and-2 that set up the game-winning field goal.

Philly’s hot start

Through the first 13 games of the 2024 season, the Eagles combined to score 17 first-quarter points. Over their last six, including Sunday’s victory in which they scored 10 in the first frame, that number has spiked to 65.

The Eagles have become a very difficult out, precisely because of their hot starts. Given the dominance of running back Saquon Barkley, who improbably seems to get better as a game wears on, Philadelphia can wear down opposing defenses with a barrage of rushes. Barkley (119 yards on 25 carries), however, isn’t the only weapon; quarterback Jalen Hurts (concussion) played his first game in three weeks, and the Packers had no answer for his mobility when plays broke down. Which prompts the thought: The best way to get past Philadelphia seems to be to jump out to an early lead, forcing them to throw the ball.

Joe Brady and balance

Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady deployed an effective, balanced attack to unsettle the Broncos. If anything, Brady leaned on the ground game, even though Denver ranked third in the NFL in rushing defense (96.4 yards allowed per game) during the regular season.

The Bills rushed the ball 44 times for 210 yards, with James Cook racking up 120 and one touchdown on 23 carries; the Bills averaged 10 plays per series, excluding the five-play sequence they needed to close out the game.

LOSERS

Jordan Love, Green Bay’s downfield passing game flame out

With their starters well rested, the Eagles pressured Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who never appeared to settle and struggled to push the ball down the field. The most concerning part about Love’s three picks, however, was that they came in clean pockets with time to throw.

One was a tremendous play by Eagles corner Darius Slay. Another was a misread telegraphed into the awaiting hands of linebacker Zack Baun. The final was a heave in desperation time into double coverage All came on pure dropback throws. All could’ve been avoided with checkdowns. Love has an abundance of talent. The Eagles defense is well balanced and one that forced 26 takeaways. Love and the Packers miscalculated by testing a secondary that had the fewest passing yards allowed per game (174.2).

Late Bucs fumble spoils Mike Evans gem

The NBC broadcast did a good job of hyping up the longstanding rivalry between Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans and Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore — with good reason. The two have feuded for years, dating back to the start of Lattimore’s run as a corner for the NFC South-rival New Orleans Saints.

Evans got the better of the matchup, beating Lattimore in single coverages when they were matched up. He hauled in all seven of his targets for 92 yards and a score. He had a key effort conversion on a third down early in the fourth quarter that extended a Tampa drive that could’ve widened the Bucs lead, but quarterback Baker Mayfield misjudged a handoff, fumbling the ball to Washington deep in Tampa territory. The Commanders took a lead on a touchdown four plays later. Though the Bucs would later tie the game, that fumble completely altered the trajectory of the game and, eventually, the outcome.

Denver’s inability to stay on the field

It was promising for the Broncos once they raced out to an early lead just five plays into the game, on a 43-yard bomb to receiver Troy Franklin. After that, however, the offense struggled to sustain any type of effective drive. Buffalo scored the game’s final 31 points. Denver’s opening 70-yard drive was its longest of the day.

The Broncos couldn’t stay on the field, running only 42 offensive plays compared to Buffalo’s 72. Denver converted just two of nine third downs. The Bills outgained Denver 471-224. Against a team like Buffalo, with Allen’s playmaking, that was going to make it very difficult to win.

PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Eagles won on Sunday. They have no plans to follow up with any celebrations.

“No Victory Monday for us,” said head coach Nick Sirianni after the NFC East champions won their playoff opener 22-10, mainly by outlasting a Green Bay Packers squad undercut by injuries – both self-inflicted and otherwise.

“We’re gonna go back to work, because we do have a lot of things to clean up.”

Philly’s first wild-card victory at Lincoln Financial Field in 11 years was hardly a crisp performance by a team that rested the bulk of its key starters in Week 18 and had quarterback Jalen Hurts back in the lineup for the first time since Dec. 22, when he suffered a concussion at Washington.

The Eagles finished with 290 yards offensively, their third-lowest output of the season. They were for two-for-11 on third down. Philadelphia committed seven penalties and only scored a touchdown on one of its four incursions into the red zone.

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“At the end of the day, stats don’t matter. The only stat that matters is that win column,” said All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley, who rushed for a playoff career-best 119 yards (on 25 carries). “If you don’t get through this one, you go home.

“We got the job done – and I don’t like saying, like, we got the job done. We got out here, we survived, we won a football game against a really good team. … At the end of the day, we did what we needed to do.”

Hurts passed for two touchdowns in his return but just 131 yards. However, perhaps far more important, neither he nor his team turned the ball over. Yet the Packers, depleted by injuries and dogged by their own penalty issues (eight for 85 yards) gave the ball away four times and missed a field goal – opportunities the Eagles turned into all of seven points. Despite a dominant first half, they only led 10-0.

“We gotta correct this tape, we have things that we have to get better from this tape,” said Sirianni, who planned to work the Eagles on Monday – unless they play next Saturday, which would trigger a mandatory day off.

“But if we play on Sunday, we’re coming back to work, we’re gonna get our lift in. … We made errors as coaches, and we made errors as players, and we’re gonna go back and get those fixed. Because all that matters is the next game, and all that matters for that next game is that we get better from the things that happened in this game and repeat the stuff that we did well in this game.”

And there was enough to like aside from Barkley’s performance and the defense generating four takeaways in a postseason game for the first time in 23 years. Philadelphia held the Pack to a season-low point total. Linebacker Oren Burks forced a fumble on the game’s opening kickoff – a play his teammates agreed set a needed tone – leading to Hurts’ first touchdown pass three plays later.

Sirianni cited a “dog mentality,” pointing to kicker Jake Elliott’s pair of fourth-quarter field goals following a missed extra point. Rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell’s play was also pivotal, including the game-sealing interception following the two-minute warning, even though his pass interference penalty led to a Packers field goal in the second half.

“The defense put us in great positions all night. Defense, man, played a helluva game today – that’s where all the credit should go,” said Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata, who said the offense would need to clean up its execution, communication and procedure.

“A lot to learn from … I know that our coaches want to be a lot more detailed in the next coming days about how we can be better.”

The team will likely also have to move forward without starting linebacker Nakobe Dean, who was carted off with a knee injury that appeared serious. He left the stadium on crutches.

Philadelphia can’t control injuries. The Eagles can’t worry about style points when they matter the least. But the NFC East champs will have to be better given their next opponent – and Barkley and his teammates were quite relieved to earn another home game in the divisional round – likely won’t be as debilitated as the Packers, who seemed to lose a player to injury every other snap in addition to their other issues. Surviving the divisional round could quite probably mean a trip to Detroit to face the high-powered Lions and an even smaller margin for error.

“I hate this quote, but ‘practice makes perfect.’ You’re never going to be perfect. But at the end of the day – I know we have all these stars and all these weapons – but the only thing that matters is winning the game,” said Barkley. “I’m gonna say that until I’m blue in the face. I truly believe that. Stat lines (are) over. It don’t matter. What you did in the regular season, it doesn’t carry over. The only stat line that matters is wins, and that’s our mindset.

“You play defense, and you run the ball – through the test of time, you’re gonna be in a good situation to win football games. I know that’s been lost in recent years, but that’s the truth. … You’re built up for a run of success, and we have that.”

***

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Looking to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, Carlos Alcaraz eased into the second round at the Australian Open on Monday with an imperfect but entertaining 6-1, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko.

The the 21-year-old Spaniard and four-time major champion showed flashes of brilliance but also made several unforced errors in his opening match in Melbourne.

‘Honestly, the first match of the season you never know how it’s going to be. I had the confidence to think that I was going to be good, but you never know,’ he told reporters afterward.

‘I’m just really happy with the level that I played, with everything I’ve done today. But I really want to be better in the next round.’

AUSTRALIAN OPEN STORYLINES: Coco Gauff ‘confident’ in bid for second Grand Slam title

The tournament’s No. 3 seed is still fine-tuning a new service motion that he adopted in the offseason, but he found his range with some devastating winners to dispatch Shevchenko, who’s ranked No. 77 in the world.

He’ll face Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in the second round.

Australian Nick Kyrgios upset in short-lived return

Nick Kyrgios’s long-awaited return to the Grand Slam stage proved something of a letdown as Briton Jacob Fearnley sent the ailing home hero out of the Australian Open first round in straight sets on Monday.

A capacity crowd packed John Cain Arena for Kyrgios’ first match at Melbourne Park in three years, hoping the tennis showman could shrug off an abdominal strain to battle through.

Most left deflated as Kyrgios went down swinging in a 7-6 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (2) defeat, with the injury hampering his serve and movement.

Kyrgios said this loss may have been his last singles match at the Grand Slam eventKyrgios said this loss may have been his last singles match at the Grand Slam event, given his growing frustrations with injury.

‘Realistically I can’t see myself playing a singles match here again,’ the 29-year-old told reporters.

‘It’s hard. When you’re competing for the biggest tournaments in the world and you’re struggling to win sets physically, it’s pretty tough.

Novak Djokovic rallies past young American

Novak Djokovic was rattled early on by inspired American teenager Nishesh Basavareddy but rallied for a four-set victory Monday to keep his bid for an 11th Australian Open title alive into the second round.

Basavareddy, making his Grand Slam debut, made Djokovic look every one of his 37 years as he tore around Rod Laver Arena mixing clean winners with some beautifully deft drop shots.

The 19-year-old had the crowd on its feet when he broke for 4-3 in the first set with a sizzling backhand return, again when he fought off two break points to hold for 5-3, and a third time when Djokovic dumped a backhand into the net to cede the set.

But the 24-time major champion took control in the second set and outlasted his young opponent 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Djokovic hasn’t lost in the first round of a Grand Slam event since the 2006 Australian Open when he lost to American Paul Goldstein – who coincidentally is Basavareddy’s collegiate coach at Stanford.

‘This kind of match is always tricky, playing against someone who has nothing to lose,’ Djokovic said. ‘He handled himself really well and I’m sure we’ll see plenty of him in the future.’

Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff is hoping that coming through a tough first round clash with former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin on Monday will hold her in good stead for the rest of the tournament.

The third seed was given a solid workout by 2020 champion Kenin in blazing sunshine on Rod Laver Arena but extended her lengthy winning streak to reach the second round with a 6-3 6-3 victory.

‘Honestly, when I saw the draw, I was like, it’s not a great first round. She’s one of those people that she can play great tennis,’ Gauff said.

Gauff pounced to break her fellow American for a fourth time in the match and secured her 10th straight singles victory when Kenin sent a wild forehand well wide of the tramlines.

Doping in spotlight as Jannik Sinner wins first match

Jannik Sinner launched his Australian Open title defense with a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-1 win over Nicolas Jarry on Monday in a match that put the players’ contrasting doping cases in the spotlight.

World No. 1 Sinner, who avoided suspension after failing two drug tests last March, was given a good battle on a sun-drenched Rod Laver Arena by the big-serving Chilean who was banned for 11 months in 2020 for doping.

In the lead-up to the match, Jarry had told Chilean newspaper La Tercera that he wished he had ‘the same support’ as Sinner from tennis authorities following his own failed tests.

Sinner remains under a doping cloud, however, with the World Anti-Doping Agency seeking a ban of up to two years at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A hearing has been set for April.

The saga has taken little toll on the Italian’s tennis; his defeat of world No. 36 Jarry was the U.S. Open champion’s 16th win in succession and 15th at the hardcourt Grand Slams.