General Sports 3 Days

Last updated: May 24, 2026, 2:53 AM ET

Tennis: French Open Preview and Player Storylines

The French Open is shaping up as a one-horse race for the men's title, with Jannik Sinner's dominance and Carlos Alcaraz's absence leaving the field wide open for Sinner. Sinner enters Roland Garros as the clear favorite since Rafael Nadal in his prime, though he will face a tricky first-round test against Argentine clay specialist Solano Sierra in Raducanu's draw analysis. On the women's side, Emma Raducanu is also dealing with a challenging opening opponent, while Alex Eala prepares to continue her journey at the tournament and says she no longer chases success simply for herself Eala shifting motivation. British players have been hit hard by injuries, with Cameron Norrie admitting a rib problem has hampered his preparation Norrie's rib injury and Felix Gill falling at the final hurdle of qualifying Gill's qualifying loss. The threat of player protests over revenue sharing appears to be cooling, with top competitors saying they will not continue demonstrations once play begins protests set to pause. Meanwhile, ranking analysts have mapped out who stands to upset and who are the real contenders heading into the fortnight French Open rankings.

Boxing and Combat Sports

Oleksandr Usyk survived a serious scare in Giza, Egypt, scoring a controversial 11th-round stoppage against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven to avoid what would have been a monumental upset Usyk avoids upset. The unified heavyweight champion now stands alone at the top of the division, though the fight raised questions about what comes next for challengers like Jack Catterall and Hamzah Sheeraz Usyk's road ahead. Sheeraz himself moved quickly, claiming his first world title by stopping Alem Begic to claim the vacant WBO super-middleweight crown Sheeraz claims title, while Verhoeven reflected on how he landed the rare opportunity to face the heavyweight king Verhoeven's Usyk shot. In a separate scandal, Floyd Mayweather has filed suit against a former associate, alleging a yearslong fraud scheme worth $175 million Mayweather lawsuit. On the MMA front, Joe Schilling quit just 37 seconds into his PFL light-heavyweight return after a headbutt in the opening round Schilling's quick exit, and former Bellator boss Scott Coker is planning a new fight league for next year aimed at becoming a global brand Coker's new league. Sprinter Fred Kerley says he will compete clean at the upcoming Enhanced Games and also expects to run at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Kerley's clean commitment, while the Enhanced Games itself continues to sell athletes on its vision of a PED-accepting future Enhanced Games vision.

Formula 1 and NASCAR

Max Verstappen renewed his threat to quit Formula 1 at the end of this season if planned engine regulation changes are blocked, though he also hinted that those same changes would return racing "almost back to normal" and suggested he may stay Verstappen's quit threat. Lewis Hamilton dismissed retirement talk entirely, insisting he will "be here for quite some time" Hamilton staying put. The 2026 Indy 500 looms large, with Ryan McGee's guide offering 100 things to know before race day and the city already buzzing over Friday's viral Wienie 500 appetizer contest Indy 500 guide. In NASCAR, Kyle Busch was hospitalized with a severe illness and will miss Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Busch hospitalized, prompting CEO Steve O'Donnell to praise him as "an American badass" O'Donnell on Busch. Richard Childress Racing has temporarily retired Busch's No. 8 car until his 11-year-old son Brexton is ready to take over Busch's 8 car retired, and tributes have poured in for the two-time Cup Series champion whose rebellious spirit defined an era Busch's legacy.

NBA and Basketball

The Oklahoma City Thunder are assembling a championship-caliber roster around their core, with Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso signed to play specific roles that level up the team OKC's roster promises. The franchise's approach to keeping players happy is paying off, as OKC has built what insiders call a basketball utopia Thunder's utopia. Victor Wembanyama continues to shatter age expectations, defying conventional wisdom about the importance of playoff experience Wembanyama defying age. On the women's side, Sabrina Ionescu is set to make her season debut for the Liberty against the Wings Ionescu's debut, while Caitlin Clark acknowledged that recovering from her 2025 injuries is "a real mental challenge" Clark's injury battle. Nneka Ogwumike is back with the Los Angeles Sparks after helping deliver a new CBA, looking to lead the team to the playoffs Ogwumike's return, and Brent Burns is chasing a Stanley Cup for himself, his team and another group close to his heart Burns' motivation. NBA free agency is heating up, with Bobby Marks breaking down salary projections for 20 players starting with the league's leading career scorer free agent rankings.

Cricket, Rugby and Multi-Sport

The T20 Blast returned with wall-to-wall sunshine, as Somerset repeated their 2025 final triumph over Hampshire while champions Surrey beat Lancashire Thunder by six wickets to start their defense T20 Blast results. England's women face New Zealand in the second of three T20 matches in Canterbury Women's T20, and Jacob Bethell has returned to the UK after a finger injury sustained with Royal Challengers Bengaluru Bethell's IPL exit. In rugby, Bordeaux Begles are chasing back-to-back Investec Champions Cups after a remarkable rise from 2011 promotion, and they delivered a thrashing of Leinster in Bilbao that exposed a gulf between the sides Bordeaux's rise. Leinster head coach Leo Cullen called the final against Bordeaux a "serious challenge" Leinster's warning, and Bordeaux's success has been fueled by a mentality inspired in part by Rory McIlroy's Masters feat