Sports

Rafael Nadal’s absence from the 2025 French Open changes the tournament

PARIS (AP) — The French Open is entering a new era this year now that Rafael Nadal has retired. Players tend to agree that it is a shame fans no longer will get to see him play at a tournament he won a record 14 times. They also tend to agree that it is kind of a relief not to have to worry about facing Nadal now that the 38-year-old from Spain has retired. Nadal will be celebrated at a ceremony on Sunday, the first day of action at the year’s second Grand Slam tournament. He won the event for the final time in 2022 for his 22nd Grand Slam title.

French Open 2025: Jannik Sinner returns to Grand Slam tennis after his doping ban

PARIS (AP) — Jannik Sinner knows he will be facing a new set of challenges at the French Open. Play starts Sunday in the clay-court tournament. It will be the No. 1-ranked Sinner’s first Grand Slam event since a three-month doping ban. His first outing since his suspension was the Italian Open in his home country and he reached the final there before losing to Carlos Alcaraz. In Paris, Sinner knows he can expect to deal with a crowd that could be pulling for his local opponents, the extra rigors of best-of-five-set matches instead of best-of-three, and the added pressure and importance of a major tournament.

Josef Newgarden fastest in final Indy 500 practice. Takuma Sato and other contenders have problems

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Two-time defending Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden had the fastest lap of the 2-hour final practice on Carb Day at 225.687 mph. He will start from the back on Sunday as punishment for an illegal modified part that was found on the Team Penske cars of himself and Will Power. Two-time winner Takuma Sato, who will start in the middle of the first row, had some kind of mechanical problem during practice, as did Rahal Letterman Lanigan teammate Graham Rahal. Meanwhile, Ryan Hunter-Reay had to escape from his vehicle when fire erupted from the back of the No. 23 car late in the session.

Jim Irsay’s impact can be felt all around Indianapolis as city celebrates big sports weekend

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Mark Miles sees Jim Irsay’s influence everywhere in downtown Indianapolis, from the trademark sports facilities to the towering J.W. Marriott hotel to the Pan Am Plaza currently under construction. He’s not sure any of it could have happened without the assistance of the longtime Colts owner who helped the city shed its image as Indiana No Place and emerge as Indiana Some Place. This weekend Indy takes on a new role as the center of a jam-packed Memorial Day sports weekend. Irsay’s presence will be felt in the bustling downtown he helped create.

Braves activate Ronald Acuña Jr. from injured list almost 1 year after ACL injury to left knee

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. has been activated from the injured list by the Atlanta Braves, almost one year after he tore the ACL in his left knee. The Braves announced the move before Friday night’s game against the San Diego Padres. Infielder Orlando Arcia, a 2023 All-Star, was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot for Acuña, who was expected to hit leadoff and start in right field. Acuña, the 2023 NL MVP, hurt his left knee last May 26 and had surgery on June 6. He played six games in the minors on a rehab assignment.

Trump’s Harvard visa threat could wipe out several of the school’s sports teams

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Some of Harvard’s sports teams would be virtually wiped out by a Trump administration decision that would make the Ivy League school ineligible for international student visas. Large portions of the men’s rowing and squash and women’s soccer and golf rosters list international hometowns on the school’s website. Sportico reported last month that 21% of the players on Harvard athletic rosters for the 2024-25 seasons had international hometowns. The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday revoked Harvard’s ability to enroll international students, saying the school has not adequately protected Jewish students from antisemitism on campus.

College Football Playoff shifts to straight seeding model, no automatic byes for top league champs

The College Football Playoff will go to a more straightforward way of filling the bracket next season. The CFP will place teams strictly on where they are ranked instead of moving pieces around to reward conference champions. The new format was widely expected after last season’s jumbled bracket gave byes to Big 12 champion Arizona State and Mountain West champion Boise State, even though those teams were ranked ninth and 12th by the playoff selection committee.

Holy cow! Pato O’Ward finally milks a cow before Indy 500, hoping to break his streak of heartbreak

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pato O’Ward hopes spending the morning milking a cow will help him finally clear out the negative karma keeping him from winning the Indianapolis 500. It’s a tradition at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” that the rookies milk a cow before the race, but O’Ward’s rookie year came amid the COVID-19 pandemic. So when he learned from rookie pole sitter Robert Shwartzman that someone had suggested that you can’t win the race unless you do some milking, O’Ward declared he was going to get himself a cow. It took less than a day for the Indiana Dairy Association and his Arrow McLaren team to make it happen.

Twins bring Carlos Correa back from concussion for series opener vs. Royals; Buxton not quite ready

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa has been cleared from the concussion protocol and reinstated from the 7-day injured list before the beginning of a three-game series against Kansas City. Correa collided with center fielder Byron Buxton in pursuit of a shallow fly ball on May 15 at Baltimore. Buxton was also placed on the 7-day concussion injured list. Twins head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta said Buxton was “a little bit behind” Correa in his recovery. Correa was limited to 86 games last season because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He has started slowly this season at the plate.

A sold-out Indy 500 packed with drama, from firings to Larson’s double to Newgarden threepeat bid

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The storylines are packed for this year’s Indianapolis 500. Roger Penske fired the top three executives of his IndyCar team because the cars of two-time defending winner Josef Newgarden and Will Power failed inspection. The race is sold out for the first time since 2016. Robert Shwartzman is the first Israeli driver in the 33-driver field and the first rookie pole-winner since 1983. Newgarden will try to become the first driver to win three straight 500s. And Kyle Larson will try again to complete the 500 and the 600-mile NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.