Today's Sports News Highlights: Kylian Mbappe's Official RMFC Unveiling On Jul 16; Novak Djokovic Enters Wimbledon 2024 SFs

It is Sunil Gavaskar's birthday today and the great batter turns 75. The first ever player to score 10,000 Test runs, Gavaskar is considered among the greatest batter of all time in the longest format. He was also a part of the 1983 World Cup-winning Indian team. He retired from international cricket in 1987 as an undisputed batting great.

French marathon runner Mehdi Frere will miss his home Olympics after receiving a two-year suspension for breaking anti-doping rules, his lawyer Laurent Fellous confirmed on Tuesday.

Frere, aged 27, had a World Athletics disciplinary tribunal after three missed whereabouts checks in February 2023 and February 2024. Athletes must always disclose their whereabouts so they can submit to out-of-competition doping controls. (AP)

The Indian women's football team lost their first international friendly to the hosts Mayanmar 2-1 at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon on Tuesday.

With the set pieces goals from Win Theingi Tun (14’) and San Thaw Thaw (74’) the hosts cancel out India's Pyari Xaxa’s 57th-minute strike to hand them defeat.

In match six of the 2024 Major Cricket League, the Los Angeles Knight Riders faced their second defeat of the season as the Seattle Orcas won the game by 9 wickets, thanks to Ryan Rickelton's unbeaten 103 off 66 balls.

Donna Vekic had thought a couple of times about quitting tennis, like when she struggled to get back to her best after knee surgery in 2021.

Now she's happy she stuck with it.

The 28-year-old Croatian reached her first Grand Slam semifinal in her 43rd appearance at a major tournament by beating qualifier Lulu Sun 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 at Wimbledon on Tuesday. (AP)

Spain striker Alvaro Morata had a scare when a stadium security guard accidently slammed into his right leg after his team beat France in the European Championship semifinals on Tuesday.

Morata was in obvious pain after the guard — who was pursuing a fan who had got on to the field — slipped and slid into the player's right leg. (AP)

The young New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra who is of Indian origin has recieved his first central contract after success in the past one year, including the ODI World Cup where he humdreds of runs.

The 24-year-old is now available in the list of 20 cricketers offered contracts by the New Zealand Cricket on Wednesday for the 2024-25 season following a breakthrough season where he finished as the fourth leading run-scorer with 578 runs.

“I had the aim of being European champion, I had the aim of having a good Euros — I didn't do one nor the other,” Mbappé said after France lost 1-2 to Spain in the UEFA Euro 2024 semi-final match.

“It's disappointing, we have to go on holiday. I'll rest well, I think I need that to come back fresh and have a really good pre-season preparation.”

A quiet Lionel Messi is not good for business. The record eight-time Ballon d'Or winner failed to score in his first three Copa America 2024 matches and even missed a penalty kick against Ecuador in the quarter-final. But he found the back of the net against Canada as the defending champions eased through the final.

Lionel Messi is in no mood to turn back from playing for Argentina beyond Sunday's Copa America final.

“As I've said before, I intend to continue," he said Tuesday night after Argentina's 2-0 win over Canada. "I intend to keep living day by day without thinking about what will come in the future or whether I'll continue or not. It's something I just live each day. I'm 37 years and only God knows when the end will be.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board has sacked former Test players Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq from its selection committee in the wake of the team's disastrous T20 World Cup campaign last month.

Wahab and Razzaq were a part of a committee, which had no chairman and included the national team captain, head coach and a data analyst.

Wahab, who has been a selector since last November also went to the T20 World Cup as senior team manager. (PTI)

Star batter Suryakumar Yadav stayed put on second position in the latest ICC Men's T20I batting rankings, which also features Ruturaj Gaikwad, who made significant progress following his exploits in the ongoing away series against Zimbabwe.

Suryakumar is placed second with 821 rating points behind Australia's Travis Head, who has 844 rating points. (PTI)

Now that you have completed 75 pray, you carry on your magnificent innings in life," former Pakistan cricketer Zaheer Abbas told PTI on Sunil Gavaskar's birthday.

Like his batting, his insight into the game is invaluable. He was the original batting don of Indian cricket. I learnt a lot from just watching him bat up close,” he said.

Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri might have bid adieu to his international career but he remains deeply attached to the fortunes of the team and says he will do everything in his power to take the country to the "promised land".

"I have experienced a lot of ups and downs in my career, but one thing is constant, that is one day, we will reach that level which all of us have dreamt of," said Chhetri who retired from international football last month after breaking a plethora of national records. (PTI)

Simone Biles and LeBron James lead the list of athletes likely competing at their final Olympics.

Add in that Andy Murray will be retiring after the Paris Games and that Rafael Nadal may bid goodbye to tennis, too, and the stage is set for some emotional, high-profile goodbyes. (AP)

Novak Djokovic got a free pass into the Wimbledon semi-finals on Wednesday when his quarterfinal opponent, Alex de Minaur, withdrew with a hip injury.

The walkover places Djokovic in the Wimbledon semifinals for the 13th time, equaling Roger Federer for the most by a man in tournament history.

De Minaur, an Australian who was seeded ninth at the All England Club, announced he was pulling out of the tournament hours before he and Djokovic were scheduled to play each other at Centre Court. (AP)

England's Gus Atkinson has taken five-for on debut at Lord's in the first Test against West Indies.

Check all the live updates right here.

Best figures on Test debut for England
7/37 - John Ferris vs SA, Cape Town, 1892
7/43 - Dominic Cork vs WI, Lord's, 1995
7/45 - Gus Atkinson vs WI, Lord's, 2024*
7/46 - John Lever vs IND, Delhi, 1976
7/49 - Alec Bedser vs IND, Lord's, 1946

India have defeated hosts Zimbabwe by 23 runs in the third T20I to take a 2-1 series lead at Harare on Wednesday.

Get all the match highlights right here.

Legendary Prakash Padukone is set to travel as a mentor along with the 15-member Indian badminton squad for the Paris Olympics, beginning on July 26.

Padukone, the first Indian to win the All England Championship, was retired in 1991 even as badminton was introduced in the Olympics at the 1992 Barcelona Games. (PTI)

Elena Rybakina knows people see her as the favorite to win her second Wimbledon title. The 2022 champion's 6-3, 6-2 victory over No. 21 Elina Svitolina to reach the semifinals on Wednesday will only bolster that view. The 25-year-old Rybakina — at No. 4 the highest seeded woman left in the draw — improved her record at the All England Club to 19-2.

Rybakina will next face No. 31 Barbora Krejcikova, who reached her first Wimbledon semi-final by eliminating No. 13 Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 7-6 (4) in a match between former French Open champions.

Didier Deschamps is staying on as France coach after being praised by the head of the country's soccer federation for leading the team “in the best possible way” at the European Championship.

France lost 1-2 to Spain in the semifinals on Tuesday, ending an underwhelming tournament for Kylian Mbappé and his teammates. (AP)

India’s top-ranked tennis player Sumit Nagal was ousted by Pedro Cachin of Argentina in the pre-quarterfinals of the Braunschweig ATP challenger on Wednesday.

Cachin, a world No. 117, moved into the quarterfinals of the event with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Nagal, the world No. 73 who was seeded second in the tournament. (PTI)

That's all from us today, bye-bye!