Reuters Sports News Summary

The 36-year-old Mallorcan went in to Wimbledon still on course for a calendar year Grand Slam but an abdominal injury forced him to pull out of his semi-final against Nick Kyrgios. MLB roundup: Nationals spoil big day for Mariners rookies Ildemaro Vargas hit a tiebreaking two-run homer with two outs in the top of the ninth inning as the Washington Nationals won 3-1 at Seattle on Wednesday, overcoming two notable performances by Mariners rookies.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis - Comeback king Nadal ready defy logic again

Rafa Nadal returns to the U.S. Open for the first time in three years short of match practice and with big question marks about his fitness but few people will dismiss the Spaniard's chances of claiming a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam title. The 36-year-old Mallorcan went in to Wimbledon still on course for a calendar year Grand Slam but an abdominal injury forced him to pull out of his semi-final against Nick Kyrgios.

MLB roundup: Nationals spoil big day for Mariners rookies

Ildemaro Vargas hit a tiebreaking two-run homer with two outs in the top of the ninth inning as the Washington Nationals won 3-1 at Seattle on Wednesday, overcoming two notable performances by Mariners rookies. Vargas just cleared the fence in right-center field on a 1-2 pitch from Paul Sewald (3-4) as the Nationals earned a split of the two-game series. Kyle Finnegan (5-2) got the victory after tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.

Djokovic will miss U.S. Open as unable to travel to New York without COVID vaccine

Former world number one Novak Djokovic will miss the U.S. Open after he said on Thursday that he will not be able to travel to New York for the tournament, having chosen not to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Current rules require travellers to show proof of full vaccination to board flights to and enter the United States.

Tennis - Medvedev faces plenty of challenges in U.S. Open title defence

Daniil Medvedev will look to shake off some inconsistent form as he bids to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2008 to successfully defend his U.S. Open title while fending off a string of challengers to his number one ranking. A mixed run-up to the year's final major shows the Russian could have his work cut out when the main draw kicks off next week.

Tennis-Broady urges Grand Slams to bar late withdrawals from main draw

Britain's Liam Broady called for Grand Slams to enact a rule prohibiting players from making late withdrawals from the main draw, adding that his comments were not aimed at Novak Djokovic. Broady, who is seeded 25th in qualifying for the U.S. Open and beat American Murphy Cassone on Tuesday, said last-minute withdrawals caused players ranked close to the cut-off mark for Grand Slam main draws to needlessly go through qualifying.

Tennis - Nadal's return a boost for depleted U.S. Open men's draw

Rafa Nadal's timely recovery from injury to return to the U.S. Open for the first time since winning the 2019 title is a big boost to the men's draw which has been depleted by the absence of Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev. Nadal returned to the tour only last week at the Cincinnati Open, having not played a competitive match since pulling out of his Wimbledon semi-final against Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal injury in early July.

Cycling - Roglic struggles in rain as Evenepoel grabs Vuelta red jersey

Belgium's young all-rounder Remco Evenepoel grabbed the leader's red jersey at La Vuelta in a dramatic conclusion to a rain-drenched sixth stage won by Australian Jay Vine on Thursday. The 22-year-old rider for the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team, left a group including reigning champion Primoz Roglic in his wake as he chased Vine up to the murky Pico Jano summit.

Kobe Bryant widow awarded $16 million over crash site photos

The widow of the late basketball star Kobe Bryant was awarded $16 million by a jury on Wednesday over the sharing of photos of human remains at the helicopter crash site where her husband, their 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in 2020, according to multiple media reports. Vanessa Bryant had sued Los Angeles County, alleging invasion of privacy, after accusing members of the Los Angeles County sheriff's and fire departments of sharing gruesome images of the crash in unofficial settings, including to patrons in a bar.

Tennis - New Kyrgios mindset to be tested in New York

New York crowds have seen all sides of Nick Kyrgios barring his best one at the U.S. Open but fans may hope for more than a cranky cameo from the Australian firebrand this year. By the time the final Grand Slam of the calendar rolls around, Kyrgios is usually tired, jaded and battling homesickness, which makes an early exit from Flushing Meadows seem more of a relief than disappointment.

Kept in check by tradition, Zimbabwe's women cricketers focus on future

Mitchell Chivare, a 20-year-old who used to play for Zimbabwe's national junior cricket team, takes her kit off the washing line in preparation for her comeback match as a blistering sun beats down on her back yard. She lives in Domboshava, a town just north of the capital Harare, and has spent more than a year away from the sport to have children.