Sports News Roundup: Motor racing-Hamilton vows maximum attack to the end of the F1 season; Baseball-Yankees' Judge hits 61st home run, ties AL single-season record and more

The approach by the four private equity firms comes after Serie A last year failed to reach a media rights deal worth 1.7 billion euros ($1.7 billion) with a group of funds led by CVC Capital Partners due to opposition from some of its clubs, including Juventus and Lazio. Tennis-Like Federer's farewell, Djokovic wants biggest rivals at his swansong Novak Djokovic said he wants his biggest rivals to be by his side when he brings the curtain down on his career, much like Roger Federer's emotional goodbye to the game last week.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Motor racing-Hamilton vows maximum attack to the end of the F1 season

Seven times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton vowed maximum attack to the end of the season on Wednesday as Mercedes seek to wrest second place from Ferrari in the constructors' standings and end a win drought. Runaway leaders Red Bull and reigning champion Max Verstappen are set for a title double but the battle for the runner-up slot, and some bragging rights as best of the rest, looks open.

Baseball-Yankees' Judge hits 61st home run, ties AL single-season record

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge smashed his 61st home run of the year on Wednesday to tie the American League single-season record set in 1961 by Roger Maris. The record-tying moment came in the top of the seventh inning when Judge smashed a ball from Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Tim Mayza over the left field wall.

ATP roundup: Maxime Cressy sweeps Sebastian Korda in Tel Aviv

Fourth-seeded Maxime Cressy racked up 14 aces while posting a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Sebastian Korda in a battle of Americans in the second round of the Tel Aviv Watergen Open in Israel. Cressy had 26 winners against nine unforced errors during the impressive win. He won 90 percent of his first-serve points against 65.1 percent for Korda.

Private equity funds approach Italy's Serie A to explore media rights deal -sources

Apax Partners, Three Hills Capital Partners, Carlyle Group and Searchlight Capital have approached Serie A expressing interest in investing in the media business of Italy's top flight soccer league, three sources close to the matter said on Wednesday. The approach by the four private equity firms comes after Serie A last year failed to reach a media rights deal worth 1.7 billion euros ($1.7 billion) with a group of funds led by CVC Capital Partners due to opposition from some of its clubs, including Juventus and Lazio.

Tennis-Like Federer's farewell, Djokovic wants biggest rivals at his swansong

Novak Djokovic said he wants his biggest rivals to be by his side when he brings the curtain down on his career, much like Roger Federer's emotional goodbye to the game last week. Images of Federer and Rafa Nadal - who shared one of tennis's most enthralling rivalries - sitting together and crying after combining in a Laver Cup doubles defeat at London's O2 Arena on Friday went viral on social media.

Soccer-Trippier's 'all-round game' puts him ahead of Alexander-Arnold: Southgate

England manager Gareth Southgate said right back Kieran Trippier is ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold in the pecking order because of his "all-round game". Liverpool defender Alexander-Arnold was left out of the England squad that drew 3-3 with Germany on Monday, with Reece James starting and Trippier on the bench.

MLB roundup: Cardinals, Yankees clinch division titles

Miles Mikolas allowed one run over six innings and Andrew Knizner had a two-run homer as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals clinched the National League Central title with a 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night. Milwaukee remains 1 1/2 games behind Philadelphia for the final NL wild-card spot as the Phillies lost 2-1 to the Chicago Cubs. The Brewers play their final eight games at home, while Philadelphia plays its final nine on the road.

LeBron James headlines ownership group with Major League Pickleball

Four-time NBA champion LeBron James is getting into the pickleball business, as his firm LRMR Ventures headlines a new ownership group buying a team with Major League Pickleball (MLP). The four-times NBA MVP is joined by fellow basketball greats Draymond Green and Kevin Love, as well as investment firm SC Holdings and others, the elite North American league said on Wednesday.

Athletics-Injured Farah out of London Marathon

Britain's four times Olympic champion Mo Farah has withdrawn from his home London Marathon on Sunday after suffering a hip injury. Organizers said on Wednesday that the six times world champion was not fit to compete despite intensive treatment.

Rory McIlroy: 'Golf is ripping itself apart'

Rory McIlroy finds himself in a field that includes several LIV Golf players at this week's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in St. Andrews, Scotland, and once again, he didn't hesitate to express his thoughts on the Saudi-backed upstart circuit. McIlroy told reporters that the LIV continues to create a divide across the sport -- and that divide isn't beneficial for any of the parties involved.

(With inputs from agencies.)