Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Ruthless Djokovic crushes Rublev to reach last four in Turin

Novak Djokovic booked his place in the last four of the ATP Finals with a crushing 6-4 6-1 defeat of Russian Andrey Rublev at the Turin showpiece on Wednesday. After the first nine games went with serve, Djokovic switched on the afterburners to outclass Rublev.

Soccer-Ronaldo interview is not a distraction for Portugal, coach Santos says

Portugal coach Fernando Santos said Cristiano Ronaldo's explosive interview has not been a distraction in the changing room as they prepare for a friendly against Nigeria in Lisbon on Thursday, the team's last match before they travel to Qatar for the World Cup. Asked if Ronaldo's comments about his club Manchester United had had an impact on his team as they prepare for the World Cup, Santos said what happened with his highest profile player has nothing to do with the national squad.

Soccer-Qatar authorities apologise for threatening Danish film crew at World Cup

Qatar's Supreme Committee said it has apologised after a Danish film crew were threatened by security staff live on air as they broadcast in the capital Doha ahead of the World Cup. TV2 reporter Rasmus Tantholdt was speaking as part of a live broadcast when he was approached by security staff that had appeared on a golf buggy next to the newly-opened Chedi Hotel at Katara Cultural Village.

Soccer-Sweden grab 2-1 win over World Cup-bound Mexico

A goal and an assist from Mattias Svanberg led Sweden to a 2-1 win over Mexico who failed to secure a confidence-boosting victory on Wednesday in their last game before the World Cup in Qatar. Sweden took the lead in the 54th minute when Svanberg dribbled past several opponents and crossed from the left for midfielder Marcus Rohden to slot the ball home.

Soccer-Ronaldo says he was close to joining Man City

Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo said he was close to signing for bitter rivals Manchester City last year but former manager Alex Ferguson asked him not to. Ronaldo said Ferguson persuaded him to re-join United for a second spell at Old Trafford when he moved from Juventus in August, 2021 on a two-year deal, returning to the club where he won eight major trophies from 2003-2009.

Soccer-FIFA to crack down on online discrimination during World Cup

FIFA is launching a new service to crack down on hate speech and discrimination online during the World Cup, world soccer's governing body said on Wednesday. The Social Media Protection Service will stop players seeing abusive messages when they log on to their phones in dressing rooms minutes after matches.

Soccer-Argentina's World Cup squad could change, says boss Scaloni

Argentina's 26-man squad could change with less than a week to go before their World Cup opener as some players are not fully fit, coach Lionel Scaloni said on Wednesday after their 5-0 friendly win over the United Arab Emirates. Defender Cristian Romero and forwards Nicolas Gonzalez, Alejandro Gomez and Paulo Dybala were left out for Argentina's last warm-up match in Abu Dhabi, with all four recovering after feeling "some discomfort", the coach said.

Soccer-Son unsure if he can play in all of South Korea's games

South Korea captain Son Heung-min said he is unsure if he can play in all their matches at the Qatar World Cup starting on Sunday after undergoing surgery this month to stabilise a fracture around his left eye. Son was included in South Korea's squad for the tournament despite suffering a fractured eye socket playing for Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League earlier this month.

Motor racing-Hamilton has one last shot to avoid first winless season

Lewis Hamilton has one more chance to avoid his first Formula One season without a win and it comes on Sunday in the place where last year he suffered one of the biggest blows of his career. The return to Abu Dhabi, where in 2021 Hamilton missed a record eighth title after a controversial late change to the safety car procedure while he was leading, offers the opportunity to end 2022 on a high.

Golf-U.S. captain Johnson seeks formula for rare Ryder Cup win in Europe

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson said on Wednesday he learned a lot in his 2018 debut as vice captain but added that tinkering with the gameplan is no guarantee his team will leave Rome next year celebrating a rare triumph in Europe. Europe's home dominance improved to six consecutive Ryder Cup victories following with their 2018 win outside Paris where twice major champion Johnson served as one of Jim Furyk's vice captains.