Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Kyrgios embracing the pressure ahead of Australian Open; Cricket-Warner had no choice but to abandon leadership bid: players union chief and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Kyrgios embracing the pressure ahead of Australian Open

A terrific run of form in the latter half of 2022 put Nick Kyrgios among the Grand Slam contenders and while the Australian knows much is expected of him heading into Melbourne Park next month he says he has learned to embrace the pressure. After years of underachieving, the talented but temperamental Kyrgios won the Citi Open in Washington and reached his first Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.

Cricket-Warner had no choice but to abandon leadership bid: players union chief

Australia batsman David Warner was left with no choice but to abandon the bid to have his leadership ban overturned due to problems with the review process, players union chief Todd Greenberg said on Friday. Warner pulled his application to have his permanent leadership banned citing concerns that the review panel wanted to turn his case into a "public trial" of his part in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal.

'She is coming home!': Sports world cheers Griner's release

Brittney Griner's Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) teammates, fellow athletes, and sports luminaries cheered her release from Russian custody on Thursday, months after she was first detained in a Moscow airport. The twice Olympic champion pleaded guilty to charges of possessing and smuggling illegal drugs but insisted she had made an "honest mistake". In November she was moved to a Russian penal colony.

NFL-Commanders owner Snyder had role in toxic workplace culture, report finds

Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder both "permitted and participated" in the team's toxic workplace culture while the NFL helped to cover it up, the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform said on Thursday. After a year-long investigation into the Commanders, the committee's final report said sexual harassment, bullying, and other toxic conduct pervaded the team's workplace, perpetuated by a culture of fear instilled by Snyder.

NHL roundup: Mitchell Marner extends points streak to 21 games

Mitchell Marner extended his team-record points streak to 21 games with a goal as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the visiting Los Angeles Kings 5-0 Thursday night. Ilya Samsonov made 29 saves to earn his first shutout of the season and the seventh of his career. It was Toronto's second straight shutout. The Maple Leafs scored four second-period goals to send them to their 13th consecutive game (10-0-3) with at least one point, three games shy of the team record.

Soccer-PSG to discuss Messi contract after World Cup: club president

Paris St Germain President Nasser Al-Khelaifi said Lionel Messi is happy at the Ligue 1 champions and they will open discussions about a possible contract extension after the World Cup. Messi, who has 12 goals and 14 assists for PSG in all competitions this season, moved to PSG from Barcelona in 2021 on a two-year contract, which expires in the summer.

NBA roundup: Nuggets stun Blazers with last-second trey

Jamal Murray drained a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds remaining to lift the Denver Nuggets to a 121-120 victory over the host Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night. Nikola Jokic recorded 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and Murray scored 14 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter as Denver halted its season-worst, three-game slide. Aaron Gordon added 20 points for the Nuggets, and Murray had eight assists.

Brittney Griner freed from Russia, swapped for notorious arms dealer

U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been released in a prisoner swap with Russia in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout and was heading home on Thursday, ending what President Joe Biden called months of "hell" for her and her wife. The swap was arranged after months of talks during a time of high tension between the two countries after Russia's February invasion of Ukraine.

Soccer-World Cup 2022: how many migrant workers have died in Qatar?

Here is a look at migrant workers' rights issues in Qatar, which is hosting the 2022 World Cup from Nov. 20-Dec. 18:

WHAT IS QATAR'S RECORD ON MIGRANT WORKERS' RIGHTS?

Soccer-No timescale on Jesus return, says Arsenal boss Arteta

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he has no timescale for when striker Gabriel Jesus will recover from his knee injury and that the Premier League side will look at their options ahead of next month's transfer window. Jesus was forced off the pitch during Brazil's 1-0 defeat by Cameroon in their final group match at the World Cup and was subsequently ruled out of the remainder of the tournament.