Sports News Roundup: NBA-Embiid hopes 'improbable' path to MVP will inspire; Soccer-Haaland breaks Premier League record as Man City reclaim top spot and more

French sports daily L'Equipe reported on Tuesday that Qatari-owned PSG had suspended Messi for two weeks and decided against exercising an option to renew his contract for a third season after he made an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia. Golf-Cantlay did not speak to Woods before hiring caddie LaCava World number four Patrick Cantlay said on Wednesday that he did not speak to Tiger Woods before hiring the 15-time major champion's longtime caddie Joe LaCava.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NBA-Embiid hopes 'improbable' path to MVP will inspire

National Basketball Association (NBA) MVP Joel Embiid hopes to be a role model of perseverance after overcoming extraordinary odds, the Philadelphia 76ers center said on Wednesday. The Cameroonian All-Star is only the second African to earn MVP honors, after Nigerian-American Hakeem Olajuwon from the Houston Rockets won for the 1993-1994 season, and said he never predicted a future in the NBA when he began playing.

Soccer-Haaland breaks Premier League record as Man City reclaim top spot

Manchester City's Erling Haaland scored his record-breaking 35th Premier League goal of a stupendous season to help secure a 3-0 victory against West Ham United that sent his side back to the top of the table on Wednesday. The marauding Norwegian ended some stubborn West Ham resistance when he dinked a delicate chip into the net after 70 minutes to make him the highest scorer in a single Premier League season.

Tennis-Surgery rules Raducanu out of French Open, Wimbledon

Britain's Emma Raducanu will miss the French Open and Wimbledon while she recovers from surgery on her wrists and ankle, the former U.S. Open champion said on Wednesday. "It is safe to say the last 10 months have been difficult as I dealt with a recurring injury to a bone of both hands," Raducanu said on Twitter.

Tennis-Alcaraz downs Khachanov to reach Madrid semis, flawless Swiatek also through

World number two Carlos Alcaraz stayed on course for his fourth title of 2023 by powering into the semi-finals of the Madrid Open with a 6-4 7-5 win over Russian Karen Khachanov on Wednesday. Defending his title from last year, Alcaraz will be looking to celebrate his 20th birthday on Friday with a win against either Croatian Borna Coric or surprise German qualifier Daniel Altmaier in his sixth Masters 1000 event semi-final.

Golf-Garcia, Poulter, Westwood ineligible for Ryder Cup after resigning Tour membership

Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Richard Bland and Lee Westwood will be ineligible for this year's Ryder Cup after the DP World Tour confirmed on Wednesday that they had resigned their Tour memberships. Their resignations come a month after the DP World Tour, which was formerly known as the European Tour, won its legal battle to be able to suspend and fine players who featured in conflicting LIV Golf events without permission.

Tennis-Dream big, think big - Alcaraz wants to become one of the greats

Carlos Alcaraz has enjoyed a spectacular start to his career by winning a Grand Slam crown and three Masters 1000 titles as a teenager and the world number two said he dreams of becoming one of the game's all-time greats. The Spaniard, who turns 20 on Friday, won the U.S. Open last September to become the youngest man to top the world rankings.

Soccer-Rumours swirl of Messi move to Saudi Arabia amid PSG discord

Reports in France that Paris St Germain have decided not to renew Lionel Messi's contract have fuelled speculation that Argentina's World Cup-winning captain is closing in on a lucrative transfer to a Saudi Arabian club next season. French sports daily L'Equipe reported on Tuesday that Qatari-owned PSG had suspended Messi for two weeks and decided against exercising an option to renew his contract for a third season after he made an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia.

Golf-Cantlay did not speak to Woods before hiring caddie LaCava

World number four Patrick Cantlay said on Wednesday that he did not speak to Tiger Woods before hiring the 15-time major champion's longtime caddie Joe LaCava. In need of a change, Cantlay recently split with caddie Matt Minister and tried his luck with LaCava given Woods is sidelined for the foreseeable future after having ankle fusion surgery two weeks ago.

Golf-Day set for return to action after vertigo derailed Masters plan

A well-rested Jason Day will return to competition this week for the first time since enduring a horror finish to last month's Masters that the Australian revealed on Wednesday was due to another bout of vertigo. Day had a chance at a top-12 finish at Augusta National that would have secured him an invite to the 2024 Masters but came apart in spectacular fashion with four double-bogeys across his last 10 holes to finish in a tie for 39th place.

Athletics-London Marathon draws record number of applicants for 2024 race, organisers say

More than half a million people have applied for a place in the 2024 edition of the London Marathon, the organisers said on Thursday. In total, 578,374 applications have been received to participate in the April 21 marathon in London, with the number eclipsing the previous mark of 457,861 set pre-pandemic in 2019 by applicants for the 2020 edition.