Sports News Roundup: Djokovic ends successful partnership with coach Ivanisevic; Age won't determine when I retire, says Messi and more

The Spaniard needed less than 90 minutes to dispatch the 23rd seed from Italy, pounding forehands and winning 18 of 22 points when he charged to the net. Tennis-Rybakina survives Sakkari battle to reach Miami Open semis Elena Rybakina survived a gruelling Miami Open quarter-final against Maria Sakkari on Tuesday as the former Wimbledon champion advanced to the last four for a second straight year with a 7-5 6-7(4) 6-4 victory.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Djokovic ends successful partnership with coach Ivanisevic

World number one Novak Djokovic has ended his highly successful partnership with Croatian coach Goran Ivanisevic shortly before the clay season gets into full swing, the Serb announced on Wednesday. Ivanisevic, who claimed the singles title at Wimbledon in 2001 after finishing runner-up in 1992, 1994 and 1998, joined Djokovic's team in 2019 and helped the 36-year-old win nine Grand Slam titles.

Soccer - Age won't determine when I retire, says Messi

Lionel Messi will not consider his age as a deciding factor in his retirement plans, the Argentine forward said, adding that he has no clear idea of what he will do when that time comes. Messi, who played for 17 years at Barcelona before signing for Paris St Germain in 2021 and Inter Miami last year, will turn 37 in under three months but knows for sure that his age will not determine when it is time to hang up his boots.

Soccer - Forest fined for improper behaviour of coaching staff

Nottingham Forest have been fined 75,000 pounds ($95,000) after failing to ensure proper behaviour from their players and staff during their Premier League game against Liverpool, the FA said on Wednesday. The 1-0 defeat by Liverpool on March 2 ended in chaos after the final whistle when referee Paul Tierney was surrounded by Forest's coaching team who were angered by his decision not to return the ball to the home side after a restart shortly before Liverpool's 99th-minute winning goal.

Olympics - Paris 2024 defends senior staff member's pay rise

Paris 2024 Olympics organisers defended a 30% salary uplift for their communications director on Wednesday, saying the raise was correcting an unfair gender gap in her pay. In an investigation to be aired on Thursday, French TV channel France 2 reveals that the annual salary of Anne Descamps, the Paris 2024 communications director, went up 45,000 euros to 195,000 euros last year.

Tennis-Alcaraz into Miami Open quarters with Sunshine Double still in sight

Indian Wells champion Carlos Alcaraz kept his hopes for a Sunshine Double alive with a 6-3 6-3 win over Lorenzo Musetti to reach the Miami Open quarter-finals for the third straight year on Tuesday. The Spaniard needed less than 90 minutes to dispatch the 23rd seed from Italy, pounding forehands and winning 18 of 22 points when he charged to the net.

Tennis-Rybakina survives Sakkari battle to reach Miami Open semis

Elena Rybakina survived a gruelling Miami Open quarter-final against Maria Sakkari on Tuesday as the former Wimbledon champion advanced to the last four for a second straight year with a 7-5 6-7(4) 6-4 victory. Rybakina, who will meet Victoria Azarenka for a place in the final, needed nearly three hours to beat Sakkari. The Greek saved two match points in the second set before ultimately succumbing to the fourth seed's overwhelming serve in the final game of the third set.

Soccer-Kane to return to Spurs in pre-season friendly v Bayern

Tottenham Hotspur's record goalscorer Harry Kane will return to north London when his former team host Bayern Munich in a pre-season friendly on Aug. 10, the Premier League club said on Wednesday. England captain Kane, 30, moved to the Bundesliga champions for a reported record Bundesliga fee of around 100 million euros ($108 million) last year and has scored 37 goals in 35 appearances for the German side this season.

Soccer - Richarlison battled depression after Brazil World Cup exit

Brazil striker Richarlison battled with depression after his country's quarter-final loss to Croatia at the 2022 World Cup and considered quitting football. Richarlison, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur, said in September he would seek psychological help after he was photographed crying on the bench when he was substituted during Brazil's 5-1 thrashing of Bolivia in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.

Soccer - Chelsea's Lavia out for the season due to hamstring injury

Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia will miss the rest of the season after suffering a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury, the Premier League club said on Wednesday. The Belgium international was injured during his Chelsea debut, a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in late December.

Prosecutor seeks 2-1/2-year jail term for Spain's ex-soccer chief Rubiales over kiss

A prosecutor at Spain's High Court is seeking a prison sentence of 2-1/2 years for former soccer federation chief Luis Rubiales over his unsolicited kiss on player Jenni Hermoso, a court document seen by Reuters on Wednesday showed. Prosecutor Marta Durantez charged Rubiales with one count of sexual assault and one of coercion for his alleged actions in the aftermath of the kiss, offences carrying jail terms of one year and 18 months, respectively.

(With inputs from agencies.)