Sports News Roundup: Djokovic leads Serbia to ATP Cup glory

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Weight lifted for Serena as Melbourne beckons

The length of time Serena Williams held her arms aloft after clinching her first WTA title in almost three years spoke volumes on Sunday as the American prepares for the latest tilt at a 24th Grand Slam title in Melbourne next week. The celebration after her Auckland Classic victory was not as effusive as some of her previous 72 title wins, and the $43,000 winner's cheque, which she donated to Australia bushfire relief efforts, was a drop in the ocean for someone who has won almost $93 million in career prize-money.

Djokovic leads Serbia to ATP Cup glory

Novak Djokovic inspired Serbia to victory in the inaugural ATP Cup team event in Sydney after defeating his long-term Spanish rival Rafael Nadal in singles on Sunday before playing a pivotal role in the deciding doubles match. With the final locked at 1-1, Djokovic partnered veteran Victor Troicki to beat Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta and Feliciano Lopez 6-3 6-4, triggering celebrations that would not be out of place at a Belgrade football match.

Federer responds to Thunberg's 'wake-up' volley

Roger Federer has responded to criticism from teenaged climate change activist Greta Thunberg, saying he is "happy to be reminded" of his responsibilities. The Swiss 20-times Grand Slam champion came under fire from Swede Thunberg last week when she criticized bank Credit Suisse for its record of loans to fossil fuel industries.

Holder Kosgei to lead star-studded lineup at London Marathon

Women's marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei will return to defend her title at this year's London Marathon, organisers said on Monday. Kenya's Kosgei retained her Chicago Marathon crown last October in two hours, 14 minutes and four seconds to break Briton Paula Radcliffe's 16-year-old world mark.

Iran's only female Olympic medalist says she has defected

Iran's only female Olympic medalist has said on social media she had left her homeland because she had had enough of being used by its authorities as a propaganda tool. Taekwondo champion Kimia Alizadeh, who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, implied in an Instagram post that she had moved to Europe. She wrote on an account she has used for some time, but it was not immediately possible to verify her location.

ATP makes $500,000 donation for Australian bushfire relief

The ATP will donate $500,000 to the WWF Australian Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund as part of the bushfire relief efforts, the governing body of men's tennis said on Sunday. The donation from players was announced by Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal after Serbia defeated Spain to capture the inaugural ATP Cup team event in Sydney.

Kansas City roars past Houston on Mahomes passes

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a record-tying four touchdowns in the second quarter as the Kansas City Chiefs roared back from a 24-0 deficit to defeat the Houston Texans 51-31 in the NFL playoffs on Sunday. Mahomes, the NFL most valuable player for the 2018 season, added a fifth touchdown pass in the fourth quarter as the Chiefs advanced to the American Football Conference championship game where they will play the visiting Tennessee Titans next Sunday.

Hungry Titans emerge as surprise package of NFL playoffs

The Tennessee Titans have emerged as the surprise team of the National Football League (NFL) playoffs, running over opponents and surpassing expectations.The upstart Titans have posted victories over Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and top seed Baltimore Ravens to qualify for the AFC championship game."The Titans right now are just a dangerous, focused and hungry team," guard Rodger Saffold told the Tennessean newspaper following a 28-12 rout of the Ravens on Saturday. "That's all I can say about it."The Titans can credit a lot of their success to Derrick Henry, who has been one of the top runners in the league.Henry, a 6-foot-3 and 247-pound running back, exploded this season by leading the league in rushing. He punished teams in the post-season with a combined 377 yards in the two wins.Behind their locomotive, the Titans have been able to control games and limit throws from quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who has needed only 160 combined passing yards on 29 attempts.Tannehill has also played a major part in the team's resurgence. He replaced a struggling Marcus Mariota as the starter in Week Seven to lift the Titans to a 7-3 finish and a playoff berth with a win in the season finale.A free agent in 2020, Tannehill may be playing himself into a future with the Titans offense which also features game-breaking rookie receiver A.J. Brown.Titans second-year coach Mike Vrabel is enjoying his own emergence. He earned a symbolic wild card round win against his former coach Bill Belichick for whom he played in New England en route to three Super Bowl wins as a player.Vrabel showcased his tactical ability with a defensive game plan that squeezed Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, a strong candidate for the league's most valuable player honors, in the Ravens' lowest scoring output of the season."When (Lamar) had space, he took off. But when he did, we made him run laterally," Titans defensive back Kevin Byard said. "That was the key to the game. "He's an elite athlete and we couldn't let him beat us down the middle, but force him sideways and I think we did a good job of that."

Australian Smith wins Sony Open after playoff in Hawaii

Cameron Smith won the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii on Sunday after the Australian made up a three-stroke deficit in the final round and then beat overnight leader Brendan Steele in a playoff. Smith hit a par four on the first hole of the decider and watched Steele, who had led for most of the final round, bogey the hole.

De Minaur late withdrawal from inaugural Adelaide tournament

Australia's top-ranked men's player Alex de Minaur has withdrawn from the inaugural Adelaide International due to a rib injury, organizers said on Monday, joining world number two Novak Djokovic as late withdrawals. Women's world No. 10 Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands also withdrew on Monday with an Achilles' injury.