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Tennis: Andy Murray has become a father after his wife Kim Sears (picture) gave birth to a girl, according to reports. The Dunblane tennis star’s wife is understood to have given birth on Sunday night, the BBC reported. The birth of their first child comes after a momentous 12-month period for Murray, the British number one and a double grand slam winner. The long-term couple, who live in Surrey and are both 28, married in Murray’s home town of Dunblane in April last year, cheered on by a large crowd of well-wishers. Kim’s pregnancy was confirmed publicly in August after they had told family and friends the news, following the 12-week scan.
Athletics: A third resignation in less than a week has hit the organising committee for the London 2017 World Championships with managing director Sally Bolton the latest to leave her post. In a statement yesterday, Bolton, who joined the organisation in 2014, did not give a reason for her decision. Last week two board members, deputy chair Heather Hancock and audit committee chair Martin Stewart also stood down amid reports of differences between the board and London 2017 chairman Ed Warner, who is also chairman of UK Athletics. The World Championships are being held in London for the first time.
Tennis: Spaniard Rafael Nadal will sharpen his grasscourt game at London’s Queen’s Club ahead of Wimbledon in June, organisers of the Aegon Championships said. The 14-times grand slam champion, ranked fifth in the world, has fond memories of Queen’s, having won the title there in 2008 before going on to beat Roger Federer a few weeks later and claim his first Wimbledon crown. Defending champion Andy Murray is also confirmed for the traditional warm-up event which starts on June 13.
Superbowl: Gamblers wagered a record $132.5m at Nevada casinos on Super Bowl 50 with an upset win for Denver Broncos over Carolina Panthers giving sportsbooks their highest profit in years on the NFL showpiece. Unaudited figures showed the value of bets made easily surpassed the previous high of $119.4m bet on the Super Bowl two years ago, the Nevada Gaming Control Board said. Nevada sports books kept a combined $13.3m from Super Bowl bets, or 10.1 per cent on the action. That was more than four times greater than the $3.2m they kept last year.
Rugby Union: Paul O’Connell has been forced to retire from rugby due to injury before having the chance to end a glittering career with European champions Toulon, the former Ireland captain said. O’Connell, whose retirement from international rugby came sooner than he had hoped when he suffered a serious hamstring injury during last year’s World Cup, had intended to play on after signing for Toulon before the tournament began. “Since sustaining the injury at the World Cup I have been focused on returning to fitness and starting an exciting new chapter in Toulon. Unfortunately this will no longer be possible,” the 36-year-old said.