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Analysis: Novak Djokovic clearly not done dominating tennis

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic clearly is not done dominating his sport. He says so. His coach says so. And also making that clear were his performances throughout a draining run to a record-extending 10th Australian Open championship and record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title that culminated with a straight-set victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final at Melbourne Park. And Djokovic will return to No. 1 in the ATP rankings on Monday. He says he can’t be sure how much longer he will play. But he is sure that he is motivated to keep winning the biggest trophies in tennis.

Hurts, Eagles soar into Super Bowl, rout 49ers for NFC title

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts had one of Philadelphia’s four rushing touchdowns and the Eagles soared into the Super Bowl, forcing both of San Francisco’s quarterbacks out of the game with injuries and beating the wounded 49ers 31-7 in the NFC championship game. The Eagles won the Super Bowl five years ago with a different coach and quarterback. They’ll try to do it again behind the formidable duo of Hurts and Nick Sirianni. Philadelphia will play either the Cincinnati Bengals or former Eagles coach Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs. Miles Sanders ran for two touchdowns and linebacker Haason Reddick made the hit that forced 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy out of the game with an elbow injury.

Brock Purdy, 49ers ousted by Eagles in NFC title game

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brock Purdy’s magical run from last pick in the NFL draft to winning his first seven starts for the San Francisco 49ers ended when Haason Reddick knocked him out of the NFC championship game in the first quarter. Purdy was forced to return in the second half despite an elbow injury after Josh Johnson left with a concussion. But he threw only two passes and handed off the rest of the game. By that time, the 49ers already trailed the Eagles 21-7 and couldn’t get anything going. From Trey Lance to Jimmy Garoppolo to Purdy, the 49ers overcame quarterback injuries throughout the season, winning 12 straight games to reach their third conference title game in four years.

Novak Djokovic claims 10th Australian Open title, 22nd Slam

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic has claimed his 10th Australian Open championship and 22nd Grand Slam title overall by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5). The victory in Sunday’s final at Melbourne Park also allows Djokovic to return to No. 1 in the ATP rankings. The 35-year-old from Serbia did not compete in the Australian Open a year ago after being deported from the country because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19. Now he has run his winning streak at the hard-court tournament to 28 matches. His 10th trophy in Australia adds to a record he already held and his 22 major championships are tied with Rafael Nadal for the most by a man in the history of tennis.

Georgia’s Bennett arrested in Texas for public intoxication

DALLAS (AP) — Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, who led the Bulldogs to their second straight national championship, has been arrested in Dallas after police said he was intoxicated and banging on doors. Dallas police said the 25-year-old was arrested Sunday. Police said Bennett was charged with public intoxication and taken to the city detention center. Police said that at about 6:10 a.m., officers responded to reports of a man banging on doors. Last week, Bennett told reporters that he would be training for his pro career in Fort Worth, Texas, located just west of Dallas. Bennett threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores in the first half as No. 1 Georgia demolished No. 3 TCU 65-7 in the national championship game.

Referees’ union says James was fouled on controversial play

The National Basketball Referees Association said Sunday that LeBron James was fouled on the last play of regulation in the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Boston Celtics. The NBA office also confirmed for the second time that a foul should have been called. James was clearly fouled by Boston’s Jayson Tatum with about 1 second left in regulation of a tied game. No foul was called and the Celtics won in overtime.

Shiffrin must wait for record win 86 but takes slalom title

SPINDLERUV MLYN, Czech Republic (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin will have to wait for at least five more weeks before tying the World Cup record for most career wins with 86. The American skier finished second in a slalom and remained one victory short of Ingemar Stenmark’s total on the all-time overall winners list. The Swede competed in the 1970s and ’80s. Shiffrin’s next chance will be in March when she resumes World Cup racing after the Feb. 6-19 world championships in France. Shiffrin held a commanding first-run lead over Lena Dürr but was ultimately edged by 0.06 by the German skier.

AP source: Dolphins hire Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator

The Miami Dolphins have reached a deal with former Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio to become their defensive coordinator. That’s according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it hadn’t been announced. Fangio was Denver’s head coach from 2019-21, going 19-30. The 64-year-old is a respected defensive mind and had been one of the most sought-after coordinator candidates this offseason. Miami fired defensive coordinator Josh Boyer after three seasons with the team.

Acura, Shank, Helio sweep Rolex 24 as hybrid era begins

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Acura dominated the debut of hybrid engines in North American sports car racing with a 1-2 finish Sunday at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Helio Castroneves and the automaker won the prestigious endurance race for a third consecutive year. Castroneves won the Rolex in 2021 in an Acura with Wayne Taylor Racing and won with Meyer Shank Racing the last two seasons. He was overcome with emotion after Tom Blomqvist closed out the victory by holding off Filipe Albuquerque in an Acura for Taylor/Andretti on a restart. Despite being the reigning champions, MSR and Acura were a bit of an unknown ahead of Daytona. The twice-round-the-clock endurance race this year marked the launch of a new hybrid era of racing.

Edey scores 38 as No. 1 Purdue overwhelms Spartans 77-61

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Zach Edey scored a career-high 38 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, helping No. 1 Purdue beat Michigan State 77-61. David Jenkins Jr. added a season-best 11 points as the Big Ten-leading Boilermakers won their eighth straight. Edey also had three assists, three steals and a blocked shot. A.J. Hoggard led Michigan State with 20 points and Jaden Akins had 12. The Spartans haven’t won at Mackey Arena since 2014. Edey, who had 32 points and 17 rebounds in a 64-63 win at Michigan State on Jan. 16, stood in their way once again.

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