The USTA confirmed 14 of the 16 teams Tuesday for the new U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament that has been reimagined with the goal of enticing top singles players to participate. 

Leading the entry list, at least in star power, will be No. 1 Jannik Sinner paired with American Emma Navarro and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz playing alongside 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu. Venus Williams, who came back to the tennis tour last week at age 45, received a wild-card entry to play with her longtime friend Reilly Opelka, the 6-foot-11 serve specialist currently ranked No. 74 in the world. 

The USTA announced its mixed doubles overhaul in June, hoping to bring eyeballs and pizzaz to an event that had fallen off the public’s radar as tennis further stratified into singles and doubles specialists. Long gone are the days when top players like Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe would regularly play at least one doubles event at the Grand Slams. 

But with players now preferring to focus all their energy on singles, the USTA completely overhauled the format. Not only will mixed doubles now take place during qualifying week – the week before the main draw begins – the USTA also pumped up the prize money with $1 million going to the winning team. The first three rounds of the tournament will be played in a short format with sets to four instead of the normal six, no-ad scoring and a tiebreaker in lieu of a full third set. The final will be played with sets to six and a 10-point tiebreaker if there’s a third set. 

Making the format friendly for players as they prepared for the main draw was enough to attract most of the top-10 on both the men’s and women’s tour to enter initially. The USTA awarded eight direct entries into the 16-team field based on the team’s combined singles ranking and reserved eight wild cards to use at the tournament’s discretion. 

Novak Djokovic, the all-time leader with 24 men’s Grand Slam singles titles, received a wild card because he chose Olga Danilovic, a 24-year old Serbian ranked No. 40, as his partner. 

The last two wild cards will be announced closer to the tournament. There is also a possibility at least one team will be forced to withdraw, potentially opening up more spots in the field. 

Teams for the US Open mixed doubles tournament

No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 11 Emma Navarro

No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 33 Emma Raducanu

No. 3 Alexander Zverev and No. 20 Belinda Bencic 

No. 4 Taylor Fritz and No. 12 Elena Rybakina 

No. 5 Jack Draper and No. 10 Paula Badosa

No. 6 Novak Djokovic and No. 40 Olga Danilovic 

No. 7 Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend (No. 1 in doubles)

No. 9 Holger Rune and No. 7 Amanda Anisimova 

No. 12 Francis Tiafoe and No. 8 Madison Keys 

No. 13 Casper Ruud and No. 3 Iga Swiatek 

No. 14 Daniil Medvedev and No. 5 Mirra Andreeva 

No. 15 Tommy Paul and No. 4 Jessica Pegula 

Reilly Opelka and Venus Williams 

Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani (defending US Open champions)

The gunman who killed four people in a mass shooting in a Manhattan skyscraper on Monday night mentioned chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a note found on his body, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

‘He talked about CTE. He was not an NFL player,’ Adams told MSNBC. ‘We have reason to believe that he was focused on the NFL agency that was located in the building, and we will continue to investigate with our federal partners to ensure that we can find a reason.’

According to Adams, the shooter had been trying to get into the NFL offices located in the same building where the shooting occurred, but he took the wrong elevator.

CTE is a degenerative brain disease that ’causes the death of nerve cells in the brain,’ according to the Mayo Clinic. It has been tied to repeated head injuries that often happen in contact sports. The disease cannot be formally diagnosed until an autopsy of a potential victim of CTE.

Malik Nabers is a player the New York Giants can’t afford to lose and Tuesday’s practice was enough to give the team a scare.

The star receiver is coming off a dominant rookie season that saw him post 107 catches, 1,204 yards, and seven touchdowns in just 15 games despite spotty quarterback play. The 22-year-old is looking to build off that season with an improved roster in 2025, but now has to worry about the injury bug.

On Tuesday, Nabers went down with an apparent shoulder injury, adding to an ongoing toe ailment that hasn’t gotten better over time.

Here is the latest on Nabers and his status going forward.

Malik Nabers injury update

Nabers was injured on a run play during Tuesday’s practice, according to reports.

The receiver grabbed at his shoulder following a run block. He remained on the ground momentarily and then walked off the field under his own power before meeting with the team’s trainer, Ronnie Barnes.

Head coach Brian Daboll received an update from Barnes and Nabers didn’t return to practice.

The second-year star is already dealing with a toe injury that he said dates back to his days in college at LSU. It’s an issue that kept Nabers out of organized team activities (OTAs) earlier in the offseason.

‘It’s like a mosquito that don’t want to go away,’ Nabers said told Kay Adams on the ‘Up & Adams’ show on Monday. ‘I’m trying to shoo it away. But I’ve been doing a great job with Russell (Wilson), trainers, you know, I’ve been using his physical therapist guys. I’ve been doing an excellent job of just staying on track of it and having his people, having my people, all together, trying to work on keeping me as healthy as possible. We’re moving in the right direction. We’re just staying on top of it so it don’t give me any problems later on down the line.’

Now it appears he can add a shoulder ailment to the list.

An NFL employee was seriously injured during the mass shooting at the Manhattan office tower that houses the league’s headquarters and was in stable condition at a New York hospital on Monday night, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told staff in a memo.

‘We believe that all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for, and the building has nearly been cleared,’ Goodell wrote in the memo, obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

The gunman fatally shot four people, including New York city police officer Didarul Islam, and injured several others before killing himself with a self-inflicted gunshot.

Goodell, in the memo, called it ‘an unspeakable act of violence.’

The NFL did not reveal the identity of its injured employee.

‘NFL staff are at the hospital and we are supporting the family,’ Goodell wrote.

The incident began around 6:30 p.m. on Monday at the skyscraper that is also headquarters to Blackstone and other prominent financial firms. NFL employees were immediately directed to shelter-in-place, according to authorities.

CNN was told by a law enforcement official that the shooter was carrying papers indicating he had grievances with the NFL and its handling of CTE, or Chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Officials say they are still investigating what motivated the attack.

The league has offices on the fifth through eighth floors of the 44-floor tower. It is unknown how many NFL employees were on location during the shooting.

‘We are deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers who responded to this threat quickly and decisively and to Officer Islam, who gave his life to protect others,’ Goodell wrote.

Goodell advised staff based in New York to work remotely on Tuesday, adding that it is understandable if they preferred to take the day off. He emphasized that there are significant resources available for employees, including grief counselors.

He also maintained that there will be increased security presence at the building in the days and weeks to come.

‘Every one of you is a valued member of the NFL family,’ Goodell wrote in closing. ‘We will get through this together.’

(This story was updated to change a video, add new information and change a photo.)

Before we dive into why Deion Sanders would continue coaching, let’s fully comprehend the life battle ahead.

Sanders said Monday he had his cancerous bladder removed and reconstructed from a piece of his small intestine, and simple internet search shows no pleasant post-operative options to eliminate urine. His life will never be the same.

The best way to explain the unimaginable: there will be a porta-potty at Colorado practices this fall, and on the sidelines during games.

Let’s pause here and soak in that unthinkable.

“It was never in my spirit to not be coaching again,” Sanders said during an emotional press conference to begin his third season as Buffaloes coach.

That’s the takeaway of this somber yet inspiring story. Sanders isn’t stepping down, he’s stepping up.

No matter what you think of the bombastic bravado of all things Coach Prime, Sanders just publicly gave two middle fingers to the big C — and isn’t ashamed in the least about the potentially embarrassing fight ahead. 

A porta-potty on the sidelines, ladies and gentlemen.

“I got eight toes, man,” Sanders defiantly said.

TIMELINE: A look at the recent health issues of Deion Sanders

SUPPORT SYSTEM: Randy Moss called Deion Sanders every other day

Translation: he’s here for a purpose, and believes it has nothing to do with football. 

So when he nearly lost his foot because of circulation problems but also lost two toes in the process, that was the initial whisper. When he nearly lost his life because of cancer – when the enormity of making a will before surgery in May became crushing reality – that was the final, primal scream from above. 

It’s more than football. He’s here, he says, to make sure men see their physicians regularly.

Because if it can happen to Prime, you damn sure better believe it can happen to anyone. 

So Sanders has decided to continue coaching, to do what he does best and lead another fight in the process. He knows the college football world follows his every move, knows the ratings he and his team gain no matter the network, no matter the time.

Colorado’s double-overtime loss to Stanford in 2023, a typically sleepy Friday night game for all of college football, went well into Saturday morning and still drew 3.29 million viewers. Colorado and Sanders have become must-see TV.

In 2024, Colorado had 11 of the top 100 watched games. Only national champion Ohio State (12) had more.

You don’t really think he’s walking away from that bully pulpit, do you?

At one point Monday afternoon, after beginning the press conference with his trademark sunglasses on, Sanders took off the shades and sat exposed for all to see — his eyes the window to a clearly shook soul. This battle is far from over. 

It’s a strange, new world of pain management and wound care and other potential complications. To say nothing of the emotional and psychological challenges ahead.

He sat surrounded by his medical staff, and wore a white long sleeve t-shirt, blue denim overalls and a white cowboy hat. He came to work, everyone.   

This wasn’t your typical Primetime press conference, complete with outlandish proclamations and ridiculous statements. No first person “Coach Prime” promoting, no me against the world mantra. 

It’s the collective us against the big C.

He was evangelizing and energizing, which if we’ve learned anything from Sanders, is right in his wheelhouse. You want to put a face to this fight? 

Why not the guy with the million dollar smile, the former elite athlete and transcending coach, and one of the rare people in sports who isn’t afraid to speak his mind? No matter how many love or hate him, no matter the consequences.

They’ll all hear the message. 

One of faith and hope and pain and perseverance, of unvarnished truth that men, without regular visits to physicians, could be lugging around urine bags, too. 

Without regular visits, you, too could sit at the kitchen table one evening when you least expect it, filling out a will and wondering how in the world this could’ve happened?

A day before Monday’s press conference, Sanders released a video on Instagram where he spoke about that unsettling moment — and dealing with the torturous reality of mortality.

Hear the message, everyone. Doesn’t matter if you like the messenger, or his love of God and wonderment that somehow, a higher power has saved him for this very time and place. 

He’s got eight toes, man.

And one purpose.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

After recording the first triple-double in WNBA All-Star Game history on July 19, Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins made more history on Monday.

She became the second player in Storm history to record a triple-double — and she did it in three quarters. Diggins’s two free throws at the end of the third quarter gave her 11 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in 22:51 of action, the lowest minute total for a triple-double in WNBA history.

Temeka Johnson recorded the Storm’s other triple-double with 13 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in an overtime loss to the New York Liberty in 2014. Diggins is the fourth player in the league to amass a triple-double this season.

Diggins did not play in the fourth quarter as the Storm defeated the Connecticut Sun 101-85. Seattle had led by as many as 32.

Diggins’ triple-double the 46th in WNBA history. Alyssa Thomas has 16, the most in WNBA history. Only eight players have multiple triple-doubles in their careers.

Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg, who was a fixture at the position for the Chicago Cubs for all but one of his 16 major-league seasons, has died at the age of 65, the team announced on Monday, July 28.

Sandberg publicly revealed on Jan. 23, 2024, that he had begun treatment for metastatic prostate cancer. That May, he announced that he was cancer-free before sharing on social media in December that the cancer had returned and spread to other organs.

A 10-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove award winner, Sandberg blazed a trail in the 1980s for a wave of power-hitting middle infielders who would come along later.

“Ryne Sandberg was a legend of the Chicago Cubs franchise and a beloved figure throughout Major League Baseball,’ MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. ‘He was a five-tool player who excelled in every facet of the game thanks to his power, speed and work ethic.’

At the time he retired as a player (for the second time), Sandberg held the major league record for career home runs by a second baseman with 282. And his seven Silver Slugger awards are the most ever at the position. Sandberg finished his career with 2,386 hits, a .282 batting average and 344 stolen bases.

A native of Spokane, Washington, Sandberg was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies out of high school in the 20th round of the 1978 draft.

He made his MLB debut in 1981 as a September call-up, playing in 13 games and getting a total of six plate appearances. That winter he was involved in a trade that would change the course of baseball history.

With Sandberg seemingly blocked by veteran second baseman Manny Trillo and third baseman Mike Schmidt, the Phillies sent him, along with veteran shortstop Larry Bowa, to the Cubs for shortstop Iván de Jesús.

The next season, the 22-year-old Sandberg became the everyday starter for the Cubs at third base – before moving to second for good in 1983 and winning the first of his nine Gold Gloves.

Sandberg was the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1984, hitting .314 with 19 homers, 32 stolen bases and a league-leading 114 runs scored as the Cubs won the NL East division title and reached the playoffs for the first time in 39 years.

That season also marked the first of 10 consecutive All-Star appearances for Sandberg.

His best was yet to come.

After leading the Cubs to another division title in 1989, Sandberg followed it up by hitting .306 and leading the NL with a career-high 40 home runs. He also led the league in runs scored (116) and total bases (344).

However, the Cubs fell back into their traditional state of mediocrity, and Sandberg never again played in the postseason.

After playing in just 54 games during the strike-shortened 1994 season, Sandberg announced his retirement at age 34.

But after sitting out the ’95 season, he returned to play two more productive but mostly uneventful seasons.

Perhaps the biggest highlight was surpassing Joe Morgan for the most home runs in baseball history by a second baseman, a feat he accomplished in his final year.

His career .989 fielding percentage was also a major-league record for a second baseman when he retired.

Sandberg was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his third try, joining Wade Boggs in Cooperstown as a member of the Class of 2005.

Even after his induction into the Hall, Sandberg remained connected to the game.

The following year, 2006, he began his career as a manager with the Peoria (Ill.) Chiefs, the Cubs’ Class-A affiliate in the Midwest League.

From there he moved up the organizational ladder and was a candidate to replace the retiring Lou Piniella as Cubs manager, but the job went to interim skipper Mike Quade.

Disappointed at not getting the job, Sandberg left the Cubs organization and caught on with the franchise that originally drafted him, the Phillies.

After two years managing in the minors, he was promoted to the major-league staff in 2013 and took over as interim manager when Charlie Manuel was fired.

Over parts of three seasons under Sandberg, the Phillies went 119-159 (.428) and never finished higher than fourth place. He resigned June 26, 2015, and eventually returned to the Cubs organization – where he served as a team ambassador and occasional color commentator on the team’s television broadcasts.

‘His many friends across the game were in his corner as he courageously fought cancer in recent years,’ Manfred said.  ‘We will continue to support the important work of Stand Up To Cancer in Ryne’s memory.’

(This story was updated to include video.)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders told his father Deion that he didn’t want him to visit him at Browns’ training camp last week because he might only get three or four snaps at practice as a rookie fifth-round draft pick.

Shedeur Sanders has remained a low man on the Browns’ totem pole in a quarterback competition that includes veteran Joe Flacco, third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel and former Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett.

“Shedeur told me not to come,” Deion Sanders told his former Dallas Cowboys teammate Michael Irvin in a podcast interview posted Monday, July 28. “Let’s get that out. He didn’t want me to come. He’s like, ‘Dad I may get three, four reps at practice. I don’t want you seeing that. Like, c’mon… I’m not where I need to be. Let me get where I need to be.’”

Both of Deion Sanders’ youngest two sons are in NFL training camps as rookies after playing for their father at Colorado. Deion Sanders did visit his safety son Shilo at his training camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on July 23 before returning to Colorado.

It was part of his father’s plan to visit both after having his bladder removed and then recovering at his estate in Canton, Texas, in May and June. The father said he kept Shedeur and Shilo in the dark about his bladder cancer so they could focus on making their team’s rosters.

Shedeur Sanders tells father Deion ‘I got work to do’

The timeline of his cancer diagnosis also sheds new light on what the father was going through as he watched Shedeur’s disappointing NFL draft experience in late April after he had expected him to be a first-round pick. Deion Sanders was diagnosed with cancer on April 14, according to a video posted by his eldest son Deion Jr. He had surgery to remove his bladder on May 9. But none of that was publicly disclosed until July 28, when Sanders gave a news conference about it in Colorado.

“He’s dealing with it like a pro,” Deion said about Shedeur. “Like, he ain’t mad. He ain’t bitter. He’s like, `I got work to do, but I’m going to put in this work. One thing, they’re gonna have to let me play. Preseason gonna come. And when preseason come, watch me work.’ I’m like, ‘I already know what you’re gonna do. I ain’t worried about that. I know.’ But he didn’t want me to come. And Shilo’s totally the opposite.”

Deion Jr., the oldest son, was with him the whole time, the father said. His two daughters also visited him in Canton while he recovered.

“Every day that I’ve gone through what I’ve gone through, I’ve seen his face every day,” Sanders said of Deion Jr.

Deion Sanders Sr. is now cancer-free, according to his doctor. His Colorado team opens preseason training camp this week before its season opener Aug. 29 at home against Georgia Tech.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com