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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas shortstop Corey Seager is feeling better after having an appendectomy and still hopeful of playing again this season for the playoff-chasing Rangers, though the two-time World Series MVP is unsure if that will happen.

“I mean, I have to think it’s possible … or it won’t be,” Seager said Friday in his first public comments since the procedure Aug. 28 in Texas, the same day the Rangers left for a six-day road trip.

While Seager is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list Sunday, he said there’s no chance of that.

A little while later, the Rangers placed slugger Adolis García on the 10-day IL with a right quadriceps strain — prior to the opener of a three-game series against AL West-leading Houston. That move was retroactive to Tuesday.

Outfielder Dustin Harris was brought up from Triple-A Round Rock and right-hander Jon Gray (right shoulder nerve irritation) was transferred to the 60-day IL.

Seager has researched athletes who have come back to play after an appendectomy.

“I feel like I got very opposite ends of the spectrum,” he said. “It was either really fast or kind of wasn’t.”

Matt Holliday was with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 when he had an appendectomy on April 1, and returned to their lineup as the designated hitter nine days later. Seager said he had also been told of some basketball players returning in three weeks.

“But it’s not rotating and stuff, so I don’t know if that changes it just because of where the incisions are,” Seager said. “So I really don’t know.”

Seager’s appendectomy came a day after he experienced abdominal pain during the Rangers’ previous home game, a 20-3 win in the finale of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 27. He hit his 21st homer of the season in that game, after also going deep the previous night.

Seager said he started feeling pain after the series opener against the Angels.

“Then it just kind of progressively got worse,” said Seager, adding doctors told him he was within 48 hours of his appendix rupturing.

“Which is a very different story,” he said.

Texas went into the series against the Astros five games behind the division leaders, and 1 1/2 games out of the final American League wild-card spot. Second baseman Marcus Semien (left foot) and right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (right rotator cuff strain) are among other injured Rangers.

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SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio rookie Dylan Harper had surgery to repair a partially torn collateral ligament in his left thumb, an injury suffered Wednesday in a preseason workout.

By electing to have the surgery quickly, Harper may be able to recover in time for the start of the regular season. The Spurs open their schedule against Dallas on Oct. 22.

Harper, the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, averaged 16 points in two games at the Las Vegas Summer League for the Spurs in July. He averaged 19.4 points in his lone collegiate season at Rutgers before entering the draft, and is expected to join the last two NBA rookies of the year — Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle — in the San Antonio rotation this season.

The Spurs said Harper’s condition would be updated as appropriate.

Since professional tennis player Taylor Fritz met his girlfriend, Morgan Riddle, on a dating app following a divorce, she’s taken center stage during his tournaments.

Riddle is an influencer who often cheers Fritz on from the stands and is on a self-declared quest to make tennis “cool” again. For his part, Fritz, the fourth-ranked men’s tennis player in the world and the top-ranked American, has defended his girlfriend.

As Fritz challenged Novak Djokovic in a tough quarter-final match at the U.S. Open on Sept. 2, his girlfriend was going viral again by performing a balance challenge in high heels at the tennis tournament. She was also spotted in the stands.

Morgan Riddle Captioned the TikTok Video, ‘U.S. Open Final Boss’

“U.S. Open final boss,” reads the caption on Riddle’s TikTok video, which scored more than 300,000 views.

It’s known as the “squat and slay” challenge on TikTok, Sports Illustrated reported. It involved Riddle perching on a concrete railing with a glass balanced on top of her head.

According to Sports Illustrated, Riddle performed the challenge at the stadium where Fritz is playing Djokovic.

Two drinks sat on the railing near her feet. According to SI, the drinks were “US Open Honey Duece cocktails.”

Riddle has been going viral throughout the U.S. Open for her Big Apple-inspired tank top and other poses on Instagram. She shared the TikTok video to her Instagram stories as well and made a joke about drinking seven Honey Dueces.

“Me leaving a night match after seven Honey Deuces,” she wrote, alongside a graphic of a shadowy figure running away.

Fritz focuses on tennis on his own Instagram page.

Taylor Fritz Had a Wife Who Was His High School Sweetheart, But They Divorced

Before he met Riddle, Fritz was married. His wife was his high school sweetheart, Raquel Pedraza, and he married her at age 18.

The pair had a son together, but then they divorced.

“I don’t want to say that I’m wise beyond my years, but obviously, I have a lot of experiences that others my age might not have,” Fritz told Haute Living.

Fritz shared a photo with his son on Instagram.

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This story was originally reported by Men’s Journal on Sep 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the Sports section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Wayne Rooney revealed on his BBC podcast that before having kids, his wife, Coleen Rooney, would iron and lay out his clothes.

However, he noted that she has since shifted her focus to their four sons, leaving him “fuming” over the changes. The childhood sweethearts who have been married for 17 years share Kai, Klay, Kit, and Cass.

Wayne Rooney also recently recalled a surreal dinner with David and Victoria Beckham and a prank where Coleen secretly painted his toenails before his first England call-up.

Wayne Rooney Admits He Misses Wife Coleen Picking Out His Outfits Before They Had Kids

Wayne Rooney joked that he’s “not happy” about one particular change in his marriage since he and wife Coleen became parents.

The 39-year-old former Manchester United striker revealed on his BBC podcast, “The Wayne Rooney Show,” that before their four boys came along, Coleen would carefully choose and prepare his outfits for the following day.

“Before we had kids, Coleen used to leave me clothes out the night before. So, every day, yeah, before we had kids, it doesn’t… She’d put my clothes out, ironed and ready for me to put on the next morning,” he recalled.

The former soccer star added, “I know, and then now I’ve got to get up and get my own clothes, I’m fuming. No, but yeah, she… Obviously, now with kids.”

Podcast guest Kelly Cates seemed surprised by Wayne’s comment about his wife picking out his clothes.

She said: “Every day? I need someone to do that for me. Shouldn’t have had four kids, really, should you? Because she’d probably still be doing it now.”

Wayne Rooney Says Coleen Still Irons Their Kids’ Clothes, Just Not His

Wayne explained that Coleen hasn’t stopped the routine completely, noting that she has simply shifted her attention.

“She does it obviously now with the kids. She does it for all the kids now, the night before, and stuff. Yeah,” he noted.

Wayne and Coleen have been together since their teenage years, first meeting at just 12 in Croxteth, Liverpool, where they both grew up.

The couple, now married for 17 years, welcomed their first child, Kai, in 2009. Since then, they’ve gone on to build a family of six with three more sons, Klay, Kit, and Cass.

Wayne Rooney Recalls A Dinner With David And Victoria Beckham, And Accidentally Knocking Brooklyn’s Head

On the podcast, Wayne also recalled a memorable evening from his younger days, when David and Victoria Beckham invited him and Coleen over for dinner.

“I must’ve been about 19,” he said, explaining that he went along with fellow soccer star Frank Lampard, his wife, Coleen, and a couple of other players.

“We were like ‘this is weird, what’s happening here?’” he recalled. “Had a walk around and he’s showing us round his house and then I open a door and his eldest boy, [Brooklyn], I bumped his head and he started crying, I thought ‘oh Jesus Christ.’”

He continued, “Opened the door and bumped his head. But yeah, that was surreal, and we sat there with Becks and Victoria having dinner, it was like…”

Cates asked if the meal was “posh,” to which Wayne revealed it was the complete opposite.

“No. We met up with Becks and Victoria, me Coleen and, and when he was in Madrid and went for dinner then and we were having kebabs,” he said. “He’s obviously a great lad, and Victoria’s such a lovely woman, and they’re funny. A lot funnier than people would think.”

Wayne Rooney Reveals Coleen Once Secretly Painted His Toenails Before His First England Call-Up

Wayne also shared a story about Coleen pulling a prank on him just before he joined his first England squad.

He recalled dozing off one evening at her parents’ house, only to wake up the next day completely unaware that Coleen had been up to mischief.

“I remember the night before we were meeting up, I was in Coleen’s mum and dad’s house…and I fell asleep on the couch the night before, and Coleen painted my toenails while I was asleep, and I had no idea!” he laughed. “And it was like a, I don’t know what colour it was, like a see-through glossy type thing, I don’t know what it was.”

The real surprise came later, once he reported for international duty.

“So, I got to England and then you get on with the physios and massages and stuff. And I went to one of the masseurs, and he said, ‘Have you painted your toenails? I didn’t have you down for…’ what it is. I was like, ‘No!’”

Coleen Rooney Shares Back-to-School Photos Of Her Sons

Meanwhile, Coleen recently took to Instagram to share back-to-school photos of their four boys, marking the end of summer.

In the snaps, Kai, 15, Klay, 11, Kit, eight, and Cass, six, could be seen smartly dressed in their uniforms as they posed outside the family’s grand Cheshire home.

Coleen included both group shots and individual pictures—Kai looking sharp in his blue blazer, while his younger brothers wore matching green blazers.

Captioning the post, the proud mom wrote: “The Boys all ready for the new school year after a great summer!! Good luck, do your best, we love you xx.”

Novak Djokovic cracked a wide smile on the big stage and licked his lips. He was exactly where he wanted to be as he duelled with young rival Carlos Alcaraz in their US Open semi-final, the muscle memory ingrained within the 24-time grand slam champion taking over. Djokovic won two outstanding points in the second-set tiebreak, defying his age to outmanoeuvre his younger opponent and he sensed his opportunity to strike.

At 38, Djokovic was determined to enjoy the battle and take nothing for granted. But then, reality and time hit him like a train. After those two lung-bursting points, which sent Alcaraz sliding and spinning into the tramlines, Djokovic suddenly hit the wall. He made basic errors in the rallies, checking out of exchanges where he used to outlast his opponents. “I ran out of gas,” Djokovic admitted.

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From there, Alcaraz won the tiebreak to establish a two-set lead, and Djokovic knew he was in a fight that he could not win.

There was no hiding from the truth, either. Djokovic has now lost in three grand slam semi-finals in a row to either Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner, falling in straight-sets each time.

“They’re just too good, playing on a really high level,” Djokovic said after his 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 defeat to Alcaraz denied the Serbian in his latest bid to a record 25th grand slam.

“I think I had enough energy to battle him and to keep up with his rhythm for two sets. After that I was gassed out, and he kept going. That’s kind of what I felt this year also with Jannik. Best-of-five makes it very, very difficult for me to play them. Particularly if it’s like the end stages of the grand slam.”

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For Alcaraz and Sinner, beating Djokovic at the grand slams used to be the pinnacle. Now, it has become routine. The 22-year-old even said after his victory over Djokovic that he wasn’t at his best. This was a far more edgy and error-strewn Alcaraz that had previously cruised into the semi-finals, but the Spaniard knew he could go the distance and Djokovic could not.

The familiar pattern leaves Djokovic in something of a no-man’s land as he approaches what could be the final season of his career in 2026. Djokovic has proved that he remains the third-best player in the world this season, becoming the oldest man in history to reach the semi-finals of all four grand slams. He is a level above would-be contenders like Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz, notching wins over both this season, but he remains below the two best in the world.

Djokovic was always the player who pushed himself, chasing down Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s grand slam titles and breaking almost every record there was to set in the sport. For perhaps the first time in his career, he has accepted that there are now two players at the top who are now out of reach.

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He cannot blame the hand he is holding. “Of course it’s frustrating on the court when you are not able to keep up with that level physically, but at the same time, it’s something also expected,” Djokovic said. “It comes with time and with age.”

It becomes harder at the grand slams and over best-of-five sets, while the cumulative efforts of getting through to the semi-finals leave Djokovic with nothing left in the tank. “That’s something I, unfortunately at this point in time in my career, can’t control,” Djokovic said.

He can’t control the draw, either, and unless the rest of the world finds a way to beat Alcaraz and Sinner, Djokovic will always expect to come up against one or both of them deep into the second week.

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“It will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the hurdle of Sinner, Alcaraz, in the best-of-five on the grand slams. I think I have a better chance of best-of-three, but best-of-five, it’s tough,” he said.

“I’m not giving up on grand slams in that regard, having said that. I’m going to continue fighting and trying to get to the finals and fight for another trophy at least. But it’s going to be a very difficult task.”

Djokovic remains committed to battling on, still plans to play at all four grand slams next season, but he needs help from elsewhere, someone to take out Alcaraz or Sinner in the early rounds and leave him with a clearer run. He left the US Open placing more faith in fate than his ability to beat Alcaraz and Sinner over five sets.

“Competing with Carlos, had some amazing points. The crowd was into it, and it was quite close,” Djokovic said. “He was just a better player in the important moments. It’s never fun losing a tennis match, but at the same time, if I’m to lose to someone, I would lose to these two guys. I know that they are just better at the moment. You just have to hand it to them and say well done.”