Free agent DT Williams signs with Lions

Defensive tackle Sylvester Williams agreed to a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions. Williams, 29, was released on March 17 by the Tennessee Titans, playing only one season with the team after signing a three-year, $16.5 million contract. The 6-foot-2, 313-pound Williams is a bit undersized for the nose tackle position, which might have hurt his ability to get off blocks for the Titans. Williams was a 2013 first-round pick by the Denver Broncos, with whom he spent four seasons. In 75 career games (59 starts), Williams has 114 tackles and six sacks.

 French Open prize money more than $48m

Total prize money for the French Open will go up by around eight per cent this year, with the men’s and women’s champions winning $2.7 million each, an increase of  franc 100,000. Roland Garros director Guy Forget said that the total prize money will reach Franc 39.197 million ($48 million), an increase of about franc 3 million from last year.

Forget slams ATP plans to reintroduce World Team Cup

Forget hit out at the ATP’s plans to restart the World Team Cup, saying it could hurt the fortunes of the historic Davis Cup.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced last month a plan to run the Davis Cup — traditionally played over four weekends spread across the season — over a single week in November from next year.

Separately, the ATP is hoping to revive the World Team Cup to be played for the first time in eight years in January 2020, possibly only two months after the Davis Cup.

 ‘Construction at World Cup stadium behind schedule’ 

FIFA has warned that a huge amount of work still needs to be done to get the stadium in Samara ready for the World Cup which kicks off on June 14. With less than three months remaining before the 45,000-seat venue is due to host a Group E match between Costa Rica and Serbia, the pitch has yet to be laid.

UK compares Russia World Cup with Hitler’s Olympics

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson agreed with a suggestion that Russian President Vladimir Putin would exploit hosting the 2018 football World Cup as Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler did the Berlin Games. Put to him by an MP that “Putin is going to use it in the way Hitler used the 1936 Olympics”, as a propaganda exercise, Johnson replied: “I think the comparison with 1936 is certainly right,” envisaging Putin “glorying in this sporting event”. His comments came amid an escalating war of words between Russia and Britain over the poisoning of a former Russian double agent on British soil.

Patra targets CWG medal

Included in India’s Commonwealth Games gymnastics squad after going to court, Rakesh Patra is desperate for a medal not just to prove his worth but also to become financially strong to change his family’s fortunes. The 26-year-old artistic gymnast was included in the squad after he filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court when his name was initially omitted owing to a tussle between the Gymnastics federation and the Indian Olympic Association. Hailing from Odisha, the World Cup finalist has endured a tough journey so far, one that he hopes, will ease up with a good CWG showing.

Els praises Tiger

Tiger Woods has come close to looking like the player who ruled golf for the better part of 15 years, and Ernie Els is happy to see it. Never mind that Els was on the losing end to Woods more than any other player. He speaks for his generation of Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and others. Els keep hearing about the depth of talent being greater than ever, and he has seen it. But he gets weary listening to suggestions that Woods might not have 79 PGA Tour victories if he had to face this group. “I’m just glad he’s playing like I know he can play to validate me — validate me, Phil and Vijay,” Els said. “We weren’t bad players. This guy was a special player. To see him back, playing special stuff again is great for the game.”