Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said the Champions League final should be a bigger spectacle than the Super Bowl and that it needs to evolve to capture a bigger audience.

He told The Athletic he "can't understand how the Super Bowl can feel bigger than the Champions League final," despite the fact that the 2021 Champions League final drew 700 million viewers and the 2022 Super Bowl only had 112 million viewers.

The 48-year-old Qatari businessman is said to have been debating ideas ahead of last week's European Club Association (ECA) General Assembly, for clubs to explore "new commercial opportunities."

"The Super Bowl, and the U.S. generally, have this mindset, creativity and entertainment. That's what I have suggested, to have an opening ceremony to the Champions League, to have one match on the opening night where the winners take on a big team -- maybe it is not a good idea, but at least let's challenge the status quo. Each match needs to be an event and entertainment."

The Champions League final tends to draw between 380 million-400 million spectators outside of the venue.

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Al-Khelaifi was opposed to the proposed breakaway European Super League last year and became a spokesperson who rejected the lead, before he became chair of the ECA.

The Champions League will expand to 36 teams from 32 in 2024, and from then media and commercial rights will be shared with the ECA. According to Al-Khelaifi, the change has been forecast to grow the commercial value of the men's game by 39%, but he added: "We still need to explore additional untapped revenue streams together" and explained the desire to explore new digital platforms.

"But of course, digital innovation is one of the things we are looking for. We're also thinking with UEFA about event formats and experiences. Take the Champions League -- by far the best club competition, but how do we make each match an event? My suggestion is to have a creative and entertainment department as part of the new joint venture between UEFA and ECA.

"How do we make the group stages compelling? The time difference is a problem for the U.S. and Asia. So how can we work on this for international rights which have huge potential? We are thinking about all kinds of things -- new venues, new markets, new formats."

British number one Cameron Norrie has moved into the top 10 of the world rankings for the first time.

Norrie won two of the six finals he reached in a breakthrough 2021.

He became the first Briton to win Indian Wells in October, having reached the third round at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.

Norrie rose to prominence in Great Britain's Davis Cup tie against Spain in 2018, when he came from two sets down to beat Roberto Bautista Agut.

He reached the top 50 the following year before winning his maiden ATP Tour title at the Los Cabos Open in 2021.

Norrie became British number one since November, four years after he turned professional.

Former world number one and three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray said last year: "He's a great example for not just British players but all tennis players to look at.

"If you put the effort in day in, day out and properly dedicate yourself and have an attitude like he does, it can take you a long, long way."

Serbia's 20-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic is the current world number one.

Britain's Joe Salisbury has also risen to the top of the men's doubles rankings.

Australia has been announced as the preferred candidate to host the 2029 Women's Rugby World Cup.

World Rugby chief Alan Gilpin said Australia's candidacy represented a "major milestone for the global advancement of women's rugby".

A final vote will be made in May.

"We're delighted," said Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan.

"This is a truly wonderful addition to our bid for Rugby World Cup 2027 and we would love to welcome the pinnacle event on the women's XVs calendar to our shores for the first time in 2029.

"Today's announcement is another step in the right direction for rugby in Australia."

Earlier this year, Brisbane was named as the preferred bidder for the 2032 Summer Olympics by the International Olympic Committee.

Australia will host cricket's Twenty20 World Cup later this year, football's Women's World Cup in 2023 and the British and Irish Lions rugby tour in 2025.

MINNEAPOLIS -- UConn's women's basketball team played in and won its first NCAA final in this city in 1995. And in 10 subsequent appearances in the national championship game, coach Geno Auriemma and his program were undefeated -- until Sunday night.

Back in Minneapolis 27 years later, that 11-0 streak ended as the No. 2 seed Huskies fell to No. 1 South Carolina 64-49.

Those 49 points were the second fewest UConn had ever scored in an NCAA tournament game; the lowest came in a 75-47 loss to Vanderbilt in the second round of the 1992 tournament.

Prior to Sunday, the last time the Huskies struggled this much offensively in an NCAA tournament loss was the 2008 Elite Eight, in a 73-50 loss to an LSU team led by a dominant post player in Sylvia Fowles. On Sunday, they ran into another in South Carolina's Aliyah Boston, the consensus national player of the year and Final Four's Most Outstanding Player.

"I've said this all along: You have to be really good, and you have to be a little bit lucky to win the national championship," Auriemma said. "First things first, though, you have to be really good. You have to be really well-balanced and you have to be all the things that South Carolina is. You have to have good guard play. Your big guys have to be able to dominate either at one end or the other. Then you need a little bit of luck.

"The 11 times that we won, I would say maybe all 11 -- but at least 10 -- we had the better team. We played like we were the better team, and we were well balanced and we had all the bases covered and we had everything that you needed to win a championship."

Auriemma didn't feel that was the case this season. The Huskies had to get past a serious challenge from UCF in the second round and then survive a double-overtime game against No. 1 seed NC State in the Bridgeport Regional final.

"We said when we got here, we're going to need a little bit of help from Stanford on Friday night, and they didn't shoot the ball like they normally do," Auriemma said. "And we were going to need a little bit of help tonight, and [South Carolina] didn't cooperate."

This is now the longest NCAA title drought -- six years -- for the Huskies since they won their first in 1995. The second national championship came in 2000, and the rest came in bunches: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Then in 2017, the Huskies' 111-game winning streak was ended by Morgan William's buzzer-beating jump shot in overtime, as Mississippi State beat UConn in the first of four consecutive national semifinal losses. Notre Dame defeated the Huskies in the Final Four in 2018 and 2019, and Arizona topped them last season.

UConn did manage to beat Stanford on Friday as the Cardinal's offense struggled. But the tone set from the start Sunday was not in the Huskies' favor. South Carolina shot 50% from the field en route to a 22-8 first-quarter lead, and the Huskies were never able to catch up.

UConn sophomore Paige Bueckers, who missed 19 games after suffering a knee injury in December, returned to help UConn make its 14th consecutive Final Four. Her 27-point performance in the Elite Eight proved season saving, but Bueckers was limited to 14 points in both Final Four games.

"It was an amazing weekend. Just being able to be here with my team and spend more time with each other, build more memories, and to do it at home was amazing," said the Minnesota native. "I mean, nobody in my position would be happy right now, so I'm obviously upset just with the way things ended.

"Super proud of this team for how far we've come and all the adversity we've dealt with and all we've overcome to get to this point. But at UConn, it's national championship or nothing. So obviously upset, frustrated, disappointed."

Auriemma credited South Carolina's defense for limiting Bueckers.

"We knew that was going to happen," he said. "I don't think from the beginning of the game our offense ever looked like it was in any kind of rhythm, any kind of flow. Then Paige tried to take it upon herself to do -- that never works, when one person is trying to. But their guards completely, I thought, dominated the game on the perimeter and made it really difficult for any of our guys to get any good looks."

He acknowledged that the Huskies weren't 100% physically; forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa had a groin issue, and guard Azzi Fudd missed shootaround because of an illness. But Auriemma said that as well as South Carolina played, it likely wouldn't have made a difference.

"It was just a nonstop series of events that we had to keep dealing with," he said of the season. "It just didn't stop all year long. I think it was a remarkable effort by them to stay together as well as they did throughout the entire year, and to be in this game.

"But then once you get in this game, you want to win this game. You're not just happy to be here. But I think when this wears off, I think they'll appreciate the effort that it took to get here."

MINNEAPOLIS -- South Carolina's Destanni Henderson sized up Paige Bueckers. It was two minutes into the fourth quarter of the 2022 NCAA national championship game between the Gamecocks and the UConn Huskies on Sunday night.

Henderson dribbled the ball with her right hand as Bueckers tried to cheat a ball screen. But Henderson burst through the gap that opened, driving hard down the lane. The 5-foot-7 senior guard elevated with UConn's 6-3 Aaliyah Edwards on her hip and flipped the ball off the backboard and through the net. She ran back down the court as UConn reset, tongue poked out just a little bit, smirking.

"She was on fire," South Carolina associate head coach Lisa Boyer said after the game. "It was her day, her night. And she took every advantage of it."

Henderson ended the game with a career-high 26 points, four assists and three steals in South Carolina's 64-49 victory over UConn for the program's second national championship in five years. She is the first player since 2000 to score a career high in a national championship game. She had a hand in 34 of the Gamecocks' 64 points, shooting 9-for-20 from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. Defensively, she helped hold Bueckers, 2021's national player of the year, to 14 points. Bueckers shot 1-for-5 versus Henderson.

"I really didn't even know that I had a career high," Henderson said. "It's just even more of a blessing, and just an honor to do it in this moment, a special moment, that all of us are going to remember forever."

As the clock wound down in Target Center, the crowd started cheering for the Gamecocks. Even as the fans -- led by South Carolina great and Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson -- roared, Henderson stayed calm. When she was subbed out, coach Dawn Staley gave her a hug and slapped her on the back in celebration. Assistant Fred Chmiel wrapped Henderson in his arms and lifted her off the ground.

With the final seconds ticking away, Henderson stood near the bench, smiling, her head bowed low, tears coming to her eyes. When her teammates ran onto the court at the buzzer, Henderson walked instead, pulling her shirt over her face to hide her emotions from the cameras and crowd.

"It was a journey that led me to this moment," she said. "I had to believe and had to buy into my role, and I feel like it was really worth it."

Junior forward Aliyah Boston was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player. But as Henderson hoisted the trophy high, confetti raining down from the ceiling, the moment was a reminder of what it took for Henderson to get there: from the YMCA courts in her hometown of Fort Myers, Florida, to the bench in Columbia, South Carolina. This was a night years in the making for the South Carolina point guard, who two years ago was coming off the bench.

Staley pulled Henderson aside in her sophomore season and told her she wouldn't have a role as a starter but that she'd still be playing a lot of minutes. Henderson would end up playing all 33 games, but she didn't start a single one that season.

"She just thought, for the team's sake, that it was just best for me to come off the bench," Henderson said to ESPN in January, looking back. "And that's what I did."

Staley relayed the story to the Gamecocks during film study just days after the team's first loss of the 2021-22 season, a 70-69 overtime defeat to Missouri. It was meant to inspire her players to commit and to trust the process, something she said Henderson epitomized. To underscore her point, she asked a question.

"What you say, Henny?" Staley asked of Henderson's response when she delivered the news. "She don't say much."

Henderson didn't say much on Sunday night after the game. She didn't yell or scream. There was just the hint of a smirk and the tip of her tongue poking out from between her lips.

"She's a quiet soul," Staley said. "And a smooth operator."

Henderson's next stop will be the WNBA draft. Her performance on Sunday night is the kind of moment that affects draft stock, especially with it being one week away.

"The sky is the limit for her," said Minnesota Lynx guard Angel McCoughtry. "She's going to be a great professional athlete."

Henderson climbed the ladder to cut down her portion of the net, just as she did everything else on Sunday night, with a quiet, smooth confidence. Minimal celebration.

Just a moment for her to cherish in the way that she does. By not saying much.

Her performance spoke loudly enough.

Iga Swiatek was relaxing in bed with her laptop when she heard the news: Ashleigh Barty, the recent dominant force in women's tennis and Australian Open champion seven weeks previously, was retiring.

The triumph extended Swiatek's winning streak to 17 matches and was her third title in a row after also lifting WTA 1000 titles - the most important tournaments beneath the Grand Slams - in Doha and Indian Wells.

The first emotion for Swiatek, like everyone in the tennis world, was shock when Barty announced her decision to quit aged 25.

"I was crying for 40 minutes," Swiatek, who shot to fame by winning the 2020 French Open title as a teenager, told BBC Sport.

"Mainly, it was because of Ash's retirement. I didn't know it was going to happen and it really surprised me.

"I always had this vision that we would all play until we are 35 or something, until our bodies are so tired that we can't any more.

"I needed time to actually understand what she must have thought. Her decision was really brave and I felt a lot of emotions because of that."

The second emotion was an element of fear. Suddenly, Swiatek found herself in pole position to take over the mantle as the top-ranked female player on the planet.

"I also felt emotional because of my own position," she said.

"I realised after two hours of being really emotional that 'hey, you don't know what is going to happen yet and you still have to win some matches'.

"So I told myself 'let's wait with the emotions and with being excited because I have work to do'."

Two days later, a focused Swiatek secured her rise to the top of the rankings with a second-round win against Viktorija Golubic at the Miami Open.

From there, she continued to excel. She did not drop another set all week.

In the final she demonstrated all of her best attributes - crushing forehand winners, the ability to defend stoutly and quickly transition into attack, a ruthless determination to maintain the pressure on opponents - to sweep aside four-time major champion Naomi Osaka.

"Emotionally it has been really intense and I have felt a range of emotions - from being proud and having satisfaction, to confusion and surprise," Swiatek said about emerging as the tour's dominant player.

"These last weeks showed me I can trust in myself a little bit more and trust my skills and my tennis. Before I didn't really know it was possible for me to have a streak like that. So it also kind of surprised me.

"After Doha and after Indian Wells I didn't have time to digest what I've achieved. Right now I am going to take some time to analyse what happened from a 'work' point of view."

In her final BBC Sport column at this year's Australian Open, where she reached the semi-finals, Swiatek spoke of how she was striving to replicate Barty's consistency.

Aware of what she still had to do to catch Barty, Swiatek hoped she would be able to find the level needed to become the world's best player in "maybe a few years".

Her rise to that point has been accelerated by Barty's retirement, clearly. But Swiatek has been so dominant that she may not have been far behind even if Barty had been playing in recent weeks.

"I always knew what kind of tennis I can play," said Swiatek, whose on-court success is helped by employing sports psychologist Daria Abramowicz to travel with her on tour.

"I have played like that in practice since the beginning of the previous year and had some tournaments where I had showed that sort of level, particularly when I won Roland Garros in 2020 and the Rome final in 2021.

"I always thought there would be a difference in my level from practice to matches. It has surprised me that I can convert it 100% right now and actually use all the skills I have been working on.

"It really helped I was feeling fearless on court in Miami because I didn't feel much pressure even though there was so much going on.

"This surprised me the most because pressure is a thing that I wouldn't even think I could get rid of in sport.

"We've been working on that and we know it will come back soon. We still don't know if I will keep doing good and playing that way - that fearless mode - we're going to see how that goes."

After Swiatek pulled out of this week's WTA event in Charleston with an arm injury, jokes appeared on social media that the issue had been caused by lifting too many trophies.

More seriously, the break offers a chance to recharge before the tour switches to the European clay-court swing. Perhaps ominously for her rivals, clay is Swiatek's favourite surface.

"I am really excited to play on clay because it is where I feel more comfortable and it is more fun for me to play on," she said.

"This streak has boosted my confidence but, on the other hand, it is a new situation in which I have never had experience. So I have to learn how to deal with it and how to still keep up with the streak."