WHAT’S HOT | WHAT’S NOT

HOT DANIEL LEVY

What an interesting and infuriating character. He’s a builder, he’s a miser, he’s a pitbull and he’s a poodle (around Jose Mourinho). Truly, a riddle. But then he hands over all that cash to bring Gareth Bale back. And maybe, if only for a while, we can all be a little happy about that.

DOMINIC THIEM

We should resist framing the US Open champion in the context of tennis’s new wave — at 27, he’s older than Bjorn Borg was when he retired. But if Andy Murray taught us anything then it’s the beauty of persistence. Thiem winning a Slam after losing three finals was simply delightful.

MAXWELL AND CAREY

At 73-5, Australia were done. And then they weren’t. Chasing England’s 303 on Wednesday, Glenn Maxwell hit 108 from 90 balls and Alex Carey went for a stroll with 106 off 114. Australia won with two balls left and took the series; England’s cricketers lost, but once more offered an excellent distraction at a weird time.

NOT TOUR DE FRANCE

Some sports are dangerous and it adds to the flavour. But some dangers are more unnecessary than others. So what to make of stage 13, when Romain Bardet crashed and was obviously dazed when he resumed racing? His claim that he suffered a ‘small haemorrhage’ on his brain makes you wonder if cycling’s concussion protocol is what it should be.

KEVIN KISNER

After the retired NBA player Rex Chapman tweeted that his child tested positive for Covid, and that his parents had been in hospital, the US golfer tweeted: ‘Guess they can’t follow the guidelines.’ He later apologised for his ‘reckless’ comment. In the same spirit of recklessness,

Sportsmail felt Kisner’s six over par opening-round at the US Open was hilarious.

ATHLETICS

The prison sentence given to the ex-head of World Athletics, Lamine Diack, on corruption charges brings home how rotten things have been in the sport. That he accepted money to protect Russian drugs cheats ranks among the worst of sporting betrayals.