Nadal leaves Mexican Open with hip injury
ACAPULCO, Mexico — Rafael Nadal’s comeback from a hip injury is on hold after the secondranked Spaniard pulled out of the Mexican Open, saying he needs more time to recover.
Nadal was forced to retire during the Australian Open quarterfinals and hasn’t played since. The former No. 1 was set to play Feliciano Lopez in his opening match on Wednesday but said he felt pain during his final training session Tuesday.
Nadal still hopes to be fit to play in Indian Wells and Miami next month.
PRO FOOTBALL Panthers release RB Stewart
The Carolina Panthers have released running back Jonathan Stewart.
Stewart became the franchise’s career rushing leader in 2017, finishing with 7,318 rushing yards. Stewart’s 1,699 rushing attempts are also the most in franchise history, while his 58 touchdowns (51 rushing, seven receiving) are second in club history.
Stewart played all 10 seasons with the Panthers after being drafted by Carolina in the first round in 2008 out of Oregon. In other NFL news: • Jets running back Matt Forte announced his retirement from playing after 10 NFL seasons.
Forte, who spent his first eight seasons with Chicago, dealt with knee issues the past two seasons. His 9,796 yards rushing rank him 33rd on the NFL’s career list. The 32-year-old back also had 554 receptions.
SOCCER Dynamo sign Nelson, Steeves
Goalkeeper Michael Nelson and forward Mac Steeves signed first-team contracts with the Dynamo ahead of Saturday’s regular-season opener.
Nelson, a Seven Lakes and SMU product, was the No. 20 overall pick, and Steeves, out of Providence College, the No. 43 overall pick. In other news: • Australian attacker Kyah Simon signed her contract with the Dash. The Dash selected the rights to Simon with the No. 6 overall pick in January’s dispersal draft for the Boston Breakers players that followed the folding of that club.
• Neymar will undergo surgery in Brazil on his fractured foot, ruling him out of next week’s Champions League match against Real Madrid. A day after PSG coach Unai Emery denied reports the Brazil star would be operated on, PSG backpedalled and announced that he needs surgery.
MOTOR SPORTS Gordon suggests he may race again
Retired NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon hinted recently in a questionand-answer session with fans that he may still have more racing in him.
“I always thought about maybe looking at an opportunity to drive a truck at Martinsville or a track like that,” said Gordon, who has worked as an analyst for Fox since his 2015 retirement. “I like the short tracks. But to do it on part-time basis at a like mile-and-a-half or a superspeedway — no, I’m happy to be up in the booth and out of the car right now.”
HOCKEY Staal: Daughter died from defect
Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal and his wife say their infant daughter died of a terminal birth defect.
The team released a statement from Staal and his wife, Heather. The Hurricanes announced Hannah’s death Sunday, though they didn’t publicly reveal the cause. In other NHL news: • Jason Pominville scored on a power play at 1:26 of overtime to give the visiting Buffalo Sabres a 2-1 win over the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Gonzaga explores move to MWC
Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson said he has spoken with six university presidents or athletic directors since August about joining the conference.
The only school Thompson identified was Gonzaga, one of the nation’s top mid-major men’s basketball programs. Thompson said Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth reached out to him last fall and that he’s spoken with coach Mark Few about the possibility of the Zags leaving the West Coast Conference for the MWC.