Murray unsure about Wimbledon

Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray said Sunday “it’s impossible” to know yet whether he will be able to compete at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament, even if he is “feeling better every day” as he recovers from surgery to remove a cyst from his spine. The 37-year-old Murray is scheduled to play in the first round of singles at the All England Club on Tuesday. He and his older brother, Jamie, were given a wild-card invitation for doubles, too, and that event starts later in the week. The Scot had back surgery on June 22 after needing to stop during a match a few days earlier at Queen’s Club. He said the cyst was compressing a nerve and making his right leg numb and difficult to use, and he figured before the operation it was “highly likely” he would miss Wimbledon. “It’s been a tough 10 days,” he said. Murray played a practice set Sunday. “It went pretty well, but I still don’t have 100% feeling and sensation in my leg,” he said. Murray plans to undergo medical tests on Monday — the first day of Wimbledon — and play another practice set, and will make a decision in the evening.

Force has long road after brain injury

NHRA drag racing great John Force suffered a traumatic brain injury in a fiery, 300 mph crash at the Virginia Nationals a week ago but is showing “daily signs of improvement” in a neurological intensive care unit, according to his team. John Force Racing said Sunday that the 75-year-old Force initially couldn’t follow commands to open his eyes, squeeze the hands of care providers or move extremities. After five days of heavy sedation, he began to gain momentum, including being able to respond to commands such as giving a thumbs-up and to recognize family members, calling them by name and saying “I love you.” Force was transferred Wednesday from a trauma ICU to the neurological ICU, where he will remain for the immediate future and still faces “a long and difficult recovery ahead,” the team’s statement said. During the first round of Funny Car eliminations on June 23, Force’s car had a catastrophic engine failure at the finish line, with the vehicle going across the centerline and slamming into the left concrete guard wall, then careening back across into the right wall.

Pistons, Bickerstaff agree on deal

The Pistons have agreed to a four-year contract with coach J.B. Bickerstaff with a team option for a fifth season. The Cavaliers fired Bickerstaff in May after they lost to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals despite them winning 99 games over two years. The Pistons fired coach Monty Williams one season into a six-year, $78.5 million contract after they had the NBA’s worst record for a second straight year. They also fired general manager Troy Weaver after they won 23% of their games in his four seasons. Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon has been busy trying to turn around a three-time NBA-championship winning franchise that has fallen on hard times. The 45-year-old Bickerstaff, who twice finished among the top five in NBA Coach of the Year voting, was 170-159 in four-plus seasons in Cleveland. He had six victories in the playoffs. He took over when John Beilein, a former Michigan coach, walked away from the Cavs during the 2019-20 season. Bickerstaff also was promoted to replace fired coaches in Houston and Memphis. —Associated Press