Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic, the man they call “The Dragon,” was a man on a mission throughout the 2017 EuroBasket tournament. In what could be his final appearance in Europe’s biggest basketball tournament, Dragic saved his best performance for last as he led Slovenia to its first ever title in the European Basketball Championship, and earned MVP honors in the process.

What made Slovenia’s climb to the pinnacle of EuroBasket more impressive was the fact that Goran Dragic was the lone active NBA player they have on their roster. Dragic poured in a tournament-high 35 points to spearhead Slovenia’s 93-85 title-clinching victory over powerhouse team Serbia. Dragic also grabbed seven rebounds and handed out three assists in an all-around performance that overshadowed the loss Luka Doncic to an ankle injury.

According to the Sun-Sentinel, Dragic’s 35-point outburst was the most scored by a Slovenian player in international competitions. Throughout the EuroBasket 2017, Dragic averaged 22.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in almost 28 minutes per game. Dragic finished fourth in scoring and 13th in assists as he led Slovenia to complete the tournament unbeaten, going 9-0.

The Slovenian National Team racked up wins against France, Greece, Finland, Iceland, and Poland during the preliminary round. Dragic led the EuroBasket 2017 in scoring during the group stage games, averaging 24.4 points per game on 50.7 percent shooting from the field, 35 percent beyond the arc, and 86.7 percent from the three-point line. Dragic struggled against Ukraine in the round of 16 but bounced back with a 26-point, 8-assist performance against the Kristapps Porzingis-led Latvia in the Quarter-Finals.

The Slovenians were the underdog when they went up against Spain in the EuroBasket 2017 Semi-Final. With brothers Pau and Marc Gasol manning the middle, Spain would be a tough nut to crack for any team participating in the tournament. Both Slovenia and Spain entered the Semi-Final match with an undefeated record but it was Slovenia’s quickness that prevailed. Dragic delivered another masterful performance, scoring 15 points, handing out five assists, and grabbing seven rebounds to help Slovenia defeat the fancied Spanish team.

While Dragic had been fantastic throughout the tournament, he had plenty of help from his teammates. NBA prospect Luka Doncic, 18, showed that he can thrive under pressure and emerged as the future star of Slovenia. Former NBA journeyman Anthony Randolph was a force at both ends of the floor and could earn another shot at playing in the NBA with his terrific performances at the EuroBasket 2017. Klemen Prepelic, 24, also showed that he has what it takes to compete against the best guards in Europe.

Bleacher Report ranked Dragic’s performance in the EuroBasket 2017 Finals as the best in the tournament. Dragic scored 26 points in the first half to help the Slovenians build a comfortable lead. And while his second half wasn’t as efficient as the first half, Dragic still made his presence felt.

From being the heir-apparent to Steve Nash during their Phoenix Suns days to leading a young and resilient Miami Heat team, Goran Dragic has come a long way since being selected 45th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2008 NBA draft. He now joins the rank of EuroBasket MVPs that include future Hall of Famers the likes of Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tony Parker.

Dragic will have one week to rest before he plunges back into action, this time for his NBA ball club, the Miami Heat. The Heat will open their training camp with the traditional media day at the American Airlines Arena on September 25. Now that NBA fans have seen a glimpse of what an unleashed Dragic could to competition, and with Miami seemingly lacking backup point guards, perhaps the time for the Dragon to be fully turned loose in the NBA is ripe.

After all, success only breeds success, and there’s no higher accomplishment for a basketball player than to bring home a gold medal for his country. The MVP trophy is just an added bonus especially since Dragic already has one of those for his performance in the 2010 Stankovic Cup. The only question remaining it seems is this: will the 31-year-old Dragic have enough left in the tank to lead the Heat to the promised land? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure, the Miami Heat fans should have a lot of reasons to be optimistic this season, and chief among them is Dragic’s recent play in the EuroBasket 2017 that had him in Dracarys mode. </s> Greece lost the ticket to the Women’s Eurobasket final to France 55-77

Greece will play against Belgium for the third place on Sunday

Greece fought but couldn’t win France, which proved beyond doubt why it’s National Team is among the best in the world.

The final score, 55-77, however, is not totally representative of the game. The Greek team was following the score closely up until the third period of the game, but it’s defence collapsed on the fourth period.

The Greek National Team will play on Sunday against Belgium for the third place.

This defeat does not diminish the fact that the Greek National Team had an amazing performance throughout the Eurobasket, beating teams with great history in women’s basketball. </s> The heavily favored United States team has defeated Netherlands 2-0 in the women's World Cup soccer final in Lyon, France, securing its fourth title and winning back-to-back tournaments for the first time.

The Americans defeated four other European teams — Sweden, Spain, France and England — on their way to the final, and dominated Sunday in defeating the reigning European champion Dutch.

Football analysts say the United States women's national team went into the match as favorites because of their greater depth and experience than the Dutch.

One of the top American players, Megan Rapinoe, who sat out the semi-final win over the British with a slight hamstring strain, scored the opening goal for the U.S. side on a penalty kick in the 61st minute. Rose Lavelle added a goal in the 69th minute to seal the victory.

Former U.S. soccer star Julie Foudy explained before the match what was at stake for the Americans.

“They've done all the hard stuff. Weathering the storm that was the Spanish game. Beating the hosts in Paris. Knocking out a very good English team. But they … must bring it home to secure their legacy, especially against a team that doesn't have the same depth of talent and which is playing on less rest," she said.

Even as its success in the tournament earns it unprecedented acclaim at home, the U.S. women's team is suing the country's soccer federation for equal pay with members of country's much less successful men's national team. The pay disparity is pronounced, with female soccer players’ base salary roughly $30,000 less a year than their male counterparts. The players agreed to submit to arbitration following the end of the tournament.

The soccer federation awarded the men’s team a $5.4 million bonus after it lost in the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup, while handing the women’s team $1.7 million when it won in 2015.

Rapinoe has also feuded with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying that in opposition to his presidency she would not accept an invitation to go to the White House if the Americans won the title.

Trump said in response, “Megan should WIN before she TALKS," and invited the whole team whether it wins or loses the title. </s> Goran Dragić scores 35 points and is the EuroBasket MVP

Slovenia has gone all the way and has the EuroBasket gold. The country is the European basketball champion, having defeated Serbia in Istanbul with a score of 93:85.

For the first time in history, Slovenia’s basketball players have become the EuroBasket champions. In Istanbul's Sinan Erdem Dome, they defeated the Serbian national team with a score of 93:85, despite Luka Dončić’s injury in the 26th minute and Goran Dragić's absence in the final minutes because of cramps. However, Dragić did manage to score 35 points before he left the court.

This is the biggest success in the history of Slovenian team sports. Volleyball and handball players (only) managed to win silver at their European Championships.

Dragić saved the best for last

Slovenia has gotten payback and the entire continent is now tipping its hat to the team – most of all to the official MVP of the tournament, Goran Dragić. He played as if he were in a trance and scored 35 points in the final, a record of the tournament. In the decisive minutes, when the Serbian team came back from being 12 points behind, the tired captain was replaced by an exceptional Aleksej Nikolić. Also doing his part was Klemen Prepelič (21 points). Slovenia was spectacular in the second quarter (36:25), which gave it a halftime lead of 56:47, although its rally ended in the third quarter. Serbia took the lead with 77:78, but Prepelič responded just in time with a three-point shot, while Gašper Vidmar helped with a block. Slovenia's gold medal became likely after two free throws by Nikolić for a lead of 90:82. The final score: 93:85 and the gold for Slovenia.

Slovenian fans also played an unprecedented role in this basketball fairytale. 

For two years, the entire country lived and breathed for its basketball team. When members of the team began winning game after game, the expectations grew as well. Basketball became the number one topic of conversation at workplaces, schools, and after work. It soon morphed into a euphoria that ended up with a pilgrimage of no fewer than 7000 Slovenian fans to Istanbul, 1500 kilometers away, for the final between Slovenia and Serbia.

Slovenia has become the least populous country to win a medal at the EuroBasket Championship. But that's not all – the 7000 Slovenians in the Sinan Erdem Dome were the second largest crowd of Slovenian fans ever at a sporting competition abroad and, according to FIBA, set a EuroBasket record. The all-time Slovenian record was set at the country’s soccer game against Spain at the 2000 Euros in Amsterdam, where 10,000 Slovenians showed up. However, the crowd in Istanbul did manage to surpass Belgrade in 2005, where 5000 Slovenian basketball fans showed up to watch Slovenia take on Greece.

Slovenia's basketball fever escalated after Thursdays win over Spain, when many Slovenians decided: “I'm going to Istanbul, whatever that may cost me.” And that’s how it all began. There were far too few airline seats available for everyone who wanted to fly to Istanbul, even though the first flight for Istanbul took off from Jože Pučnik Airport before 5 a.m. By 11:15 a.m., nine planes had taken off.

Many fans wouldn’t despair even after they were left without tickets – some estimate that approximately 1000 people made the 1500-kilometer journey by car or bus. </s> Serbia’s Novak Djokovic has defeated South Africa’s Kevin Anderson in a three-set match at Wimbledon’s men’s single final today. The 6-2 6-2 7-6 victory marks Njokovic’s fourth Wimbledon win and 13th Grand Slam title overall, his last having been won at the 2016 French Open.

“The last couple of years haven’t been easy,” said Djokovic of the win. “I had surgery and was absent from the tour for six months. This was my first grand slam final after a couple of years. There was no better place to make my comeback. This is a sacred place for tennis. I always dreamed of holding this trophy when I was a young boy.”

“Playing against Novak isn’t easy,” added Anderson. “Congratulations to him. I’m not feeling as fresh now as I was coming into the week. But this is an amazing tournament for all of us. That’s what it had to take for me to get here. I would have given another 21 hours to have the opportunity to play out here.”

After suffering an elbow injury that caused Djokovic to withdraw from the 2017 Wimbledon quarterfinal, his win at Wimbledon today marks his first major victory in more than two years. In yesterday’s semifinal match, Djokovic had defeated Spain’s Rafael Nadal, the world number one, in a five-set match.

Meanwhile, had he won today’s match, Anderson would have gained his first Grand Slam title. He came close at the 2017 US Open final, but lost against Spain’s Rafael Nadal. At this year’s Wimbledon men’s semifinal, he defeated America’s John Isner in a gruelling match that lasted six hours and 35 minutes, the second longest in Wimbledon history.

Watch Venus Williams’s 7 Best Workout Moves for a Grand Slam Body—Just Ahead of Wimbledon </s> CLOSE

Sancho Lyttle scored 19 points and Alba Torrens added 18 to help Spain win the EuroBasket tournament on Sunday with a 71-55 victory over France.

The Spaniards were already assured a spot in the FIBA women's basketball world cup next year as the host city. The top five teams from the EuroBasket advance to the world cup, but since Spain already had qualified the sixth-place team also earned a spot in the 2018 tournament.

Belgium finished third, beating Greece 78-45, to earn the country's first bronze medal ever in the tournament. Turkey topped Latvia 72-63 for the final two spots. It will be the first time that Latvia will ever compete in the world cup. Latvia reached the fifth-place game with a wild one-point win over Italy in the consolation semifinals.

The U.S. clinched a spot by winning the Olympics last year. The remaining nine spots in the world cup will be determined later this year.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> The Greek Women’s National Basketball Team lost the third place of the Eurobasket

The National Team did not overcome Saturday’s defeat in the semifinals

The Greek Women’s National Basketball Team didn’t make it in the small final for the bronze medal in the Women’s Eurobasket tournament.

The Greek team were defeated clearly by the Belgium National Team with 78 to 45.

It was obvious that the Greek players didn’t manage to overcome the shock of the defeat in the semifinals and the defeat was inevitable.

The Greek team, however, laid the foundations for future successes as the team demonstrated throughout the Eurobasket those characteristics necessary for the improvement in the future, such as resilience, determination, hard work.

Nonetheless, the Greek team is fourth in Europe, having left behind countries with great history in Women’s Basketball.

Greece has qualified for the World Cup in 2018, so there is a lot of work waiting for them in the near future. </s> French Open 2019 Final Live Streaming: After Dominic Thiem defeated the World No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Saturday over the course of two days by 6-2 3-6 7-5 5-7 7-5, he set a repeat of last year’s French Open final with the indomitable Rafael Nadal, who is on course to make three Roland Garros wins in a row.

The Spanish second seed Nadal has only dropped one set against David Goffin in a third-round clash, and has progressed to the final by defeating his years-long Swiss rival, Roger Federer in straight sets, 6-3 6-4 6-2. The King of Clay can become the first player to win 12 singles titles at one Grand Slam. While Nadal is seeking his 18th Grand Slam title, the Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem is seeking his first, hoping to better his best finish at a Grand Slam when he had reached the final last year on the Parisian clay. Although the heir apparent has beaten Nadal in three-set matches on the European clay swing in each of the past three years, the 33-year-old Spaniard leads the head-to-head record 8-4.

But whether Thiem can carry forward his momentum from his first ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, the tier of tournament below the Grand Slams, is there to be seen. Beating Novak Djokovic is one thing, but beating the maestro on his own backyard will be a whole new ball game altogether.

When and what time will Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem French Open 2019 Men’s Final match take place?

The Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem French Open 2019 Men’s Final match will take place on June 9, 6:30 PM IST.

Where will be the Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem French Open 2019 Men’s Final be held?

The Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem French Open 2019 Men’s Final will be held at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France.

Which channel will telecast Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem French Open 2019 Men’s Final match?

The Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem French Open 2019 Men’s Final match will be aired live on Star Sports Select 1. The match will be live streamed on Hotstar.com. You can catch live scores, live updates and live commentary on IndianExpress.com. </s> Roger Federer tops Rafael Nadal in a five-set match to win the Australian Open for his first Grand Slam singles title since Wimbledon in 2012. (2:17)

MELBOURNE, Australia -- In what might have been the most important tennis match in history, Roger Federer made an emphatic case for the title of greatest male player ever.
• None Advantage Roger Federer in the chase for the GOAT title Roger Federer took the lead in the case for Best Ever with his win at the Australian Open, but make no mistake, the race isn't over, not if Rafael Nadal has anything to say about it.
• None Roger Federer defied his greatest rival and Father Time on the way to the Australian Open title. How does his accomplishment stack up with other great flourishes from aging athletes?
• None More tough luck for Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open Once again, the Australian Open dealt Rafael Nadal a losing hand, but he should be feeling a lot more optimistic than he did a year ago.

On Federer's second match point, he finished it with a forehand winner on the line that was challenged by Nadal and -- after an awkward but thrilling pause -- upheld by replay.

After missing six months of tennis from July to January, the 35-year-old Federer, who hadn't won a Grand Slam singles title since Wimbledon in 2012, improbably ran his major total to 18, four ahead of Nadal. Suddenly, the odds of Nadal catching Federer have diminished greatly.

"Against Rafa it's always epic," Federer said in a television interview. "This one means a lot to me because he's caused me problems over the years."

The oldest major finalist in 43 years, Federer lost control of his legendary forehand in the final two sets but rallied famously late in the fifth. He was flying around the court in the final games.

Federer accepted the silver trophy, appropriately, from the great Aussie champion Rod Laver, whose name is on the stadium.

"I'm out of words," Federer said in his on-court interview, addressing Nadal. "I don't think either one of us believed we'd be in the final here when we were at your academy five, six months ago. Here we stand in the finals.

"I'm happy for you. I would have been happy to lose to you. The comeback was perfect as it was. It's been a difficult last six months, let's be honest. I wasn't sure I was going to be here, but here I am. This was a wonderful run, and I can't be more happy to win tonight."

Federer noted that while there are no draws in tennis, he would happily share this titanic title with Nadal.

It was Nadal, 30, perhaps the most resilient and mentally tough tennis player of his or any generation, who blinked in the end.

When it was over, Nadal looked stricken.

"First of all, I can say congrats to Roger and all his team," Nadal said in his on-court interview. "Just amazing the way he's playing after such a long time without being on the tour. For sure, you have been working hard to get that one, so very happy for you.

"Today, I think was a great match. Probably Roger deserved it a little bit more than me."

Federer becomes the fourth-oldest Grand Slam winner ever; Ken Rosewall won majors at the ages of 35, 36 and 37. Federer is also the first man in tennis history to win three majors five or more times. His trophy collection includes five Australian Opens, one French Open, seven Wimbledons and five US Opens.

Nadal was the fourth top-10 player to fall to Federer in Melbourne, following No. 10 Tomas Berdych, No. 5 Kei Nishikori and No. 4 Stan Wawrinka.

And so, the match -- the Thunder Down Under -- actually lived up to its over-the-top billing, particularly in the final crucial stages.

This was a dramatic collision of the two most decorated players of their generation. The fact that they were well past their prime -- and hadn't met in a Grand Slam final in almost six years -- made it even more delicious.

This first Grand Slam final of the year sent the tennis universe into a frenzy, and record television ratings were expected. At Melbourne Park, some courtside seats were reportedly going for $26,000. For the first time, organizers opened the second-biggest show court, Margaret Court Arena, and showed the match on the video screens. Nearly 25,000 attended the session.

As recently as three months ago, this matchup didn't seem remotely possible. When the two men got together at the opening of Nadal's new tennis academy in Mallorca, Spain, Federer was still troubled by a balky knee and Nadal a wrist injury. Instead of playing an exhibition, they hit a few balls with the juniors and posed for photos.

Nadal had said neither player could have imagined making the final of the year's first Grand Slam after coming back from their respective injuries.

Even when they arrived in Australia, they were afterthoughts, with Nadal seeded No. 9 and Federer No. 17. But when No. 1 Andy Murray and No. 2 Novak Djokovic crashed out early, they began to attract attention.

There were, however, some mitigating circumstances that allowed Federer fans to dream.

Federer, who beat Wawrinka in a five-set semifinal Thursday, had an extra 24 hours to recover for this final. Nadal needed a bruising 4 hours, 56 minutes to defeat Grigor Dimitrov one night later.

At one time, Nadal seemed physically indestructible. In 2009, he defeated Fernando Verdasco in an Aussie Open semifinal match that ran 5 hours, 14 minutes then recovered quickly to beat Federer in a five-set final. But that was eight years ago.

And then there were the speedy conditions -- according to the players, faster courts and balls -- that helped Federer's fluid game. Serving and coming to the net would prove critical for Federer, no more so than in the first set.

Federer won 14 of the 15 points when he landed his first serve in during the opening set. He finished the set with an ace, which was encouraging. Federer hadn't beaten Nadal in any match in which he lost the first set in more than a decade.

Predictably, Nadal came racing back, winning the first four games of the following frame. Federer's forehand became unstrung, and Nadal, also attacking the backhand with high-hoppers, leveled the match.

Federer raced out to a 40-love lead in the first game of the third set then weathered three break points to hold. Federer broke Nadal immediately and won six of seven games.

Nadal, who wasn't moving with his usual abandon, broke Federer in the fourth set's fourth game. A marginal favorite in this battle for the ages, Nadal rolled in the fourth set, never facing a break point, to send the match to a fifth and final set.

The match, played at a relatively brisk pace, cooled considerably when Federer left the court for treatment. After a seven-minute break, it felt like a new match.

The fifth set, unlike the three that preceded it, was spectacular.

After whiffing on five break points in the set, Federer converted in the sixth game and, 3 hours and 19 minutes in, the match was level.

After going 1-for-10 on break points, Federer converted with Nadal serving at 3-4. He held that margin to the end, winning on that dramatic replay call.

It was the fourth time a Federer-Nadal Grand Slam final went to five sets, the most between any two players in the Open era, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Federer became the first No. 17 seed to win a Grand Slam title since Pete Sampras won the 2002 US Open in his final major appearance.

Nadal said he was pleased with his play in Australia, saying he's "back at a very high level."

"I'm going to keep fighting during the whole season and for sure, to come back here for many years and keep trying to have this trophy," Nadal said. "That is the third time that I have [the runner-up trophy]. This is beautiful but still much better the trophy."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Spain wins its fourth title of the Eurobasket competition after defeating France in the final match.