The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>The basketball prowess of young LeBron ‘Bronny’ James Jr. has been almost as well documented as the free agency whims of his more famous father. Yet to this point, the younger James’ success has traditionally been pinned to factors besides athleticism that he shares with his father. It appears that may suddenly change. As captured by Overtime, Bronny James almost broke through the magical dunk threshold during a game on Sunday, when the eighth-grader took off on a fastbreak, elevated above the rim and just missed as his ball slopped over the edge of the rim. You can see the missed dunk at the very start of the video just above (and later in the natural flow of the game in the same highlight) or at the top of this post via Tweet). The missed dunk came late in a blowout win for James Jr.’s North Coast Blue Chips at another weekend extravaganza. And while the ease of victory in this matchup made sure that there was no need for inspirational intervention, that wasn’t the case for the entire weekend, with the more famous LeBron James making a cameo to speak to the team of youngsters. LeBron had to step in at halftime to coach the squad up 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1hzLwvJwDZ — Overtime (@overtime) June 24, 2018 Overtime claims that LeBron’s speech above came at halftime of a matchup, though we weren’t able to independently verify that. We also can’t attest to how helpful the elder James’ intervention was — it appears as if he’s advising on how or when they should push up on defense — just that it definitely happened. Of course, that’s news enough on its own. Want more insight or tea leaves? The event the Blue Chips were taking part in was Ballin’ on the Beach, a Miami event for each division of AAU team from 2-12 grade. Hear that? LeBron was in Miami, with his family. Make of that what you will, Pat Riley beef and all.<doc-sep>LeBron James looked like the relatable father when he caught a recent game featuring his 13-year-old son, LeBron James Jr. Sometimes superstar athletes are just like your dad. LeBron James looked like the relatable father when he caught a recent game featuring his 13-year-old son, LeBron James Jr., also known as Bronny. So when his son almost pulled off a dunk, the elder James naturally had a great reaction and lucky for us, we got a glimpse of dad James. The video even has James doing some dance moves, including a dab. We can't wait to see the video of LeBron's reaction when Bronny makes the dunk.<doc-sep>
LeBron James Jr. surprised many -- including his father -- when he took flight at an AAU tournament over the weekend. As the eyes of the basketball world shift to LeBron James, the 4-time MVP is looking toward his family. And not just figuratively. Over the weekend, James was in attendance as his eldest son, LeBron "Bronny" James Jr. took part in an AAU tournament in Miami. As one might expect, the 13-year-old James stole the show, although it was one of his missed shots that wound up becoming his signature highlight. With his North Coast Blue Chips team winning in blowout fashion, James recorded a steal before racing up the court for a breakaway play. Rather than laying it in, however, James took flight for a dunk, only to miss the shot to the amusement of everyone in the gym -- including his father. 13-year-old LeBron Jr. was inches away from a dunk ... and his dad was impressed. (via @Ballislife) pic.twitter.com/ELXqf3pVAz — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 24, 2018 After the game, the elder James took to Instagram to share his thoughts on the missed dunk. "Man what!?!?! First time he ever tried that in a game today!," the 14-time All-Star wrote. "And it was someone kinda trailing him behind too! Surprised not only me but everyone in the gym. Man o Man! #JamesGang" Preparing to enter the eighth grade, LeBron James Jr. is considered one of the top players in the country in the 2023 class. Earlier this month at the NBA Finals, his father spoke of what it's been like to witness his growth as a highly coveted prospect. "It's been a treat to watch, being a parent and seeing my son grow as a basketball player," James said. "But not only that, being a young man who he is today; the kid will be 14 soon. Just seeing him grow and grow and grow to become who he is today has been a treat." He later revealed that should he one day play in an NBA game against his son, he would consider it one of his greatest accomplishments.