World champion Jorge Lorenzo is hoping to defy the odds and ride in Saturday's Dutch MotoGP, barely 24 hours after undergoing surgery on a broken collarbone, his Yamaha team said on Friday.

The Spaniard, who underwent an operation in Barcelona early Friday morning after a high-speed crash in practice on Thursday, returned to the Assen circuit and fully intends to ride if he is passed fit by doctors.

Lance Armstrong said he still considers himself as the record-holder for Tour de France victories, even though his titles were stripped from him for doping.

In an interview with Le Monde, a newspaper he used to scorn, Armstrong claimed it was impossible in his era to win cycling's showcase race without doping.

President Barack Obama is in Africa to promote democracy and trade but he can't keep his mind off the NBA draft about to begin back home.

During his toast at a state dinner Thursday in Dakar, Obama said he couldn't be in the country and not mention the draft.

At the moment, no woman seems capable of providing much of a challenge to Serena Williams on a tennis court.

She's won 33 matches in a row, and 76 of her past 79. If she wins five more this fortnight, as almost everyone expects, Williams will earn a second consecutive Wimbledon title and 17th Grand Slam championship overall.

Anthony Bennett became the first Canadian to be the No. 1 pick and Nerlens Noel tumbled out of the top five in a surprising start to Thursday's NBA draft.

The Cleveland Cavaliers passed on Noel and Alex Len, who went to Phoenix at No. 5, in favor of the Bennett, a University of Nevada Las Vegas forward who has starred for Canada's junior national teams and was the Mountain West Conference player of the year.

The Confederations Cup has got the final nearly everyone wanted.

The World Cup holder against the five-time world champion. The two-time European winners against the tournament host. Spain's passing wizards against Brazil's new star, Neymar.

Manchester City and Juventus on Thursday confirmed that Carlos Tevez had signed for the Italian club, bringing an end to his four-stay in northwest England.

"After 148 appearances and 73 goals for City, Tevez has agreed a three-year deal with the reigning Serie A champions," City said on their website, mcfc.co.uk.

Australia's Mark Webber is to leave Formula One at the end of the current season, he announced on his official website on Thursday.

The 36-year-old Red Bull driver has signed a contract with Porsche from the 2014 and will compete in the manufacturer's LMP1 sports prototype at the Le Mans 24 Hours race and World Endurance Championship, the German company said.

Five months after waving goodbye to Mario Balotelli, Manchester City is preparing to offload another enigmatic striker to Italian football and bring an end to one of the most divisive and controversial careers in the Premier League's 21-year history.

When Carlos Tevez — sporting a hair band and a broad grin — stepped out at Upton Park in 2006 to be paraded as one of West Ham's two big-name Argentine signings that summer, English football was warned to expect a striker of great potential but one already with plenty of baggage.

New coach Carlo Ancelotti was presented as "a true sage" of football by Real Madrid President Florentino Perez on Wednesday.

Ancelotti was introduced to Madrid members and the press at the Santiago Bernabeu by Perez in a step aimed at healing the rifts caused by predecessor Jose Mourinho.