Rafael Nadal is ready to return to competitive tennis, confirming Tuesday that he'll play in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi at the end of the month following a six-month break to recover from a knee injury.

"Can't wait to get back on court in Abu Dhabi at the end of the month," the 11-time Grand Slam champion said on his Facebook page and Twitter account. "I won the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in 2010 and 2011 — would love to get my hands on the trophy again this year!"

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday made his first public speaking appearance since May, championing the positive benefits of sport at a high-profile conference organized by the husband of his ex-wife.

Sarkozy, beaten by Francois Hollande in the race for the Elysee earlier this year, spoke for 20 minutes at the Doha Goals forum, telling delegates that sport had the power to inspire diplomatic, political and economic circles as well as society.

UEFA President Michel Platini Tuesday stood firm against the use of goal-line technology in Europe despite FIFA tests of Hawk-Eye and GoalRef at the ongoing Club World Cup in Japan.

The Frenchman said goal-line referees, used in various UEFA competitions since 2009, were a cheaper way of determining whether the ball had crossed the line and warned against allowing technology to encroach on the game.

Tony Parker recorded the first triple-double of his career with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists on Monday, as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Houston Rockets 134-126 in overtime.

Gary Neal nailed seven three pointers and finished with 29 points for the Spurs, who have won five consecutive games.

Chelsea star Fernando Torres has revealed the inspiration behind his medal-laden career -- not Pele, Diego Maradona or Johan Cruyff, but a Japanese cartoon called Captain Tsubasa.

The Spanish striker, who has a World Cup, two European Championships and a Champions League title to his name, said his love for the game owes its origins to a popular manga animation he watched as a boy.

The Oklahoma City Thunder claimed their eighth straight win as Kevin Durant scored 27 points and Kevin Martin added 24 in a 104-93 win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

A meeting of the NBA's highest-scoring offense and the league's tightest defense went the Thunder's way as they eclipsed 100 points for the 12th straight game.

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao were unstoppable Sunday on a memorable night when both stars again demonstrated why their teams fill the top two spots in the Spanish league.

Messi broke a 40-year record for most goals in a year by scoring his 85th and 86th goals of 2012 to lead Barcelona to a 2-1 win at Real Betis, while Falcao struck five times as Atletico thrashed Deportivo La Coruna 6-0.

Defending champion Juventus celebrated coach Antonio Conte's return with a win, beating Palermo 1-0 in Serie A on Sunday.

Stephan Lichtsteiner scored five minutes into the second half for Juventus, which also hit the goal-frame twice through Mirko Vucinic.

Robin van Persie scored a stoppage-time winner to give Manchester United a 3-2 win at Manchester City on Sunday, ending the champion's unbeaten start to the Premier League season and taking his side six points clear atop the standings.

Wayne Rooney had set United on the way to avenging last season's double derby defeat to City by scoring twice in the first half against the run of play.

Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez knocked Manny Pacquiao out cold with a vicious right hand at the end of the sixth round Saturday, putting a sudden end to the fourth fight between the two boxers.

Pacquiao had been down in the third round but knocked Marquez down in the fifth and the two were exchanging heavy blows in the sixth round before Marquez threw a right hand that flattened Pacquiao face down on the canvas at 2:59 of the sixth round.