Rafa Nadal said he is nervous about his return to tennis after a seven-month injury layoff, and believes it may be some time before his injured knee is completely healed.

Nadal told Canal Plus television on Friday that "I'm prepared to accept that my knee may not respond well at the beginning" and has considered playing off and on during the first three months of 2013.

After nearly two years of war, fate smiled on Syria for a brief moment on Thursday as its national football team scored a historic 1-0 victory in the West Asia Cup.

Twenty-one months into a conflict that has killed more than 44,000 people, Syria's national team lined up against Iraq in Kuwait, and in the 73rd minute Ahmed Saleh scored the winning goal.

Oklahoma City Thunder's 12-game winning streak was ended on Thursday by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were guided to a 99-93 victory by J.J. Barea, who scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter.

In Thursday's other games, the Miami Heat closed within a game of the Eastern Conference lead with a win over Dallas while Portland defeated Denver.

Three-time Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton says she coped with depression and a troubled marriage by turning to a life of prostitution.

In a series of posts to her Twitter account, Favor Hamilton acknowledged working as an escort following a report Thursday on The Smoking Gun website about her double life.

Spanish football club Real Sociedad will honor its fans by bearing the names of individual club members on the shirts of its players instead of paid advertising.

Sociedad calls the fan-appreciation initiative "We carry you on our shirts."

Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo plans to remain in charge of the Italian Formula One team even if he decides to run for a seat in the Italian Parliament.

Di Montezemolo has not yet made his plans clear but is gathering support for Prime Minister Mario Monti for another term in office.

Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova Thursday vowed a swift return from cancer surgery that may sideline him for six weeks in a shock for the Spanish league leaders.

"I will be away for a while but I will be back soon," Barcelona sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo quoted Vilanova as telling his players the night before he went in for surgery to his salivary gland.

Bayern Munich's French winger Franck Ribery was banned for two German Cup matches on Thursday after being sent off against Augsburg and will miss the quarterfinal at home to holders Borussia Dortmund.

Ribery was shown a straight red card on Tuesday for an altercation with Augsburg's South Korea midfielder Koo Ja-Cheol early in the second-half of Bayern's 2-0 win.

Real Madrid will face Manchester United in a mouthwatering Champions League last-16 clash that sends Cristiano Ronaldo back to where he made his reputation, and Jose Mourinho to the club many believe he wants to coach one day.

"It is going to be thrilling for everybody," Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno said.

Dirk Nowitzki has gone through his first full practice with the Dallas Mavericks since undergoing knee surgery that forced the 11-time NBA All-Star to miss every game so far this season.

Following the practice on Wednesday, Nowitzki gave no real timetable on when he might make his season debut, except to say "maybe any time after Christmas."