Defending champion Rafael Nadal out of U.S. Open

Defending champion Rafael Nadal will skip the U.S. Open because of the coronavirus pandemic, putting on hold his bid to equal Roger Federer's men's record for Grand Slam titles.

Nadal explained his decision on Twitter, with messages sent in Spanish and English on Tuesday.

"The situation is very complicated worldwide, the COVID-19 cases are increasing, it looks like we still don't have control of it," Nadal wrote.

The 34-year-old Spaniard called sitting out the tournament scheduled to begin Aug. 31 in New York "a decision I never wanted to take," but added that he would "rather not travel."

The current No. 1-ranked woman, Ash Barty, already had announced she would be missing the U.S. Open. Players can withdraw until the start of play.

Texas Christian football coach Gary Patterson apologized on Twitter for repeating a racial slur when telling a TCU player to stop using the slur in team meetings.

The tweet came a day after school Chancellor Victor Boschini said the nearly 20-year leader of TCU's program, who is white, had apologized for using the slur during a confrontation with linebacker Dylan Jordan, who is Black, at practice.

Roger Penske has reversed course and decided not to allow fans at the Indianapolis 500 later this month. The 104th running of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" will be the first without spectators, who showed up at Indianapolis Motor Speedway every year, even during the Great Depression.

It was a flip for Penske, who purchased the iconic speedway in January and has spent every day since upgrading his new showplace to prepare for his favorite race. The pandemic forced the race to change dates for the first time, from Memorial Day weekend to Aug. 23.

Olympics: A bill that would give Congress the power to dissolve the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee's board of directors and would more than double the federation's funding for the U.S. Center for SafeSport passed the Senate unanimously. The bill was written in response to multiple investigations about the failings of the USOPC and its affiliated sports organizations in the wake of the Larry Nassar sex-abuse scandal.

Gymnastics: Former Michigan State coach Kathie Klages was sentenced to 90 days in jail for lying to police during an investigation into Nassar. Klages, 65, was found guilty in February of a felony and a misdemeanor for denying she knew of Nassar's abuse prior to 2016 when survivors started to come forward publicly.

Soccer: Joe Bryan scored twice in extra time and Fulham secured an instant return to the Premier League by beating west London rival Brentford 2-1 in the Championship playoff final. Brentford was trying to return to England's top division after a 73-year absence.