Novak Djokovic showed no rust for someone playing his first Grand Slam match in more than seven months, brushing aside Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round of the French Open. 

Monday’s rout (6-3, 6-1, 6-0) was the 35-year-old’s first match in a major tournament since falling to Daniil Medvedev in last September’s U.S. Open final — a loss that ended his run at a calendar-year Grand Slam.

Now, the World No. 1 leads the pack for his third French title and a $2.3 million payout, is back in the hunt for a record-tying 21st Slam, and is on a collision course with the man he’s chasing, Rafael Nadal.

• Djokovic has earned only $1.4M thus far in 2022. 
• But his $156M in career earnings are the most all-time, topping Roger Federer ($131M) and Nadal ($128M).
• He’s the No. 1 seed for the fourth consecutive year and eighth overall — and has reached at least the quarterfinals each year since 2010.

If both he and the Spaniard advance as expected, Djokovic could meet 13-time French winner Nadal in an epic quarterfinals showdown.

In the meantime, Djokovic continues to court controversy. Months after he was disqualified from January’s Australian Open for being unvaccinated, the Serb condemned Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players in Monday’s post-match comments.

Maybe Djokovic thrives under a siege mentality — after all, he’s the current favorite to win the French (+200) ahead of Carlos Alcaraz (+250) and Nadal (+330).

On Monday, Nazem Kadri managed to transcend both death threats and his own notorious reputation to propel the Avalanche to a playoff victory.

Kadri scored his first career playoff hat trick and added an assist in Colorado’s 6-3 Game 4 win over St. Louis — which puts the Avs one win from the Western Conference Final.

The 31-year-old received racist threats after a seemingly accidental collision in Game 3 with Blues goalie Jordan Binnington will force the latter to miss the rest of the series. Kadri was also on the receiving end of excessive hits from Blues players in Game 4.

But while his detractors continue to knock him for his physicality, Kadri is proving his value for Colorado not as an agitator, but as a depth scorer.

• Kadri recorded career highs in points (87) and assists (59) in the regular season.
• He’s tied for second on the Avs in postseason points (10) with Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen.
• The Ontario native had previously been suspended three times for postseason offenses, serving 16 games total since 2018 — including eight last year.

In addition to an unlikely scorer, Colorado is also getting a relative bargain — for now.

Still playing on his six-year, $27 million extension with the Maple Leafs before being traded to the Avalanche, his $4.5 million 2021-22 cap hit is just eighth on the team — but he’ll be an unrestricted free agent for the first time this summer.

The career-best production — and a lack of postseason suspensions — will only increase Kadri’s leverage.

The Las Vegas Aces seem to have the best of both worlds — they’re the best team in the WNBA but also have the most room to grow under new coach Becky Hammon.

In Monday’s 28-point rout of the Sparks, the Aces tied the WNBA record for most threes in a game with 18, a barrage led by star backcourt duo Kelsey Plum (5 3PM) and Chelsea Gray (4). The Aces (7-1) are averaging a league-high 93.3 PPG (746 total), per ESPN. 

And thanks to smart roster construction, they also have the most cap room in the league, giving them all the tools to win their first title and build a future powerhouse.

• Despite owning the league’s fourth-highest payroll ($1.2M) and highest-paid coach ($1M) in WNBA history, the Aces currently have the most cap space ($57,468).
• Vegas re-signed 2020 MVP A’ja Wilson last offseason for two years, $398,000. She won Western Conference Player of the Week in early May and dropped a season-high 24 points in Monday’s win.
• The Aces also locked in Plum ($196,267) and Gray ($180,250), with the latter signing an extension just before the game.

The Aces are dominating teams under Hammon’s pace-and-space schemes. 

Vegas has made 10.6 threes on 41.3% shooting per game, both league-highs, and already have two games with 14+ threes — no other team has even one.

With a star backcourt, an MVP forward, and an innovative new coach, it’s no wonder the Aces have hometown oddsmakers bullish on their prospects to win it all — they’re the current favorites for the WNBA title (+290).