Nick Kyrgios admitted "emotions got the better of me" after forfeiting his second-round match with Norwegian Casper Ruud at the Italian Open.

The Australian, 24, was in the deciding set when he was given a game penalty, reportedly for swearing, to trail 2-1.

He then kicked a bottle, threw down his racquet, hurled a chair on the court, picked up his bag and walked off.

Kyrgios was fined 20,000 euros (£17,461) for unsportsmanlike conduct and also lost his prize money.

In addition to the prize money of £29,366, he forfeited the 45 ranking points gained during the tournament and was told to cover the costs of his hospitality.

Writing on Instagram, he said: "Very eventful day to say to the least. Emotions got the better of me and I just wanted to say that the atmosphere was crazy out there today, just super unfortunate that it had to end in a default.

"Sorry Roma, see you again, maybe."

Kyrgios has a history of fines for poor behaviour on court and in March clashed with a fan at the Miami Open.

Earlier this week he served underarm during victory over Daniil Medvedev, while his actions on Thursday came as it emerged he told a podcast interview that he "could not stand" Novak Djokovic - who he described as "cringeworthy" - and called Rafael Nadal "super salty".

In the 50-minute interview, Kyrgios, who last year said he was talking to psychologists to address mental health issues, was asked about his opinion on a number of tennis stars.

After branding Roger Federer the "greatest of all time", he went in on Nadal, calling the Spaniard his "polar opposite".

But he had nicer things to say about Britain's Andy Murray, currently out of the game following hip surgery.

"It sucks not seeing him around here, in the locker room he was the best," he said.

Kyrgios' past controversies

Analysis

BBC Tennis correspondent Russell Fuller:

In October 2016, having shown minimal effort in a match with Mischa Zverev in Shanghai, Kyrgios was suspended from ATP tournaments for eight weeks.

A year earlier, in Montreal, Kyrgios had been given a suspended 28-day ban for making a lewd suggestion about Stan Wawrinka's girlfriend.

This time, the Australian can expect at least a heavy fine.

He will be one of the most talked-about people at Roland Garros when the French Open gets under way in 10 days' time. But not because he is thought to have a chance of winning.

Kyrgios is an entertainer, both with a racquet in his hand and when airing his unfiltered views on a podcast, but regularly laments his lack of conditioning.

He is happy to admit he plays too much basketball.

And he knows a coach would probably be a very good idea, but prefers the freedom of only having to answer to himself.

Six years ago Don Armand was a relatively unknown 24-year-old back-row struggling to break into the Stormers Super Rugby side.

He confesses he had "not heard much about Exeter", and would have struggled to pin-point the city on a map before moving to Devon in 2013. His knowledge of the English game was pretty sparse too.

"I'd literally watched about five minutes of Wasps versus [Leicester] Tigers when Lawrence Dallaglio was playing in a final," he recalls.

"I was either playing rugby, studying at university or watching Super Rugby, so English rugby wasn't a big thing."

Armand may have known little then about the emerging Premiership outfit, but their reputation - and that of director of rugby Rob Baxter - had reached Cape Town.

"I heard from people that did know about how good Rob was with the team, and how good the team environment was compared to what I was used to," he said.

"It wasn't about what I saw on TV, it was more what I heard from people that didn't need to say good things about them but did."

Fast forward to 2019 and Armand is regarded as one of English rugby's most dominant and versatile loose forwards, equally adept at flanker or number eight.

One of a host of players Baxter has plucked from relative obscurity and polished into a sparkling gem, the 30-year-old is a mainstay of a Chiefs side targeting a fourth successive Premiership final and a second straight campaign as the league's table-toppers at the end of the regular season.

On Saturday he is poised to make his 100th Premiership appearance when fourth-placed Northampton visit Sandy Park.

"I've seen the team grow, I've seen the guys around me grow," Armand tells BBC Sport.

"It doesn't surprise me that we're in this position. It is where we need to be and it is where we should be and I think going forward we want to find ourselves here in this situation a lot more.

"It's because of the groundwork that's been put in from before I got here, that is still being pushed by Rob Baxter, because he's been the one consistent thing."

Will he add to his two England caps?

While Armand is not a controversial man by any means, his lack of England appearances has become a subject of intense debate in some quarters.

He has only featured twice, as a replacement - once on the 2017 tour to Argentina after being a late call-up for Lions-bound James Haskell, and the other in a Six Nations loss to Ireland at Twickenham in March 2018.

Frustrated initially at his lack of caps, the Zimbabwe-born forward appears more relaxed now about any future international prospects.

"It got into quite a vicious cycle where the England squad would come out and no-one would be 'well done, these guys are going to do well', it was suddenly picking apart the squad and why everyone shouldn't be there.

"It got frustrating because we had Chiefs guys in there and you want them to feel positive about it - if I was there I wouldn't want someone to be saying I shouldn't be there.

"Eddie Jones had his reasons and that was then. I've just got to keep going forward and the focus has got to be the team that is picking me and that's the Chiefs and make sure I put my best foot forward for them."

With a World Cup on the horizon, Armand has a maximum of three more games to try to change Jones' mind before the England head coach names his preliminary squad to prepare for the global jamboree in Japan starting in September.

"You never write it off, but it would be way out of line for me to say that my focus was on playing so I could get to the World Cup," Armand says.

"There's guys that approach the game differently and they'll want to play well to be in the World Cup.

"My approach is if I play well and if I play in a World Cup then it's great, but I don't need that to be a distraction right now because that's two months into the future and it's out of my hands.

"What's important is each of us play our best this weekend so we go forward with a bit of momentum into the semis and hopefully the final."

When Welsh rugby players leave for clubs in England, their departures are often cloaked in a language of fear: the dread that a talent drain is sucking the life out of the sport in their homeland.

Josh Adams is different.

This is not someone who made his name at a Welsh region before being lured away by the lucre of foreign leagues - but rather a young player who tried to make the grade in Wales, only to fall through the net before eventually rebuilding his career over the border.

For that second chance, the Grand Slam winner has Worcester to thank.

Adams is sat pitchside at Worcester's Sixways home, admiring this sun-kissed little stadium before making his final appearance here against Saracens on Saturday.

"I haven't thought about it too much but, when the time comes when the final whistle goes and I get presented with my leaving gift, there might be a bit of emotion, but I'll try and hold the tears back," the Cardiff Blues-bound Wales wing says.

"This place has been fantastic for me. It's been my home for four seasons. It's somewhere I'll hold closely to my heart and I'm definitely going to miss it.

"They gave me the opportunity when there was nothing else for me. I have to be extremely grateful.

"Without a doubt, this club has made me the player I am today."

Worcester will miss Adams as well. The 24-year-old has scored 38 tries in 64 appearances for the Warriors, with last month's hat-trick against Wasps helping them secure their Premiership survival.

He has not always played such a prominent role, though. Adams' career is one he has had to forge the hard way.

Raised in Hendy, Carmarthenshire, Adams' performances for Coleg Sir Gar earned him a two-year academy contract with the Scarlets but, unable to break into the region's first team, he mostly played for semi-professional club side Llanelli.

Once his two years were up at Parc y Scarlets, Adams was not offered a new deal and, with no other Welsh side showing an interest, he says "it was a case of looking over the bridge".

No games, no hot water

Worcester gave Adams a lifeline but, even after making that move in 2015, he found his progress stunted.

With his route to the first team blocked and without an affiliated semi-pro club like he had in Llanelli, Adams left on loan to play regularly and prove himself.

"Cinderford were in National League One (the third tier of English rugby) at the time and they were struggling, so they were more than happy to get some boys down and give them game-time," he recalls.

"It was quite funny going back to grassroots because they're all amateur boys there. Playing in National One was a new league to me, going to places like Tynedale and Hull Ionians away.

"Cinderford's home ground is called Dockham Road. Going into their changing rooms on a Thursday night in January, it was cold, the radiator wasn't working and sometimes the hot water didn't work.

"Small things like that you do take for granted at times. The effort and commitment the boys put in at that level - full-time jobs and training in the evenings - is excellent.

"It did make me appreciate [what I've got] and made me work harder to get where I am now."

Hardened by his time at Cinderford, Adams returned to Worcester before being loaned out again, this time at a higher level with Championship side Nottingham.

But before he had time to impress for his new side, injuries prompted Worcester to recall their young Welshman for a pre-season friendly in Munster.

Adams did not feature in that match and, despite not getting a chance to play in that season's opening fixture with Saracens at Twickenham, he finally got his break at Bath on 17 September, 2016, making his debut as a first-half injury replacement for Dean Hammond.

"You definitely need a bit of luck, but then you've got to take your chance when it comes," says Adams.

Adams certainly seized his opportunity, nailing down a place in the first team and finishing the season with 13 tries from 23 appearances.

By December 2017, Adams was the Premiership's top try scorer and catching the eye of Wales head coach Warren Gatland, who named the Worcester wing in his 2018 Six Nations squad.

A 'mad' first year with Wales

Adams was something of an unknown quantity for some Wales fans less familiar with the domestic English game, but he soon looked at home at Test level with some assured displays during that campaign and then in Argentina the following summer.

"Mad really," Adams grins when he looks back on his first 15 months in the Wales set-up.

"When you first come into the Six Nations squad, you're very nervous. You know a few of the lads, but I remember my first day walking into the team room and I was one of the last in there.

"Everyone was in there eating food and, even though they're not looking at you, it feels as if all the eyes are on you. It's that daunting feeling.

"But now I feel much more relaxed in that environment and I feel like I can perform in that environment. That does take time."

If his first season with Wales was a settling period, Adams' second campaign was when he truly announced himself on the world stage.

In Wales' opening win over France, Adams lit the fuse for an inspired Wales comeback with a fleet-footed break which led to Tomos Williams' try.

Adams then crossed for a try of his own the following week in Italy - but it was his role in the triumph over England which etched his name into Welsh rugby lore.

In the 78th minute at a deafeningly loud Principality Stadium, Wales had edged into a 16-13 lead in an utterly absorbing, draining encounter between two sides still with Grand Slam aspirations intact.

Wales' fly-half Dan Biggar sent a booming crossfield kick towards the far corner, where Adams - his head bandaged from an earlier scrape - leapt above Elliot Daly, juggled the ball on his way down, clutched it to his chest and then stretched over for a match-winning score.

"It's probably the second most special moment of career, after standing on the podium after winning the Grand Slam against Ireland," he says.

"The importance of the game against England, everybody was fired up and it was my first try at the Principality Stadium.

"It was a special moment and one I've watched back a few times."

Six Nations stardom

Wales fans would not begrudge Adams if he was to watch it every day for the rest of his life, but his next try - a dazzling individual effort against Scotland - was arguably an even stronger contender for a personal showreel.

Those scores, together with a typically disciplined and wholehearted display in the Grand Slam-clinching win over Ireland, saw Adams nominated for the Six Nations Player of the Tournament award.

That accolade went to his captain Alun Wyn Jones, who said moments after the Ireland win that Wales had "put a target on their backs" for the World Cup later this year.

It is a view Adams shares. After a career like Jones', he knows better than most that you cannot take anything for granted.

But what his long road to the top has also taught Adams is the power of belief: with the requisite application and determination, anything is possible.

"We've got a lot of expectations on us with how well we've done in the autumn and Six Nations, but that's something we're going to relish," says Adams.

"We've put a target on our backs. People are going to want to stop that unbeaten run we've built up. That's fine, that's going to happen - it's just about focusing on ourselves.

"We don't look too far ahead because that's when you get caught up in things.

"Our focus is making sure we top that pool first, then the quarter-final, semi-final and, who knows, potentially a World Cup final."

For the latest Welsh rugby news follow @BBCScrumV on Twitter.

Mako Vunipola will miss the climax to double-chasing Saracens' pursuit of the Premiership title after being ruled with a "significant" hamstring injury.

Vunipola was forced off after half an hour of last Saturday's Heineken Champions Cup final win over Leinster.

But Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall insists the British & Irish loose-head will be available for England's World Cup campaign.

Fellow prop Titi Lamositele will also miss the Premiership title push.

"Mako has a torn hamstring," said McCall. "We're waiting to see exactly what happens with that, but I very much doubt he'll play again this season. Neither will Titi.

"Mako won't be out of the World Cup, but he'll be out for a while. It's quite a significant injury. It's disappointing to lose two players of that quality. It makes us a little bit vulnerable."

Vunipola missed a large chunk of the Six Nations with an ankle injury and then suffered another injury to the same joint that resulted in an aborted comeback.

His appearance at Newcastle's St James' Park was only his second match since the Six Nations win over France in mid-February.

Both players were due to be rested as part of sweeping changes for the climax to the regular Premiership season at Worcester on Saturday.

They will now miss a home play-off semi-final on 25 May and, if Sarries progress, the final at Twickenham a week later.

BBC Radio 5 Live has secured exclusive radio commentary rights to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Commentary of each game during the tournament, which features England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, will be broadcast on Radio 5 Live and Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.

It runs from 20 September to 2 November.

New Zealand have won the past two tournaments and beat Australia in the 2015 final at Twickenham.

"The Rugby World Cup 2019 is a key moment in this year's sporting calendar," said head of BBC radio and digital sport Ben Gallop.

World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont added: "World Rugby is excited about the appointment of the BBC as the rights-holding radio broadcaster for Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, which promises to be a very special and game-changing celebration of rugby."

The BBC Sport website and app will have live text and radio commentary of the World Cup.

BBC Rugby Correspondent Chris Jones will lead the BBC Radio commentary team while Sonja McLaughlan and Matt Dawson will lead BBC Radio 5 Live's coverage.

The 20-team tournament will be played in 12 cities across Japan.

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Gene Haas is the entrepreneurial mastermind behind Haas F1 Team, whose voyage into Formula One has seen the outfit boast improved points finishes in every season since their arrival into the series in 2016.

Speaking to Mobil 1 The Grid, team principal Guenther Steiner joins drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean to discuss the American spirit within the team, as well as how the organisation works with its U.S. cousins, NASCAR outfit Stewart-Haas Racing.