A summary of the results from the latest round of South Africa's Four-Day first-class tournament

The Titans celebrated coach Mandla Mashimbyi's 40th birthday with a resounding win over the Warriors in Port Elizabeth. They have created significant daylight between themselves and the other teams in the group, which includes the Warriors.

The Warriors were still missing players from last week's Covid19 incident, which saw six of their squad forced to sit out. South Africa's franchise players are tested every two weeks which means that even if any of the six have recovered, they could not rejoin the Warriors for this round. Again, their depth was challenged as they were bowled out for 231 by the Titans, with Lizaad Williams' 4 for 64 leading the way. Half-centuries from Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen and Sibonelo Makhanya gave the Titans a 62-run lead but their performance in the field in the second innings pressed home their advantage. The Warriors were shot out for 124, thanks largely to Tabraiz Shamsi's 8 for 32, leaving the Titans with 63 runs to win, which they polished off before lunch on the final day.

In Bloemfontein, the Knights pulled away at the top of Pool A beating the Dolphins by 227 runs. The Knights were in control throughout this fixture throughout, posting 424 in their first innings built and dismissing the Dolphins for 162. The seam bowlers Alfred Mothoa (4 for 35) and Migael Pretorius (3 for 50) did the bulk of the damage. Rather than enforce the follow-on, the Knights batted again and declared on 208 for four, to set the Dolphins and improbable 471 to win. The Dolphins batted past lunch on the final day but it was in vain as the Knights' bowlers plugged away to reach the inevitable conclusion. Pretorius picked up four for 52 to finish with seven wickets in the match and is the competition's leading seamer so far.

And at the Wanderers, the Cobras clung on for a draw after starring down the barrel of a second successive defeat this season. The Lions', led by Beuran Hendricks' ripped through the Cobras on a wet first day with a seven-for and skittled them out for 107. The hosts them built on their advantage with a total of 324, and had enough of a lead to push for an innings win. Half-centuries with Tony de Zorzi and Kyle Verreynne allowed the Cobras to bat deep into the final day and build a lead, which the Lions did not get the opportunity to chase. George Linde hit a fifty late on the day too. Hendricks also completed a ten-for for the match in the course of the second innings.

On the National Radar

Beuran Hendricks' career-best 7 for 29 in the first innings against the Cobras at his home ground, the Wanderers (where South Africa will play one of their two Tests against Sri Lanka this summer) will not have gone unnoticed. Although Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi are likely to be the first choice quicks, South Africa may go all-pace and Hendricks has put his hand up to be in the attack.

In Port Elizabeth, Shamsi showed why South Africa may not want to consider unleashing their firepower alone. He claimed a Titans' record, beating Dale Steyn's 8 for 41 in the 2007/8 season, to bowl the Titans to victory and leads the wicket-takers' list after two rounds.

Pieter Malan's twin failings (9 and 1) and Markram's inability to get going with 17 may mean the selectors have to look elsewhere for a partner to Elgar, who is now the frontrunner to be named Test captain. Sarel Erwee, who sits atop the run charts, has made a strong case for consideration. Temba Bavuma (32) and Rassie van der Dussen (22) have also struggled to set the stage alight, but Kyle Verrerynne (51 and 72) and Heinrich Klaasen (68) are showing signs of strong form setting up an interesting tussle for middle-order spots.

Top Performers

Raynard van Tonder topped up on his 85 last week with a daddy hundred in this round to bat the Dolphins out of Bloemfontein from day one. Van Tonder scored 119 on the first day and turned into 166 by midway through the second and shared in partnerships all the way through the Knights' innings. Though he is usually referred to as one for South Africa's future, for someone with such a penchant for run-scoring, that future may start this summer. Dominic Hendricks was the other centurion from this round, with 130 opening the batting for the Lions.

Kentucky offensive line coach John Schlarman died Thursday after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 45.

Schlarman was beloved by his players and fellow coaches. He served as an inspiration, given the way he continued working through his diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer of the bile ducts, more than two years ago. He rarely missed a practice, shuttling back and forth from Lexington to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to receive treatments.

Drake Jackson, a veteran offensive lineman, told ESPN in March that Schlarman was -- and remained -- the funniest person in the building.

"He has a charisma and a work ethic all coaches strive for," Jackson said. "He's just a complete person. It's not fake. It's not artificial."

Kentucky coach Mark Stoops echoed those sentiments. Former offensive coordinator Neal Brown recommended he hire Schlarman, a former Kentucky player, when Stoops was forming his inaugural coaching staff more than seven years ago.

Stoops said Schlarman's nickname, "The Great American," was a testament to how well liked he was.

"I'm heartbroken to learn about the passing of my friend, John Schlarman," Stoops said in a statement. "My prayers go out to LeeAnne and the kids, Joseph, Benjamin, Matthew and Evelyn, through this very difficult time.

"John was everything we all strive to be -- honest, tough, fair, respected. Kentucky football won't be the same without him but his legacy will never fade. He was a fighter and we will strive every day to honor his warrior spirit."

Fellow assistant Vince Marrow told ESPN in March that "John Schlarman is my hero."

Schlarman's offensive lines were among the best in the SEC. They were semifinalists in 2016 and 2019 for the Joe Moore Award, which is given to the nation's top offensive line.

"The UK Athletics family is in deep sorrow on the passing of John Schlarman," UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart said. "Throughout the last two years, he has been an incredible inspiration. He taught people how to live and showed all of us what it means to be courageous.

"John was a great husband and father, teacher and leader. He will be remembered for the love he had for his family, his dedication to his players and his excellence as a coach. Our prayers and heartfelt condolences are with his family and all who knew and loved him."

SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Selinsgrove Speedway has set its preliminary schedule for the Modern Heritage 410 sprint cars ahead of the upcoming season, with eight dates and counting.

Originally announced to be March 27, the 410 sprint car season debut at the track has now been moved to Sunday afternoon, March 28, at 2 p.m.

The speedway will return one month later, on April 25, with the traditional Ray Tilley Classic, honoring the winningest sprint car driver in track history.

As previously announced, the USAC National Sprint Car Series  will invade Selinsgrove for the first time in decades as part of the USAC Eastern Storm tour on Thursday, June 17.

The 30-lap, $6,000 to win USAC Eastern Storm event will be the first USAC 410 sprint car race at the track in 50 years.

The Pennsylvania Speedweek finale and Jan Opperman Memorial, paying $7,500 to win as part of the track’s 75th anniversary season of races, is set for Sunday, July 4.

Saturday, July 24 will find the 410 sprints competing in the Summer Championship.

The 41st annual Jack Gunn Memorial will again feature the 410 sprints in 2021, set to take place on Saturday, Aug. 28.

Just one week later, on Sunday, Sept. 5 the oval will host the Jim Nace Memorial National Open Qualifier for the 410s as part of a special Labor Day weekend racing program.

The sprint car season at the track will culminate on Saturday night, Sept. 25 with the running of the 39th annual Jim Nace Memorial National Open, again paying $20,000 to win.

The event carries a rain date of Sunday, September 26.

Additional scheduling details will be released in the coming weeks as work continues on finalizing the Selinsgrove Speedway slate for next year.

New clay was recently added to the track surface as part of off-season work at the venue.

The climax of the UEFA Nations League is here -- stream LIVE on ESPN+ (U.S. only) -- with some of the continent's biggest teams fighting for a place in the finals in October 2021, as well as preferable seeding ahead of the World Cup 2022 qualifying draw.

This year, preparations have been disrupted by COVID-19 -- due to both the virus and players battling an intense fixture pile-up, a number of Europe's best talents are unavailable. Finally, in this most turbulent of years, there is a growing unease around one of Europe's most successful nations, while others feel that this is the right time to bring in some exciting young talent.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of the final two rounds of Nations League group play.

- What is the UEFA Nations League?
- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)

COVID chaos

The build-up to the Nations League has been a tangle of logistics, biosecure bubbles, COVID-19 testing and load management. But also muddying the waters are the differing quarantine rules from country to country, with the new restrictions on Denmark proving particularly taxing. The UK government has banned all travel from Denmark by non-UK citizens and has not offered an exemption for elite athletes. So, with Iceland playing Denmark on Sunday, Iceland's team, as things stand, will not be permitted to travel to the UK to face England at Wembley on Wednesday, leaving the two countries scrambling to find a neutral base for their game.

This is also affecting the Denmark squad with neither Tottenham's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, nor Brentford's Henrik Dalsgaard and Mathias Jensen, released for international duty.

COVID-19 has also put a direct dent in the Denmark squad with Hoffenheim's Robert Skov and a physio testing positive, while Belgium captain Eden Hazard has too and will miss out this week. Germany will be without Niklas Sule, Kai Havertz and Emre Can while striker Eden Dzeko will be absent for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Then there is Italy. Manager Roberto Mancini, who has tested positive, named a bloated 41-man squad for their three matches -- one friendly against Estonia and Nations League games against Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina -- given the upheaval at home due to the pandemic, that saw six Serie A clubs recently report positive results.

Injury toll

With a number of Europe's best players sidelined through injury, club managers will be keeping their fingers crossed that their stars return home unscathed after three bruising games in seven days. England are already sweating on Marcus Rashford's fitness after he injured his shoulder against Everton, Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss out following his calf injury against Manchester City on Sunday and Joe Gomez is facing an extended period on the sidelines after injuring his knee in training Wednesday.

Elsewhere, Spain are without Barcelona's Ansu Fati following a knee injury that's expected to keep him out for four months, and Germany star Joshua Kimmich is unavailable until January with a knee injury he picked up against Borussia Dortmund.

The Netherlands sent Steven Bergwijn back to Spurs after fitness tests, and Virgil van Dijk is a long-term absentee; Nathan Ake might be sidelined for weeks after suffering a muscle injury in Wednesday's 1-1 draw vs. Spain. And Belgium will be without Timothy Castagne, Leandro Trossard and Yannick Carrasco.

Portugal have Cristiano Ronaldo available despite the forward picking up an ankle knock at the weekend -- he scored once against Andorra in Wednesday's 7-0 romp after coming on as a half-time sub -- but the list of those on the sidelines is mounting up, much to the anger of their clubs.

Managers are absolutely fuming about the relentless fixture list. Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer called the Premier League schedule "an absolute shambles" and said the authorities had set his team up to "fail" ahead of their win at Everton on Saturday. Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp has previously been critical of the international break and the lack of rest time for the players, while Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho says when his players leave for national duty, "I'm never expecting good things, I'm only expecting negative things. Never good things."

Meanwhile, national team bosses have named larger squads not just to cope with any COVID-19 complications, but also to juggle their options. "It is important that we have enough players we can count on," was Bosnia and Herzegovina boss Dusan Bajevic's message after picking 32 players, but France manager Didier Deschamps has played down any concerns about the players hitting a wall.

"I wouldn't say there's any risk of burnout, but fitness is something that needs to be taken into account," Deschamps said. "These past weeks, the players played in nine matches: one every three days, including the European competitions. I can't say I'm not relieved when I see one of my internationals start on the bench for his club!"

Crunch matches for European giants

We are at the business end of the Nations League group stage, so pool matches are effectively "play-off games" for spots in the semifinals, and for promotion/relegation. Portugal-France in Group 3 on Saturday in Lisbon (2:45 p.m. ET on ESPN+) is a perfect example. Portugal are seeking to defend their Nations League crown and have named a squad of 25 players, with 37-year-old Pepe absent through injury.

"We can take the opportunity to look at players from our extended squad," Portugal boss Fernando Santos said, with one eye on the future. "[Potential debutants] Paulinho and Pedro Neto are part of that list of 40 or 50 players that I think are all very good. There are none of them that I do not trust or do not have quality."

On the other side of the ledger, France's form is very hard to gauge, especially after a shock 2-0 friendly defeat to Finland on Wednesday. Deschamps has tried various different formations -- 4-3-3, playing three at the back, a 4-4-2 diamond -- so you sense he's still testing the water for his best mix ahead of next summer's Euros. There are questions over Kylian Mbappe's fitness due to a hamstring injury, while Benjamin Pavard and Presnel Kimpembe are also doubts.

Deschamps has also spoken out about Paul Pogba's situation at Manchester United, saying "he cannot be happy, neither with his playing time, nor with his positioning."

This is also playing out against a backdrop of angst regarding the draw for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. The top 10 European sides in the FIFA World Ranking will be seeded for the draw next month. Belgium, France, England, Portugal, Spain, and Croatia are all guaranteed Pot 1 seeds, but a bad week for Italy, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, alongside a good week for Switzerland or Poland, could cause one of the more traditional European superpowers to face an awkward route to Qatar 2022 with only the group winners guaranteed to qualify.

Italy (Group 1) are on an unbeaten run of 20 games and Mancini was in bullish form ahead of round batch of matches, which started with a 4-0 friendly win over Estonia on Wednesday. "Poland are ahead of us in the standings? We'll win against Poland and we'll top our group," he said.

Denmark's preparations are up in the air due to COVID-19, and the Netherlands have made an average start to life under Frank de Boer. The Oranje are in real danger of missing out on a spot in the semifinals, drawing 1-1 with Italy last time out, while De Boer has also overseen a 0-0 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina and a 1-0 defeat to Mexico. Their buildup has been disrupted by Bergwijn's unavailability, and Mohamed Ihattaren pulled out with an illness.

If Netherlands lose to Bosnia, and Poland beat Italy, then the meeting of the Dutch and the Poles next week is effectively a shootout for a World Cup qualifying draw seeding spot.

And all is not well with Germany (Group 4). There are dark clouds shrouding the national team, with general manager Oliver Bierhoff lashing out at the media earlier in the week, asking them to support the national team instead of being overly critical. He admits there is a growing gulf in relations between the country and national team, but while Bierhoff says he believes this is mostly down to the 2018 World Cup disaster, there's also a feeling the national side values financial spreadsheets and projections above everything else.

There is also a growing clamour for Germany to call up previously discarded veterans Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels. They have been in outstanding form and Boateng and Hummels could solve Germany's problems in defence. Despite that, a comeback has been ruled out by manager Joachim Low and Bierhoff. If they slip up against Ukraine on Saturday, their place among the World Cup seeds could be in real doubt.

Germany's match against Spain on Tuesday (2:45 p.m. ET on ESPN+) is a shootout for a spot in the semifinals, and there are also plenty of questions around Luis Enrique's side. Spain suffered a poor loss to Ukraine last time out and there has been plenty of chopping and changing in the squad.

Who is Spain's No. 1 goalkeeper? Who is best placed to partner Sergio Ramos in defence? And who will score up front? It looks likely David De Gea will remain between the posts ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga and Unai Simon, Pau Torres will play alongside Ramos, while they have called up a rejuvenated Alvaro Morata to answer their issues up front. "Since [Alvaro] Morata returned to Juventus, he is a different player both in attack and in defence," Luis Enrique said. Let's hope he manages to stay onside.

And in Group 2, favourites Belgium welcome England to Leuven on Sunday (2:45 p.m. ET on ESPN+) -- after the game was moved from Brussels due to the city's 10 p.m. curfew. England have to win the game to stay in contention for a place in the finals for the second successive edition. But in the back of the players' minds is the physical toll of this run of fixtures.

"It's all too much, not just for me," winger Thorgan Hazard said. "Champions League, Bundesliga, Nations League ... I don't want to complain too much because we have to do our job, but it is a lot.

"Well, here at the Red Devils, everyone will get playing time. The national coach has selected many players. Playing them in all three matches for 90 minutes would be difficult. The players will not burn themselves out. Our coaches also ask us to be careful, not to risk too much."

New faces

With all the absentees and upheaval, the international window gives managers the chance to introduce some youngsters. Borussia Monchengladbach's Marcus Thuram, 23, is looking to follow in his father Lilian's footsteps for France. He has been superb for Gladbach this season, with three goals and five assists in 11 matches, and is one of two uncapped players in Deschamps' squad -- 27-year-old Monaco defender Ruben Aguilar being the other.

Elsewhere, England could hand a debut to 17-year-old midfielder Jude Bellingham, called up following the withdrawal of Southampton's James Ward-Prowse. Bellingham joined Borussia Dortmund in the summer and has made 11 appearances to date, including 30 minutes off the bench against Bayern Munich at the weekend. If he makes his debut, the incredibly talented teenager will become the third-youngest England player in history after Theo Walcott and Wayne Rooney.

There are also potential debuts for exciting right-back Bote Baku for Germany, with uncapped defensive duo Philipp Max and Felix Uduokhai also named. Meanwhile, Belgium have selected Hertha Berlin striker Dodi Lukebakio in their squad.

Spain have Atletico Madrid's midfielder/forward Marcos Llorente in the party, while there is a recall for Arsenal's Hector Bellerin -- hoping to make his first appearance since 2016. Italy have a host of potential debutants with Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Davide Calabria (AC Milan), Gian Marco Ferrari (Sassuolo), Luca Pellegrini (Genoa), Matteo Pessina (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Hellas Verona) and Pietro Pellegri (Monaco) all in the squad.

Note: Additional reporting by Stephan Uersfeld, Julien Laurens, Dale Johnson, Alex Kirkland, Sam Marsden and Andrew Cesare Richardson

Turns out there is some normalcy to this Masters: rain.

About a half-hour after Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player hit honorary tee shots before the smallest crowd ever, a rumble could be heard from Amen Corner. It wasn't a roar, but an approaching storm. The course was evacuated because of lightning in the area at about 7:35 a.m.

Because of moving the tournament to November and the tight window of daylight hours, play began off both sets of tees.

And with no spectators, only about 500 people -- Augusta National members and family, a few players' wives, media and tournament officials -- gathered around the first tee to watch Nicklaus and Player hit their drives. Nicklaus' wife, Barbara, was dressed in the white coveralls for caddies.

Most jarring was the sound of a drone -- a first for the Masters. Club chairman Fred Ridley said two drones would be used for the week.

Also peculiar was 1988 champion Sandy Lyle wearing suspenders. When he hit his tee shot off the 10th for the earliest start and with fog clinging to the fairways, Lyle turned and said, "Where did it go?"

Nine players have completed one hole. No one made a birdie. Amateur Yuxin Lin of China made double bogey on No. 10.

Right-hander Kevin Gausman accepted the San Francisco Giants' $18.9 million qualifying offer Wednesday and will return to the team in 2021.

Gausman, 29, was 3-3 with a 3.62 ERA during the pandemic-shortened season for the Giants as he returned to his familiar role as a starting pitcher.

Geaux Giants!! ??? @SFGiants

— Kevin Gausman (@KevinGausman) November 11, 2020

He had a sterling 4.9 strikeouts-to-walks ratio (79-16) in 2020 and his average fastball velocity was up by 1.2 mph to 95.1 mph, but Gausman, who rarely throws a breaking ball, threw his straight fastball less often. He instead spotted his splitter lower in the zone and his four-seamer higher, and Gausman had better results. The change could be attributed to what he learned during 14 relief appearances with the Cincinnati Reds to close the 2019 season, after he was waived by the Atlanta Braves.

Gausman worked through a foot injury early in the 2019 season and was just 3-7 with a 6.19 ERA in 16 starts before he was waived by the Braves, who acquired him at the 2018 trade deadline from the Baltimore Orioles.

In eight major league seasons, Gausman is 50-66 with a 4.26 ERA, 934 strikeouts and 296 walks in 203 appearances (164 starts) for the Giants, Reds, Braves and Orioles, for whom he played his first five-plus seasons.

The 2020 event had been set for Ireland before it was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic

The next edition of the SPAR European Cross Country Championships is still set for Dublin, despite this year’s event having been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Fingal-Dublin had been due to host the 2020 event on December 13 but will now welcome athletes for the next championships in 2021.

Competition, scheduled for December 12 next year, will take place at the National Sports Centre Campus on the outskirts of Dublin in Blanchardstown.

Torino-La Mandria Park in Italy will now host the event in 2022.

“Unfortunately, Dublin was unable to host this year’s SPAR European Cross Country Championships but we would like to thank Torino-La Mandria for their cooperation to allow Dublin to stage next year’s event,” said European Athletics interim president Dobromir Karamarinov.

“Ireland and Italy both have a rich tradition in staging not only continental but also global cross country events so we are naturally delighted to reallocate the next two editions of the championships to two proud and passionate cross country running nations.”

Athletics Ireland previously hosted the European Cross in Santry Demesne in 2009.

Dublin also held the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2002 on Leopardstown Racecourse, where winners included Paula Radcliffe and Kenenisa Bekele.

“We are delighted to be hosting the SPAR European Cross Country Championships for 2021 and we would like to thank European Athletics and FIDAL for their support in facilitating the event returning to Ireland next year,” said Liam Hennessy, chairman of the Fingal-Dublin 2021 local organising committee.

“Covid-19 had resulted in the championships which were set to take place in Fingal, Dublin, next month being cancelled, but we can now look forward to working with Fingal County Council, Sport Ireland and RTÉ to ensure the 2021 SPAR European Cross Country Championships scheduled for December 12 is a memorable occasion for both athletes and spectators.”

Maurizio Damilano, who is part of the promotion committee for the Torino-La Mandria 2022 SPAR European Cross Country Championships, said: “Together with the Piemonte Region and FIDAL, we have immediately accepted in the spirit of collaboration the request of European Athletics and the Dublin LOC to postpone our SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Torino-La Mandria Park to 2022.

“In this difficult time throughout Europe, it seems important to us – with the sporting spirit that has always characterised Italian Athletics – to show our availability towards European Athletics and our friends in Dublin. We fully understand the efforts of those who continue working with great dedication for the support and growth of European Athletics.”

He's a British Grand Slam champion and among the favourites at next week's ATP Finals but Joe Salisbury is still far from a household name.

"I'm not a limelight person, not really a social media person, I'm quite happy to stay under the radar," he tells BBC Sport when asked if he is bothered that Andy and Jamie Murray usually grab the headlines and the focus.

The 28-year-old Londoner has quietly gone about lifting the Australian Open men's doubles title as well as reaching a US Open semi-final and French Open quarter-final this year with his American partner Rajeev Ram.

Not bad for someone who almost had to give up tennis as a teenager.

"I hit a wall at 15. I had glandular fever and couldn't play for around a year around the ages of 16 to 18," says Salisbury, who started playing tennis at the age of three and was brought up a few miles away from the grass courts of Wimbledon, in Putney.

"The glandular fever set me back. I had injuries and I was a late developer [in terms of height]."

He eventually grew to 6ft 4in (1.93m), but not before he had come up with a Plan B - an economics degree at the University of Memphis.

He's not sure why he picked that subject - "it seemed a good idea" - but some of what he studied may have stopped him frittering away his winner's cheque for more than £200,000 for his maiden Grand Slam in January.

"I just put it straight in the bank," he says. "I'm in the process of buying a flat in London."

The US college route in an increasingly popular one for young players who may not be ready to join the pro Tour, providing plenty of top-class playing opportunities alongside an education. British number three Cameron Norrie followed a similar path.

After Salisbury graduated he spent a couple of years trying to forge a singles career in Challenger and Futures events before his health once again derailed his plans.

"I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue, which the doctors thought might be to do with the glandular fever," he says.

"I was doing better in doubles and it's not as physically demanding so I decided to concentrate on that."

It was, however, financially demanding as it was costing him more to play than he was earning.

"I was really lucky that my parents were able to support me financially and emotionally," he says.

Salisbury can pinpoint the moment when, at the relatively ripe age of 26, his tennis career took off - a Wimbledon semi-final in 2018 alongside then partner Frederik Nielsen of Denmark.

Not only did he earn a handy £56,000 but his world ranking leapt from 80 to 41.

He started looking around for a new doubles partner - it sounds like a system a bit like dating where you are "talking to a few players at the same time" before deciding who might be the best fit - and eventually settled on American journeyman Ram.

They clicked almost instantly, winning two titles and reaching another three finals in their first season together, which culminated in qualification for the 2019 end-of-season ATP Finals that feature the top eight teams.

Last year the pair went out in the group stage but now with a Grand Slam title - which they won with the loss of just one set - and deep runs at the other two majors of the year, Salisbury believes they can go much further.

"Last year I think there was a little bit of pressure as the only Brit [at the tournament]," he says.

"I think this year's different - there was a bit of a feeling that it was great to have qualified last year but this time we want to win."

He could still be joined by compatriots Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski in the doubles draw depending on their results this week, but there are no Britons in the singles.

Salisbury's preparations for the ATP Finals have been hampered by having to self-isolate this month because of contact with someone with Covid-19 but he will be out of quarantine in time for some practice before the event starts on Sunday.

The atmosphere at the O2 Arena will be very different to last year, with the event held behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic, but there will still be plenty of people watching from afar.

And Salisbury may be hoping to catching the eye of one in particular with thoughts turning to next year's postponed Tokyo Olympics.

When asked who he would like to partner if he is selected, he replies without hesitation: "Andy."

"I'd love to play with him. We haven't discussed it," he adds. "I didn't think I'd ever play at an Olympics."

If that happens, he might just have to get used to a bit more time in the limelight.