Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Living through ‘bubble’ LeBron’s biggest career challenge so far

The Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James believes living in the NBA’s bio-secure bubble has probably been the biggest challenge of his triumph-filled career. Sixteen-time All-Star James arrived in Orlando, Florida, in July along with players from 22 National Basketball Association teams, determined to pick up his fourth NBA title after the deadly coronavirus outbreak had halted professional sports in March. Players digging in for the long haul as damp Paris conditions test patience

The balls are heavier, the air cooler, the clay damper and at this year’s autumnal French Open the matches are going longer as players are forced to grind it out on the dirt. Even in the balmy days of May and June, the tournament’s usual date, the Parisian claycourts are the ultimate test of technique and mental and physical staying power. Djokovic primed for deep run in Paris

Top seed Novak Djokovic said he was ‘physically, mentally, emotionally’ ready to land a second French Open title after beginning his quest in emphatic fashion on Tuesday. In his first Grand Slam match since being disqualified from the U.S. Open this month for inadvertently hitting a line judge with a ball, Djokovic was supreme in a 6-0 6-2 6-3 first-round demolition of young Swede Mikael Ymer. Universal Pictures, LeBron James’ SpringHill sign first-look film deal

Universal Pictures has entered into a four-year, first-look production deal with the SpringHill Company, the entertainment brand created by NBA star LeBron James and co-founder Maverick Carter, the Comcast Corp unit said on Tuesday. Universal has been collaborating with SpringHill for several years and have multiple projects in various stages of development, beginning with an untitled film based on the book “Shooting Stars” by James and Buzz Bissinger and other events in James’ life. More French men crash out in first round at Roland Garros

The lack of spectators did not take the pressure off the French men at their home Grand Slam as none of those playing on Tuesday advanced to the second round at Roland Garros to produce a collective failure only seen once before in the Open era. Ugo Humbert, Richard Gasquet, Gilles Simon, Quentin Halys, Harold Mayot and Gregoire Barrere all exited, leaving only four compatriots in the main draw, just the second time so few French men have got that far since tennis turned professional in 1968. Lightning to celebrate Stanley Cup win with boat parade

The Tampa Bay Lightning are not going to let the COVID-19 outbreak get in the way of celebrating their Stanley Cup triumph as the team announced plans on Tuesday for a socially-distanced boat parade and fan rally. Unlike typical Stanley Cup parades where players pile into vehicles that slowly wind through streets lined with hundreds of thousands of people, the Lightning will instead have a boat parade on the Hillsborough River on Wednesday. Titans, Vikings close facilities after positive COVID-19 tests

The Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings suspended team activities on Tuesday after a number of positive COVID-19 tests following their Sunday game in the third week of the NFL’s 2020 season. The Titans, who played at Minnesota on Sunday, had three players and five team personnel test positive for the virus, the NFL said in a statement. The Vikings have not had a positive test but suspended activities as a precautionary measure. Heat coach says LeBron’s longevity is ‘testament to his greatness’

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra on Tuesday paid tribute to his former player LeBron James, who will make a 10th NBA Finals appearance this week but in a different jersey than when the duo were celebrating titles together. The Los Angeles Lakers’ James spent four seasons under Spoelstra in Miami where he reached the NBA Finals each year and won two championships before going on win another with Cleveland. Tsitsipas survives first-round scare in five-set win over Munar

World number six Stefanos Tsitsipas clawed his way back from two sets down to beat little-known Jaume Munar 4-6 2-6 6-1 6-4 6-4 and survive a French Open first round scare on Tuesday. Tsitsipas, a losing finalist in Hamburg on Sunday, looked to be cruising through the first set after breaking the Spanish clay court specialist at the start to go 3-1 up. Sock says Thiem worthy heir to Nadal but targets upset

Jack Sock has no doubts about Dominic Thiem’s status as the heir apparent to Rafa Nadal on the Parisian clay but the American hopes he can cause an upset when the pair meet in the second round at Roland Garros on Wednesday. Austrian Thiem, beaten by 19-times Grand Slam champion Nadal in the final of the last two editions in Paris, is brimming with confidence after winning his first major at the U.S. Open earlier this month.