national briefs

MLB

Oakland Athletics slugger Jack Cust, who was named in the Mitchell Report for the… MLB

Oakland Athletics slugger Jack Cust, who was named in the Mitchell Report for the use of performance-enhancing drugs, denied ever experimenting with steroids, according to ESPN.

Cust, who burst onto the scene this year with 26 home runs in only 395 at-bats, questioned the comments of former minor-league teammate Larry Bigbie, who admitted that Cust told him of his prior use of steroids.

The report stated that Bigbie and Cust had lockers next to each other in 2003 as members of the Triple-A Ottawa Lynx (Phillies), but Cust claimed that they were not neighbors in the locker room and that he never admitted the use of drugs to Bigbie or to anyone.

NBA

Former No. 1 draft pick Chris Webber appears to be returning to the team with which he earned the Rookie of the Year Award in 1994, the Golden State Warriors, according to ESPN.com.

Golden State coach Don Nelson offered Webber an invitation to his squad, which is lacking a true power forward. Webber split last season between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Detroit Pistons but has yet to play this year.

Webber forced a trade to Washington in 1994 after his relationship with Nelson, who was in his first stint as coach for the Warriors, deteriorated to the point of no return.

Tennis

Novak Djokovic knocked off upstart Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets Sunday to claim the Australian Open men’s title.

The victory was the first Grand Slam title for the 20-year-old Serbian native. Djokovic upset Roger Federer, the No. 1 player in the world, in the semifinals to reach the final round.

Djokovic lost the first set to Tsonga, 4-6, but he rallied to capture the next three sets, the final one in a tiebreaker.

Maria Sharapova won the women’s title a day before Djokovic, beating Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic in straight sets.