CELEBRITY
It’s home-coming for Osaka as she qualifies for Tokyo 2020
Japan’s world number two Naomi Osaka has secured her place at this year’s delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games following the release of the tennis rankings.
The top 56 players in the men’s and women’s singles standings have gained automatic entry into the Games, based on today’s Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and Association of Tennis Professionals rankings.
There is a limit of four players per country, meaning Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys of the United States look set to miss out despite being placed in the top 30 as Sofia Kenin, Serena Williams, Jennifer Brady and Coco Gauff are all ranked ahead of them.
Andy Murray of Britain and Monica Puig of Puerto Rica are the reigning Olympic champions after winning the respective men’s and women’s singles titles at Rio 2016.
The top 10 men’s and women’s doubles pairs have also been assured of their spots at the Games.
Osaka, who has yet to play at an Olympic Games, pulled out of the recent French Open amid the fallout from her decision not to attend press conferences.
The Japanese star was warned by Grand Slam organisers that she faced expulsion from the French Open and future majors if she continued her boycott.
She was fined $15,000 (£10,570/€12,302) after refusing to “honour her contractual media obligations” following a 6-4, 7-6 victory over Patricia Maria Tig of Romania.
In her statement, Osaka said she would take time away from the court.
The 23-year-old has also withdrawn from this week’s Berlin WTA 500 grass-court event, raising doubts over her participation at Wimbledon, which is due to start on June 28.
Osaka grew up in the United States but confirmed her Japanese citizenship in October 2019 in order to represent the host nation at the Games.
The former world number one has previously said winning gold at Tokyo 2020 would be a dream come true.
“It would be the biggest thing I would have achieved in my career, although in some ways that is simply because of timing,” said Osaka in an interview in July 2019.
“I contest grand slams every year, but an Olympic Games is only once every four years so there are not many opportunities to become an Olympic champion.”
Osaka has also expressed concerns for her country, with the Olympics set to be held amid a pandemic and a backdrop of discontent among citizens in Japan.
The women’s and men’s singles draws at Tokyo 2020 will comprise 64 players, with the tennis tournaments scheduled to run from July 24 to August 1 at Ariake Tennis Park.
-insidethegames
Former England soccer captain David Beckham and actor Gary Oldman were knighted in King Charles’ annual birthday honours list on Saturday, while sculptor Antony Gormley was made a Companion of Honour.
Beckham, 50, joined Manchester United as a trainee in 1993, going on to make almost 400 appearances for the club where he won a string of titles and cups.
He subsequently played for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, and Inter Milan, as well as captaining his country 58 times and making 115 appearances.
His marriage to fashion designer and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham in 1999 cemented a celebrity status which went far beyond his sporting exploits.
Oldman, 67, started his career on the stage, where he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, before rising to prominence in film. He won the best actor Oscar for playing Winston Churchill in the 2017 drama “Darkest Hour”.
He also had roles in the “Dark Knight Trilogy” and the “Harry Potter” movie series and more recently starred in the TV spy drama “Slow Horses”.
Other famous names receiving honours included damehoods for musical theatre star Elaine Paige, novelist Pat Barker and ceramics maker Emma Bridgewater.
Roger Daltrey, lead singer of rock band the Who and a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, received a knighthood for services to charity.
More than 1,200 people received honours for their achievements, with a particular focus on those who had given their time to public service, the government said.
King Charles’ official birthday will be celebrated with the annual “Trooping the Colour” military parade in London on Saturday. His actual birthday is on November 14
-Reuters
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One of three judges in Diego Maradona’s closely scrutinized homicide trial in Argentina resigned on Tuesday amid a scandal triggered by the alleged filming of an unauthorised documentary, bringing uncertainty to the future of legal proceedings.
The high-profile trial over the death of soccer star Maradona began on March 11 in the South American country where the World Cup winner is still revered.
-Reuters
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For the third year in a row, and the fifth time overall, Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s highest-paid athlete.
But at age 40, the Portuguese soccer superstar is reaching new highs.
Over the past 12 months, counting both his playing salary at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr and his off-field business endeavors, Ronaldo collected an estimated $275 million before taxes and agent fees—the third-best year by an active athlete ever measured by Forbes.
On that all-time list, Ronaldo is surpassed only by boxer Floyd Mayweather, who earned $300 million in 2015 and $285 million in 2018.
And when it comes to the 2025 leaderboard, Ronaldo has a $119 million advantage over No. 2, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
The League of Wealthy Sportsmen
The gap is especially impressive considering that Curry’s $156 million total is also a record for his sport, beating the NBA mark of $128.2 million set last year by LeBron James.
And there are plenty of other eye-popping paydays among this year’s 10 highest-paid athletes, starting with James, who notched a personal-best $133.8 million to land at No. 6. Meanwhile, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (No. 4, $137million) and New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (No. 7, $114 million) broke records for the NFL and MLB.
Combined, the 10 highest-paid athletes brought in $1.4 billion, up slightly from last year’s $1.38 billion and the largest total since Forbes began ranking athlete earnings in 1990.
This year is also only the second time, after 2024, that every member of the top 10 made at least $100 million.
In fact, heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk ($101 million) and golfer Jon Rahm ($100 million) reached the milestone, too, without managing to crack this list.
For the third year in a row, and the fifth time overall, Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s highest-paid athlete.
But at age 40, the Portuguese soccer superstar is reaching new highs.
Over the past 12 months, counting both his playing salary at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr and his off-field business endeavors, Ronaldo collected an estimated $275 million before taxes and agent fees—the third-best year by an active athlete ever measured by Forbes.
On that all-time list, Ronaldo is surpassed only by boxer Floyd Mayweather, who earned $300 million in 2015 and $285 million in 2018.
And when it comes to the 2025 leaderboard, Ronaldo has a $119 million advantage over No. 2, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
The gap is especially impressive considering that Curry’s $156 million total is also a record for his sport, beating the NBA mark of $128.2 million set last year by LeBron James.
And there are plenty of other eye-popping paydays among this year’s 10 highest-paid athletes, starting with James, who notched a personal-best $133.8 million to land at No. 6. Meanwhile, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (No. 4, $137million) and New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (No. 7, $114 million) broke records for the NFL and MLB.
Combined, the 10 highest-paid athletes brought in $1.4 billion, up slightly from last year’s $1.38 billion and the largest total since Forbes began ranking athlete earnings in 1990.
This year is also only the second time, after 2024, that every member of the top 10 made at least $100 million.
In fact, heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk ($101 million) and golfer Jon Rahm ($100 million) reached the milestone, too, without managing to crack this list.
World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 2025
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