CELEBRITY

Osaka in tears after Indian Wells defeat

Published

3 years ago

March 13, 2022

Naomi Osaka was rattled by a heckler early in her second round match against Veronika Kudermetova on Saturday and never recovered as she fell 6-0 6-4 at Indian Wells.

After being broken in the first game, a fan shouted “Naomi, you suck” and Osaka could later be seen wiping away tears.

After the match, the event’s 2018 champion addressed the crowd on center court, saying the incident reminded her of when Venus and Serena Williams were booed at the tournament in 2001.

“I’ve been heckled before and it didn’t really bother me,” Osaka said while holding back tears.

“But being heckled here. I’ve watched video of Venus and Serena get heckled here and if you’ve never watched it, you should watch it. And I don’t know why, but it went into my head and got replayed a lot.”

“I just want to say thank you and congratulations,” she concluded.

Osaka has been open about her struggles with mental wellness in the past and took a break from the sport following her upset loss at last year’s U.S. Open. She said she was in a great place emotionally coming into the tournament

Kudermetova stayed locked in despite the drama and continued her hot start to the year, outplaying the four-time Grand Slam champion even when she regrouped in the second set.

“It was a really tough match for me against Naomi,” she said.

“She is a great player, she’s a good fighter, and I’m really happy about my performance today. I was so focused and I’m so happy to be here and play in front of you guys.”

SABALENKA STUNNED

Earlier in the day, world number three Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock loss in her first match, falling to Italian Jasmine Paolini 2-6 6-3 6-3 in the second round.

The hard-hitting Belarusian’s serve was broken four times and she committed 10 double faults on a hot day in the Southern California desert.

Diminutive world number 46 Paolini said she was as surprised as anyone to come away with her first win over a top 10 opponent.

“I’m so happy. I didn’t expect this moment,” she said.

“I’m just happy to be here in the third round. I think I played an amazing match. The crowd was amazing. I enjoyed it very much.”

Sabalenka was a favourite to win the event after world number one Ash Barty and world number two Barbora Krejcikova withdrew ahead of the start of the WTA 1000 tournament.

Sabalenka follows Karolina Pliskova and Garbine Muguruza out the door after both top 10 players lost on Friday.

Paula Badosa also kicked off her title defense with a 6-2 7-6(4) win over Tereza Martincova.

The Spaniard had never taken a set off the Czech in their three previous meetings and let out an emphatic scream and pumped her fists after she executed a perfect backhand volley winner on match point.

“I think the difference was I played against her one-and-a-half years ago and I’ve improved a lot in so many ways,” Badosa said.

“Mentally, but physically as well because I think it was a very physical match. I could see how much I improved today.”

Wearing the colors of the Ukrainian flag, Russian-born qualifier Australian Daria Saville upset ninth-seeded Ons Jabeur 7-5 6-7(0) 6-4 in their second round clash.

The Tunisian Jabeur reached the semifinals of the tournament last year but Saville’s relentless return game and defense ultimately won the day.

Petra Kvitova needed every ounce of strength she had to battle past Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-7(4) 6-4 6-4.

The two-time Wimbledon champion took a knee on the court and bowed her head after firing a forehand down the line to end the gruelling contest. She will next face sixth-seeded Greek Maria Sakkari, who was a straight sets winner over Katerina Siniakova.

American Amanda Anisimova retired before the third set of her match against Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez with an apparent illness.

In other second round action, American Shelby Rogers was all smiles after taking down Latvian 10th seed Jelena Ostapenko and fourth-seeded Anett Kontaveit needed just over an hour to cruise past Slovakia’s Kristina Kucova 6-4, 6-1.

-Reuters

CELEBRITY

Former England captain, David Beckham and actor Gary Oldman awarded knighthoods

Published

3 weeks ago

June 14, 2025

Kunle Solaja

David Beckham, businessman and retired football player, waits to meet Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London, Britain, May 19, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville/Pool/File Photo

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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CELEBRITY

Diego Maradona trial judge stands down amid scandal

Published

1 month ago

May 27, 2025

Kunle Solaja

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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CELEBRITY

The World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes in 2025 revealed

Published

2 months ago

May 16, 2025

Kunle Solaja

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.

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.

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

VIEW THE FULL LIST

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