CELEBRITY
Williams ready to find new Serena after U.S. Open exit
A defiant Serena Williams bid an emotional good-bye to the U.S. Open with a third-round loss to Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday, in what may have been the last singles match of her glittering career.
Defeat has always been hard to swallow for the fiercely competitive Williams and no doubt the 7-5 6-7 (4) 6-1 loss to the 46th ranked Australian stung her to her core.
But after a joyous run into the third round there was no shame in a loss to the gritty Tomljanovic, allowing the 23-times Grand Slam winner to exit with dignity intact and head held high
Her three matches, highlighted by a second-round win over world number two Anett Kontaveit, were a gift to her fans, the relentless never-surrender attitude that made her tennis’ dominant player for over two decades on display right until the very final point.
“Clearly I’m still capable,” Williams told reporters. “But it takes a lot more than that.
“I’m ready to be a mom, explore a different version of Serena.
“Technically in the world I’m still super young, so I want to have a little bit of a life while I’m still walking.
“I have such a bright future ahead of me.”
Always up for a fight, the 40-year-old came out swinging, forcing Tomljanovic to go the distance.
The Australian needed six match points to deliver the knockout punch and bring an end to an engrossing three-plus-hour slugfest.
Without a WTA Tour title and never before going beyond the quarter-finals of any Grand Slam, Tomljanovic has spent most her career as one of tennis’ lesser-known names.
But now the 29-year-old will live on forever in tennis history and at sport trivia pub nights, as the answer to the question; “Who was the last player to beat Serena Williams”.
“No one’s going to pronounce my name right,” laughed Tomljanovic. “That’s going to suck.
“I don’t think I’ve been part of tennis history, so that’s pretty cool.”
Williams had signalled her intention to retire in a Vogue article in early August, saying she was “evolving away from tennis” but never confirming the U.S. Open as her final event.
Given the opportunity to put speculation to rest that the U.S. Open may not be the end, Williams left the door open just a crack.
Asked whether she might be tempted to return to tennis, she responded: “I don’t think so but you never know.”
“I always did love Australia, though,” she later told reporters, hinting at a tilt at the Australian Open in January.
For fans, however, the message was clear, the U.S. Open would be where Williams would take her final bow.
The raucous New York crowd that had backed her from the very beginning and over the years, fuelling her runs to six U.S. Open titles, was in her corner once again but could not lift her to one more win.
“I BELONG HERE NOW”
Tomljanovic, who is yet to win a WTA Tour tournament, appeared to have had little chance against Williams, winner of 73 career titles, but would not be intimidated.
Before stepping out onto center court Tomljanovic paused for a moment and touched the plaque quoting Billie Jean King that hangs at the entrance: “Pressure is a Privilege”.
“I liked the quote,” explained Tomljanovic. “I felt pressure, from myself, where I’m at in my career.
“I feel like I belong here now. That’s why I expect myself to perform well in these circumstances. When I saw that, yeah, just felt right.”
Despite an electric atmosphere the match got off to a sluggish start with the players trading breaks before settling in.
Williams had looked to seize control when she broke Tomljanovic to go ahead 5-3 and serving for the set.
But with Williams two points from a 1-0 lead Tomljanovic dug in, breaking back and sweeping four straight games to steal the set, leaving the stadium stunned.
A defiant Williams, as she has done so many times, lifted her game hitting back in ruthless style in the second and breaking the Australian twice on the way to 4-0.
Playing her fourth match in five nights, Williams suddenly seemed to run out of gas and Tomljanovic, showing some steel of her own, pulled level at 5-5 as the set moved to a tie-break.
Everyone inside Arthur Ashe, now on their feet, knew Williams was not going to exit without a fight, and running on fumes dug into her reserves to take the tie-break 7-4.
Williams had the crowd roaring again when she broke Tomljanovic to start the third but simply had nothing left in the tank. The Australian put the former-world number on the ropes, storming through the next four games for a 4-1 lead.
But Williams was not going to hand Tomljanovic the win, she would have to earn it, needing six match points to get the job done.
-Reuters
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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