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The 23-year-old has also withdrawn from this week’s Berlin WTA 500 grass-court event, raising doubts over her participation at Wimbledon, which is due to start on June 28.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
Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first footballer to reach billionaire status, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which has valued the Portugal great’s net worth at an estimated $1.4 billion.
The 40-year-old striker’s financial ascent comes after he signed a new contract with Saudi side Al-Nassr in June reportedly worth more than $400 million.
Bloomberg said that Ronaldo earned more than $550 million in salary between 2002 and 2023, supplemented by a decade-long Nike deal worth nearly $18 million annually, and lucrative endorsements with Armani, Castrol and others that added more than $175 million to his fortune.
Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr from Manchester United in 2023 had already made him the highest-paid player in football history, with an annual salary of 177 million pounds ($237.52 million), plus bonuses and a reported 15% share in his Saudi Arabia club.
Argentina and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has earned more than $600 million in pre-tax salary during his career.
Ronaldo’s billionaire status places him among a rare group of athletes that includes basketball greats Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James, golfer Tiger Woods and tennis player Roger Federer.
Ronaldo suggested he is not considering retirement any time soon.
“I still have a passion for this,” he said at the Portugal Football Globes gala on Tuesday. “My family says it’s time to quit and they ask me why I want to score 1000 goals if I’ve already scored 900-something. But I don’t think that way inside.
“I’m still producing good things, I’m helping my club and the national team. Why not continue? I am sure that when I finish I will leave full because I gave everything of myself. I know I don’t have many years left to play, but the few I have left, I have to enjoy them to the fullest.”
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- World Cup7 days ago
Victor Osimhen qualifies South Africa for World Cup as Super Eagles go for Play-Off
- FIFA RANKING4 days ago
Nigeria Jumps Four Places in New FIFA Rankings; Stirs Optimism in Local Football Circles
- World Cup1 week ago
Super Eagles Stranded in Angola After Aircraft Suffers Cracked Windscreen
- World Cup1 week ago
Akor Adams Becomes Nigeria’s 61st Scoring Debutant
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
Serial offenders, Kano Pillars Fined ₦9.5m, Banished to Katsina
- CAF Champions League3 days ago
Two Decades After Their Defeat, Mamelodi Sundowns Return to Abeokuta
- AFCON7 days ago
Tinubu Hails Super Eagles’ Spirit, Assures Support Ahead of World Cup Play-Offs
- CAF Champions League2 days ago
Remo Stars Host Mamelodi Sundowns in Crucial CAF Champions League Showdown