CELEBRITY
Djokovic romps into last four as Bencic reaches Olympic final
Novak Djokovic maintained his Golden Slam bid by thumping Japanese hope Kei Nishikori to reach the men’s Olympic tennis semi-finals, while his chief gold-medal rival Daniil Medvedev was dumped out on Thursday (July 29).
In the women’s draw, Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic set up a final against Naomi Osaka’s conqueror Marketa Vondrousova with a marathon victory over Kazakh Elena Rybakina.
World number one Djokovic, who has already sealed the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles this season, brushed aside Nishikori 6-2, 6-0 in just 70 minutes.
“My best performance of the tournament tonight against a very good, very good opponent,” said Djokovic, who is looking to emulate Steffi Graf’s 1988 Golden Slam – winning all four majors and the Olympic singles in the same year.
“I feel I had an answer for everything he had.”
The Serb did not have to be in peak form against an opponent who offered very little and made 16 unforced errors.
The 34-year-old Djokovic, whose best Olympic result was a bronze medal in Beijing 13 years ago, will face German Alexander Zverev in the last four on Friday after the fourth seed’s 6-4, 6-1 win over Jeremy Chardy.
Djokovic looked comfortable throughout against Nishikori, with the match played in cooler conditions than earlier rounds after he and Medvedev were among players to lobby organisers to change the schedule. The day’s start time was pushed back from 11am local time (10am Singapore time) to 3pm.
“It’s great that we’re playing in the afternoon hours, so we don’t experience too much heat, although it’s still very, very humid,” he added.
Djokovic will now be the hot favourite to reach the final for the first time.
He holds a 6-2 winning record over Zverev and has beaten the world number five in their last five meetings.
‘I wanted to change my skin’
The top seed could still win two golds in Tokyo, after he teamed up with Nina Stojanovic to reach the mixed doubles semis, beating Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-2.
Djokovic’s path to singles glory was made easier when second seed Medvedev was dumped out by Pablo Carreno Busta.
Spaniard Carreno Busta, on his Olympic debut, set up a semi-final with another Russian, Karen Khachanov, by beating an out-of-sorts Medvedev 6-2, 7-6 (7/5).
Medvedev, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, made 26 unforced errors as he struggled to find his usual rhythm, smashing his racquet in frustration at the end of the match before again complaining about the heat.
“I wanted to change my skin because I was sweating like I never did before. It was terrible,” he said.
Khachanov had earlier battled past France’s Ugo Humbert 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-3.
Earlier ninth seed Bencic, who also reached the women’s doubles final with Viktorija Golubic, had to dig deep to edge out Rybakina after playing for two hours and 44 minutes in the searing heat first up on centre court.
She saved five set points in the opening set before winning 7-6 (7/2), 4-6, 6-3.
Vondrousova, the 2019 French Open runner-up, stands in her way on Saturday after again impressing against a high seed by thrashing Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-1.
“I don’t feel pressure right now. I just feel joy to have a medal,” said an emotional Bencic.
Czech left-hander Vondrousova, ranked 42nd, won the pair’s only previous meeting earlier this year in Miami.
“I can’t believe it,” she said. “Maybe it’ll sink in later.”
The men’s doubles final will be just the third Olympic final between the same country – with Croatia’s Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig to play compatriots Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic on Friday.
Women’s world number one Ashleigh Barty kept her golden dream alive despite defeats in the singles and women’s doubles, reaching the mixed doubles semi-finals with John Peers after victory over Greek stars Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
-AFP
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
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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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