
Wimbledon diary: Arthur Ashe remembered and Kasatkina's earring causes problems
It was his third and final grand slam success following victories at the 1968 US Open and 1970 Australian Open. He also captained the US Davis Cup team.
Champion. Trailblazer. Activist. Icon.
Remembering the late, great Arthur Ashe, 50 years on from his 1975 gentlemen's singles triumph.#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/c1W25X2JDn
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 5, 2025
To celebrate the anniversary, Wimbledon have an installation in the International Tennis Centre tunnel and a new museum display about him.
Growing up, Ashe, who died aged 49 in 1993 after contracting AIDS from a blood transfusion during heart surgery in the early 1980s, had been refused permission to play tennis in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia because of his skin colour.
****
British and Irish sporting stars crammed into the Royal Box on day six.
World Cup final hat-trick hero Sir Geoff Hurst, five-time Olympic rowing champion Sir Steve Redgrave and former cricket star Lord Botham were among the special guests.
Sir Geoff Hurst was among the many sporting stars in the Royal Box (Mike Egerton/PA)
They were joined on Centre Court by Olympic champions Dame Denise Lewis, Dame Kelly Holmes and Sir Jason and Dame Laura Kenny, in addition to a host of Paralympians, including 19-time gold medallist Dame Sarah Storey.
As is tradition on middle Saturday of the Championships, the host of famous faces from across the sporting spectrum were invited by All England Club chair Debbie Jevans.
****
Britain's Jodie Burrage had a mixed day.
The 26-year-old was up early to watch boyfriend Ben White make his British and Irish Lions debut in a 26-10 win over New South Wales Waratahs in Sydney.
She then joined forces with Sonay Kartal in the women's doubles, losing 6-3 6-1 to 11th seeds Beatriz Haddad Maia and Laura Siegemund.
****
Women's 16th seed Daria Kasatkina endured a day to forget.
During a straight-sets exit at the hands of Liudmila Samsonova, which featured two rain delays, she lost a game after her earring become caught in her shirt.
🗣 "I've never seen that before!" 👂🏻💍
Not an ideal way to lose a game 😬#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/ppwWtkYVU7
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 5, 2025
****
Quote of the day
'It's really not easy, part of you is telling yourself to just put a bunch of balls into the court and that's all you have to do but she is an amazing player, injuries or no injuries.' – Emma Navarro on defeating defending women's champion Barbora Krejcikova, who required medical treatment during the match.
Picture of the day
Day six of the Championships got off to a slow start, with wet weather causing a number of rain delays (Jordan Pettitt/PA)
Stat of the day
Sunday's weather forecast
Cloudy changing to light showers by late morning, with highs of 24C, according to the Met Office.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Herald Scotland
26 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Tottenham captain Cristian Romero signs new contract until 2029
Romero had entered the final two years of his previous deal, but has put pen to paper on new terms running until 2029, the PA news agency understands. Romero, who starred in Tottenham's Europa League triumph in May, said: 'I'm very happy here in the club. For me this club is the best in the world. 'The last two weeks, first captain and now signing the contract with the club, for me it's a fantastic decision. My message to the fans is thank you for the amazing support every day and every match. 'After winning the Europa League, it's like a special season now. In football, sometimes good moments, bad moments. The most important thing for me is to stay all together. We want to win. Maybe why not win again this season? Another trophy with the club is important for everyone.' This news will be a major boost to new Tottenham boss Thomas Frank, who fielded several questions on the topic of Romero's commitment in Friday's press conference – days after he named him captain. 'I see a very big and very good player. What I like about him and why I have chosen him as captain is his leadership qualities on the pitch,' Frank explained. 'There is a big respect for him from the players. Off the pitch as well he also sets the standards. 'The staff have said to me they've never seen him train that well. He's in a very good place. I see a player that will want to lead the team and push the team.' Centre-back Romero first joined Spurs in 2021 on loan from Atalanta before the transfer was made permanent a year later. The 27-year-old has been critical of the club previously, pointedly saying last December that the spending of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea every year were 'things to imitate' because then Tottenham 'could easily be competing for the title every year' with the 'structure' they have in place. He also sent out a cryptic message on social media in the wake of Ange Postecoglou's dismissal in June and praised his achievements 'despite the many obstacles that always existed and always will exist'. However, Romero proved his commitment by playing a crucial role in Tottenham's Europa League triumph in May, which ended a 17-year trophy drought for the club. Romero captained Spurs in the 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the final and also wore the armband in both semi-final legs against Bodo/Glimt. The World Cup-winner was subsequently named Europa League Player of the Season after success in Bilbao and the first club trophy of his career added to an incredible haul of silverware at international level. After Romero helped Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup either side of Copa America triumphs, he will aim to lead Tottenham to further trophies under Frank. We are delighted to announce that Djed Spence has signed a new, long-term contract with the Club ✍️ — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 18, 2025 Full-back Djed Spence has also signed a new deal at Spurs. Versatile full-back Spence only signed fresh terms last October until 2028, but has been rewarded for a fine breakthrough campaign at Tottenham. Spence made 35 appearances in the 2024-25 campaign, after eventually being handed his full debut in December – two-and-a-half years after he first joined the club. After Spence was deemed a 'club signing' by former Tottenham boss Antonio Conte in 2022, he had mixed loans at Rennes, Leeds and Genoa, but forced his way into Postecoglou's plans and has quickly gained the trust of Frank.


The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
World's best ready to sprinkle stardust on US Open mixed doubles
A few hours after Taylor Fritz's third-round match at the Cincinnati Open, the theme of his post-match press conference shifted from his tough victory against Lorenzo Sonego to the looming US Open mixed doubles tournament. The first question posed to him on this subject was carefully prefaced with the acknowledgment that mixed doubles was probably not his priority in the middle of one of the biggest tournaments in the world. As a grin spread across his face, Fritz quickly interjected: 'It is a priority,' he said. Fritz had been asked whether he had any sympathy for the frustrated doubles specialists who had been brushed aside to make room for the transformation of this event. From his perspective, the right players were in the draw: 'I've seen a lot of people calling it like an exhibition, or it doesn't count. I personally think this is the strongest mixed doubles field you're going to see at a grand slam, in my opinion. If the mixed doubles teams that are in come in and win the event, then I'll eat my words and say I'm wrong, but I personally think the level is going to be really high,' he said. After six months of anticipation, the revamped US Open mixed-doubles tournament is finally here. Usually the domain of doubles specialists with the exception of the very occasional superstar pairing, mixed doubles rarely generates much fanfare and at the grand slams it has come to represent more opportunities for trophies and prize money for doubles specialists. While the event usually runs at the same time as the rest of the grand slam main draws, this year it will be held in the week leading up to the start of the singles main draw. Sixteen teams will compete in a knockout draw across Tuesday and Wednesday. The first three rounds will be decided in abbreviated four-game sets while the final will be determined in standard six-game sets. The winners will take home $1m between them, an $800k increase on last year. In an era where the top players have largely spurned doubles due to the increased physical demands of singles competition, the ultimate aim of the event is to attract the stars. For that reason, officials at the USTA already feel like the glittering player field and the interest it has generated has justified the move. The partnership between Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu has created countless headlines for months, but other distinguished entrants include Novak Djokovic alongside his compatriot Olga Danilovic, Iga Swiatek with Casper Ruud and Fritz alongside Elena Rybakina. The only doubles specialist team is the Italian defending champions, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. Some aspects of this tournament, however, have been completely unserious. Jannik Sinner, the men's No 1, said that he and his initial partner, Emma Navarro, had never spoken and their pairing had been orchestrated by the tournament itself. In a truly meaningful event, the players would be scrambling for the most advantageous pairings. Since the initial entry list, numerous withdrawals have followed. Navarro's withdrawal actually led Sinner to possibly find an even better partner in Katerina Siniakova, an 11-time grand slam champion. Jack Draper, meanwhile, is now on his third partner, Jessica Pegula, after his previous partners, Zheng Qinwen and Paula Badosa, withdrew from the US Open. Despite how much it has changed, the draw makes for surreal viewing with so many prominent singles players present. The first two lines are particularly noteworthy: Alcaraz and Raducanu have been drawn against the top seeds, Draper and Jessica Pegula, meaning the British No 1s are scheduled to do battle on Tuesday afternoon. Over the past few months on the tour, mixed doubles at the US Open has been a popular subject in player lounges at tournaments. Madison Keys, who is paired with Frances Tiafoe, says she has randomly received FaceTime calls from Tiafoe with questions about their partnership, such as which side she would prefer to play on. She also recalls a conversation with Sinner at Wimbledon where the Italian joked that he would be scared at the net if Rybakina was standing on the opposite baseline: 'I'm like: 'You'd kill all of us! What are you talking about?'' Even on the eve of the tournament, there is still serious doubt surrounding the participation of some of the most prominent players in the draw. Alcaraz, Sinner and Swiatek are all competing in Cincinnati less than 24 hours before their first round mixed doubles matches in New York, meaning they will have an extremely short turnaround after a gruelling two-week event. Alternates should be ready. The excitement from many of the singles players is counterbalanced by disappointment from doubles specialists who feel they have been pushed out of the event. Before she paired up with Sinner, Siniakova had entered with Marcelo Arévalo, her fellow No 1. Singles rankings determine the entry list so they did not come close to making the cut: 'When two world No 1s in doubles don't get into the tournament, there's probably nothing more to say about it,' Siniakova said on Canal+. Ben Shelton, who is paired with the No 1 doubles player Taylor Townsend, is empathetic towards the doubles players' frustrations. Shelton says: 'I totally understand the honour of playing mixed doubles and what a mixed doubles title means, especially to those guys and girls, and I feel for them that they're not able to play this year. At the same time, I understand the business mind of the US Open and what they're trying to do to generate more revenue, make their event more profitable and have more excitement around it. That's the craziest lineup that you've seen at mixed doubles in your life.' A longtime member of the WTA player council, Pegula questions the US Open's decision to make such a significant change without properly consulting the players, a common complaint among players. Communication with players, she believes, could have actually addressed some of these problems: 'I felt like that was a really good example where we were like: 'OK, you guys just kind of went rogue and changed the whole entire format and didn't tell anybody, and you just kind of did it.' And it was kind of like: 'Did you talk to the players? Did you get input, maybe on how it could have been better?'' she said. In the same breath, though, Pegula expresses her excitement for the tournament ahead. This will not be the defining moment of any of these players' careers, but they are intensely competitive beings who step on to the tennis court every day with the intention of winning, regardless of the format. For at least 30 minutes of their lives, this event will be a priority for many. Keys concludes: 'I mean, there's a grand slam trophy on the line and have you seen the prize money? I'm gonna try real hard.'

Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Rhyl Journal
Gordon Reid: Wheelchair tennis must keep proving value to close prize-money gap
Reid and his partner Alfie Hewett are preparing for the upcoming US Open, which last week announced a large increase in winnings for the 2025 tournament. But, while mixed doubles champions will now get one million dollars (£740,000) between them, the total pot for all wheelchair players is 1.69 million dollars (£1.25m). Reid and Hewett, who have won six titles at Flushing Meadows, with Hewett also winning four singles titles, have been a big driving force in the improvement in wheelchair tennis. And the Scot knows that needs to continue for the players to be rewarded more financially. 'It's been 20 years since we started, so in terms of the age of the slams themselves, we're obviously very fresh, very new,' Reid told the PA news agency. 'As much as we want to obviously see an increase and the gap in the prize money closing, I think we also need to prove that we're adding something, adding value to the tournament. A post shared by Alfie Hewett (@alfiehewett6) 'Hopefully then those come hand in hand – the opportunities that we get and the prize money. 'So we just have to try to play our part, to entertain as much as we can and hopefully move that direction together.' The US Open is celebrating its 20th anniversary of wheelchair tennis and the British pair want to celebrate by winning their first doubles title there since 2022. They were beaten in the Wimbledon final last month, but know they are heading to a strong surface. 'It will be just trying to produce some of the level of matches that we played for majority of this year, really,' Hewett said about what it will take to win. 'I mean, the final at Wimbledon was the first match we've lost all year in the doubles. 'Obviously it was probably one we wanted to win the most out of all of them as well. 'We've been working on a lot of stuff that in our game that we're going to try and take on to the hard court. 'A lot of it worked pretty well in Australia and absolutely similar conditions.' Reid and Hewett have recently been back at Wimbledon holding a coaching clinic for Play Your Way To Wimbledon – a national competition with regional and county rounds, which sees winners get the chance to play at SW19. 'It's a fantastic event, giving anyone across the country, especially at grassroots level, the chance to play on the grass courts,' Reid added. 'We know how special that is. 'So to get to have that opportunity for so many people is amazing and having all the different inclusive categories is something we love to see.' :: Supported by long time Vodafone ambassadors Alfie Hewett OBE and Gordon Reid OBE, Play Your Way to Wimbledon, powered by Vodafone, aims to make the game more accessible for all and inspire the next generation with the opportunity to compete on Wimbledon's world-famous grass courts.