Djokovic serve 'underrated' says Cahill
Jannik Sinner's Australian coach Darren Cahill said the Serb star poses problems all over the court for Sinner in their clash at Roland-Garros on Saturday morning.

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7NEWS
2 hours ago
- 7NEWS
World Test Championship final set for early end as South Africa bowlers rip through Australia at Lord's
After another dramatic collapse, Australia's pace machine will need to bowl them to a famous victory as South Africa struck back in a pulsating World Test Championship final at Lord's. Having secured a first-innings lead of 74 thanks to a landmark 6-28 from captain Pat Cummins, Australia limped to 8-144 at stumps on Thursday in a decider that should be over well within three days. A frantic 45-minute collapse of 5-29 after tea on day two left the door ajar for the Proteas to pull off a monumental upset as they attempt to lift their first ICC trophy since 1998. The lead of 218 could already still be enough after South Africa were rolled for just 138 in their first innings. Only four teams have successfully chased a target of more than 200 in a Test at Lord's. 'Happy we got 200,' Cummins said. 'Hopefully, we get another 20 or 30 in the morning, that'd be good. 'That would give us a few more options to bowl, a few more aggressive fields. 'Ideally we'd have a few more wickets in the shed. 'We're going to have to still bowl well in the fourth innings.' Fourteen wickets tumbled on Thursday, after 14 had already fallen on a dramatic opening day. But wicketkeeper Alex Carey (43) and star quick Mitchell Starc (16no) were able to steady Australia late in the day. The pair put on a crucial 61-run stand, after the reigning WTC title holders had slumped to 7-73. Kagsio Rabada (3-44), however, had one last spell in him and was able to dismiss Carey for his eighth wicket of the Test. Starc was then dropped by towering Proteas quick Marco Jansen in the slips two balls before stumps. In seven overs of chaos after tea, unheralded Proteas pacer Lungi Ngidi (3-33) steamrolled Australia's middle-order in stunning fashion to boost the chances of a boilover. Left-armer Jansen, who appeared to hurt his finger in the field, removed Marcus Labuschagne in the second failure of his first Test as an opener. Having not played a Test since September, Ngidi then took the prized wicket of Steve Smith, before taking care of Beau Webster and Cummins. Earlier, Cummins had demolished South Africa to become the eighth Australian to take 300 Test wickets. While Starc started the destruction on Wednesday evening, Cummins was relentless in finishing the job with the 14th five-wicket haul of his brilliant 68-Test career. The first paceman to captain Australia long-term, Cummins joins the country's greats in reaching 300 wickets. Shane Warne (708 wickets) and Glenn McGrath (563) sit one and two, while Cummins' teammates Nathan Lyon (553) and Mitchell Starc (384) are next in line. Dennis Lillee (355), Mitchell Johnson (313) and Brett Lee (310) are the others to take more than 300. Out of those eight, only McGrath has a better average (21.64) than Cummins' 22.08. The 32-year-old also finished with the best figures by a captain at Lord's, bettering England's Bob Willis' 6-101 in 1982. One of Cummins' six victims was Kyle Verreynne, who had to go after being trapped lbw. As Cummins was pedalling backwards while appealing, he and Verreynne collided with each other and tumbled over. The umpire gave the South Africa wicketkeeper not out, but Cummins successfully appealed. David Bedingham (45) top scored for South Africa, while Proteas captain Temba Bavuma survived a controversial DRS decision. Adjudged lbw on 16 off Josh Hazlewood, Bavuma left it late to review, but eventually took the decision upstairs with four seconds remaining. Bedingham insisted South Africa were not burdened by the weight of history and the Proteas' dismal record in big ICC games. 'There's a massive belief in this team,' he said. 'It's just an amazing chance. 'We're all very excited about the opportunity to win.' Controversy avoided in day of chaos Admitting he panicked, South Africa's David Bedingham was simply relieved not to have been given out obstructing the field. Two years after his infamous stumping of Jonny Bairstow at Lord's, Alex Carey could have been at the centre of another controversial moment at the home of cricket. In the final over of the first session of day two on Thursday, Bedingham edged the ball into his pads. Standing up to the stumps, Carey waited in preparation to claim the catch if the ball spilled out. But before the Australian wicketkeeper could pounce, Bedingham grabbed the ball out and threw it away. 'I panicked big time,' Bedingham said. 'The umpire said, regardless, I think it was dead ball. 'But I think the way I dropped the ball, (then) picked up the ball came across a bit dodgy. 'I'm glad they just withdrew the appeal ... I'm glad nothing happened out of it. 'The slip cordon told me don't panic -- but I panicked big-time in the moment.' Australia captain Pat Cummins was unfazed about the incident. 'The umpires said it was dead ball first of all, but I think we probably would have withdrawn,' Cummins said when asked about the prospect of appealing for a dismissal. Carey, and his Australian teammates, were booed and heckled by the usually mild-mannered MCC members back in 2023 when Bairstow was stumped wandering out of his crease on the final of the Ashes Test at Lord's.

9 News
2 hours ago
- 9 News
For Mick Fanning, the shark attack 'was just something that happened'
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here When live broadcasters on the eastern cape of South Africa captured the terrifying moment a shark trailed Australian surf icon Mick Fanning just minutes into the 2015 J-Bay Open Final, viewers across the world gripped their couches and braced for the worst. But as the 10th anniversary of the champion wave rider's brush with death looms, Fanning is remarkably relaxed about his miraculous escape from harm. "It was just something that happened," he told . The infamous shark incident during the 2015 J-Bay Open Final was broadcast around the world. (World Surf League via Getty Imag) "To be honest, it wasn't like a flick of the switch moment where I was gonna change my whole life. "I just had to do work on myself to get myself back to, you know, surfing and stuff like that." After the near-attack in July 2015, Fanning returned to Jeffreys Bay the following year where he took out the competition, before retiring from WSL competition in 2018 as a three-time world champion. Since then, the Ballina-bred surfer has turned his focus - and perhaps his broader legacy - to charity. In March 2022, TV cameras were again fixed on Fanning, who again donned his signature wetsuit as he traversed deadly flood waters on his jet ski , carrying essential supplies and helping dozens of locals in the Northern Rivers to safe ground. Mick Fanning has used his jet ski to help flood impacted victims in Murwillumbah. (9News) "I know that area really well," Fanning said. The 43-year-old learned to surf in Ballina before honing his skills after moving to the Gold Coast as a teenager. "It's a place that I love and I got plenty of friends down there so I had a lot of friends that were affected by it all." From there, Mick Fanning's Charity Golf Day was born. The inaugural event raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the flood recovery. Three years on, that figure is approaching $2 million, but the circumstances across the region are devastatingly similar. "It seems like it's just happening every other year now," Fanning said. "I guess on the ground and in doing all the rescue work and helping people get back on their feet, you build relationships and ... we've just found that a lot of people are still really struggling. "It's been three years on now and ... people are just finding out that the grants they thought they were going to get are not coming through. "Some people are just, you know, losing that hope." Fanning will be joined by celebrity mates and supporters today for his fourth annual Charity Golf Day. (Supplied) The golf day has helped raise almost $2 million for charities supporting the flood recovery effort. (Supplied) Fanning hopes some of the community's faith can be restored when a star-studded lineup of Aussie sporting legends and celebrities converge on the green at Coolangatta and Tweed Heads Golf Club today for the fourth annual Charity Golf Day. "We're just here to let them know that we're still here we're still thinking of them and still trying to help where we can," he said. "There's some incredible people that are all coming out to support and yeah, we're very thankful for all their support and donating their time." Famous faces such as Dylan Alcott, Ellyse Perry, Hamish Blake, Sally Pearson, Karl Stefanovic and Shannon Noll will be swinging their drivers alongside generous supporters to raise vital funds for on-the-ground charities including Givit, Human Nature, and Hands On Hearts. This year, $1 million and a Mercedes-Benz are on the line if players can snag a hole-in-one. "It keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger and you know we try and add something new and exciting each and every year," Fanning said. "It's pretty massive that we can do things like that and just keep making the day bigger and better and hopefully raise more money for those in need, and actually raise more awareness." Fans who want a chance to win a year's supply of Balter beer, or would like to make a donation or purchase merch designed by street artist Sid Tapia, can visit the Mick Fanning Charity Golf Day website . floods national Australia Mick Fanning charity celebrities CONTACT US Property News: The last inner Sydney suburbs where houses cost under $2m.

Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Why James Cummings picked Hong Kong over ‘bricks and mortar' of Leilani Lodge
James Cummings said people and his passion for training, not the 'bricks and mortar' of his family's Randwick stables at Leilani Lodge, were key factors in his decision to accept a contract with the Hong Kong Jockey Club from September next year. Cummings' deal to join the famed racing district was announced on Wednesday, ending speculation about the 52-time group 1-winning trainer's future. The 37-year-old, the grandson of Melbourne Cup king Bart Cummings, was due to finish as Godolphin's head trainer on July 31 after the racing powerhouse's decision to move away from a private training model. Returning to the public ranks, Cummings was then set to face a battle with Ciaron Maher and the Gai Waterhouse-Adrian Bott team to take over the 55-box stables of Leilani Lodge. Cummings' father, Anthony, was forced out of the stables in February after having his trainer's licence revoked because of his financial troubles. The Cummings family has occupied the stables since Bart established them in the early 1980s. The Australian Turf club has not announced a new tenant, but Maher, the nation's leading trainer, looks certain to get the nod after Cummings' withdrawal. Cummings said his decision to move to Hong Kong came without knowledge about who was getting Leilani Lodge. 'The ATC were very patient, and I respect the position they were in, and the decision hadn't been made at all. I never got that sense,' Cummings said. 'I wanted to know all the information that was on the table there, and I got to that position.' He said the potential to train out of Leilani Lodge again had been tempting but the need to provide clarity for staff and clients, given his chance in Hong Kong, was more important.