
Venus Williams confirms she's engaged to Andrea Preti after historic win at DC Open
'My fiance is here and he really encouraged me to keep playing,' Williams said after her first singles win since the Cincinnati Masters in 2023.'He encouraged me'Williams, who made her comeback to the tennis circuit after a 16-month hiatus, expressed gratitude to her fiance for his unwavering support and motivation, crediting him with inspiring her to keep pushing through the tough training sessions.'There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. Do you know how hard it is to play tennis? You guys don't know how much work goes into this, like it's 9 to 5 except you're running the whole time. Lifting weights and just like dying and then you repeat it the next day. So he encouraged me to get through this and it's wonderful to be here. He's never seen me play,' Williams added.Born in Denmark in 1988 and raised in Italy, Andrea Preti is a multi-talented creative who began his career as a fashion model before transitioning into acting and directing.As for Williams, she now faces a formidable challenge in the singles Round of 16, taking on Poland's Magdalena Frech, the current World No. 24 and fifth seed.On Wednesday, Williams and her American partner Hailey Baptiste exited the women's doubles after a 4–6, 6–3, 6–10 loss to Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai.- EndsTrending Reel
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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
As US Open announces biggest ever prize money total in tennis history ($85 million), here's a look at how tennis' four Grand Slams compare
US Open has always been at the forefront of the tennis world when it comes to prize money distribution, the first Grand Slam that announced pay parity all the way back in 1973, championed by Billie Jean King. On Wednesday, the tournament announced that the 2025 edition will create a new record in tennis history. The prize money at 2025 US Open will rise to nearly $85 million across all competitions this year, including a record $5 million each to the women's and men's singles champions, and total player compensation (including costs earmarked for hotel and food and not associated with performance) is $90 million, jumping 20%. The US Tennis Association announced the payouts Wednesday for the year's last Grand Slam tournament, which begins with the new mixed doubles event and its $1 million top check on Aug. 19-20. Singles competition starts on a Sunday for the first time — Aug. 24 — as those brackets expand from 14 days to 15. The increases at Flushing Meadows — where last year's total compensation was $75 million — come as the sport's leading players have been in discussions with each of the four major tournaments in a bid to receive a higher percentage of revenues at the US Open, Wimbledon, French Open and Australian Open. Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff and 2024 US Open champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner were among 20 players who signed a letter sent to the heads of the four Grand Slam events in March seeking more prize money and a greater say in what they called 'decisions that directly impact us.' Since then, some players have held talks with the majors. The previous high amount for a US Open singles championship was $3.85 million in 2019, before decreasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's $5 million check represents a 39% hike from last year's $3.6 million. The same percentage increase was applied to the singles runners-up, who get $2.5 million each. Semifinalists will earn $1.26 million, a 26% rise. In New York, the winning teams in women's and men's doubles will receive $1 million, a new high for those events at the US Open, where total prizes for qualifying are going up to $8 million, a 10% increase. The $85 million in 2025 US Open prize money includes singles, doubles, qualifying and wheelchair events. Wednesday's news comes after the USTA said in May that its main arena, Arthur Ashe Stadium, would be overhauled as part of an $800 million project touted as the 'largest single investment' in US Open history. At Wimbledon, which ended last month, prize money went up about 7% to about $73 million at the exchange rate when the All England Club announced its player payments. The singles champions were paid just over $4 million apiece. At 2025 French Open, the total prize money was €56.352 million (~$65.66 million), up 5.21%. The men's and women's singles champions will each earn €2.55 million. While US Open achieved pay parity more than 50 years ago, the other Slams took their time. Australian Open announced equal prize money for champions in 2001, while – with Venus Williams playing a central role this time – Roland Garros and Wimbledon came on board from 2007. The Australian Open's prize pool was AUD $96.5 million (USD 62.77 million) up nearly 12%on 2024. The men's and women's singles champions earned AUD $3.5 million. US Open: $5.0 million Wimbledon: $4.01 million French Open: $2.97 million Australian Open: $2.26 million (With AP inputs)


Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
US Open singles champions will get a record $5 million in 2025 and total compensation is up 20%
Prize money at the US Open will rise to nearly $85 million across all competitions this year, including a record $5 million each to the women's and men's singles champions, and total player compensation is jumping 20% to $90 million, the most in tennis history. The US Tennis Association announced the payouts Wednesday for the year's last Grand Slam tournament, which begins with the new mixed doubles event and its $1 million top check on Aug. 19-20. Singles competition starts on a Sunday for the first time — Aug. 24 — as those brackets expand from 14 days to 15. The increases at Flushing Meadows — where last year's total compensation was $75 million — come as the sport's leading players have been in discussions with each of the four major tournaments in a bid to receive a higher percentage of revenues at the US Open, Wimbledon, French Open and Australian Djokovic, Coco Gauff and 2024 US Open champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner were among 20 players who signed a letter sent to the heads of the four Grand Slam events in March seeking more prize money and a greater say in what they called 'decisions that directly impact us.' Since then, some players have held talks with the majors. The previous high amount for a US Open singles championship was $3.85 million in 2019, before decreasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's $5 million check represents a 39% hike from last year's $3.6 million. The same percentage increase was applied to the singles runners-up, who get $2.5 million each. Semifinalists will earn $1.26 million, a 26% rise. At Wimbledon, which ended last month, prize money went up about 7% to about $73 million at the exchange rate when the All England Club announced its player payments. The singles champions were paid about $4 million apiece. In New York, the winning teams in women's and men's doubles will receive $1 million, a new high for those events at the US Open, where total prizes for qualifying are going up to $8 million, a 10% increase. The $85 million in 2025 US Open prize money includes singles, doubles, qualifying and wheelchair events. Wednesday's news comes after the USTA said in May that its main arena, Arthur Ashe Stadium, would be overhauled as part of an $800 million project touted as the 'largest single investment' in US Open history.


The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Ukraine's Elina Svitolina faces hateful abuse after Canada Open loss, blames 'shameful' bettors
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has spoken out about the deluge of hateful abuse she received online from frustrated gamblers after losing a match at the Canada Open, including messages wishing her death and celebrating Russia killing her compatriots. Following her straight-sets loss to Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals of the National Bank Open on Tuesday night, Svitolina posted screenshots of the messages on Instagram. The abuse was directed at her, while other racial slurs also targeted her husband, the French tennis player Gael Monfils, who is Black. One abuser hoped that Russia 'kills all you (expletive) Ukrainians' in the war raging in Svitolina's country. ALSO READ | Osaka powers into semifinals in Montreal; Tauson beats Keys 'To all the bettors: I'm a mum before I'm an athlete,' Svitolina wrote in her Instagram story. 'The way you talk to women — to mothers — is SHAMEFUL. If your mothers saw your messages, they'd be disgusted.' Earlier this year, British player Katie Boulter said she received death threats during the French Open targeting her and her family, while the WTA and ITF called on betting companies to do more to stem the flood of online abuse players face on social media. Boulter told the BBC in an interview that online abuse has become the norm and that she thinks many of the messages are sent by people who are placing bets on tennis matches. Her comments coincided with the WTA and ITF publishing a first season-wide report into online abuse, showing that 458 tennis players were targeted by more than 8,000 abusive comments and posts on social media in 2024. The report said 40 per cent of the abuse came from 'angry gamblers.'