Sports
What coco said about Boxing and her special dreams at Wimbledon’: teen tennis superstar Coco Gauff
Boxing is a dangerous sport, Coco Gauff has discovered. “I broke a couple of nails,” laughs the tennis star, who spent her off-season learning from a real-life fighter. Since it was all pad and bag work, there was no chance of getting punched in the face, even by her 15-year-old brother, Codey, who was training alongside her. “I don’t see myself fighting anyone soon,” says Gauff, “because I don’t think I’d be able to take a hit.”
Still, it was good for her balance and footwork, and feeling attuned to her body. Her Rocky-style epiphany came when her trainer explained fights aren’t won by a single knockout punch – but all the moves that lead up to it. “You have to learn to be patient,” she says. “It taught me not to look for the finish line right away, but to enjoy the journey there.”
There is no better lesson for Gauff right now. At 19, she has been a professional tennis player for a scarcely credible five years. She is the second-highest-ranked US woman in the world behind her doubles partner Jessica Pegula, who is a decade older than her, and she has held the unofficial title of Next Big Thing since her explosive Wimbledon debut in 2019. As the youngest qualifier in the championships’ history, Gauff made it all the way to the fourth round, beating Venus Williams in her very first game.
Tennis had a case of Cocomania two years before the very first outbreak of Raducanu fever. But while Gauff has won three tournaments and reached a personal high of world No 4, a first major title is still to come, and reality has yet to live up to her own considerable ambitions. Last year she came closer than ever to a grand slam title, losing in the final of the French Open to current No 1, Iga Świątek. But the Pole beat her again in last month’s tournament, knocking her out in the fourth round, and has now won all seven of their meetings.
Break point: Coco Gauff being congratulated by Venus Williams after winning their singles match on the first day of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.
Break point: Coco Gauff being congratulated by Venus Williams after winning their singles match on the first day of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images
Those who should know – Martina Navratilova, Pam Shriver – are convinced the breakthrough will come soon. On court, Gauff’s counterpunching style of play combines intelligence with determination, and her backhand is one of the best in the business. Her maturity is as admired as her talent is, not least the boldness with which she has spoken out on causes that matter to her, from the George Floyd protests to climate change.
In a sport with a well-earned reputation for damaging its female protégés, Gauff rarely seems less than delighted to be at the party. Sitting today in the kind of anonymous function room that elite sport is so familiar with, she radiates charisma and enthusiasm. Her most recent defeat to Świątek may have left her “pretty devastated”, but it didn’t dim her enjoyment of a city that has long been her favourite. “I definitely enjoy being in Paris a lot,” beams Gauff, who has been familiar with it since she first went to training academy in France at the age of 10. “It’s the city in Europe where I feel most comfortable.”
This year’s highlights included a trip to the cinema to watch the new Spider-Man film, as well as to see her hero Beyoncé perform the Renaissance World Tour at Europe’s largest indoor arena. “She was amazing! She didn’t wave at me from the stage, but I’m going to say she did…” Paris was followed by four days back home in Florida – “you try to squeeze it in when you can” – where she got her hair done, spent time with her family and went to see Spider-Man again. Gauff is a self-confessed Marvel junkie and, anyway, her 10-year-old brother, Cameron, hadn’t seen it.
Before she knew it, it was time to go to Berlin for the German Open. The European leg of the season is particularly brutal, its clay- and grass-court tournaments overlapping like dominos. The constant travel, heavy workload, intense scrutiny and pressure to perform have brought some high-profile withdrawals from the sport: last year Ashleigh Barty stepped down at only 25, when she was still world No 1. Her surprise retirement followed the decision of another top-10 player, Naomi Osaka, to step away from the game for her mental health. It is, as Gauff says mildly, a lifestyle that doesn’t come naturally to anyone. “Some of the Australians leave in February and don’t get home until after the US Open [in September],” she points out. “You need the right support to be able to do that. I’m lucky I have my family and friends, so I have it as good as it’s going to get.”
Early success: Coco Gauff, aged 10, with her family.
Early success: Coco Gauff, aged 10, with her family. Photograph: PR
She’s accompanied to tournaments by her father, Corey, and her mother, Candi (yes, every family member’s name begins with C), joins them for bigger events, like the grand slams. Being the youngest player on tour, as Gauff has been for so much of her career, has brought an enforced independence. “I actually spend a lot of time alone on the road, more than people think,” she says. “I don’t have many friends on tour – there are people I’m really cool with, but the age gap is still there.” And while she’s learning to relate more to the other players as she grows older – “I’m more understanding of adulting than I was at 15” – when she’s not practising or competing, she estimates that she spends 80% of her time alone.
Her TikTok channel is a public record of someone who knows how to have fun by herself, whether it’s lip-syncing to Jaden Smith, ranking Barbie movies, enjoying a sunset on the beach or sharing her night-time skincare routine from her hotel bathroom. “Sometimes it can get lonely,” she says, “but I think, compared to the average person, I’m used to it. Being homeschooled, playing an individual sport… I’m not someone who needs other people all the time.”
Her lowest moment on tour so far came when she lost to Osaka in the third round of the US Open in 2019 and broke down in tears on court. In the aftermath of her unexpected Wimbledon success, she suddenly felt she “had to win” and the burden of expectation – both her own, and other people’s – was too much to handle. In April 2020, just after turning 16, Gauff wrote in an extraordinarily perceptive essay: “Throughout my life, I was always the youngest to do things, which added hype that I didn’t want. It added this pressure that I needed to do well fast… Personally for me, I like playing for more than myself. I have girls now coming up to me, of all races, but mostly African Americans, saying they are picking up a racket for the first time because of me.”
Being a role model and using her voice for her community is clearly important to Gauff. Reliant on individual sponsorship, tennis players have traditionally shied away from overt political messaging, but Gauff comes from a generation determined to speak up. A week after George Floyd’s death, she gave an impromptu speech at a Black Lives Matter protest in her home town of Delray Beach, which ended with her encouraging the crowd to vote, because she was still too young to.
Full stretch: a winning forehand at the French Open in June 2023.
Full stretch: Gauff at the French Open in June 2023. Photograph: Tim Clayton/Corbis/Getty Images
At last year’s French Open final, instead of autographing the camera in now traditional fashion, she wrote: “End gun violence.” In March, she used a tournament press conference to articulate her position on Florida’s attempts to ban black history books: “If we want to have good morals and hopefully a better history in the future, I think we have to teach even the dark parts of it.”
Family history has played a large part in Gauff’s understanding of her identity. Her parents competed at the top level of college sport, her father in basketball and mother in track. “I’ve never asked my mum whether she thought she would go pro, but I know my dad thought he would,” says Gauff. He stayed up on the night of the NBA draft, expecting a call from one of the teams. “He did not get a call.” But sport had paid for the couple’s education, taught them a good work ethic and made them many friends, so it was only natural they wanted the same for their children.
The oldest of her siblings, Gauff was “put in a bunch of stuff” and discovered she had a natural inclination for track, basketball and tennis. She kept up all three up until she was 13, although by then she had long known that she would pursue tennis. At eight, she won a “Little Mo” tournament, which brought together the best junior players in the US and beyond. “For me, the winning was the least of it,” she remembers. “It was the first time I was meeting girls from Europe and all over the world – hearing all their stories made me excited about a future in tennis.” Soon after, her father gave up his salary as a VP in a pharmaceutical corporation to coach his daughter, and her mother quit the teaching job she loved to home-school her.
Gauff is very aware of the sacrifices her parents made for her and the fact that they went from a two-income household to “pretty much none”. But there were benefits. “Dad much prefers the lifestyle he has now than his job in corporate America. We didn’t see him much before – he’d come home for weekends, then fly out again.”
TENNIS-WTA-AUTCori Gauff of US (C) poses with the trophy next to her parents Gorey (R) und Candy Gauff after she won her WTA-Upper Austria Ladies final tennis match against Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia on October 13, 2019 in Linz, Austria. (Photo by BARBARA GINDL / APA / AFP) / Austria OUT (Photo by BARBARA GINDL/APA/AFP via Getty Images)
‘It can get lonely on the tour, but I have my family, so I have it as good as it’s going to get.’ Photograph: Barbara Gindl/APA/AFP/Getty Images
The family sold their Atlanta home and moved to Florida, where they lived for a year with Gauff’s maternal grandparents. “It was only supposed to be a summer and we didn’t enjoy it much because we were all cramped in one house.” In addition to the six of them, there were two more children her grandparents housed for a local baseball camp. “There was a lot going on! But it helped me with the move to home schooling, because there was always people at the house.”
It also formed the bond with her grandmother that has inspired her own activism. In 1961, Yvonne Lee Odom was the first Black student to integrate the previously all-white Seacrest High School. But the segregationist atmosphere meant she was still asked by teachers to use a different bathroom and was unable to compete in their sports teams, despite being an excellent sprinter and basketball player.
“She would tell us that story and how times have changed,” recalls Gauff. “My grandmother could never have imagined the world as it is today. If that much could change in two generations, who knows how much it could change in another two?”
Gauff also learned about relatives who had fought in their country’s wars while still denied racial justice – her uncle’s “beautiful” funeral, held with the traditional military honours, triggered her interest in US history. Nor could the young girl entirely avoid the “culture shock” of swapping Atlanta, with its majority African American population, for a Florida neighbourhood where she was one of a tiny minority. “I was very lucky, the people I grew up around didn’t have any racial bias. But it’s definitely different, and you did come across some people who weren’t as nice.”
Both Venus and Serena Williams were sporting role models for her, and by her mid-teens she was encountering them on and off court. “And they’re complete opposites of how they present themselves. They’re goofy, fun people, that’s the coolest part. They taught me you could be yourself and still be intense on court.” Staying true to herself is balanced by the need to develop her “adulting skills”. Only 14 when she signed her first multi-year sponsorship deal – if it weren’t for her parents, she jokes, she would have probably signed for pennies – she has since accumulated prize money of more than $7m.
Women’s Tennis Player, Coco Gauff
Speaking her mind: at last year’s French Open final, she signed the camera: ‘End gun violence.’ Photograph: Mary Beth Koeth/Trunk Archive
“Sometimes my dad will say, ‘You can afford to treat yourself.’ But I come from a middle-class family, so even the necessary things, like flights and hotel rooms, still seem a lot to me.” She still feels guilty about the pair of Prada sunglasses her mother recently persuaded her to buy in Paris, because she doesn’t trust herself not to lose something so expensive. At the moment she prefers to spend money on her parents rather than herself, and her social media feeds prove that she doesn’t need designer labels to make a fashion statement. She’s developed a signature style of cropped tops and cargo pants, accessorised by silver jewellery and the nail art that she has updated for every new tournament.
As for her friends back home, they still insist on splitting the bill, despite all being college students. “I really appreciate that nothing’s changed in our relationship since I turned pro,” she says. She would still like to go to college herself and often wonders what she will study. Business would make sense for her career, but it’s not where her heart lies. Politics, perhaps? “Running for office seems like way too much work for me,” she laughs. “The most important part is just to be involved, doing simple things like voting, keeping yourself informed.”
Gauff’s Florida home, of course, is a chief battleground in the US culture war, with its book-banning, gaybashing governor, Ron DeSantis, making his play for the presidency. “I think being from this state where a lot of controversial things are going on, I’m more aware and informed,” says Gauff. “It definitely forces me to be more involved, because it’s a very big state and matters a lot on the electoral map.” When people ask why she chooses to speak up on subjects that it might be more prudent to keep quiet about, she tells them it’s out of respect to the older generations of her family. “Me tweeting takes zero effort compared to what they had to do. It would be an injustice to them if I didn’t do something.”
Music is another passion. One of her recent TikTok videos called out unconscious bias at a record store she’d shopped at (Why was alt-rocker Steve Lacy’s indie-rock album Gemini Rights incorrectly shelved in the rap section? “I think we all know.”) Jaden Smith, SZA and Tyler, the Creator are among her favourite artists, and clips of her bopping round her house with the adorable Cameron, or teaching choreography to her parents, suggest she’s a better dancer than her modesty allows her to own.
The urban atmosphere of the US Open, with its defiantly unbothered attitude, remains her favourite. “New Yorkers don’t care who you are. You stay in the city and sometimes you forget you’re even in a tournament.” Wimbledon, whose cabinetful of tradition places it at the opposite end of the spectrum, can still make her nervous. “That walk to Centre Court is like you’re walking through a museum.”
This year’s Wimbledon will bring new challenges. For one thing, she is currently between coaches. Her immediate, stated goal is to have fun – “I’ll never take the chance to play in front of that crowd for granted” – although Gauff knows from experience that it’s the contest where anything can happen. “Dreams come true at a lot of tournaments,” she says, “but they’re a bit more special at Wimbledon.”
Whether Gauff makes it all the way to the final or not, the absence of Emma Raducanu is likely to push her, once again, into the spotlight. Chances are, she’ll use it well.
Sports
“Lindsey Vonn Celebrates Authenticity and Strength with Miami Beach Photos, Shares Journey of Self-Discovery and Mental Resilience”
According to the Olympics’ official website, the list includes the winners of the World Championships and the 2020 Olympics.
Boxing
Kazakhstan will be represented in boxing by Nazym Kyzaibai (50 kilograms). The 2014 and 2016 World Champion in the weight category up to 48 kilograms, Kyzaibai, fulfilled her dream of competing in the Olympic Games. The tournament in Paris will be her first Olympic competition.
Valentina Khalzova (75 kilograms) will also debut at the Games. Her achievements include the title of World Champion 2016 in the category of up to 69 kilograms, the bronze medal of the World Championship 2022 in the same category and the gold medal of the World Cup 2023 in the category of up to 75 kilograms.
Saken Bibossinov (51 kilograms) is another national team boxer who has participated in the Olympic Games. In 2021, he secured a bronze in Tokyo, winning in the category up to 52 kilograms. He is also the 2021 World Champion, the 2022 World Silver Medalist and the Bronze Medalist of the 2019 and 2021 World Championships.
Judo
In judo, Abiba Abuzhakynova (48 kilograms), the third-ranked in the world, will debut at the Games in Paris. Over the past two years, Abuzhakynova has won bronze at the World Championships in 2022 and 2024.
Experienced Olympic judoka Eldos Smetov (60 kilograms) won silver in the 60-kilogram category in Rio 2016. Five years later, in Tokyo, he won bronze. His collection includes gold at the 2015 World Championships and bronze at the 2019 and 2022 World Championships.
Gymnastics
Milad Karimi is a gymnast specializing in all-around categories. At the 2023 World Cup, he brought the first award to the Kazakhstan national team in 26 years, becoming the bronze medalist in floor exercises. Karimi also competed in the Tokyo Games.
Athletics
Norah Jeruto, a long-distance runner originally from Kenya, obtained the right to perform for the national team of Kazakhstan in January 2022. The same year, Jeruto brought her team gold at the World Championships, setting a championship record.
Fencing
Ruslan Kurbanov, representing Kazakhstan in fencing, became the first athlete from Kazakhstan to win the World Fencing Championship award at the 2023 World Championship. He also won a bronze medal in the skewer tournament. The 2024 Olympics will be the second in his career.
Greco-Roman wrestling
Aidos Sultangali (60 kilograms) has twice climbed the world championships podium in Greco-Roman wrestling. He became the bronze medalist of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in the category of up to 60 kilograms. The Olympic Games in Paris will be his first, which he has been dreaming about for 15 years.
Demeu Zhadraev is another wrestler in the category of up to 71 kilograms. He was the silver medalist of the 2017 World Championship in his category. Zhadraev competed at the Tokyo Games in the category of up to 77 kilograms and obtained the right to compete in Paris.
Freestyle wrestling
Azamat Dauletbekov, a freestyle wrestler (86 kilograms), will compete in his first Olympic games in 2024. He was a Bronze Medalist at the World Championships in 2022 and 2023.
Tennis
Elena Rybakina is the first Kazakh tennis player to be ranked in the world’s top 10. At the 2020 Games, She took fourth place. She won Wimbledon in 2022 and became a finalist at the Australian Open in 2023. At the moment, she is the fourth-ranked racket in the world.
US ski star Lindsey Vonn picked up the Spirit of Sport award at the “Oscars of Sport” Monday – on a night where Novak Djokovic and Simone Biles were also recognized for their achievements.
Vonn, who retired as the greatest female skier in history earlier this month, was awarded the accolade at the 2019 Laureus World Sports Awards in Monaco for her success and dedication to her sport.
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Injuries had blighted the latter stages of her career but Vonn managed to bow out in impressive fashion earlier this month at the World Championships in Are.
By winning downhill bronze in her final race, she became the oldest woman to secure a medal at a world championships and the first female racer to medal at six world championships.
She finished her career with 82 World Cup victories to sit second on the all-time list behind Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark.
Djokovic & Biles
The “Oscars of Sport” honor the greatest and most inspirational athletes from the last calendar year.
On a glamorous night in Monaco, Djokovic was announced as the World Sportsman of the Year – fending off competition from World Cup star Kylian Mbappe and marathon man Eliud Kipchoge.
The Serbian tennis ace won Wimbledon and the US Open last year and has now joined Olympic legend Usain Bolt as a four-time winner of the Laureus accolade.
“Last year was an incredible season for me, returning from injury to win Wimbledon and the US Open is something I’ll remember forever,” Djokovic said after receiving his award.
Despite being overlooked for the Sportsman of the Year award, Kipchoge was handed the Exceptional Achievement Award for his record breaking marathon success.
Meanwhile, US gymnast Biles was named World Sportswoman of the Year after her record breaking performance at the world championships last year.
The 21-year-old, winner of the same Laureus award in 2017, won four gold, one silver and one bronze medal in Doha, Qatar.
Elsewhere, France became the first national football team to win a second Laureus World Team of the Year Award, following on from its success at the 2018 World Cup in Russia
Tennis star Naomi Osaka went home with the World Breakthrough of the Year Award, while golf legend Tiger Woods won the World Comeback of the Year Award.
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger received the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to football. The Frenchman managed the Gunners for 22 years, famously going an entire English Premier League season unbeaten.
Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 career may just be about to receive a lifeline amid reports that the Aussie was facing the chop from Red Bull.
Reports last week emerged that Ricciardo facing the sack, with the summer break firming as the most likely time for the team to make a move.
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Ricciardo had been teased for a shot at Sergio Perez’s seat in the top Red Bull team if he knocked the doors down this
But the 34-year-old was out-driven by young teammate Yuki Tsunoda in the early stages of the season.
And with young New Zealander Liam Lawson waiting in the wings, Ricciardo’s career appeared to be coming to an unceremonious ending.
Particularly after Perez re-signed with Red Bull and Tsunoda committed to the Visa Cash App RB for another season.
And Marko telling German publication Bild: “We will offer him (Lawson) something. A cockpit for next year.
“It is clear that RB are a junior team. That is also communicated internally and everyone has understood that.”
Ricciardo turned the tables in Austria, comfortably beating his teammate to finish in ninth.
Now leading F1 pundit Will Buxton claimed there was a chance for Ricciardo to continue his career at a fifth team with Williams.
Williams is believed to have gone after Carlos Sainz, who was axed from Ferrari for Lewis Hamilton in 2025, but he has yet to make a decision on his next team.
Alexander Albon is signed on a multi-year deal at Williams until the end of 2026, but rookie Logan Sargeant is expected to be axed by the end of the year.
Sainz has been less than committal however, and Buxton said Williams team boss James Vowles is growing frustrated by the Spaniard.
Could this be the opening Ricciardo needs to stay in F1?
“(Ricciardo’s) entire future (is) on the line right now,” Buxton said oon F1TV.
“There is much talk that he will be out of this seat after the summer break. There is talk that he may be in negotiations with Williams for their second seat next year alongside Alex Albon.
“Williams, as we understand, are sick of waiting for Carlos Sainz to make his mind up on where he wants to go next year and may close that door off for him.”
It could be a situation where Ricciardo has to go all in on the Williams seat as despite several seats being available, many have strong links to the roles.
One seat was filled on Thursday with 19-year-old Ferrari junior Ollie Bearman is officially the F1’s next driver after agreeing to a multi-year deal with Haas.
At Red Bull, reports emerged that the team’s junior driver program was stacked with talent that was “ready to go”.
But RB CEO Peter Bayer said the team needed to develop from just being a development team into a force of its own on the grid, saying Ricciardo had played a key role in that move.
“We don’t need to develop Daniel. He came into the team to perform and to help us with Yuki,” he told PlanetF1.com.
“Between Daniel and Yuki, Daniel has been part of that Yuki development project. At the same time, we obviously were also expecting from him as a very fast and experienced driver, we were expecting performance from him and we are expecting performance from him.”
But he also admitted that if the performances weren’t there “it will be difficult to put him into the car next year”.
In more good news for Ricciardo, F1’s Lawrence Barretto tweeted that the Aussie may yet have a bit more time in the RB.
“Lots of chatter re: Daniel Ricciardo’s future in Austria after Helmut Marko’s comments that RB should have a young driver in the car soon. My sources say Ricciardo isn’t under threat of losing his seat mid-season and will be given the time to prove he can be fast consistently,” Barretto tweeted.
With Marko’s blunt comments and Christian Horner refusing to confirm the Aussie’s seat is safe for the remainder of the season, although it’s “always fluid”, it certainly seems as though the ball is in Ricciardo’s court to demand a new Red Bull deal with his performances.
Fox Sports’ Michael Lamonato even suggested Red Bull had “buyer’s remorse” after re-signing Perez and could help Ricciardo hang onto a seat to stay at Red Bull.
Ricciardo admitted he hadn’t had his role dangled over his head just yet, but that he’d been around long enough to know he was under pressure.
“There hasn’t been any pressure, any ultimatum – nothing like that,” Ricciardo said.
“But also I’ve been in the sport a long time. I know that, if I’m getting my a** kicked every weekend, at some point someone will be like ‘hey mate, step it up, otherwise …’ but I haven’t had that.”
He responded in Austria, out-qualifying and out-racing Tsunoda to claim points for the second time in a full race this season. He also had a fourth-place finish in the Miami sprint race.
Entertainment
As Simone Biles Triumphs, Serena Williams’ Husband Alexis Ohanian Joins America to Cheer for US Gymnastics Trials Queen
Simone Biles electrified the Target Center during the 2024 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials, putting herself just one step away from the Paris Olympics. The reigning gymnastics queen soared to the top of the standings on Women’s Night One, commanding attention with an impressive all-around score of 58.900.
As she prepared for her fourth and final rotation, the arena erupted with cheers, but none was louder than the enthusiastic support from Alexis Ohanian, Reddit co-founder, 776 Foundation founder, and husband of Tennis phenom Serena Williams. Alexis, caught up in the moment, couldn’t help but shout out on his X platform, “Simone!” His words echoed the excitement of millions of American fans tuning in across the country.
Alexis Ohanian’s comment came right after Simone Biles dazzled the audience with her Floor Exercise routine, where she unleashed her explosive power and artistic flair to Taylor Swift ‘s ‘Ready For It?’ tunes. Her routine showcased impressive moves like a triple-double and a front layout full through to a double-double sequence.
Although she made some minor adjustments to her landings, Simone delivered a commanding performance, earning a solid score of 14.850. Reflecting on Alexis Ohanian’s applause for Simone Biles, it’s clear this isn’t the first time he’s been awestruck by her and her impressive Floor Routine.
How Alexis Ohanian cheered Simone Biles on her Olympic-year comeback
Earlier this year, at the 2024 Core Hydration Classic, Simone Biles made a triumphant comeback to the Olympic year with a brand-new Floor Routine that featured her iconic Triple Double first pass, choreographed to Taylor Swift hits. Alexis Ohanian took to X and shared a post showcasing the routine, expressing, “It’s so good to see her back.”
Furthermore, he also delightedly recounted how his and Serena Williams’ 6-year-old daughter, Olympia, a passionate sports fan like her parents, couldn’t contain her excitement when she watched Biles’ comeback clip. He wrote in another post, “Jr. sees this and starts tumbling over the sofa. Love to see it.” But did you know Olympia’s admiration for Biles began when she was just 1-year-old?
Back in 2019, Serena Williams and a gymnastics coach supported the tiny Olympia as she bravely walked across a high balance beam. The little toddler looked laser-focused. Sharing the moment on Instagram, the tennis pro captioned the photo, “Can’t wait for Olympia Ohanian to get tips from Simone Biles.”
Simone Biles quickly spotted the post and commented, “Oh my goodness, I’ll give her a lesson any day!” As Biles now stands just two days away from securing her ticket to her third Olympics, this heartfelt connection to Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian adds to the excitement of her journey. It’s heartwarming to see her longtime supporters still cheering her on.
What are your thoughts on this wholesome connection between Serena’s family and Simone Biles? Share in the comments below!
Sports
the worst day in my life: Lindsey Vonn Shares Photos from Her Leg Surgery: ‘I Had More Damage Than………
Lindsey Vonn is on the mend — but her leg injury was worse than expected.
The newly-retired skier, 34, underwent surgery on Monday to fix her “completely” torn LCL, or lateral collateral ligament, in her right leg. Vonn was injured in November, but put off surgery (and fought through the pain) to finish out her final professional season on the slopes.
“Obviously skiing with a brace this season didn’t go as well as I had hoped,” she wrote on Instagram. “I was waiting to have surgery because I had obligations, such as my fundraiser for my foundation and I didn’t want to let anyone down. So yesterday [Monday] was a great day for surgery.”
But the four months since the injury caused additional problems.
“Unfortunately since I put off surgery I had more damage than expected,” she said. “I had an additional meniscus tear and needed chondroplasty of my knee cap.”
Vonn thanked her surgeon, Dr. Robert LaPrade in Colorado, and his staff for the successful surgery, which included an LCL reconstruction, lateral meniscectomy, chondroplasty and peroneal nerve neurolysis.
After recounting all of the procedures — and sharing a gruesome photo of the surgery, she joked that with her newly-aquired medical knowledge people can “call me Dr. Vonn.”
Vonn also shared a video from just after the surgery while she was still coming off the anesthesia.
“Surgery was a success,” she said. “Don’t worry guys. Everything is great. My mom is feeding me Goldfish.”
The World Champion skier officially retired after the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships on Feb. 10. She said a few weeks later that waking up and not heading to the slopes was “really weird.”
“It’s hard,” Vonn told Today. “It’s been my whole life since I was 2½ and I hope that I’ve done something in my career that’s more meaningful than 82 wins. I hope that the mountains remember me. I definitely know that the fences will.”
Vonn had hoped to break the record for most World Cup wins, which belongs to Ingemar Stenmark with 86, but her body couldn’t make it.
“It’s been an amazing ride and I couldn’t be more thankful,” she said. “I truly have loved ski racing my entire life and I’ve been lucky enough to do it for so long and unfortunately my body gave out, but my passion for skiing will always remain.”
And in the fall, Vonn told PEOPLE that she’s still proud of what she’s been able to do.
“I have been saying the past few years that I’ll keep skiing until I break the record, but I’ve come to the realization that my career is not the sum of this record,” she said.
Football
“Best Role Model”: Tom Brady Celebrates Father’s Day with His Kids, Aims to Mirror His Own Dad’s Parenting
Tom Brady is a dedicated family man, and he has proven it yet again! The retired NFL GOAT has been seen recently preparing for his broadcaster role at the Fox Sports booth, but amidst all the preparation, his parents and kids remain his top priority. The former Patriots QB has always been vocal about the influence of his father, Tom Brady Sr., in his life. This was most evident during the 2017 Super Bowl when Brady, with teary eyes, said, “I think my dad is my hero because he’s someone I look up to every day. He was always someone who supported me in everything I did.”
This sentiment rings true as Tom Brady’s success story is a testament to the power of family support. Despite facing initial challenges through high school and college, he has never hidden his admiration for his parents, consistently crediting them for his achievements in the NFL. Now, as a father himself, Tom Brady sees an ideal persona in his dad, learning from him every day. And now, with the arrival of Father’s Day, Brady once again takes the opportunity to honor his father, as he continues to prioritize family above all else.
On Father’s Day, the Patriots’ Hall of Famer took the time to write a heartfelt note to his father on Instagram. Posting a series of pictures with his family on June 16th, starting with a shot of himself with his kids from their vacation, followed by photos of him with Tom Brady Sr., Brady wrote in the caption: “Happy Father’s Day to my HERO and the best role model I could have ever asked for.”
“THANK YOU to these kids for giving me the gift of being a father, a joy that I could have never imagined until you came into my life. I hope that I can give you all that my dad gave me… unconditional love and support ❤️❤️❤️,” he further added. As a father himself, Brady not only expressed his gratitude to his father but also shared how his dad inspires him every day to be an ideal father to Jack, Benjamin, and Vivian. Spеaking of Brady as a fathеr, his Junе 12th Hall of Famе spееch also included a fеw linеs dеdicatеd to his kids.
Tom Brady’s hеartfеlt Hall of Famе spееch for his kids
Brady’s children joined him on Wednesday in Foxborough where the Patriots inducted him into their Hall of Fame and retired his No. 12 jersey at Gillette Stadium for his Hall of Fame ceremony. And being surrounded by both his New England family and his children, the seven-time Super Bowl champion took this opportunity to honor both for supporting him with their unwavering love and support.
While Brady delivered a lengthy speech dedicated to his Patriots team and his former head coach Bill Belichick, he concluded with a special message to his kids. “Your dad loves you more than anything in this world,” Brady said in his speech. “There’s no greater joy than watching the three of you grow and teach me things on your way to becoming incredible young adults.”
Brady’s dedication and prioritization of his children highlight how much he cherishes his role as a father. His commitment to providing for his three little ones, who are likely the happiest part of his life at the moment, demonstrates his profound love for parenthood.
Sports
“Paralyzing Thoughts”: Simone Biles’ Confession Reminds Gymnastics Legend Of Her Own Trauma Decades After Olympics
In the high-stakes competitive realm of sports, where triumphs and strengths are celebrated with pomp and show, failures are often hidden. But in the world of gymnastics, two phenomenal figures have broken the silence on an issue that transcends medals and honors. Simone Biles has prioritized her mental well-being over chasing Olympic glory. And 64-year-old former US gymnast Kathy Johnson Clarke stood by her side in utmost solidarity as she narrated her own stories of fighting her intrusive thoughts and inner demons.
The 1984 Olympics medalist recently opened up about her unexpected struggles with PTSD decades after her retirement. Kathy Johnson Clarke retired from the field of gymnastics about 40 years ago. Post-retirement, she began a new journey as a sports commentator. But years after her retirement, Clarke’s words reflected how mental illness can take a huge toll on one’s life.
40 years post-retirement, Kathy Johnson Clarke reveals her battle with PTSD resonating with the struggle of Simone Biles
Simone Biles is undoubtedly one of the greatest in the world of gymnastics. But the queen of the mat too faced a mental health crisis in the most unfortunate situation. Despite arriving at the face of the Games, during the Tokyo Olympics, Biles decided to prioritize her mental health and withdrew from the global stage. Her act of courage to prioritize her well-being over potential gold medals resonated worldwide. Recently Kathy Johnson Clarke too stood by Biles’ decision.
In a recent X post, Kathy Johnson Clarke shares a report by AP News and wrote, “At nearly 65 and 40 years post retirement after the 84 Olympics I learned this year how real PTSD is. I didn’t expect “those paralyzing thoughts & feelings” again.” She suffered from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) recently and Johnson Clarke shared how she fought against the illness without giving up easily. Through their vulnerability and resilience, both Biles and Johnson Clarke inspire a broader dialogue about the importance of mental health, not just in sports, but in every aspect of life.
Back in 2021, during the Tokyo Olympics, Biles had to withdraw because of ‘Twisties’ (a disorienting condition where gymnasts lose their spatial awareness mid-air). But with the Paris Olympics knocking on her door, has Simone Biles fully recovered from the illness? “It’s a trauma that happened to her and that came at a bad time and she could not handle it. It’s as simple as this. She could not function. She could not be a gymnast at that time,” said Laurent Landi, who along with Cecile Landi coached Biles in 2017.
Biles overcomes stress and anxiety to triumph in the U.S. Classics, and eyes Paris Olympics
After she decided to leave the Olympic stage because of mental health issues, returning to the mat became an even bigger challenge. Fighting against anxiety, PTSD, and uncountable barriers, she started to prepare herself for the upcoming U.S. Classics. With her mother, Nellie Biles, by her side, she emerged victorious, securing several accolades in the event.
“It’s not like I think that ‘Olympics’ is a plague and I’m trying to avoid it or trying not to say it. I just think there are other things I have to get to before that,” stated Simone Biles, sharing her thoughts about the Paris Olympics. Both Clarke and Biles share a common thread. That is their ongoing journey of managing mental health amidst public scrutiny and personal expectations. Their stories highlight a poignant truth that even the most accomplished athletes are not immune to the invisible battles within. And that mental well-being must top the list of priorities for all.
Football
Cristiano Ronaldo, Maria Sharapova, serena Williams Tops the List of the 20 Most Charitable Athletes in the World
Athletes have a significant influence on our society. Soccer, basketball, tennis, motorsports and swimming are a few of the most popular sports worldwide. Sport gives hope, strength and confidence; it inspires and unites the globe. A lot of professionals not only achieve success through their determination and persistence. The most charitable athletes choose to make a change, fight poverty, help communities and donate to create a safer and better world for humanity and people in need. Here are the 10 most charitable athletes worldwide:
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is the most charitable professional athlete in the world. The soccer player is famously supporting his home country, Portugal. Ronaldo is an ambassador for Save the Children, Unicef and World Vision. He notably donated $1 million to Portuguese hospitals to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and $83,000 to a young Indian boy who needed brain surgery. The celebrity does not have tattoos, for a charitable reason. He donates blood frequently in his hometown.
Ronaldo once donated $83,000 to pay for a child’s brain surgery and used $165,000 to fund a Portuguese cancer center, among a laundry list of good-guy gestures.
Serena Williams
Serena Williams is one of the world’s best tennis players, and she is known for her activism. The Serena Williams Foundation has made relevant changes so far. Her foundation helped to finance a Secondary School in Matooni as well as a school in Jamaica. Williams has been awarded multiple times by the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador program, including the “Young Heroes Award” and the “Family Circle and Prudential Financial Player Who Makes a Difference Award.” She encourages young people to achieve their dreams, and her philanthropy speaks for itself.
Lionel Messi
This soccer player created a non-profit organization, The Leo Messi Foundation, with a focus on giving children the same opportunities to make their dreams come true. Messi’s foundation donated €1 million to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Leo Messi has been a UNICEF ambassador since 2010. He was involved in helping Syrian children to attend school by rebuilding establishments —1,600 Syrian children got the opportunity to go back to education.
Michael Jordan
The retired NBA player is a philanthropist. A multimillion-dollar donation from Michael Jordan to the organization of Friends of the Children helped a national campaign for children’s support. The athlete founded the James R. Jordan Foundation in honor of his father. The foundation supports poor
communities in North Carolina and Chicago. Michael Jordan’s brand, Jordan Brand is committed to donating $100 million between 2020 and 2030.
Colin Kaepernick
The former NFL player’s activism manifests itself in the Know Your Rights organization, which helps the young to attain social justice and education in struggling social layers. The Know Your Rights COVID-19 Relief Fund took on the responsibility to help out those who needed help to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The Nascar driver has helped with his philanthropy worldwide. In 2018, Nationwide’s Make Safe Happen got a new partnership with the Earnhardt family to provide knowledge about home fires. The motorsport athlete donated $400,000 to Nationwide Children’s Hospital a year earlier. He envisaged supporting people affected by hurricanes and wildfires.
Eli Manning
The former American football star volunteered to deliver water, baby formula and other needs to people affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Eli Manning Children’s Clinics Foundation gained donors after the athlete got involved. He created the campaign named Eli’s Challenge for the organization to fight cancer, Tackle Kids Cancer. Manning donates a significant amount of money every year.
Michael Phelps
The Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer created the Michael Phelps Foundation in 2008 after winning $1 million from his Olympic performance. He aimed to generate a healthy lifestyle for children. Financial assistance and water safety are among his most important goals within the organization. According to the Forbes list of the world’s most generous celebrities, he is one of the most humanitarian athletes.
Maria Sharapova
The retired Russian tennis player founded the Maria Sharapova Foundation in 2007. The organization focuses on children from socially deprived communities. Financial support and educational chances are at the center of the foundation. As a Goodwill Ambassador, Maria Sharapova is working on poverty issues. She raised money for Chernobyl-affected students to get scholarships.
Athletes are taking action and fighting against poverty for humanity to have a better life globally. The world’s best achievers are emphasizing the issues of our society and raising awareness with their campaigns to the most burning problems of the world. The most charitable athletes can make a difference by dedicating their activism to the most imperative issues around the world.
Sports
Gisele Bundchen the Brazilian model defends that only couples know what really happens in a relationship amid rumors of infidelity to Tom Brady with Joaquim Valente
Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen announced in October 2022 that their 13-year relationship had come to an end and, since then, speculation began about the reason for the breakup and, also, rumors linking the model with her jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente.
Bundchen and Valente met in 2022, when they began classes of the martial art for both the model and her children and immediately there was chemistry between them, and it has been confirmed that they have a relationship, although according to a report from a source consulted by the Daily Mail, Brady believes she was dating him since they were married, which led Gisele to break her silence on the subject in an interview with The New York Times, where she called it “a lie” to have cheated on Tom
“This is something that happens to many women who are blamed when they have the courage to leave an unhealthy relationship and are branded as unfaithful. They have to deal with their communities, they have to deal with their family. Of course, for me, this is a bit amplified,” Gisele told The New York Times.
Later, Gisele added that only couples know what happens in a relationship, so the rest is speculation about what is believed to have happened in her story with Tom Brady, with whom she has three children and with whom she will have to continue living together, while both continue with their lives, Bundchen with Joaquim Valente, while the former New England Patriots quarterback, continues to search, although he has been linked in a possible relationship with model Irina Shayk.
“No one really knows what happens between two people, only the two people who are in the relationship,” Gisele added.
Who is Joaquim Valente?
Joaquim Valente is a third generation Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who teaches the sport at an academy based in Miami along with his brothers Pedro and Gui. His older brother, Pedro began teaching in Miami in 1993, after moving from Rio de Janeiro in 1993.
Joaquim is the youngest of the family and the last to migrate to the United States, but his contribution was fundamental to the success of the family business, as he contributed his knowledge acquired in Brazil.
The model, for her part, began training jiu-jitsu in December 2021 and earned her Brazilian blue belt in one year. “I’m a very intense person, so when I enjoy something, I’m committed
Although they were seen together before formalizing their romance, the model denied having a romantic relationship and told Vanity Fair: “I think that unfortunately, because I’m divorced, they’re going to try to link me to anyone”.
The first dates reportedly occurred in November 2022, when both visited the Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica, accompanied by the model’s children and several other people. Other versions say that they actually started dating in June 2023
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