Venus Williams says she is engaged to Andrea Preti after her first singles win in 16 months
After becoming the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match, Williams gave thanks to her fiance, who was in the stands at the DC Open. He is Andrea Preti, who is a Danish-born Italian model and actor, according to the website IMDB.
The 45-year-old Williams hadn't played in a tournament in 16 months until entering the event in Washington. She won a doubles match on Monday and a singles match on Tuesday, before losing in doubles on Wednesday.
Williams, who has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, is scheduled to face Magdalena Frech in the second round on Thursday night.
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News18
44 minutes ago
- News18
AC Milan Beat Liverpool 4-2 In Hong Kong Pre-Season Friendly
Last Updated: Rafael Leao opened the scoring for AC Milan while Noah Okafor struck twice while Loftus-Cheek once. Former Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored as Premier League champions Liverpool were defeated 4-2 by AC Milan on Saturday in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong. Liverpool, featuring record signing Florian Wirtz in his first start, dominated much of the game under the closed roof at Kai Tak Stadium, but their shaky defence was exposed on the break, leading to all four Milan goals. Rafael Leao put the Italian side ahead in the 10th minute, and Dominik Szoboszlai's superb strike equalised 16 minutes later, making it 1-1 at half-time. However, goals from Loftus-Cheek and substitute Noah Okafor, along with Cody Gakpo's late header, secured victory for AC Milan. Liverpool manager Arne Slot acknowledged there were positives to take from the match but admitted his team needs improvement before their first competitive match, the Community Shield against Crystal Palace on August 10. 'I saw a few good things," he told reporters, referring to the first half when a predominantly first-choice Liverpool created numerous chances but only converted one. Slot made nine changes at the break, resulting in a makeshift defence that was repeatedly caught out. 'We wanted to give 20 players some playing time, so too many players didn't play in their own position. We were a bit too open. We must improve in certain areas because we were counter-attacked too much today." Loftus-Cheek, who has also played for Crystal Palace and Fulham, said it was special to score against Liverpool. 'It's nice to play against a Premier League team again," said Loftus-Cheek, whose team had lost 1-0 to Arsenal in a friendly on Wednesday. 'Liverpool are one of the best teams in the world. It was a good test for us tonight. It's just about feeling better physically, gelling as a team, and there's a lot for us to improve. So we'll take that and move on." Liverpool's Hong Kong fans vastly outnumbered those supporting AC Milan in the sellout crowd of 49,704. They paid a heartfelt tribute to Diogo Jota, who passed away this month in a car crash. Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish laid flowers in front of fans, who held up a mosaic spelling out 'DJ20" in honour of Jota's number 20 shirt, which has been retired by the club. Leao also remembered his fellow Portuguese player Jota, offering a silent prayer and forming the number 20 with his fingers after scoring the opener. Wirtz played 45 minutes and looked comfortable directing operations, showing hints of why Bayer Leverkusen were paid a reported British transfer record of $150 million for the German playmaker. Other new Liverpool signings, defenders Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, both came on as substitutes at half-time. Another defender, Joe Gomez, has flown home for treatment of a minor Achilles problem. Striker Hugo Ekitike, signed from Eintracht Frankfurt for a reported $92 million, was not ready to take part, having only flown in to join his new teammates two days earlier. Liverpool started without a recognised central striker as Darwin Nunez, who was injured, and Luis Diaz, linked with a move away from Anfield, were left out. Liverpool will now fly to Japan to face Yokohama F-Marinos on Wednesday. With AFP Inputs Location : Hong Kong First Published: July 26, 2025, 21:26 IST News sports » football AC Milan Beat Liverpool 4-2 In Hong Kong Pre-Season Friendly Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Mint
2 hours ago
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First time in 148 years! Ben Stokes becomes first English cricketer to achieve rare double in Tests
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Business Standard
2 hours ago
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Venus Williams' health insurance comments: What athletes need to know
Venus Williams' recent singles win at the DC Open showcased her longevity and brought attention to health coverage for aging athletes following a joking comment she made in an on-court interview. "I had to come back for the insurance," the five-time Wimbledon champion said after Tuesday's match, her first in 16 months. "They informed me this year that I'm on COBRA, so it's like, I got to get my benefits on." The 45-year-old Williams, who has won seven major singles titles in her career, became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match in professional tennis with Tuesday's victory. After losing on Thursday, she acknowledged that her comment on health insurance was a "fun and funny moment." The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, more commonly referred to as COBRA, allows Americans to stay on their employer's insurance plan for a limited amount of time after leaving their job. It comes with high costs. Williams' comment led to questions about health insurance in the sports world. For most active professional athletes, partially or fully subsidised health insurance is provided by their league or governing body and guaranteed in their collective bargaining agreement. A CBA is an agreement reached between a league and its players that guarantees certain levels of player compensation and benefits, and can be renegotiated every few years. So when athletes are playing, they're usually covered. But Williams, coming back to the sport after a 16-month hiatus, brought to light how long that insurance lasts or doesn't last for athletes when they're not playing. Women's Tennis In the WTA, the governing body of the women's tour, players are eligible to enroll in the health insurance plan if they are ranked in the top 500 in singles or top 175 in doubles and have played a minimum of three WTA 250 level or above tournaments that year. If players are in the top 150 in singles or top 50 in doubles, the WTA will pay a portion of the premiums. If a player is no longer eligible under those requirements, they can enrol in COBRA for up to 18 months, which is likely the situation that Williams was referencing. That is also the WTA's only option for retiring players. "Nobody wants to be on COBRA, right? Williams said after her second-round loss on Thursday night. That remains an issue in my life Obviously (the interview was) a fun and funny moment, but it's an issue that people are dealing with, so it is serious." Men's Tennis The ATP provides health insurance to men's tennis players who rank in the top 250 in singles or top 50 in doubles. All other players with a ranking point are given the opportunity to purchase health insurance through the ATP's provider. For retired players, the only option is COBRA for up to three years. Golf As an individual sport without a CBA, golf tours vary. They do have a group insurance plan that is available to active members of the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champions (the tour for golfers over 50) and the Korn Ferry Tour (the feeder circuit for the PGA). For players who meet certain "performance criteria," including how many tournaments they played and how often they won, the PGA will partially subsidise the plan. In retirement, players are responsible for their own insurance. Some players join the PGA Tour Champions after the PGA Tour and play into their mid-60s, during which they maintain coverage. Top players can receive a subsidy from the PGA in retirement. The LPGA Tour, the women's professional golf tour, started offering its players fully funded health insurance for the first time this year. Before this year, players were given a $4,000 stipend. NBA NBA players have access to one of the most inclusive insurance plans in retirement. If they played at least three years in the league, retired NBA players are eligible for fully-funded health insurance in retirement, and if they played at least 10 years, they will have healthcare covered for their entire family. WNBA WNBA players are fighting for retirement healthcare as part of their new CBA, which they are currently negotiating with the league. Those negotiations have been heated, and the most recent meeting between the two sides last weekend did not result in an agreement. One unique facet of the W's healthcare is that athletes who have spent more than eight years in the league can be reimbursed up to USD 20,000 a year for costs related to adoption, surrogacy, egg freezing or additional fertility treatments. NFL The NFL has less long-term coverage for retirees than most other team sport leagues athletes who played in the league for at least three years can remain on the NFL health insurance plan, but only for five years into retirement. NHL NHL players who have played more than 160 games with the league, which is about two seasons, are eligible to buy NHL health insurance for their retirement. The retirement insurance plan is eligible for partial subsidization from the league. MLB Baseball players who spent at least four years in the league have the option to pay premiums to stay on the MLB's healthcare plan indefinitely. Minor League Baseball has its own separate CBA, which also guarantees health insurance for active players. In the minors, however, players who get cut or leave the league lose coverage at the end of that month. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
