Brighton sign goalkeeper Nnadozie from Paris FC
Brighton have signed Nigeria goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie on a free transfer from Paris FC.The 24-year-old will join the club when her contract with the French side expires on 1 July.Nnadozie has made 55 appearances for her country, making her senior debut in 2018.She has experience in the Women's Champions League, having made 16 European appearances for Paris FC between 2022 and 2025."She's a talented and commanding goalkeeper who will bring consistency and confidence to our defensive line," said Brighton manager Dario Vidosic. "We're confident she'll add both depth and drive to a squad already full of ambition as we continue to build for next season."
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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Alcaraz, Sinner, Sabalenka and Swiatek top Wimbledon bill but have work cut out
About three hours and 45 minutes into his duel with Carlos Alcaraz three weeks ago, Jannik Sinner lowered himself into his return stance for what he hoped would be the last rally of a near-flawless fortnight. Sinner held three championship points for what would be one of the most monumental victories of his career. Just one of those three would have earned him a first grand slam title away from hard courts and redefined the terms of engagement with Alcaraz, the only player to beat him for 10 months. Sinner would then have drawn level with the Spaniard on four grand slam titles. The margins that determine success have always been precarious but few occasions exemplified this like Paris. Instead of Sinner reinforcing his status as the world's best, Alcaraz produced another legendary moment in his young career with one of the greatest comebacks of all time. Although the Italian remains No 1 and the best player in the world based on his performances over the past year, on the eve of Wimbledon Alcaraz is the player to beat. Since Roland Garros, the momentum and good vibes surrounding the champion have only increased. He followed his three-day interlude in Ibiza by winning at Queen's Club for a second time. While he still considers clay his favourite surface, the 22-year-old's grass record is astounding. He has amassed 29 wins and three defeats, winning 25 of his past 26 matches on the surface. He has more grass-court titles – four – than losses. He heads into Wimbledon as the clear favourite and will attempt to become the fifth man in the Open era to win the singles title three times in a row. It will take time for Sinner, who is nine months older, to come to terms with the French Open defeat, which was still playing on his mind when he lost in the second round of the Halle Open last week to Alexander Bublik. But another grand slam tournament also provides him with an opportunity to forge ahead with fresh motivation. Alcaraz and Sinner have shared the past six grand slam titles, shutting out the rest of the field and until there is a significant shift, it is difficult to choose the rest of the field over these two players. Novak Djokovic, however, continues to relish the challenge of trying to disrupt the youngsters. At the age of 38 he has clearly been third-best player at the grand slams this year, reaching two semi-finals, with victories over Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev. On grass, where the seven-time Wimbledon champion's understanding of the surface is second to none and the faster conditions are more helpful to his ageing body, Wimbledon has always represented his biggest opportunity of becoming the oldest slam champion in the Open era. It is clear that Jack Draper will command the most attention at the beginning. The Briton's past year has been remarkable, with the 23-year-old rising from No 40 to No 4, winning his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells and reaching his first slam semi-final at the US Open. Draper has everything he could possibly want to make a deep run on the grass – a well-rounded, increasingly complete game and his destructive lefty serve and forehand are well-suited to the fast surface. While most British players have some sort of early breakthrough at Wimbledon, Draper, at 23, has never passed the second round and his success has come on foreign shores. He has never experienced the pressure and attention that comes with being a top home player and genuine contender on Centre Court. In the long run, Draper has the character and single-minded focus to handle these situations and produce his best tennis but the coming week will be a fascinating test of his character and current readiness for these moments. The women's draw is shrouded in even more uncertainty. Aryna Sabalenka has clearly established herself as the top player but, like Sinner, she arrives at Wimbledon with her ego bruised after her dramatic three-set defeat to Coco Gauff in the French Open final. Her tactless comments after the defeat, and the backlash they generated, only made things even more difficult for her. The Belarusian remains the favourite to win a first Wimbledon title, where the grass aids her ultra-offensive shotmaking. Beyond Sabalenka, there is even less clarity. Gauff has solidified herself as a true championship player by winning her second slam in Paris. However, despite her breakthrough run coming at Wimbledon, when she reached the fourth round from qualifying on her slam debut as a 15-year-old, the American, now 21, has struggled to find her best on grass. Iga Swiatek's difficulties on grass are similarly well established but, with every year, the former world No 1 does appear to grow more comfortable. After an extremely difficult period on court this year, she did leave Roland Garros with her head held high despite her dominance in Paris coming to an end after her semi-final loss to Sabalenka. As is often the case, contenders could come from anywhere. Five months on from her stunning triumph at the Australian Open, Madison Keys remains effective both on grass and at slams. Mirra Andreeva's improved serve should make her even more dangerous this year. In a sport where the margins are so tight, and there are so many players capable of performing at a high level on their day, this Wimbledon may well be decided by whoever truly rises to the occasion when they most need to.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
The making of Jack Draper: from teen ‘maniac' to Wimbledon title contender
Towards the end of 2018, a relatively unknown 16-year-old British tennis player took some of his first strides on the professional tennis circuit in a $15,000 (£11,000) tournament in Lagos, Nigeria on the ITF World Tennis Tour. Earlier that summer, Jack Draper had offered a glimpse into his considerable potential with a run to the Wimbledon boys' final and his encouraging first tussles against adult opposition had earned him a modest ATP ranking of No 623. 'I was very different then,' Draper says, smiling. 'A bit of a maniac, to be honest.' Those experiences were key in his development for various reasons. He ended that tournament by winning his third consecutive title, offering him more reason to believe he was on the right path. Along the way, he gained some essential perspective. 'I'd have a wet [racket] grip, because it was so humid there. I'd put it in a bin and the kids were fighting over it. Just the energy from the people there, they were really passionate about tennis,' says Draper. 'To go to those sorts of places was definitely … going from the UK and having a lot of, I guess, things given to me, it definitely helped the way I saw life.' As Draper arrives at Wimbledon as the fourth best player in the world, and seeks out his first deep run at his home grand slam tournament, the 23-year-old's disposition in his youth underlines just how far he has come. During his formative years, he was smaller than many contemporaries and his only route to victory was through grinding, scrapping and outsmarting his rivals. His teenage growth spurt was a transformative event in his career and he now stands at an imposing 1.93m (6ft 4in). That dramatic physical change has allowed Draper to build one of the most well-rounded games on the tour. Although he is now a more offensive player, he has retained his excellent defensive skills from his youth. Draper's wicked, varied lefty serve is one of his most pronounced strengths, even though its consistency is still a work in progress. While many big servers tend to not return as well, Draper is an even more effective returner. His two-handed backhand was the foundation of his success during his youth, but he now looks to dominate with his heavy topspin forehand. He can still draw out errors from behind the baseline even though he has grown comfortable with attempting to dominate all opponents. Draper's affinity for using drop shots and his comfort around the net also provide him with more options than most players to finish any given point. 'You're scared of his forehand because he rips it cross, rips it down the line,' says the three-time grand slam finalist Casper Ruud. 'You're also, in a way, scared of his backhand because he can rip and counter from that side as well. So there aren't many holes in his game that I see or that I feel.' According to Tennis Viz, which uses data metrics to quantify the quality of strokes, Draper is the only player other than the world No 1, Jannik Sinner, to average a rating of more than eight (out of 10) for serve, return, forehand and backhand quality this year. For Draper, being a complete player has been the goal all along. 'When I was younger, I was always thinking: 'If I'm going to be a top player, if I'm going to play someone, what do I want them to think?'' says Draper. 'And I want them to think: 'He has no weaknesses,' because I know that if I play someone who has no weaknesses, I'd be feeling a lot of pressure. So I suppose that's the goal I want to get to. I'm still not fully there, but I'm wanting to get to that.' Of all the shots in his arsenal, Draper's forehand has changed and improved more than anything else. A natural right-hander, his two-handed backhand has always been his most instinctive and reliable groundstroke. When they began working together in 2021, Draper and his coach, James Trotman, spent significant time discussing how to improve his forehand. 'The forehand was an area that I always thought could be a weapon, but it was a weakness as well,' he says. 'Any time anyone would rush it, it would not hold up. I wasn't able to get through the ball as much as I wanted to. We worked on my body positions, how I'm going to be able to come forward. There's a big misconception that to be a top player your forehand has to look a certain way. I don't think that's the truth. You just have to hit the ball in front and learn how to use your body to be effective.' While his forehand is still a work in progress, it has been a decisive factor in his recent success. He has long possessed one of the heaviest forehands in the game, with the stroke averaging 3,158 revolutions per minute (rpm) over the past year, far above the tour average of 2,844rpm, but this year he has been determined to flatten the stroke out, look to dominate opponents with it and attack more frequently down the line. His forehand quality has increased from 7.6 to 7.9, elevating it from 25th on the tour last year to 14th in 2025. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Possessing such a varied skill set is clearly an asset to any player, but for a long time Draper still could not find his identity on the court. Last year, as he still struggled to shake off his defensive instincts, Draper hired the former top 10 player Wayne Ferreira as a supplementary coach alongside Trotman. After years of being instructed to play the brand of ultra-offensive tennis befitting a big man, he tried it out. 'I was in a bit of a crisis last year thinking: 'Where's my game going to go? What do I need to change?'' Draper says. 'Then I did certain things and I tried to maybe go to the opposite end of the spectrum and try and hit every ball as hard as I can, and return up the court and do all these things, but it didn't really work, that experiment.' Although he won his first ATP title in Stuttgart during this period, Draper suffered a first-round loss at the French Open followed by a miserable second-round defeat at Wimbledon by Cameron Norrie. By the end of the summer, the experiment was over. The experience taught him that he could find a greater balance between attack and defence in his game, but also a fundamental lesson that he will never forget: he should always trust himself. 'It got to the point where maybe I was thinking that I needed to do something drastic to be a top player,' he says. 'The truth was I just needed to be consistent, trust the work that I was doing, and know that with the right mentality and doing things well day in, day out and preparing the best I can for competitions, that's going to just help me to find more consistency and be the top player I wanted to be. So it feels good to have gone on that journey and realised that it's just hard work, really.'
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Is South Africa vs Barbarians on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Springboks
The Springboks are in action for the first time in 2025 as South Africa host the Barbarians in Cape Town. The world champions enjoyed a highly successful 2024, winning the Rugby Championship and showing off their strength in depth on an unbeaten November tour of Europe. It is an intriguing start to the year for Rassie Erasmus's side, with this uncapped game and Tests against Italy and Georgia providing an opportunity for the coach to look at the wider options within his squad as he continues to tinker with the Springboks. They will take on an intriguing Barbarians bunch including a couple of retiring Irish icons, several of those who just missed out on the All Blacks squad and a pair of England exiles. Here's everything you need to know. When is South Africa vs the Barbarians? South Africa vs the Barbarians is due to kick off at 4.10pm BST at DHL Stadium in Cape Town. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Action, with coverage from 4pm BST. A live stream will be available via Sky Go and NOW. Rassie Erasmus has given chances to four uncapped players amidst plenty of experience in a strong South Africa side. Giant tighthead Asenathi Ntlabakanye and explosive flanker Vincent Tshituka both start as they pull on Springboks shirts for the first time, with front-rowers Marnus van der Merwe and Neethling Fouche also set to be used off the bench. There are familiar faces elsewhere: Jesse Kriel captains the side after injury struck Siya Kolisi in the week, while Cheslin Kolbe, Damian de Allende and Malcolm Marx are among the other stars on show. The retiring Peter O'Mahony skippers the Barbarians line-up, with fellow old Irish stager Cian Healy joining him in saying farewell. Ex-All Blacks captain Sam Cane joins O'Mahony in the back row and has plenty of Kiwis for company in a side full of New Zealanders young and old. Mark Telea is an eye-catching inclusion after his omission from Scott Robertson's latest squad while there is also a significant contingent taken from the Top 14, including lock David Ribbans and centre Joe Marchant, both part of England's 2023 World Cup squad before moves to France left them ineligible. It's a six/two bench for the BaaBaas. Line-ups South Africa XV: 1 Ox Nche, 2 Malcolm Marx, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye; 4 Jean Kleyn, 5 Lood de Jager; 6 Marco van Staden, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 8 Jean-Luc du Preez; 9 Morne van den Berg, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu; 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 12 Damian de Allende, 13 Jesse Kriel (capt.), 14 Cheslin Kolbe; 15 Aphelele Fassi. Replacements: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Kwagga Smith; 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Andre Esterhuizen. Barbarians XV: 1 Cian Healy, 2 Camille Chat, 3 Paul Alo-Emile; 4 Ruben van Heerden, 5 David Ribbans; 6 Peter O'Mahony (capt.), 7 Sam Cane, 8 Shannon Frizell; 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 10 Josh Jacomb; 11 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, 12 Peter Umaga-Jensen, 13 Leicester Fainga'anuku, 14 Mark Telea; 15 Melvyn Jaminet.
