logo
BONUS: Destanee Aiava's French connection

BONUS: Destanee Aiava's French connection

BONUS: There was a time where tennis fans wondered if Destanee Aiava might be lost to the sport, instead the 25-year-old is preparing to play the French Open having landed a wild card off the back of some impressive showings post Australian Open. Destanee is joining us to talk about her impending date with Roland Garros, living with borderline personality disorder, tennis fashion and how things have changed post AO. Featured: Destanee Aiava, Australian tennis player.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

NRL star to comes out of Origin retirement for Qld Maroons in Game 3
NRL star to comes out of Origin retirement for Qld Maroons in Game 3

News.com.au

time29 minutes ago

  • News.com.au

NRL star to comes out of Origin retirement for Qld Maroons in Game 3

Queensland are reportedly set to make a stunning selection call for the State of Origin decider, with veteran prop Josh Papalii set to be a shock inclusion for Game 3. According to Code Sports, Papalii is expected to come out of Origin retirement and be named on Maroons coach Billy Slater's team sheet on Monday morning. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. The 33-year-old played 23 games for Queensland from 2013 to 2022 and was seen as Queensland's most intimidating enforcers. Papalii, who has also played 11 Tests for Australia and 10 Tests for Samoa, announced his retirement from representative football in 2023 when he knew he was going to be overlooked for Origin selection. The beloved prop is enjoying a fairytale season, having recently scored in his 300th NRL game for Canberra as the Raiders chase their first premiership in 31 years. His strong form at club level has put him back on Slater's radar and Papalii is tipped to start for Queensland in Game 3 in Sydney on July 9. Papalii is being backed to start the game with a 25-minute burst at prop alongside Tino Fa'asuamaleaui. Code Sports reports Titans prop Mo Fotuaika is set to be dropped to make way for Papalii's unlikely return to Queensland's starting side. The shock selection call will add grunt and fear factor to the Maroons, who are aiming to clinch an unlikely series win and claim a third Origin shield in four years. An injury to Kalyn Ponga has also opened the door for Reece Walsh to return for Queensland, while Hamiso Tabui-Fidow has pressed his case for the No. 1 jersey with a four-try outing for the Dolphins. The surprise selection news is in stark contrast to NSW, who have named an unchanged 17 for Game 3. NSW's forward pack came under scrutiny in Perth, with Max King's position at starting prop under question following the injury to Mitch Barnett that left a hole in the team. Stefano Utoikamanu's spot in the team was also seen as under threat, but Daley has stuck to his guns, ignoring calls to bring Rabbitohs gun Keaon Koloamatangi or Tigers recruit Terrell May in to do a job at prop. Fox League commentator Andrew Voss said on SEN after Game 2: 'Stefano Utoikamanu is gone. I'm rubbing him out for Game 3. Max King is not a starting Origin front rower. So there's a starting front rower spot up for grabs for NSW. 'I don't think you can go with the same starting 13 again. You can't go with Max King if you're only giving him that many minutes.' Daley has reportedly added Sharks second rower Teig Wilton and Parramatta forward Jack Williams to the extended squad for the 10-day camp before the decider at Sydney's Accor Stadium. Gold Coast's Brian Kelly has also been added to the squad. That trio aren't expected to be included in the final 20-man squad but will come into camp as experience and to run opposition at NSW training. On top of those two additions, Dolphins halfback Isaiya Katoa has been brought into NSW's squad as insurance for Nathan Cleary, who is managing a thigh/groin injury. Katoa, 21, has been in blistering form for the Dolphins and has been given the nod over Broncos veteran Adam Reynolds as the back-up halfback. Brian To'o, Jarome Luai and Payne Haas have all been cleared to play. PREDICTED QUEENSLAND TEAM — to be named Monday 9am AEST 1. Reece Walsh 2. Xavier Coates 3. Robert Toia 4. Valentine Holmes 5. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 6. Cameron Munster (c) 7. Tom Dearden 8. Moeaki Fotuaika/Josh Papalii/Lindsay Collins 9. Harry Grant 10. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui 11. Reuben Cotter 12. Kurt Capewell 13. Trent Loiero 14. Kurt Mann 15. Lindsay Collins/Moeaki Fotuaika 16. Jeremiah Nanai 17. Patrick Carrigan

Sky's the limit: Joint inspires Aussie Wimbledon launch
Sky's the limit: Joint inspires Aussie Wimbledon launch

Perth Now

time31 minutes ago

  • Perth Now

Sky's the limit: Joint inspires Aussie Wimbledon launch

Ajla Tomljanovic has declared the sky's the limit for Australia's new tennis shooting star Maya Joint. The 19-year-old US-born prodigy Joint, popular among her new-found Australian mates, gave them all a boost on the weekend before Wimbledon by winning her first grass-court title at the prestigious curtain-raiser at Eastbourne. The vastly experienced Tomljanovic, twice a Wimbledon quarter-finalist, and Talia Gibson, who has a high-profile shot at four-time grand slam champ Naomi Osaka, lead the opening-day Aussie challenge on a baking hot Monday at the All England Club. Joint won't make her Wimbledon bow until Tuesday against 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova, and Tomljanovic thinks the break will be key for her. After her first title win in Morocco on clay five weeks ago, Joint then had to jet straight from Rabat to Paris for the French Open and didn't look anywhere near her best as Tomljanovic defeated her. "I think it'll help her this time, because she'll have learned a bit from that quick turnaround in Paris. And you'd take a final or a title before a slam any day of the week, even if it's a quick turnaround," Tomljanovic said. "I think the sky's the limit for her. Tennis is in a place where you can't really put numbers on people, especially how well she's been doing at such a young age. "She seems not to be fazed by anything, she's such a cool person. She's different, which I like. When you spend time with her, she's quiet, then she'll come out with, like, a really funny joke out of nowhere. "On court she's quick, and there's not really many holes in her game." Tomljanovic faces former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who Joint defeated on the way to her Eastbourne crown, and reckoned she'd be picking the youngster's brains about how to play her on grass. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Gibson still can't quite believe she'll be making her own Wimbledon debut after saving a match point in her final round of qualifying as she gets ready to face Osaka, who's returning after a maternity break. It's potentially a golden opportunity for the Perth player because 27-year-old Osaka has had inconsistent results since coming back following the birth of her daughter Shai in July 2023. "It was very exciting to see that I'm coming up against her,'' Gibson said. "It would be very easy to get a bit nervous and get too caught up in the name of who's down the other end, but I think it's going to be an amazing experience. "It's been really great to watch Naomi play when I was growing up. She's definitely an inspiration." Leading the men's charge will be 20th seed Alexei Popyrin, looking forward to his first "tennis Ashes'' battle at Wimbledon against British wildcard Arthur Fery. "He's a good player, like all the Brits, they grow up on grass, know how to play on the surface, and I've heard his dad may be a member of this club, so he knows the place inside out," Popyrin said. "He'll have the home crowd on his side, so that will also be a little bit of a challenge, but I'm feeling good and I'm ready to go." AUSTRALIANS IN ACTION ON DAY ONE OF WIMBLEDON (Prefix number denotes seeding) (WC = wildcard) (Q = qualifier) MEN (20) Alexei Popyrin v (WC) Arthur Fery (GBR) Jordan Thompson v Vit Kopriva (CZE) Chris O'Connell v (Q) Adrian Mannarino (FRA) James Duckworth v (25) Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) WOMEN Olivia Gadecki v Greet Minnen (BEL) Kim Birrell v (22) Donna Vekic (CRO) Ajla Tomljanovic v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) Talia Gibson (Q) v Naomi Osaka (JPN)

Richmond's Tom Lynch takes ‘big swing' at opponent with old school haymaker
Richmond's Tom Lynch takes ‘big swing' at opponent with old school haymaker

News.com.au

timean hour ago

  • News.com.au

Richmond's Tom Lynch takes ‘big swing' at opponent with old school haymaker

Richmond forward Tom Lynch can expect a lengthy stint on the sidelines after he unleashed an old fashioned haymaker on an Adelaide Crows player on Sunday. Adelaide defeated the Tigers by 68 points at the MCG to consolidate their position in the top four. Lynch was not enjoying the close attention of Crows defender Jordan Butts, giving away five free kicks to have an AFL Fantasy score of -15 at one stage. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Late in the first quarter, Lynch lashed out at Butts after a marking contest, turning and whacking Butts across the face/head area, prompting him to fall to the turf in pain. The umpire blew a free kick and Lynch engaged in some further argy bargy with Crows players. Watch Tom Lynch's strike in the video above The strike on Butts immediately caught the attention of Fox Footy's commentators, especially given the turn-and-strike nature of the incident looked similar to Barry Hall's infamous punch on Brent Staker. Brad Johnson said in commentary: 'Lynch is in a lot of trouble here. I've just see a big whack. It's frustration. 'He actually got reported for the second punch – that first one was a free kick against. 'He gets in the scuffle again. He punches again. That's where the umpire comes in and reports him on the spot.' Dermott Brereton said: 'He's taken a big swing.' Footy reporter Jon Ralph said on Fox Footy: 'He's in plenty of trouble. 'I asked Tom Lynch a month ago about his reputation as a tribunal regular. 'He said 'I've been suspended for two weeks across my whole career' – I think he's likely to double that. 'He does make contact there with Butts. You'd hate to think he could have followed through and really got him hard. 'It's clearly intentional, behind the play. Maybe it's high impact. 'The look of that strike is something (MRO's) Michael Christian factors in too. 'He's had scuffles with other players as well – I don't think there's a lot in those. 'It goes without saying, he's got to be better than that. His coach would be shattered – sometimes when it's not going your way you've got to suck it up.' Lynch told Seven post-game: 'I didn't want to cause harm or anything like that, I was just trying to get free and the frustration came out. 'I gave away too many free kicks and was not good enough as a leader; said at halftime sorry boys, thought we were playing pretty well in that second quarter and it pretty much stopped the momentum. 'I was just more frustrated with how he was defending me, I thought. And clearly it was within the rules because there were no free kicks awarded to me and I went outside the rules. I've got to be better.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store