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Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Wimbledon star quit tennis at 23 for gruelling work as a fencer before returning to sport and finding love with Brit ace
He likely wouldn't have met his girlfriend without returning to tennis ON THE FENCE Wimbledon star quit tennis at 23 for gruelling work as a fencer before returning to sport and finding love with Brit ace WHEN Alex Bolt quit tennis aged just 23, he would never have imagined making four appearances at Wimbledon. Within days of hanging up his racquet, the Aussie, now 32, joined his brother-in-law's fencing business and began hard graft in the sweltering Southern Australian heat. Advertisement 7 Alex Bolt quit tennis aged just 23 to work as a fencer in March 2016 Credit: EPA 7 Bolt with British tennis ace girlfriend Katie Swan in London Credit: INSTAGRAM After a flurry of defeats against lower-ranked players, Bolt decided to call it quits after "hating his time on the court" in March 2016. Hours after an emotional farewell chat with his then-coach Simon Rea, Bolt joined the family business and set his alarm clock for 5:30am to make a 45-minute drive to his new fencing job. In 2020, he told ATP Tour: "Let me tell you, that was work. Putting up retaining walls. Digging holes. Sticking posts in the ground. Cementing. I didn't know much of anything about what I was doing, but I was doing it. "Those were long, hot days. It can get pretty hot out on a tennis court, but this was rough. I was drained to say the least. Those 5:30 wake-up calls? My excitement was gone after Day 2. That was not fun at all." Advertisement READ MORE TENNIS NEWS FRENCH FANCY Djokovic set to face OnlyFans star and 'sexiest player in tennis' at Wimbledon Just to rub salt in the wounds, one of his first jobs was around basketball and tennis courts at a primary school. After grinding out his new job for a few months, Bolt was persuaded to buy a pair of boots and play in a local Aussie Rules team called the Mypolonga Tigers, which he says "helped him regain his happiness". He said: "It was probably a couple months after that when I started missing tennis. I didn't think I'd ever pick up a racquet. But I wasn't totally out of touch. I'd made some great mates with the Aussie boys, and was still in group chats with them." Bolt then thought 'that could've been me' when he saw his mate Jordan Thompson crack the Top 100 and win four ATP Challenger Tour events later in 2016. Advertisement CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS After hesitating for a while, Bolt got a random call from tennis coach Todd Langman, who was working with his best pal Thanasi Kokkinakis. Todd saw a picture Bolt posted on Facebook at the end of the Aussie Rules season and gave him a call - and Bolt didn't need much persuading. British world No719 qualifies for Wimbledon but is BANNED from claiming £66,000 prize money 7 Bolt found happiness again while playing Aussie Rules with his pals during his break from tennis Advertisement After nine months away from the court, Bolt's first day back was the 2016 AFL Grand Final. He was massively out of shape and was told to start from scratch. Todd even made Bolt play against young kids, telling him to not back down and "to give everything he had". He made his official return to action at a Challenger in Adelaide at the start of 2017, with his Aussie Rules pals coming out to cheer him on while he made the main draw and lost in the second round. Bolt, who is now dating British tennis ace Katie Swan, was then given a wild card into Australian Open qualies in 2017. Advertisement He said: "It was all such a blur. Before I knew it, I was beating Julien Benneteau in the final round to reach the main draw of a Slam for the first time." Despite losing to Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round, Bolt finished the year with a singles ranking of No. 192 - an improvement of almost 400 places from the end of 2016. 7 British star Swan is dating Bolt 7 The Aussie qualified for Wimbledon 2025 Advertisement He also had a handy year on the doubles circuit, making five Challenger finals with three victories to finish the season ranked No. 86, a career high doubles ranking. Before his best singles result in a third round at the Australian Open in 2019, Bolt booked his first Wimbledon main draw debut in 2018 after beating best friend Kokkinakis. Fast forward seven years and Bolt, currently No.194 in the world, has beaten 19-year-old Spaniard Martin Landaluce in the final round of qualifying to reach the main draw of Wimbledon for the fourth time. He takes on 10th seed Ben Shelton today in the first round. Advertisement Meanwhile, girlfriend Swan's dream of returning to Wimbledon was crushed in the first qualifying round in a tight defeat to Leyre Romero Gormaz 7-6(2), 7-6(6). 7 Bolt beat teenager Martin Landaluce at Roehampton to reach the Wimbledon main draw this week It was only as recently as 2023 that Swan was going toe-to-toe with Katie Boulter for the British No.1 ranking, before Emma Raducanu won it back last month. Amazingly, Swan, 26, is not the only British tennis player called Katie in a relationship with an Aussie called Alex, with Boulter dating world No.11 Alex De Minaur. Advertisement As well as representing Australia in Davis Cup, Bolt has been ranked as high as world No.125 in singles and peaked at world No.81 in doubles. Elbow surgery in 2022 provided a slight setback, forcing Bolt out of competition for six months. In 2024, Bolt won back-to-back singles titles at the Swan Hill Tennis International, an ITF 25 grass-court event. 7 Bolt and Swan have been an item since 2022 Credit: INSTAGRAM
The Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Wimbledon star quit tennis at 23 for gruelling work as a fencer before returning to sport and finding love with Brit ace
WHEN Alex Bolt quit tennis aged just 23, he would never have imagined making four appearances at Wimbledon. Within days of hanging up his racquet, the Aussie, now 32, joined his brother-in-law's fencing business and began hard graft in the sweltering Southern Australian heat. 7 After a flurry of defeats against lower-ranked players, Bolt decided to call it quits after "hating his time on the court" in March 2016. Hours after an emotional farewell chat with his then-coach Simon Rea, Bolt joined the family business and set his alarm clock for 5:30am to make a 45-minute drive to his new fencing job. In 2020, he told ATP Tour: "Let me tell you, that was work. Putting up retaining walls. Digging holes. Sticking posts in the ground. Cementing. I didn't know much of anything about what I was doing, but I was doing it. "Those were long, hot days. It can get pretty hot out on a tennis court, but this was rough. I was drained to say the least. Those 5:30 wake-up calls? My excitement was gone after Day 2. That was not fun at all." Just to rub salt in the wounds, one of his first jobs was around basketball and tennis courts at a primary school. After grinding out his new job for a few months, Bolt was persuaded to buy a pair of boots and play in a local Aussie Rules team called the Mypolonga Tigers, which he says "helped him regain his happiness". He said: "It was probably a couple months after that when I started missing tennis. I didn't think I'd ever pick up a racquet. But I wasn't totally out of touch. I'd made some great mates with the Aussie boys, and was still in group chats with them." Bolt then thought 'that could've been me' when he saw his mate Jordan Thompson crack the Top 100 and win four ATP Challenger Tour events later in 2016. After hesitating for a while, Bolt got a random call from tennis coach Todd Langman, who was working with his best pal Thanasi Kokkinakis. Todd saw a picture Bolt posted on Facebook at the end of the Aussie Rules season and gave him a call - and Bolt didn't need much persuading. British world No719 qualifies for Wimbledon but is BANNED from claiming £66,000 prize money 7 After nine months away from the court, Bolt's first day back was the 2016 AFL Grand Final. He was massively out of shape and was told to start from scratch. Todd even made Bolt play against young kids, telling him to not back down and "to give everything he had". He made his official return to action at a Challenger in Adelaide at the start of 2017, with his Aussie Rules pals coming out to cheer him on while he made the main draw and lost in the second round. Bolt, who is now dating British tennis ace Katie Swan, was then given a wild card into Australian Open qualies in 2017. He said: "It was all such a blur. Before I knew it, I was beating Julien Benneteau in the final round to reach the main draw of a Slam for the first time." Despite losing to Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round, Bolt finished the year with a singles ranking of No. 192 - an improvement of almost 400 places from the end of 2016. 7 7 He also had a handy year on the doubles circuit, making five Challenger finals with three victories to finish the season ranked No. 86, a career high doubles ranking. Before his best singles result in a third round at the Australian Open in 2019, Bolt booked his first Wimbledon main draw debut in 2018 after beating best friend Kokkinakis. Fast forward seven years and Bolt, currently No.194 in the world, has beaten 19-year-old Spaniard Martin Landaluce in the final round of qualifying to reach the main draw of Wimbledon for the fourth time. He takes on 10th seed Ben Shelton today in the first round. Meanwhile, girlfriend Swan's dream of returning to Wimbledon was crushed in the first qualifying round in a tight defeat to Leyre Romero Gormaz 7-6(2), 7-6(6). It was only as recently as 2023 that Swan was going toe-to-toe with Katie Boulter for the British No.1 ranking, before Emma Raducanu won it back last month. Amazingly, Swan, 26, is not the only British tennis player called Katie in a relationship with an Aussie called Alex, with Boulter dating world No.11 Alex De Minaur. As well as representing Australia in Davis Cup, Bolt has been ranked as high as world No.125 in singles and peaked at world No.81 in doubles. Elbow surgery in 2022 provided a slight setback, forcing Bolt out of competition for six months. In 2024, Bolt won back-to-back singles titles at the Swan Hill Tennis International, an ITF 25 grass-court event.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Wimbledon star quit tennis at 23 for gruelling work as a fencer before returning to sport and finding love with Brit ace
WHEN Alex Bolt quit tennis aged just 23, he would never have imagined making four appearances at Wimbledon. Within days of hanging up his racquet, the Aussie, now 32, joined his brother-in-law's fencing business and began hard graft in the sweltering Southern Australian heat. 7 Alex Bolt quit tennis aged just 23 to work as a fencer in March 2016 Credit: EPA 7 Bolt with British tennis ace girlfriend Katie Swan in London Credit: INSTAGRAM After a flurry of defeats against lower-ranked players, Bolt decided to call it quits after "hating his time on the court" in March 2016. Hours after an emotional farewell chat with his then-coach Simon Rea, Bolt joined the family business and set his alarm clock for 5:30am to make a 45-minute drive to his new fencing job. In 2020, he told "Those were long, hot days. It can get pretty hot out on a tennis court , but this was rough. I was drained to say the least. Those 5:30 wake-up calls? My excitement was gone after Day 2. That was not fun at all." READ MORE TENNIS NEWS Just to rub salt in the wounds, one of his first jobs was around basketball and tennis courts at a primary school. After grinding out his new job for a few months, Bolt was persuaded to buy a pair of boots and play in a local Aussie Rules team called the Mypolonga Tigers, which he says "helped him regain his happiness". He said: "It was probably a couple months after that when I started missing tennis . I didn't think I'd ever pick up a racquet. But I wasn't totally out of touch. I'd made some great mates with the Aussie boys, and was still in group chats with them." Bolt then thought 'that could've been me' when he saw his mate Jordan Thompson crack the Top 100 and win four ATP Challenger Tour events later in 2016. Most read in Sport CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS After hesitating for a while, Bolt got a random call from tennis coach Todd Langman, who was working with his best pal Thanasi Kokkinakis . Todd saw a picture Bolt posted on Facebook at the end of the Aussie Rules season and gave him a call - and Bolt didn't need much persuading. British world No719 qualifies for Wimbledon but is BANNED from claiming £66,000 prize money 7 Bolt found happiness again while playing Aussie Rules with his pals during his break from tennis After nine months away from the court, Bolt's first day back was the 2016 AFL Grand Final. He was massively out of shape and was told to start from scratch. Todd even made Bolt play against young kids, telling him to not back down and "to give everything he had". He made his official return to action at a Challenger in Adelaide at the start of 2017, with his Aussie Rules pals coming out to cheer him on while he made the main draw and lost in the second round. Bolt, who is now dating British tennis ace a wild card into Australian Open qualies in 2017. He said: "It was all such a blur . Before I knew it, I was beating Julien Benneteau in the final round to reach the main draw of a Slam for the first time. " Despite losing to Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round, Bolt finished the year with a singles ranking of No. 192 - an improvement of almost 400 places from the end of 2016. 7 British star Swan is dating Bolt 7 The Aussie qualified for Wimbledon 2025 He also had a handy year on the doubles circuit, making five Challenger finals with three victories to finish the season ranked No. 86, a career high doubles ranking. Before his best singles result in a third round at the Australian Open in 2019, Bolt booked his first Wimbledon main draw debut in 2018 after beating best friend Kokkinakis. Fast forward seven years and Bolt, currently No.194 in the world, has beaten 19-year-old Spaniard Martin Landaluce in the final round of qualifying to reach the main draw of Wimbledon for the fourth time. He takes on 10th seed Ben Shelton today in the first round. Meanwhile, girlfriend Swan's dream of returning to Wimbledon was crushed in the first qualifying round in a tight defeat to Leyre Romero Gormaz 7-6(2), 7-6(6). 7 Bolt beat teenager Martin Landaluce at Roehampton to reach the Wimbledon main draw this week It was only as recently as 2023 that Swan was going toe-to-toe with Amazingly, Swan, 26, is not the only British tennis player called Katie in a relationship with an Aussie called Alex, As well as representing Elbow surgery in 2022 provided a slight setback, forcing Bolt out of competition for six months. In 2024, Bolt won back-to-back singles titles at the Swan Hill Tennis International, an ITF 25 grass-court event. 7 Bolt and Swan have been an item since 2022 Credit: INSTAGRAM
Daily Mail
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Watch the bizarre moment a seagull is KO'd during footy match: 'One in a million shot'
In a bizarre moment during an Aussie Rules match in Victoria, an unlucky seagull became an unexpected casualty when it was hit by a ball, leaving players and footy fans stunned. The Seaford Tigers took on the Somerville Eagles on Saturday afternoon in the Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League - and the big talking point afterwards was the welfare of a seagull that got collected by a drop punt. The incident occurred when a Somerville player launched a kick towards goal and struck the seagull flying past. The bird dropped from the sky with a thud onto the grass. A Somerville player picked up the unconscious seagull and carried it off the pitch. Footage of the incident was uploaded to social media, in which the poster noted: 'I've seen some stuff in footy, but this is probably up there with the weirdest.' The clip was shared far and wide, with many fans saying they hadn't seen anything like it. *My club but not my video* Somerville V Seaford today I've seen some stuff in footy, but this is probably up there with the weirdest… @AFL @PaulAmy375 — Carteagle (@Carteagle) June 21, 2025 'One in a million shot,' replied one X user. 'Holy cow that's crazy,' said another. Others could see the funny side of the bizarre incident. 'Great smother,' posted one. '3-week concussion rule,' joked another 'Another rough day for Steven Seagull,' replied a third.
Herald Sun
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Herald Sun
2025 VAFA live stream: St Bernard's v University Blues, Men's Premier League
Don't miss out on the headlines from Aussie Rules Live Stream. Followed categories will be added to My News. University Blues coach Matt Smith knows every game for his side is now 'crucial'. Sitting eighth on the ladder with a 2-6 record, the Blues find themselves in a battle to avoid relegation from the VAFA Premier competition. The path forward to potentially closing a gap on the teams above them starts with a trip to take on St Bernard's this weekend with the senior and reserves games to be live streamed on KommunityTV. 'Every game from here on out is massive,' the first year Blues coach said. 'They beat us in the opening round with a kick after the siren so this is one we want to get back. 'We've had patches or quarters in games where we've been too easy to play against, it's been the story of the season. We've been in winning positions but relinquished leads going away from what we've worked on. 'It doesn't look good being 2-6 but the positive is it can turn quickly given how even the competition is. If you pick up a couple of wins you're right back in the mix.' While Smith's side have now lost four on the trots, there have been some positives against the better sides in the competition. In a side which has ex-AFL talent including Marty Gleeson and competition leading goalkicker James Stewart, several others have taken their games to another level this season. James Curran has adopted his new found role as a half-forward to be one of the Blues best. 'He's been super consistent,' Smith said. 'He's very unassuming, a quiet guy who just goes about his role. He's so disciplined. 'He's not someone who needs the accolades.' Smith said Ben Townson was a player who had been a 'revelation' this season playing up forward with Stewart and Sam Grimley, two players who have played at the highest level. 'His ability to get up the ground and take a mark is one of the real features of his game,' he said. Despite their record, the Blues have proven their worth as a defensive unit and Smith is determined to see his side improve their link between the forward line. 'We're aiming to get some deeper entries so we can have field position and set the ground up a lot easier,' he said.
