Latest news with #SerenaWilliams
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Carlos Alcaraz Makes Tennis History Before Wimbledon
Carlos Alcaraz Makes Tennis History Before Wimbledon originally appeared on Athlon Sports. ATP World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, from El Palmar, Spain, has dominated this tennis season, winning five tournaments, including the French Open. Advertisement His 2025 French Open title marked his second straight victory at Roland Garros. Now, he sets his sights on Wimbledon, aiming to defend last year's championship and claim back-to-back titles there as well. The Spaniard holds five Grand Slam titles at just 22 years old and is seemingly just getting started. Alcaraz has made history away from the playing surface, too. On Friday, his tennis card featuring a match-used racket knob sold for a record-breaking amount, making it the most expensive men's tennis card in history. Carlos Alcaraz of Spain poses with the French Open trophy after winning the final against Jannik Mullane-Imagn Images Topps, an American company that manufactures trading cards, broke the news. Advertisement "JUST SOLD: Carlos Alcaraz has set the record for most expensive men's tennis card in HISTORY," said Topps. "His 1/1 Topps Royalty tennis card featuring his match-used racket knob has sold for $222,000 on @fanaticscollect last night…" Despite the jaw-dropping figure, it still fails to top Serena Williams' 2003 NetPro signed patch rookie card, which sold for $266,400 in 2024. Alcaraz is known for his ability to succeed and adapt across all three playing surfaces. In 2024, Alcaraz became just the seventh men's player in history to win a Grand Slam title on all three surfaces (clay, grass and hard courts). In fact, he is the only men's player to win his first three Grand Slam titles on three different playing surfaces — 2022 U.S. Open, 2023 Wimbledon and 2024 French Open. Advertisement Related: Coco Gauff Reveals Promise Note After Winning French Open This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
News.com.au
a day ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Wimbledon women's singles: Three talking points
The battle to be crowned Wimbledon women's champion is wide open, with the possibility of an eighth successive first-time winner at the All England Club. Since Serena Williams lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish for a seventh time in 2016, the tournament has been in search of a new dominant female star and her fellow American Coco Gauff could be poised to seize the mantle. Reigning champion Barbora Krejcikova is hampered by a thigh injury, while world number one Aryna Sabalenka is aiming to break her recent habit of losing Grand Slam finals. AFP Sport looks at three talking points ahead of the tournament, which starts on Monday: Gauff eyes more Wimbledon history Six years after she became the youngest player in the Open era to qualify for the main draw at Wimbledon, Coco Gauff could be poised to win the tournament for the first time. Gauff was just 15 when she captured the hearts of fans in London, combining school tests in the evening with a stunning run to the last 16 that included a victory over one of her idols, Venus Williams. Now ranked second in the world, the American has matured into a significant force and she arrives at Wimbledon on a high after winning the French Open. Gauff has appeared in three Grand Slam finals, winning the 2023 US Open and triumphing on the Roland Garros clay earlier this month. Wimbledon, where she has never been past the fourth round, has been Gauff's least successful major, while no American has won there since Serena Williams nine years ago. But the 21-year-old has the game for grass, according to nine-time champion Martina Navratilova. "The great athletes always shine on grass. She's the best athlete in the women's game. That should pay off for her, and she's flying high after winning the French Open," Navratilova said. "She's found the happy medium, the equilibrium between being focused and fired up." Sabalenka looks to bounce back Aryna Sabalenka has her sights set on a fourth Grand Slam title as she looks to erase the painful memories of her final flops in 2025. The 27-year-old Belarusian was beaten by Madison Keys in the Australian Open final in January before narrowly losing another three-setter against Coco Gauff in the Roland Garros showpiece. Sabalenka also lost the Stuttgart final to Jelena Ostapenko in April and the Indian Wells title match against Mirra Andreeva the previous month. She did take the Miami and Madrid titles but Sabalenka's habit of stumbling with the silverware up for grabs might play on her mind at Wimbledon. Navratilova, though, is confident Sabalenka, who won both the Australian Open and the US Open last year, can cope with the pressure at a tournament where she has twice lost in the semi-finals. "Looking at her record, it's hard to think she's not the favourite this year. I'm wondering if losing the French Open final will actually help motivate her," she said. Krejcikova in fitness scare Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova is entering Wimbledon under an injury cloud after pulling out of the Eastbourne Open with a thigh problem. The Czech world number 17 is sweating on the outcome of a scan before deciding if she will be fit for the All England Club. Even if she features, there is no guarantee Krejcikova will make it to the latter stages. She has endured a difficult time since defeating Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the final last year. Krejcikova, who has played just six matches in 2025, was out of action until May after suffering a back injury and lost in the second round of the recent French Open. Among a host of players hoping to replace her as champion is world number six Madison Keys, who won her maiden Grand Slam title in Australia this year. Poland's Iga Swiatek, ranked eighth, has five Grand Slams to her credit but has never won Wimbledon, while American world number three Jessica Pegula and Chinese world number five Zheng Qinwen are looking to win a first major title. smg/jw/iwd
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why these underdogs can stun Wimbledon's biggest stars once again
Tatjana Maria's run to the Queen's title two weeks ago was not just a fairytale. It was also a reminder of the unpredictability of women's tennis, most of all on grass. On a surface that rewards huge serves and power-hitters, Maria's win was a reminder that slice, craft and guile have their place too. Is Wimbledon really that much of an outlier among the majors? One fact frequently trotted out is that the last eight Wimbledons have gone the way of eight different players. But that says more about the era of women's tennis that we are in than anything specific to SW19. Advertisement For context, of the last eight times the other three slams have been contested, there have been six Australian Open, five French Open, and eight US Open champions. You'd have to go back 11 years to find a repeat winner in New York: Serena Williams, on a run of three titles. Perhaps it's more that, as Maria showed, a variety of gamestyles can thrive on the turf. There's an element of the sudden turnaround from clay, too, as the blink-and-you-miss-it three-week buildup to Wimbledon throws some off-kilter. Whatever the reason, there's always an element of magic in the Wimbledon women's draw. It could be anyone's year. How to narrow the contenders down? Grass suits the ferocity and pace of Madison Keys' groundstrokes. 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini has not reached the same heights as last season, but has consolidated her place in the world's top four and reached a doubles final on the grass in Berlin. Elina Svitolina is a consistent force at all majors; Amanda Anisimova has shown repeated flashes of her brilliance this year, including a run to the Queen's final. The last three champions – Barbora Krejcikova, Marketa Vondrousova, and Elena Rybakina – have all endured difficult spells since lifting the trophy, dogged by injuries and poor form. A new thigh issue for Krejcikova, which cropped up in Eastbourne, may be fatal for her chances. But Vondrousova's immaculate grass-court game was apparent as she sealed the Berlin title last week. Rybakina has had an indifferent couple of years, but her clean, destructive groundstrokes are hard to top on grass. Coco Gauff burst onto the scene as a teenager at Wimbledon (Getty Images) Coco Gauff is the form pick, reaching three straight finals across the clay-court swing and winning a maiden Roland-Garros title earlier this month. Wimbledon was her breakout tournament, when she reached the fourth round as a fresh-faced 15-year-old all the way back in 2019. She has since gone further at every other major, but grass remains a surface she thrives on. A first-round exit in her first grass-court tournament is likely to be no more than a blip; not everyone can be Carlos Alcaraz. Advertisement She has proven herself against all her likely opponents, her relentless defence fracturing Aryna Sabalenka's peerless offence in Paris. What feels more significant is her own, renewed faith in her ability. Who knows – she may have manifested a Wimbledon title too. 2022 champion Rybakina is a force to be reckoned with on grass (Getty Images) Sabalenka herself is, as ever, a serious contender. The Belarusian has reached the final in six of the last nine majors she has contested, and her huge game is well-suited to grass. But cracks have crept into her game, and her mind, in the last few months. She was open about how crushing her Australian Open final defeat was; Roland-Garros seemed to only magnify that, as she ranted and railed at her box, and as she hit harder and harder, trying to punch through Gauff, her game completely unravelled. The 27-year-old has been vocal about the work she has done to iron out her serving yips and self-doubt. Over the last half-season, those issues have reared their heads again. She has now lost three slam finals in a row, and lead by a set in two. Sometimes it seems that she is her own worst enemy on court. Advertisement And what of Iga Swiatek? The Pole dropped out of the world's top two this May for the first time since 2022, and has now slid further down to world No 8. She has not won a title since the 2024 French Open; she has not even reached a final. Defeat in the last four at Roland Garros this year – including a 6-0 collapse in the final set, when her self-belief seemed to melt away entirely – was a real nadir. Sabalenka's best result at Wimbledon has been reaching the semi-finals twice (Getty Images) But that means that things can't, really, get any worse for the 24-year-old. She has had a positive start to her grass-court season, reaching the quarter-finals at the Bad Homburg Open. It is not a surface that has historically agreed with her, but she was Wimbledon girls' champion in 2018, so a run of form on the turf is not out of the question. She heads to SW19 in the rare position of being an underdog. Perhaps the comparative lack of pressure on her shoulders will now allow her to swing freely. Recent history suggests that is the way to win. It has frequently been an outsider who lifts the Venus Rosewater Dish, but not a totally unheralded name – Vondrousova was just the first unseeded player to win the title. So three years on from her run to the semi-finals, could it be Tatjana Maria's time?
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Serena Williams has backed 14 unicorns so far. Now she's adding a new role to prove hygiene and health can be big business
Ace move. Serena Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist, is doubling down on her next chapter of backing the kinds of founders often overlooked by traditional venture capital: women, people of color, and entrepreneurs solving critical challenges in underserved markets. Last week, the tennis legend and investor was named the first-ever entrepreneur-in-residence at Reckitt, the British consumer health giant behind brands like Lysol, Durex, and Enfamil. In this new role, Williams will help mentor and scale startups focused on hygiene, maternal care, and health equity—sectors that remain chronically underfunded despite rising demand. Women-led startups receive less than 3% of global venture funding despite research showing they consistently outperform male-led companies. 'Bold, innovative ideas can solve some of the world's most pressing healthcare challenges if given the right support to thrive,' Williams told me at Cannes Lions. 'This includes mentorship, funding, and strong belief.' Her appointment coincides with the launch of Reckitt Catalyst, a £10 million initiative aimed at supporting up to 200 underrepresented founders by 2030. The goal is to improve access to health and hygiene for five million people through scalable, locally led solutions across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. For Williams, the partnership is both tactical and deeply aligned. 'We realized we had the same thesis, [which is] that when you invest in women, when you invest in overlooked markets, the returns are there,' she said. 'It's not charity. It's smart business.' Since stepping away from tennis, Williams has built one of the most successful venture investment track records among athlete-turned-investors. She launched Serena Ventures in 2014 with a focus on diverse founders, raising a $111 million inaugural fund. At the time, she entered a venture ecosystem where only 5% of VCs were Black, and an even smaller share were Black women. Before formally launching the fund, Williams said she had already backed about six unicorns. Today, she says her portfolio includes more than 14 billion-dollar companies and several decacorns. 'I wanted to prove to myself that I could find the companies and that I had the connections to invest,' she said. 'Now we're scaling.' Serena Ventures has primarily invested in early-stage healthcare, fintech, and consumer technology companies. Through her new partnership with Reckitt, Williams is now doubling down on sectors that tend to be overlooked by Silicon Valley. 'Hygiene is routinely overlooked in venture,' she said. 'It's not flashy. But it's foundational, especially for women, mothers, and children. These are essential markets that drive real impact and real returns.' Her role will combine mentorship with access to a network. Williams will advise Catalyst entrepreneurs while helping them expand their reach and credibility through strategic introductions. 'At the end of the day, venture is about relationships,' she said. 'A 30-minute conversation can unlock new partnerships or investment opportunities. I want to offer that access to founders who aren't part of the usual power circles.' She has already started connecting Catalyst founders with companies in her existing portfolio. 'When you give women an opportunity, we often work twice as hard because we've been underestimated from the start,' she said, adding, 'This isn't about taking anything away from male founders. It's about expanding the pie.' Ruth The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune's daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Today's edition was curated by Sara Braun. Subscribe here. This story was originally featured on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Serena Williams shares dark circles hack to look wide awake ahead of Wimbledon
Serena Williams gave fans a glimpse at how she avoids waking up with dark circles in the morning thanks to two under-eye brightening products she can't live without If there's one person who is no stranger to an early start, it's Serena Williams. The tennis pro is used to spending long days training, not to mention plenty of events and travelling, which means that dark circles and puffy eyes are inevitable. Although she's been retired since 2022, Serena racked up an impressive seven Wimbledon wins before that, which means she's got her pre-game under-eye brightening routine down to a fine art. She finally shared her secret in her Go To Bed With Me video on Harper's Bazaar's YouTube channel, where she revealed two products in particular from MZ Skin are responsible. After applying the majority of her nighttime skincare routine, Serena then places the MZ Skin Hydra-Bright Gold Eye Mask under her eyes. She says: "Typically you want to leave this one for about 10 minutes,' before adding after removing them: 'That's like a bright, golden bright eye treatment, because I'm like 'I hate dark circles around my eyes', so I tried to get serious about treating my eyes.' The gold eye masks retail £80 for a pack of five, which may be a splurge for some but their benefits are evident (and not just thanks to Serena's bright under eyes). Each mask is infused with nano gold particles which boost how quickly your skin absorbs the ingredients, which include collagen, multi-molecular hyaluronic acid and seaweed extract, which is rich in nutrients. Each of these works to firm, smooth and hydrate your eye, and the gold particles help to quickly reduce puffiness, fine lines and wrinkles whilst giving them a luminous glow. If you do want something a little more budget-friendly, you could always try the Peter Thomas Roth Gold Hydra Gel Eye Masks. These retail at £58.95 for 30 Pairs, giving you six times as many patches as Serena's for £20 less. They're also designed to target dark circles, brighten your under eyes and reduce puffiness, however they don't contain the gold particles which makes the MK Skin masks work their magic so quickly. After removing the Hydra-Bright Gold Eye Mask, Serena then applies a layer of Soothe & Smooth Illuminate, also from MZ Skin, which hydrates and refreshes the delicate eye area. The under-eye cream contains Albizia bark extract which reduces dark circles by strengthening capillaries and detoxifying the area, whilst a tri-peptide complex boats collagen and elastin, making them look fuller and smoother. It also contains plumping and hydrating hyaluronic acid and ceramides, which help smooth fine lines and wrinkles. In the video, Serena shared that she also sometimes applies the cream to her whole face whilst travelling, and joked: 'Sometimes I have a little five o'clock shadow so I put a little on top of my mustache… I think that if it's brightening it, it might brighten that too.' The cream is another splurge at £110, although it does have some rave reviews from shoppers to back up its price point. For something easier on your budget, you could always try Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème which currently has 20% off, slashing it from £38 to £30.40. It contains vitamin C and gold extract which encourage radiance to increase over time and banish dark circles, uneven skin tones and fine lines. It also contains light-reflecting yellow mineral pigments to revive tired-looking eyes, with hydrating ingredients to plump and smooth the area.
