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Sports

Why the Williams sisters and other stars are playing longer

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It’s difficult to overstate the impact of the Williams sisters on tennis. Now in their forties, both are back playing at the top level, after Serena (44) joined 46-year-old Venus in appearances at the Queens tournament in London and the Berlin Open over the last week.

The pair have also been offered a wilcard doubles entry for Wimbledon a decade after they won the last of their six doubles titles at that particular Grand Slam. They have also won two US Open doubles titles, two in the French Open and four in the Australian Open. Between them they also have 30 Grand Slam singles titles, Serena has 23 of those. But her motivation for this comeback after four years out came a little closer to home. 

“My daughter Olympia told me I should play with Venus. She’s always right, so I was like ‘damn,’” Serena said. “So I said ‘You know, let’s see if we can do it’.”

Serena Williams stretches for a backhand during the Berlin Open 2026
Serena Williams has returned to professional tennis after four years outImage: Halil Sagirkaya/Anadolu/picture alliance

Venus Williams had returned to top level tennis this January, becoming the oldest woman to play singles at the Australian Open.

At 45, Williams, was handed a wildcard for the tournament and was 27 years older than the youngest player in the women’s draw, fellow American Iva Jovic. After winning the first set, she fell 2-1 to Serbian player Olga Danilovic, in the first round. She’s won one of her six singles matches since her comeback but is looking forward to reprising her prolific doubles partnership.

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“It’s incredible, the quality of her stroke is obviously there,” Venus, who unlike Serena never formally retired from the sport, told British broadcaster TNT of her sister’s return.

“She’s, I think, a little bit of a natural, she’s got a pretty good record, she knows what she’s doing and she’s very tenacious, so I’m not worried about how she’s going to play even though I haven’t seen her play, which is crazy.”

40 but not finished

While elite athletes competing into their 40s and beyond is not so unusual in less-physical sports, more elite athletes in more physically demanding sports appear to be able to sustain a career longer now than ever before.

LeBron James, 41, is still playing top-level basketball. Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Manuel Neuer are among eight over-40s at the ongoing football World Cup. . Former India cricket captain MS Dhoni was in the Chennai Super Kings squad in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) at 44, though he didn’t make an appearance.

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“Population aging is not only increasing the average age of citizens but the average ages of elite sport participants, too,” Dr. Rafal Chomik of the  UNSW Centre for Population Ageing Research (CEPAR) in Sydney, Australia, told DW.

“There are a number of likely explanations, including improvements in sports science, equipment innovation, and training regimes which are sport-specific, but there are also the wider societal trends that combine medical innovations and better health behaviors that shift all of us towards longer, healthier lives, including athletes.”

CEPAR conducted a study of Olympic athlete ages at the Tokyo Games in 2021. It found that the average age of Olympians increased by 2 years from 25 to 27 between 1992 and 2021, with the median age up to 25 from 23. The trend continued at the Paris Games in 2024, with the average age just over 27 and the median age not far behind at 26.6.

Power fades first

But not all sports are made equal in this regard. The oldest competitor in Paris was Australian equestrian rider Mary Hanna at 70. That sport had an average competitor age of 39.5 in Paris — rhythmic gymnastics was the lowest at 20.44.

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Another study, conducted over a 47-year period by the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and released last month, found that “fitness and strength begin to decline as early as age 35” and that increased exercise cannot change the age of peak performance in a given sport.

How an 81-year-old sprinter chases a world record

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“We seem to lose power —  measured by jumping ability in our study — at an earlier age than endurance and strength,” Maria Westerstahl, lead author of the study, told DW.

“One explanation could be that the explosive muscle cell type (Type II) appears most vulnerable to lack of exercise or to aging itself. However, we do not know why, so the exact reason requires further study,” she continued.

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“However, there is considerable room for change if you remain or become active. Aerobic capacity tracks the least, while muscular endurance tracks the most, meaning that aerobic capacity requires the most maintenance to preserve.”

Winning gets harder with age

This goes a long way to explaining why the likes of Williams, James and Ronaldo are such outliers in the top echelons of sports where power matters, whereas sports like equestrian, bowls or darts see players in their 40s, 50s or even older compete at the elite level.

“Darts is not a sport where you need to be really strong. All you need is to basically be healthy,” darts player Paul Lim said after becoming the oldest player to win a match at the World Championship this year at the age of 71.

“Longevity is something in darts that will be longer than a lot of other sports.”

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Although Lim won a match, the title went to 18-year-old prodigy Luke Littler. Realistically, winning a match or two, rather than a seventh title, might be all that the Williams’ can achieve in London.

“If you look at the top 100 Tennis player lists over the last 30 years, for both men and women, the maximum age appears not to exceed 40,” Chomik said.

“Perhaps it becomes a distinction between participating and winning.”

This article was originally published on January 12, 2026. It was updated on June 17, 2026 to reflect the fact that the Williams sisters have been playing doubles in London and Berlin this summer. 

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Edited by: Chuck Penfold

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Manchester United have a transfer wildcard that could offer cut-price solution and hurt Liverpool

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Man Utd are looking at their options on the wing this summer and they might have to add a new name to the list during the World Cup.

There is a winger at RB Leipzig who is attracting a fair bit of attention during this World Cup and looks set for a big-money move once the tournament ends. Yan Diomande was excellent for the Ivory Coast in their first game and Liverpool look set to win the race for the teenager.

Manchester United looked at Diomande earlier this year, but the 19-year-old’s performances have continued to go up a level in the second half of this season and the reports of the Bundesliga side wanting more than £100million would be enough to price United out in a summer when the midfield is their focus.

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But it turns out Diomande isn’t the only eye-catching young winger at Leipzig, and Antonio Nusa made his own electric entrance onto the World Cup stage on Tuesday night.

Nusa, 21, was superb for Norway in their 4-1 win against Iraq, causing havoc from the left, which is exactly where United want to strengthen. Diomande’s move to playing more regularly on the right would count against him.

He registered five goals and four assists for RB Leipzig this season and while those numbers don’t match Diomande’s stunning output, he is a lively wide man capable of beating his man with a bagful of tricks. He could also be around half the price of Diomande.

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The issue is whether RB Leipzig would sell both their first-choice wingers in the same window. With a deal for Diomande yet to be agreed, anyone moving swiftly for Nusa could steal a march and get that transfer done first.

For a player who only turned 21 in April, Nusa already has plenty of first-team football under his belt. He has made 170 appearances for Stabaek, Club Brugge and RB Leipzig and has 21 goal contributions in 70 games for the German outfit.

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He also now has eight goals in 25 caps for his country and has earned the nickname the Norwegian Neymar back home, partly because he has never hidden his admiration for the Brazilian attacker.

“I like to create chaos,” Nusa told Norwegian media in April 2021. “Neymar is my role model because he creates chaos on the pitch with his dribbling, just like me. He is one of the best in the world.”

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He has since tried to step back from those comparisons, insisting that while he takes it as a big compliment, “I’m not a new Neymar.”

He is an exciting left winger with a game that could suit the Premier League. Players from Scandinavia normally find it easy to adapt to the English game, and Sander Berge, Martin Odegaard, Oscar Bobb and Erling Haaland are prime examples of that in the Norwegian squad. The pace of the Bundesliga and its transitions also make it a good league to step up from to the Premier League.

United have good links with RB Leipzig. They signed Benjamin Sesko from that club a year ago for £73million and director of recruitment Christopher Vivell is a former employee at the Red Bull network of clubs.

They could use that to their advantage to look at Nusa. United are weighing up whether to sign a left-back or left-winger this season, and they have considered Morgan Rogers, Iliman Ndiaye and Crysenscio Summerville for the latter position. Nusa should also be on the list.

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Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

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Asfoora eyes improved Royal Ascot run in 2026 King Charles III Stakes

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Jockey in blue and black stripes rides a dark horse during a crowded race track finish.

Grand Final Day is fast approaching for Asfoora, and trainer Henry Dwyer is forecasting an improved performance from his globe-trotting mare in the King Charles III Stakes on Day 1 at Royal Ascot.

The seven-year-old daughter of Flying Artie, who captured the 1005-metre Group 1 sprint at Royal Ascot two years ago, is aiming to bounce back after two unplaced runs to kick off what will most likely be her final campaign.

After finishing tenth in the Group 3 Palace House Stakes (1005m) at Newmarket on May 2, Asfoora trailed the field of 12 in the Group 2 Temple Stakes (1005m) at Haydock three weeks later. However, Dwyer confirmed she has benefited from those runs and will be fitted with blinkers this week.

“She’s had the two runs back and is certainly much fitter now,” Dwyer commented.

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“She looks well and with the blinkers going on we are hoping she can turn her form around on Tuesday.”

Asfoora drew barrier 26 for the full field of 26 in the straight-track race that will be run at 12.40am AEST Wednesday.

The other Australian representative is Overpass, who will be positioned not too far from Asfoora at the start, having drawn gate 19.

Overpass heads the betting at $3.40 from French mare Rayevka (barrier 15), Temple Stakes winner Night Raider (six), defending champion American Affair (18), and Coolmore’s three-year-old Mission Central (24). These are the only runners with shorter odds than Asfoora, who is a $10 chance.

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Asfoora and American Affair, last year’s King Charles III Stakes winner when Asfoora placed fifth, are both striving to join the 12 horses that have won the King Charles III Stakes on multiple occasions.

Equiano (2008/10), Elbio (1991/93), Hornet’s Beauty (1911/13), and Woolsthorpe (1895/97) are the horses to have achieved this in non-consecutive years.

Asfoora went on to win the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes (1005m) at York and the Group 1 Prix De L’abbeye (1000m) at Longchamp following last year’s King Charles III Stakes. While Dwyer understands her international odyssey is nearing its conclusion, he is already making plans for her post-racing career.

The Ballarat horseman was recently licensed in the UK and has two European gallopers scheduled to run in his name later in the week. Ten Sovereigns’ colt Synners Kid will compete in the Britannia Stakes on Thursday, with Kodiac’s filly Kochella to make her second start in the Group 3 Albany Stakes the following day.

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Check out the latest online bookmakers and their sign-up offers at online bookmakers.

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Noah Gragson subtly calls out Jimmie Johnson’s paid autograph setup with blunt invite

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Noah Gragson took a jab at Jimmie Johnson’s San Diego autograph session arrangement this week. The Front Row Motorsports driver offered fans a free alternative just as the seven-time champion’s wristband-restricted signing event drew attention on social media.

Johnson announced an autograph session scheduled for 1:15 PM ET on Saturday (June 20), at the NASCAR Pit Shop Green Zone, with a notable restriction. The wristband required for the signing was limited to customers who purchased the 2026 Jimmie Johnson Carvana San Diego die-cast at the NASCAR Pit Shop on June 19, and autographs are strictly limited to that purchased die-cast only.

Johnson posted the announcement on X:

“Looking forward to getting back behind the wheel and spending some time with fans this weekend. Planning to stop by the autograph session? Be sure to check the details on the graphic. Wristbands are limited, and there are a few important guidelines to know.”

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The post laid out the purchase requirement explicitly. It is designed to manage demand for what is expected to be one of the weekend’s most popular fan interactions, given Jimmie Johnson’s San Diego roots. But it also required a financial transaction before a fan could get an autograph at all.

Noah Gragson responded on X with:

“Reminder that you don’t need that wristband bullshit at our merch hauler. I’ll sign for all of you. No purchase necessary 😃”

Reminder that you don’t need that wristband bullshit at our merch hauler. I’ll sign for all of you. No purchase necessary😃

The post drew a wave of supportive replies from fans who appreciated the effort.

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Jimmie Johnson is set for one of the busiest weekends of his part-time career at Naval Base Coronado, attempting double duty across both the Truck Series and Cup Series in his hometown. He will drive the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Tricon Garage in Friday’s Truck Series race, before competing in Sunday’s Cup Series Anduril 250.

It will be his first Truck Series start since 2008. For Cup, Johnson will drive the No. 84 Carvana Toyota Camry XSE for Legacy Motor Club, the team he co-owns. He grew up in nearby El Cajon, California, and has described the weekend as a full-circle moment, with his grandparents, both military, buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery near the base.


Noah Gragson feels the San Diego street race will be “an incredible week for our sport”

Noah Gragson - NASCAR Xfinity Series at the Brickyard. Source: GettyNoah Gragson - NASCAR Xfinity Series at the Brickyard. Source: Getty
Noah Gragson – NASCAR Xfinity Series at the Brickyard. Source: Getty

The inaugural race at Naval Base Coronado carries weight beyond the standard Cup Series weekend given its setting. An active military base hosting the sport for the first time, built into the roads and runways of Naval Air Station North Island, with the event timed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy.

For Noah Gragson and the No. 4 Front Row Motorsports team, the occasion carries its own significance.

“This is such an incredible week for our sport,” Noah Gragson said via Speedway Media. “To be able to put on a race at an active military base, in front of so many heroes that protect our freedoms each and every day, is an unbelievable honor.”

He broke down what he expects from the 16-turn circuit specifically:

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“I’ve been able to run laps on sim, and see videos of the layout, and it’s definitely going to be a challenging course but also a lot of fun. Each section of the track has its own unique character. There are some technical turns mixed in with some faster, sweeping turns, and then some areas where it will get crazy, especially on the initial start and on restarts,” he added.

Rush Truck Centers returns as the primary sponsor on Noah Gragson’s No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for the San Diego Street course weekend. The partnership covers 12 races for him in 2026. The remaining dates after San Diego include Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 26, Daytona International Speedway on August 29, Bristol Motor Speedway on September 19, Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 4, and Talladega Superspeedway on October 25.