“I love heights, man!” shouts the man next to me as we awkwardly stuff our limbs into fire-engine-red jumpsuits and tighten the straps. “I’ve wanted to do this for ages.”
This golden retriever enthusiasm should be infectious, but any chutzpah I once had has fluttered away like a maple leaf in Canada’s crisp autumnal breeze. I’m at “basecamp” for Edgewalk, a toe-curling 30-minute creep around the edge of Toronto’s CN Tower, attached only by a black harness. A short lift ride later, and our group of six is gingerly stepping out into the elements at 356 metres (1,168 feet) above ground.
Coal-black rainclouds swell ominously over Lake Ontario, and the tourists below look like shuffling grains of sand. My hands clam up, clutching the harness cord as we attempt our ‘leaning forward’ exercise. Yet, suspended above it all, watching the city I once called home fan out below me is oddly comforting.
My first summer in Toronto was a balmy haze of riding carnation-red streetcars, sinking happy hour beers on downtown terraces, bouncing around busy hostels, learning the rules of ice hockey and savouring fleeting friendships with fellow travellers from around the globe. That was 2011. Now, 15 years later, Canada’s biggest city is gearing up to host six matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Toronto is the perfect city to host the FIFA World Cup 2026, says writer James March (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
I stayed for two years, and the place still feels like home. Toronto’s international character was intoxicating to me when I first arrived, with over half of its three million-strong population born outside Canada and over 180 languages spoken. While I eventually got around to attractions like the Royal Ontario Museum and the Norman Foster-designed Art Gallery of Ontario, it was the city’s diverse neighbourhoods that captivated me most.
“There’s definitely a neighbourhood mentality here,” says Saro Yacoubian, one of the three brothers who run Taline, a Lebanese-influenced Armenian restaurant in Toronto’s leafy Summerhill neighbourhood. It’s the first time I’ve been to this corner of the city, a few blocks north of the bustling Yonge and Bloor intersection, and it’s the first time I’ve eaten Armenian food.
“In the 1960s, this space here was a tailor’s, and upstairs was where the tailor lived. Funnily enough, he was an Armenian too. Total coincidence!” laughs Yacoubian, before he explains what I’m going to be eating tonight. I’ve no idea where to find Armenian food back in Britain, but in a city like this, with its global bazaar of cultures and cuisine, it’s just another Wednesday night.
Taline is the name of the brothers’ late mother, and I tuck into refined versions of the hearty Armenian-Lebanese cuisine she once cooked for them, like unctuous boat-shaped meat dumplings called manti,or tender, well-seasoned vochkhar lamb chops.
The dishes are excellent, but Summerhill is far from the only neighbourhood for sublime food. There is Portuguesebacalhau on Dundas St West, Polish dumplings on Roncesvalles, Korean BBQ on Bloor St West or Peking duck in Spadina’s historic Chinatown. My salvation, though, was always Kensington Market.
Spending my first night back at the glittering Bisha Hotel, I feel like an interloper. This wasn’t my world 15 years ago; I could barely pay rent and became something of an authority on happy hour pints and cheap poutine. Toronto’s skyline may be taller and glassier, but Kensington Market’s edgy, multicultural spirit is as beguiling as ever.
Downtown Toronto is where you’ll find Toronto Stadium, host of six football matches during the FIFA World Cup 2026 (Getty Images)
“Kensington Market is a microcosm that represents everything Toronto is about,” says my guide CJ, as she leads a busy food tour from Chinatown into Kensington’s art-splashed streets. Incense hangs in the air, pro-Palestine flyers are handed out, and Pride flags flutter above the houses. The vintage stores and shabby dive bars I used to frequent are still here, while the revolving cast of affordable bites brings new surprises: with fiery Jamaican beef patties, generously filled tacos and dense fried chicken providing an agonising array of choice.
“The diversity, the multiculturalism. That means everyone is welcomed, recognised, and respected,” CJ adds, before leading our group into a meandering mobile brunch.
If food and football are to go hand in hand, the World Cup is an opportunity to showcase Toronto’s other famous sports. A staunch football fan, I was initially dismissive of ice hockey, basketball and baseball when I arrived, but by the end of my first summer, I was a full-blown Toronto Blue Jays fan. They’re the local baseball team that came within a whisker of winning the World Series championship last October. Ticket prices for games at the hulking Rogers Centre stadium (conveniently located downtown next to the CN Tower) in summer are always affordable, and on a warm evening, with a beer in hand, the games are great fun, even if the rules seem as complicated as a Russian novel to the uninitiated.
Ride a streetcar through Chinatown in downtown Toronto (Getty Images)
The six World Cup games will be played at Toronto Stadium, near the waterfront. Usually home to Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC, its 28,000 capacity is being expanded to 45,000 for the tournament, with two new grandstands and a host of plush new suites. The Bentway – normally a concrete underpass – is being transformed into a vibrant arts, music and events space, and will host the official FIFA fan zone. I’d also recommend wandering into nearby Liberty Village for more drinks and fun. It was where I landed my first job in Toronto, though the less said about that, the better (I was never cut out for manual labour).
One place I was cut out for was the Loose Moose, a cartoonishly named favourite from my time here – a downtown pub with almost as many screens as pints on tap. With the Blue Jays on TV and a cold Canadian pint in hand, my last night in the city is a good one.
“It always makes me happy, because it reminds me of being happy,” wrote the great food critic and raconteur AA Gill about his old home, New York. I feel the same way about Toronto. Though next time, I’ll probably just stick to the CN Tower’s indoor viewing deck.
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How to get there
Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Edinburgh all offer direct flights to Toronto. The airlines that fly there are Air Transat, Air Canada, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, with an average flight time of around seven hours.
Where to stay
Stay at The Drake Hotel on Queen St West. Prices from $370 CAD (£200) per night.
When Lionel Messi was a teenager he received a life-changing offer to join FC Barcelona’s youth team. Sketched out informally on a napkin, the contract included an unconventional clause: a commitment to pay the young footballer’s growth hormone treatment.
His local Argentine side, Newell’s Old Boys, had just taken a pass on the expense as too big a gamble on an unproven player. But for Barcelona, it might just be the best money ever spent: The therapy proved effective and Messi’s career later skyrocketed, catapulting him and the Spanish team to international glory. Off the pitch, he’s also just notched up another big milestone, becoming a rare sporting billionaire.
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Messi, 38, has earned more than $700 million in salary and bonuses since 2007, according to a Bloomberg analysis. Adjusting for taxes, market performance and income from investments and sponsorships, his net worth has surpassed the $1 billion-mark, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. That puts him alongside long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese striker who became the sport’s first billionaire after joining Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr FC in 2023, as among the world’s wealthiest athletes.
While Ronaldo’s flamboyant persona has long proven a magnet for advertisers from oil products to sportswear, Messi’s marketing machine in the early years of his career at times struggled to match the heights of his on-field talent. But more recently — under the guiding hand of father Jorge — his business career has flourished. A massive pay check from current team Inter Miami, purported TV revenue-sharing deals, real estate holdings and even a stake in an Argentine restaurant chain have all helped land him in the 10-figure club.
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It could easily have happened sooner. Many Messi-watchers were surprised when the player, fresh from leading Argentina to World Cup victory in 2022, turned down a huge contract worth $400 million annually to play in the Saudi Pro League. Instead, he opted to join Inter Miami, while Ronaldo signed his own Saudi contract during 2023, worth more than $200 million a year.
“Money was never a problem for me, nor an obstacle in anything,” Messi told Mundo Deportivo in an interview that year. “If it had been about money, I would have gone to Saudi Arabia or somewhere else.”
Historically, athletes who’ve made $1 billion or more have largely done so off the back of investments. Roger Federer earned more than $130 million in prize money during his playing career — but a deal to buy a 3% stake in Swiss running shoe brand On in 2019 became the largest source of his wealth after its shares soared.
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Michael Jordan, despite being one of the highest-paid NBA players of his time, earned less than $100 million in career wages, with a stake in the Charlotte Hornets and endorsement deals contributing the bulk of his wealth. However, a recent surge in top athletes’ salaries, especially in football, has enabled the sport’s biggest stars to make $1 billion or more in wages alone.
The Miami deal also came with innovative perks for Messi, including an unusual equity option that gives him the right to purchase a stake in the club, where retired England star David Beckham is already a shareholder.
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While it’s unclear what stake — if any — Messi has taken in his US team since joining, Inter Miami’s fortunes have been on the rise. The club’s value increased more than a fifth in the year to February to about $1.45 billion, according to Sportico. It’s now the US’s most valuable soccer team, ranking 16th globally and ahead of such teams as Newcastle United.
Apple Deal
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Messi’s US move also opened up other innovative ways of being paid. During initial contract talks, the US football league and Apple discussed a revenue-sharing agreement that would see Messi earn a share of sales from new subscriptions to Apple TV+’s MLS Season Pass streaming package, The Athletic reported.
Jorge Mas, Inter Miami’s owner, said take-up for the streaming service doubled in the months after the player joined. Mas, in an interview earlier this year, signaled Messi’s total annual pay from the club comes to between $70 million and $80 million, taking into account equity rights and player compensation.
Bloomberg was unable to independently verify the financial details of Messi’s agreement with Apple. Attempts to reach the Messi family via a press officer were unanswered.
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From a purely sporting point of view, the move to Inter was seen by some fans as a step down, following a well-trodden path by experienced stars to less-celebrated footballing nations ready to pay for brand-name talent. Before moving, Messi — considered by many the best player of all time — had spent two years at French powerhouse Paris Saint Germain, and prior to that led Barcelona to several Spanish and European titles. He’s also won more Ballon d’Or titles than any other player.
But even as he developed into star at the Catalan club in the 2000s, it took time before his pay really took off: when he signed a contract extension in 2009, Spanish media reported that he was earning about $12 million a year. As salaries have inflated, last season, ten players on the side were making more than that annually, according to data from analytics provider Capology.
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Messi has spent more than half his life in Spain and still maintains strong roots in Barcelona, but is rarely interviewed by media outside Argentina. Widely acclaimed within his home country, especially after the 2022 victory, he struggled in the early years, partly due to his shyness and also because many fans drew tough comparisons with Diego Maradona.
It’s something he’s grappling with even today. In an interview with an Argentine streaming service earlier this year he described himself using a local term for a socially-awkward person, adding that he gets unsettled when daily plans change and watching TV at home alone is among his favorite pastimes.
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Off-field Business
Messi has relied heavily on his father Jorge for much of his off-field dealings, turning to him as agent, business manager and adviser. Alfonso Nebot Armisen, a little-known Spanish banker, has run his private investment firm since 2009.
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At times, though, his business has attracted the attention of Spanish tax authorities, along with peers including Ronaldo. A decade ago, he was found guilty along with Jorge of defrauding the Spanish government of about 4 million euros between 2007 and 2009 over income earned from image rights that went into shell companies. He was handed a prison sentence and fines, though ultimately avoided jail.
Since then, he’s been diversifying. In Dec. 2024, he listed a REIT on a small Spanish exchange, valued at $232 million. The company, Edificio Rostower Socimi, owns several hotels and other commercial real estate.
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He’s also been expanding into consumer goods: in 2024, he released the Más+ by Messi sports drink in partnership with Mark Anthony International SRL, the beverage group behind Mike’s Hard Lemonade. He also joined Argentine restaurant chain El Club de la Milanesa, which specialises in the type of breaded steak that’s a staple in the Latin American nation and one of Messi’s favorite dishes, as an investor — in part to help with its international expansion.
Like Ronaldo, and perhaps with an eye to his post-playing days, he’s also building a portfolio of football clubs, with the recent announcement that he was acquiring the fifth-division Spanish Cornella team, adding to his stake in Deportivo LSM, the Uruguayan side he co-owns with his friend and former teammate Luis Suárez. Messi’s family also founded and run a lower-division club called Los Leones in their native city of Rosario.
There may be more to come as Messi starts to think about retirement, according to comments he made at a business forum in Miami last year.
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“Football has an expiry date,” he said. “Business is something I like, and I am learning about.”
A former WWE star took a subtle dig at the company. She did so while reacting to a questionable picture.
Scarlett Bordeaux worked for the WWE for several years. However, she spent most of her time as the valet for her husband, Karrion Kross. Despite only competing in a few matches for the company, she was able to get over with the fans. After leaving the sports entertainment juggernaut, she and her husband have been working on the independent scene for various promotions.
Thanks for the submission!
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Recently, Shotzi took to social media to share a picture of herself spanking Gigi Dolin while other former WWE stars, Scarlett Bordeaux, Karrion Kross, Matt Riddle, and The Good Brothers celebrate as they look on. Scarlett reacted to the picture by taking a subtle dig at her former employer.
Corporate could be a WWE reference since the company doesn’t allow its talent to post such pictures on public platforms.
Scarlett Bordeaux opened up about her time in WWE
When Scarlett arrived in World Wrestling Entertainment, the company was looking to move away from the divas era into the women’s revolution. Therefore, women were being involved in serious storylines and matches. However, Scarlett’s gimmick was a throwback to the previous era.
“I think they were pushing the Women’s Revolution in the way they were. And my character was the exact opposite of that. It was a throwback. It was a parody, ‘Bring sexy back to wrestling.’ Because all the girls were trying to be serious like the guys. I’m like, ‘No, no. Like, let’s just be a hot chick. Like, bring back bra and panty matches.’ And no one was doing that at the time. No one had their a**es out, no one was doing it, and it pi**ed a lot of people off, including women in the business,” she said.
It remains to be seen what’s next for Scarlett and Karrion Kross.
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Zara Shaw has been named Liverpool F.C. Women’s Standard Chartered Player of the Month for April after her emotional return from injury.
The 18-year-old won the fan vote on Liverpool’s official website to claim the award for the first time.
Shaw made a huge impact after returning from a long injury layoff, scoring the winning goal against Charlton Athletic Women F.C. in extra-time of the Women’s FA Cup quarterfinal.
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It was her first senior appearance in more than 400 days after recovering from the second ACL injury of her young career.
The goal secured Liverpool’s place in the FA Cup semifinals and quickly became one of the club’s most emotional moments of the season.
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Speaking after receiving the award, Shaw admitted she did not expect it.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” she said. “I didn’t expect it, if I’m honest.”
“I’ve just enjoyed being back in with the girls and enjoying football again really.”
She also reflected on her dramatic return against Charlton.
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“It was really, really special. It’s a day I’ll definitely never forget.”
Welcome to I Tried It, a GOLF.com series about golf items — apparel,gear, accessories, etc. — that we’ve recently taken out for a spin. We’re here to give our honest, no-frills takes on the latest and greatest golf or golf-adjacent items. So, scroll down to read about what we love about golf’s newest (or new to us) products.
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The internet was set ablaze earlier this year when Shot Scope released its LM1 launch monitor for $199.
For the price of four cases of balls, the LM1 launch monitor couldn’t possibly be accurate enough to be a useful practice tool . . . could it?
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I’m here to tell you that I — gasp! — think it can!
In testing the new LM1 at a range, I’ve found not only are the distances accurate but there also are a few cool features that give you some value over much higher-priced launch monitors.
At the lowest price in the market, ShotScope has delivered a worthy product for any golfers who want to improve their games.
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Shot Scope LM1 Launch Monitor
The Shot Scope LM1 Launch Monitor is a compact training device designed for golfers who want reliable data without complexity. The LM1 delivers accurate, instant feedback on key metrics that are crucial to game improvement. This includes club speed, ball speed, smash factor, carry distance, and total distance. Test and measure how fast you are with the dedicated speed training mode, which works with clubs and speed sticks. Whether you’re working on speed training, dialling in distances on the range, or measuring shots on the course, the LM1 provides clear, easy-to-read data directly on the 3.5inch color screen that can be synced to the Shot Scope mobile app to view your session history. Designed for both indoor and outdoor use, the LM1 allows you to select any club in your bag directly on the device. This ensures all data is recorded for each club, making it easy to sync sessions and review performance history in detail.
What the LM1 can do
The LM1 offers you five data points: clubhead speed, ball speed, smash factor, carry distance and total distance via radar.
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If there’s one thing most pros universally agree on, it’s that amateurs don’t know how far they actually hit the ball. They may know that they once reached the front of a green 170 yards away with their 6-iron, so they think their 6-iron is their 170 club.
The LM1 provides honest feedback about how far you carry the ball and how far it goes overall.
The data is displayed on a 3.5″ display that I have no issues seeing in bright sunlight. This is a big differentiator between other low-cost launch monitors that require the use of a smartphone or tablet to get the data. You don’t need any device to use the LM1.
But if you choose to utilize the Shot Scope app, you can keep track of all the data from your sessions, creating average distances and ball speeds for each one of your clubs. Not only can that be useful to see how far you actually hit your clubs but to also view your gapping. That data can also be used for the Shot Scope app’s MyStrategy function to create game plans for any golf course.
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I tested the accuracy by hitting wedge shots to a clear driving range and then using a range finder to shoot the landing site. While unscientific, I found the accuracy to be pretty spot on. I tested with wedges because I find that when speeds get lower, lower-priced launch monitors tend to get a little wacky. The LM1 stayed tight.
The small size and lightning-fast setup (it takes just seconds to turn on) also make the LM1 perfect to take on the course and get your yardages in real-world situations.
What the LM1 can’t do
With the ultra-low price point, the LM1 can’t do everything, nor would we expect it to.
The unit isn’t able to measure launch angle, spin or any directional data like dispersion or club path.
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It’s also not a simulator. This is purely a launch monitor.
Bottom line
The LM1 is a launch monitor that isn’t trying to be anything more than what it is: an affordable launch monitor that can give valuable practice data.
At a price cheaper than most rangefinders, it provides limited intel but it does it better than many other models in the price category, both more accurately and more easily.
NEW DELHI: Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill continued their extraordinary IPL 2026 season by rewriting record books during Gujarat Titans’ crushing 89-run win over Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad on Thursday.The GT opening pair once again dominated proceedings at the Narendra Modi Stadium, stitching together a commanding 125-run stand that laid the foundation for Gujarat’s massive total of 229/4. Gill smashed 64 off just 37 deliveries, while Sudharsan followed it up with a brilliant 84 off 53 balls.But beyond the runs and boundaries, the night turned into another landmark occasion for the two batters as they shattered and matched a host of IPL and T20 records.Back-to-back 600-run seasons for both GT starsSudharsan and Gill both crossed the 600-run mark this season, becoming only the sixth pair in IPL history to have two batters from the same team score 600-plus runs in a single edition.They had already achieved the feat in IPL 2025, making them the first pair to do it in two seasons.600-plus runs by two different batters for a team in an IPL edition
Chris Gayle & Virat Kohli (RCB, 2013)
Virat Kohli & AB de Villiers (RCB, 2016)
Ruturaj Gaikwad & Faf du Plessis (CSK, 2021)
Virat Kohli & Faf du Plessis (RCB, 2023)
Shubman Gill & Sai Sudharsan (GT, 2025)
Shubman Gill & Sai Sudharsan (GT, 2026)
Sudharsan also entered an elite list of batters with consecutive 600-plus IPL campaigns. Only Chris Gayle, David Warner, KL Rahul and Kohli had achieved the feat before him.Gill joined the same list with his second straight 600-plus season, underlining the consistency of GT’s opening combination.600-plus aggregates in consecutive IPL editions
3 – Chris Gayle (2011, 2012, 2013)
3 – David Warner (2016, 2017, 2019)
3 – KL Rahul (2020, 2021, 2022)
3 – Virat Kohli (2023, 2024, 2025)
2 – Shubman Gill (2025, 2026)
2 – Sai Sudharsan (2025, 2026)
Sudharsan equals rare IPL milestoneSudharsan’s 84 was also his fifth consecutive 50-plus score in IPL 2026, equalling the all-time IPL record jointly held by Virender Sehwag, Jos Buttler and Warner.The stylish left-hander now has 638 runs from 14 matches this season and remains one of the frontrunners for the Orange Cap.Most consecutive 50-plus scores in the IPL
5 – Virender Sehwag in 2012
5 – Jos Buttler in 2018
5 – David Warner in 2019
5 – Sai Sudharsan in 2026
Gill reaches 6000 T20 runs in elite companyGill achieved another massive milestone during the innings by becoming the seventh-fastest batter in men’s T20 cricket to complete 6000 runs.The GT captain reached the landmark in just 185 innings, making him the second-fastest Indian after Rahul and placing him alongside some of the greatest T20 batters in history.Remarkably, only three other cricketers — Babar Azam, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Will Jacks — had crossed 6000 T20 runs before turning 27.GT opening pair now among T20’s greatestGill and Sudharsan’s partnership numbers are now entering historic territory.The duo now have 10 century stands together in men’s T20 cricket, equalling legendary pairs like Gayle-Kohli, Kohli-AB de Villiers and Babar Azam-Mohammad Rizwan for the most 100-plus partnerships in the format.Most century stands Men’s T20 cricket (any wicket)
10 – Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan (46 inns)
10 – Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli (63 inns)
10 – Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (75 inns)
10 – AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli (77 inns)
They also moved to second place in the list of highest opening partnership aggregates in IPL history with 1898 runs together, behind only the iconic Warner-Shikhar Dhawan pair.Another milestone followed as Gill and Sudharsan registered their 15th fifty-plus opening stand in just 31 innings — the joint second-most in IPL history.With playoffs approaching, Gujarat Titans’ destructive opening duo seem to be peaking at exactly the right time — and the records just keep coming.Highest opening partnership aggregates in the IPL
2220 – David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan (Avg: 47.23, RR: 8.59)
1898 – Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan (Avg: 67.78, RR: 9.87)
Alex Eala and Janice Tjen in action during the Abu Dhabi Open doubles tournament. –PHOTO: Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open
Alexandra Eala and Janice Tjen have taken different routes to the women’s top 40, but both began their journeys from a region that is rarely on the tennis map.
In January, Eala, who turns 21 the day before Roland Garros starts, became the first player from the Philippines to break into the top 50.
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Tjen turned 24 earlier in May. When she entered the top 40 in February, she became the highest-ranked Indonesian woman since Yayuk Basuki, who reached the top 20 in 1997 and 1998.
While their far-flung countries are more than 1,500 kilometres apart, they share a maritime border. The impact of the sometime doubles partners, not only on the court but in the stands, has brought them the nickname ‘SEASters’.
The huge Filipino expat population flock to see their first tennis star everywhere she plays.
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“The start of the season is when I seriously noticed that people were really coming, they were buying tickets, they were taking time out of their day. It was like, wow,” world number 38 Eala told the Served website.
She added she had been a “little bit in denial” about her popularity.
“After I broke that barrier of not accepting, thinking, ‘I don’t think I’m really famous’, every week they just kept coming, so I was, ‘Okay, you have to accept it, absorb it, it’s here, it’s a really good position’.”
Her opponents notice.
“I love that she has such an incredible fan base. I’ve seen the atmosphere. It’s amazing,” American Amanda Anisimova said in Dubai.
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Yet, Eala is cautious.
“I want to give back all the support they give me, but my first obligation is to myself,” she told the Punto de Break website. “I try to find the healthiest way to deal with all of this, because I feel like many things could go wrong… It’s all about balance.”
Representing a nation of 288 million, 41st-ranked Tjen is also proving a draw.
“I don’t think too much about it,” she told the Times of India ahead of a Billie Jean King Cup match in Delhi in April. “I know that as long as I keep working hard and giving my best, I always have Indonesia behind me. That’s something I’m proud of.”
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Two Thai women, Lanlana Tararudee and Mananchaya Sawangkaew are also hovering around the top 100.
“I’m super, super proud to be part of this group. And these are girls that I grew up with,” said Eala. “I think Southeast Asia has its own little charm. We have certain humour that’s very similar, maybe cultural things that we share. There’s definitely that shared sense of pride for my region.”
Philippines’ Alexandra Eala reacts as she plays Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
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After breaking into the top 50 last season, she became the first person to hit with Nadal since his retirement over a year earlier.
“It was crazy,” Eala told The National. “It was my first time ever hitting with him and I was so nervous and it was definitely physically demanding for me.
“Just to say that you hit with Rafa, it’s insane.”
After beating Magdalena Frech in a tough three-setter at the Italian Open earlier this month, she said on Tennis Channel: “I told myself that I wasn’t tired enough.”
Eala is a lefty, like Nadal, but has not yet displayed the 14-time Roland Garros champion’s love for clay.
“I’m starting to build that relationship,” she said in Rome. “This is my first season where I’ve really done these high-level tournaments.”
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Tjen developed later on tennis scholarships at US universities, spending one year at Oregon and three at Pepperdine by the beach in Malibu. She has hardly any experience on clay and played her first tour-level matches on the surface in April.
“So I’m just taking things one at a time,” she told the Roland Garros website.
She also admitted she had previously held doubts about pursuing a tennis career.
“Tennis demands a lot of you,” she told the Times of India.
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“You basically have to travel every week of your life and that’s a very tough demand for me. I don’t like travelling as much and considering that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it and being away from home for that long I decided to quit, but I had a lot of good people around me and they kept convincing me to give it a try.”
Cristiano Ronaldo rose to the occasion on the most important night of Al Nassr’s season, scoring twice in a convincing 4-1 win over Damac to help the Riyadh club win the 2025/26 Saudi Pro League title.
The victory at Al-Awwal Park gave Al Nassr their 10th league title and their first since 2019. It also handed Ronaldo his first domestic league trophy since joining the Saudi Arabian club.
With the title race still open before kick-off, Al Nassr produced a calm and confident performance. Sadio Mané gave the home side the lead in the 34th minute after a fine team move involving João Félix.
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Al Nassr continued to dominate after the break and Kingsley Coman made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute with a smart finish.
Damac pulled one goal back in the 58th minute when Morlaye Sylla scored from the penalty spot, but Ronaldo quickly ended any hopes of a comeback.
The Portuguese star restored Al Nassr’s two-goal advantage in the 63rd minute with a well-taken free-kick before adding his second goal in the 81st minute to complete an excellent display.
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Ronaldo’s brace not only secured the league title for Al Nassr but also moved him closer to the milestone of 1,000 career goals.
Coman’s impressive performance earned him the Player of the Match award, while Al Nassr comfortably saw out the game to celebrate a memorable triumph.
The title-winning campaign highlighted the quality of Al Nassr’s star players, with Ronaldo, Mané, Coman and Félix all playing key roles throughout the season.
For Ronaldo, it was another major trophy in his remarkable career, while for Al Nassr, it marked a long-awaited return to the top of Saudi football.
Queensland Country Bank Stadium will play host to Sunday’s
Round 12 NRL game between North Queensland Cowboys and
South Sydney Rabbitohs. The game kicks off at 4:05 pm with North Queensland Cowboys heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the North Queensland Cowboys vs.
South Sydney Rabbitohs
game and give you our free tips and bets.
North Queensland Cowboys vs South Sydney Rabbitohs Odds
North Queensland Cowboys vs South Sydney Rabbitohs Preview
North Queensland and South Sydney wrap up Round 12 with both sides searching for consistency as they meet in Townsville on Sunday night. The Cowboys head into the clash with confidence after grinding out an impressive 18-12 victory over the Roosters, showcasing the defensive resilience that has often been missing from their campaign. Todd Payten’s side has also avoided major Origin disruption, losing only Reuben Cotter, while Jason Taumalolo’s return at lock provides a timely boost through the middle. South Sydney, meanwhile, is looking to rebound after a disappointing loss to the Dolphins exposed ongoing defensive concerns. The Rabbitohs regain experienced fullback Alex Johnston, but injuries to Latrell Mitchell and Campbell Graham leave Wayne Bennett reshuffling his backline yet again. North Queensland has enjoyed recent success in this matchup, winning the past three meetings against the Rabbitohs heading into Sunday’s encounter.
North Queensland Cowboys vs South Sydney Rabbitohs Teams
Cowboys team: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Robert Derby 3. Jaxon Purdue 4. Tomas Chester 5. Zac Laybutt 6. Liam Sutton 7. Jake Clifford 8. Thomas Mikaele 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Matthew Lodge 11. Heilum Luki 12. Sam McIntyre 13. Jason Taumalolo 14. Viliami Vailea 15. Griffin Neame 16. Kai O’Donnell 17. Coen Hess 18. Xavier Kerrisk 19. Ethan King 20. Wiremu Greig 21. Ronald Philitoga 22. Mason Barber
Rabbitohs team: 1. Jye Gray 2. Alex Johnston 3. Latrell Siegwalt 4. Tallis Duncan 5. Talanoa Penitani 6. Cody Walker 7. Ashton Ward 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Peter Mamouzelos 10. Sean Keppie 11. Euan Aitken 12. Keaon Koloamatangi 13. Adam Elliott 14. Matthew Dufty 15. Lachlan Hubner 16. Jamie Humphreys 17. Liam Le Blanc 18. Thomas Fletcher 19. Edward Kosi 20. Moala Graham-Taufa 21. Bronson Garlick 22. John Radel
Pat Cummins: ‘Abhishek, Klaasen, Trav, Ishan shouldn’t be told that they can only bat a certain way. You want to see them at their full flight’ | Cricket News
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s skipper Pat Cummins and teammates celebrate the wicket of Chennai Super Kings’ Kartik Sharma during their Indian Premier League 2026 match at MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai on Monday. (ANI Photo)
New Delhi: Every now and then, the cricketing world needs a reminder that Pat Cummins remains exceptional at his primary craft: fast bowling. Yet, in the process, Cummins the captain has been somewhat overshadowed. Amid the celebration of his extraordinary skills with the ball, his tactical brilliance as a captain has been flagrantly overlooked.But one cannot deny that Cummins the captain and Cummins the bowler are inseparably intertwined.Nowadays in the IPL, even a score of 264 is not safe, and it is Cummins’ ultra-aggressive captaincy that has shifted the paradigm of this tournament. In his first season as captain in IPL 2024, he set the tone. And who can forget his dressing room talk to his teammates, where he famously said: “Everyone’s terrified when they come up against us and we’ve got to blow some teams out of the water before they’ve even walked out onto the field.“SRH had a difficult 2025 campaign. This season, things have looked different, and they are once again in the playoffs. Although Cummins joined the campaign midway after recovering from a stress injury, SRH continued to play a “take-no-prisoners” style of cricket under stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan, a brand that had been instilled into their DNA by Cummins.In an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com on the sidelines of the New Balance Grey Days 2026 celebration and the launch of The New Retail Concept store in Noida, Pat Cummins opens up about his captaincy style, SRH, the six-hitting madness in T20 cricket, workload management, being an all-format cricketer, and why he went “wow” after watching Vaibhav Sooryavanshi bat. Edited Excerpts:It’s turning out to be another strong season for you at the SRH. How has the ride been so far?It’s been great. It’s a bit of a different season for me, joining halfway, but I felt really high energy and really excited to be part of it. The team has been playing fantastically well, strong contributions across the whole squad, which has been really pleasing.
Ahmedabad, May 12 (ANI): Sunrisers Hyderabad’s skipper Pat Cummins celebrates the wicket of Gujarat Titans’ Nishant Sindhu during their Indian Premier League 2026 match at Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. (ANI Photo)
Joining the team midway and then sustaining the momentum, it seemed like a seamless takeover from Ishan Kishan. Tell us a little about thatIshan is a fantastic captain, fantastic around the boys, so I kind of stayed out of the way for the first seven games. Obviously, Daniel Vettori, the head coach and the whole coaching staff, they’re great as well, so it’s all very seamless, whether it’s Ishan or myself captaining, not much changes about how we go about it.The last few seasons you and SRH in particular have been the pioneers in changing the way T20 cricket has been played. How difficult was it to imbibe that mindset in the group?I think it’s a natural fit for T20 cricket. There’s 10 teams in this competition, if you just want to be average, you’re not going to make it, so you’ve got to do something that stands you out, makes you stand out from the pack. Look around at some of the talent, Abhishek (Sharma), Klaassen( Heinrich), Trav (Travis Head), Ishan (Kishan), these guys shouldn’t be told that they can only bat a certain way. You want to see them at their full flight.A lot of my style is getting out of the way and let those guys go and play their natural game.
I think it is the new reality. You do not have that many tools at your disposal. Cutters do not normally grip, there is not much swing, there is not much bounce.
Pat Cummins on bowlers plight in T20s
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We see the kind of pitches, the runs that have been scored, every time it has been told that bowlers need to be upskilled. Do you really see how much a bowler can do, because balance has tilted one way?I think that’s the new reality. You don’t have that many tools at your disposal. Cutters don’t normally grip, there’s not much swing, there’s not much bounce.I don’t think it’s anything different to what it was a few years back. Batters have been a bit more aggressive and maybe starting to realise that they can score a bit quicker than what they previously thought. I think that’s been the biggest challenge.As a bowler, you’ve just got to adapt to the new normal, find ways to defend yourself. Even if it’s the second over in a game, that might be a super important over you’ve got to try and defend.
SunriserscCaptain Pat Cummins
How does Pat Cummins prepare when he knows he will be bowling to a 15-year-old teenager like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi who takes on the bowlers from the word go?I think he keeps everyone on their toes.You think the batter’s going to play a certain way and you see someone like him come out and try and hit every ball for six. You’re like, okay, this is fun. How am I going to counter this challenge? It’s mostly the way I look at it. If something gets thrown at me, I’m like, okay, this is interesting. How do I try and solve this problem.
I think the trend is you see players being rested from a few more games than previous generations because you are trying to avoid the big 12-month injuries.
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Pat Cummins on challneges of bring ann all-format bowler
It’s been a growing trend now that very few would end up playing/mastering every format. Not just batters but even bowlers. Very few are left – yourself, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Starc and Kagiso Rabada. You reckon every team/country will now look at formats in isolation and not maybe have repetition of players across formats?I’d say not necessarily. I think the trend is you see players being rested from a few more games than previous generations because you’re trying to avoid the big 12-month injuries.Before this injury, I played a lot of cricket over the last five years, bowled a lot of balls, but I was also rested from a few games here and there. There’s just so much cricket. For example, next year, it’s an ODI World Cup year.I’m sure I’ll probably play more ODIs that year than I have in the previous few years. Just like a T20 year, I’ll probably play more T20s.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 22: Pat Cummins takes part in a training session at Cricket Central on October 22, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
How challenging is it to transition between formats, especially going from something as physically demanding as a five-Test series straight into the intensity of the IPL?Particularly in Test cricket, we try and carve out a little bit of time before or post to make sure that you are ready for the Test matches but also get a little bit of recovery after them. They’re the ones that I find probably the easiest to adapt to. And then T20s, I feel like I’ve played enough over the last couple of years, so you’ve just got to mentally switch on and know what your style is.How do you manage the toll it can take on the body and mind over such long stretches of cricket?I’m a little bit used to it, but when we do have a little bit of a break, we’re not on holidays. We’re at home, going to the gym every couple of days, trying to get strength in so that when we do play a Test match, our body’s ready for the rigours of it.
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I was like wow after seeing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi going nuts against me.
Pat Cummins
When was the last time Pat Cummins went wow while watching a cricket or IPL match. Like taken aback by what you witnessed in a fixture.Went wow? Probably seeing Sooryavanshi (Vaibhav) going nuts against me.You are one of the most successful leaders for Australia. Bowlers do make great captains right? Would you want to see more of that?The fast bowler’s always the smart ones, so it makes sense. I just think whether you’re a bowler, a keeper, whoever you are, I think your role on the team shouldn’t really matter whether you can be a captain or not.For example, when I’m talking about my own bowling and my own plans, a lot of times I gravitate to the other bowlers because they’ve got really good insight on how they’re seeing the game, so I think it’s a pretty natural fit for bowlers to be captains.
What aspect of Pat Cummins’ game do you find most impressive?
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You have got a young family as someone constantly travelling and performing under pressure, how important is routine and balance in your everyday life?That’s the hardest thing about this lifestyle. I’ve spent a fair bit of time at home the last 12 months with my injuries, but they’ve come over to India, so our little four-year-old’s been to about 20 countries. You get very good at packing different bags and packing toys, but it’s fun. It’s hard work at times, but you always get home and you create some great memories.
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