Straight out of the notorious Los Angeles neighbourhood of Compton, the incomparable sister act show yet again that they dominate women’s tennisThere is by now a numbing effect to the decades‑long dominance of Serena Williams, who on Saturday captured the Australian Open championship for a seventh time to eclipse Steffi Graf’s record for major titles in the Open era, all but silencing the few stubborn holdouts who referred to the record book to deny that she is the best there has ever been. Related: Australian Open 2017: day 13 – women's singles final - in pictures Related: What the Williams sisters mean in America today | Derrick Clifton Continue reading...
In an uncertain era, the success of Venus and Serena tells a story of the greatness that already exists in the United StatesIt was to be Serena’s day. But the impact of an all-Williams final at the Australian Open cannot be overstated.Before Serena’s victory over Venus in Melbourne, the 23rd major title of her glittering career, the last time the two sisters went head-to-head in a grand slam final was at Wimbledon in 2009. Serena bested Venus in a tough two-set match. At the time, the sisters had won multiple titles in their already storied careers, which began with family practice sessions on the dilapidated courts of Compton. Related: It’s not all bad news – we’ve got Venus, Serena, Roger...
Academy director Tony Diprose led a delegation from south-west London to San Francisco as part of an investment in the burgeoning if unsettled US gameLast weekend in California, the former England and Lions No8 Tony Diprose and other Harlequins staff attended the finals of the Cal Cup, at the home of the San Francisco Golden Gate club. Related: US PRO Rugby league insists it will not close over clash with governing body Related: USA third place at Dubai Sevens gives notice of growing stake in global game | Martin Pengelly Related: US union voices support for PRO Rugby league in light of foreign interest Continue reading...
Matt Ryan and Julio Jones have led an explosive offense to Super Bowl LI largely ignored. But they can’t shake off the tag of also-ransThe Atlanta Falcons are an excellent, exciting football team. That sentence shouldn’t read like a news item to anyone: the Falcons just won the NFC title after back-to-back blowouts in the playoffs, and scored 71 more points than any other NFL team during the regular season. But based on the lack of early buzz around Super Bowl LI, a lot of football fans simply don’t care. Related: Atlanta Falcons crush Green Bay Packers in NFC championship game Related: Cleveland Browns were more popular Super Bowl pick than Atlanta Falcons JULIO JONES IS A BEAST.73 yards all...
New England are into another Super Bowl and the NFL commissioner is still in power despite numerous debacles. So much for scandalsIt has now been two years since the start of Deflategate, an ordeal that should have ruined the New England Patriots and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Instead, the only key figure who is worse-off than before is the man who started the fiasco. On Saturday, a day before the Patriots went to yet another Super Bowl, the Indianapolis Colts fired their general manager Ryan Grigson. The move was celebrated by Patriots fans, who knew Grigson had told the NFL that New England were underinflating footballs during their rout of the Colts in the 2015 AFC championship game. Upon hearing of...