More stories

  • in

    Man Utd transfer target Sergej Milinkovic-Savic announces arrival of baby girl with incredible Lazio goal celebration

    SERGEJ MILINKOVIC-SAVIC sucked on a pink dummy to celebrate a goal AND his baby girl joy.The Lazio midfielder always plays it cool over talk of joining Manchester United but didn’t hold his feelings back on becoming a father as he lent over to blow a kiss into a TV camera.
    Sergej Milinkovic Savic wasn’t coy about hailing his goal and his baby newsCredit: Getty
    Lazio’s Serbia midfielder Sergej Milinkovic Savic was up front with his celebrationsCredit: Getty
    The Serbia superstar teed up the first of Ciro Immobile’s two early goals before netting the third strike in a 4-0 Serie A win at Cremonese.
    The Spain-born creator, 27, looks happier than ever at Lazio.
    And despite interest from European giants he has publicly shown no signs of a seven-year itch to leave the Italian top-flight after joining the Rome club in 2015.
    Now he showed why he seems so content with another majestic performance as he contemplates fatherhood.
    READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
    Milinkovic-Savic crouched and popped a dummy in his mouth to hail his goal as Lazio staff grinned nearby.
    Ex-Chelsea and Barcelona winger Pedro rounded off victory late on after Lazio led 3-0 at the break.
    And the campaign is going swimmingly for Milinkovic-Savic, who continues to shrug off exit talk.
    One reason might be Lazio reportedly wanting £130million for the 34-cap ace with two years left on his contract.
    United have only been linked with bids of around £60m.

    Most read in Football
    And in the summer Milinkovic-Savic said: “We have a lot of young players, it’s the second year under coach Maurizio Sarri and we’ve got clear ideas with a stronger mentality than before.
    “I don’t know what to tell you about the transfer market, that’s for my agents and the club to think about.
    “I’m here with a smile on my face and I’m happy.”
    Now that smile is bigger than ever.
    Milinković-Savić 🇷🇸 had a unique way to tell the world he’ll become father of a baby girl.Sergej first made an assist for Immobile, before scoring for Lazio against Cremonese (4-0 win).And then he did this 👇 Sergej’s ready to win another World Cup 😁 pic.twitter.com/90nDqANrtF— Nebojša Marković (@MarkovicNeb) September 18, 2022

    CREMONA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 18: Sergej Milinkovic Savic of SS Lazio celebrates a third goal during the Serie A match between US Cremonese and SS Lazio at Stadio Giovanni Zini on September 18, 2022 in Cremona, . (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)Credit: Getty More

  • in

    In Comebacks, Serena Williams Showed ‘You Can Never Underestimate Her’

    Big moments on the biggest stages cemented Williams’s reputation as the queen of comebacks.During the 2012 U.S. Open final, Serena Williams was so close to losing that the idea of a comeback seemed out of the question.Her opponent, Victoria Azarenka, had gone up 5-3 in the final set, giving her numerous ways to put Williams away.“I was preparing my runners-up speech,” Williams said.Instead, she delivered what became a signature comeback of her career, breaking Azarenka’s serve twice and winning the championship without losing another game.The significance of that victory went beyond the title itself, as it turned around a year in which she had lost in the first round of the French Open. And as Williams comes close to retiring, that win illustrates how many fans will remember her tennis career — Williams coming back time and again under difficult circumstances.Here are some of the moments that helped Williams build that reputation.Australian Open, 2007Dean Treml/Agence France-Presse – Getty ImagesAfter struggling with a knee injury for much of 2006, Williams went into the 2007 Australian Open unseeded and ranked No. 81. But she went on to win the tournament, defeating Maria Sharapova.“She goes months without playing a match, loses in a tuneup and then runs the table,” Jon Wertheim, a Tennis Channel commentator and author, said.Pam Shriver, an ESPN tennis analyst, said that Williams entered the Australian Open that year in poor shape, but that by the end of the tournament, “she almost looked like a different player.”“That was one of the most memorable comebacks that I can remember that resulted in a major championship,” Shriver said.After the match, Sharapova said to the crowd in Rod Laver Arena that “you can never underestimate her as an opponent.”“I don’t think many of you expected her to be in the final, but I definitely did,” Sharapova said.2011 Health ScareChris Trotman/Getty ImagesIn February 2011, Williams was hospitalized with a pulmonary embolism. Williams recovered in time to play Wimbledon, and later revealed the seriousness of her health scare.“I was literally on my deathbed at one point,” Williams said at the time. The circumstances, she said, changed her perspective, and she went into Wimbledon that year with “nothing to lose.”Serena Williams’s Farewell to TennisThe U.S. Open could be the tennis star’s last professional tournament after a long career of breaking boundaries and obliterating expectations.Decades of Greatness: Over 27 years, Serena Williams dominated generation after generation of opponents and changed the way women’s tennis is played, winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles and cementing her reputation as the queen of comebacks.Is She the GOAT?: Proclaiming Williams the greatest women’s tennis player of all time is not a straightforward debate, our columnist writes.An Enduring Influence: From former and current players’ memories of a young Williams to the new fans she drew to tennis, Williams left a lasting impression.Her Fashion: Since she turned professional in 1995, Williams has used her clothes as a statement of self and a weapon of change.Williams made it to the round of 16. Then, she won her next two tournaments, the Bank of the West Classic in California and the Rogers Cup in Canada. She finished her year by reaching the U.S. Open final, where she lost to Samantha Stosur.“That comeback was unbelievable,” Shriver said. “No matter the score, no matter whatever, she still thought she could win.”2012 Summer RunDoug Mills/The New York TimesWilliams was eliminated from the 2012 Australian Open in the round of 16, and she was upset at that year’s French Open, where she was knocked out in the first round.“When she lost in the French Open in the first round, the career buzzards came circling,” Wertheim said. “There were plenty of times her career was supposed to be over, and she came back. The obvious one is 2012.”Williams responded to the losses by training under a new coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, who went on to work with her for the next decade.And after that French Open, Williams went on a streak. She won Wimbledon before taking the gold medals in women’s singles and doubles at the London Olympics, and then she delivered her win against Azarenka at the U.S. Open, “playing some of the most inspiring tennis of her career,” Wertheim said.French Open, 2015Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesAt the French Open in 2015, Williams lost the first set of three consecutive matches. Each time, she came back to win in three sets.“Opponents were points away from eliminating her, and Serena simply refused to go off the court anything other than the winner,” Wertheim said.Williams went on to win the semifinal while dealing with a bout of the flu.The day after the semifinal, still sick, Williams said she briefly thought about withdrawing from the final.“Out of 10 — a 10 being like take me to the hospital — I went from like a 6 to a 12 in a matter of two hours,” she said at the time. “I was just miserable. I was literally in my bed shaking, and I was just shaking, and I just started thinking positive.”Williams won the final for her 20th major singles title.Pregnancy ComebackClive Mason/Getty ImagesIn 2017, Williams surprised the tennis world when she shared that she had won that year’s Australian Open while she was close to two months pregnant.Williams missed the rest of the 2017 tennis season, and had another major health scare after she gave birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian. Williams was bedridden for her six weeks after she had blood clots in her lungs. Severe coughing caused her cesarean section wound to open. And doctors found a large hematoma, a collection of blood outside the blood vessels, in her abdomen.She returned to tennis in 2018, when she reached the Wimbledon final (where she lost to Angelique Kerber) and the U.S. Open final (where she lost to Naomi Osaka). The following year, she reached the Wimbledon final (losing to Simona Halep) and the U.S. Open final again (losing to Bianca Andreescu).“To have a child in the north half of your 30s and reach four major finals is an extraordinary feat that hasn’t gotten the full due,” Wertheim said.The Farewell ComebackHiroko Masuike/The New York TimesWilliams was forced to withdraw early in her first-round Wimbledon match last year because of an injury. She was given a standing ovation as she walked off the court in tears, as many began to wonder whether it would be the last time Williams would appear at the All England Club.She returned to Centre Court at Wimbledon this year but was defeated in the first round. She continued to struggle after that, losing early in the tournaments she has entered. At the National Bank Open in Toronto, Coco Gauff said that she was moved by how Williams has continued playing and “giving it her all.”“There’s nothing else she needs to give us in the game,” Gauff told reporters. “I just love that.”Williams will attempt one more comeback at this year’s U.S. Open. Along with her singles draw, she will also play in the women’s doubles tournament, partnered with her sister Venus. While we wait to see how this comeback takes shape, one certainty, Shriver said, is that Williams will be playing with the support of her fans.“The crowd is going to be crazy,” Shriver said. “I think the noise on a Serena win will be some of the loudest noise we’ve ever heard at the U.S. Open.” More

  • in

    How Tyson Fury overcame string of hard knocks – from wife Paris’ harrowing stillbirth to dad jailed for savage attack

    HE’S the undefeated heavyweight champ and devoted dad-of-six, with a reported fortune of £130million.But Tyson Fury, 34, has been plagued by a series of hard knocks that have threatened to derail his career and send him spiralling into addiction.
    Tyson and Paris have had their share of heartbreakCredit: Instagram @gypsyking101
    Rico Burton, 31, was stabbed to death at the weekend
    Yesterday the Gypsy King revealed his heartbreak over the death of cousin Rico Burton, 31, who was stabbed in the neck in a senseless attack on a night out in Manchester.
    Posting about the harrowing news on his Instagram page the boxer – who trained with his cousin in his younger days – called for tougher sentences on “idiots carrying knives”.   
    He added: “You don’t know how hard it is until it’s one of your own.
    “Life is very precious and it can be taken away very quick. Enjoy every moment.”
    READ MORE ON TYSON FURY
    It’s a fresh blow for the family man who has previously battled mental health issues, exacerbated by tragedy  – including the simultaneous loss of a baby and a beloved uncle in the same hospital in 2014.
    The double whammy almost ended his reign at the top, sending him into a haze of drink and drugs as he struggled with bipolar disorder and suicidal thoughts. 
    A fighter in more ways than one, he battled back from the brink to reclaim his heavyweight title in 2020, but says suffering in silence for years “nearly killed him”.
    “I’ve been an alcoholic, I’ve been a drug addict, I’ve been a fat b***** because I am a food addict and there’s not much I haven’t been addicted to,” he told talkSport last year. 
    Most read in Boxing
    “But I have recovered and I do feel better for it. There is life after mental health, if you manage it, and the last thing we need is for people to give in to mental health.
    “It is a fight, it is a battle that we will have to continue to battle and fight for our whole life. But life is so much worth fighting for.”
    As a new tragedy rocks the Fury family, we look at how the boxer has bounced back from previous low points.
    Dad ‘gouged out’ pal’s eye
    Tyson with dad John, who was jailed in 2011
    Tyson Fury was a born fighter
    A premature baby who weighed just 1lb, Tyson was one of only four survivors of mum Amber’s 14 pregnancies.
    Dad John, who had already lost two daughters in premature births, named him after the then heavyweight champ Mike Tyson, because he survived.
    When he was nine, his baby sister Romana died a few days after being born, an experience which has haunted him throughout his life.
    Tyson – who left school at 11  – was trained in the ring by his dad, himself a boxer.
    In 2011 he was devastated when John was jailed for 10 years for gouging out the eye of a former friend in a 12-year feud over a bottle of beer. 
    Fury’s uncle, Hughie Fury, stepped in to become his trainer in his dad’s absence and the pair were incredibly close.
    His dad was released from prison in February 2015 and was ringside for his victorious fight against Wladimir Klitschko in Germany that year.
    Double tragedy
    The childhood sweethearts wed in 2008Credit: Instagram @parisfury1
    Paris and Tyson celebrate the christening of baby Athena
    Fury found happiness at an early age with wife Paris, who he started dating then they were 16 and 17, and wed in 2008. 
    The couple have six children, three sons – Prince John James, nine, Prince Tyson II, five, and two-year-old Prince Adonis Amaziah – and three daughters, Venezuela, 12, Valencia Amber, four, and one-year-old Athena.
    But the couple suffered a devastating loss in 2014, when Paris was forced to give birth to a dead baby six months into the pregnancy.
    Tyson later revealed that, as he was supporting her through the ordeal, his beloved uncle Hughie was dying on the other side of the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
    The trainer was admitted for a knee operation to put a bolt in his leg, which broke when a caravan drawbar fell on him, but a blood clot travelled to his lung and his heart stopped in surgery, leaving him in a coma for 11 weeks before he passed away. 
    My wife Paris gave birth to a child at six months old that was dead… We were in one side of the hospital and my uncle Hughie was dying on the other side of the hospital, at the same timeTyson Fury
    The double tragedy triggered addictions to booze and cocaine, and saw Tyson pile on the pounds to the point where he was too unfit to fight. 
     “My wife Paris gave birth to a child at six months old that was dead,” he told the Daily Telegraph. “I had to be there when she was delivering the baby.
    “We were in one side of the hospital and my uncle Hughie was dying on the other side of the hospital, at the same time.
    “I stopped myself from thinking about it. I needed to put it to the back of my mind.”
    He added that he bottled up his emotions until after his winning clash with Klitschko in 2015, when “it all came tumbling down. All the problems I’d bottled away just exploded”.
    Drink and drugs
    After beating Wladimir Klitschko in Germany in November 2015, Tyson’s health sufferedCredit: Rex
    Struggling with his “demons”, Fury’s weight spiralled to 28st and he turned to drink and drugs, downing up to 18 pints a day.
    A rematch with Klitschko, scheduled for 2016, was postponed twice after Fury was declared medically unfit, amid reports he had also tested positive for cocaine.
    He told Rolling Stone: “I’m going through a lot of personal demons, trying to shake them off. 
    “I’ve not been in a gym for months. I’ve been going through depression. I just don’t want to live anymore.
    “I’ve been out drinking, Monday to Friday to Sunday, and taking cocaine. I can’t deal with it and the only thing that helps me is when I get drunk out of my mind.”
    At one point he drove his Ferrari towards a bridge at 190mph in a desperate bid to end his life.
    He said: “I gave up on life but as I was heading to the bridge I heard a voice saying, ‘no don’t do this Tyson; think about your kids, your family, your sons and daughter growing up without a dad’.”
    Second baby loss
    Paris has suffered two miscarriagesCredit: Getty Images – Getty
    Athena was discharged after fighting for days in intensive care
    After relinquishing his world titles, and being stripped of his licence by the British Boxing Board, Tyson sought medical help and was diagnosed as bipolar. 
    He launched a comeback in 2018 and later revealed throwing himself into training saved his life.
    “I have been able to manage my mental health through training and I use it as a medicine,” he said.
    “I use structured routine, like a regimented lifestyle. I like to know what I am doing. If I’ve not got certainty in my life, everything seems to go AWOL. My mind starts wandering and I go very unwell again.”
    If I’ve not got certainty in my life, everything seems to go AWOL. My mind starts wandering and I go very unwell againTyson Fury
    Just days before his comeback fight against Sefer Seferi in 2018, Paris tragically suffered another miscarriage.
    Fearing the effect on his mental health, Paris decided not to tell him until after the fight.
    She said: “I was about eight weeks pregnant. Then on the day of the fight I knew I’d lost our baby. I didn’t mention it to Tyson before he went into the ring.
    “Five weeks later we fell pregnant again… We were still heartbroken over our loss, but overjoyed at the same time.”
    The birth of Athena last August was fraught with trauma when she “died for three minutes” and was left in intensive care, with Tyson asking fans to pray for her.
    The tot was discharged after a few days and left the hospital in a babygrow with the words: “Fighter just like my daddy.”
    Paris posted the picture with the caption: “Had scared us all terrible in her first two weeks of life but thankfully she is fit and well and home.”
    Mental health fight
    Now back on top, the boxer has regained his titleCredit: Getty
    Fury’s return to the top was cemented when he defeated Deontay Wilder to win the WBC heavyweight championship of the world in 2020,  and reclaim his throne.
    The new tragedy in the boxer’s family is sure to cause him immense pain but this time, the grieving boxer will open up about his feelings and says he’s learned that bottling up his emotions never works. 
    “My mistake was I just suffered in silence and it very nearly killed me,” he says. “Then I started seeking medical help, I wished to God I had done it 15 years earlier.
    “I wouldn’t have had to go through a mental breakdown and all the s*** I went through.
    Read More on The Sun
    “I am on the other side of it now and I have learned to maintain and manage the problems and I’m living life.
    “I never want to go back to that lonely, dark, horrible, grey place where you wake up every morning and think, ‘Why the f*** did I just wake up?’” More

  • in

    Jake Paul, 25, and model girlfriend Julia Rose planning for baby as YouTuber-turned-boxer looks to start family

    JAKE PAUL revealed he is planning for a child with his model girlfriend Julia Rose. The YouTuber-turned-boxer made the claim on an episode of his new show BS With Jake Paul, which guest starred UFC fighter Sean O’Malley.
    Julia Rose pictured with partner Jake PaulCredit: Getty Images – Getty
    Rose has been with Jake Paul since 2020
    Paul, 25, said: “Julia and I are actually having conversations on like, when to get pregnant.”
    The American has been with Julia since 2020, the year he made his professional boxing debut, beating online rival “AnEsonGib”.
    He followed it up the next year by knocking out ex-NBA player Nate Robinson and retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren.
    Paul then beat Tyron Woodley on points before knocking the former UFC champion out in their rematch.
    READ MORE IN BOXING
    He had signed to face Tommy Fury but the British reality TV star pulled out after suffering a broken rib in training.
    Paul did reschedule the celebrity grudge match for August 6 but Fury withdrew again this time amid a US visa issue.
    Hasim Rahman Jr instead signed as a replacement but later a weight disagreement forced him out of the pay-per-view bill.
    It has left Paul sidelined, although as revealed by SunSport, he is eyeing a return in October, with Fury back in the running.
    Most read in Boxing
    FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
    He said: “A certain somebody can’t keep my name out their mouth.
    “He’s got me in his Instagram bio, he’s doing tweets about me and he’s even put Amanda Serrano on the Joe Joyce and Joe Parker bill next month in Manchester knowing full well that I’ll be there.
    “I see he’s put out there that he’ll be fighting in October at 185lbs.
    “I’ve already been training. I am f***ing ready for October, 185lbs is my fighting weight.
    “If you want this dust settled once and for all, get yourself over here and let’s get it on.
    “There’s no excuses here, no one’s afraid to fight you. Get in touch, you pick the date, the venue, I’m not bothered. Let’s get this on.”
    Jake Paul is set to make his boxing return in OctoberCredit: INSTAGRAM@JAKEPAUL More

  • in

    West Ham’s Declan Rice reveals he’s had a baby boy called Jude with new tattoo

    WEST Ham captain Declan Rice has welcomed a baby with his childhood sweetheart Lauren Fryer.The Three Lions ace and Lauren have a son, who they have named Jude.
    Declan Rice and his girlfriend Lauren Fryer have welcomed a babyCredit: Instagram @laurenfryer_
    Declan revealed the news with a tattoo tribute to the tot on his left arm as he led West Ham out onto the pitch against BrightonCredit: Rex
    The inking wraps around Declan’s arm and has his son’s name and birth dateCredit: Rex
    The baby was born earlier this month to Lauren and Declan – who announced the news today by showing off a tattoo on his arm as West Ham took on Brighton.
    On the pitch at the London stadium, Declan, 23, revealed his new inking in tribute to his son.

    The tattoo showed his name, Jude, and his date of birth – 7 August.
    He also had the symbol for Jude’s star sign, a Leo, tattooed onto him.
    read more on declan rice
    Declan and Lauren have been together for six years.
    The pair keep out of the spotlight and prefer quiet nights at home in their house in London.
    They made a rare public appearance together last year after meeting Liam Gallagher at Reading Festival.
    Declan and Lauren are childhood sweethearts, having first met at school.
    Previously Declan’s best pal Mason Mount joked Lauren was jealous of their close friendship.
    Most read in Football
    Declan told The Sun in 2019:  My missus is quite worried. I’m genuinely being serious. She’s quite worried.
    “Oh she’s just always: ‘You two . . . you love him more than you love me’. Honestly. We just get it in the neck all the time. But they need to understand the friendship.”
    Declan was made West Ham captain after Mark Noble retired.
    David Moyes put a £150million price tag on him when he was asked about the possibility of selling Declan.
    However the youngster said he ignored transfer talk and tried to focus on West Ham.
    He said last month: “Every time I put on the shirt I go out there and give it 100 per cent and whatever happens off the pitch takes care of itself.
    “I can’t control that – what I can control is going out there and trying to be the best player.”
    The childhood sweethearts, above with Liam Gallagher at Reading Festival last year, have been dating for six yearsCredit: Instagram / @laurenfryer_
    Pals said Declan and Lauren were overjoyed by the arrival of their first childCredit: Instagram @laurenfryer_ More

  • in

    For Serena Williams, Tennis — Not Motherhood — Was a Sacrifice

    When given the opportunity to write an essay in the September issue of Vogue, one that would touch on how she expects to “evolve” away from tennis, Serena Williams started by talking about her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.Her daughter, whom she calls Olympia, wants a little sister.And Williams? She and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, would like that too.“In the last year, Alexis and I have been trying to have another child, and we recently got some information from my doctor that put my mind at ease and made me feel that whenever we’re ready, we can add to our family,” Williams said in Vogue. “I definitely don’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete. I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out.”She is gearing up to walk both feet off the court, and in doing so, she continues to model what family planning can look like at the highest levels of sport.In April 2017, Williams announced she was pregnant to the world by accident, uploading a photo of herself with the text “20 weeks” to Snapchat. The news, once confirmed, had fans doing some quick math. She had been about eight weeks pregnant when she won the Australian Open earlier that year.She gave birth to Olympia on Sept. 1, 2017, and was bedridden for the first six weeks of motherhood because of a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.She was soon plotting her return to the court, joining a long list of women who made it back to the highest levels of their sport after childbirth not just to compete, but to win.In 1960, two years after giving birth to her daughter, the sprinter Wilma Rudolph won three gold medals at the Rome Olympics. Joy Fawcett, a three-time Olympian, was among the first American soccer players to have children midcareer — she played every minute of the World Cup in 1995, 1999 and 2003, each competition a year or two after giving birth to one of her three children. And the Olympic swimmer Dara Torres returned to competition just a few weeks after giving birth in 2006, won a national title in the 100-meter freestyle in 2007 and took home three silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.It’s a list that continues to grow and now includes the sprinter Allyson Felix, the most decorated U.S. track and field athlete in Olympic history, who returned to the global stage after having an emergency cesarean section at 32 weeks in 2018. A few weeks ago, Felix ran her last world-championship event in a full stadium of fans who gave her a standing ovation. Her daughter, Camryn, now a toddler, was in the stands.Tennis is a uniquely grueling sport for new parents. Much of the calendar year is considered in season, and much of that season is spent crisscrossing the globe for tournaments.But returning to the biggest stages in the world did not seem to be much of a question for Williams. “I went from a C-section to a second pulmonary embolism to a Grand Slam final. I played while breastfeeding. I played through postpartum depression,” she wrote. She reached her 10th Wimbledon final in July 2018, less than a year after childbirth.Williams’s daughter hasn’t been far from the stands since. There’s Olympia at the Fed Cup, sporting a red-and-white headband with a glitter bow. And at the ASB classic, sitting on her dad’s lap, clapping, eager to see what shiny trophy Mom has this time. At the Top Seed Open, she was spotted in the stands, a bit distracted by an iPhone (happens to the best of us). And she had a front-row seat to the U.S. Open bubble of 2020, pointing and saying “mama” in a nearly empty stadium.In the past five years, Williams said, she has not spent more than 24 hours away from her daughter.But Williams made one thing clear. Her evolution (retirement, she said, is not a word she likes to use) is not an easy decision; it’s not one she’s been able to talk about with anyone other than her therapist. This is not a simple ride into the sunset. No, it’s a more difficult decision — one that she really didn’t want to make.“Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don’t think it’s fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family,” she said. “Maybe I’d be more of a Tom Brady if I had that opportunity.”That’s the case for 36-year-old Rafael Nadal. He announced that his wife, Maria Francisca Perello, is pregnant with their first child. In a news conference in June, Nadal, the winner of 22 Grand Slam singles titles, said, “I don’t think it will change my professional life.”Indeed.Williams knows exactly how becoming a mother changed her professional life. “The fact is that nothing is a sacrifice for me when it comes to Olympia. It all just makes sense,” she said, continuing, “I think tennis, by comparison, has always felt like a sacrifice — though it’s one I enjoyed making.”Before she steps off the court for good, she may have a few more performances to put on for the almost-5-year-old fan in the stands, excitedly waving her arms for her mama. More

  • in

    Germany football star Nico Schulz accused of ‘kicking pregnant girlfriend in stomach two weeks before she gave birth’

    GERMAN defender Nico Schulz has been accused of kicking his pregnant ex girlfriend in the stomach.Schulz, 29, who plays as a left back for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, is facing a criminal complaint over domestic violence.
    Nico Schulz has denied the allegations against himCredit: Getty
    Schulz has made 12 caps for the German national teamCredit: AP:Associated Press
    The player – who has 12 caps and two goals for the German national team – denied the allegations.
    Dortmund confirmed the club is aware of the “shocking” reports and said they have spoken to Schulz.
    Schulz however will not be suspended – but the side said it reserves the right to take action “at any time” when they “objectively know more”.
    It is alleged the footballer assaulted his former partner in 2020 while she was pregnant with his daughter in a bid to “terminate the pregnancy”, reports Bild.
    READ MORE ON SPORT
    Schulz “kicked his girlfriend in the stomach with his shoed foot” just two weeks before she was due to give birth, according to the allegations.
    German media published text messages sent between Schulz and his partner in which she said: “You hit me when I was naked in my own apartment”.
    Her lawyer claims she kicked her in the stomach in “an attempted termination of pregnancy in a particularly serious case”.
    The Dortmund State Prosecutor office has opened an investigation.
    Most read in Football
    Cops have also raided Schulz’s house to secure evidence as part of the investigation.
    Dortmund issued a statement on Sunday afternoon saying they only became aware of the “extremely serious and shocking” allegations through media reports.
    Dortmund said they had not yet taken disciplinary actions against the player as the situation was “extremely unclear”.
    Pictures published in German media showed Schulz leaving Dortmund training early on Sunday afternoon.
    According to the statement, Schulz denies the claims, telling Dortmund “that he will defend himself against these allegations with the help of a lawyer and that he will also maintain his innocence”.
    Schulz was not included in Dortmund’s squad for their 1-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
    Read More on The Sun
    Coach Edin Terzic previously told the wing back he was not part of his plans this season for footballing reasons.
    Bild reports Schulz faces up to 10 years in prison under German law if convicted of the charges. More

  • in

    Tyson Fury’s wife Paris shows off toned stomach and stunning figure amid claims she was pregnant with seventh child

    PARIS FURY showed off her toned stomach which comes amid claims she was pregnant with a seventh child. Retired boxer Carl Froch was the first to say Paris and husband Tyson were set to welcome another addition to their family.
    Paris Fury showed off her toned stomach which comes amid claims she was pregnant with a seventh child
    Froch said on BBC Breakfast in April: “He’s got five or six children? I don’t want to get it wrong, but he’s got a lot of kids.
    “I think Paris his wife is pregnant.”
    Fury, 33, currently has six children – the youngest, Athena, was born last August just before his latest fight, the trilogy bout with Deontay Wilder.
    The others are Venezuela, 12, Prince John James, nine, Prince Tyson II, five, Valencia, four, and Princes Adonis Amaziah, two.
    Before Fury’s last fight, a knockout over Dillian Whyte, 34, he hinted the couple were planning to have another baby.
    .css-16e4f55{margin:16px 0;}.css-1h37p88{background-color:rgba(236,245,247,1);margin:16px 0;}.css-1tapza8{padding:20px 15px;}.css-1bk4jdt{padding:20px 15px;}.css-1qsre5o{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;}.css-16djrfc{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:1;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;padding-top:2px;}.css-1skzs3j{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:1;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;padding-top:2px;}.css-7ysxcx{padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-7ysxcx:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1x7hydu{font-family:The Sun;font-size:24px;line-height:1.1666666666666667;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:semi-condensed;padding:1px 0px;}.css-1x7hydu::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.24520833333333342em + -0.5px);}.css-1x7hydu::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:-0.2333333333333334em;}.css-1lobn43{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(0,0,0,1);}.css-1lobn43 svg{fill:rgba(0,0,0,1);}READ MORE ON BOXING.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-gmec1d{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;height:auto;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-align-content:center;-ms-flex-line-pack:center;align-content:center;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:flex-start;justify-content:flex-start;margin-left:calc(-20px/2);margin-right:calc(-20px/2);}.css-fh9577{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-left:calc(20px/2);margin-right:calc(20px/2);}.css-65fvqt{max-width:302px;max-height:294px;}.css-h98a3b{box-sizing:border-box;overflow:hidden;background-color:rgba(236,245,247,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;position:relative;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;max-width:302px;max-height:294px;}.css-bk55po{box-sizing:border-box;display:block;position:relative;margin-bottom:0;}.css-1shocxe{box-sizing:border-box;}.css-1a2irou{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;}.css-1a2irou a:not(.nk-card-link){z-index:2;position:relative;}.css-1uyse24{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;border:none;}.css-1uyse24 .nk-headline-kicker{color:rgba(0,114,238,1);}.css-1uyse24:hover:not(:disabled) .nk-headline-kicker{color:rgba(0,86,180,1);-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-1uyse24:active:not(:disabled) .nk-headline-kicker{color:rgba(0,62,129,1);-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-1uyse24:visited:not(:disabled) .nk-headline-kicker{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24 .nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(34,37,38,1);}.css-1uyse24:hover:not(:disabled) .nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(0,86,180,1);-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-1uyse24:active:not(:disabled) .nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(0,62,129,1);-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-1uyse24:visited:not(:disabled) .nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-xpuujo{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(149,199,208,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-tqcu81{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(149,199,208,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-bq4915{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,97,108,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-bq4915:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}OLD TYME’S SAKE .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Fans beg Fury to come out of retirement as he shows skills on punch bag
    He said: “My wife has been at home waiting for me for ten years, we have six kids and I am going to put another bun in her oven.
    “Number seven is going to pop out anytime soon.
    “I am going to be a family man and a big fat pig, fatter than I already am.
    “I’ll retire to Morecambe beach, on the sand, no more fight and no more interviews. Everyone will leave me alone.”
    .css-qu9fel{border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-b9nmbi{margin-bottom:16px;border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-1qsre5o{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;}.css-q8gelu{margin-bottom:24px;}.css-7ysxcx{padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-7ysxcx:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1x7hydu{font-family:The Sun;font-size:24px;line-height:1.1666666666666667;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:semi-condensed;padding:1px 0px;}.css-1x7hydu::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.24520833333333342em + -0.5px);}.css-1x7hydu::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:-0.2333333333333334em;}.css-1lobn43{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(0,0,0,1);}.css-1lobn43 svg{fill:rgba(0,0,0,1);}Most read in Boxing.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-zdjvqv{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:space-around;-ms-flex-pack:space-around;-webkit-justify-content:space-around;justify-content:space-around;margin-top:calc(-12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(-12px/2);}.css-zdjvqv:before,.css-zdjvqv:after{content:”;display:block;}.css-1meuhfk{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-top:calc(12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(12px/2);}
    FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
    Fury is currently in Miami on holiday with his family after confirming he WILL stay retired.
    He said recently: “I’ve just read today that I’m supposed to be coming out of retirement.
    “That’s news to me. As far as I’m concerned I’m staying [retired].”

    The Fury family on holiday in MiamiCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk More