Serena gets wild-card entry for Wimbledon singles
Serena Williams is going to play at Wimbledon, after all. The All England Club announced on Tuesday that Williams was awarded a wildcard entry for singles, marking her return to Grand Slam action after a year away.
The owner of a professional era-record 23 Grand Slam singles trophies, and as big a star as tennis ever has seen, is going to tune up by playing doubles at a smaller grasscourt event first, teaming with Ons Jabeur at Eastbourne, England, next week.
Williams has not competed anywhere since getting injured during the first set of her first-round match at the All England Club in 2021. And her name did not appear on the women’s singles entry list released by the grass-court Grand Slam tournament earlier this month.
But Williams was among a half-dozen women given a spot in the singles draw on Tuesday, along with five British players: Katie Boulter, Jodie Burrage, Sonay Kartal, Yuriko Miyazaki and Katie Swan.
Two other women will get invitations “in due course,” the All England Club said.
Seven of the eight men’s wild-card berths were also announced, including one for
three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka.
Apple, MLS announce 10-year streaming partnership
Apple’s foray into live sports took a big step forward Tuesday.
Apple and Major League Soccer have announced a 10-year partnership on a streaming service that will allow fans to watch every game without local blackouts or restrictions. The service will be available exclusively through the Apple TV app beginning next year.
The deal is Apple’s second venture into streaming professional sports. In April, it began airing “Friday Night Baseball.”
MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Apple is not paying a rights fee but rather a minimum guarantee against revenues that will be generated with both selling subscriptions.
“It’s part of what we both wanted. We’re in business together,” Garber said.
People with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press that the minimum guarantee is worth $250 million per year.
Costa Rica going to World Cup
AL RAYYAN, QATAR » Costa Rica’s core of stars like Keylor Navas, Joel Campbell and Bryan
Ruiz created national history in a memorable run to the 2014 World Cup quarterfinals.
They were all still there Tuesday, all with more than 100 appearances, all key to a 1-0 win over New Zealand in a World Cup intercontinental playoff in Qatar.
All earned a ticket back to Doha for Costa Rica in November and their third straight World Cup tournament together.
“Today is a joyful day,” said Navas, the captain and goalkeeper whose saves late in the game preserved the lead earned by Campbell’s third-minute goal.
Costa Rica completed a 32-nation World Cup lineup by withstanding a New Zealand team that rallied from the early setback to dominate possession and create more and better scoring chances.
Top-seeded Ruud loses
LONDON » Casper Ruud endured a tough transition from clay to the grass courts, with the top seed losing his opening-round match at the Queen’s Club in straight sets to an opponent ranked No. 180.
Nine days after playing — and losing — to Rafael Nadal in the French Open final, Ruud was beaten 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2) by little-known Briton Ryan Peniston, a 26-year-old in his first ATP Tour main draw.
It was only the seventh time the top seed has lost a first-round match at Queen’s in the Open era.
Matteo Berrettini, the second seed and reigning champion, had no such problems in the first match of his title defense when he won 6-3, 6-3 against a more established British player in Dan Evans.
U.S. Open lets Russian tennis players in
The U.S. Open will allow tennis players from Russia and Belarus to compete this year despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, which prompted Wimbledon to ban those athletes.
U.S. Tennis Association CEO and Executive Director Lew Sherr, whose group runs the U.S. Open, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday that the USTA Board decided to let Russians and Belarusians enter the tournament because of “concern about holding the individual athletes accountable for the actions and decisions of their governments.”
Sherr said athletes from Russia and Belarus will play at Flushing Meadows under a neutral flag .