Tom Victor

Georgia Hunter Bell has praised Keely Hodgkinson as a playful, ambitious and down-to-earth teammate ahead of the European Championships in Birmingham. Hunter Bell said Hodgkinson encourages her to try new things and brings out her more carefree side, citing an example of the pair learning to cycle without using their hands. The comments echo Sebastian Coe’s earlier description of Hodgkinson as authentic, funny, driven and remarkably normal despite her world-class achievements.

Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes is considering whether to continue playing for the national team after reaching his 84th cap in a 1-0 World Cup final defeat by Spain. Paredes was involved in a post-match confrontation with Eric Garcia and Gavi but escaped an immediate red card or sanction, while FIFA has opened a disciplinary review. Despite the criticism, he returned to club action for Boca Juniors less than a week later and said he would need time to reflect on the defeat and his international future.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow run from July 23 to August 2, with TNT Sports taking exclusive live television rights in the UK after 72 years of BBC coverage. Every event can be streamed through HBO Max, while Channel 5 will show nightly highlights for free and talkSPORT and BBC Radio 5 Live will provide radio coverage. International viewers can use broadcasters and platforms including Seven Network and 7Plus in Australia, Sky New Zealand and TV3 in New Zealand, and RushSports in the Caribbean.

Gerwyn Price has spoken positively about becoming a grandfather after his daughter Emily announced her pregnancy. The Welsh darts player has also advanced at the World Matchplay by defeating Martin Schindler and Rob Cross, and is preparing to face Ross Smith. With the tournament’s prize pool increased to £1 million and £225,000 awarded to the winner, Price says he must improve his average and perform at his best against the experienced Englishman.

Six co-host nations Spain, Morocco, Portugal, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay have secured automatic qualification for the 2030 World Cup under a special FIFA exception linked to centenary celebrations and multi‑nation hosting. Opening commemorative matches will be staged in South America before the tournament shifts to Europe and North Africa, with FIFA adjusting scheduling to allow extended rest and travel time for affected teams. FIFA president Gianni Infantino reiterated interest in expanding the tournament to 64 teams, citing global inclusion, while qualification allocations from the 2026 tournament were outlined.

Gabby Logan prepares to anchor the BBC’s World Cup 2026 final coverage after a two‑decade career rise that included being removed from ITV’s 2006 World Cup team before moving to the BBC. Her current BBC salary places her just outside the organisation’s top ten earners, below colleagues such as Mark Chapman and Alan Shearer. Coverage of the tournament has been affected by time‑zone challenges due to the BBC basing most of its production in the UK to reduce costs, though Logan insists the quality remains strong. She will present the final alongside Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart and Micah Richards as Argentina face Spain in New York.

England and Argentina meet again in rugby shortly after Argentina’s late comeback eliminated England from the football World Cup, a match marred by on‑field clashes and controversy. The Nations Championship rugby fixture in Santiago del Estero gives England a chance to respond, with both sides carrying mixed recent results. England hold a historically dominant record over Argentina, while players noted they avoided wearing England shirts locally after the football defeat. Argentina’s rugby side pursue a third consecutive win at home as England prepare for their own third‑place football play‑off against France.

Prince William explains that he supports England in football because he has followed the team since childhood, while backing Wales in rugby. His stance drew criticism during the 2022 World Cup, but he maintains that switching allegiances would feel insincere, especially given his longstanding role as president of the Football Association. He also discussed his support for Aston Villa and his experience attending the 2026 Europa League final, where he engaged with hosts of the Claret and Blue podcast.

Neymar bought a £17 million luxury yacht shortly after Brazil’s World Cup exit and his announcement of international retirement. The vessel, named Enejota, features six suites, four Caterpillar engines and a helipad. His purchase is compared with previous yacht acquisitions by Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham. Neymar concluded his Brazil career with 80 goals, while manager Carlo Ancelotti looked ahead following the team’s elimination by Norway.

Viewers criticised John McEnroe’s commentary during Wimbledon coverage, expressing frustration at his off-topic discussions while calling on the BBC to silence him. Complaints also mentioned Tracy Austin, with some fans switching off entirely. McEnroe temporarily left a match to meet other broadcasting obligations, while Jannik Sinner advanced to the semi-finals after a straight-sets win and discussed maintaining focus as competition intensifies.

During Jannik Sinner's Wimbledon quarter-final against Jan-Lennard Struff, a spare ball fell from Struff's pocket during a rally while Sinner had break point. The umpire called a let and allowed Struff another chance, judging there was no evidence of intentional interference, although a repeat would result in a hindrance penalty. BBC commentators John McEnroe and Andrew Castle questioned the fairness of the rule and McEnroe called for video review to determine intent. Struff held serve before Sinner broke in the next game, but Struff immediately broke back as the match remained competitive.

Arthur Fery’s five‑set Wimbledon victory over Grigor Dimitrov prompted a light‑hearted exchange after the BBC declined to replay his celebratory comments. Fery reflected on his performance, describing the comeback as consistent with his tournament run and expressing disbelief at reaching the quarter‑finals. He now prepares to face Flavio Cobolli, whom he defeated earlier in the year at the Australian Open.

After Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a five-set Wimbledon match, the players engaged in a tense exchange at the net and continued arguing as they left the court. Clare Balding suggested the dispute was linked to Davidovich Fokina appearing to recover quickly after receiving treatment for an ankle problem during Auger-Aliassime's service game. Auger-Aliassime later criticized the rule allowing a player to stop an opponent's service game to receive medical attention, calling it a disgrace and proposing that injured players forfeit points until treatment or retire.

Novak Djokovic apologized to BBC interviewer Annabel Croft after discussing his on-court outbursts following a four-set Wimbledon victory over Roman Safiullin. Djokovic described the match as difficult, praised Safiullin’s performance and said his serving helped him recover in the fourth set. He remains focused on progressing from survival to a deeper run in the tournament.

Novak Djokovic narrowly avoided a potentially serious incident during his fourth-round Wimbledon match against Roman Safiullin after accidentally striking the umpire's chair while returning a ball to a ball kid. The moment recalled Djokovic's 2020 US Open disqualification for hitting a line judge, but officials imposed no further punishment. Djokovic won the first set in a tie-break and quickly took the second as he continued his pursuit of a record number of men's singles victories at Wimbledon.

Roman Safiullin reached Wimbledon's fourth round after beating Joao Fonseca 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, prompting an emotional on-court reaction from the Russian player and tears from his wife, Liudmyla Smolanova. The victory marked a major comeback after injuries had threatened his career and followed two earlier five-set wins, including an upset of Andrey Rublev. Safiullin could next face Novak Djokovic, while Nick Kyrgios has questioned whether injuries will allow him to compete at Wimbledon again.

Aryna Sabalenka has urged Wimbledon to relax its long-standing ban on players bringing dogs onto the grounds, saying her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Ash, supports her mental wellbeing and that leaving him alone is distressing. Wimbledon permits only assistance and security dogs, a policy All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton says remains unchanged. Sabalenka advanced to the third round after defeating McCartney Kessler in straight sets and will next face Jelena Ostapenko.

Serena Williams returned to Wimbledon at age 44 for her first appearance in four years but lost to Australia’s Maya Joint 6-3, 6-7, 6-3. Williams’s husband, Alexis Ohanian, publicly praised her and said their family was proud, while their younger daughter Adira had to leave Centre Court because spectators must be at least five years old. Older daughter Olympia was allowed to remain, and the crowd strongly supported Williams during her comeback.

Damir Dzumhur confronted the umpire and Arthur Fery during their Wimbledon first-round match after claiming a let had gone uncalled. Fery said he had not heard the let and maintained his position, while the umpire denied seeing or hearing one. Dzumhur’s protests appeared to disrupt his momentum, allowing Fery to recover from a set and break down and win 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. Fery became the first British man to reach the second round, where he will face Finland’s Otto Virtanen.

Jelena Ostapenko defeated Britain's Harriet Dart in a tight Wimbledon first-round match after reacting angrily to sections of the crowd who appeared to celebrate Dart winning points and Ostapenko's double faults. The Latvian said she understood the partisan support for the home player but was disappointed by some of the spectators' reactions, adding that she used her anger constructively to win the decisive games. BBC commentators Martina Navratilova and Chris Bradnam offered differing views on whether Ostapenko was provoking the 12,000-strong crowd. Ostapenko joked that supporters should back her in the next round.

Jelena Ostapenko defeated Britain’s Harriet Dart 6-4 in the deciding set of their Wimbledon first-round match after appearing to provoke the Court 1 crowd. Ostapenko said the crowd’s hostility made her angry in a motivating way, while commentators Martina Navratilova and Chris Bradnam criticised aspects of her conduct. Ostapenko later thanked the spectators and praised Dart after securing a hard-fought victory. The match was moved to Court 1 after Emma Raducanu withdrew from Wimbledon with a stress fracture.

Food and drink prices at Wimbledon 2026 have risen, with a pint of Stella Artois costing £8.85, a limited-edition strawberries-and-cream lager £9.30, and champagne reaching £110.20 per bottle. Pimm’s is priced at £13.45, while strawberries and cream have increased to £2.85. Food options include £8.70 sausages, £13.65 Japanese bowls and a £14.50 fish finger sandwich. Reusable Evian bottles cost £5 and allow free refills, offering one of the few cost-saving options for spectators.

Andre Agassi is set to return to the BBC's Wimbledon coverage as a pundit after previously winning the tournament in 1992. The former champion, who retired in 2006, has remained involved in tennis through coaching and exhibition appearances, including a brief spell with Novak Djokovic and a successful 2025 Laver Cup campaign leading Team World. The article also reviews his private 2001 wedding to Steffi Graf, attended only by the couple and their mothers, their two children's lives away from tennis, and the couple's enthusiasm for pickleball. Agassi has invested in Ballers, a US sports and entertainment start-up focused on pickleball and padel venues.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner declined to answer detailed questions about a player-led media boycott over prize-money shares and athlete welfare. Wimbledon’s total prize fund has risen to £64.2 million, but players say this represents only 14.4% of revenue, below their 22% target, and plan to limit media obligations to 15 minutes during the opening week. Sinner said conditions were improving but that he wanted to focus on tennis. He also discussed health tests after his French Open exit and the need to prepare for increasingly hot playing conditions.

Patty Smyth says that maintaining intimacy and keeping their relationship private have helped sustain her nearly 30-year marriage to John McEnroe. The couple, who married in 1997 and have two children together, also avoided pursuing a reality television programme because Smyth believed it could have damaged their relationship. McEnroe has credited Smyth with giving him a second lease on life and making him a better person. He is due to return to the BBC's Wimbledon coverage alongside analysts including Andre Agassi and Eugenie Bouchard.