CELEB NEWS Archives - Page 12 of 17

he next talking head to take a seat in NBC Sports’ lead-analyst chair will set aside his golf clubs and caddie bib for at least one week. Jim “Bones” Mackay, caddie for Justin Thomas and former long-time looper for Phil Mickelson, will serve as lead TV analyst for this week’s Mexico Open at Vidanta.

Although NBC Sports has had a revolving door of lead analysts “try out” for the gig ever since Paul Azinger’s contract wasn’t renewed late last year, an NBC Sports spokesperson told GOLF.com that Mackay isn’t in consideration for the role. He’s simply helping out with Thomas taking the week off. (Golfweek first reported the news.)

According to NBC, Mackay will serve as on-course reporter for Thursday’s first round, and he’ll be a part of a three-person booth alongside Brad Faxon and Dan Hicks the final three rounds. This will be the first time an active caddie has sat in the lead-analyst chair, and while that seat will be new for Mackay, other parts of the gig won’t be. He was an on-course reporter for NBC Sports from 2017 to 2021, up until he left the role to caddie for Thomas full-time (he’s continued to dabble in some broadcasts since).

CELEB NEWS

Roger Federer documentary to ace end of tennis legend’s career

Adocumentary will showcase Roger Federer’s final moments in his tennis career. The 20-time Grand Slam singles champion and eight-time Wimbledon winner retired in 2022 after participating in the Laver Cup in London.

Directed by British filmmaker Asif Kapadia, the Amazon Prime Video feature will delve into the last 12 days of Federer’s professional journey.

It promises to reveal Federer’s most vulnerable and candid moments as he bids farewell to the sport and the fans who have been a part of his life for the past two decades.

The documentary includes home videos that were never intended for public viewing.

“Initially, the idea was to capture the final moments of my professional tennis career so that I could have it later to show my family and friends. During my career, I tended to shy away from having cameras around me and my family, especially during important moments. But I didn’t see the harm in shooting this as it was never intended for the public. However, we captured so many powerful moments, and it transformed into a deeply personal journey. I am happy to partner with Prime Video because of their vast global reach and significant presence in the film industry. This ensures that the story of my final days in tennis will resonate with both tennis enthusiasts and broader audiences worldwide,” Federer said.

CELEB NEWS

Jannik Sinner overtakes Novak Djokovic to top the latest power rankings

Just two months into the 2024 tennis season and after our first edition of our ATP power rankings we are definitely starting to see some players rise and potentially challenge Novak Djokovic for the top spot on the ATP tour. In fact, as you will see below, we see one player already overtaking Djokovic. For now, at least.

Following a busy week in Rotterdam, Buenos Aires, and Delray Beach last week – and it should be noted Djokovic played in none of those tournaments – but with mostly expected results, there were not many changes. The top of the rankings changed and the bottom as well.

The question is, of course, how long the new number one can stay atop the rankings. He has not lost this year so far. Here are the rankings as we see fit now.

Power ranking the ATP top ten

1. Jannik Sinner (Previous ranking – 2)

Following his triumph in Rotterdam there is really no doubt that Sinner is the hottest name in the sport right now. The past few months have been incredible for the 22-year-old and with some big wins over players below him on the list in recent times, he has certainly justified his spot at number one.

BOXING

Anthony Joshua gives brutal response after Francis Ngannou boasts about flooring Tyson Fury

In his debut in October, he astonishingly floored Fury but it was not enough to avoid a controversial split-decision loss.

Ngannou still takes confidence from the performance and knockdown – which he doubts Joshua would have come back from.

He said in a DAZN face to face: “Yeah, I have a doubt about that. Tyson showed that he’s very resilient.

“I saw him come back from a knockdown that you wouldn’t believe.

“So I think he’s probably one of the most resistant person out there, and that’s not a disrespect to AJ.

“I don’t believe that AJ would take what Tyson did.”

But Joshua – with a stoic glare – hit back at Ngannou: “Who hasn’t knocked Tyson down? So many people have knocked Tyson down.”

Fury, 35, has been floored seven times in his career but bounced back to his feet every time to remain undefeated.

BOXING

Gervonta Davis drops UK welterweight like a bad habit

By Issa February 20, 2024

“Tank” took to social media to discuss what turned out to be an invisible fight, with the American and his promoter Al Haymon holding no desire to match up against Benn.

The whole episode was merely Davis using his superpowers in the sport to tease Benn before dropping him like a bad habit.

Gervonta Davis had no intention of facing Conor Benn

Speaking to Pro Boxing Fans, Hearn confirmed he’s moving in another direction for Benn after Davis failed to respond to a direct message offer.

“No, not yet [Davis has not responded]. We’ll see where that goes,” Hearn told the outlet. “There’s a lot of movement on Conor Benn.

“There are probably five fights at the moment for Conor Benn. I’m not going to go into them. They are approaching the contractual stage.”

Hearn held court about whether those bouts would be UK-based due to Benn’s current situation with the British Boxing Board of Control.

BOXING

Wiz Khalifa Explains Working for His Son to Bobby Althoff, Claressa Shields Bursts Into Laughter

By Issa February 20, 2024

Bobbi Althoff‘s deadpan humor has a new victim in Wiz Khalifa. The American podcaster, known for shooting uncomfortable questions, caught him with her staple dry wit. While the singer maintained his calm and tried to justify his “work” to the host, it turned the awkward conversation into yet another hilarious ride. It seems even Claressa Shields is not unfazed by “funny” Althoff.

Althoff, 26, is an internet sensation-turned-podcaster and is popular for her unusual interview style, which leaves her guests uneasy. When Wiz Khalifa sat down with her, he found it hard to adjust and had a rather difficult time explaining why he works for his son.

In the clip, Althoff asks Wiz Khalifa what he does for a living. To which the American singer replies, “My life is like, literally revolves around my kid. I work for him.” When asked again by Althoff, the 36-year-old rapper replied affirmatively. “What’s his job?” Althoff inquired, assuming Wiz Khalifa worked under his son.

Wiz Khalifa Lauds Claressa Shields - Calls Her a 'Real Fighter' - EssentiallySports

“No, I’m saying, I go to work so he can…” Khalifa clarified. The back-and-forth continued as he continued to specify that his 11-year-old son was the purpose and reason he worked, with utter patience. Meanwhile, Althoff toyed with him, acting aloof. When Wiz Khalifa expressed that he couldn’t work for his son, Althoff responded, “I don’t know what rich people do.”

CELEB NEWS

Simone Biles’ ‘Speechless’ Moments: Reflecting on Triumph and Setback During Black History Month

Simone Biles is yet to make a steady comeback in the Olympic year. However, in keeping her fans stuck to her everlasting ingenuity, the gymnastic starlet has showcased several exhibitions of her moves on the beam and floor this year. Even so, the usual yet majestic wizardry from Simone Biles has been increasing heat, leaving less room for doubting the prowess that once lit the floor in Antwerp, 11 years back.

After claiming the platform of the World Championship in Antwerp in 2013, she continued to take the superlative forms on every exercise in the century-old artistic gymnastics sports. In 2020, a mental block impeded her fairly running on the trot. But soon, after serving 2 years away from the sporting affair, the gymnastics dutch returned to the floor to continue things her way. So, in this Black History Month, here’s a look back to those happenings, recalling Simone Biles’ victories and setbacks.

Last year, evading her constraints in the outer world and mental struggles, Simone Biles competed in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championship. Despite this, she triumphed in Antwerp, securing four gold medals, including one for her all-around performance, reminiscent of her first win in 2013. In a recent Instagram post, the 4x Olympic gold medalist reflected on the significance of the 2013 victory. But before coming to that, in an astounding emotional rollercoaster, Simone Biles conceded the reason for returning to Antwerp through thick and thin. “Doing it for the little girl who fell in love with the sport!!!!!” was her choice of sentences to express the reason.

CELEB NEWS

PGA Tour pro asks Tiger Woods to fix ‘terrible’ hole at Riviera

iviera Country Club receives more praise from fans and players than perhaps any other golf course used by the PGA Tour. However, that doesn’t mean everyone thinks the storied L.A. venue is perfect.

One hole in particular, No. 4, has had golfers grumbling at the Genesis Invitational the past couple years. The long par 3—once called “the greatest par 3 in America” by Ben Hogan—has gotten extremely difficult to hit. But never more so than over the weekend.

During Sunday’s final round, only six of 51 players hit the green in regulation—or less than 12 percent! And those players still shot a combined one over on the 231-yard hole. But for the entire week, it wasn’t much better.

Tiger Woods Speaks Out on Withdrawal from Genesis Invitational: 'Disappointed'

Stats guru Justin Ray noted that the 15.4 percent that hit the green during the tournament is the lowest figure for any hole since the sixth hole at Royal Birkdale during the 2008 Open Championship (13.7 percent). And that’s after only 16 percent hit the green in 2023.

So what’s there to be done, if anything? Well, one PGA Tour pro, Adam Schenk, had a suggestion for what he described as a “terrible” hole. Bold! And he made it directly to tournament host Tiger Woods on Sunday night. Even bolder!

CELEB NEWS

Indian Wells 2024: Rafael Nadal Recalls ‘Most Emotional’ Career Triumph Leading to a Season for Ages

It has been a long time since fans spotted Rafael Nadal playing tennis tournaments. With the upcoming Indian Wells 2024, this long wait will be finally over. Now before his participation, Nadal finally revisited his iconic 2013 season in front of the fans. He chose one specific match which he played after a leave of months due to a knee injury.

He won the match, which made the event more emotional for him. Now after more than a decade, this Spaniard legend takes his jibe at the emotional tennis moment in his life. Do you want to know which match it is?

A reliable tennis source recently tweeted a clip, where Rafael Nadal is spotted speaking about his life’s one very special match. Sharing the clip, this source wrote- “‘It’s probably one of the most emotional victories of my career.’ @RafaelNadal reflects on his 2013 final against Del Potro #TennisParadise.”

In this clip, Nadal is spotted saying-“2013, I think the final against, Del Potro have been so special for me because it was the first tournament on a hard after more than a year because I had a very important injury on my knee. And so I was outside of the tour for eight months and then I came back. I play in South America, playing in Vina del Mar, then Sao Paulo and then in Acapulco that I played great in Acapulco but then I was not sure if I coming me here or not because the doctors told me better, you don’t go to play too hard, but I decided to come.”

CELEB NEWS

Injury-prone Emma Raducanu ‘one of the best athletes’ and backed to win multiple Slams

Emma Raducanu has received high praise following her return to the court this year

Tennis pundit Mark Petchey believes that Emma Raducanu is capable of winning ‘multiple Grand Slams’ now that she has returned to full fitness. The 21-year-old endured an injury-ridden 2023 but is hoping to get her career back on track on this year’s tour.

Following her US Open success in 2021, Raducanu struggled to build on the momentum gained at Flushing Meadows. Recurring injuries and shaky performances raised questions about whether the Brit can continue to compete at the very top level.

Raducanu underwent surgery on both her wrists and her ankle last year and she has now returned to the court. The former world No. 10 has won three and lost four of her matches so far this year, and slowly but surely she appears to be finding her form.

Several former players have emerged with praise for how Raducanu has returned, with Petchey among those to talk up her chances now that she has gone under the knife. He told The i newspaper: “She is moving well.