TELEVISION
Osaka starts media firm
Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka is launching a new media company in partnership with four-times NBA champion LeBron James aimed at telling stories that cross cultural barriers, the former world No. 1 announced on Tuesday. Hana Kuma, which translates to “flower bear,” is to produce stories that are “culturally specific, but universal to all audiences,” and already has multiple projects lined up, the Hollywood Reporter said. “What excites me is being able to inspire people and tell new stories, particularly ones that I would have wanted to see when I was a kid. I always wanted to kind of see someone like me,” four-times Grand Slam champion Osaka, who has a Haitian father and Japanese mother, told the New York Times.
SOCCER
Lukaku loaned to Inter
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku is to rejoin Inter on a one-year loan deal after a disappointing spell with the English Premier League club, reports on Tuesday said. Inter are reported to have negotiated an 8 million euros (US$8.4 million) loan fee to sign Lukaku, who reportedly agreed to a pay cut to leave Stamford Bridge. The Belgian joined Chelsea in a club-record ￡97.5 million (US$119.2 million) deal before the start of last season, saying the transfer was an emotional return home after he played for the club from 2011 to 2014. However, after scoring four goals in his first four appearances, the 29-year-old’s second stint with Chelsea quickly turned sour. A controversial interview with Italian TV in December last year featured Lukaku saying he was unhappy with the way he was used by Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel and hinting he was already thinking about leaving.
ICE HOCKEY
Matthews named MVP
Toronto Maple Leafs ace Auston Matthews was named the NHL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) on Tuesday, scooping the prestigious Hart Trophy after a prolific goalscoring campaign. Matthews also earned the Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player in voting by the NHL Players’ Association earlier on Tuesday. The two awards followed a 60-goal season from Matthews which led the NHL. Matthews has scored at least 34 goals in each of his six seasons in the league, and was the top scorer last year and this year. “I want to thank the Toronto Maple Leafs, top to bottom,” Matthews said after receiving the MVP award. “I want to thank the fans, Leafs Nation, there is nothing like playing in front of you.”
FOOTBALL
Gronkowski retires again
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski on Tuesday announced his retirement from the NFL for a second time, walking away from a partnership with quarterback icon Tom Brady that included four Super Bowl victories. The 33-year-old, regarded by many as one of the best tight ends in history, initially retired in 2019. After sitting out the 2019-2020 season, Gronkowski came out of retirement and was pivotal in helping Tampa Bay clinch the Super Bowl in the 2020-2021 campaign. However, he said his second retirement is permanent. “I will now be going back into my retirement home, walking away from football again with my head held high, knowing I gave it everything I had, good or bad, every time I stepped out on the field,” Gronkowski said in a statement on Instagram.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
UP IN SMOKE: More than half a dozen riders crashed out of the race, with Marquez’s title chances in doubt after driving off the track with flames flickering from his bike Jorge Martin yesterday won a crash-filled Indonesia MotoGP to extend his championship lead, while closest rival Francesco Bagnaia limited the damage by claiming the final podium place. The win leaves the Pramac Racing rider 21 points ahead of his Italian Ducati rival, who finished third behind Spaniard Pedro Acosta in sweltering conditions at the Mandalika International Street Circuit on Lombok island. In front of a crowd of 60,000 in motorbike-mad Indonesia, the 26-year-old put his tumble in Saturday’s sprint behind him, canceling out the gains his title rival Bagnaia made after securing victory in that race. “Thank you Indonesia. I am very happy.
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