The 24-year-old, who joined City in a then club record GBP 57 million (USD 74 million) deal in January 2018, is now committed to the club until 2025. The French centre-back has excelled this season, becoming a mainstay of a side challenging for success in four competitions. “I could not be happier to commit my long-term future to Manchester City,” said Laporte. “The club offers me everything I need to improve my game....
That's putting it mildly. MORE: Must-see images from Melbourne For 32-year-old Federer, the winner of 17 Grand Slam titles, 2013 was the year that his tenure near the top went into sharp decline. He slipped out of the Top 5 and failed to reach a Grand Slam final for the first time since 2002. He struggled with back problems, split with his coach and it appeared that age was taking its toll....
The two-time defending champion and the American 13th seed haven't met since a January afternoon last year when they battled in a semifinal at Melbourne Park. Azarenka won 6-1, 6-4 but called for the trainer while leading 5-4 in the second set, having coughed up five match points on serve in the previous game. MORE: Serena Williams loses | Hottest image from Australian Open Stephens gained plenty of momentum from surviving the ninth game, but that disappeared when Azarenka called multiple consecutive timeouts to treat what she called breathing issues related to her back and ribs....
By reaching the second round of the Australian Open for the 14th consecutive year, Djokovic became just the sixth man to record 900 tour-level victories. He joins fellow rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in an exculisve list that also features Guillermo Vilas, Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors. The defending champion has now extended his unbeaten start to the 2020 season to seven matches including the ATP Cup where he inspired Team Serbia to victory....
Britain’s Secret Defences: Civilian saboteurs, spies and assassins during the Second World War, the new book by Andrew Chatterton, has lifted the lid on the network of civilian saboteurs and spies trained to defeat Adolf Hitler’s army. He said this included thousands of children aged between 12 to 15, who, if they are still alive, would now be in their 90s. Chatterton is now trying to track down any surviving members of the babyfaced assassins that were part of Operation Sealion, Hitler’s plan to invade across the Channel....
As we watch the war unfold, “no limits” unfortunately appears to be an entirely correct moniker. While the West imposed sanctions to cripple Russia’s economy and cut off Russian President Vladimir Putin’s access to resources needed to wage his war, Russia turned to China. According to U.S. intelligence reports, at the start of the war, Russian military hackers waged a cyberattack on Ukrainian internet services, disrupting the country’s critical military communications....
Avenatti, who was also accused of embezzling a client’s money to pay his own expenses, was charged with extortion and bank and wire fraud in separate cases in New York and California. He was arrested at a New York law firm where he had gone to meet with Nike executives. It was just minutes after he tweeted that he planned to hold a news conference Tuesday to “disclose a major high school/college basketball scandal perpetrated by @Nike that we have uncovered....
The player is given endless opportunities to experience what it is to be a Sith under the direct control of Darth Vader, and it is ruthless. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed refuses to pull its punches, in favor of conveying this terrible evil through its melancholy narrative, brutal combat, and unique collectibles. 10 Clashes Between Jedi And Sith Starkiller spends the majority of the game’s narrative making enemies. The opening segment sets the tone with Starkiller locking blades with Jedi Master Rahm Kota before besting him and launching him through a window to what appears to be his death....
So how do Stephen and Ayesha Curry handle parenting a two-year-old viral sensation? In a piece for Time magazine, Ayesha explains what happens in the Curry household and how things have changed since little Riley burst onto the national scene. MORE: Riley shows off her dance moves | Riley gets her own awesome NBA2K cover “All the hoopla and excitement of Stephen playing for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Playoffs has really put our life into perspective,” Ayesha wrote....
The Australian men’s hockey team would kick start preparations for the forthcoming FIH Hockey World League (HWL) semifinals with a four-match Test series against South Korea beginning next month. The four-match Test series, which will be the first international assignment for the Kookaburras on home turf, will be played at the Perth Hockey Stadium in Perth, Western Australia from May 3-9. The world number two Kookaburras would rub shoulders with eighth ranked South Korea in the first fixture on May 3 at 7:00 pm local time....
There are some moments in life that make you realize the value of intangible but inspirational factors like courage, determination, hope, respect and humility. Watching Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open finals this year was a reminder to all those who were watching of these very same factors. You could’ve forgiven him if he was angry and frustrated with himself for the way his final ended. This was, after all, a chance to achieve a unique standing in the annals of tennis history – to become the only man in the Open era to achieve a double career Grand Slam, and the quickest to reach 14 majors, among a few other records....
Rafael Nadal feels he cannot win the Australian Open, but world number one Novak Djokovic is adamant the Spaniard will challenge for top honours at Melbourne Park. MORE: Must-see photos | Sportal’s live coverage | Williamses, Azarenka, Wozniacki move on Nadal – a 14-time grand slam winner – talked down his chances prior to blitzing Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets on Monday, claiming he is not ready to win as he works his way back from appendix surgery....
#4. Simona Halep’s crushing defeat to Shelby Rogers World No.4 Simona Halep had a disastrous outing here last year as she was beaten by Chinese qualifier and eventual quarter-finalist Zhang Shuai in the first round. Despite having a poor start to 2017 by losing in the second round of the Shenzhen Open to eventual winner Katerina Siniakova, Halep was considered to be one of the favorites for the tournament.However, Halep endured an outing similar to last as she was thrashed by World No....
The two met for the first time, with the Russian making her first main draw appearance. While she fought through competition, her Latvian opponent battled back unstoppable emotions. The personal loss that she suffered kept her away from the action but she arrived in Australia ready to make a strong start to her 2020 season. A test of skills occurred in the first game where Samsonova challenged the Latvian to overcome a 40-15 deficit....
Williams and Gauff will meet for the second time in what is a blockbuster opening-round encounter. But there are several intriguing clashes in the first round at the year’s first grand slam and we take a look at six of the best. Damir Dzumhur v Stan Wawrinka [15] Wawrinka would have preferred a friendlier draw than a man he has lost to in two of their three meetings. The Swiss 2014 champion was resurgent last year, while Dzumhur has been unable to replicate the form of his breakout season in 2017....
Beginning January 16, the world’s best players will travel to Melbourne Park to compete at the first Grand Slam of the tennis calendar. Played across six courts, 256 competitors (128 men and women’s singles) battle it out for individual glory and the hope they can hold aloft the Australian Open trophy. One of those courts is Margaret Court Arena, which is named after one of Australia’s most dominant and successful tennis players to date....
Tennis’ season-opening Grand Slam tournament was plunged into crisis Saturday when it was announced 47 players would be consigned to their hotel rooms for 14 days and not eligible to practice. Officials said the protocols were as a result of two passengers testing positive for the coronavirus on a flight from Los Angeles that arrived Friday morning, along with another passenger who flew in from Abu Dhabi. That affected 24 players aboard the LA flight and 23 on the plane from Abu Dhabi, while another positive test for a passenger arriving in Melbourne from Doha on Saturday morning has taken the total number of players affected to 72....
Uncertainty has surrounded next year’s Australian Open due to the coronavirus pandemic – the grand slam typically starts on Jan. 18 in Melbourne. The Australian Open will now go ahead from Feb. 8-21, three weeks later than usual, following the ATP Tour’s announcement for men’s tennis on Wednesday. There will be three ATP warm-up events in Melbourne, including the ATP Cup from Feb. 1-5. The Adelaide International has been relocated to Melbourne and will run alongside an additional ATP 250 tournament in the city from Jan....
He had just returned from a surprise visit to Australian troops in Afghanistan and whilst there obviously saw some Afghan children playing cricket. Cricket, he said, can have an uplifting effect. “When I see the young kids of Afghanistan taking up a bat and ball in the middle of nowhere and the difficulties which that country we all know experiences, it actually causes your heart to beat a little faster and think ‘actually there’s some good stuff going on here....
It’s important to note that music therapy is not the same as musical instruction. If your aim is to have your child build vocal or instrumental skills, you’ll need to find an instructor instead of or in addition to a music therapist. Why Music Therapy Might Be a Good Choice Music therapy may help people with autism to improve skills in areas such as communication, social skills, sensory issues, behavior, cognition, perceptual/motor skills, and self-reliance or self-determination....
