Tennis Star
Tennis star risks three year jail for assaulting ex-wife
Nikoloz Basilashvili, Georgian tennis star, ranked 27th in the world, was charged on Sunday with physically assaulting his ex-wife. A court in the Georgian capital Tbilisi charged him with perpetrating violence against a family member. Worse of all, the offence was committed in the presence of a minor”. After he was charged, he was then released on bail at a cost of $30,000. Basilashvili faces up to three years behind bars if found guilty, prosecutor Natia Guruli said. The tennis star’s ex-wife Neka Dorokashvili told the Mtavari TV station on Sunday that he “physically assaulted” her Friday. She said the assault happened in the presence of their five-year-old son. Basilashvili denied the charge, his lawyer Irma Chkadua told journalists. The 28-year-old won his second ATP title at the China...
Naomi Osaka overtakes Serena Williams as world’s highest-paid female athlete
Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka has become the world’s highest-paid female athlete, making US$37.4 million (S$50 million) in the past 12 months for an earnings record, Forbes magazine reported on Friday. The 22-year-old Asian star, a two-time Grand Slam champion, edged US rival Serena Williams by US$1.4 million in prize money and endorsement income over the past year. Both shattered the old single-year earnings mark of US$29.7 million set in 2015 by Russia’s Maria Sharapova, who retired in February with five Grand Slam titles, including a career Slam. “To those outside the tennis world, Osaka is a relatively fresh face with a great back story,” University of Southern California sports business professor David Carter told Forbes. “Combine that with being youthful and bicultural – two attri...
