Author: Chief Editor

Reigning US Open champion Naomi Osaka confronted severe nerves in a rocky start to her title defense Tuesday while men’s contenders Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas tumbled out in the first round. Osaka suffered a first-round exit last month at Wimbledon and the Japanese star struggled to put away Russia’s Anna Blinkova in her opener at Arthur Ashe Stadium before prevailing 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2. “I have a lot of really good memories here because I grew up in this area. I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous in my life,” said Osaka, sporting a black brace on the…

Rafael Nadal revealed Tuesday he had offered to provide Andy Murray with his boat in Mallorca, where the Scot is playing in a second-tier Challenger event as part of his comeback following hip surgery. The Spaniard swept into the second round of the US Open with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 rout of Australian world number 60 John Millman on the same day as Murray won his second singles match at a tournament that bears Nadal’s name. “I’m very happy to have Andy Murray playing there,” Nadal said. “It’s great news for us, of course, but for him and for the…

Neymar said he had “realised” his dream with a cameo appearance in his favourite Netflix show as later Tuesday there was a fresh plot twist in his long-running Paris Saint-Germain transfer drama. The Brazil forward is anxious for a move back to Spain with both Barcelona and Real Madrid trying to seal a deal before the European transfer window closes next Monday. “We are continuing negotiations, we are closer to a deal,” Barca director Javier Bordas told reporters at Barcelona airport after returning from a meeting with PSG in the French capital. But he added: “As yet there is still…

Wayne Rooney was handed an additional one-game ban on Tuesday following his sending off for D.C. United against the New York Red Bulls on August 21, Major League Soccer confirmed. Rooney was given a red card for violent conduct after striking Red Bulls midfielder Cristian Casseres with a forearm during a penalty box collision. The dismissal led to an automatic one-game suspension, which Rooney served last weekend when he sat out United’s game with Philadelphia Union. However, after reviewing the incident further, the MLS Disciplinary Committee on Tuesday confirmed Rooney had been given an extra game on top of his…

Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, who scored a brace in the 3-2 win over Norwich City on Saturday, is all set to be offered a new contract by the Blues management. The deal will most likely add two more years to Abraham’s current contract and will see him earn around £100,000-a-week, including bonuses. With Callum Hudson-Odoi out injured, Abraham is the lowest earner in the Chelsea first team squad currently. This comes on the back of Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek signing new contracts this summer. Mount and Abraham both impressed in the Championship last season for Derby County and Aston Villa respectively,…

Former Real Madrid forward, Predrag Mijatovic, has claimed that it is “impossible” for Eden Hazard to achieve the same levels of performance and success as Cristiano Ronaldo did at the Santiago Bernabeu. Ronaldo ended his nine-year stint at Real Madrid as a club legend before moving to Serie A powerhouse, Juventus, last summer. The 34-year-old boasts of being Los Blancos’ all-time top scorer, having netted 451 goals in 438 matches for the club. He also won four Golden Boots and three Pichichi trophies for his goal-scoring exploits during his time in the Spanish capital. The Portugal international helped the Madrid outfit to four Champions League trophies,…

By Henry Boyo The corporate entity, Process and Industrial Developments Limited (better known by its acronym, P&ID), which was founded by two Irish gentlemen, was until lately, probably, only known to a very few Nigerians. However, despite the clearly parlous state of our economy, Nigerians may have to shell out about $9bn, i.e.  almost 20 per cent of our current foreign reserves, to this British, Virgin Island offshore registered company, which claims to have spent $40 million, on a gas refining facility, before the Nigerian Government unilaterally reneged on a 20-year Gas Supply and Processing Agreement, which was jointly endorsed in…

Tunde Odesola Stop! Do not read if you’re not a patriot! Don’t, because this is a journey into Nigeria’s past continuous existence. It’s a journey meant only for hearts where the love for Nigeria resides. The vehicle for this journey is called metonymy. A little introduction about the vehicle is needed for a smooth ride, I tell you. Metonymy, the vehicle, is a figure of speech in which the name of an object or CONCEPT is replaced with a word closely related to it, according to Britannica.com. Before some sycophants shout blue murder and call for my head on a…

By Cheta Nwanze Back in the days when Roman legions marched across the earth and imposed the will of the Emperor on one and all, a concept emerged, first mooted by the prolific consul, Cicero. The concept was simple, “Civis Romanus sum.” That means, “I am a Roman citizen.” Cicero didn’t live to see Rome become an empire, he was killed on the orders of Mark Anthony during the long fallout that followed the assassination of Julius Caesar, an act that although he had not taken part in, he had endorsed. However, his idea of “Civis Romanus sum” was carried forward…

“My ancestors and my parents suffered for my generation to be free today, to work, to take the bus, to play football,” the 26-year-old wrote” Paul Pogba says racism only makes him stronger and drives him to “fight for the next generation” like his ancestors. https://twitter.com/paulpogba/status/1165584795461738496 Pogba and his Manchester United team-mate, Marcus Rashford, have been targeted by racist abuse on social media in the past week – with the club set to meet Twitter to discuss the problem. The France international midfielder took to Twitter on Sunday to send a powerful message against racism, along with a picture of him carrying his…