Australian Open’s One Point Slam shows that merit still makes the best stories January 20, 2026 The Australian Open officially got under way this week, but the most talked-about moment of the year’s opening tennis slam may already be behind us. Before a ball had been struck in the main draw, a little-known tennis coach from Sydney, Jordan Smith, walked away with A$1m after winning the One Point Slam — a [...]
UK ready to mirror US with female athletes becoming investors January 17, 2026 For three consecutive years, not a single female athlete has appeared among the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes. The bar keeps rising. In 2025, the threshold jumped to $53.6m, up 19 per cent year on year. Coco Gauff, the highest-earning female athlete in the world, made $34.4m and still fell nearly $20m short. Meanwhile the global [...]
Why Battle of the Sexes tennis match fell short of One Point Slam January 16, 2026 Tennis recently revived the “Battle of the Sexes” concept as a way to generate attention, attract headlines and spark debate. In doing so, however, the sport risks overlooking a simple truth: women’s tennis no longer needs comparison to prove its value. Women’s tennis is a strong product in its own right, with four of the [...]
Game, set, appeal: Wimbledon’s £200m expansion hits the court January 14, 2026 The battle over Wimbledon’s £200m expansion has reached match point: while tournament chiefs aim for a net gain of 39 new courts, a campaign group is fighting back by dragging the planning decision to the Court of Appeal. The All England Lawn Tennis Ground plans to build 39 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seat stadium [...]
Australian Open enjoys record crowds before tournament has even begun January 12, 2026 Australian Open organisers are toasting record crowds before the Grand Slam has properly begun after a near four-fold year-on-year increase in attendance on the first day of play at Melbourne Park. More than 29,000 tennis fans poured through the gates on Monday to catch players including home favourite Bernard Tomic and Brit Dan Evans in [...]
Tennis: Record prize money for Australian Open winners January 6, 2026 Winners at this year’s Australian Open will get £2m in prize money for the first time after organisers of the tennis grand slam increased their total purse. If Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys are able to defend their titles they’ll receive £2.06m from tournament organisers in Melbourne, up from £1.7m in 2025. The £55.2m purse, [...]
Why Mexico, Dubai and Italy are the countries to watch in sport in 2026 January 1, 2026 This time last year, City AM asked me to identify three countries for which 2025 would be an important year in sport. My three choices were Saudi Arabia, Morocco and the United States. Judging by recent standards, Saudi Arabia’s year was relatively quiet albeit interspersed with some rowdy moments, notably the Public Investment Fund’s acquisition [...]
Reading owner Rob Couhig considers selling training ground to raise funds December 31, 2025 Reading owner Rob Couhig is considering radical measures including downgrading the club’s Academy or selling the training ground to increase the funding he can make available to the first team. The American, who paid around £25m to buy the League One club from Dai Yongge at the end of last season, has been an outspoken critic of [...]
Exclusive: CVC Capital Partners nearing external investment for $14bn Global Sport Group December 30, 2025 Six Nations investors CVC Capital Partners is close to securing external investment in its $14bn Global Sport Group, which is expected to trigger a wave of new sporting acquisitions at the start of next year. GSG, which is chaired by former EE chief executive Marc Allera, was formed earlier this year to run CVC’s existing [...]
Battle of the Sexes tennis: Billie Jean King says it’s just entertainment December 27, 2025 Billie Jean King has distanced herself from this year’s Battle of the Sexes tennis showdown, insisting hers was about “social change”, while the 2025 edition is “entertainment”. World number one Aryna Sabalenka will take on Australian Nick Kyrgios in a Battle of the Sexes match in Dubai on 30 December. King famously beat self-proclaimed chauvinist [...]