On this day in 2016, Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina became the first surfer to land a ‘backflip’ in competition.

Hope you’re having a great week!

4 
The number of NRL teams confirmed to play in next year’s season opener, when the league heads to Las Vegas for the third consecutive year. Sin City will see the North Queensland Cowboys take on the Newcastle Knights, and a south Sydney derby between the St. George Illawarra Dragons and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. A match from Great Britain’s Super League between Hull and Leeds will also be a part of the showcase. Unlike this year, it does not appear there will be a women’s game at the 2026 Vegas showcase.

"Have good day to everyone except those who make fake AI photos of other people. All love."
NRLW star Jaime Chapman in a post on social media on Sunday after it was revealed that someone had generated a “malicious”  image of the NSW Blues star using AI and spread it online. Chapman’s club, the Gold Coast Titans, released a statement saying it was working with police and the NRL’s Integrity Unit to determine the origin of the images. The 23-year-old is set to appear in Game Two of the Women’s State of Origin tomorrow night.

The Australian Institute of Sport was established in 1981 as a direct response to the nation’s performance at the 1976 Olympics, where Australia did not win a single gold medal. Upon officially opening the institute in 1981, Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser said it was a “clear sign that we are no longer going to allow the world to pass us by”.

🏉 NSW Waratahs star Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i will be unavailable for at least four weeks after requiring surgery on a fractured jaw. The fullback was stretchered off the field in last Friday’s loss to the Queensland Reds with a concussion. Today, the Waratahs released a statement confirming the extent of his injuries. Sua’ali’i will likely be fit to play for the Wallabies when they face Fiji on 6 July, but his lack of game time as he misses the remainder of the Super Rugby season could be a concern. 

🚴‍♂️ The first Brit to win Le Tour de France, Bradley Wiggins, has revealed a battle with cocaine addiction following the end of his cycling career in an interview with The Observer. The 45-year-old, who has been sober for a year, said he is “lucky” to be alive. Wiggins retired from cycling in 2016 as one of Great Britain’s most decorated Olympians with eight medals, including five gold. 

🏀 The Cleveland Cavaliers have been knocked out of the NBA Playoffs after losing 114-105 to the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the best-of-seven series. The Pacers beat the Eastern Conference’s number one seed 4-1 in the series. They will now advance to the Eastern Conference Final, where they will take on the winner of the series between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks. In the other match today, the Western Conference’s number one seed, the Oklahoma City Thunder, beat the Denver Nuggets to take a 3-2 lead in their series. 

🚴‍♂️ Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis has avoided jail time after pleading guilty to committing an aggravated act likely to cause harm over the death of his wife, fellow Olympian Melissa Hoskins. The 34-year-old was given a suspended jail sentence of two years for his involvement in the death. In an incident that took place in December 2023, Hoskins fell from a car being driven by Dennis and later died of her injuries.

A new study at Kingston University in London will help determine whether the menstrual cycle is a contributing factor to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in women’s football. Research shows that women are up to eight times more likely to injure their ACL than men. 

The study has been funded by football’s governing body FIFA. To test the link, researchers will analyse blood samples and physical performance markers for a mix of elite and grassroots players.

Kingston researcher Dr Simon Augustus said: “We want to examine whether athletes may be more predisposed to injuries because of the functional changes in terms of their anatomy and physiology during the menstrual cycle. We know hormones fluctuate during different phases of the cycle but we don’t yet know how much of an influence that may have on the risk of injury.”

Former U.S. captain and two-time World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe recently said on her podcast: “I’ve had not one, two, but three ACL tears – all three have been on my period.”

ACL injuries can have a significant impact on a player’s career, given that the recovery time can take up to twelve months. Matildas star Sam Kerr has still not played a match since injuring her ACL in January 2024. Kerr’s teammate Mary Fowler was recently sidelined by the same injury, marking another potentially costly absence for the Matildas.

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Alex de Minaur has been knocked out of the Italian Open, losing to 11th-seeded American Tommy Paul in straight sets. It’s the first time de Minaur has lost to Paul in the six times they have played each other. The Italian Open is the last big opportunity for players to prepare for the French Open, beginning on 25 May. 

Despite a three-month hiatus from the tour due to a doping ban, Jannik Sinner advanced to the quarter-final with ease, beating 17th-seeded Argentinian Francisco Cerúndolo in straight sets. Sinner will play the winner of the match between unseeded Spaniard Jaume Munar and sixth seed Norwegian Casper Ruud. 

Another home favourite in Rome, Italy’s Lorenzo Mussetti, also advanced to the quarter-final, where he faces a tough challenge against world number two and defending champion at the tournament, Alexander Zverev. 

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz is another frontrunner for the title. He will face Great Britain’s Jack Draper in the quarter-final. 

In the women’s draw, defending champion Iga Świątek was knocked out in the Round of 32 by American Danielle Collins, leaving the door wide open for the likes of 21-year-old American Coco Gauff and world number one Aryna Sabalenka to claim the 2025 title.

Gauff will play 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-final after beating one-time U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in the Round of 16. Gauff’s spot in the quarter-final makes her the youngest player to have made four quarter-finals at WTA 1000 events. The winner of Gauff and Andreeva will play the winner of Sabalenka and the eighth seed, Qinwen Zheng of China. 

The Italian crowd will be cheering on home favourite and sixth seed Jasmine Paolini, who is playing unseeded American Peyton Stearns in the other semi-final.