Good evening!

On Saturday night I went to see Pearl Jam at the Sydney Showground in Sydney Olympic Park. It was an amazing concert and yes, in case you were wondering, Eddie Vedder (the lead singer) has still got it.

The reason this information is at all relevant to you is because the size of the crowd at that concert was about 23,500 and that’s how many subscribers this newsletter now has (and counting). It’s a lot of people.

Thanks for tuning in, we really appreciate your support. And if you ever have any feedback please reach out.

P.S. The Aussie cricket team are in the midst of their first Test of the summer against India and need 366 runs to win with four wickets in hand (at the time of writing).

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Stat of the day

$US4 million ($AU6 million)
The prize money awarded to the winner of the 2024 LPGA Tour Championship, Thai golfer Jeeno Thitikul. The 21-year-old beat American Angel Yin by one shot and won the largest sum of prize money in the history of women's golf at the season-ending event in Naples, Florida. Of the 60-player field, Hannah Green was the highest-placed Australian, tied at 19th. 

Quote of the day

"I am excited to have one of my greatest rivals on the same side of the net as my coach. Looking forward to [the] start of the season and competing in Australia alongside Andy [Murray] with whom I have shared many exceptional moments on the Australian soil."
Novak Djokovic announcing that former rival Andy Murray will be taking on a new role as the 24-time Grand Slam winner’s coach. Murray, who won 11 of the pair’s 36 matches against each other, including twice in a Grand Slam final, said: "I’m really excited for it and looking forward to spending time on the same side of the net as Novak for a change, helping him to achieve his goals." Djokovic has not had a coach since parting ways with Goran Ivanišević in March this year.

Random fact of the day

Volleyball was invented in 1895 by American William G. Morgan. It was thought up as an alternative indoor sport to basketball for businessmen who wanted a less intense game.

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In case you missed it…

🏉 North Melbourne and the Brisbane Lions will meet in the AFLW Grand Final for the second straight year after both sides won their respective Preliminary Finals. On Saturday afternoon, an undefeated North Melbourne side ran rampant and beat Port Adelaide 78-21. The Kangaroos scored 26 unanswered points in the opening quarter and Port Adelaide never recovered. Later, the Brisbane Lions beat the Adelaide Crows 50-32 to put themselves in a record sixth Grand Final. North Melbourne will host the Lions at Ikon Park in Melbourne this Saturday in the 2024 AFLW Grand Final.

🎾 Italy has won the men’s tennis Davis Cup for the second consecutive year. The Italian team, featuring world number one Jannik SInner, beat first-time finalists the Netherlands 2-0 in the final. Matteo Berettini beat Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets before Sinner downed Tallon Griekspoor in the same fashion. Italy is the first country to win back-to-back titles since the Czech Republic in 2013. Italian tennis is in impressive shape after its women’s team won the Billie Jean King Cup last week. 

🏉 The Wallabies’ hope of remaining unbeaten on their Spring Tour has been dashed after losing 27-13 to Scotland in Edinburgh. Scotland were superior in attack and defence, scoring four tries and limiting Australia to just one. Joseph Sua’ali’i came off the field in the first half with what looked to be an injured wrist and did not return. Winger Harry Potter was the sole Wallabies try-scorer, recovering the ball from a kick and grounding it before sliding over the dead ball line on debut. Joe Schmidt’s side will have to move on from the loss quickly as they prepare to face world number two Ireland next weekend.

⚽ The Orlando Pride have won their first National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) title. The Pride beat the Washington Spirit 1-0 in Kansas City on Saturday (local time). Zambia’s Barbra Banda scored the only goal of the match in the 37th minute and was named the NWSL championship MVP. The Pride lineup also featured Brazil’s Marta Viera da Silva, who is a six-time FIFA Player of the Year. 

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Emma McKeon announces retirement from swimming

Australia’s most decorated Olympian, swimmer Emma McKeon, has announced her retirement from the sport.

Career

The 30-year-old made her Olympic debut in 2016 at the Rio Olympic Games and went on to win a record 14 medals, including six gold, across the three Games she competed in. McKeon’s performance at Tokyo 2020 which saw her win a record seven medals, the most by any female swimmer at a single Games, captured the attention of the nation and cemented her place in history as one of Australia’s all-time great athletes.

What they said

“Today I am officially retiring from competitive swimming… I am proud of myself for giving my swimming career absolutely everything, both physically and mentally. I wanted to see what I was capable of – and I did. Swimming has given me so much. From the dream igniting at five years old, right through to my third Olympic Games – I have so many lessons, experiences, friendships and memories that I am so thankful for.”

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Verstappen claims fourth World Title as Russell wins in Las Vegas

Max Verstappen claimed a fourth consecutive F1 World Title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Meanwhile, George Russell recorded his third Grand Prix victory in F1.

What happened

Red Bull’s Verstappen started the race in fifth position knowing that if he finished ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris, who started in sixth, he would have secured the World Title. The Dutchman maintained a lead over Norris throughout the entire race and ultimately beat the Brit by almost 30 seconds with both drivers finishing in the same position as the one they started in on the grid.

Meanwhile, at the front of the race, George Russell started in pole position to earn Mercedes’ first win since the Belgian GP in July. His teammate Lewis Hamilton started in P10 but worked his way through the field to finish in second and pick up a one-two finish for his team.

Verstappen’s title

Verstappen joins an elite group of Formula One drivers to have won at least four titles. Tied with four titles are Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost, while Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher hold the joint record for most titles with seven each.

What they said

Verstappen said: “It’s been a long season and of course we started off amazing, it was almost like cruising, but then we had a tough run – but as a team, we kept it together, we kept working on improvements and we pulled off the win. Incredibly proud of everyone, what they have done for me, and to stand here as a four-time world champion is of course something I never thought was possible.”

Russell said: “It’s been a dream of a weekend. I don’t know how we’ve been so quick but I’m just riding this wave right now. To get the victory here, pole position, a dominant weekend, one-two with Lewis as well… we couldn’t have chosen a better place to make this happen.”

What’s next?

Two races remain in the 2024 F1 season. The paddock will head to the Middle East where they will contest the Qatar GP and the Abu Dhabi GP over the next two weekends.

ICYMI: TDA Sport has a new game on Instagram called Blurdle. IYKYK.
Today’s answer: Rafael Nadal
Useless clue: 1/3 (Get it? Email me if you do.)

A deep dive powered by Deakin University

Helping athletes get back to their best

Deakin University research is changing how we think about athletic development. Led by Associate Professor Steve Swanson, the study looks at how sports can support athletes during their return to play after injury.

The work is part of the Australian Institute of Sport's "Win Well" strategy, which emphasises that success in sports needs four key elements:

• Physical - Bodily functioning, positive health, energy, absence of illness

• Mental - Cognitive functioning, meaningfulness, life satisfaction

• Social - Positive relationships, culture, functioning members of groups

• Emotional - Positive feelings, absence of negative feelings, happiness

The study focuses specifically on athletes who are returning to play after injury or surgery.

Research shows that well-being issues increase during recovery times. There's an important difference between an athlete simply getting back to play versus returning to their previous performance level.

Through interviews with psychologists, coaches, physios, and wellbeing managers, the research team is learning how sports staff can work together better. They've found that:

• Recovery timing creates pressure

• Mental readiness matters as much as physical healing

• Support staff need to work as a team

• Coach and support staff wellbeing also need attention

The goal is to help athletes succeed both in sport and life while making sure the people supporting them have the resources they need.

Looking back…

Looking forward… (All times are AEDT)

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