Hello and welcome back! I hope you all had a chance to relax over the break.

January is a month defined by tennis and cricket for Australian sports fans. Speaking of tennis, did you catch the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ last month?

Nick Kyrgios took on women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka in Dubai.

Despite having a smaller court to hit into, the 30-year-old Aussie defeated Sabalenka in straight sets (6-3, 6-3).

Women’s world number two, Iga Świątek, was asked about the match in a press conference for the United Cup.

She said: "I haven't watched because I don't watch stuff like that. I think for sure it attracted a lot of attention. It was entertainment, but I wouldn't say that had anything to do with social change or any important topics.”

What do you reckon? Do sports fans want to see these kinds of events?

2
The number of gold medals the Australian snowsports team won at a World Cup event over the weekend. Teenager Indra Brown and snowboarder Valentino Guseli both won halfpipe titles at the Calgary Snow Rodeo in Canada. Brown, just 15, claimed freeski gold to become Australia’s youngest ever FIS World Cup winner, while Guseli topped the snowboard field for his third career World Cup victory. The results come just weeks out from the Winter Olympics in Italy, where both Australians are shaping as genuine medal contenders.

“2026 is that year. Return of the Mac. Been away for a while but I'm back now, 37 years old and still punching. Nothing better to do than punch men in the face and get paid for it”
British boxer Tyson Fury in a post to social media announcing his return from retirement…for the second time. The 37-year-old former world heavyweight champion last fought in December 2024 and was beaten by Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk for the second time. He first retired from the sport in 2022 after defeating Jamaican-British boxer Dillian Whyte before re-emerging from retirement six months later.

British darts legend Phil Taylor holds the record for the most consecutive Darts World Championships, winning eight straight titles from 1995 to 2002 at the PDC World Championship. Over the weekend, England’s 18-year-old Luke Littler won his second straight Darts World Championship.

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has announced he is leaving the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) just weeks out from the Australian Open. The 24-time grand slam champion, who co-founded the PTPA with Vasek Pospisil in 2020, said in a post on X: “It has become clear that my values and approach are no longer aligned with the current direction of the organisation.” He also cited concerns around transparency and governance. The Australian Open begins on January 18.

Former Australian cricketer Damien Martyn is awake and talking after spending several days in an induced coma following a bout of meningitis. The 54-year-old was hospitalised in Queensland late last month, with friend and former teammate Adam Gilchrist confirming Martyn is “in good spirits” and responding well to treatment. Medical staff are continuing to monitor his recovery, with hopes that he can soon move out of intensive care. Martyn played 67 Tests and more than 200 one-day internationals for Australia, scoring almost 10,000 international runs.

The Parramatta Eels have signed Brian Kelly on a two-year deal as a likely replacement for Zac Lomax ahead of the 2026 NRL season. Kelly joins from the Gold Coast Titans after being granted an early release and is expected to slot straight into Parramatta’s backline. Lomax departed the club in November, just one season into a four-year contract, with speculation that he was set to join rebel rugby competition R360. 

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The fifth and final Test of the 2025 Ashes started at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday. Despite Australia having already won the series after victories in the first three Tests, there is still plenty to play for.

Here’s what to know. 

The Ashes may have already been won, but the fifth Test still represents an opportunity to score valuable points in the World Test Championship. The World Test Championship is international cricket’s two-year league format that ranks Test nations on points percentage, with the top two teams meeting in a one-off final to decide the world champion.

The big news on day two was English batter Joe Root scoring his second century (100 runs) of the series. It marks Root’s 41st Test century and puts him equal third with Ricky Ponting on the all-time list of players with the most Test hundreds. He was eventually caught and bowled by Michael Neser on 160 runs as England set a first innings total of 384 runs for Australia to chase. 

At the time of writing, Australia has scored 112 runs and lost one wicket with Travis Head (62 runs) and Marnus Labuschagne (25 runs) at the crease. Opener Jake Weatherald was dismissed lbw (leg before wicket) by England captain Ben Stokes. 

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Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale stood aside as co-captain of the club on Friday, confirming his marriage has ended and saying it was the right time for the team to move forward with new leadership.

Here’s what you need to know.

Neale informed teammates of his decision last Friday morning, with the Lions later confirming he had stepped away following what the club described as a “challenging personal period”. Speaking publicly, the 32-year-old confirmed he and his wife, Jules, have separated. 

He said: “While I won’t go into specifics, I can say that I have let my family down and I apologise for my actions, which have hurt those closest to me. For that I am deeply sorry. I accept this is a consequence of my actions and I need to focus on rebuilding that trust with Jules and the future wellbeing of our children remain our No.1 priority.”

Neale described the move as giving the team a fresh start, while allowing him to focus on his family and improving himself off the field.

The Lions also backed the decision, with football boss Danny Daly thanking Neale for his leadership across the past three seasons and confirming he will remain an important part of the club.

Neale has been one of the AFL’s most decorated midfielders of the past decade. Originally from South Australia, he debuted for the Fremantle Dockers in 2012, playing 135 games before joining Brisbane in 2019 as a high-profile recruit.

Since then, he has won two Brownlow Medals, earned four All-Australian selections and helped lead the Lions to three consecutive grand finals, including back-to-back premierships. His influence was underlined last season when he returned from a serious calf injury to play a key role in Brisbane’s Grand Final win over Geelong.

Speculation has already begun around Neale’s future, given this series of events and the fact that he will become a free agent at the end of the 2026 season. A free agent is a veteran player who is out of contract and able to negotiate and sign with any club of their choice. 

For now, Neale has not indicated any intention to leave Brisbane, though reports suggest that his young family has already relocated to Western Australia.