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Carlos Alcaraz: Appearance fees could threaten ATP Tour events as decisions are made

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Carlos Alcaraz’s confirmation that he will skip this year’s Shanghai Masters was a hammer blow to the marquee tournament on the Asian swing of the ATP Tour, but could this be a sign of things to come?

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Alcaraz confirmed he would not be able to compete in China after winning the Japan Open final against Taylor Fritz, with the ankle injury he picked up earlier in the event forcing the world No 1 to take a step back to protect his body ahead of more important challenges in the final weeks of the season and heading into 2026.

The shining star of men’s tennis may well have played in Shanghai if he had not picked up the injury in Japan, but he did not appear to be badly injured as he turned in some of his best performances of the year in Japan and he might have been tempted to continue his busy schedule if the Chinese event was not so arduous.

The extended ATP Masters 1000 tournaments are not popular with players or tennis fans, with the plan to spread the events over almost two weeks in a bid to maximise television and ticket revenue.

Alcaraz is one of many players to have voiced his frustration over lengthy tournaments that drain players and often feature long gaps between matches.

So he may be privately relieved to spead some time back home in Spain before he finishes his season with the lucrative Six Kings Slam event in Saudi Arabia, the Paris Masters, the ATP Finals and a probable appearance in the Davis Cup finals in Bologna.

The question Alcaraz might not want to answer is whether he would have played in Shanghai if there was a big appearance fee attached.

He was handed a huge sum to be the star of the Laver Cup last month and would also have received an appearance fee to play in Japan, as it was a non-mandatory event.

The top players are required to play ATP 1000 tournaments, and that means no appearance fee is offered. Therefore, Alcaraz may have felt that the risk of playing and potentially damaging his ankle further was not worth it, given the event in Saudi Arabia was coming up next week.

Alcaraz is guaranteed a $1.5m appearance fee to play in the Six Kings Slam and he will take home an eye-watering $6m if he wins just two matches and is declared the winner of the richest exhibition event in tennis.

That prospect had to look more appealing than two long weeks in China and he is not alone in skipping a tournament due to an ‘injury’ in recent weeks.

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka opted out of the WTA 1000 event in Beijing this week, as she also cited an injury problem before posting a series of images of her holiday in Greece in recent days.

Sabalenka will return for next week’s W1000 event in Wuhan, but that is a traditional one-week tournament and will be easier to manage for the top players.

With the ATP and WTA Tours seemingly determined to continue with these expanded marquee tournaments, it would not be a surprise to see more players picking up timely injuries to take a break from the game and recharge their batteries.

The kind of appearance fees superstars like Alcaraz can now attract means he may be tempted to pick and choose the events he plays from this point forward, with the ATP Tour not helping the mood of their star players by forcing them to play elongated Masters events that no one wants.

 

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Paige Spiranac’s surprising NFL fandom confession triggers heated debate over loyalty, authenticity, and fan culture

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The 2026 NFL Draft starts Thursday night in Pittsburgh, and the spotlight isn’t only on prospects and front offices. Golf influencer Paige Spiranac has again found herself pulled into NFL conversation, this time for her open support of multiple teams.

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With the Steelers hosting the first round, her long-standing connection to Pittsburgh has resurfaced. But it’s not just about hometown ties. Her broader fandom, which stretches beyond one franchise, continues to draw mixed reactions at a time when fan loyalty is often treated as non-negotiable.

Paige Spiranac roots for 2 NFL teams: Who are they?

Paige Spiranac has never hidden where her loyalties lie, even if they don’t fit the usual mold. She has consistently pointed to her roots while leaving space for other allegiances.

“Both my parents are from Pittsburgh so I’ve been a Steelers ..fan since the day I was born. I also love the Bills. It’s a complicated relationship…Who’s your team?” she previously asked her followers. It’s a candid admission, one that reflects personal history more than calculated fandom.

Still, the reaction has been sharp. NFL culture tends to rew ..

 

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Quiet moments on the course can say a lot about what’s coming next.

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Sometimes the most important work happens when nobody is really watching.
Lexi Thompson was out on the 18th green, working through her putting during a practice round ahead of the Chevron Championship in Houston.

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It’s a simple scene, but it shows the kind of quiet preparation that goes into these big tournaments—getting the feel of the greens, adjusting to conditions, and building trust in every stroke.

These are the small details that can shape how a player starts when the pressure kicks in.

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Predicting what will happen to Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson if LIV Golf collapses

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It looks like LIV Golf is over.

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The Saudi Public Investment Fund has reportedly decided that this league simply isn’t worth the hole it’s burning in their pocket, and they’re pulling funds at the end of 2026.

That gives them less than a year to seek new investment. While CEO Scott O’Neil seems confident, it’s going to be extremely difficult to secure funding for a league that is operating at such eye-watering losses.

So this probably pulls the curtain closed on one of the most turbulent, frustrating, confusing, and ridiculous eras in golfing history. Hopefully, we can all return to some reality after the year is over.

But there is still so much uncertainty surrounding golf’s future thanks to this. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed saw the signs early and jumped ship, but they did that with some leverage. So what on earth is going to happen to the rest of these players who didn’t take the olive branch when it was offered to them?

Feelings will be hurt, and careers will be ended. Let’s take a look.

Jon Rahm rejoins the PGA Tour

Koepka returned to the PGA Tour under the returning member program, which saw him pay $5 million to charity, accept that he’ll receive no FedEx Cup bonus money, and agree he cannot be a sponsor exemption for the 2026 signature events.

 

That same deal was offered to Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. They didn’t accept it, but a similar offer will likely be handed out to them again.

 

If LIV Golf folds, Rahm will not hold the same leverage as Koepka did, but he is a bigger star at this stage of his career. Make no mistake, the PGA Tour will want him back immediately.

But Rahm does risk leaving himself without any options at all. Reed didn’t come straight back to the PGA Tour, so he’s spending a year on the DP World Tour first. You’d imagine Rahm would consider doing the same, but it might not be so easy for him.

Rahm is in a feud with the DP World Tour, as the only one of eight players to reject a deal which would have seen him retain his full-time membership. If Rahm agreed to play in six DP World Tour events this year, then he could have played on both LIV Golf and the tour. He did not agree.

For now, his membership is at risk. So, will it be possible for him to spend a season on the DP World Tour like Reed? Maybe not. That makes it all the more likely that Rahm will be back on the PGA Tour the moment LIV folds.

Bryson DeChambeau does YouTube full-time

With DeChambeau, I don’t think it’s as much of a done deal that he returns to the PGA Tour. Not immediately anyway.

He’s been negotiating his contract with LIV, which expires at the end of this season. During these negotiations, he’s made it very clear that he is completely willing to step away from full-time competition and be a full-time YouTuber.

DeChambeau’s channel has over two million subscribers, so he could feasibly do that with all of the money he’s making there.

He was annoyed to see LIV move to a four-day format, so he could commit himself fully to being the content king. It would be a wild thing to do, but it’s also exactly the kind of move you could see the two-time major winner making.

He could qualify for The Open Championship and the US Open, and earn enough points there to play The Masters and the PGA Championship. It’s possible.

He does seem to live for competition, so maybe YouTube won’t quite scratch the itch, but it is on the table for DeChambeau. At least for a year until his suspension expires. Out of Rahm and DeChambeau, the American is absolutely the least likely to take a deal.

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