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Tennis row erupts as Sabalenka and Swiatek accused of having ‘high testosterone’ before star hits back with bikini pic

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AN EXPLOSIVE tennis row has erupted with the world No1 and No2 accused of having “higher levels of testosterone”.

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Marta Kostyuk made the controversial claims in a bombshell interview.

The Ukrainian, ranked 27th in the world, took aim at Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek.

She suggested that the top two stars in women’s tennis are at a “biological” advantage because they are “much bigger” and “much stronger”.

That is despite Kostyuk and Swiatek, 24, both being 5ft 9ins – and Sabalenka, 27, measuring in two inches taller.

Meanwhile, the next four players in the rankings are Coco Gauff at 5ft 9ins, Amanda Anisimova at 5ft 11ins, Jessica Pegula who is 5ft 7ins and 5ft 4ins Jasmine Paolini.

But Kostyuk, 23, bizarrely reckons it is an unfair battle to face Sabalenka or Swiatek on the court – against whom she has a combined 0-7 record – but presented no evidence or a valid basis for her inflammatory “testosterone” assertion.

She told Tennis 365: “Against Iga, when I have played her, I wasn’t ready to play her at all. I played her over a year ago and she was very strong.

“With Aryna, I know it is a tough battle. I have my own skills, but at the end of the day, they are all much bigger than me, much taller than me, much stronger than me.

“We all have our own biological structure.

“Some have a higher level of testosterone, some have lower. It’s just natural and that definitely helps.

“I feel smaller than them. I try to see how I can beat these players with the tennis skills I have, but I have to work harder to win the points. I have to run a lot more than them to win points.

“I cannot make myself 10kgs bigger or five centimetres taller, so I have to use everything I had at 100 per cent.

“For other players, they have more of an advantage in other things. This is just the way I am.

“I look at the photos when we shake hands at the net and I look so much smaller than some of my opponents.

“It’s just part of the sport and a very cool challenge for me to take on these players.

“There are many, many things I can do to be better, but they have an advantage on me.”

Swiatek won Wimbledon this year for his sixth Major while hard-hitting Sabalenka is on four – two apiece at the Australian Open and US Open.

The Belarusian, though, did lose two finals this year, including to Gauff at the French Open.

But after winning the US Open and losing in the semis of Wuhan in China, Sabalenka is enjoying some downtime before the season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh get underway on November 1.

She headed to Dubai with “bestie” and fellow tennis ace Paula Badosa.

And she appeared to hit back at Kostyuk’s testosterone comments – by posting glamorous bikini pictures from the £1,000-a-night five-star Atlantis the Royal resort.

Sabalenka wrote on Instagram: “Much needed girl’s day with my bestie.”

 

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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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