Entertainment
Emma Raducanu’s ditching of Nike is a sign she still has pulling power
Emma Raducanu’s new clothing deal will give her the chance to create a unique look on court after cutting ties with long-term sponsor Nike and switching to Uniqlo.
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Join us on WhatsAppThe 23-year-old has been part of the Nike stable for her whole professional career, signing her first contract with them when she was still just 15.
But the latest iteration of that deal is believed to have lapsed in December and she has now been snapped up by Uniqlo.
Raducanu has a significant profile in the Far East, a reach there significantly boosted by her fluent Mandarin, after her mother Renee, which is a huge boon for fashion brand where around 20 per cent of its sales are made in China.
A departure from Nike’s identikits
Despite its global brand, Uniqlo sponsorship deals are still relatively rare: previously contracts with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Kei Nishikori are the only major ones in tennis.
It’s understood the deal has been the subject of months of negotiations, but Raducanu will now debut her new look next month in Indian Wells, the beginning of the so-called Sunshine Swing with a major event in California, sometimes called “The Fifth Slam” and then the Miami Open a few weeks later.
Her Nike outfits were almost always the same as other players in the stable, with just the cut a point of personal preference.
But Raducanu is a true fashionista, having attended some of the world’s biggest shows and counting the likes of Vogue editor Anna Wintour as a major ally, and it’s understood that the 2021 US Open champion will have significant input on her attire for future tournaments.
And not only is this deal a chance for her to spread her wings with a company that reportedly paid Federer more than £200m over 10 years, it is also a testament to Raducanu’s lasting appeal within the sponsorship market. When she won the US Open in 2021, management agency IMG signed a whole host of deals that netted the Brit an eight-figure sum, but her struggles for form and fitness since then have been a cause for concern.
Another season of change
Raducanu has also been experimenting with a new racket made by Yonex, another Japanese brand, but has so far elected to stick with Wilson, the make she has used for her whole senior career.
That experimental work with the distinctive squared-off racket head was done while she was working Francis Roig, Rafael Nadal’s former coach who was trying to make significant tactical changes to her game.
But the Spaniard was dispensed with after the Australian Open and so too, it seems, his racket ideas.
And with a new outfit, Raducanu could also have a new coach in tow when she arrives in Indian Wells. She has been travelling with hitting partner Alexis Canter and physio Emma Stewart, after splitting with Roig.
The ad hoc team have been going well, helping Raducanu reach her first final since that seismic US Open victory, although she was beaten in the Transylvania Open showdown and then got a chest infection in the Middle East, losing first round in Dubai and Doha.
But the return to American hard courts, arguably her best surface, will be welcome, fitness notwithstanding. One of her best runs since then came at Indian Wells in 2023, and she reached her first 1000-level quarter-final in Miami last year.
It will be a new-look Raducanu and perhaps a new team, but she will continue her search for the same old Emma.
Entertainment
Paige Spiranac’s surprising NFL fandom confession triggers heated debate over loyalty, authenticity, and fan culture
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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Join us on WhatsAppWith 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 ..
Entertainment
Quiet moments on the course can say a lot about what’s coming next.
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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Join us on WhatsAppIt’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.
Entertainment
Predicting what will happen to Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson if LIV Golf collapses
It looks like LIV Golf is over.
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Join us on WhatsAppThe 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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