🎾 Wimbledon Serves Up Russian Ruling

We're nearly there, it's Thursday, 21 April

🔊 Sport Today Podcast

This morning, Sam Ferris and Martin Gabor are at the mic. 

Today's listen time: 10 minutes.

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

📺  What we're watching 

🏀 9.00am - NBA Playoffs - Celtics v Nets - TD Garden, Boston - Foxtel, Kayo

🏀 7.30pm - NBL - Taipans v Kings - Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns - Foxtel, Kayo

🏉 7.50pm - NRL - Sharks v Sea Eagles - PointsBet Stadium, Sydney - Channel 9, Foxtel, Kayo

All times are in AEST

🎾 Wimbledon bans Russian, Belarusian players

It appears to be a case of game, set and match for Russian and Belarusian athletes who had hoped to compete at Wimbledon this year.

Golden points: The All England Club has banned players from those countries from competing in this year’s tennis grand slam, but not everyone agrees with the decision.

• In a statement, the AEC said they couldn’t allow Russia to benefit from having players at Wimbledon.

• The ban is a biggie because there are 4 Russian men in the top 30, including world #2 Daniil Medvedev. There are also 5 women in the top 40, plus world #4 Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus.

• Other tennis tournaments have forced players to compete as neutrals, but this is the first event to ban them completely.

What are the chances… the situation changes? The AEC has said they will review their decision if things in Ukraine change before Wimbledon starts on 27 June. The same rule does not apply to the French Open which begins next month.

Key click: The ATP has released a statement of its own, and it is not happy with the decision.

🏊‍♂️ Swimming stars set for Sydney showdown 

If you love swimming and fierce competition, then the Duel in the Pool is right up your alley… or lane.

Golden points: Get ready to smash some guitars. This is going to be 3 days of epic races between Australia and the USA at Sydney’s Olympic aquatic centre and Bondi Beach.

• If you spent lockdown in front of the TV watching the Olympics then you’ll love this. It means we get to see Ariarne Titmus against Katie Ledecky and much, much more. 

• Both countries will pick 30 swimmers each, including para-athletes, and they'll go head-to-head in the pool.

• If you think you’ve heard about this happening before then you are right. There were 3 of those in 2003, 2005 and 2007, and the Americans won them all.

What’s next: You’ve got to wait a while. The Duel is from 19-21 August in Sydney. We’ll let you know the broadcast details as soon as we find out. 

Watch it: Check out the best moments from Titmus and her coach from Tokyo. 

🏉 Ponga says good knight to rival clubs 

Pack up the big tent because the media circus has been kicked out of town.

Golden points: Newcastle Knights skipper Kalyn Ponga has signed a new 5-year deal that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2027 season.

• He’ll appreciate the $5 million, but Ponga and the Knights will love the fact media speculation about his future is over.

• There were stories almost every day - and even one at half-time of his most recent match - linking him to other NRL clubs or even rugby union.

• The one person who won’t be happy is Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett. He wanted Ponga to join the new club next year and is still looking to sign a marquee player.

They said it: “My teammates have been awesome, they have shown me every respect and patience, without any pressure throughout the negotiations.” - Ponga said he was tempted by the Dolphins but couldn’t leave his mates. 

🏉 It's that time of the week...

Don't Forget Your Tips! is a weekly podcast for footy fans who are keen to get an edge in their footy tipping comp. DFYT! will give you some facts, figures and maybe even a few omens that'll help you out with your AFL and NRL footy tips every week of the footy seasons. Episodes are around 12-minutes long and drop 6am every Thursday. Listen on Apple, Spotify and your favourite podcast app. Enjoy!

⚽ Nothing amicable about this friendly 

Hot on the heels of the Commonwealth Games, Victoria has locked in another massive event. But this time we don’t have to wait too long.

Golden points: South American heavyweights Brazil and Argentina will play a football friendly at the Melbourne Cricket Ground just months before the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

• This is a big win for Victorians because it’ll give the economy a boost after a couple of tough years with COVID.

• But it’s an even bigger win for football fans in Australia because legends Neymar and Lionel Messi are both expected to play in the Superclásico. 

What’s next: Tickets go on sale today and they will be snapped up quickly. The game is on 11 June. 

Watch it: Check out the highlights from 5 years ago when Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 in front of more than 95,000 fans at the MCG. 

🤸‍♀️ Gymnastics abuse won't go unpunished 

The sport of gymnastics has been rocked a few times across the world over abuse claims. Now the focus is on Australia.

Golden points: A report by Sport Integrity Australia found that athletes were harmed or abused at the Western Australia Institute of Sport.

• These aren’t fresh allegations. The complaints were from 1987-2016 when the WAIS gymnastics program was cancelled due to a lack of funding.

• Some of the allegations include fat-shaming, physical and verbal abuse, and being forced to train and compete while injured.

They said it: “We are sorry that your experiences were painful rather than enjoyable and we apologise for the elements of the WAIS program that failed you.” - WAIS chairman Neil McLean. 

Key click: Here’s a thorough look at everything you need to know.

👀 Quick singles

🏑 Former Hockeyroos captain and Olympian Sandra Pisani has died aged 63. She was part of the first Australian team to win Olympic gold in 1988. 

🥊 Michael Zerafa has earned a shot at the IBF middleweight world title. He beat Issac Hardman in the 2nd round of their heated fight in Melbourne last night. 

🎾 Alex de Minaur is having a blast on clay after he beat Ugo Humbert to reach the round of 16 in Barcelona. Fellow Aussie John Millman lost his match to Miomir Kecmanović in straight sets. 

🏉 Rugby union’s Super Round has suffered a setback with a game postponed due to COVID. The Western Force has been hit hard, so its game against Moana Pasifika has been rescheduled.  

⚽ Fulham is back in the English Premier League following a 3-0 win over Preston. The team from London are on top of the Championship and are so far in front that they can’t be caught. 

🏉 The Bulldogs’ season has taken another hit, with the team rocked by COVID just days before their game against Brisbane. The Bulldogs are last on the ladder and have lost 4 players after they tested positive for the virus. 

⚽ It’s going to be really hard for the Newcastle Jets to make the A-League Men finals. They lost 3-2 to the Wanderers last night and are now 7 points behind 6th with 4 games to go. 

🏀 Ben Simmons could play his first NBA game of the season, and it’s a big one. There are reports he could play for Brooklyn against Boston in game 4 of their playoff series on Tuesday (AEST). 

🏐 The Aussie Diamonds are set to name their Commonwealth Games squad tonight. Queensland Firebirds star Donell Wallam is tipped to be the bolter in the 18-player squad. 

🙃 Left of field…

If you’re a fan of football history then it’s probably time to start checking for loose change behind the couch.

Golden points: The jersey Diego Maradona wore when Argentina beat England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup is for sale, and the auction house reckons it’ll sell for at least $7 million. That’s a lot of $2 coins.

• Maradona scored one of the greatest World Cup goals of all time in the quarter-final when he beat a stack of English defenders.

• But that’s not the main event. Wearing the famous No.10 jersey, Maradona scored a goal with his arm that is called the ‘Hand of God’ and still leaves English fans irate. 

• He gave the jersey to midfielder Steve Hodge who now wants to sell it.

What are the chances… it’s the real deal? Sotheby’s are running the auction and they swear it’s legit. But Maradona’s family disagrees. Controversy!

📽 The highlight reel

There were plenty of big moments to come out of Liverpool's 4-0 win over Manchester United, but none better than the pass Sadio Mané produced for Mo Salah's first goal. 

📸 Photo finish

Tennis legend Roger Federer is enjoying the sweet life in Venice. That's not too far from Paris where a certain tennis grand slam will be played soon...

🏃‍♀️ The finish line

🏆 Today's trivia answer

Novak Djokovic and Ash Barty were the winners. They've had an eventful 12 months since then.