标签： Oceania

Tennis icon Serena Williams has pulled off a fairy-tale return to competitive tennis, claiming a first-round doubles victory at London’s Queen’s Club Championships alongside 19-year-old Canadian partner Victoria Mboko on Tuesday, four years after stepping away from the sport. The 44-year-old American legend, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, dismantled third seeds Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in a 7-6(2), 6-2 triumph that left the sold-out Andy Murray Arena crowd electrified.

Williams’ comeback had already sent shockwaves through the global tennis community just 24 hours earlier, when she dropped a last-minute surprise announcement that she would come out of retirement to compete in the grass-court event. Her first competitive appearance since a 2022 US Open defeat to Ajla Tomljanovic — where she signaled she was “evolving away” from professional tennis — had sparked widespread debate ahead of the match: could one of the sport’s greatest ever athletes recapture even a fraction of her iconic form, or would this return end as a humbling reminder of time passed?

It took barely a game for Williams to answer those critics. While minor signs of rust were visible in her opening two touches — a missed volley from her partner’s serve, followed by a dumped volley into the net on her first touch of the ball — she quickly found her rhythm, notching her first comeback winner with a clean volley that sent the crowd roaring. From there, the hallmarks of her legendary game were all on display: the trademark thunderous serve that peaked at 120mph, matching the devastating speed of her prime; ferocious, accurate groundstrokes that held her own in long rallies; and the sharp competitive instinct that made her one of the most feared competitors in sports history.

The match carried extra personal meaning for Williams, who was joined in the stands by her husband Alexis Ohanian and their two young daughters, Olympia and Adira — a presence she had already cited as a core motivation for her return. After hitting a stunning backhand winner from an impossible acute angle off the court, she broke into a wide grin and spread her arms, a moment that appeared to surprise even the champion herself. She celebrated a break of serve to go 4-1 up in the first set with her iconic clenched-fist roar, and closed out the opening-set tiebreak with dominant play, yelling “let’s go” as she and Mboko claimed the first set.

In the second set, teenager Mboko stepped into the spotlight, firing off a string of winners that earned admiring fist bumps from her legendary partner. But fittingly, it was Williams’ lethal serve that sealed the victory four years in the making.

The result has already reignited intense speculation over whether Williams will extend her comeback to singles competition at Wimbledon, the grass-court Grand Slam she has won seven times, which kicks off later this June. Williams already has another competitive doubles event lined up: the Berlin Open, scheduled to run from June 15 to 21. While she downplayed rumors of a singles return just days ago, insiders and fans alike note that the allure of competing at the All England Club, one of her most successful venues, will be hard to resist if she continues her winning run at Queen’s.

For Williams herself, the focus remains on the experience rather than any final outcome. 31 years after her first professional match, the tennis legend framed this return as just another adventure in a groundbreaking career that has already redefined women’s tennis. Walking out to a standing ovation from the packed crowd, with signs reading “Welcome back Serena” dotting the stands and former Olympic skiing champion Lindsey Vonn watching from the guest boxes, Williams showed she has lost none of her magic — or her desire to compete.

It was a day for the history books at Mirpur’s Shere Bangla National Stadium, as Bangladesh pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent one-day international cricket, securing their first victory over Australia in 21 years with a commanding 86-run win via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in the opening match of their three-match series.

Heading into the contest, Bangladesh carried the weight of a devastating 14-match losing streak against Australia, with their only previous ODI win against the cricketing powerhouse coming back in 2005 during a tri-series in Cardiff, Wales. That 18-year gap (updated to 21 years by the time of this 2025 fixture) made Wednesday’s result all the more remarkable for the underdog side.

Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first, posting a competitive total of 284 for 8 off their full 50 overs. The standout performance of the innings came from all-rounder Mosaddek Hossain, who scored an unbeaten 86 – and he had plenty of help from Australia’s sloppy fielding, which dropped six catching chances throughout the innings, four of which came when Mosaddek was at the crease, gifting him multiple reprieves that allowed him to build his match-changing knock.

In reply, Australia got off to a disastrous start, losing opener Matt Short to the very first ball of the innings, followed quickly by the wicket of star batter Marnus Labuschagne to leave the tourists reeling at 2 wickets for just 2 runs. Playing without several of their first-team regulars for this tour, Australia struggled to recover from the early collapse. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey contributed 47, and all-rounder Cameron Green hit an unbeaten 52, but the side could only limp to 191 for 9 before an incoming storm forced an early end to play.

Bangladesh’s bowling attack was dominant throughout the chase. Young pace bowler Nahid Rana was the pick of the bunch, taking 4 wickets for just 41 runs, including the key scalps of Carey and stand-in Australian captain Josh Inglis. Spinner Mosaddek, playing his first ODI for Bangladesh in four years, chipped in with 2 wickets for 37 runs to cap off a man-of-the-match performance with both bat and ball.

Beyond the bilateral series result, the contest carries wider implications for 2027 Cricket World Cup qualification, with ripple effects for third side England. Currently, England sit eighth in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings, Bangladesh ninth, and the West Indies 10th. Only the top nine ranked teams by September will earn automatic qualification for the 2027 tournament, and England faces a tough test against India in their upcoming ODI series in July, leaving the door open for Bangladesh to jump ahead and claim a direct spot if they continue their strong form. The second ODI of the three-match series will be held back at the Shere Bangla National Stadium this coming Thursday.

One of Australia’s most storied and successful professional rugby league clubs is breaking new ground in athlete mental health advocacy, launching an unprecedented national initiative to confront the stigma that still prevents millions of Australians from seeking support for mental health challenges. Top National Rugby League (NRL) players from the Melbourne Storm have opened up about their own raw, deeply personal struggles with anxiety, depression, and public pressure to encourage people across the country to speak up about their battles rather than suffering in silence.

For veteran prop Josh King, the relentless mental pressure of early career losses and constant public criticism left him brought to his lowest point. Young utility Alec MacDonald experienced unexplained severe stomach cramps during matches that were later traced to untreated performance anxiety, while winger Will Warbrick battled undiagnosed severe depression for a full year before he finally sought help. These are not isolated stories — they are just a sample of the quiet struggles that many elite athletes face off the field, which inspired the club to host its first ever Mental Health Round, branded “Tackle Tough Together”.

Scheduled to take center stage on June 21 during the club’s Round 16 home match against the Canberra Raiders at Melbourne’s AAMI Park, the event marks the first initiative of its kind for rugby league in Victoria. The day will feature a public march of Storm legends to raise community awareness, free on-site mental health screenings for all attending fans, and fundraising efforts through the sale of commemorative pins, with 100% of proceeds going directly to leading Australian mental health organization Beyond Blue.

Melbourne Storm Chief Executive Justin Rodski emphasized that the initiative aims to redefine what “toughness” actually means, both in sport and everyday life. “We know that in men’s sport, and for men broadly, the expectation is that you stay tough on the field,” Rodski explained. “But this round is about changing that narrative: real toughness isn’t hiding your pain. Real strength is checking in on your friends, and speaking up when you need help. We want men to feel safe to be vulnerable about the hard times they’re going through, to share what they’re feeling and work through it together.”

For King, who joined the Storm in 2022 after a brutal start to his career with the Newcastle Knights, the message comes from years of personal experience. The 31-year-old front-rower lost 20 of his first 21 professional matches, collected two consecutive wooden spoons (for the league’s worst performing team), and faced constant public criticism that left him questioning whether he even wanted to continue playing professional footy. “The mental side of the game really had me on my knees for a while there,” King said. “At some point, everyone goes through a stretch where they’re struggling mentally, stuck in a dark place. For me that was early on in Newcastle. I was young, thrown into the first team too early, getting hammered in the press and on social media, and I didn’t know if I belonged here.”

King eventually recognized he needed to make major changes to protect his mental health, stepping back from social media to cut out constant negativity, starting a regular gratitude practice, and beginning regular sessions with a psychologist. He also credits his volunteer work as a Starlight Children’s Foundation ambassador with changing his whole perspective on life. The Storm recently raised more than AU$100,000 for seriously ill children and their families through the foundation, and King has been volunteering with children’s hospitals since his time in Newcastle. “It sounds selfish, but those kids gave me more perspective than I ever gave them,” King admitted. “I’d be stressing about having a bad game, and there they are fighting for their lives and still smiling every day. Seeing how resilient those kids and their families are, it puts every little problem I have in its place.”

MacDonald, now in his fifth season with the Storm, says the high-pressure environment of professional rugby league forced him to confront his anxiety early, and that experience sparked a new passion that could shape his post-playing career. “When I started playing top-level footy, the pressure was so intense that my anxiety started showing up physically — I had terrible stomach pains during games that no doctor could figure out for a while,” MacDonald explained. “It turned out I was stuck in fight-or-flight mode all the time, which stopped my stomach from digesting food properly. That forced me to start working on my mental health, and I’m actually grateful for it now. It gave me the tools I’ll have for life.”

Like King, MacDonald intentionally limits his social media use, regularly deleting all apps for weeks at a time to avoid the constant negativity that comes with public life. Working through his own anxiety also sparked a passion for mental health, and he is currently studying psychology with the goal of one day helping other athletes and ordinary people work through their own struggles. “I never would have imagined I’d be studying this,” he said. “At first it was just about helping myself play better, but now I see how much good it could do to help other people too.”

Warbrick, the Storm’s young winger, was diagnosed with severe depression at a young age, but hid his struggle for nearly a year because of the stigma around men talking about mental health. “I grew up around the idea that you just crack on and bottle everything up,” Warbrick said. “I didn’t even understand what I was feeling back then. I didn’t know what depression was, it was just a word to me. I tried to handle it on my own for a year, and it ended up taking over everything.”

Warbrick eventually took the step of seeing a doctor and getting a formal diagnosis, which allowed him to access counseling and psychological support. His message to anyone struggling is simple: don’t try to handle it alone. “You can’t fix this by yourself. The first and hardest step is recognizing you need help, and then asking for it. That’s not weakness — that’s the bravest thing you can do,” he said. “It’s so important that big clubs with big platforms like the Storm are shining a light on this. Mental health is a serious issue, and it needs the attention to get better for everyone.”

The inaugural Melbourne Storm Mental Health Round is held in partnership with AIA Australia and supported by Beyond Blue, with organizers encouraging all fans and community members to join the movement to “Tackle Tough Together” on June 21.