Jutta Leerdam set a new Olympic record while leading The Netherlands to a 1-2 finish in 1000-meter speed skating on Monday.
With her fiancé, Jake Paul, watching in the stands, Leerdam skated in Monday’s final race against Japan’s Miho Takagi, who won the gold medal in the 1,000 meters at the 2022 Olympics. Near the race’s midpoint, both skaters were behind the pace of leader Femke Kok, Leerdam’s Dutch teammate.
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But Leerdam pulled away from Takagi around the 600-meter mark and began to challenge Kok’s time. She crossed the finish line with a time of 1:12.31, besting Kok’s time of 1:12.59 and setting a new Olympic record in the process.
She did so while spurred on by Paul and an arena filled with Netherlands supporters clad in orange. Kok’s time was good for the silver medal, while Tagaki crossed the line at 1:13.95 to secure bronze.
The Olympic medal was the second for Leerdam, who won silver behind Takagi in Beijing. Leerdam is also a two-time world champion in the event.
The finish knocked U.S. skater and world-record holder Brittany Bowe off the podium and into fourth place. Bowe’s U.S. teammate, Erin Jackson, briefly held the fastest time at Monday’s final, but finished in sixth place.
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Bowe set the world record in the event with a time of 1:11.61 in 2019 at the ISU World Cup in Salt Lake City in 2019, and it still stands today. She won bronze at the Beijing Games.
Jackson is a 500-meter specialist who began training for the 1,000 meters after Beijing. Jackson will seek to repeat her 500-meter gold medal performance from Beijing on Feb. 15.
After 11 years, Chris Paddack will finally pitch for the Miami Marlins. Paddack, 30, has reportedly agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal with the Marlins, according to MLB reporter Jon Heyman. The contract includes $500,000 in incentives.
The veteran right-hander was Miami’s eighth-round draft pick (No. 236 overall) in 2015 out of Cedar Park High School in Texas. But he was traded the following year to the San Diego Padres in exchange for reliever Fernando Rodney. He debuted with the Padres in 2019 and was traded to the Twins in 2022.
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Last year, Paddack pitched for the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers. He made 21 starts for the Twins before being traded to Detroit. After seven ineffective starts with the Tigers, he was moved to the bullpen for the remainder of the season. Overall, he compiled a 5.35 ERA and 5-12 record in 32 appearances (28 starts).
Since his rookie season, Paddack has never been a high strikeout pitcher. In 2025, his rate of 6.4 per nine innings was the lowest of his seven-year MLB career. However, he also doesn’t walk many batters, averaging 2.1 last season.
Paddack is expected to join a starting rotation that includes Sandy Alcántara, Eury Pérez, Janson Junk, Ryan Gusto and Adam Mazur. Braxton Garrett and Dax Fulton, in addition to top prospects Thomas White and Robby Snelling, will also likely be part of the staff during the 2026 season.
Across his seven MLB seasons, Paddack has registered a 4.64 ERA and 32-36 record with a strikeout rate of 8.2 per nine innings in 118 appearances (110 starts). His best season was his rookie campaign, in which he went 9-7 with a 3.33 ERA and 153 Ks in 140 2/3 innings.
Something special is unfolding in France’s top soccer division, and at the heart of it stands the Alabama-born godson of a famous college football coach.
Tanner Tessmann — on pace to make the U.S. World Cup squad this summer after captaining the 2024 U.S. Olympic team — was in the lineup again Saturday as Olympique Lyonnais won at Nantes 1-0 for its 12th consecutive victory across all competitions.
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Lyon has won six straight in Ligue 1 to ascend to third place — the final UEFA Champions League berth — along with three in a row to reach the French Cup quarterfinals and three straight in the Europa League, the continent’s second-most important club competition, to clinch first place in the 36-team opening stage.
Going unbeaten in a dozen matches is a feat, but to avoid not only defeats but draws is staggering. The streak seemed in peril this weekend when a red card left Lyon with 10 men for the last half-hour, but resolute defending and a Nantes shot off the post preserved the run, which began Dec. 11.
Lyon finished sixth each of the previous two Ligue 1 seasons and hasn’t ended in the top three since 2019.
Tessmann missed the first two games of the streak with a thigh injury and came off the bench in the subsequent two. Since then, he has started six of eight and substituted into the other two. Overall, the FC Dallas homegrown has appeared in 19 of 21 Ligue 1 matches, tying him for third on the squad, and started 16.
American midfielder Tanner Tessmann is peaking at the right time for the U.S. men’s national team.
(REUTERS / REUTERS)
The 24-year-old defensive midfielder is in his second season in France after three with Italian club Venezia. Tessmann’s godfather is Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney, who has been best friends with Tessmann’s father P.J. since high school. P.J. runs Swinney’s charitable foundation.
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To Tanner, Swinney is “Uncle Bo.”
A talented soccer player and football kicker, Tessmann planned to play both sports at Clemson. Before enrolling, however, he signed a homegrown contract with FC Dallas.
His soccer path has taken him to two of Europe’s top five leagues — Italy’s Serie A in 2021-22 before relegation and France’s Ligue 1 the past two seasons — and up the U.S. ladder. Since playing every minute of four Olympic matches in France, he has integrated into Mauricio Pochettino’s senior squad. Last fall, he started twice and came off the bench twice, scoring in the 5-1 rout of Uruguay in Tampa.
With World Cup veteran Tyler Adams recovering from a knee injury, Tessmann’s role could grow this spring. Pochettino is expected to summon him for the friendlies in late March against Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta — just a two-hour drive from Uncle Bo.
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Elsewhere in France, striker Folarin Balogun’s scoreless streak reached seven during his 90-minute effort in Monaco’s 0-0 draw at Nice.
Wing back Tim Weah (90 poor minutes) was part of fourth-place Olympique Marseille’s 5-0 embarrassment against the new front-runner, Paris Saint-Germain. Center back Mark McKenzie entered in the 81st of Toulouse’s 1-0 loss at Angers, ending his string of nine straight 90-minute stints.
Forward Christian Pulisic and second-place AC Milan were off this weekend and, with the Winter Olympics leaving their home stadium unavailable, they will play their third consecutive away match Friday at Pisa.
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In just his second appearances in six matches, midfielder Yunus Musah entered in the 78th minute of Atalanta’s 2-1 victory over Cremonese.
In the second division, Jonathan Klinsmann earned his first clean sheet since Nov. 28, a span of 10 matches, as Cesena defeated Pescara 2-0.
Mexico
In his first start since late November, winger Alex Zendejas scored a marvelous goal on his 28th birthday as Club América edged Monterrey 1-0. A leg injury had sidelined him for the first four Liga MX Clausura matches before entering as a sub in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday.
England
Center back Chris Richards went the distance as Crystal Palace won at Brighton 1-0, ending a 12-game winless streak in all competitions since mid-December.
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Left back Antonee Robinson didn’t play in Fulham’s 2-1 loss to Everton, the first match he has sat out since his long-awaited return from injury in mid-December. Presumably he will return for Wednesday’s visit to second-place Manchester City.
Midfielder Brenden Aaronson logged 78 minutes as Leeds rebounded from a four-goal loss at front-running Arsenal with a 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest, staying six points above the relegation zone.
Striker Haji Wright’s scoreless streak hit three during a 90-minute effort in Coventry City’s 0-0 home draw with Oxford. Atop the second-tier table much of the campaign, the wobbling club yielded the top spot to Middlesbrough, which edged Sheffield United 2-1 on Monday. Nevertheless, with two teams assured promotion, Coventry holds a five-point cushion over third-place Ipswich Town.
Midfielder Aidan Morris went 88 minutes for Middlesbrough, which will visit Coventry next Monday.
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Forward Patrick Agyemang made his 21st consecutive start for Derby County in a 2-1 loss to Ipswich Town. The Rams slipped from seventh to ninth place, two points off the pace for a spot in the promotion playoffs.
Germany
Midfielder Malik Tillman played 90 in Bayer Leverkusen’s 1-1 draw at Mönchengladbach, leaving the club sixth in the Bundesliga and three points from the last Champions League slot next season.
Mönchengladbach midfielder Gio Reyna missed his third consecutive match with a muscle injury, while right wing back Joe Scally was a 79th-minute substitute.
Midfielder James Sands made his 16th straight start as next-to-last St. Pauli surprised Stuttgart, 2-1. Defender Noahkai Banks played the first half of Augsburg’s 2-0 loss at Mainz.
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Forward Damion Downs’ scoreless streak since joining Hamburg on loan from Southampton hit 271 minutes after playing the second half of a 2-0 victory at Heidenheim.
In the second division, left back John Tolkin logged 90 in Holstein Kiel’s 3-1 loss at Hannover, its third straight setback to leave it two points safe of the relegation playoffs.
Netherlands
Right back Sergiño Dest played all of PSV Eindhoven’s 2-1 comeback victory at Groningen, stretching the leaders’ streak in the Eredivisie to 16-0-2 since Sept. 13 and 19-1-2 overall.
Scotland
Center back Auston Trusty went 120 minutes as Celtic outlasted Dundee 2-1 in the Scottish Cup’s round of 16. Celtic scored the equalizer in the final seconds of stoppage time.
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Spain
Atletico Madrid midfielder Johnny Cardoso missed his second consecutive match with a muscle injury. … Former Orlando City right back Alex Freeman made his Villarreal debut, playing the last 17 minutes of a 4-1 rout of Espanyol.
Team USA curling already exceeded expectations at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics prior to Monday’s action. After finishing the round-robin session 6-3, Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin became the first American mixed doubles team to reach the medal round since the discipline became a part of the Winter Olympics in 2018.
By making it to the semifinal, Team USA was just a win away from a guaranteed medal. But getting to that match was going to be difficult. In order to play in the gold-medal game, the Americans would need to defeat Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner of Team Italy, the same duo that won the mixed doubles gold medal at the the 2022 games in Beijing.
Just hours later, Team USA overcame the 2022 gold medalists. Thiesse and Dropkin engaged in a tense, back-and-forth match against Italy that came down to the final shot of the match. In the end, though, it was the Americans who prevailed, narrowly winning 9-8 and advancing to the gold-medal match Tuesday thanks to a clutch final stone from Thiesse.
The semifinal matchup started similarly to the round-robin match earlier in the day. Team Italy took advantage of the early hammer, picking up two points in the first end. While the early lead was nice, it wasn’t as impressive as the team’s first end in the round-robin session, where Italy jumped out to a 4-0 lead over Team USA.
That proved to be a big difference, as Team USA immediately got back into the semifinal match. Once again, the hammer proved to be key, as Team USA used its last stone of the end to pick up two points and tie things up 2-2.
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Team USA did a good job clogging the house in the third end, but a perfectly placed hammer resulted in Team Italy taking two more points to make it 4-2 after the third end.
After some early misses by both teams early in the fourth end, Team USA managed to recover faster than the Italians. After some uncharacteristically inaccurate shots by Team Italy, the Americans were set to take two points with one stone remaining. With a well-placed shot, Team USA could snag three points and the lead after the fourth end. Thiesse got the job done, with Dropkin sweeping the stone in the perfect spot. The Americans took three points in the end, and grabbed a narrow 5-4 lead at the halfway point.
Team Italy’s struggles continued in the fifth end. While the Americans were able to accurately place their stones, Italy’s attempts wound up off the mark, leaving Team USA with a strong chance to pick up more points despite Italy having the hammer. But Constantini hit one of her best shots of the match, stealing a point from the Americans to tie things 5-5.
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The sixth end proved to be extremely cerebral as both teams utilized strategy to gain better position in the house ahead of their final shots of the end. After clearing Italy’s stones on two shots, the Americans held the hammer with a shot to take the lead. Thiesse’s shot was on target, knocking one of Italy’s stones out of the way to net Team USA a 7-5 lead after six ends.
Down by two points, Italy elected to use its power play in the seventh end. With the team also holding the hammer, Italy was looking to close the gap ahead of the final end. The tactic worked. After some misses for Team USA, Italy was able to take three points in the end, making it 8-7 entering the eighth — and final — end.
With their backs against the wall, Thiesse and Dropkin had a few advantages in the final end. The team elected to use its power play, giving them a clearer shot at the house. In addition to that, Team USA held the hammer, giving them the final stone in the end.
But to realistically advance, they needed to win, not tie, as Italy would have had the all-important final shot in an overtime end. So it was two points or out for the Americans.
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With two stones left, Team USA called a timeout to talk strategy. Italy was in strong position at that point in the end, but only had one stone left. On Dropkin’s final shot, he cleared two of Italy’s stones, putting Team USA back in strong position to tie or win the match.
Constantini left a slight opening for the Americans to pick up two with her final stone, and Thiesse took it. Her shot was perfect, not only knocking Italy’s center stone away, but also pushing another one of Italy’s stones further out, giving Team USA two points and the 9-8 win.
With the win, Team USA will advance to the gold-medal game, where they’ll take on Sweden, who defeated Great Britain 9-3 in the other semifinal. Sweden took home the bronze medal in 2022, so Thiesse and Dropkin will once again have their hands full Tuesday.
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With the loss, Italy will take on Great Britain in the bronze-medal game. That match will take place at 8:05 a.m. ET on Tuesday.
The gold-medal match between Team USA and Sweden will take place a few hours later, starting at 12:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The winner will take home the gold and the loser will claim the silver medal.
Now that Super Bowl LX has come and gone and the Seattle Seahawks are world champions, everyone in the NFL is officially looking forward to the offseason.
And here’s your guide to the NFL’s offseason calendar. Bookmark these dates.
2026 NFL scouting combine
Feb. 23-March 2, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
Prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft are invited to work out, get measurements and do interviews as part of the draft process.
Franchise tag and transition tag deadline
March 3, 4 p.m. ET
Teams can place either a franchise tag or transition tag on players under contract in an attempt to work out a long-term deal, or have them play the following season under the tag.
Here are the projected franchise tag positional values, via Over The Cap:
Quarterback: $47.321 million Running back: $14.536 million Wide receiver: $28.824 million Tight end: $16.319 million Offensive line: $27.924 million Defensive end: $27.322 million Defensive tackle: $26.311 million Linebacker: $28.197 million Cornerback: $21.414 million Safety: $20.876 million Punter/kicker: $6.9 million
Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens is expected to receive the franchise tag this offseason. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
(Cooper Neill via Getty Images)
2026 NFL free agency
Legal tampering period: March 9 at noon ET through March 11 at 4 p.m. ET
Free agency begins on March 11 at 4 p.m. ET
For those first two days, March 9-11, teams are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with certified agents of players set to be unrestricted free agents. Players not represented by certified agents are permitted to communicate directly with a team’s front office but not the head coach or members of the coaching staff.
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Free agents are officially eligible to sign their contracts starting with the new league year on March 11 at 4 p.m. ET.
Teams can choose which set of dates they want to hold rookie minicamps, which serve as extended orientations to life as an NFL player and with their particular franchise.
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2026 NFL schedule release
Mid-May
The NFL has turned its schedule release into a marquee offseason event unto itself. Certain games and matchups leak in the days and even months leading up to the release (like Rams-49ers in the first-ever Australia game), and opponents home and away are predetermined by division, divisional rotations and previous season finish. But we get the full, final regular season schedule in May.
Spring league meeting
May 19-20, Orlando
NFL team owners convene again for more proposals and potential votes.
Organized team activities (voluntary and mandatory)
Late May through mid-June
Teams usually hold OTAs in two separate sessions, one voluntary and one not. This helps them with the very beginning of personnel evaluation in practice settings as well as playbook installation.
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June 1
The famous date of demarcation between pre- and post-June 1 cuts. Teams frequently designate players they’re releasing as post-June 1 cuts to spread the cap hit out over two seasons.
For example let’s say a player has four years remaining on his contract and $5 million in prorated charges in each of those seasons. If he was cut prior to June 1 that would lead to $20 million in dead money this year. If cut after June 1 the player would instead have just $5 million in dead money in 2023 and now $15 million in 2024. While still the same number over two seasons, the team has an out rather than being stuck due to the salary cap.
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Franchise tag signing deadline
July 15, 4 p.m. ET
Any player designated with a franchise tag must sign a multiyear contract or extension by this time, or else they may only sign a one-year contract which cannot be extended until after the last regular season game.
2026 NFL training camps
Teams begin training camp in mid- to late July, with Hall of Fame Game participants usually starting earlier and rookies reporting to some franchise’s camps earlier than full squad. Dates and schedules will be released later this offseason.
LIVIGNO, Italy — There’s a changing of the guard in the women’s snowboarding big air event.
Anna Gasser, the two-time gold medal winner from Austria, could not complete the three-peat Monday in what is likely her final Olympics. Instead, Japan’s Kokomo Murase won the gold medal by executing the rare triple cork 1440 — a trick that requires three off-axis flips through the air while also rotating four times.
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And the 21-year-old did it twice, putting up a mind-blowing score of 179.00 to run away with the title after settling for the bronze medal four years ago.
Zoi Synnott-Sadowski of New Zealand won the silver medal (172.25), while a new star arrived on the international stage to claim bronze in 18-year old Yu Seungeun from South Korea (171.0).
Yu matched Murase with both a frontside and a backside triple cork, a trick that wasn’t even attempted four years ago when Gasser won in Beijing.
It led to the most technically advanced big air final in women’s snowboarding history and illustrated how much the sport has progressed from one Olympic cycle to the next.
Anna Gasser was not able to win gold for a third straight Olympics. (REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes)
(REUTERS / REUTERS)
Gasser, 34, won the gold four years ago with a double cork 1260. She did not complete either of her first two tricks this time, eliminating her from medal contention.
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It appeared for a moment that Yu, who made only her first World Cup podium last December, might run away with the gold medal. But Sadowski and Murase both stomped their final runs to pull ahead, the former with a switch backside 1260 that impressed the judges.
Yu tried one more triple cork on her final desperate attempt to win gold but landed on her rear end.
U.S. skier Breezy Johnson first noted the faulty medals after her gold-medal run in Sunday’s alpine downhill competition. Johnson showed off her broken medal during her post-race news conference and told reporters that it fell apart from its ribbon as she was celebrating.
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“I don’t know that the Italians are known for their engineering,” Johnson told reporters. “I assume someone will fix it.”
Johnson also added a warning for her fellow medal winners.
“My medal don’t need the ribbon,” Liu captioned while posting video of herself smiling with her medal and detached ribbon in opposite hands.
Liu didn’t detail how hers became detached.
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There’s video evidence, meanwhile, of German biathlete Justus Strelow’s medal falling apart from its ribbon. Strelow won his medal Sunday with his teammates in the mixed relay competition. As he jumped in celebration with his teammates, the medal fell from around his neck with a clang onto the tile floor below.
The medal mishap didn’t appear to hinder the celebration.
It appears that all of the medals are breaking in the same manner. The bar that attaches medals to their ribbons is breaking away, and the medals are then falling to the ground away from the ribbons. Olympic officials have gotten the memo.
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Olympic committee is ‘working on it’
Andrea Francisi, the chief games operations officer for the Milan Cortina organizing committee, told the Associated Press on Monday that officials were working on a solution.
“We are aware of the situation, we have seen the images,” Francisi said. “Obviously we are trying to understand in detail if there is a problem.
“But obviously we are paying maximum attention to this matter, as the medal is the dream of the athletes, so we want that obviously in the moment they are given it that everything is absolutely perfect, because we really consider it to be the most important moment. So we are working on it.”
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What “working on it” means isn’t exactly clear from Francisi’s statement. But there appears to be good news for those athletes with broken medals.
Breezy Johnson says that her broken gold medal has since been replaced.
(Andrew Milligan – PA Images via Getty Images)
Johnson says she got a new, intact medal
It wasn’t initially clear Sunday if Johnson’s medal would be replaced. Johnson confirmed late Sunday night to NBC that, indeed, she was given a new one. She just has to do some extra legwork to get it personalized.
“I was jumping, and the whole ribbon came off of the medal. And then they tried to fix it, but they couldn’t. So they gave me this one instead, and I have to go get it engraved,” Johnson said, while showing off her new medal on NBC’s late night Olympic show.
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Johnson added that her medal broke within 15 minutes of receiving it.
“I don’t know if I have very many Olympic records,” Johnson continued. “But I might have the shortest-lived Olympic medal record.”
She also had a backup plan just in case the Olympic committee didn’t replace her broken hardware:
“I was pretty sure that they would replace or fix it,” she said. “Or, like, my dad’s a carpenter, so I was pretty sure we could do something about it.”
The Winter Olympics are here! It’s that time when we all realize how invested we are in sports like curling, bobsledding, and ski jumping, even though we forget all about them for the other three years and eleven months in between Winter Games. One sport that always seems to keep everyone interested is figure skating, and this week, Team USA is bringing the heat to chilly Milano Cortina. Sixteen of the best skaters from all across America are competing at this year’s games: three women, three men, two pairs, and three ice dance teams are representing Team USA in Milan. Team USA has already snagged a gold medal in the team event thanks to a winning routine performed by U.S. Men’s champion Ilia Malinen, whose signature quad axel propelled them to victory, but there are still loads of competitions happening this week, including the men’s short program and free skate, as well as the rhythm dancing free dance medal competition.
For a complete schedule of every figure skating event at this year’s games, a rundown of who is on Team USA, and how to watch, keep scrolling. And if you want to learn even more about every event at this year’s Winter Games, here’s a guide to everything you need to know about the Milano Cortina Games.
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How to watch figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics
For $17 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.
Where to watch Team USA Figure Skating on TV:
Team USA Figure Skating coverage will generally be split between NBC and USA, which you can stream on DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV and more.
How to watch Olympic Figure Skating without cable:
For $17 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.
Who is on the Team USA Figure Skating team?
These are the sixteen skaters on Team USA’s figure skating team:
Amber Glenn (Women’s Singles)
Isabeau Levito (Women’s Singles)
Alysa Liu (Women’s Singles)
Ilia Malinin (Men’s Singles)
Maxim Naumov (Men’s Singles)
Andrew Torgashev (Men’s Singles)
Madison Chock and Evan Bates (Ice Dance)
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko (Ice Dance)
The Duke basketball staff member who was caught up in the court storm at the Dean Smith Center on Saturday night is doing much better, Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer said on Monday.
“I came back in the locker room and I see he’s got a bloody lip and he’s disheveled and he didn’t know what happened,” Scheyer said on Monday. “He got trampled on the floor. That was my main concern after the game and that’s why I said what I said.”
While it’s unclear who the staff member is, Scheyer said he was the only person injured in the chaos. And, now days later, he is doing fine.
“It was not a good situation,” Scheyer said. “But he’s doing better, he’s fine. Ready to move on. I don’t have anything more to say other than, that was a very unsafe situation for him, our staff, our families, our players.”
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There were actually two court storms on Saturday, one with 0.4 seconds left on the clock and then another after officials cleared the court and finished out the game.
The ACC fined North Carolina $50,000 for the court storm on Sunday, as it was a violation of the league’s “event security policy.”
“Obviously if somebody got injured, that’s just really, really disappointing,” Cunningham said. “We’ll do the best we can to make sure that doesn’t happen, but again, my apologies to Duke for that.”
“I don’t have any issue with court storming,” he said. “Just shouldn’t have people getting punched in the face. Shouldn’t put our players in position where they’re face-to-face with people who can do anything at that time. It just takes one reaction. Even today, I had to push people away just to try to protect our players.”
The win for North Carolina marked its largest comeback victory over Duke in the last 25 years. It snapped a 10-game win streak for the Blue Devils, and moved the Tar Heels up three spots in the latest Associated Press poll on Monday.
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Duke and North Carolina will square off again on March 7 in the last game of the regular season, this time at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“I’m a big boy, we can take losing,” Scheyer said on Monday. “Great college game, Carolina played great.”
Tennis superstar Serena Williams could be on her way back to the court after being listed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency as eligible to return on Feb. 22.
This comes nearly six months after Williams registered with the sports drug testing organization and, as of Monday, has been listed on the ITIA’s website reinstatement page. While there is no official plan in place for Williams’ return, this process has opened a pathway for a return if she so chooses.
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When news broke last year that Williams had signed up to re-enter the ITIA drug testing pool, she responded to fans via social media. “Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.”
Williams is one of the most decorated competitors in the sports history but has not competed since the 2022 U.S. Open. She stepped away from the sport in 2022 to focus on family and other business ventures outside of her tennis career. At the time, Williams did not want to use the word “retiring,” but chose to say she was evolving away from tennis.
Pro athletes who return to testing under ITIA supervision must provide information on their whereabouts, times when they can give samples and their location when not at official events. Athletes who retire while on the list and choose to come back later must be available for six months of testing before they can be allowed to officially return to competition.
Among Williams’ treasure chest’s worth of accolades are 73 career titles (23 Grand Slams), four Olympic gold medals and a career singles record of 858-156.
