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Nadal admits fitness ‘far from perfect’ after rib injury

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Rafael Nadal

Madrid — Rafa Nadal says his fitness is “far from perfect” as he prepares to return to action after a debilitating rib injury that has left him racing against time to get back to peak condition for the French Open.

The 35-year-old, who clinched a men’s record 21st Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open earlier this year, suffered a stress fracture in his rib at Indian Wells, where he lost in the final to Taylor Fritz on March 20.

Rafael Nadal

The injury has forced him to miss the clay-court events in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.

He is battling to get back to his best before the French Open, which begins on May 22 and where he will bid for a record-extending 14th title. The Spaniard will make his return at the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid Open on Wednesday.

“I’m recovered from the injury but tennis and preparation is another story,” Nadal said. “Those who have broken their ribs know how much it limits you and for the first few weeks I had difficulty sleeping because of the pain. It is an injury that does not need significant time to heal, but it didn’t allow me to do almost anything. It hurt even doing aerobic work.”

Nadal believes he will struggle to get back to his best this week, but it will be a step towards hitting peak condition for Roland Garros.

“Things are far from perfect, right now. I have to admit that,” he said. “I’m taking these days almost like a preseason, doing double sessions every day. This tournament suits me very well and I have to take it this way. If a victory can come, then fantastic. But the goal is for what comes ahead.”

Nadal said he had not had time to savour his outstanding comeback win against Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final in January.

“Tennis is not a sport that allows you to look back and enjoy your accomplishments,” Nadal said. “I understand that was a historic moment, one of the biggest emotions that I had in my career, but I just don’t have the time to look back and appreciate it. The last few weeks were all focusing on recovering from my injury.

Rafael Nadal

“If I keep playing today at my age and at the highest level it’s because I learnt that wins and losses are something you leave in the past. You have to always look forward to keep that focus and competitive hunger alive. That’s the way I operate.”

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Revealed: Alex Eala revealed Greatest lesson she learned from Rafael Nadal

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LITERALLY living inside the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca, Spain for three years and counting, Filipina ace Alex Eala observed firsthand how tennis champions are made.

In fact, in some way, the 15-year-old sees herself treading the same ground and facing the same challenges as World No. 2 Rafael Nadal himself, who again bagged another Slam in his pocket today, after defeating World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in straight sets, in the French Open tournament.

It also helped, too, that she literally sees him on the court.

“Oftentimes, he plays beside me or on the court next to me. It’s so inspiring, even if you’re just watching him play from afar, you can learn a lot,” Eala said during a virtual press conference with the Philippine media on Sunday night.

Aside from being an oustanding athlete and tennis coach, she also considers the 34-year-old Nadal as an inspiring mentor.

“One of the biggest things I can take away from Rafa is his humility. [He’s] so grounded. He’s achieved more than I can dream of, and the fact that he’s achieved so much and he’s still very nice to everyone here, so down-to-earth, it’s very admirable for him,” she said.

It’s from him that Alex takes inspiration in celebrating her success in a very modest way. Just last Friday, she made the whole country proud after a gallant semifinals finish in her French Open stint.

Eala lost to Elsa Jacquemot, conceding the home ground to the French netter, 6-3, 6-2

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Austin Butler reflects on Paul McCartney’s house party with Taylor Swift

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Austin Butler just shared the details of his wild night at Paul McCartney’s house party.

The star-studded affair was not only the most “insane” time Butler’s had in a while, but it was the most glamorous, being surrounded by his childhood icons and legendary music artists like Meryl Streep and Bruce Springsteen.

Butler, 32, reflected on the experience while speaking with Jimmy Kimmel, who was also lucky enough to be at the party. During the June 17 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the two gushed about having last seen each other at McCartney’s house.

“Last time I saw you was at maybe the craziest party I’ve ever been to in my whole life,” Kimmel, 56, admitted before Butler agreed: “That was insane.”

Kimmel noted: “It was like a party where Tom Hanks is going: ‘Oh my God, can you believe who’s here?!’”

Emblem rockers like Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ringo Starr graced McCartney’s home, leaving Hollywood’s elite to mingle with music royalty, the pair said. Even Taylor Swift was there, according to Butler and Kimmel.

The Elvisstar said the “Anti-Hero” singer wasn’t a normal guest, she was the DJ. “Yeah, she was DJing at one point,” Butler told Kimmel, who then quipped about how Swift isn’t booked and busy enough, she must oversee the music for McCartney’s party, too.

While Swift’s appearance may have been cause for celebration among some of the other guests, Butler confessed a different idol sent him into complete awe. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Meryl Streep in the same room as him.

“She’s just the greatest. I felt like, you know in high school when you have a crush on somebody and they’re across the room and you don’t really know how to say hello to them?” he said. “That’s how it was. I saw her there and I couldn’t believe I was in the same room.”

Too star-struck to approach the It’s Complicatedlead himself, Butler headed into McCartney’s kitchen to bide his time and eat some vegan pizza. Thankfully, his friend offered to introduce him and Streep.

“I couldn’t believe I was meeting Meryl Streep with Paul McCartney’s vegan pizza in my mouth,” Butler confessed.

He was then pulled into a circle of people he couldn’t pass the opportunity to spend time with. Butler was invited to “have tacos with Snoop Dogg and Robert De Niro.”

“I dropped everything I was doing and I was there in a heartbeat,” he told Kimmel.

Another crazy conversation Butler had was with Bruce Springsteen. The 74-year-old recounted a time when he was fearless, hopping the fence at Graceland to sing Elvis Presley a song.

Butler had heard rumors that Springsteen had done that but wasn’t sure it was true until he confirmed. Of course, Presley wasn’t there when Springsteen approached his front door.

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Paige Spiranac gives hack for golfers with big boobs as she shares video of her swing in slow motion

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PAIGE SPIRANAC gave fans a hack for golfers with big boobs and shared slow motion video. The American has become a popular sports influencer since she stopped competing in 2017.

She has since carved out a successful career on social media with over 4million Instagram followers.

In a recent post on X, Paige gave tips for players on the course who have bigger busts.

She wrote: “I’ve been doing these slow mo videos and in all seriousness it’s wild seeing what my chest has to do through the swing so my arms can clear lol I can totally understand why women with larger chests who pick up the game feel stuck and uncomfortable.

Paige Spiranac gave fans a hack for golfers with big boobs

“My tip is under on the right arm and over the chest on the left at set up. Also stand a little farther away from the ball!”

Paige had just a brief year playing career but is now making huge amounts through social media.

Research from Vegas Insider suggests the 31-year-old earns as much as FOUR TIMES more per post than Scottie Scheffler.

Paige shared slow motion video for her legion of followers

The study estimates that Paige earns between $8,477 (£6,692) to $12,716 (£10,000) per post.

Scheffler, on the other hand, earns $2,000 (£1,578) to $3,000 (£2,368) per post.

Ten Times Paige Spiranac Drove Fans Wild on Instagram

Paige is also now inviting followers to join her on Passes, where her memberships run from £4 to £80 a month.

She announced the news on Instagram alongside some trademark racy photos.

A glimpse inside Paige Spiranac’s glamorous life…

Paige has carved out a successful career on social media

7Paige has carved out a successful career on social mediaCredit: Instagram @_paige.renee
She has over 4m Instagram followers

7She has over 4m Instagram followersCredit: X/PaigeSpiranac
Paige had just a brief year playing career

7Paige had just a brief year playing careerCredit: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cuhk-nWr6Q_/?hl=en
She stopped playing golf in 2017

7She stopped playing golf in 2017Credit: Instagram
She is now a big hit and earner on social media

7She is now a big hit and earner on social media
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