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Good morning! Have a normal handshake today. Inside:
Hello, Tennis: A handshake ignites the drama down under
It is always lovely to have a tennis major on our screens, but this year’s Australian Open had not blasted off during its first few days like many of us had hoped/expected. That changed Wednesday night into Thursday, in a big way.
Before we get to the drama, a quick recap of the latest results:
We haven’t seen any major upsets yet. Carlos Alcaraz breezed through his third-round match just hours ago, while both Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff also advanced.
The best singles match of the day belonged to Daniil Medvedev, who came from two sets down to beat unseeded Fabian Marozsan in five. He faces American Learner Tien in the fourth round.
Those are Day 6 results. Day 5 is what brought this tournament to life, though, and a handshake set the mood:
Naomi Osaka, seeded 16th in this tournament and already in the headlines this week for her fashion statement, edged unseeded Sorana Cîrstea in a three-set match that was simply excellent tennis. After the match, Cîrstea cut the handshake short and the two exchanged words:
Apparently, the rift happened because of Osaka pumping herself up on the court. You can read more about that full exchange and the rest of Day 5’s drama here.
Let’s keep moving:
News to Know
Erin Chang / ISI Photos via Getty Images
Rodman stays in NWSL with huge deal
The NWSL’s potential nightmare scenario is over, as USWNT star forward Trinity Rodman will remain with the Washington Spirit on a three-year deal worth over $6 million, making her the highest-paid women’s soccer player on the planet. And to be clear, she is worth every penny. Before this, the player, team and league were ensnared in a misery of their own making, with the 23-year-old drawing international interest the entire time. See the full lore here.
Ravens hire Minter
Jesse Minter is the new coach in Baltimore, which feels right considering the full Harbaugh loop he’s completed in the last decade. Minter, 42, excelled as Jim Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator with the Chargers over the last two seasons, and before that won a national title as Michigan’s coordinator under Jim in 2023. Minter was also an assistant in Baltimore under former Ravens coach John Harbaugh from 2017 to 2020. The timing of the hire is interesting, too.
More news:
Carlos Beltrán, an upcoming member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, said in an interview yesterday that the Astros cheating scandal doesn’t define who he is. Read his full comments.
Former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore appeared in court yesterday. See our courtroom report.
The Colts are “aware” of an FBI investigation into late owner Jim Irsay’s death. More details here.
Indiana’s national championship win over Miami drew the highest TV ratings of any non-NFL sporting event since 2016. Numbers.
Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks insists he caught the ball referees ruled an interception in Buffalo’s playoff loss in Denver last weekend. His comments were quite vulnerable.
Jonathan Kuminga, suddenly a more important member of the Warriors who has also requested a trade, left last night’s game with knee soreness. It’s been a bad week for Golden State.
I’m glad we recommended you watch Oklahoma-South Carolina yesterday, because the Sooners’ overtime upset of the Gamecocks was electric. Full recap here.
📰 Find more news here 24/7.
Milestones: Happy birthday, us
Ten years ago this week, The Athletic was born. A meme was born, too.
What began as a pipe dream in 2016’s sports media economy — building a subscription site centered around simply great sports journalism — became a rollicking reality. Soon, sportswriters from across the country were penning stories about why they joined The Athletic, which was so frequent it became a bit.
At one point, it felt like Kevin Durant signing with the Warriors when a big name would join the fold. More on that in a second.
Our masthead compiled a great list of stories across our history that exemplify what we set out to do. Quick notes on my favorites among them, which were difficult to narrow down:
Jason Quick’s story on Damian Lillard’s series-ending game winner over the Thunder in 2019. Moments like this are why people like sports in the first place, and reliving this — even as a neutral observer — was really fun.
Peter Baugh’s retelling of the shortest career in NHL history (one shift, four seconds) was also a joy. Taking niche facts and finding a larger story behind them is a superpower.
Brendan Quinn could fill an entire coffee table book with his great stories, but I’m going with the saga of Lilia Vu, the Olympian golfer whose family fled Vietnam after the fall of Saigon. It’s a gripping tale worth another read if you missed it.
When I think about our journalistic access and how it’s best used, I always come back to Chantel Jennings’ profile of Stanford coaching icon Tara VanDerveer. A master class.
And, of course, there is Tim Kawakami’s oral history of Durant joining the Warriors in 2016. What a capsule in time.
See the full roster of stories here. And thank you for reading.
Watch Guide
📺 NBA: Rockets at Pistons
7 p.m. ET on Prime Video
Hey, Detroit is still the East’s best team halfway through the year. A lot can happen in 40 games, but this isn’t a 15-game fluke hot streak. I really enjoyed this story about how a field trip to Boston for a playoff game two years ago helped the young Pistons core prepare for this reality. Get a look at them if you haven’t already.
📺 NHL: Lightning at Blackhawks
7 p.m. ET on ESPN
If you prefer hockey over hoops, catch surging Tampa Bay travel to play a confusing Chicago team that’s making its front office sweat the trade deadline. Good game.
Get tickets to games like this here.
Pulse Picks
Jeff Howe asked a panel of NFL coaches and executives to predict every playoff game. So far, the panel is 10-0. See their picks for this weekend here. No pressure, folks.
Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin are big names, yes. But the U.S. Olympic women’s Alpine team may be the deepest it’s ever been. Meet the rest of the crew.
NBA trade rumors continue to percolate as the Feb. 5 deadline nears. We have a Trade Board 2.0 ready for your analysis. Some big names on there.
I so loved this story about Bill Macdonald, voice of the Lakers, whose first game on the mic for the team he loved — as a substitute, no less — was Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game. Make time for this today.
Austin Green tried Curt Cignetti’s “I Win” bowl at Chipotle. He thinks it should enter the transfer portal.
“The Athletic Football Show” has its big NFL conference title games preview. Who prevails in Rams-Seahawks III? Listen.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The roundtable from our Bills writers after that bananas news conference Wednesday. Read it here.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Our story on the sports commissioners meeting with President Trump.
📫 That’s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com, and check out our other newsletters.
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