Juan Mata takes ownership stake in Melbourne Victory
By Lee Seng Foo2 days ago
Juan Mata has strengthened his commitment to Australian football after acquiring an ownership stake in A-League club Melbourne Victory.
Announced on Monday, the investment is separate from the former Manchester United and Chelsea star’s playing contract, with the 38-year-old yet to decide whether he will continue playing next season.
Once he retires, Mata will also chair a newly established football committee at the club.
The World Cup winner enjoyed an impressive first season with Victory, helping the club finish fourth in the A-League Men before being named the 2025/26 Johnny Warren Medallist as the competition’s best player.
“Australian football has a future I genuinely believe in,” Mata said.
“From the moment I arrived at Melbourne Victory, I’ve felt the passion of this club and the potential of the A-Leagues, and I want to be part of building what comes next – not just for a season, but for the long term.”
Mata’s shareholding is effective immediately and makes him one of the few active professional footballers to hold an ownership stake in the club he currently represents.
The Spaniard already has investments in MLS side San Diego FC and the Alpine Formula One team.
Malaysia's Hafizh Syahrin will line up alongside reigning MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez and several of Ducati's biggest names at the upcoming Lenovo Race of Champions during the 2026 World Ducati Week celebrations at Misano.
Held as part of Ducati's flagship fan festival from July 3 to 5, the exhibition race commemorates the Italian manufacturer's 100th anniversary and brings together riders from MotoGP, World Superbike and other Ducati-supported championships.
Marquez headlines Ducati's MotoGP contingent alongside Francesco Bagnaia, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Franco Morbidelli and test rider Michele Pirro, while WorldSBK title contenders Nicolo Bulega and Alvaro Bautista are also among the star attractions.
Hafizh is the sole representative from the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) after earning an invitation on the back of another outstanding season with JDT Racing Team.
The reigning ASB1000 champion has enjoyed a perfect start to his 2026 title defence, winning all six races contested so far.
The 2026 Wimbledon Championships, live on SPOTV NOW, have already produced their fair share of records, milestones and unexpected statistics after just two days of action.
From Novak Djokovic's remarkable consistency to Southeast Asia's breakthrough performances, here are 10 fun facts from the opening round at the All England Club.
Djokovic improved his perfect first-round Wimbledon record to 21-0 after defeating China's Wu Yibing in straight sets. The victory also made the Serbian the first player in the Open Era to record more than 80 first-round wins across the four Grand Slam tournaments.
Sinner joins an Italian great
Jannik Sinner equalled Nicola Pietrangeli's Italian record of 94 Grand Slam singles match wins after surviving Miomir Kecmanovic in five sets. The world No. 1 can claim the record outright if he overcomes Nuno Borges in the second round.
Kecmanovic goes down fighting
Kecmanovic became the second player in as many years to take a reigning Wimbledon men's singles champion to five sets in the opening round. Fabio Fognini had pushed Carlos Alcaraz the distance last year, while Alejandro Falla was the previous player to do so against Roger Federer in 2010.
A seeded wild card
Despite a surprise first-round exit, Maja Chwalinska achieved one of the rarest feats in Grand Slam history by entering Wimbledon as both a seed and a wild card. The 2026 Roland Garros finalist became just the third player in the Open Era to do so after Martina Hingis at the 2002 US Open and Patty Schnyder at Wimbledon in 2004.
Nightmare start for Britain
Great Britain endured its worst Wimbledon opening since 1988 after 15 home players exited in the first round. Cameron Norrie, the nation's highest-ranked entrant, was among the biggest casualties after losing to Michael Zheng, leaving only Katie Swan, Jacob Fearnley, Arthur Fery and Jan Choinski in the singles draws.
Britain's hopes had already been dented before the tournament began after Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu withdrew through injury.
Pablo Carreno Busta finally won a Wimbledon singles main-draw match on his eighth attempt. The Spaniard entered the Championships with an 0-7 singles record before advancing after Denis Shapovalov retired injured on Monday.
Spain's latest teenage winner
Rafael Jodar won his first ATP Tour-level match on grass and became only the fifth Spanish teenager in the Open Era to win a Wimbledon men's singles match. He joined an exclusive group featuring Sergi Bruguera, Tommy Robredo, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.
North Macedonia celebrates a first
Lina Gjorcheska became the first player from North Macedonia to compete in a Grand Slam singles main draw. The 31-year-old achieved the milestone after successfully coming through qualifying. She went on to lose to Amanda Anisimova in the first round.
Uzbekistan's growing presence
Polina Kudermetova, Kamilla Rakhimova and Maria Timofeeva made their Wimbledon debuts representing Uzbekistan after switching nationality from Russia. They also joined a wider trend of former Russian players now representing other nations, including Austria's Anastasia Potapova and Australia's Daria Kasatkina.
SEAblings into second round
Alexandra Eala beat Mexico’s Renata Zarazua to clinch her first Wimbledon opening-round win and join fellow Southeast Asians Janice Tjen, Mananchaya Sawangkaew and Lanlana Tararudee in the second round.
Tjen became the first Indonesian to reach the Wimbledon second round since Angelique Widjaja in 2003, while Sawangkaew ended Thailand's seven-year wait for a women's singles victory at the All England Club.
Naomi Osaka said her Japanese heritage and Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill inspired the striking outfit she wore onto court before her opening-round victory at Wimbledon on Monday.
The four-time Grand Slam champion turned heads by arriving in a custom all-white ensemble inspired by traditional Japanese ceremonial dress that complied with Wimbledon's strict dress code before changing into a white Nike playing dress before her match.
Speaking after defeating France's Elsa Jacquemot 6-1, 7-5, Osaka explained that the design reflected both her cultural roots and one of her favourite films.
"For me, my Japanese heritage means a lot," Osaka said.
"They say all white at Wimbledon and I thought it would be really cool to come out in a kimono.
"One of my favourite movies is Kill Bill. I really love Lucy Liu's character, O-Ren Ishii, and she comes out in this really iconic white kimono."
Osaka has become known for making bold fashion statements at Grand Slam tournaments, having also unveiled custom-themed outfits at this year's Australian Open and Roland Garros.
Southeast Asian tennis enjoyed a memorable start to Wimbledon 2026 after Indonesia's Janice Tjen and Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew both eliminated seeded opponents to reach the second round on Monday.
Tjen defeated 22nd seed Leylah Fernandez 6-1, 7-6(3), extending her perfect record over the Canadian to 3-0 this season following previous victories at the Australian Open and Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Qualifier Sawangkaew produced one of the biggest upsets of the opening day after rallying from a set down and saving a match point to beat 2026 Roland Garros finalist Maja Chwalinska 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 for her maiden Grand Slam main-draw victory.
The result also made Sawangkaew the first Thai player to win a Wimbledon singles main-draw match since Luksika Kumkhum reached the second round in 2018.
Fellow Thai Lanlana Tararudee also progressed after defeating Austria's Lilli Tagger, giving Southeast Asia three representatives in the second round.
Attention now turns to Filipino star Alexandra Eala, who opens her Wimbledon singles campaign on Tuesday against Mexico's Renata Zarazua, in which a victory would cap an outstanding opening round for Southeast Asia.
The Wimbledon Championships continue live on SPOTV NOW.
