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‘The Dink’ Writer Sean Clements on His Funny, Heartfelt Tribute to the Pickleball Community: ‘I Got Adopted by This Whole Crew of Older Women’
Sean Clements’ new Apple TV+ comedy “The Dink” draws on his own experience of being welcomed into the pickleball community after injuries made returning to tennis difficult. The film uses tensions between tennis and pickleball players as its central conflict, while presenting the sport’s social, intergenerational appeal with humour and affection. Starring Jake Johnson as…
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The Elevated Fanboy Cult of Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” has opened to exceptional commercial and critical success, reinforcing his position as one of cinema’s few directors whose films are treated as major cultural events. The article argues that this success gives Nolan even greater creative influence in Hollywood, while highlighting the intensely loyal audience and critical enthusiasm surrounding his work.…
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Prince William? David Cameron? JD Vance? Celebrities brace – and Staines celebrates – ahead of new Ali G film
Sacha Baron Cohen has revived Ali G ahead of a new film, Ali G: Who Iz I?, due for worldwide release on 23 October. The character made a disruptive appearance at the Wimbledon men’s final, where he allegedly heckled spectators, made provocative claims involving Prince Harry and tried to sell illegal substances; the incident may…
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‘The Dink’ Review: Pickleball Takes on Tennis in a Mild Underdog Sports Comedy
Variety film critic Guy Lodge reviews “The Dink,” a new Apple TV original sports comedy directed by Josh Greenbaum that pits pickleball against tennis. The film follows a disgraced former tennis prodigy who is humbled by a group of enthusiastic amateur pickleball players, aiming for the good-natured, non-confrontational tone associated with the fast-growing sport, but…
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Pickleball comedy sees Jake Johnson’s ex-tennis star chase a comeback
Apple TV’s new sports comedy “The Dink” follows Jake Johnson as Dustin Boyd, a failed tennis prodigy who rebuilds his self-esteem by taking up pickleball, in a film critic David Rooney calls watchable but formulaic. Produced by and co-starring Ben Stiller, the film seems to aim for the same comic niche that “Dodgeball” carved out…
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WTA adopts SRY gene testing to protect fair competition in women’s professional tennis
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has introduced SRY gene testing as part of its eligibility rules for women’s professional tennis, a move aimed at ensuring competitors in the women’s tour are biologically female. The change reflects a wider push across sport to safeguard fair competition amid ongoing debate over transgender and intersex participation in female…
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Players will need sex test to play on WTA Tour
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) will require all players to undergo genetic sex testing to compete on the WTA Tour, under an updated women’s eligibility policy taking effect from Tuesday. The change makes tennis the latest sport, following World Athletics and World Boxing, to introduce mandatory genetic screening for the women’s category, reflecting broader shifts…
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Muchova to miss Canadian Open after ‘small surgery’
Wimbledon finalist Karolina Muchova will miss the Canadian Open after undergoing what she described as “small surgery”, ruling her out of her planned debut in Toronto. The 29-year-old Czech, who has previously struggled with wrist injuries, did not specify the nature of the procedure or give a precise return date, saying only that it would…
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Under threat from the rise of padel: Tennis club with nearly 200 members fights for survival as it faces being replaced by padel courts in row over rent
A tennis club with almost 200 members is fighting for its survival after facing the prospect of being replaced by padel courts amid a dispute over rent. The case highlights growing tensions across Britain as padel’s rapid rise in popularity puts pressure on traditional tennis facilities, with some landlords and club owners looking to convert…
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Former French tennis player’s plan to appeal a match-fixing suspension backfires on him
Samuel Bensoussan's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport backfired after the ITIA pushed for a harsher penalty tied to a 375-match fixing ring.