One of Rafael Nadal‘s title-winning rackets is a hot item…
The 37-year-old Spanish professional tennis player and former World No. 1’s racket from his 2007 French Open final victory over Roger Federerwas sold for more than $118,000 at an auction Monday, ranking among the highest-priced memorabilia.
Nadal beat Federer 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the 2007 final at Roland Garros with the Babolat AeroPro Drive racket to win his third Grand Slam title before the Spaniard moved on to secure 19 more — 14 of them in Paris– to become one of the sport’s greatest players.
The racket, which Nadal also used in previous matches at the tournament, including his semifinal victory against Novak Djokovic, sold for $118,206 at an online auction, Prestige Memorabilia‘s The Tennis Auction, that closed on Monday.
It was previously housed in the Australian Tennis Museum prior to its recent closure.
Previous highest individual tennis racket auction sales include Nadal’s 2022 Australian Open racket ($139,700), Billie Jean King‘s “Battle of the Sexes” racket ($125,000) and Djokovic’s 2016 French Open racket ($107,482).
Nadal missed the recent Australian Open this month after suffering a small muscle tear during his comeback from a long injury layoff at the Brisbane International earlier in January.
He, however, is set to return on the court in February during the ATP 250 tournament in Doha.
Jennifer Lopez isn’t dodging her philanthropic duties…
The 52-year-old Puerto Rican superstar will headline the Los Angeles DodgersFoundation’s Blue Diamond Gala at Dodger Stadium, where she’ll perform an exclusive concert.
Referred to as “The Party For LA,” the event is presented by the Los Angeles Dodgers Ownership Group, a collective that includes Mark Walter, Magic Johnson and tennis great Billie Jean King.
Lopez will share the program with DJ D-Nice, who will spin a set during the pre-show dinner party.
In addition to the live performances, the event will play host to special guests like Dodgers players, alumni and coaches and other boldfaced name VIPs.
Proceeds from the Blue Diamond Gala benefit LADF and its community programs and initiatives aimed at improving education, health care, homelessness and social justice for Angelenos.
Since its inception, LADF has invested over $40 million into the Los Angeles community in the form of direct programs and grants to nonprofits.
“We are thrilled to announce the return of the sixth annual Blue Diamond Gala, the party for Los Angeles, celebrating and raising funds for the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and our positive impact on the Los Angeles community,” said Walter, Dodgers owner and LADF chairman of the board. “We are truly honored to have an artist of Jennifer Lopez’s caliber performing at this year’s gala.”
Added LADF CEO Nichol Whiteman: “The return of the gala is a celebration of heroes, our partners and those we serve, who experienced so many highs and lows the last two years. They are the reason we are bigger than baseball.”
Becky G is commemorating International Women’s Day in a big way…
The 24-year-old Mexican American bilingual rapper/singer has joined the United Nations Human Rights on International Women’s Day (March 8) for the “We All Rise” campaign for gender equality during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Becky G appears in the campaign alongside Celine Dion, Cher, Cyndi Lauper and many most stars.
The artists — joined by activist/tennis legend Billie Jean King, TV personality Padma Lakshmi, actors Renée Elise Goldsberry and Terry Crews, WNBA champ Sue Bird and singer/songwriter Amanda Shires — have partnered with the UN to select the 2021 We All Rise female empowerment anthem “Together We Are Stronger.”
The soaring song features KT Tunstall, Lolo, Devyn Lorea and Nikki Vianna, and was written by written by Morgan Dorr, Greg Hansen and Lorea, with production by the Highland Park Collective.
We All Rise aims to reach more than 150 million with its first effort, described in a release as a “celebrity-driven social media campaign promoting gender equality as a fundamental human right essential to achieving a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.” The coalition of celebrities and advocates participating in the effort also includes LeAnn Rimes, Dionne Warwick, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Liv Warfield, Blair Underwood, Gloria Estefan, Naomi Campbell, Bridget Moynihan, and Debbie Allen.
“Gender equality is one of the fundamental values of the United Nations and lies at the very heart of human rights,” said Veronica Birga, chief of the Women’s Rights and Gender Section of United Nations Human Rights in a statement. “That is why we are the global partner of WE ALL RISE, an exciting new initiative committed to promoting, protecting, and advancing the human rights of all women and girls around the world. Because gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, it is essential to achieving a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.”
The effort is one of many across the music world on Monday to celebrate International Women’s Day, including a playlist curated by BLACKPINK‘s Rosé and a remake of “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan and Idina Menzel, among other efforts.
“Gender equality and the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women are fundamental human rights and core values of the United Nations,” added Trish Golden, president of We All Rise. “Together with our Global Partner, United Nations Human Rights, We All Rise is dedicated to promoting gender equality around the world and the human rights of women and girls, in all their diversity. When we support women’s rights, We All Rise together.”
The video for the inspiring “Together We Are Stronger” features images of women from around the world marching for equality and securing a future for girls and young women where they can achieve their goals.
Rosie Casals’ fight for equal pay (and more) is getting told…
Tennis legend Billie Jean King will narrate a docu-series, featuring her then doubles partner, the 72-year-old Salvadoran American former tennis player, and the other members of the Original 9, that’ll tell the stories of pay inequities, motherhood, LGBTQ+ rights, and intersectionality and diversity in women’s sports.
Glamour and Condé Nast Entertainment, along with King and Little Monster Films, are producing the series to show the trailblazers who tried to bridge the appalling disparity of pay and standing that female athletes past and present have endured.
The jumping off point was a Glamour cover that focused on how a fed-up King and a group of top female tennis players called the Original 9 tried to bridge the pay gap between the scraps they were getting, and the big paydays limited to their male counterparts.
The 27-year old King was the top player in her sport where the entire women’s prize pool was $5,000. King led a group that included Casals, Nancy Richey, Julie Heldman, Valerie Ziegenfuss, Judy Tegart Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Peaches Bartkowicz and Kristy Pigeon. They announced their own tour—it became the forerunner of the Women’s Tennis Association– and found enough sponsors and financial support to launch a 23-match tour with an unprecedented $100,000 in prize money.
The series will focus on that and other struggles that led to course corrections, and areas that need to improve. Anyone who watched the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team win the World Cup again in 2019 likely knows of their struggle to be paid comparable to their male counterparts.
The multi-part series will be produced by Oscar winners Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.
“We’ve made progress in pay equality in and out of sports, but there’s still so much more to do for future generations,” said King. “People have to invest in women—and I don’t mean just women investing in women, I mean everyone. I’m excited to partner with Glamour to bring these vital issues to a wider audience.”
Glamour editor Samantha Barry said that after the magazine exhibited “long history of championing our female sporting heroes and demanding their equal remuneration, we are committing to our first ever long-form docu-series chronicling this historic fight. These are sportswomen, but they are also all women—and this incredible piece of storytelling has the power to reshape all our futures.”
“Jimmy and I have a long history of telling athletes’ stories, digging in to both their sport and a larger narrative of ambition, motivation, and risk,” says Little Monster Films’ Chai Vasarhelyi. “We are passionate about spotlighting new and unheard voices among women athletes, and this series with Glamour and the legendary Billie Jean will capture those character-driven stories. On the court, we’re seeing more and more teams standing united in their activism. Now is the time for this project, as the relationship between our sports and our wider political conversations is at an all-time high.”
The 31-year-old Cuban American actress has been cast in Battle of the Sexes, Fox Searchlight’s film about the historic 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
Emma Stone and Steve Carell will play the leads, while Morales will portray Rosie Casals, a one of “The 9” — the first women to form their own tennis league and go on tour. She became good friends with King and supported her leading up to the big match with Riggs.
Jonathan Faris and Valerie Dayton are directing the film from a script by Simon Beaufoy.
Morales currently co-stars on Fox’s The Grinder, and her credits also include Trophy Wife, Parks and Recreation, Girlsand90210.
Nadal beat Federer 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the 2007 final at Roland Garros with the Babolat AeroPro Drive racket to win his third Grand Slam title before the Spaniard moved on to secure 19 more — 14 of them in Paris– to become one of the sport’s greatest players.
