Women's World Cup Winners Maintain Boycott of Spain's National Team

Spanish former Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) chief, Luis Rubiales, leaves the National Court in Madrid, Spain, 15 September 2023. EPA/Sergio Perez
Spanish former Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) chief, Luis Rubiales, leaves the National Court in Madrid, Spain, 15 September 2023. EPA/Sergio Perez
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Women's World Cup Winners Maintain Boycott of Spain's National Team

Spanish former Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) chief, Luis Rubiales, leaves the National Court in Madrid, Spain, 15 September 2023. EPA/Sergio Perez
Spanish former Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) chief, Luis Rubiales, leaves the National Court in Madrid, Spain, 15 September 2023. EPA/Sergio Perez

The new coach of Spain's women's team had to delay the announcement of her first squad Friday after the country's World Cup-winning players maintained their boycott of the national team as part of their fight against sexism in soccer.

Spain coach Montse Tomé was set to announce her squad on Friday. But 20 minutes before she was supposed to hold a news conference, the federation said it was postponed to a time to be determined.

The federation said the players had rejected their attempts to convince them to return to the team early on Friday.

That leaves Tomé with the difficult decision of whether to still call up the revolting players, or select a completely different team for upcoming Nations League games against Sweden and Switzerland on Sept. 22 and 26.

According to Spanish sports law, athletes are required to answer the call of its national teams unless there are circumstances that impede them from playing, such as an injury.

Spain’s women have had little chance to celebrate their greatest soccer achievement because Luis Rubiales, the now former president of the federation, caused an uproar when he kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips at the awards ceremony in Sydney on Aug. 20.

The 23 players, along with dozens of other players, responded to his subsequent refusal to step down in the days after the kiss by announcing that they would not play for their nation again until the federation underwent deep reforms and had new leadership. The federation has been in upheaval since.

Rubiales was first suspended by soccer governing body FIFA, then his interim replacement fired women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda, who was unpopular with players. Rubiales himself eventually resigned under immense pressure.

Many expected that the firing of Vilda and the exit of Rubiales would clear the path for the return of the players. But it appears that the players want more changes, even though they have not made their specific demands public.

Rubiales has been given a restraining order and is prohibited from contacting the player he kissed, Spain’s National Court said Friday.

Rubiales appeared in front of Judge Francisco de Jorge and denied any wrongdoing when questioned about kissing Hermoso on the lips, the state prosecutors’ office said.

After hearing Rubiales, the judge issued the restraining order that prohibits Rubiales from being within 200 meters of Hermoso. The state prosecutors had asked for that ban to reach 500 meters.

The judge rejected the prosecutors’ request to also oblige Rubiales to check in with a court every 15 days as well as the request by Hermoso’s lawyer to freeze assets belonging to Rubiales.



Sinner Beats Zverev in 3 Sets for his 2nd Australian Open Title in a Row

Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates after defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany in the men's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates after defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany in the men's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
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Sinner Beats Zverev in 3 Sets for his 2nd Australian Open Title in a Row

Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates after defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany in the men's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates after defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany in the men's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Jannik Sinner claimed his second consecutive Australian Open championship on Sunday, never facing a single break point and using his complete game to outplay and frustrate Alexander Zverev for a 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory in the final.
Sinner, a 23-year-old Italian, is the youngest man to leave Melbourne Park with the trophy two years in a row since Jim Courier in 1992-93, The Associated Press reported.
Sinner rose to No. 1 last June, remaining there for every week since, and the gap between him and No. 2-ranked Zverev was pronounced as can be in Rod Laver Arena. This was the first Australian Open final between the men at No. 1 and No. 2 since 2019, when No. 1 Novak Djokovic defeated No. 2 Rafael Nadal — also in straight sets.
Here’s how dominant Sinner has been since the start of last season: He has won three of the five major tournaments, including the US Open in September, and his record in that span is 80-6 with a total of nine tournament titles. His current unbeaten run covers 21 matches, dating to last year.
The only thing that’s clouded the past 12 months for Sinner, it seems, is a doping case in which he was cleared by a ruling that was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency. He tested positive for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid twice last March but blamed it on an accidental exposure involving two members of his team who have since been fired. Sinner initially was exonerated in August; a hearing in the WADA appeal is scheduled for April.
While Sinner became the eighth man in the Open era (which began in 1968) to start his career 3-0 in Grand Slam finals, Zverev is the seventh to be 0-3, adding this loss to those at the 2020 US Open and the 2024 French Open.
Those earlier setbacks both came in five sets. This contest was not that close. Not at all.
There truly was only one moment that felt as if it contained a hint of tension. It was late in the second set, which Zverev was two points from owning when he led 5-4 and got to love-30 on Sinner’s serve. But a break point — and a set point — never arrived there.
Zverev not got closer, dropping the next four points, making it 5-all. Sinner then emerged with the ensuing tiebreaker. No surprise there: He went 4-0 in those set-deciders over the past two weeks and has grabbed 16 of his past 18.
A year ago, Sinner went through a lot more trouble to earn his first Slam, needing to get past Novak Djokovic — who quit one set into his semifinal against Zverev on Friday because of a torn hamstring — first, before erasing a two-set deficit in the final against 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev.
Beating Zverev allowed Sinner to become the first man since Nadal at the French Open in 2005 and 2006 to follow up his first Grand Slam title by repeating as the champion at the same tournament a year later.