Archive July 3, 2025

Chris Atherton, 16, has left Mourneview Park to join Chelsea.

At 13 years and 329 days old, the Northern Ireland Under-17 international, who was 13 years and 329 days old, became the youngest senior football player in the United Kingdom in September 2022, made headlines.

When the teenager started for the Lurgan Blues in a 6-0 victory over Dollingstown in the BetMcLean Cup, he broke the senior record by starting as a substitute for the Lurgan Blues.

Atherton overcame Jordan Allan’s previous record, which was 14 years, 191 days, in Airdrie.

He started for Glenavon regularly throughout the 2024-2019 campaign, scoring his first Irish Premiership goal against Loughgall in March as Paddy McLaughlin’s side finished 10th overall.

Glenavon made the announcement on X by posting that Chris Atherton’s blue is still the color.

In Wimbledon’s opening days, seismic shocks have been a hot topic for a reason.

A record 36 players were eliminated at the end of Thursday’s play, surpassing the 35-player total at this point in the 2020 French Open, with just one more second-round match to come to an end at the conclusion of the tournament.

The men’s and women’s singles draws have grown to include the highest-ranked players to leave, with French Open champion Coco Gauff and men’s third-seeded Alexander Zverev atop the list of high-profile exits.

Eight of the top ten players, who had never won at any major tournament before the start of the Open era in 1968, dropped out in the first round, a record number.

Only Aryna Sabalenka, the top-five women’s player, has made it to the third round for the second time in the Open era.

Four of the top ten players, including British fourth seed Jack Draper, also lost in the second round of a Slam before only the third time in the previous 25 years.

Some still reported struggling, and Briton Cameron Norrie acknowledged the weather “was a bit of a shock to the system.” Others were given ice packs, cold towels, and plenty of water to help them deal with the conditions.

Some players have expressed frustration with the heat due to the grass courts’ interaction with the balls as well.

Denis Shapovalov, a 27th seed in Canada, declared: “The grass tour has turned into a joke. The balls are the worst. The court is slower than a clay court, and this one is no longer grass.

Players have more time to play the ball on slower courts, which results in longer rallies and physically draining longer games.

Then, what about the balls? Is there a difference there?

British number one Emma Raducanu spoke about the influence they were having after her remarkable victory over Marketa Vondrousova.

With the new balls, “you get a little bit extra,” she said, “but] I think these Slazenger balls really fluff up quite quickly and become heavy and slow” after a few games or a few long rallies in. The bigger hitters get some extra time to load and give it, according to “I think that.”

Mark Petchey, the coach of Raducanu, previously claimed that her ability to compete with the big hitters of the sport is being impacted by heavier tennis balls.

The quick turnaround before and short nature of the grass court season is one thing that hasn’t changed but still poses a problem for players.

It lasts less than 50 days, beginning some days before the French Open’s start in June and ending with Wimbledon on July 13.

Gauff won the French Open on June 7 and made it to just one grass court tournament before Wimbledon, losing in the first round of the Berlin Open.

The American second seed said, “I think this Slam, out of all of them, is the most prone to upsets because of how quickly the turnaround is from clay.”

High-profile players have long raised concerns about the schedule.

Casper Ruud, a Norwegian, earlier this year, criticized the ranking system, calling it “a rat race,” while Alex de Minaur, an Australian, ranked ninth, said he “felt burned out” before claiming to have left the French Open “feeling burned out.”

Women’s fourth seed Jasmine Paolini said she needed to “reset” mentally following her second-round defeat, adding: “I feel a little tired right now. There were two intense months prior to this.

On that subject, Raducanu remarked, “It’s a mentally very difficult sport. What I’ve found to be useful is attempting to win the day by focusing on the process as much as possible while surround yourself with good people. Because the results are so fluctuating, it’s really difficult to take your joy in. It’s a “rollercoaster” of a ride.

Could the prospect of other top seeds leaving make others more anxious, while also giving lower-ranked players greater faith?

American sixth seed Madison Keys, who is still in contention after recovering from a set-up in her opener, said: “I think when you are sitting and watching everyone kind of fall, it adds a little stress to the situation. I feel like I managed to dodge a little bullet because I was fairly close in my first round.

American former player Tracy Austin also cited the shorter grass season and demanding schedule, with lower-ranked players believing they can outmatch the top seeds.

Frances Tiafoe, the 12th seed lost to Norrie in the second round, commented on the stronger competition: “You have some young guys playing well and unseeded floaters.” The current level of play has an incredible depth. You’ll lose if you don’t get ready to go. Some of the seeded guys appear to be hesitant to leave.

American Amanda Anisimova may have gotten the most out of the women’s draw, which included the eliminated Paolini and the fifth-seeded Zheng Qinwen.

The 13th seed would not face Linda Noskova, the top seed, until the semi-finals, where she could meet Sabalenka, despite Naomi Osaka, a four-time major winner, remaining in her quarter.

Following defeats for Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Francisco Cerundolo, and Matteo Berrettini, the Russian woman can reach the quarter-finals in men’s singles without facing a fellow seed.

If Mattia Bellucci can defeat the Briton first, Norrie could advance to the quarter-finals without facing another seed. Joao Fonseca or Nicolas Jarry, who are both from Brazil, are both in contention for the spot in the fourth round.

Before being matched with the world rankings used for the women’s draw, men’s singles seedings were based on a surface-based formula based on recent grass court victories.