Kevin Durant was never supposed to be on the Golden State Warriors. It was an accident: A one-time-only salary-cap spike left a 73-win team with enough space to add perhaps the world's second-best player. The NBA had seen Big 3s before. It had never seen a Big 4 like this.
All four stars were still younger than 30 after they won their first title, obliterating the league across a 15-1 postseason. The Warriors looked poised to be the greatest dynasty since Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls.
Only two years and one championship after that 2017 crown, that team is gone. Durant plays for the Brooklyn Nets, which is a thing you have to say out loud a few times before you believe it. He is recovering from a devastating injury; Klay Thompson is too. Andre Iguodala plays for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Maybe it is just this hard to sustain greatness. Maybe this is the shelf life of a championship team now. The grind -- 100-plus games every season -- is exhausting. The LeBron James-era Miami Heat lasted four seasons, until everyone seemed old, weary or ready to move on. Superstar contracts make it hard to build depth. Those contracts are short. Stars win titles, then seek other kinds of validation.
Durant spent part of the summer after that first championship working with Steve Nash, a Warriors consultant. Nash was struck by Durant's despondency.
"He didn't have a great summer," Nash told me last year. "He was searching for what it all meant. He thought a championship would change everything and found out it doesn't. He was not fulfilled."
The Warriors enjoyed having Durant, and he enjoyed playing in Golden State. Still: They never found a permanent comfort zone together. Teammates and coaches looked for hopeful signs. When Durant and Stephen Curry sipped wine together for hours after a team dinner in Denver during Durant's first preseason with Golden State, coaches smiled. The two stars were getting to know each other, getting over the awkward stage.
But Durant would withdraw. He grew so quiet during the middle of the 2017-18 season that coach Steve Kerr summoned him to lunch in Portland before the All-Star break. "I don't want to lose you," Durant remembered Kerr telling him.
"He had been drifting a bit," Kerr told ESPN after the 2018 NBA Finals. "He's vulnerable. I felt the need to reconnect."
There was a natural tension -- "stylistic tension, not personal tension," Kerr said then -- between Durant's approach and the Warriors' beautiful game, even if Durant had the savvy and skill to meld them. That tension came to a head during the 2018 Western Conference finals, when the Houston Rockets' switching defense jammed Golden State's motion and coaxed the Warriors into more one-on-one play. Durant slumped. Critics howled. The Warriors almost lost.
But they didn't lose. On the flight back from Houston after Game 7, Durant sat next to Bob Myers, Golden State's president of basketball operations, and declared, "I have never felt more a part of the team," Myers recalled last year.
For whatever reason, that feeling could never last. Some of it was probably Durant's (understandable) decision to cycle between short-term deals. Maybe some of the key personalities didn't hit it off like they hoped -- as Marcus Thompson of The Athletic detailed here.
Maybe some of it was baked into the unique four-star construction of the team. The Warriors were too good for observers to discuss anything but their internal dynamics. Even well-meaning attempts at that discussion could grow grating for the subjects of it. Maybe it was hard for Durant to feel a part of the Warriors if all anyone could talk about was what he had done to the Warriors -- to the team's style, to its identity, to the legacy and standing of its stars.
It surprised almost no one that he left. Some within the team worried during parts of 2017-18 that he would depart after that season.
Perhaps all of that is why Iguodala's departure felt so much more like the end of an era than Durant's. Golden State began its ascent before Iguodala. He bore witness to it in 2013, when the sixth-seeded Warriors shot and pranced by his Denver Nuggets in the first round. Iguodala saw something in those young Warriors, and they saw something in him.
Golden State pitched him in free agency that summer, even though they didn't have enough cap space. They even prepared a promotional DVD. He waved it away. Get the space and I'll come.
Myers still calls it the most stressful deal of his career. He canvassed the league looking to dump money. Joe Lacob, the Warriors' governor and Myers' boss, was away at a vacation home in Montana with limited cell phone reception when Myers found a partner: the Utah Jazz, demanding two unprotected first-round picks and $3 million in cash. Lacob was unreachable. His son, Kirk, the team's assistant general manager, told Myers to do the deal anyway.
After one season as a starter ended in a disappointing first-round loss, Kerr, the team's new coach, sold Iguodala on a bench role in 2014-15. It became the role of Iguodala's basketball lifetime -- the job that allowed for the purest expression of his beliefs about what the game should look like.
When he was an anointed young star with the Philadelphia 76ers, Iguodala would watch highlights of Kobe Bryant and Jordan, old teammates recalled; they were the sort of alpha scorers who franchise stars were supposed to emulate. Iguodala tried. He wasn't good enough at it to lead a team anywhere serious. It wasn't him.
He was much more comfortable blending in with the Warriors' ethos of selflessness, speed and aesthetic beauty. He didn't just blend with it. He elevated it.
There was nothing in the NBA like the Warriors in full flight: two genius playmakers, Iguodala and Draymond Green, sprinting up the floor, eyes darting side to side, searching out the all-time great shooters orbiting them. The Warriors became the Warriors only when Iguodala strolled onto the floor in place of a lumbering center: the Death Lineup that turned the 2015 Finals, when Iguodala was named MVP, and then the Hamptons Five.
The game looked different, sounded different. You didn't watch it or analyze it as much as let it wash over you. The combined creativity in those lineups took the game to rare places. Few players anywhere are more creative than Iguodala. He sees things before anyone else and imagines possibilities few contemplate.
On defense, he out-thinks the world's best players -- moving in concert with them, arriving in places before they expect him. We all remember Thompson's barrage of 3s that saved Golden State in that epic Game 6 in Oklahoma City in 2016. Don't forget Iguodala's crunch-time defense -- how perhaps the greatest swipe-down steal artist of the last 15 years pulled the trick on both Durant and Russell Westbrook to short-circuit late Thunder possessions.
"He's as smart as any player I've been around," Kerr told ESPN in March, and when you pause to consider who Kerr has been around, that statement really means something.
Iguodala gave the Warriors some stealth swagger. He occasionally tried risky passes just to try them, even when something simpler would do, and even if the habit -- in Iguodala, but also in Curry and Green -- drove Kerr mad. After especially fancy passes, he smiled at the bench or gazed at his hands in mock astonishment. Upon landing after dunks, Iguodala paused in mid-crouch, arms spread, eyes wide open in faux shock: Oh, you forgot I used to do this?
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Jefferson: Iguodala knew his time was done in Golden State
Richard Jefferson explains that Andre Iguodala was likely so outspoken about Golden State's medical staff because he knew he was going to be traded.
Now he's gone, and the Warriors will never be the same. If (when?) the Warriors waive Shaun Livingston, the Curry/Thompson/Green trio will be all that remains from their first championship team. That trio won at historic levels before Durant. They went 34-4 over three seasons without him before the Finals against Toronto. That trio can still win -- big. Golden State's Plan A is to regroup around it. Thompson and Green are not yet 30.
But they did all that pre-Durant winning with in-their-prime role players supporting them. Iguodala was the best of them. Golden State has attempted to start that cycle again by effectively replacing Iguodala with D'Angelo Russell in a complicated sign-and-trade deal.
(On a side note, it is a trade that makes you appreciate what the San Antonio Spurs accomplished in their draft-day deal for Kawhi Leonard. Before things went haywire, the Spurs actually had done it: plucked a future franchise superstar who could extend the team's time among the elite toward the 30-year mark.)
Acquiring Russell came at enormous cost. Golden State is trading one future first-round pick to Brooklyn to facilitate the deal, per the reporting of Adrian Wojnarowski. That's right: The team losing Durant is trading a pick to the team getting Durant. Acquiring Russell in a sign-and-trade triggered a hard salary cap for Golden State just shy of $139 million. With every incumbent on the books, hitting that cap was unavoidable.
They had to trade someone. They chose Iguodala. The teams with space understood they held leverage. The Warriors sent a lightly protected 2024 first-round pick to Memphis along with Iguodala.
It is a huge gamble that Russell will be worth more than Iguodala and those picks in replenishing the talent around the franchise founding fathers.
Russell is surely not the player the Warriors would have chosen for this burden. He was the one available to them. It is hard to see how he fits all that well with Curry and Thompson beyond the fact that any ambulatory NBA player fits with the two greatest shooters in the history of the sport. Russell ran more pick-and-rolls than almost anyone else in the league last season. That does not mean it is a great idea to give Russell the ball and encourage him to jack floaters as Curry runs around. (It is a bad idea.)
Russell is a good enough shooter to play much more off the ball. That is the sort of hybrid role coach Luke Walton envisioned for Russell early in his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers -- jitterbugging the pick-and-roll on one possession, popping open behind a flare screen on the next.
He lost some of that off-ball dynamism with the Nets. Playing next to Curry (and, later, Thompson) will reanimate that part of Russell's game.
Russell can sop up minutes and possessions while Thompson recovers from a torn ACL. Golden State will not have to run Curry into the ground. The Curry/Russell/Thompson trio could be powerful on offense if Russell speeds the pace of his game in the half-court. He favored a laborious, if effective, on-ball style in Brooklyn. He will need to adjust to the improvisational read-and-react system of winks and cuts and give-and-go plays Thompson and Curry prefer.
If he does -- and Russell is skilled enough to do it -- those three could work as the backbone of a good offense. On defense, it's hard to see how Russell, Curry and Thompson can form 60% of effective lineups against top competition. Who defends point guards now? Is Thompson a full-time small forward?
Fit is almost beside the point. If it works better than anticipated, great. But the end goal was probably to turn Durant into a player the Warriors could trade for other players -- and picks that represent the chance to find such players -- that fit more cleanly around the Curry/Thompson/Green foundation. They can trade Russell again on Dec. 15. The Minnesota Timberwolves will still covet him then; Robert Covington would form the starting point of a very nice package. Other teams will need a point guard.
There was another path: Let Durant walk for nothing; keep Iguodala; use most of the midlevel exception to build out the 2019-20 roster; and hoard every future draft pick. The Warriors also could have netted a trade exception big enough to fit almost any player in the league. (As is, they likely are getting a $17 million trade exception in the Iguodala part of the deal.)
At first glance, I preferred that path. Golden State paid at the top of the market in draft compensation to shed Iguodala. They gave Russell the max as his market was drying up. I am lukewarm on Russell's ability to get any better unless he changes his shot selection.
But you can understand why the Warriors chose Russell. Trade exceptions usually snare expensive players on the decline. The "keep Iguodala" route would not have netted any real cap flexibility -- not now, and not later, with Green one year from cycling onto a fat, new contract. Golden State's best methods of grabbing a good young player in that scenario would have been trading one core star, or hitting on a masterstroke late in the draft. The chances of such a player developing in time to absorb some of the load from Curry, Thompson and Green before they decline are remote.
Thompson's injury changed the calculus. The Warriors needed someone right now to play a ton of minutes -- more than Iguodala can -- at a guard spot. Golden State likely isn't contending this season. Iguodala has little purpose on a non-contending team.
Even with this more expensive Russell roster -- and that hard cap -- the Warriors were still able to re-sign Kevon Looney to a three-year, $15 million deal. They will have almost only minimum-level deals left to fill the roster, but it's not as if the alternate Iguodala/Looney/midlevel exception scenario is yielding meaningfully more present-day on-court talent than the Russell/Looney/minimums path Golden State chose.
Two rival executives who didn't like the Russell deal framed the debate this way: Couldn't the Warriors have gotten someone better if they had canvassed the league with a package of Iguodala and two picks? Maybe? The most sensible destination would be a win-now team in need of cap relief, or stagnant mid-tier teams hunting a pivot. Danilo Gallnari? DeMar DeRozan? Clint Capela? One of Miami's good young players -- the best of whom (Josh Richardson) they just agreed to trade for a legit star in Jimmy Butler? Kyle Lowry on an expiring deal if Kawhi Leonard bolts Toronto?
It's unclear if any of those guys would have been gettable. How many turn the 2019-20 Warriors back into contenders and carry more long-term trade value than Russell?
There was no ideal path once Durant left. Time will tell if this one works. It will come down to whether Russell is worth more -- in his play or what the Warriors trade him for -- than those two picks. There are even hypotheticals in which the Warriors trade Russell and Thompson -- or Russell and Green -- for god knows what.
The changes just felt so abrupt: Durant down, Thompson down, Durant out, and then Iguodala gone in exchange for someone never connected with the Warriors.
Tomorrow is always coming in the NBA, even when it seems a long way off.
Sixteen-year-old center fielder Jasson Dominguez, perhaps the most highly regarded prospect from Latin America in a decade, signed with the New York Yankees on Tuesday morning in a deal that includes a $5.1 million bonus, sources familiar with the agreement told ESPN.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Dominguez is a powerful switch-hitter with top-end speed and a well-regarded throwing arm -- a classic five-tool player. His bonus dwarfed the Yankees' previous record of $3.2 million for a player on July 2, when international free agents are eligible to sign.
Dominguez will not be eligible to play games until next season but will immediately join the Yankees' top echelon of prospects. The team's devotion of nearly 95% of its bonus pool to one player -- the Yankees have just shy of $5.4 million to spend in their fixed international free-agent pool -- shows their regard for Dominguez.
The sentiment is shared around the industry. When the Yankees became favorites to sign Dominguez, other teams -- including the Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels -- lamented the loss of the chance at a player whom evaluators believe will be a star.
Since he arrived at the academy of trainer Ivan Noboa as a 13-year-old, Dominguez has stood out for his developed physique and ability to hit balls far. Scouts took to calling him El Marciano, or The Martian, because they said there was no way he was from this world.
In addition to his $5.1 million bonus, Dominguez will receive $250,000 in potential scholarship money from the Yankees should he choose to further his education.
The US-based thrower is No.4 on the UK all-time rankings
Greg Thompson is looking forward to making his mark at the British Championships and IAAF World Championships in Doha after jumping to No.4 on the UK all-time rankings for the discus in the United States.
The Shaftesbury Barnet athlete is studying for a double degree in kinesiology and philosophy at Maryland University in the US but despite his busy academic schedule threw a Doha qualifying mark of 65.56m at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia in April and is hoping for further improvements this summer.
The UK record of 68.24m was set in 2012 by Lawrence Okoye and during that same year Thompson won English Schools gold in Gateshead throwing in trainers.
Talent runs in the family, too, as he is the son of Neville Thompson – a former GB international. Thompson Snr threw 55.68m at Crystal Palace in 1993 and Thompson Jnr beat that mark at the same venue soon after his 20th birthday.
“With my dad being an international from the moment I could walk it was, like, ‘let’s grab a disc and have some fun with it’,” he remembers. “I have vivid memories of being a little ’un and trying to pick up a 2k discus after he’d thrown it and trying to throw it back to him but he told me to take my time and not hurt myself. When I grew up, he was always the archetype and what I wanted to live up to.”
Initially, Thompson played rugby, football, badminton and he loves snooker too. He has a brother in the Arsenal football squad as well, but his heart is in athletics.
Formerly coached by his father, Thompson is now guided by Travis Coleman at Maryland University. Unusually, he is left-footed and left-handed but throws with his right arm.
“My dad always threw with his right arm so from the moment he got me a small makeshift discus as a kid I tried to put it in my right hand,” he explains.
He also plays badminton and throws a javelin with his right hand but throws darts and a basketball with his left. “When it comes to the finer motor or precision skills or writing, I use my left,” he says.
The Briton stands 6ft tall but is not that large for an elite discus thrower. So he utilises his speed in the circle and athleticism to get the most out of himself.
“When I threw 65m recently, the athlete who was second, Roje Stona of Jamaica, is about 6ft 6-7in tall and completely dwarfed me,” says Thompson.
As he reaches the end of his fourth year at Maryland University, too, he juggles training with studies. “I have a good blend between the two,” he says.
All eyes will be on Thompson to see if he can build on his big early season throw – and next week he competes for Great Britain in the World University Games in Naples, Italy. As someone who won a medal in a UK maths competition seven years ago, he will have no problem calculating how many more metres he needs to leapfrog further up the national rankings.
In addition to Okoye, the only Brits who have thrown further are Brett Morse and Perriss Wilkins – although the latter is a discredited figure after allegations of using a light discus at competitions in addition to a doping ban.
“I knew something was in the tank this year and something was brewing,” Thompson says on his big throw. “I threw a PB in training before Penn Relays and I thought that if I got everything right I could throw 65 metres.
“I’ve felt my potential has been around 65 metres for a year or so but it hasn’t happened until this year due to a myriad of physical and mental factors.”
Thompson, who turned 25 last month, has previous international experience as he finished 10th in the 2013 European Juniors. But after the World University Games he is aiming to seal selection for Doha at this summer’s Müller British Championships – a competition where he finished runner-up to Morse 12 months ago – and he would love to compete at the Diamond Leagues in the UK.
“I’m looking forward to being a small fish in a big pond and rising to the challenge,” he says.
British number one Johanna Konta starts her Wimbledon campaign on Tuesday with a first-round match against Romania's Ana Bogdan, the world number 132.
Konta, who reached the semi-finals at SW19 in 2017, is one of eight British players in action on day two.
Wimbledon legend Roger Federer starts his bid for a ninth title against South African Lloyd Harris, who is making his debut at the tournament.
And two-time winner Rafael Nadal faces Japanese qualifier Yuichi Sugita.
Defending women's champion Angelique Kerber plays in the first match of the day on Centre Court when she faces fellow German Tatjana Maria at 13:00 BST.
Swiss Federer is next up, before seven-time champion Serena Williams, seeded 11th, faces Italian qualifier Giulia Gatto-Monticone as the American begins her latest bid for her first major title since giving birth in September 2017.
The first match on Court One, also at 13:00, sees Australian world number one and top seed Ashleigh Barty play China's Zheng Saisai, who is ranked 43rd.
They will be followed by Konta and Bogdan, then Nadal versus Sugita.
Playing for the chance to meet Federer
Heather Watson is already in the second round of the women's draw and fellow Briton Konta, along with Harriet Dart and Katie Swan, will try to join her.
Grass is Konta's favoured surface but the 19th seed suffered early exits in Birmingham and Eastbourne in the run-up to Wimbledon.
Dart meets American Christina McHale in the first match on court 14 at 11:00, while Katie Swan plays Laura Siegemund of Germany in the second match on court 12.
In the men's singles, British number two Cameron Norrie is second on court 16 and faces Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin, who famously beat world number one Novak Djokovic at the 2017 Australian Open.
Meanwhile, 20-year-old Jay Clarke is aiming for the possible prize of meeting Federer and plays in the third match on court eight, where he faces Noah Rubin of the United States.
British number three Dan Evans opens on court 18 against Argentina's Federico Delbonis and James Ward is first up on court 17 (both also at 11:00) when he faces Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia.
Another British player, Paul Jubb, the teenage wildcard who recently won the prestigious NCAA college title, plays in the fourth match on court 17 against Portuguese world number 66 Joao Sousa.
British number one Kyle Edmund sealed his place in round two with a straight-set win over Spain's Jaume Munar on Monday.
Federer begins bid for 21st Grand Slam
Federer, who turns 38 in August, already holds the men's record for the most Wimbledon titles with eight, and also the most Grand Slams - 20.
Nadal, 33, is only two behind him with 18, but has not won at Wimbledon since claiming his second title in 2010.
The Spaniard could play Nick Kyrgios in round two - Kyrgios takes on fellow Australian Jordan Thompson in the first match on court three, at 11:00.
Fifth seed Dominic Thiem of Austria is also in action, taking on Sam Querrey of the United States in the second match on court two.
Five-time winner Venus Williams is also out after being beaten by 15-year-old compatriot Cori Gauff in the biggest shock of day one, but younger sister Serena is still targeting her first Wimbledon triumph since 2016.
One more triumph would see the 11th seed, who has struggled with a knee injury, equal Australian Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
"I haven't had enough match play but I saw some good doctors in Paris and I'm feeling better," Williams said.
Sixth seed Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic also begins her campaign against Tunisia's Ons Jabeur in the third match on court three.
Kvitova has been struggling with an arm injury but hopes to be fit enough to sustain a challenge for a third title.
How can I follow the championships?
Viewers in the UK can watch the best action on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and BBC Red Button, while there are also up to 18 courts to choose from through Connected TVs, the BBC Sport website and app, with every match live in HD for the first time.
BBC Radio 5 Live will also be at the heart of the action, with live commentary and expert analysis every day of the championships.
Today at Wimbledon on BBC Two each night takes an in-depth look at the day's best matches and biggest talking points.
And you can stay up to date with all the latest news and go behind the scenes via BBC Sport's social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
World number one Ashleigh Barty and defending champion Angelique Kerber comfortably navigated their way into the Wimbledon second round with straight-set victories on Tuesday.
French Open champion Barty overcame Chinese world number 43 Zheng Saisai 6-4 6-2 and will now play Belgian Alison van Uytvanck.
Kerber saw off fellow German Tatjana Maria 6-4 6-3 on Centre Court.
She will face American world number 95 Lauren Davis in round two.
Harriet Dart and Dan Evans led the British charge into the Wimbledon second round on a bumper day of matches for home players.
Dart, whose first set was watched by the Duchess of Cambridge on court 14, beat Christina McHale 4-6 6-4 6-4.
British number three Evans had a much more straightforward time in a 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 win over Federico Delbonis.
He will play 18th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili next after the Georgian beat James Ward in five sets.
Briton Ward led by two sets, but he allowed the world number 16 back into the match, growing frustrated as it swung away from his favour.
Basilashvili's 2-6 4-6 6-4 6-4 8-6 win means Ward has now failed to progress past the first round at SW19 since 2015.
There are 10 Britons in the singles draws here, with four into the second round so far after victories for Kyle Edmund and Heather Watson on Monday.
Dart gets royal seal of approval
Dart's first set against McHale was watched by the Duchess of Cambridge, who sat alongside Fed Cup captain Anne Keothavong and injured British player Katie Boulter.
Whether it was the pressure of the extra attention - from both the royal eyes on her and the many extra photographers' lenses on the court - or simply first-match nerves, Dart endured a frustrating opening set.
The 22-year-old failed to convert all five of her break points and produced 21 unforced errors to hand the first set to the 27-year-old American and leave herself shaking her head at the changeover.
The VIPs left court 14 at the end of the set and from then on Dart seemed to settle into her stride more, cutting out her mistakes and coming to the net more often and winning points from there.
There were seven breaks of serve in the final set, with Dart eventually sealing victory when McHale fired into the net.
Dart, who had never been past the first round at Wimbledon, will face 2017 champion Garbine Muguruza or Brazilian world number 121 Beatriz Haddad Maia next.
Dart's compatriot Katie Swan could not follow her into the second round though, losing 6-2 6-4 to Germany's Laura Siegemund.
Evans' grass-court form continues
Dan Evans continued his fine form on grass against Argentina's Delbonis.
Evans, who won at Surbiton and Nottingham last month, cruised through the opening set, breaking his opponent's serve at the first time of asking.
The second set proved a much tighter affair with both holding serve throughout, resulting in a tie-break in which Evans went 6-1 up but needed six set points to wrap it up.
In the final set, it went with serve until Evans broke Delbonis to go 5-3 ahead, taking victory on his first match point in two hours and 16 minutes.
In his latest BBC Sport column, Andy Murray discusses how his time out with a career-threatening hip injury allowed him to discover art and led to some 'disastrous' attempts at painting and pottery. The Scot also talks about the emotions of his competitive return to Wimbledon and his men's doubles partnership with Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
While I was out injured I decided to give painting a go one night when I was bored - and from that point I started getting into art.
I wouldn't say it was a means of escape from my injury problems as such, it was more that I had more time on my hands and that made me realise there are other things to do out there, not just the sport or the job you're doing.
So, how did I get into it? Well, a couple of my friends are really interested in art and I always used to make fun of them because they would show me a piece of art and I would say 'that looks like something I could do'.
My wife Kim is a talented artist and paints and has canvasses, oils and acrylics, so one night I gave it a go.
I wasn't trying to paint anything in particular. When I've looked at different pieces of art, sometimes I've not known what it is. So I was just trying to paint something - and my attempts were hilarious!
I was trying to flick the paint and use all sorts of techniques but I was getting it on the ceiling, everywhere. It was a disaster!
It was a one-off experiment, and I am happy to hang up my brushes!
But from that point I realised art is something I should appreciate more. I think that happens with sport as well, when you try something new or you sit close to the pitch or court and watch it, you appreciate it more and just how difficult it is.
That developed my interest in art and I learned a bit about it, by going to galleries and exhibitions and then chatting to friends about it.
I realised it is much harder to paint than it looks and once you start to get into it you are then able to tell which artists painted which piece by their style, which is interesting.
When there are so many artists out there, it is difficult to have a style that is unique to you. I suppose that's similar with sport too, where everyone has their unique way of playing, it can be hard to make your own particular style stand out.
I prefer modern, contemporary art. I like looking at that because it is fun and different.
And I don't care if I really like something and someone thinks it is terrible, it doesn't matter, That's the beauty of art - you like what you like and see it differently to other people.
There is a lady called Maggi Hambling, a British painter and sculptor, who I like - she is best known for landscapes and seascapes.
I have met her a couple of times and she is a big tennis fan.
I haven't been to many galleries, so I wouldn't say I've got a favourite gallery in the world, and I've not been travelling much while I've been injured.
But going to see more galleries and exhibitions was one of the things I tried to do when I was travelling on the tour.
When I was training in Philadelphia a few months back I managed to visit a couple of galleries. Miami hosts a big art fair, I enjoyed wandering round, it's definitely something I want to do more of.
I'm back at Wimbledon and enjoying myself after last year's pain
Being at Wimbledon this year, where I'll be playing in the doubles as I continue my comeback from hip surgery, is very different to when I was here last year.
Last year I was planning to play in the singles but had to pull out on the eve of the tournament because I was in too much pain with my hip.
I had a practice with Diego Schwartzman a couple of days before the tournament and it was just miserable. It wasn't fun, it wasn't enjoyable.
I didn't feel like I could compete for three or four matches in a row. Maybe I'd have lost in the first round and that would have been painful.
Now I'm just enjoying playing tennis without any pain in my hip.
Practising with Pierre-Hugues Herbert, my partner in the men's doubles, has been fun. He's a great doubles player but relaxed and laid back.
Our first practice on Friday didn't go too well but we spent a bit of time together over the weekend and hopefully that has helped us understand each other better
Hopefully when the matches come we can play well and have a good run together. I can't wait to get back out there.
Andy Murray was talking to BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko at Wimbledon.
You have to wind the clock back to February 2015 for when Xu Xin last topped the charts in the men’s singles global ranking. Fast forward 53 months and the Chinese star is back on top of the world order (14,945 points) after a string of impressive results since April’s World Table Tennis Championships in Budapest.
Having dusted himself down from the disappointment of his round of 32 defeat to Simon Gauzy in the Hungarian capital, Xu has been a major force on the ITTF World Tour, reaching the semi-final in China and winning a remarkable triple crown in Japan.
Add to that two further semi-final appearances at the Hungarian and Qatar Opens earlier in the year and it’s clear that, for all his unpredictability and trickery at the table, Xu is among the most consistent performers of 2019 so far – and that’s not even taking into consideration his awesome record in the doubles, where he has claimed gold at this year’s World Championships and Japan Open (in the mixed doubles) and Hungarian Open (in the men’s doubles).
So, how long will the 29-year-old’s reign at the summit now last? Xu held the no.1 spot for an entire year between March 2014 and February 2015. He has led the world ranking for a total of 16 months in his career since claiming pole position for the first time in January 2013.
FAN ZHENDONG FALLS TO THIRD
Xu Xin’s rise to the top brings an end to Fan Zhendong’s 15-month reign as world no.1, who has fallen to third place (14,670 points).
Since winning the ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup in early April, the 22-year-old has endured a tough couple of months and is still without a trophy on this year’s ITTF World Tour – something he will be looking to put right at this week’s Korea Open in Busan.
Fellow Chinese, Lin Gaoyuan, remains in second place (14,835 points) having been just five points behind Fan Zhendong during the month of June. The ‘Dark Knight’ has won the Hungarian and Hong Kong Opens this year, but – unlike Xu Xin – is yet to win a Platinum event on the ITTF World Tour this year, which garner greater world ranking points.
Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto and China’s Ma Long remain fourth and fifth respectively.
NO CHANGE IN WOMEN’S TOP 10
Significant movements on the men’s front, but it’s as we were in the women’s singles, where Chen Meng enters her second successive month as world no.1 (16,330 points).
Following behind are world champion Liu Shiwen, Ding Ning, Zhu Yuling and Wang Manyu, as China keep the top five positions, with Japanese duo, Kasumi Ishikawa and Mima Ito sitting in sixth and seventh places respectively.
Click here to view the July world ranking in full.
A few months after moving to a new professional office building, the ITTF was delighted to welcome Secretary General, Raul Calin to its Singapore Office.
Calin, who had been based at the ITTF Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland over the last four years, linked up with many of the organisation’s core staff members in Singapore, providing a timely boost for the ITTF’s ambitions to keep growing the sport of table tennis over the coming years.
The key person for the governance of table tennis, Calin is now working alongside ITTF CEO, Steve Dainton, and liaising more closely than ever with the Competitions, Marketing, Media, Commercial Partnerships and HR teams, all of which are based at the ITTF’s Singapore Office.
I wanted to spend some weeks here in Singapore before making any comment. After completing my first 100 days here, I can say without hesitation that the pace of the work here is phenomenal. Under the leadership of our CEO, Steve Dainton, the ITTF has consolidated a group of young, dedicated and passionate staff, and I’m just happy to come to support the very many projects that the ITTF has in its hands at the moment.
World Table Tennis, the Home of Table Tennis, the new, fresh and modern World Championships, adapted finally to the era in which we live, are not the only tasks on our tables these days. The recent issues that the International Sport has faced makes the Governance Review that we are embarking on also very timely and appropriate.
Known for his high ethic mindset, the Secretary General continued:
I always felt we should be here to serve the sport and not the opposite, especially those of us who are paid employees or in prominent elected positions. At the end of the day, we are privileged people.
With the growth of activities in Singapore, the only honest options were either stepping aside and taking other responsibilities, or moving here and joining this team, trying to work as a team, for the best interest of the ITTF.
I had the confidence of our CEO and I took the opportunity.
Over the next 24 months we will hopefully see to what extent the ambitions we had in July 2017 have been realised. We will hopefully see how much the ITTF has grown compared to previous quadrennials.
…………Reigning Asian junior boys’ singles champion, Xiang Peng underlined his quality; he beat Hungary’s Bence Majoros (11-2, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-6).
…………China’s aspiring young players proved inspired against their Swedish counterparts; Xu Yingbin beat Truls Möregard (11-8, 11-9, 11-7, 11-3); Sun Wen accounted for Anton Källberg (11-8, 6-11, 11-5, 12-10, 11-7).
…………The small Caribbean island of Puerto Rico shone; Brian Afanador overcame Chinese Taipei’s Chin Mao-Cheng (12-10, 9-11, 7-11, 14-12, 11-8, 8-11, 11-7), Daniel Gonzalez ended the hopes of Korea Republic’s Lee Gihun (11-9, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4, 15-13).
…………Crowned world junior champion in 2017, China’s Xu Fei made an imposing start; he accounted for Singapore’s Pang Yew En Koen (11-8, 11-8, 11-8, 11-4).
…………Winners on the ITTF World Tour, the host country’s Kim Donghyun and China’s Zheng Peifeng both started in style. Kim Donghyun beat Hong Kong’s Kwan Man Ho (2-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8, 11-4); Zheng Peifeng overcame Korea Republic’s Park Gyuhyeon (11-7, 11-4, 11-9, 4-11, 11-5).
Women’s Singles: Preliminary Round One
…………Respective junior girls’ singles gold and silver medallists at the 2018 World Junior Championships, China’s Qian Tianyi and Shi Xunyao, made impressive starts. Both beat host nation adversaries; Qian Tianyi overcame Lee Yeonhui (11-8, 11-6, 11-8, 11-7), Shi Xunyao accounted for Lee Eunhye (15-13, 8-11, 15-13, 11-5, 11-5).
…………Previously successful on the ITTF World Tour, there were successful starts for Germany’s Shan Xiaona and Japan’s Sakura Mori; both ended the hopes of the home country. Shan Xiaona beat Kim Yejin (11-2, 11-4, 11-5, 11-6), Sakura Mori defeated India’s Madhurika Patkar (11-8, 11-6, 11-3, 11-3).
…………Korea Republic’s Lee Dasom turned the clock back to 2013 when she had won on the ITTF World Tour in Zagreb; she accounted for India’s Madhurika Patkar (11-8, 11-6, 11-3, 11-3).
…………Only 13 years old, Japan’s Haruna Ojio underlined the fact that in the modern era, the defensive play can still succeed; she overcame Korea Republic’s Kim Yeonryeong (6-11, 15-13, 11-5, 11-4, 11-3).
Men’s Doubles: Preliminary Round
…………Singaporean teenagers Josh Chua Shao Han and Pang Yew En Koen gave the performance of the round; they recovered from a two games to nil deficit to beat India’s Amalraj Anthony and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (8-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-5, 12-10).
Women’s Doubles: Preliminary Round
………… Partners in the team event at the recent European Games, giving Germany the perfect start in the final against Romania, Nina Mittelham and Shan Xiaona underlined the fact they are increasingly a formation to note. They beat the combination of the Czech Republic’s Dana Cechova and Slovakia’s Tatiana Kukulkova in four games (8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-9)
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