theSIGNAL SPORT
4 August 2026
"Champions are not made in gyms — they are made from something they have deep inside them."
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Sport

Europe turns its back on Infantino

The walls are closing in on Gianni Infantino. England's Football Association — the game's oldest governing body — has confirmed it will no longer back his bid for a fourth term as FIFA president, joining Wales, Serbia, and Finland in a rapidly growing European rebellion. The trigger: Infantino's collapsed scheme to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors, a move that shattered confidence across the continent. Sweden, which never endorsed him, is now actively campaigning against him ahead of March's election.…
  • Should private investors ever be allowed to buy a stake in the World Cup?
Sport

Revolt grows against Infantino at Fifa

Senior Uefa sources warn that rebels are ready to boycott Fifa meetings entirely unless Gianni Infantino, 56, resigns — a threat that intensifies after Wales withdrew support for his fourth-term bid and England's FA is set to follow. Serbia, Sweden and Finland have also pulled their backing, though Morocco, Qatar and Sri Lanka remain firmly in his corner.
  • Should football associations have more power to remove a Fifa president?
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No doubles team in the Open Era has been more decorated, and arguably none has been more watchable.
The Signal Sport Desk
Photo: Braden Collum / Unsplash
Serena and Venus Williams walk onto court together, rackets in hand, ready to compete as a doubles team once more.
Sport

Williams Sisters Return to Doubles After Three-Year Gap

Serena and Venus Williams have been awarded a wild card for the Cincinnati Open doubles draw, reigniting one of sport's most celebrated partnerships.

Cincinnati, 11 August. The scoreboard hasn't shown their names together in three years, but that is about to change. Serena and Venus Williams have been handed a wild card for the Cincinnati Open doubles draw, confirming a comeback that tennis fans on every continent have been waiting for since the pair last stepped off a doubles court together at the 2022 US Open — a match they lost to Czech pair Lucie Hradecká and Linda Nosková. The stakes feel personal as much as sporting.

Serena, now 44, had her long-anticipated return to Grand Slam tennis cut brutally short at Wimbledon this summer, when Australian teenager Maya Joint ended her singles run in the first round. A knee injury then forced both sisters to withdraw from the Wimbledon doubles draw, leaving the reunion unfinished before it even began. Cincinnati is, in effect, the second attempt at a relaunch. The numbers behind this partnership are staggering.

Together, the Williams sisters have collected 14 major doubles titles — six of them at Wimbledon alone — plus three Olympic gold medals across careers that have redefined what women's tennis can look like. No doubles team in the Open Era has been more decorated, and arguably none has been more watchable. Venus, 46, has also received a singles wild card for the Cincinnati event, meaning she could be competing on two fronts simultaneously. Beyond Cincinnati, the real question is whether this reunion is a farewell tour or something more deliberate.

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14
Grand Slam doubles titles won together
Discuss
  • Why do you think the Williams sisters have remained such iconic figures in global sport?
  • What does it mean for younger players like Maya Joint to defeat a legend such as Serena Williams?
  • Should veteran athletes be given wild cards, or should every spot be earned through ranking points?
  • How might the Williams sisters' return inspire young tennis players in Africa and the Americas?
  • Do you think the Cincinnati doubles appearance is a farewell or the start of something more — and does it matter?
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theSIGNAL IN THE LAB
1VOCABULARY
wild cardstaggering
decoratedrelaunchrebellion
shatteredboycott
2GRAMMAR FOCUS
Dependent prepositions — verb/adjective + preposition patterns
Many verbs and adjectives in English are followed by a fixed preposition that cannot be changed. For example, 'wait for', 'withdraw from', and 'confident in' always use the same preposition regardless of context.
for · from · in · of · against · on · out
  1. Tennis fans on every continent had been waiting the Williams sisters to return to the doubles court.
  2. A knee injury forced both sisters to withdraw the Wimbledon doubles draw before it even began.
  3. The Williams sisters have collected 14 major doubles titles, six them at Wimbledon alone.
  4. Sweden, which never endorsed Infantino, is now actively campaigning him ahead of March's election.
  5. The collapsed scheme to sell a stake in the World Cup shattered confidence the continent.
  6. Senior UEFA sources warn that rebels are ready to boycott FIFA meetings unless Infantino resigns, and neither Williams sister has ruled anything .
3DEPENDENT PREPOSITIONS
Complete each phrase with the correct preposition. All from today's articles.
  1. The sisters withdrew ___ the Wimbledon doubles draw due to injury.
  2. England's FA confirmed it will no longer back his bid ___ a fourth term.
  3. Several federations have pulled their backing ___ Infantino ahead of the election.
  4. The scheme to sell a stake ___ the World Cup collapsed entirely.
  5. Sweden is now actively campaigning ___ him ahead of March's election.
4CRITICAL THINKING
Infantino retains support from Morocco, Qatar, and Sri Lanka despite the European rebellion. What does this pattern of support and opposition suggest about the way power and influence are distributed within global football governance — and whose interests does the current FIFA structure ultimately serve?
5CREATIVE · HEADLINES
Write a headline for the top story in each of the following styles. One line each, no explanation:
  • TABLOID NEWSPAPER
  • LUXURY MAGAZINE
  • ACTIVIST BLOG
6WRITING
Venus Williams could be competing in both singles and doubles simultaneously in Cincinnati at the age of 46. Write a short opinion piece arguing either that age in sport is entirely irrelevant, or that the conversation around it needs to change.
7DEGREES OF EXTREMITY
Complete each ladder from mild to strong. Use one word or phrase per step.
  • disappointed→→
  • withdrew→→
  • criticised→→
  • notable→→
  • ended early→→
  • concerned→→
8SPEAKING
  1. Which Williams sister do you think faces greater pressure in Cincinnati?
  2. Can a sporting rebellion in Europe actually change anything at FIFA?
  3. What should FIFA do to rebuild trust after the investor scandal?
  4. Is competing in doubles at 44 and 46 impressive or unwise?