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Roger Federer celebrates career with exhibition matches at Australian Open kick-off

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Roger Federer celebrates career with exhibition matches at Australian Open kick-off


The Australian Open’s first formal opening ceremony became the Roger Federer show on the eve of the season-opening major.

The band Crowded House played a hit-filled setlist to a capacity crowd in the 15,000-seat Rod Laver Arena. Laver himself, 87, sat courtside. Record-setting champion Novak Djokovic watched from the stands. 

Federer, a six-time Australian Open winner and 20-time Grand Slam champion, partnered with past champions Andre Agassi and then Ash Barty in an exhibition doubles match against Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt as the main feature of the program.

It went to script, with Federer winning the first point despite framing a forehand and then emphatically finishing off the victory with a leaping overhead winner.

Rod Laver, centre, waves ahead of a doubles match between Roger Federer of Switzerland and Andre Agassi of the United States, left, and Lleyton Hewitt, right, and Pat Rafter of Australia during the Opening Ceremony for the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026.

Dita Alangkara / AP


Federer was back in Australia for the first time since 2021, making the trip now because he retired from competitive tennis before he could do a farewell season tour. He said, “It’s super important to be grateful” to earlier generations of stars. 

“It really truly means so much to me when people like Rocket (Laver) show up,” Federer said.  

This year, the Australian Open is a three-week festival of tennis. Over 217,000 fans have attended exhibitions and qualifying events in the past six days. The main draw singles competition will begin on Sunday. Djokovic will play his opening match on Monday. Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams is set to play, becoming the oldest woman ever to compete in the Australian Open’s main draw. 

Australian Open organizers turned the 2026 event into a three-week festival of tennis, with 217,999 fans attending across six days to watch exhibitions, qualifying and the 1 Point Slam before the main draw started.



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Holly Willoughby spotted with Nicole Appleton as she prepares for Youtube comeback

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Holly Willoughby spotted with Nicole Appleton as she prepares for Youtube comeback


Holly Willoughby joined her friend Nicole Appleton for a lunch date with pals

Holly Willoughby joined her friend Nicole Appleton for a lunch date with pals at 1 Hotel MayFair in London on Friday.

For the outing, This Morning host, 45, donned a chic navy trench coat and accessroirsed with a matching leather shoulder bag.

She completed her look with denim jeans and a white blouse as she paused for a stunning pose on her way to the luxurious hotel.

Meanwhile All Saints star Nicole, 51, showed off her slim frame in a pair of stylish jeans and a black shoulder-padded blazer with a white T-shirt underneath. 

It comes shortly after reported emerged that Holly is preparing to make her TV comeback with her own Youtube channel, following speculation about a solo project.

It has now been reported that the 44-year-old is following other stars who have their own channels, including Ant and Dec, chef Gordon Ramsay and rapper KSI.

Ms Willoughby has largely been off our screens since she left This Morning in October 2023, after she was told a former security guard had planned to kidnap, rape and murder her.

Since leaving This Morning, she briefly hosted ITV’s You Bet! and Netflix’s reality show Celebrity Bear Hunt. 





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Kanye ‘Ye’ West trips during trial: ‘Is he asleep?’

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Kanye ‘Ye’ West trips during trial: ‘Is he asleep?’


Kanye ‘Ye’ West trips during trial: ‘Is he asleep?’

Kanye “Ye” West had a turbulent day on the witness stand on Friday, repeatedly appearing to struggle to stay awake as he testified in the trial over the disastrous renovation of his former Malibu mansion.

According to Rolling Stone, who was present in the Los Angeles courtroom, the rapper “repeatedly yawned, closed his eyes for long stretches and at times seemed to catch his head falling forward” during his appearance in the second week of the trial. 

The moment reached a peak when the lawyer representing the plaintiff reportedly turned away from the stand and mouthed “Is he asleep?”

The presiding judge also appeared to be in shock, asking them to ask the attorney to “make things a little snappier” with their questioning.

When asked about the work carried out on the property, Ye’s repeated answer was a simple “I don’t recall.”

The trial centres on a lawsuit brought by contractor Tony Saxon, who is suing Ye for unpaid wages, unsafe working conditions, and wrongful termination. 

Saxon claims he was forced to live on the property, a striking four-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot estate in Malibu designed by celebrated Japanese architect Tadao Ando, as Ye attempted to transform it according to a series of unusual demands. 

Those plans included making the property entirely self-sufficient and “off the grid,” and at one point replacing a staircase with a slide. 

Saxon alleges he suffered an injury during the failed construction, was subsequently fired after raising safety concerns, and says Ye is liable for his medical bills.

The results of the renovation speak for themselves. 

The Ando-designed property, which Ye purchased for $57 million in 2021, was stripped down to a bare “concrete shell”, left with no windows, doors, electricity, or plumbing. 

He sold it at a staggering loss in 2024, offloading the estate for $21 million. The Saxon case is one of several legal matters Ye is set to face in court in the coming months.





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Ben Stiller condemns use of ‘Tropic Thunder’ clip in political video

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Ben Stiller condemns use of ‘Tropic Thunder’ clip in political video


Ben Stiller condemns use of ‘Tropic Thunder’ clip in political video

Ben Stiller has publicly demanded the White House remove a clip from his 2008 film Tropic Thunder from a government-produced video promoting the Trump administration’s military strikes on Iran, calling it “propaganda” and declaring that “war is not a movie.”

Stiller posted his objection on X after a White House video began circulating on social media, featuring clips from a string of major Hollywood films and television shows, including Gladiator, Braveheart, Iron Man, Breaking Bad, Deadpool, and Top Gun, intercut with real-life drone strike footage, and concluding with a voiceover declaring “flawless victory.” 

“Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip,” Stiller wrote. “We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.”

Credits: Twitter/Ben Stiller
Credits: Twitter/Ben Stiller

The video sparked immediate and widespread backlash online. 

Journalist Séamus Malekafzali wrote, “I don’t think a more embarrassing and humiliating thing has ever been produced before by any government in human history. I somehow might be underselling it.” 

ABC Saturday Extra host Nick Bryant asked, “Are there any grown ups in the White House? Is there any understanding of the seriousness and horror of war? This is frat house not White House.” 

Podcaster Vince Mancini drew a sharp historical comparison, questioning why the administration would bother with a supercut of old films as justification for military action.





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