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Morning Edition

July 14, 2025

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Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are pulling away from the rest of men’s tennis—and giving networks exactly what they want—as they continue to deliver in Grand Slam finals, including Sunday’s Wimbledon win by Sinner.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]] and Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Sinner Outduels Alcaraz for First Wimbledon Title and $4M Payday [[link removed]]

Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Jannik Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz in four sets on Sunday to win his first Wimbledon title and fourth Grand Slam.

Sinner cashes a $4.05 million winner’s check that takes his career earnings to $45.62 million, which is eighth all-time on the ATP money list. Alcaraz earned $2.05 million for his second-place finish, lifting his career earnings to $47.33 million, now sixth all-time.

Sinner and Alcaraz continue to separate themselves as the best two players in men’s tennis. Alcaraz still has one more Grand Slam trophy (5) than Sinner, but remains No. 2 in the world rankings behind Sinner’s No. 1 spot.

The two players have now dueled in the last two Grand Slam finals, and the last player to win a Grand Slam other than Sinner or Alcaraz was Novak Djokovic at the 2023 U.S. Open.

Last month, Alcaraz defeated Sinner in an epic five-set match that was the longest French Open final ever [[link removed]]. The dramatic finish helped TNT Sports to a 25% increase in TV ratings [[link removed]] during its French Open debut, compared to the 2024 tournament on NBC Sports platforms.

Final Wimbledon viewership figures on ESPN platforms will be available later this week.

History Made on Women’s Side

On Saturday, Poland’s Iga Świątek defeated American Amanda Anisimova 6–0, 6–0, marking the first time in 114 years that the women’s final ended without one player winning a single game.

Świątek and Anisimova also earned $4.05 million first-place and $2.05 million second-place prizes, respectively. This was Świątek’s first Wimbledon title and sixth Grand Slam victory. It was Anisimova’s first appearance in a Grand Slam final.

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Nationals Take HS Star Willits No. 1 in MLB Draft, Eye Potential Savings [[link removed]]

The Oklahoman

ATLANTA — The remaking of the Nationals has taken another critical step, as has MLB’s push to get its top prospects to the majors as quickly as possible.

Washington selected Oklahoma high schooler Eli Willits with the first pick in the 2025 draft Sunday night. By selecting the 17-year-old, switch-hitting shortstop, the Nationals stunned many experts who predicted the team would choose LSU pitcher Kade Anderson, who led the Tigers last month to their second College World Series title in three years and was the event’s Most Outstanding Player. Anderson went No. 3 to the Mariners.

The Nationals’ selection arrived just a week after Mark Lerner, the club’s managing principal owner, fired president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez [[link removed]], in a bid to reverse what has been more than half a decade of losing in the nation’s capital.

Since the leadership shift, the Nationals carried on with their draft preparation, overseen by assistant GM Mike DeBartolo, ultimately shocking much of the baseball world. DeBartolo said Willits was “the guy we wanted all along.”

The No. 1 pick this year carries a record slot value of $11.08 million. It’s not yet certain how close to that number the signing bonus for Willits will be, but it’s expected that the Nationals will be well below this figure and save significant funds.

Path to Stardom

Being so young, and not turning 18 until December, Willits will have a more uphill climb to mirror the rapid pathway of Pittsburgh star Paul Skenes, the draft’s top pick two years ago. Since Skenes went from LSU to Pittsburgh, he has burst into superstardom [[link removed]], won last year’s National League Rookie of the Year award, and was named Saturday as the starting pitcher for the NL in the All-Star Game for the second-straight year.

That run of success by Skenes, and national prominence burnished by his relationship with girlfriend Livvy Dunne [[link removed]], gives Willits, the son of former MLB player Reggie Willits, a lot to match. MLB, however, continues to promote a shorter development pathway [[link removed]] to the big leagues for prospects and put more marketing effort and editorial emphasis on the MLB Network and MLB.com for minor leaguers.

To that end, five first-round selections from last year’s draft have already reached the majors, including the Royals’ Jac Caglianone [[link removed]], as well as the Angels’ second-round pick from 2024, pitcher Ryan Johnson.

A notable exception to that has been Travis Bazzana, last year’s No. 1 overall pick to Cleveland. The second baseman has reached the Class AA Akron (Ohio) Aeros, but has battled an oblique strain since May, and is out of action until at least later this month.

Willits, meanwhile, is the youngest player to be the No. 1 pick in the MLB draft since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1987.

Draft Matters

MLB held the draft at the Coca-Cola Roxy, a key part of The Battery mixed-use development that surrounds the Braves’ Truist Park, the host venue for this year’s All-Star Game [[link removed]]. The event, of course, still doesn’t match the stature seen for the NFL [[link removed]] and NBA [[link removed]] drafts. As MLB has held its draft in conjunction with the All-Star Game since 2021, though, it’s also continued to give the event a heightened sense of place.

The settling for this year’s event included a lively crowd filling the 3,600-person concert venue, even if the numbers were still far below the 600,000 that showed up in Green Bay for the 2025 NFL Draft.

The festive vibe continued to show a marked departure from the cramped set of tables and much more limited setup at MLB Network studios in Secaucus, N.J., where the MLB draft was held from 2009–20. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, however, was initially greeted with hearty fan boos, as is also the case with other league commissioners at their respective drafts.

The 2025 MLB draft had no player selections in attendance for the first time in 15 years, due to a complex mix of reasons. The Rockies selected Ethan Holliday at No. 4. Holliday is the brother of Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday and the son of former MLB star Matt Holliday, who played the first five seasons of his career in Colorado.

Chelsea Wins $110M in FIFA’s Revamped $1B Club World Cup [[link removed]]

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday to win the FIFA Club World Cup final and its $40 million first-place prize—but the money doesn’t end there.

FIFA pumped $1 billion [[link removed]] into the first edition of its revamped Club World Cup, which was played in the U.S. and included 32 teams from across the globe. More than half of that cash—$525 million—was paid out as participation fees. The other $475 million was allocated for performance bonuses.

Chelsea’s final Club World Cup prize money tally is $85.625 million, as teams earned more money for each round they advanced to [[link removed]]. That comes on top of somewhere between $25 million and $35 million for its participation bonus, although FIFA did not reveal exact figures. That means the English Premier League club owned by American Todd Boehly walks away from $110 million-plus for its participation this summer.

PSG finished the Club World Cup with $75.625 million in prize money, including $30 million for its loss in the final. PSG likely also received a similar participation bonus as Chelsea, meaning their final tally was over $100 million, too.

World Cup Up Next

Sunday’s final at MetLife Stadium had more than 80,000 fans in attendance, including an appearance from U.S. President Donald Trump [[link removed]], who had been invited to the match by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy [[link removed]]. Additionally, FIFA last week announced it is opening an office at Trump Tower [[link removed]] in New York.

Murphy, meanwhile, last week said he believes that next year’s FIFA World Cup final, also at MetLife Stadium, will be the “ most-watched event in human history [[link removed]].”

TBS broadcast the Club World Cup final on U.S. cable TV airwaves, as part of TNT Sports’s media rights deal [[link removed]] to air some matches alongside DAZN, which paid $1 billion to stream the tournament globally [[link removed]]. Final viewership numbers will be available later this week.

Fox will have World Cup rights in the U.S. next year.

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Taking on Texas Next Week

Join Front Office Sports and RBC Wealth Management on July 22–23 for two afternoons full of networking and thought leadership surrounding the All-Star Game in Austin, Texas.

RBC House [[link removed]] will bring the Front Office Sports brand to life with a Second Acts showcase and first-time live broadcasts of Redefined and FOS Today.

We’ll also host timely discussions with top soccer executives and innovators on the sport’s rapidly growing U.S. presence—exploring how the World Cup can be a catalyst for long-term momentum across leagues, teams, and communities.

Request to attend here [[link removed]].

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down

Candice Ward-Imagn Images

NBA Summer League ⬇ The Mavericks are shutting down Cooper Flagg for the remainder of their time in Las Vegas. Flagg, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft [[link removed]], played in just two summer league games, including a high-profile debut against the Lakers [[link removed]] and Bronny James.

Chris Gotterup ⬆ The American golfer won the Scottish Open on Sunday to take home the $1.575 million first-place prize, and earn a spot in this week’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, which is the final major of the year. Gotterup, 25, had only won once previously on the PGA Tour, the 2024 Myrtle Beach Classic.

Grace Kim ⬆ The Australian golfer defeated Jeeno Thitikul in a two-hole playoff at the Amundi Evian Championship in France on Sunday to win her first major championship title, and second LPGA victory. Kim earned $1.2 million.

Ryan Poles ⬆ The Bears have extended their GM [[link removed]] through the 2029 season. Poles, 39, was hired in 2022 and was influential in Chicago hiring new head coach Ben Johnson [[link removed]] away from the NFC North rival Lions.

Conversation Starters Nike’s Wimbledon tribute to Jannik Sinner [[link removed]], who lost as the top seed last year after fighting through illness, was short and sweet: “Winning heals everything.” Callaway is selling limited edition Happy Gilmore hockey stick putters for $499.99 and golf balls for $59.99 per dozen. Check them out [[link removed]]. The University of Delaware is offering on-field tickets and merch to a fan who wins the national title as the Blue Hens in EA College Football 26. Take a look [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Bill Ackman to Give $10M to Tennis Hall of Fame After Tournament Fiasco [[link removed]]by Ava Hult [[link removed]]Ackman defended the decision and closed with a challenge to Andy Roddick. Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems [[link removed]]by Dennis Young [[link removed]]The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025. Misiorowski’s Path From Anonymous to MLB All-Star In 5 Games [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]The Brewers flamethrower has just five games of major-league experience. Question of the Day

Who will finish their career with more Grand Slam titles—Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz?

Sinner [[link removed]] Alcaraz [[link removed]]

Friday’s result: 56% of respondents think the Thunder will trade one of their three stars during the contracts they just signed.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]]

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