The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur news and links for ...
Hello from New Zealand! Or, should I say, kia ora.
That’s right, it’s Matty Flatt, your resident Kiwi, taking over from Fitzie while he takes a bit of a trip to see some other cool flightless birds.
Knowing how much Fitzie loves tennis, it would be remiss of me to not mention perhaps the surprise package of Wimbledon: fellow New Zealander Lulu Sun.
She was a virtual unknown going into the tournament. Her Wikipedia profile says she was born in Te Anau, a tiny little town with a population of less than 3,000 in Fiordland, near the bottom of our South Island. Coincidentally, that’s also where my wife grew up - who also says it was highly unlikely Sun was actually born in Te Anau, with no hospital or birthing unit there. Small world, huh?
From there, she spent time in China, the USA, and Switzerland, representing the Swiss as well as Croatia at different levels due to her Croatian father. In the end, though, she opted to represent New Zealand, her country of birth, at pro level, citing a deep feeling of connection to Aotearoa:
Throughout the years, my deep bond with New Zealand has remained, and many of my favourite memories have involved spending time amidst the natural wonders of New Zealand with my extended family. New Zealand has always been a place for me to return to, where I recover, recharge and renew my inspiration and motivation to succeed.
Going into the tournament, she was ranked 123rd in the world; a year prior she was ranked 270th. Nobody expected her to get through the early rounds; but she did, taking some scalps along the way too, such as home favorite Emma Raducanu. She was knocked out in the quarter finals, but even making it that far became the second New Zealand woman to ever make the quarterfinals of a major, and the first at Wimbledon.
Big things await in the future for a woman from a tiny town of 3,000.
Matty’s track of the day (continuing the Kiwiana theme): Poi E, by Patea Maori Club
And now for your links:
Some more takeaways from the Spurs-Hearts friendly, courtesy of Football London
Ange Postecoglou gives his thoughts on links to the vacant England managerial position
The Athletic ($$$): A breakdown of the reaction to THAT SONG sung by the Argentina squad in the aftermath of their Copa America win
Another piece from The Athletic, this time on trying to make USA Premier League fixtures happen; stop trying to make USA Premier League fixtures happen
