January 17, 2014
‘Coach Saved My Marriage,’ claims Li Na She looks Chinese, her accent is Chinese, she is Chinese. It’s just that every word which dances out of Li Na’s mouth could have been spoken by a thoroughly modern woman from the west. Regular visitors to this website will know what we think about Li Na, the […]
January 16, 2014
Focus at the Australian Open has turned once more to the searing heat, which remains in the blistering early forties during the fiercest part of the Melbourne day. Croatia’s Ivan Dodig complained he could have died before retiring from his match, Jamie Murray suffered heatstroke while battling through the doubles, and play had to be […]
January 14, 2014
Make no mistake, if Andy Murray wins the Australian Open, it will be the finest achievement of his career. You can talk about the first psychological break-through of hard-court glory at Flushing Meadows, his Olympic triumph, or the supreme mental feat of winning Wimbledon. But if you are talking pure gladiatorial tennis against the true […]
January 13, 2014
She was hailed as ‘the next great thing’ in tennis by the legendary Billie Jean King after winning Wimbledon in 2011. But Petra Kvitova crashed out in the very first round of the Australian Open, losing 2-6, 6-1, 4-6 to the little-known Luksika Kumkhum in Melbourne. The world number 87 from Thailand kept her cool […]
January 7, 2014
For their own sanity and our pleasure The tennis circuit is such a goldfish bowl that the players would go crazy if they didn’t get out and focus on something else sometimes. John McEnroe and Pat Cash used to play the guitar to escape the pressure. Justine Henin went sky-diving. The Boys The Fed spends […]
December 17, 2013
Never has a winner deserved the award more. Sports Personality of the Year is a big deal in the UK. It is not won in a sporting arena, or chosen by some obscure panel of so-called experts. This is when the British public has the chance to decide who is the best and who has most […]
November 12, 2013
So Novak had the last laugh. It wasn’t the greatest final, but it completes one of the greatest end-of-year comebacks, especially from a world number one who had been so unceremoniously toppled from his perch by the man on the other side of the net. Djokovic beat Rafa Nadal 6-3, 6-4 in the ATP World […]
November 5, 2013
It would be one of the great sports stories of the year if Roger Federer can beat Novak Djokovic in London tonight. A victory for the millions who have always loved Roger. Hope for anyone who feels the onslaught of time and seeks to defy it in style. Novak lit the touchpaper on Firework Night […]
October 2, 2013
What do East and West have in common? We both love Li Na. Think about that simple sentence – and the enormity of the achievement behind it. There’s no better time to salute Li Na than during the China Open, though ironically she has trouble winning it. Hardly surprising really, when you have hundreds of […]
September 16, 2013
Amazing scenes in Croatia as the local crowd noisily interrupted Andy Murray for two minutes before he served on match point against their hero Ivan Dodig. They even tried to put him off by yelling and screaming just as he was about to hit the ball during the final, tie-clinching rally. A controversial line call […]