Congratulations Australia – The Happy Slam!
Locker Room
January 26, 2014
Australian Open – The Happy Slam Two great finals – both with gripping first sets in very different ways. 2014 Champion – Li Na Li Na was not in control of the newcomer. Both appeared not to settle although this was Li’s third Aussie final, the petite Slovakian, Dominika Cibulkova did not disappoint in her first. […]
Super Stan In Dreamland After Downing Tearful Rafa
Locker Room
The tournament of shocks has ended with yet another. Stanislas Wawrinka out-gunned an injured Rafa Nadal to take the Australian Open 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. In doing so he became the first man in twenty years to beat the top two players on the way to winning a Slam. No one had ever beaten Novak […]
Third Time Lucky as Comedienne Li Na Lives The Dream
Locker Room
January 25, 2014
Wonderful Li Na won her second Grand Slam – then brought the house down with one of her trademark comedy routines in Melbourne. She thrilled hundreds of millions in China on the way – and took her career earnings well beyond £50 million. But the whole world is rejoicing for one of the most popular […]
Nadal In Blistering Form
Locker Room
January 24, 2014
Rafa Nadal Takes Down Federer On His Way To The Australian Open Final Rafa Nadal cruised past a weary Roger Federer, despite having to deal with a painful, raw blister on his left hand. In doing so the dynamic Spaniard gave himself the chance to draw level with the legendary Pete Sampras by winning his […]
‘Stan The Man’ Wawrinka Deserves His Big Moment
Locker Room
January 23, 2014
Who isn’t delighted for Stanislas Wawrinka? His four-set victory over Tomas Berdych means that Stan The Man has earned his reward for all the great entertainment he has given us in recent times. Those epic five-setters against Novak Djokovic, all those years of trying to break into the sport’s elite…now Wawrinka has something to show […]
Roger Rolls Back The Years!
Locker Room
January 22, 2014
Graceful Roger Federer moved like a youngster but used years of experience to defeat a ring-rusty Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3. Let off a controversial double bounce on the way to glory, Federer nevertheless deserved his win, having squandered match points in the third. Now we can look forward to yet another epic between […]
Novak Out In Epic…Stan’s The Man !
Locker Room
January 21, 2014
Stanislas Wawrinka produced one of the great Grand Slam shocks to end the extraordinary winning run of Novak Djokovic. The gutsy Swiss won another five-set epic 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7. In doing so, he ended Novak’s 28-match winning run, a separate 25-match winning streak at Melbourne, and a 14-match sequence of victories over Wawrinka […]
Sharapova-and-Out!
Locker Room
January 20, 2014
Why is women’s tennis so unpredictable? Now third seed Maria Sharapova has been dumped out of the Australian Open by Dominika Cibulkova in the fourth round. The Slovakian is almost a foot shorter than willowy Maria, which won’t have helped the proud Russian to swallow defeat any more easily. Despite winning the first set 6-3, […]
Stunned Serena Crashes Out to Comeback Queen Ana
Locker Room
January 19, 2014
Red-hot favourite Serena Williams saw her dreams of a Calendar Slam destroyed in the very first month by a resurgent Ana Ivanovic. Williams blamed a back injury, which isn’t thought to be too serious in the long run. ‘I almost pulled out,’ she admitted. ‘I’m such a competitor, I probably should have.’ She still won […]
FEDERER: ‘In Better Shape Than Rivals’
Locker Room
January 18, 2014
Roger Federer has thrown down the gauntlet to his younger rivals in Melbourne by suggesting that he is in better shape than them – even at the age of 32. The much-loved Federer cruised through to the last sixteen of the Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win over Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia. Then […]