TOP 100 SPORT SITES
| |||
|
| |||
| |||
|
| |||
| Frank Arnesen could be under threat if understudies fail to deliver Carlo Ancelotti is preparing to put his neck on the line by trusting Chelsea’s title challenge to a pair of inexperienced strikers in Daniel Sturridge and Fabio Borini over the coming weeks, but if all goes wrong, it is likely to be the head of Frank Arnesen on the Stamford Bridge chopping block. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Carling Cup semi-finals hit as big freeze causes chaos Sport is bracing itself for more postponements as severe weather affects events around the country. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Sony Open in Hawaii means business for sponsors, charities Professional golf is as much a business as it is a sport. bizjournals.com |
Lowe’s to sponsor NASCAR Hall of Fame Lowe’s Cos. Inc. and the NASCAR Hall of Fame are in the final stages of negotiations for a sponsorship deal, according to SportsBusiness Journal, a sister publication. (LOW) feeds.bizjournals.com |
Rafael Nadal: Andy Murray is the Australian Open favourite • Nadal and coach believe Scot is a threat on his 'best surface'• British No1's steady progress has impressed several observersThe notion that Andy Murray can win the Australian Open grows less ludicrous by the hour – if, indeed, such pessimism was ever warranted. He has friends in unexpected quarters. Rafael Nadal's trainer and uncle, Toni (as well as the player himself, it transpires), regard Murray as favourite to advance to the semi-finals when Nadal meets Murray tomorrow. That is some endorsement."Rafa is in good form," Toni observed as the field thinned out today. "He's hitting his forehand well, which is important for him. But this is the most difficult match we could have faced at this stage. Rafa thought he was the favourite against [Ivo] Karlovic [whom he beat in four sets], but he regards Murray as the favourite here, especially as we're playing on Murray's best surface."Such candour will surprise only the bookmakers' more obvious choice to triumph in the final on Sunday, the undisputed world No1 Roger Federer – and those unfamiliar with Nadal's respect for the Scot. But there is a wider perception than those of the parties involved that Murray can become the first Briton since John Lloyd in 1977 to contest the final of this tournament.The Australian Darren "Killer" Cahill, whose coaching credentials with Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi support his reputation as one of the most authoritative judges in the sport, said, "I think Murray is going to surprise a lot of people. I think he can win this."He tips Murray to beat Nadal and Federer – and bookmakers who have Murray at 9-2 behind Federer would, to some extent, seem to agree. There is a groundswell at work here. People at the heart and on the periphery of the sport are beginning to sense that Murray's quiet progress through the first week of the tournament – he was the only one of the favoured seeds not to drop a set – is a good indicator of his chances at the business end of the Open.As ever, most scepticism resides at home. A former British tennis player of repute confided before Murray made light of the giant John Isner, "I think he's nervous. He doesn't look totally at ease."It would be odd, though, if a player in a grand slam betrayed no nerves. Even Federer conceded after dismissing Hewitt in straight sets, "Sometimes I'm never intimidated. Not that that's good or bad. I'm just saying that sometimes you're nervous before a match and you don't know why that is."All speculation will be rendered redundant, however, when Murray and Nadal meet in the Rod Laver Arena, a strangely quiet theatre that has thus far not provided a defining performance in the season's first grand slam.Nadal himself acknowledged after his faltering win over Karlovic the previous day that Murray had the better serve – but that he could win by drawing on his greater energy and spirit. Sceptics were drawn to conclude that this was a statement of towering irony, especially when the momentum he referred to was only fleetingly evident against Karlovic."Rafa needs to play more aggressively than he did against Karlovic," his coach said. "He'll need to do more on his serve. He'll also need to be hitting the ball with more power in the rallies, though at the same time it's important that Rafa just plays his own game."Before the tournament I regarded Murray as the favourite to win the title, just like he was last year when he came here after winning in Doha. [Nikolay] Davydenko was another player I thought would do well here, but Murray was always my favourite to win. The only negative thing for Murray is that he hasn't won a grand slam title yet, though he certainly has the quality to do that."These are both encouraging and potentially confusing signals for Murray, whose progress has been quiet, steady and impressive, while all around him have to a degree been drawn into pacts of mutual destruction. Murray has developed such an armadillo-like shell, though, that whatever is said rarely penetrates his inner circle of advisers.The weight of expectation does not seem to weigh heavily on him; Mats Wilander remarked earlier in the week that Murray probably does not "give a shit" about winning his first grand slam. He might be right; Murray's priorities have been forged in the sort of self-interest that defines modern athletes. This is not a criticism, but a description of the facts as they exist.Andy MurrayRafael NadalAustralian OpenTennisKevin Mitchellguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |