| Nadal to finish on top of the world • Nadal guaranteed to end year ranked at No1• 'One of my best ever seasons, if not the best'Rafael Nadal is guaranteed to end the year on top of the world rankings after winning the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, the ATP said today.The 24-year-old has been virtually unstoppable since the beginning of the European clay court season and on Monday completed his career grand slam by beating Novak Djokovic to win the US Open at Flushing Meadows. He is the youngest player to have won all four grand slams in the professional era."It has been an incredible season – one of my best ever, if not the best," Nadal said today. "Winning the US Open, together with Roland Garros and Wimbledon, as well as the three back-to-back [ATP World Tour] Masters 1000s in Europe, was not easy."I worked very hard to get back to the top and it feels really good to know I will end the year as No1."It is the second time in three years that Nadal will finish the year as No1 – it could have been three out of three were it not for an injury-plagued 2009 when he could not defend his Wimbledon crown.Nadal and Roger Federer are the only players since 2000 to clinch the year-end top spot so early; the Swiss achieved the feat in 2004 and 2006.The Mallorcan will be officially crowned as the 2010 ATP World Tour Champion at the season-ending World Tour Finals in London in November.Rafael NadalTennisguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Loudoun County’s pro baseball team to be called Loudoun Hounds The group bringing a professional baseball team to Northern Virginia has decided on a name for the ball club that harkens after its home: the Loudoun Hounds. feeds.bizjournals.com |
TBS sets MLB playoff lineup; analysts wrong on McNabb booing TBS, which Wednesday begins airing all first-round MLB playoff games, ended up avoiding any scheduling snafus. How it shook out: rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Ballooning with gas Unlike hot air balloons, gas balloons fly not with envelopes filled with heated air, but with “lighter than air” material in their envelopes. Helium and hydrogen are the two gasses most commonly used. feeds.bizjournals.com |
New season defeat for James and Heat • Expensively assembled side go down 88-80 to Boston Celtics• Coach Erik Spoelstra: 'There's no reason to panic right now'LeBron James has asked for patience after the Boston Celtics spoiled the opening act of his latest NBA title challenge by beating the Miami Heat 88-80 in their much-anticipated season opener last night."It's a feel-out process," said James, who scored 31 points but had eight turnovers in the game, played in front of a sold-out raucous crowd. "When you have so many options it's something I'm not accustomed to, having that many threats out on the court at the same time."The two-times league MVP, who played seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and his fellow free agent Chris Bosh signed for Miami in the off-season, joining the perennial All-Star Dwyane Wade in southern Florida. With so much talent, they will be loved at home, vilified on the road, and on television as much as possible."We've played in hostile environments before, so that's respect," said Wade, who misfired on 12 of 16 shots against the Celtics and had six turnovers. The seven-year NBA veteran said the Heat have to "get used to playing with each other and get used to the attention this team is going to have on them".Bosh was just as ineffective as Wade, making only three of 11 shots while creating little of the inside presence the Heat are going to need if they are to challenge for the title."We know what's going on," Bosh said. "We know that a lot of people are watching. We know a lot of people are really putting us under the microscope. We know that. It's evident. You turn on the TV, you see what's going on, you see what people are talking about. That's a part of the game. That's what it is."We knew it was going to be like that. Dealing with it is another thing. But at the end of the day, it's going to be here, it's not going anywhere. We just have to settle down."The Heat coach, Erik Spoelstra, said over-eagerness by his players had counted against them. "There's no reason to panic right now," he said. "We knew this would be a little bit of a process, and this is the first step."LeBron JamesNBAUS sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |