Novak Djokovic plays a return during his third round win over Victor Troicki in Paris.

To play, or not to play, that was the question facing Novak Djokovic – or so some thought!

As World No.1, the Serb was entitled to a $2 million bonus if he played all eight World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments and $1.6 million if he played seven of the eight.

Having already missed the Shanghai tournament because of a back injury, Djokovic had to play in Paris, or else he’d end up with nothing -– but then there was that reoccurrence of a shoulder injury in Basel. . Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: Candy Reid, CNN Sport Anchor
Filed under: Tennis •World Sport Analysis

Luka Modric could be heading out of Tottenham on the final day of the transfer window.

The final day of the summer transfer market is set to be as frantic as ever. I have a few friends who are football agents and I know that on this day they don’t sleep, they don’t eat, and they don’t exist outside of any conversation that doesn’t involve transfers.

Like always, I expect a few big deals to be concluded on Wednesday. Some big clubs still have money to spend and managers are still hoping to convince their owners to splash the cash. Below you will find a list of ten deals I would like to see happen on Wednesday. Some you could say are a case of wishful thinking, but others could happen in the final hours of the market.

Luka Modric moves from Tottenham to Chelsea The Blues have courted the Croatian midfielder all summer long and he would definitely be a great addition to a side that desperately needs some creativity. Juan Mata was a good signing, but Modric would add a different dimension to Chelsea’s midfield. They would automatically become more dynamic and less predictable with him in the team. I know Andre Villas-Boas really rates Modric highly and he will try to convince Roman Abramovich to open the purse strings to bring him over to Stamford Bridge. Tottenham have resisted so far in allowing their star midfielder to leave but they don’t want a grumpy Modric in the dressing room all season long.
Likelihood of happening – 9/10
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Posted by: CNN Sport Anchor, Pedro Pinto
Filed under: Football •World Sport Analysis

Contador received a mixed reception at the official 2011 Tour presentation.

21 stages – 3,430 kilometers - that's the challenge facing the riders at the 2011 Tour de France. No wonder it's also called the Tour of Pain! And this year, as a way of honoring 100 years of climbing the giant Col du Galibier - the participants will go up not once, but twice - with the end of the 18th stage being the highest finish in the Tour's history.

Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck are expected to be the front runners for the overall leader's maillot jeune. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: Candy Reid, CNN Sport Anchor
Filed under: Cycling •World Sport Analysis

Kenny Dalglish is revered by the Liverpool fans who sit on The Kop at Anfield.

Okay Liverpool FC it’s time. Caretaker manager Kenny Dalglish deserves to be handed a nice meaty contract now! What more must the King do?

Having taken over from the unpopular Roy Hodgson (who’s since done very well at West Brom) Dalglish has secured 27 points from 14 league games -– and for a considerable amount of that time he’s been without influential captain Steven Gerrard.

The Kop loves him, fans all around the world love him and it’s obvious his players love him too. I saw that first hand at Anfield in March when the Reds crushed arch-rivals Manchester United 3-1. I must say, I quite enjoyed that victory! Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: Candy Reid, CNN World Sport Anchor
Filed under: Football •World Sport Analysis

Sport has already played a part in Japan's recovery, with people taking shelter in local gymnasiums.

Of course, there is only so much the sympathetic words of athletes like American tennis star Andy Roddick can do. Respectful gestures, like the wearing of black armbands or the staging of a minute’s silence, are symbolic for the victims but offer no solution.

But then athletes, like the rest of us, are in an impossible situation when responding to national tragedies.

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Posted by: CNN World Sport Anchor, Terry Baddoo
Filed under: World Sport Analysis

Do you agree with Candy Reid's choices? Tell us your favorite moments from 2010 below. (Getty Images)

The last 12 months have seen plenty of memorable moments, with huge sporting occasions such as the FIFA World Cup and golf's Ryder Cup providing some unforgettable moments.

Formula One provided one of the tightest drivers' championships in history, while Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer continued their epic rivalry on the tennis court.

As we wave goodbye to 2010, CNN's Candy Reid selects her top-five sporting moments of the last year.

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Posted by: Candy Reid, CNN World Sport Anchor
Filed under: World Sport Analysis

Tiger Woods has had a turbulent 12 months following revelations about his personal life.

It is just under a year since Tiger Woods crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant near his Florida home and set in chain a sequence of events which saw his tangled personal life become front-page news for week after week.

It was a public relations disaster and Woods went into a self-imposed exile, only returning to competitive golf for the Augusta Masters in April.

A fourth-place finish at the first major led many to predict that it would take only a matter of weeks for the 14-time major winner to regain his former preeminence and dominate his fellow professionals.

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Posted by: CNN Digital Sport Writer, Paul Gittings
Filed under: Golf •World Sport Analysis

What changes would like to happen with World Sport?

You may not know, but CNN's World Sport has been on the air since 1993, and despite being in our 18th we're as keen as we were on the first day of broadcast to deliver what you, our audience, want to see.

In our time on-air we've built a reputation for speaking to biggest names in the business (Rafael Nadal, Cristiano Ronaldo, Alex Ferguson, David Haye, Lionel Messi, Kobe Bryant, Roger Federer, Lewis Hamilton in 2010 alone), bringing you the latest from the planet's top events and giving insight and analysis to the stories that make the headlines.

Recently, the program has also started to increasingly reflect how sport news is being reflected and reacted to online. So now it's your chance to have your say about how we plan to shape the show in the future as we embark on a week of conversation with the World Sport audience.

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Posted by: Ben Wyatt, CNN Digital Sport Producer
Filed under: World Sport Analysis

Captain Paul Collingwood proudly shows off the world 20/20 trophy after England's victory over Australia (Getty Images).

Is this really a new glorious dawn for English cricket or another false one? The exciting, fun, entertaining thrill-a-minute ride that is 20/20 cricket was first played and devised in England and now a nation not exactly noted for regular sporting triumphs on the world stage can rightly claim to be the best.

I was in Barbados for the comfortable seven-wicket victory over Michael Clarke’s Australia and I have to say the English were certainly worthy winners.

Superbly led by captain Paul Collingwood and a rejuvenated Kevin Pieterson, they never looked in trouble. The squad combined experience with youth. Stuart Broad for example is an exciting prospect. It’s certainly unfair and way too early in his career to label him the next Ian Botham – I’m sure Stuart himself would be the first to conceed that – but the future’s bright for this nucleus of players.

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Posted by: CNN Sports Anchor, Patrick Snell
Filed under: World Sport Analysis

You might think a work assignment in Saint Lucia and then onto Barbados for a spot of cricket is an out of this world gig to get for a sports reporter.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle could not prevent his team from crashing out of the world 20/20 tournament.

You certainly won't get any arguments from me on that score but amid all the thrills and spills of this exciting ICC World 20/20 tournament in the West Indies was the heartache I witnessed late Tuesday as the host nation went crashing out.

Hopes were high Chris Gayle could lead his team to the last four in what would have been a repeat of their notable success last year in England.

But it wasn't to be as the sport's former power-house nation surrendered meekly to a surging Australia, who icemented their spot in the semifinals.

Make no mistake, in this part of the world, they live and breathe cricket.

It hurts hugely among the locals here that their team won't be partaking in the tournament's latter stages and that was plain to see as thousands poured out of the Beausejour stadium after the setback against the Aussies.

Some left quietly dejected, others were vocally irate and didn't care whose ears they burned. Either way, it all adds up to show how high passions have been aroused by that initial surge of hope then the sheer pain of seeing their team crash out.

Post-match, captain Gayle reflected on a lack of consistency amongst his squad. I asked him whether committment was at all an issue, something he catagorically denies.

Windies legend Clive Lloyd joined in the debate as he ruefully reflected on a last four line-up of Australia, Sri Lanka, England and Pakistan.

This 20/20 is a hugely exciting form of the game. The fans love it and it brings a new set of skills to the players out there who smash the ball to all corners of the ground in totally unrestricted fashion.

After the disappointments and tragic events which played out during the 50-over World Cup in the Caribbean in 2007, this part of the world desperately needed something to lift the spirits and this past couple of weeks has done just that.

Just a shame for the locals here their team won't be taking part in the showpiece final at Barbados come this Sunday.

Posted by: CNN Sports Anchor, Patrick Snell
Filed under: World Sport Analysis