London, England - With all the hype surrounding the World Cup in South Africa, it is easy to forget that there are other major sporting events taking place this summer. Wimbledon, the world’s oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament, has found itself unfortunately sandwiched into the middle two weeks of the biggest sporting competition on the planet.

However, officials at the All England Club have declared the Championships a soccer-free zone, choosing to show only tennis on the venue’s big screen during the June 21-July 4 event. There will be no screenings even of any of England’s World Cup matches which may fall during the Wimbledon fortnight.

The decision is unpopular - but the fact is that tennis deserves to remain the center of attention during its own tournament. Tennis doesn’t need to try and compete with football, but if it did, it would surely win hands down. Here are five reasons why.

1. No honking of vuvuzelas
For those who have been outraged by the noise coming from their television sets the last week or so, it is important to know that the vuvuzela, or any similarly noisy instrument, would never be allowed anywhere near the gates of Wimbledon. Those looking for some respite from the continuous drone of the plastic horn - which is driving everyone to distraction in South Africa and slowly deafening the rest of us watching from home - need look to no further than the lawns of SW19 in south-west London.

The crowd might increase in volume when home favorite Andy Murray steps onto the court, but mostly audience participation will be refined to polite clapping, and the occasional "oooh" or "aaah" at a particularly magnificent shot.

2. Someone always wins
So far the World Cup has proved to be  a non-event, with six of the first 13 games ending in draws and eight of the first 16 featuring just one goal or less. A tennis match always has a winner. You are guaranteed a minimum three sets of action in the men's singles and at least two with the women.

Soccer fans often leave the stands before the end of the match if their team is losing, but you would never see anyone leaving Wimbledon until rain or bad light forces them to do so. It's proof that it is much more exciting to watch a sport where you have to stay to the end, because with no time limit, you have no idea who is going to win until the final ball has been hit.

3. The golden era
Tennis is experiencing one of the greatest eras in its history, with the Federer/Nadal rivalry at the top of the men's game providing excitement and spectacular matches.

The last few Wimbledon finals have seen some of the greatest match-ups in the history of sport, with the 2008 Nadal-Federer clash widely considered the best of all time. And with the rest of the field now raising their game to compete with the top two players, even early-round matches rarely disappoint fans.

You have to go a long way back before you can bestow the same praise on any World Cup final. The reason no-one has any idea who is going to win the World Cup this time is because no one team really stands out over any other - a fact reflected in the number of draws so far, as well as the poor performances of favored teams such as Spain and England in their opening matches.

4. It's more international
While just 32 teams represent their countries at the World Cup, more than 500 tennis players from all over the world take part in the Wimbledon Championships in men's, women's, doubles, junior and veteran competitions. Last year, participants came from as far and wide as Uzbekistan, Finland, Kazakhstan, the Philippines and the Netherlands Antilles to south-west London, giving fans everywhere someone to cheer during the tournament.

In the World Cup qualifying nations normally come from the traditional footballing heartlands of Europe and South America, as do the winners. Only seven countries have ever lifted the trophy but players from 15 countries have won either the men's or women's titles at Wimbledon.

5. A class above
Finally, tennis is generally a much more civilized sport than football. You don’t play in the rain, the cold or the dark, and the players themselves are usually better behaved than soccer players.

You won’t see any tennis spectators fighting in the stands or rioting on the streets if a result has not gone their way either. Rather than watching a game fueled by beer, spectators at Wimbledon can be seen quietly tucking in to a bowl of strawberries and cream, in full appreciation of the sport being played in front of them.

So these are my five reasons why Wimbledon beats the World Cup hands down - but what do you think?

Over recent months, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has given the biggest hint yet that the sport may be returning to American soil, confirming his hopes to stage a U.S. grand prix again by 2012. But given the country’s troubled history with F1, does the country even want it to return?

F1 hasn’t always been so unpopular in the United States. America’s first ever Formula One grand prix took place in California in 1959, inspiring a generation of homegrown drivers to compete on the international stage, including its only world champions, Mario Andretti and Phil Hill.

The race has been held at various locations across the country, from Florida to Phoenix, to Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace, before settling at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway ten years ago. And the Speedway, which hosted the last U.S. Formula One race, can also boast the largest ever attendance at a grand prix of 225,000.

But there is no doubt that in recent years the United States' relationship with F1 has become somewhat strained. The 2005 Michelin tire fiasco, which led to half the teams boycotting the race and leaving just six drivers left to compete, did little to endear the sport to its American audience. And many believed that the 2007 Indianapolis Grand Prix would well and truly be the last.

However, speculation has been rife for sometime now that the F1 powers that be were planning another attempt to crack the American market, after Indianapolis race organizer Tony George was spotted at the Chinese Grand Prix earlier in the year.

The Liberty State Park in Jersey City, which boasts a back drop of the impressive Manhattan skyline, was earmarked by Ecclestone as a potential location.

But despite being just one of many possible venues, the idea for a New York F1 race sparked protest from the parks owners and from Jersey’s mayor and talks between the two parties came to nothing.

In the end Ecclestone reached an agreement to host the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas  - one of America's most fashionable cities and the centre of the US technology industry. A purpose built track is be constructed in the city, which is now committed to hosting an F1 race for ten years from 2012 to 2021.

But Ecclestone will still face a struggle to generate interest in F1 in America. His main obstacle comes in the form of the popular NASCAR and IndyCar racing series which, after American football, are the most watched sports in the country.

Andretti, arguably the nation's best-ever F1 driver, has said that many of the NASCAR and IndyCar drivers have F1 potential, but are content to settle. And it looks like many American motor racing fans have now done the same.

America’s indifference to F1 is further highlighted by the recent failure of the newly- created US F1 team (which was set up to promote the sport across the States), to line up on the 2010 grid.

So it seems that there is a long way to go before America embraces F1 in the same way that the rest of the world already has, and at this point it is by no means certain that the championship will even make a comeback in the US.

But if Ecclestone can succeed in rejuvenating the US Grand Prix in a new iconic location, could the American people’s attitudes to F1 change for the better? Only time will tell.

Alex Ferguson was enraged after Bayern Munich knocked Manchester United out of the European Champions League.

But those two words – in the aftermath of winning at Old Trafford on Wednesday but going out of the competition on the away goals rule - reveal so much about Britain's most successful manager.

It's impossible to explore the irony without dealing in tabloid cliche but Ferguson has never let anyone forget he's a Scotsman, despite working in the north-west of England for more than two decades.

Some Scottish fans are famed for hating the English who, in turn, are traditionally ambivalent towards the Germans.

If the old Chinese maxim was correct - that the enemy of my enemy is my friend - then Ferguson should find kinship with last night's victors. But alas, no.

So has United's boss brought Britain together in a common dislike for the ability of German football teams to get the job done?

Throw in the fact that Ferguson's main gripe was how Bayern Munich's players "surrounded the ref" and it's hard not to smile, especially given that the ref was surrounded by those well known Germans - Franck Ribery from France and Arjen Robben from Holland.

I'd bet a lot of money that Manchester United would top a poll of football fans if they were asked which English Premier League team's players surround the referee most often.

Just type "United," "Andy" and "D'urso" into a video sharing website to see how Ferguson's team are past masters at pressuring the match official.

But let me backtrack just a little. Fergie can't really be accused of xenophobia considering how many players of different races and nationalities he's embraced at Old Trafford down the years. Not many of sport's great winners like losing, so it isn't a huge surprise that he sounded so bitter immediately after crashing out of the Champions League.

Alex would dearly love to add another European title to his vast collection of trophies before retiring.

Although he likes to give the impression of not caring what others, particularly the press, think of him Ferguson craves respect and admiration as much as the next person.

He got his tactics against Bayern Munich spot on and you could argue that only Rafael's red card denied him another glorious night of vindication, proving that Alex Ferguson is just about the best in the business.

Instead, the press was left to ruminate on another victory for the Germans against the English.

And in that respect, Ferguson was right. Bayern Munich did act like "typical Germans." After all, they won.

Dignitaries including London Mayor Boris Johnson and the chairman of the London 2012 Olympic Committee Seb Coe look at the stadium rising from the mud.

One shiny, gleaming promise that has already been delivered is the "Javelin" high-speed train which will take 25,000 visitors an hour from central London to the Olympic Park. Riding it is a treat - it is quick (225kph), modern, and clean - and the journey time of the 10km route was only seven minutes. It's door-to-door service from one brand new station to another.

Cranes and construction sounds welcome travelers who leave the train and head towards the Olympic Park - to the right are the unfinished, empty high-rise skeletons of the athletes' village, to the left random concrete pylons stick from the ground. Maybe it was the cold and rain that led to a pessimistic mindset but thoughts wandered again towards the mountainous task of meeting the Olympic deadline and whether tourists will have to pack winter clothes for a "summer" Games.

People measure progress in different ways on construction sites. Most of us see buildings popping out of the ground as a sign that things are moving along. But we don't think about all the preparation that's had to be done in the ground - the laying of electric cables, the dredging of rivers, the clean-up of waste and contamination - before they can even build those buildings.

In the final analysis the consensus was that progress was on track and within budget. The sun finally broke through by the end of the trip and the big white clouds seemed to carry away any doubts about whether this place will be ready by 2012. But then a thick drop of water fell on the top on my head from the unfinished stadium - a reminder that a lot more still needs to be done.

So surely a preseason "Wembley Cup" - featuring European champions Barcelona, African club of the century Al Ahly and British big-hitters Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur - would be a tournament not to miss. I mean it is Wembley, the Mecca of football in England, how could the masses not respond?

Once inside, I was struck with a sea of bright red. From left to right, an ocean of empty seats, reaching from the ground to the heavens and all I could think of was just how many people were needed to fill this place? The simple answer is 90,000. It might not be the biggest, but as the 21st biggest stadium in the world it is still up there with the best. To understand just how big consider a little comparison: Rome's Colosseum had a capacity of 4,296, consequently; it would therefore take 21 gladiatorial events to match the attendance of one England home game. Large? Yes. But too big for Barcelona? Surely not.

Seeing the Spanish giants live for the first time since being crowned 2009 European and La Liga Champions, the expectation was for crowds to flock in their thousands to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry. But to my astonishment the match was played in front of barely 20,000. Crowds increased to about 40,000 when Celtic and Tottenham hit the pitch, but still the place looked cavernous. So why lack of enthusiasm?

Maybe the reason could have been ticket prices, where a one-day pass would cost between $48 and $97 for an adult. The credit crunch is still an issue for many and with the ticket price, plus travel, food and merchandise; an expensive day could have proved a bank-breaker.

The other reason could be that because it was a Sunday, people would rather just stay at home and relax by watching the game on television before another hectic week at work begins. Whatever the excuse, one thing is for sure the Wembley experience, engraved in my mind until the end of my days, cannot be experienced from the couch and the marketing department's dream of a packed-to-the-rafters stadium did not materialize.

Consequently, Barcelona trounced Al Ahly and Celtic were victorious over Harry Redknapp's Tottenham Hotspur, in another chapter of the age-old conflict between the English and the Scots, in front of a disappointing crowd.

Despite the lack of numbers, the cheers from fans filled the air within the cauldron of the stadium. Celtic will go down in the history books as the 2009 winners, but the tournament may have to think of a re-brand; Wembley Cup might be better named Wembley "no show up." Just a thought.

Curtis drives from the first tee unaware of the nightmare that awaits.

Come Friday and they definitely know they are in the heartland of links golf in Scotland as the weather is combining with the course to ruin plenty of dreams of holding the Claret Jug come Sunday.

It’s blustery here but not too cold and the first 10 holes are proving a real nightmare for everyone as they head out straight into the breeze. We are going to see some erratic scoring today.

America's Ben Curtis is the best example so far of the course biting back. He was one shot off the lead yesterday on 5 under but, after an opening nine that came from the book of golf's worst nightmares with seven over par holes, today will post a 10 over 80 and may very well miss the cut.

On the other hand American Steve Marino managed a 2 under 68 after heading out early for a tournament total of 5 under and will comfortably take part over the final two days of the Open.

Not only will there be plenty of interest in how the field copes with the conditions but Tom Watson will have a huge following.

The 59-year-old will need all his experience today if he is going to manufacture anything like Thursday’s sparkling round of golf.
In all it should be a fantastic day of golf to watch.

The all-action Gerrard had a vintage season for Liverpool.

English Premier League

Player of the year – Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)
The Serbian international matured into one of the best defenders in the world during Manchester United's title-winning campaign. The 27-year-old provided the muscle in a back line which proved watertight for much of the season. Vidic led United to a streak of 14 consecutive clean sheets. He also scored four goals, some of them crucial to his team's success in the league.

Honorable mention – Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
The league's third top scorer with 16 goals and nearly single-handedly kept Liverpool in the title race until the final weeks of the season. Playing further up the field, he provided scoring opportunities to Fernando Torres and Dirk Kuyt who both scored over 10 goals in the campaign. England's best all-round player had probably his best season to date.

Spanish Primera Division

Player of the year – Leo Messi (Barcelona)
You could easily run out of superlatives trying to describe Messi's performances in La Liga this season. The tiny Argentine was simply breathtaking, mesmerizing opponents' defences with his magical dribbling skills, and scoring goals of all shapes and sizes. His finishing was the skill which he improved the most in the last campaign as he tallied an impressive 23 league goals.

Honorable mention – Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid)
The European Golden Boot winner was a constant threat to goalkeepers all across Spain this season and finished with 32 goals in 33 appearances for Atletico Madrid. One of the hardest working strikers around, the 30 year-old Uruguayan international made the most of the goalscoring opportunities presented to him by Kun Aguero and Maxi Rodriguez.

Italian Serie A

Player of the year – Esteban Cambiasso (Inter Milan)
The heart and soul of an Internazionale side that dominated the Serie A. Esteban Cambiasso was ever present in the Nerazzuri midfield this season and was the first name on the team sheet for manager Jose Mourinho as his tough tackling and intelligent ball distribution made him indispensable. The 28-year-old Argentine international also pitched in with four goals during a stellar campaign.

Honorable mention – Diego Milito (Genoa)
To score 24 goals in the Serie A is tough, but to do it for a non-championship contender is even tougher, but that's what Il Principe accomplished this season. Despite being overtaken at the top of the goalscoring chart by Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the last day of the campaign Milito still earned praise from all corners of Italy for his spirited performances and deadly finishes. Impressed 'The Special One' who bought him for Inter next season.

Bundesliga

Player of the year – Grafite (Wolfsburg)
Wolfsburg won their first ever league title thanks in large part to the goalscoring exploits of this Brazilian striker. An incredible 28 goals in 25 games from a late bloomer who had never scored more than 20 goals in a season in the top flight of any league before. He will be remembered this year for a fantastic solo goal against Bayern Munich in a 5-1 demolition of the Bavarian giants.

Honorable mention – Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)
The silver lining in a dark cloud for Bayern this season. The Frenchman was just unstoppable and assisted more goals than any other player this season. His own tally wasn't bad either as the 26-year-old winger finished with nine goals. If it weren't for Ribery, Bayern could have easily finished outside the top four.

French First Division

Player of the year – Yoan Gourcuff (Bordeaux)
Proved he is a world-class player with a series of fantastic performances in France as he led Bordeaux to their first title since 1999. He was the maestro of a side who won the last 11 games of the season to clinch the league trophy on the last day of the campaign. Gourcuff, who was on loan from AC Milan, scored a career-best 12 goals and is one of the brightest young stars in European football at 22 years of age.

Honorable mention – Bakary Kone (Olympique Marseille)
One of the fastest players on the planet, the Senegal international gave Olympique Marseille a new dimension following his signing from Nice. The 27-year-old winger terrorized defenders all season long, setting up heaps of goals and getting on the score sheet nine times himself.

Coaches

Coach of the Year
Pep Guardiola – A perfect season for the rookie coach who in his first season in professional management won an unprecedented treble – The Spanish League, Spanish Cup and Champions League. As impressive as the trophy haul was the way they achieved it, playing free flowing attacking football during most of the season. They finished their league campaign with a +70 goal average and were also the top scorers in the Champions League.

Most disappointing coach of the Year

Jurgen Klinsmann – He had to be relieved of his duties in the final sprint for the Bundesliga title race. Worse than their performances in Germany was their capitulation against Barcelona at the Camp Nou. It is inadmissible to concede four goals in a half, even against the almighty European Champions. The fact he failed to motivate a star-studded dressing room means it will be a while before he gets another chance at a top club in Europe.