Murray unlikely to win Wimbledon despite recent success
I wonder if Andy Murray ever curses the fact that he’s playing in an era with two of the greatest tennis players of all time? I suspect he does.
The Scot has all the attributes to be a major winner; he can play every shot in the book, is incredibly fit, loves a challenge and has great court-craft and intuition, but so far this total package hasn’t been quite good enough. FULL POST
Can Federer stop Nadal equaling Borg's record?
It’s been a pretty awful week in sports, with corruption, match-fixing and bribery claims and counter-claims flying every which way, but the latter stages of the French Open have restored my faith in the world we know and love.
The top four male tennis players have shown a gulf in class once again. After a very average first week, in relative terms, world No. 1 Rafa Nadal has got better and better as he bids to equal Bjorn Borg's record of six Roland Garros titles,.
His straight-sets semifinal win over Andy Murray showed that the Spaniard is just as good as ever, despite certainly being overshadowed this year by Novak Djokovic. FULL POST
Djokovic's dream year shows no sign of slowing
When Pete Sampras won major title number 14, I thought nobody would ever break the record. Then along came Roger Federer.
When I thought the Swiss maestro was the undisputed greatest of all time, along came Rafael Nadal. FULL POST
Should King Kenny come back for good?
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! FULL POST
Is Sharapova back as a real contender?
Maria Sharapova’s driving forehand doesn’t really fill me with wonder and excitement, but I am full of admiration for her drive to succeed.
She burst onto the tennis scene as a 17-year-old in 2004, beating two-time defending champion Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final, but having reached the top of the rankings herself, her career went into decline from late 2008 after a long absence due to injury. FULL POST
Hot Djokovic still short of game's best winning streaks
Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic's victory over world number one Rafael Nadal in the final of the Miami Masters extended his winning streak in 2011 to 24 matches.
Djokovic has now won four titles this year, including the first major of the year – the Australian Open. His winning run is impressive but it's not on my list of the best winning streaks in tennis – at least not yet!
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Candy Reid's Miami Open diary
My trip to the Miami Open tennis tournament was supposed to be a 16-hour affair - but instead it turned into a two-day interview extravaganza with a massive cherry on top.
Monday March 21
4pm I’m in the office in Atlanta preparing for ‘World Sport’ which is an hour and a half away when I learn that some of the top male tennis players in the world are organizing a charity football match in Miami with all proceeds going to Japan. The match is on Thursday and I’m supposed to be leaving for Miami after my shift to interview Kim Clijsters before flying back late on Tuesday. But because of the special nature of the football game, I’ve been given the green light to cover it too, so I quickly organize child-care for my children, change my flight and extend my hotel booking.
Should minor nations play at the Cricket World Cup?
The International Cricket Council has decided that the 2015 World Cup will involve just 10 teams – four fewer than this year.
It’s a decision which has been endorsed by Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who believes the so-called "minnows" of the game just aren’t competitive enough and that one-sided matches compromise the tournament.
Cricket is a massive sport, but its popularity is restricted to certain pockets in the world. For many people outside these areas, the game is like a foreign language – very difficult to understand. So shouldn’t organizers be trying to encourage cricket's global growth rather than discourage it? It is called the "World" Cup, after all! FULL POST
Can Murray become a grand slam champion?
Some may describe him as sulky, some as dour. Both are sometimes right – but there’s a lot more to British tennis star Andy Murray than his on-court persona.
Not only is he said to be a popular member of the dressing room – and often seen to crack a smile or two - he’s also, as we saw recently at Melbourne Park, a really good player. FULL POST
Has 'impatient' Torres jumped too soon?
Fernando Torres has left Liverpool for pastures new - for a team which he claims can help him to the prize he now most covets, a Champions League winner's medal.
Chelsea are in the last 16 of this year's competition but Sunday’s defeat to his former team Liverpool has dented their hopes of gaining a top four qualification spot for next season's campaign.
What if the surging Reds finish ahead of Chelsea in the league and make Europe’s top club competition instead? How silly will Fernando feel?
