French Open prize money: Andy Murray loss to Novak Djokovic means he misses €1m Roland Garros payday June 6, 2015 Andy Murray has missed the chance to push his 2015 earnings over the $4m mark after the Scot lost in five sets to Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros. Read more: Murray takes solace in clay revival and plots Djokovic French demise Murray faced the unenviable task of ending a run of seven straight losses to Djokovic, [...]
Qualify springs massive surprise to land Oaks win June 5, 2015 TRAINER Aidan O’Brien’s third string Qualify had punters scratching their heads and bookmakers rubbing their hands when she stormed home at 50/1 under Colm O’Donoghue to land the Investec Oaks by a short head from favourite Legatissimo. The daughter of Fastnet Rock was the complete outsider in the field of 11 and arrived at Epsom [...]
Barca and Juve take aim at Euro final milestones June 5, 2015 A COLLISION between two European heavyweights is reason enough to watch the Champions League final between Barcelona and Juventus, but the occasion could be lent further sheen by a number of milestones that may be achieved in Berlin tomorrow evening. TREBLES ALL ROUND Both Barca and Juve stand to complete the treble if they win [...]
Go now, Johansson tells Blatter, as Germans blast Ireland payout June 5, 2015 FORMER European football chief Lennart Johansson has called on embattled Fifa president Sepp Blatter to bring forward his departure and leave the crisis-hit organisation immediately. Blatter, 79, announced he would be stepping down on Tuesday, just days into his fifth four-year term, amid a corruption storm that saw seven Fifa officials indicted last week. A [...]
Watford hire Spanish coach June 5, 2015 WATFORD have confirmed the appointment of Europa League-winning former Atletico Madrid manager Quique Sanchez Flores following their promotion to the Premier League. Sanchez Flores, who has also coached Benfica, Getafe and Valencia, succeeds Slavisa Jokanovic, who could not agree a new contract with the club he led into the top flight. The 50-year-old’s playing days [...]
Wawrinka beats Tsonga to keep French waiting June 5, 2015 WORLD No9 Stan Wawrinka ended hopes of a first French male finalist at Roland Garros for 32 years when he saw off Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets yesterday in Paris. The Swiss stayed on course for a second grand slam title, having claimed the 2014 Australian Open, with a 6-3, 6-7 (1-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 [...]
Theatre review: Kafka on the Shore June 5, 2015 Barbican | ★★★★★ Haruki Murakami’s novel Kafka on the Shore is an ever-shifting mirage where dream and reality, past and future, here and there all twist and collide. It’s a book about ideas, encompassing western philosophy, Greek tragedy, psychoanalysis and science fiction. It should translate horribly to the stage, but legendary Japanese theatre director [...]
Theatre review: Bradley Cooper’s physical performance is a little too good in The Elephant Man June 5, 2015 Theatre Royal Haymarket | ★★☆☆☆ Bradley Cooper’s performance in The Elephant Man is an impressive feat of physical acting that’s a little too good for a largely uninspired play. In one of the few genuinely innovative scenes, we first see Cooper as a near-naked, barrel-chested vision of human perfection. As Joseph Merrick’s many [...]
Film review: Melissa McCarthy is hampered by her co-stars in Spy June 5, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★☆☆☆ Bounteous as Melissa McCarthy’s comedic gifts no doubt are, do they justify a resuscitation of the spy-spoof genre? In a word: no. In Spy she plays a desk-bound CIA operative working in partnership with field agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law) with whom she is not-so-secretly in love. Despite finishing top [...]
The Premier League will have no sponsor for a season after failing to find £60m backer June 5, 2015 The Premier League will be without a title sponsor for a season after it parts ways with current backer Barclays next year. Read more: Fifa sponsors celebrate Sepp Blatter resignation The competition reportedly wants to be known simply as "The Premier League", replicating the "clean" brand image seen in American sports such as the NFL [...]