I feel ready to claim my first grand slam, says Bouchard July 3, 2014 FEARLESS 20-year-old Eugenie Bouchard insists reaching the Wimbledon final in just the sixth grand slam appearance of her fledging career should not be considered a surprise. In a drama-drenched semi-final yesterday against No3 seed Simona Halep – including a medical time-out while the Romanian had treatment on an ankle injury, a stoppage while a spectator [...]
British cyclists best in world July 3, 2014 BRITAIN’S sporting reputation may have taken hits from Andy Murray’s Wimbledon exit, England’s shabby World Cup and a home Test series defeat to Sri Lanka, but we are the best around at cycling. That’s the view of Sir Dave Brailsford, who masterminded Britain’s Olympic track dominance and the road racing success of Team Sky, as [...]
Button: Lewis under pressure July 3, 2014 FORMER world champion Jenson Button has piled the pressure on Lewis Hamilton to kick-start his bid for another Formula One drivers’ title by winning Sunday’s British Grand Prix. Hamilton arrives at Silverstone desperate to make up ground on his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg, who leads the standings eight races into the 19-date F1 calendar. Button, [...]
Hands off Rodriguez, say Monaco, as he gets set to ruin Brazil’s party July 3, 2014 COLOMBIA playmaker James Rodriguez’s suitors have been warned to forget about signing the World Cup’s breakout star, as he plots an end to Brazilian hopes of a first home triumph in the tournament. Monaco say they have no intention of cashing in on Rodriguez just one year after they flexed their newfound financial muscle by [...]
New guard out to halt Federer and Djokovic July 3, 2014 THE UNENVIABLE task of becoming the first man in nine attempts to stop Roger Federer in a Wimbledon semi-final falls on eighth seed Milos Raonic today. Federer, 32, was thought to be nearing the twilight of his career, having landed the 17th and last of his grand slam titles in London in 2012. Yet this [...]
Seven Germans in flu outbreak July 3, 2014 GERMAN hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals for the fourth tournament in succession have been hit by a bout of flu on the eve of their clash with France. Coach Joachim Low revealed that a third of his 23-man squad had been affected by the illness, leaving him unable to plan for this afternoon’s [...]
France and Germany set for stalemate at the Maracana July 3, 2014 BEN CLEMINSON PREVIEWS TODAY’S WORLD CUP QUARTER-FINALS AND BILL ESDAILE WITH SATURDAY’S BEST RACING BETS WE’VE enjoyed a veritable feast of football excitement this summer, and many are predicting that Brazil 2014’s goal tally, currently standing at 154, will break France 1998’s record of 171. But with eight games to come, I’m not quite so [...]
The Fugue can land fifth Group One in Sandown’s Coral-Eclipse July 3, 2014 THE CORAL-ECLIPSE at Sandown (3.50pm) is one of the highlights of the flat season, providing the first opportunity for the Classic generation to take on their elders. They receive 11lb from the older male horses in the field but, even with that concession, I have my doubts about 2000 Guineas winner Night Of Thunder staying [...]
Tournament totals spread betting July 3, 2014 THERE have been three major surprises at this World Cup. Costa Rica’s unlikely success, the number of goals that have been scored – at least in the group stages – and the leniency showed by the referees. There were an average of 2.8 goals per game throughout the group stages and we’ve already seen the [...]
Maria Sharapova doesn’t know who Sachin Tendulkar is: Here’s why that shouldn’t be a surprise July 3, 2014 Tennis star Maria Sharapova has managed to cause a storm among fans of cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar. At a press conference following Sharapova's third round victory on Saturday, a reporter pointed out that Tendulkar was also in attendance. When asked if she was aware of the player, Sharapova fessed up: "I don't." Cue outrage from [...]