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 [...]
Murray fears new guard as Dimitrov ends title defence July 2, 2014 BRITISH No1 Andy Murray fears he is at risk of being left behind by tennis’s rising stars after his Wimbledon defence ended with a comprehensive quarter-final defeat to No11 seed Grigor Dimitrov. The 27-year-old has not won a tournament since his historic victory at SW19 last year and admits his game has stood still while [...]
Federer in the mood for more Wimbledon joy July 2, 2014 FORMER world No1 Roger Federer has his sights set on a record eighth Wimbledon title after coming from behind yesterday to beat Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka in their quarter-final. Federer dropped a set for the first time in the championships, but victory in a second-set tie-break proved the turning point as he reached a 35th [...]
England bank on Stokes’ vigour to overcome India July 2, 2014 ALL-ROUNDER Ben Stokes has been backed to provide the “X-factor and vigour” that England selectors hope will lift the team from their malaise in next week’s first Test against India. Fit-again Stokes was yesterday named in a 13-man squad for the match at Trent Bridge, the only addition to the team that suffered an agonising [...]
World Cup 2026 could be in USA after fans fall in love with football July 2, 2014 USA have emerged as a potential host for the 2026 World Cup, such has been the level of enthusiasm surrounding Jurgen Klinsmann’s team’s exploits in Brazil. Tuesday night’s thrilling last-16 clash between USA and Belgium attracted 9.1m posts on Twitter globally, with President Barack Obama among those to send good luck messages. World governing body [...]