I feared I may die, says Dodig, as Australian chiefs feel heat January 15, 2014 CROATIAN tennis star Ivan Dodig complained that he felt he might die unless he retired from his Australian Open second-round match yesterday, as tournament chiefs faced further criticism. The 32nd seed quit his clash with Bosnian Damir Dumzhur in the fourth set, becoming the 10th player to pull out in Melbourne, where temperatures exceeded 40C [...]
Cancer survivor Hutchins wins on slam return January 15, 2014 BRITISH doubles specialist and cancer survivor Ross Hutchins toasted an emotional winning return to grand slam tennis yesterday at the Australian Open. Hutchins and Colin Fleming won in three sets to reach the second round in Melbourne just 13 months after the 28-year-old was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma. The south Londoner, a close friend of [...]
Frankel dynasty begins as first foal born January 15, 2014 HE may be only days old, but he is already among the most valuable specimens in the horse racing world with an estimated value of around £6m. The first foal sired by Frankel, considered the greatest of all time, was born at the weekend to Chrysanthemum, herself the offspring of champion sire Danehill Dancer, it [...]
Matic hails boss Mourinho as Chelsea seal his £21m return January 15, 2014 NEW Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic branded boss Jose Mourinho the world’s best yesterday, after completing his £21m return to Stamford Bridge. Matic moved to Benfica from Chelsea three years ago as part of the deal which saw defender David Luiz move the opposite way. But the 25-year-old, who worked under Carlo Ancelotti during his first [...]
I hope Murray’s back isn’t better, says opponent January 15, 2014 FOURTH seed Andy Murray is not the only man at the Australian Open aiming to return to top form after a debilitating back injury. In fact, his opponent for this morning’s second-round match, Frenchman Vincent Millot, also spent much of the second half of last year nursing such an ailment. Tennis similarities between the Wimbledon [...]
Pochettino’s Saints future in doubt January 15, 2014 FOOTBALL: Uncertainty over the future of Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino grew last night, after chairman Nicola Cortese resigned. Pochettino indicated in May 2013 he could not envisage working at the club if Cortese left, saying: “I would not understand a Southampton without Nicola being here.” Saints owner Katharina Liebherr has assumed the role of non-executive [...]
Barker, 31, hangs up his gloves January 15, 2014 BOXING: Former world middleweight champion Darren Barker announced his retirement yesterday. The 31-year-old dislocated his hip during defeat to Felix Sturm in December. It was his first title defence after winning the IBF belt against Daniel Geale in Atlantic City in August.
Row as tennis stars faint in 42C heatwave January 14, 2014 AUSTRALIAN Open tennis chiefs were forced to defend their refusal to implement an extreme heat policy yesterday after players and ball boys fainted on court as temperatures in Melbourne rocketed past 42C. Canadian Frank Dancevic called the decision to allow matches to continue “inhumane” after he passed out from heatstroke during his first-round defeat, adding: [...]
Cricket Comment: Selectors cannot disregard Cook woe indefinitely January 14, 2014 ENGLAND’S problem, in Test matches and now one-day cricket too, is that they have forgotten how to get runs on the board and build a strong start. And that is why the current malaise afflicting their captain in both forms, Alastair Cook, is a concern that is increasingly difficult to ignore. Cook managed just four [...]
Hull owner threatens to quit if Tigers name change is blocked January 14, 2014 CONTROVERSIAL Hull City owner and main financial backer Assem Allam has warned he will walk away from the football club if he is not permitted to change their name to Hull Tigers. Allam has defied some supporters of the Premier League side by lodging an official request with the Football Association to change their name. [...]