7th July 2008

A tennis epic

Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in one of the greatest Wimbledon finals of them all, winning 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7.

Federer's dreams of a sixth consecutive Wimbledon title were fading rapidly as Nadal raced into a two set lead, before winning two dramatic tie-breaks to put himself back into contention. The fourth set tie-break seemed pivotal at the time, as Federer saved two championship points. The first championship point for Nadal was earned with an outrageous forehand pass, surpassed only by an astonishing backhand pass from Federer to draw level in the tie-break. The shift in momentum was palpable and the fifth set seemed Federer's to lose, as the capacity Centre Court crowd applauded in amazement.

However, ultimately the Spaniard sealed a remarkable win in virtual darkness, and we may have witnessed a changing of the guard at the top of men's' tennis. Questions marks will no doubt surround Federer for the next few weeks and months, during which time he will no doubt be eager to silence his critics at the US Open and retain his no. 1 ranking. There is an ominous feeling that if Nadal gets a grip on the no. 1 ranking, he will not let go of it easily.

Nadal is certainly an ambassador for tennis and an incredible example for any aspiring athletes. His unwitting propensity to include the snippet 'try my best' in his over-powering Spanish accent into every interview is peculiar yet endearing. More importantly, his supreme fitness and ripped abs makes us mere mortals seem painfully inadequate, particularly in the company of the opposite sex. Most men around the world will no doubt sympathise with Federer's plight - we are all under serious threat from Rafa.

Williams sisters continue domination at SW19

It is easy for the ladies' singles final to be over-looked, and in all honesty, Venus Williams' hard-fought victory over her sister Serena might not be given due credit in years to come. In reality, Venus played the most consistent tennis throughout the tournament and repelled a strong start from Serena to come back and win relatively comfortably in the end, although the score line 7-5, 6-4 probably does not reflect this. Venus picked up the aptly named Venus Rosewater dish for the fifth time, and the Williams sisters continue to confound the doubters.

Remarkably, Venus achieved this feat without dropping a set throughout the tournament, notable for the giant-killing antics of China 's Jie Zheng. The wildcard belied her reputation as a doubles specialist, knocking out the strongly fancied Ana Ivanovic and Nicole Vaidisova to reach the semi-finals.

A starlet is born

14 year-old Laura Robson caused a stir in the girls' tournament, only dropping a single set throughout the event. Having moved to England at the age of six, the British public have naturally adopted the Aussie-born teenager as one of their own, and there will no doubt be unrealistically high hopes for her to achieve future Grand Slam success.

Robson will have to contend with the British media as much as her on-court rivals, and the irony is that from tabloid to broadsheet, most Sunday papers included pieces on how we should not 'rush' and 'pressure' her into achieving glory. The very same editors will no doubt be asking redundant questions such as "are you sure you're good enough for the top level after your defeat to the world no. 143?" in years to come.

We wish Laura the best of luck…and we promise not to ask her daft questions at press conferences.

Puppets on a string

To the world of cricket, and the ICC continued its blinkered policy towards cricket politics of pandering to the BCCI at every opportunity. While the Indians are clearly a super-power in the game, the integrity of this sport continues to be compromised by the stance of the ICC. The latest debacle regarding Zimbabwe has been another opportunity for the fat cats in the ICC to wash their hands of the most urgent situation in world cricket.

During their annual general meeting in Dubai , the ICC sat back and observed as the English and Indian boards locked horns over a matter which has been plaguing cricket for the past few years. Led by India , the Asian bloc is feared because of its immense power in world cricket. It always gets what it wants - in this case, the Indian board wants Zimbabwe to retain elite member status as it is guaranteed a vote from the Zimbabwean board for other pressing issues.

In the end, a compromise was reached - if it can be called as such - and Zimbabwe Cricket decided to withdraw their team from next year's Twenty20 World Cup in England after being advised that their team would likely not be granted entry into the country. However, ZC will still receive full funding from the ICC. The irony here is that Zimbabwe simply cannot compete at ODI or Test level; Twenty20 is the only format in which they have a fair chance of not totally humiliating themselves. After recent allegations of financial irregularities in ZC, the tragedy here is that this funding is unlikely to go towards developing cricket in Zimbabwe .

This was a rare opportunity for sport to transcend politics and for the ICC to make a much-needed difference. Mugabe's regime continues to flourish thanks to the selfishness of outsiders, whether trying to gain the moral high ground or attempting flagrant and unashamed buying of votes. A hard-line stance is needed before the tragedy of this farce becomes more apparent.

Cricketer in SMS howler…and it's not Shane Warne

New Zealand 's former opening batsman Mark Richardson is fast becoming a hate figure for the current team. After a somewhat innocuous article for the New Zealand Herald about the controversial run-out of Grant Elliott in the ODI at Old Trafford, Richardson received a few choice words from Scott Styris via text message.  Calling him a “geriatric ****-head” and adding “We hope you die choking on your own **** that you speak.”

Richardson was clearly not the most popular member of the dressing room during his time as a player, and he has done little to enhance relations with his former team-mates after turning to journalism.

He claimed in a subsequent article: “I am extremely disappointed the text messages I received from a member of the Black Caps found their way into the public domain. They should have remained between the player, me and New Zealand Cricket simply because of the circumstances that led to them.”

Considering that he had made an informal complaint to New Zealand Cricket's chief executive Justin Vaughan, as well as conversing with Players' Association manager Heath Mills, we have no sympathy for Richardson . Although Styris' texts were hardly commendable, Richardson has been goading his former team-mates in his articles and his patronising riposte will no doubt further infuriate the current squad.

After this latest incident, if there's anything that they should teach in cricket academies around the world, it's that cricketers and text messages don't go together.

Sri Lanka retain Asia Cup

Mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis put star off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in the shade with an incredible spell of 6 for 13 to snatch the Asia Cup from favourites India. On a batting paradise in Karachi , Sri Lanka collapsed to 67/4 before veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya broke loose. Taking 26 off RP Singh's sixth over, Jayasuriya's counter-attack took advantage of India 's hapless pace bowlers before their spinners did well to slow things down in the middle overs. Jayasuriya was eventually dismissed for 125 from 114 balls, and showed why he is still one of the best in the business even though he is approaching 40 years of age.

A total of only 273 should have been chased down with plenty of overs to spare, and it was heading for an early finish as Virender Sehwag seemed intent on emulating Jayasuriya‘s earlier carnage with 60 off just 35 balls.  Mendis was brought on in the tenth over for his bow against the Indians, and struck immediately as the batsmen struggled to pick his incredible variety. India were bowled out for a paltry 173 as their middle order collapsed under pressure, and it is certainly a case of déja vu - India have now lost 18 of their last 22 ODI finals, with most defeats coming in similar circumstances, with the middle order crumbling under pressure.