Squad:
M S Dhoni (c),
Virender Sehwag (v-c),
Gautam Gambhir ,
Suresh Raina ,
Yuvraj Singh ,
Yusuf Pathan ,
Rohit Sharma ,
Harbhajan Singh,
Zaheer Khan ,
Ishant Sharma ,
Praveen Kumar,
RP Singh,
Ravindra Jadeja ,
Pragyan Ojha and
Irfan Pathan .
India, who won the inaugural edition of the championship in South Africa in 2007, will be led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni while Virender Sehwag has been named his deputy.
Paceman RP Singh was on Monday rewarded for his consistent performance in the ongoing IPL with a recall while fellow speedster Munaf Patel was dropped from India's 15-member squad for next month's Twenty20 World Cup in England .
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik , who figured in India's squad that played the last Twenty20 in New Zealand in February end, has also been dropped from the squad which has no major surprises. Hard-hitting batsman Robin Uthappa has also been omitted.
The squad includes five specialist batsmen, five specialist pacers, two spinners, two all-rounders and a wicket-keeper in Dhoni.
The selectors had earlier announced a list of 30 probables for the event to be held in England from June 5-21 and today pruned it to the final 15. All participating teams have to submit the final squad by tomorrow as per the ICC rules.
As expected, there are no major surprises in the squad which was picked up by the selection panel headed by former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth via teleconference.
Among others who could not make it to the final 15 are Tamil Nadu opener M Vijay, Mumbai trio of Ajinkya Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni and Abhishek Nayar , Tamil Nadu batsman S Badrinath, Delhi batsman Virat Kohli , Bengal duo of Manoj Tiwary and Wriddhiman Saha, Haryana leggie Amit Mishra , Tamil Nadu pacer L Balaji and Madhya Pradesh stumper Naman Ojha.
Tamil Nadu off-spinner R Ashwin, who was named back-up for Harbhajan Singh , also failed to survive the pruning exercise.
Youngsters Abhishek Raut, who plays for Rajasthan Royals , and Bangalore's Shrivats Goswami also could not make the cut despite their decent showing in the Indian Premier League .
Joginder Sharma, who is remembered for his last over in the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 World Cup, could not find a place in the 30-member list of probables, along with Piyush Chawla and S Sreesanth .
Sreesanth is recovering from a back injury and has not played competitive cricket for the last few months.
Sachin Tendulkar had opted out of the Twenty20 World Cup in 2007 and continued to remain away from the shortest format of the game despite his good form in recent time.
A Win To Cheer
Success in New Zealand takes India closer to top spot in Test cricket
Ablemish in Team India’s recent record in Test cricket has been wiped out: a series has been won in New Zealand, the first in four decades. This 1-0 win reaffirms Team India’s emergence as a Test side that can win matches not just at home but also abroad.
The success in New Zealand was a collective effort. Yet, special mention must be made of Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan. These two players have had a remarkable run in recent times and that’s helped Team India to become one of the world’s top Test teams. The Virender Sehwag-Gambhir combine is arguably the most destructive opening pair in world cricket today. Sehwag’s relative failure in Tests in New Zealand — unusual because he had a terrific one-day series — did not affect Gambhir, but revealed new facets of his batting. His two centuries were contrasting efforts shaped by the needs of the team. In Napier, he blocked for over 11 hours to score 137 runs, which helped India save the match. In Wellington, he blasted his way to 167 in less than six hours and set the match up for the bowlers. And Rahul Dravid, who now holds the world record for the most catches in Tests, Sachin Tendulkar and V V S Laxman did justice to their reputations.
Similarly, Zaheer’s re-emergence as a strike bowler a few seasons ago has dramatically transformed Team India’s bowling. That he now has the best strike rate of any Indian bowler overseas — the list includes men like Anil Kumble, B S Chandrasekhar and Kapil Dev — is evidence of his skills and potency. Fast bowlers, as is well known, hunt in pairs. Zaheer and Ishant Sharma make a formidable pair. The right-arm Sharma, with his pace and bounce, complements the swing and seam of the left-arm Zaheer. Together, they have blunted many top order batsmen and set the middle order up for spinners, especially Harbhajan Singh. Not surprisingly, Singh, like another off-spinner E A S Prasanna 41 years ago, topped the wickets tally in New Zealand. Moreover, these bowlers have become handy batsmen.
But it rankles a bit that the result could have been 2-0 in India’s favour if not for the hostile weather and excessively defensive tactics on the part of M S Dhoni, who is otherwise having a fabulous run as captain and player. An early declaration in Wellington would have given bowlers enough time to wrap up the match. Team India, it seems, preferred to hold on to the 1-0 lead and not risk an improbable loss. Teams like Australia aren’t scared of taking risks to maximise their success. That’s a winner’s mindset. Team India should not become a prisoner of excessive caution. Winning must become a frame of mind for Dhoni’s remarkable team.
CHANGE OF GUARD
Bringing to an end to long and string stretching speculations, Dr Vijay Mallya, owner of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team named England’s Kevin Pietersen as skipper for the second edition of the Indian Premier League that is slated to begin on April 10.
Pietersen will lead the team until the end of April after which he will return to do duty for his country and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis will take over for the rest of the tournament. With six international players having captaincy experience in the RCB line-up, Dr Mallya said, “After long and decisive consultations with icon player Rahul Dravid the decision to make Pietersen captain was taken.” The names of former Indian skipper Anil Kumble and Karnataka skipper Robin Uthappa did the rounds and many backed a Bangalorean to lead the local team if it was not to be Rahul.
It is also likely that Rahul Dravid could be unavailable as his wife is expecting the couple’s second child and the star middle order Indian batsman would like to be by his wife at that moment.
Pietersen, in a statement, said, “It is indeed a great privilege and honor to be asked to take over the captaincy from such a great player and friend, Rahul Dravid. Rahul has an incredible cricketing brain and a vast amount of experience in playing the sport at the highest level.”
The team, which boasts of a plethora of young Indian players, wears a more balanced look compared to the inaugural year when they were tagged “a Test team”. Talking of cheerleaders, Mallya said, “Cheerleaders don’t win matches, players do.” He went on to add, “The cheerleaders contributed significantly overall in portraying the Indian Premier League worldwide”.
“We will do whatever it takes to market RCB as a brand and if we feel that cheerleaders are necessary, and then it will be done.” “We (RCB) felt it necessary to sign and promote young Indian players who could benefit from the experienced international players in the team. Along with Brijesh Patel (CEO) and Ray Jennings (Coach) Royal Challengers are in really good shape now,” ended Mallya.
VENKY LEAVES RCB
In a major change, Indian bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad will not be seen with the Royal Challengers team. The former Indian seamer has signed up to be the bowling coach of Chennai Super Kings and his place in the RCB will be taken up by Eric Symonds from South Africa and Grant Morgan, also a South African, will be the batting coach who will join Jennings and Bash Naidoo (High Performance coach) both from South Africa.
BCCI BOWLS GOOGLY AT GOVT
The Indian Permier League Twenty20 tournament, which proved to be hugely popular in its inaugural edition last year, will be played this year in another country, probably England or South Africa, in the wake of a tussle between the Government and the Board of Control for Cricket in India over security issues.
The BCCI took the surprise decision here on Sunday after the Union Home Ministry and some state governments had told the organisers that it may not be possible to provide adequate security for the 45-day tournament, whose dates clash with the Lok Sabha polls.
Even a rescheduling of the matches and change of some venues had not satisfied the security establishment which had heightened concerns after the Lahore terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team.
Determined to go ahead with the tournament which involves big money — some estimates putting the figure at close to Rs 10,000 crores mainly in TV rights and sponsorships — the BCCI threw a googly at the government by taking the tournament out of the country.
After the meeting of the BCCI working committee attended among others by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, BCCI President Shashank Manohar told a press conference that they were forced to take the tournament out of the country because of the government’s attitude.
INDIAN LOSS, FOREIGN GAIN
Manohar said that the BCCI was in touch with boards of other countries and a decision on the venue for the IPL will be taken in 2-3 days.
BCCI sources said that England or South Africa appear to be most likely venues. “Due of the attitude of the government that they are not ready to spare security forces for the cricket tournament, we are forced to take the decision to move the event out of India,” Manohar said.
“So the Board has decided to take the tournament out of the country. We are in discussion with other boards who are willing to host the event. I apologise to the people of India for moving the tournament out,” Manohar said.
“But we’re are going ahead with the event so that they can at least watch the event on television,” he added.
The BCCI President said venue would be decided in next couple of days. “We are in discussion with other boards and will decide the venue in next 2-3 days,” he said. IPL Commissioner and Chairman Lalit Modi, who was also at the press conference, said the number of matches, format and timing of the event will remain unchanged and the organisers would not tinker with the “integrity of the tournament”.
“Dates and timings of the matches will remain the same. The Indian audiences can watch the matches at 4 pm and 8 pm IST as they did in the inaugural season,” Modi said. Modi said the increased cost of holding the matches overseas was not important but the tournament’s integrity was. “We are not bothered about the cost factor but the issue is the integrity of the tournament. The issue is holding all 59 matches as scheduled,” he said.
Modi said the telecast row concerning the tournament between the BCCI and Sony was also expected to be sorted out in 24 hours. Manohar also expressed his displeasure at the state governments’ attitude, saying Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra Government changed their stance at the last moment.
“The AP government revoked its earlier permission and Maharashtra Chief Minister wrote a letter that we can’t host matches in that state until May 13. We had scheduled 18 matches for Maharashtra,” he said.
DISCUSSION
Manohar said that the BCCI officials would now have a discussion with the eight franchise team owners and said on an optimistic note, in the presence of team owners Vijay Mallya and Nita Ambani, as well as N Srinivasan (the BCCI Secretary), that he did not think they will have any objection. “We will hold discussions with the owners. I don’t think the franchises would oppose us,” he said.
The schedule of the tournament has been fixed from April 10 to May 24 and BCCI said in a press release that there did not exist any other window for holding the IPL sometime later.
The BCCI statement said it was not possible to hold the event on any other date other than the original schedule due to a busy international calender.
“The BCCI is conscious of the general elections, which will be held between April 16 and May 13. The BCCI has had several discussions with the Ministry of Home Affairs on the scheduling of IPL matches.”
“It is pertinent to understand that within the present international calendar of events, there is no other window for IPL to be played during this year. Immediately after the IPL, the teams will be in England on May 25 for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup commencing from June 2.”
“After the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, the Indian team will play four ODIs in the West Indies after which, the team will tour Zimbabwe for a tri-series involving Zimbabwe and South Africa.”
“In September, India would play in the Champions Trophy in South Africa, following which would be the Champions League. Between October 2009 and March 2010, there are three home series against Australia, Sri Lanka and South Africa,” it said.
The release also said the tournament provided a large revenue last year so, it would not hold a truncated event. “The experience of the first IPL has shown that apart from providing employment at the various venues, IPL has also contributed close to Rs 100 crore to the exchequer.”
“The BCCI, therefore, is not in a position to either play a truncated IPL or to cancel the second edition of the IPL. The BCCI is left with no other option.”
HUNGRY FOR MORE
Beckham could become the most capped English player if he is able to make his loan move to Milan permanent.
David Beckham equalled the late Bobby Moore’s outfield record of 108 caps for England after coming on as a substitute in a friendly on Wednesday away to Spain in Seville. The 33-year-old midfielder, recalled to the squad after impressing Fabio Capello with his recent displays for AC Milan, came on for the second half and now looks set to eclipse Moore as the most capped outfield player when England play their next match, a World Cup qualifier against Slovakia on March 28.
Beckham came on as a halftime substitute, but David Villa and Fernando Llorente scored to hand England its first loss in almost a year. The loss of England’s unbeaten streak shows it still has plenty of work to do after missing last year’s European championship, which Spain won.
EYEING 125
Beckham has still some way to go to catch the overall record holder, goalkeeper Peter Shilton, who played for his country 125 times. But it is not completely out of the question that he could reach that landmark if he is able to make his loan move to Milan permanent and realise his ambition of playing for England in next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa.
By then, Beckham will have turned 35 and have been representing his country for almost 14 years, having made his debut as a floppyhaired 21-year-old against Moldova on September 1, 1996. The first of his 17 international goals came at the 1998 World Cup, his freekick against Colombia helping England into the second round.
That tournament was to end in disgrace with Beckham vilified for getting himself sent off for a petulant kick at Diego Simeone as England went out on penalties to Argentina. An experience that would have crushed less resilient personalities served only to make Beckham stronger and his growing significance to the national squad was recognised by caretaker boss Peter Taylor, who made him captain.
CAPTAIN BECKHAM
That decision surprised many people but Beckham retained the role under Sven-Goran Eriksson and was at the centre of a revival in England’s fortunes under the Swede. Beckham was wearing the armband when England hammered Germany 5-1 in Munich in 2001 and it was his dramatic last gasp free-kick that secured a 2-2 draw with Greece later that year, clinching the squad’s place in the 2002 World Cup finals. His redemption from the 1998 setback was completed in Japan, where he scored the penalty that gave England a group stage win over Argentina. Another freekick, against Ecuador in the 2006 finals, made Beckham the first Englishman to score in three World Cups.
TESTING TIMES
Beckham’s international career appeared to have ended after that tournament when new manager Steve McClaren dropped him from the squad. But the midfielder refused to take the face-saving option of retirement and, the following June, he was back in the fold, setting up John Terry for England’s goal in their first match at the new Wembley, a 1-1 draw with Brazil. The century of caps was chalked up in a friendly defeat by France last March and it has been inevitable for some time that Beckham would reach Moore’s milestone.
That has triggered some unfavourable comparisons between Beckham and Moore which, according to Sir Bobby Charlton, are unfair. “David Beckham can’t do any more than go on the field and do his best. And his best has been good enough,” Charlton said on Wednesday.
“Of course Bobby Moore was the captain when we won the World Cup and maybe people will say that will always overshadow anything David Beckham has done. “But I don’t think David Beckham will see it like that, he’ll be very pleased and very proud.”
FRIDAY DEADLINE
Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber has set a Friday deadline for AC Milan to complete a transfer deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy for David Beckham. Garber said on Wednesday that the league will not approve any transfer that is not completed by Friday even though Beckham’s threemonth loan to the Italian club does not end until March 8, 11 days before the US league’s season begins.
David Beckham equalled the late Bobby Moore’s outfield record of 108 caps for England after coming on as a substitute in a friendly on Wednesday away to Spain in Seville. The 33-year-old midfielder, recalled to the squad after impressing Fabio Capello with his recent displays for AC Milan, came on for the second half and now looks set to eclipse Moore as the most capped outfield player when England play their next match, a World Cup qualifier against Slovakia on March 28.
Beckham came on as a halftime substitute, but David Villa and Fernando Llorente scored to hand England its first loss in almost a year. The loss of England’s unbeaten streak shows it still has plenty of work to do after missing last year’s European championship, which Spain won.
EYEING 125
Beckham has still some way to go to catch the overall record holder, goalkeeper Peter Shilton, who played for his country 125 times. But it is not completely out of the question that he could reach that landmark if he is able to make his loan move to Milan permanent and realise his ambition of playing for England in next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa.
By then, Beckham will have turned 35 and have been representing his country for almost 14 years, having made his debut as a floppyhaired 21-year-old against Moldova on September 1, 1996. The first of his 17 international goals came at the 1998 World Cup, his freekick against Colombia helping England into the second round.
That tournament was to end in disgrace with Beckham vilified for getting himself sent off for a petulant kick at Diego Simeone as England went out on penalties to Argentina. An experience that would have crushed less resilient personalities served only to make Beckham stronger and his growing significance to the national squad was recognised by caretaker boss Peter Taylor, who made him captain.
CAPTAIN BECKHAM
That decision surprised many people but Beckham retained the role under Sven-Goran Eriksson and was at the centre of a revival in England’s fortunes under the Swede. Beckham was wearing the armband when England hammered Germany 5-1 in Munich in 2001 and it was his dramatic last gasp free-kick that secured a 2-2 draw with Greece later that year, clinching the squad’s place in the 2002 World Cup finals. His redemption from the 1998 setback was completed in Japan, where he scored the penalty that gave England a group stage win over Argentina. Another freekick, against Ecuador in the 2006 finals, made Beckham the first Englishman to score in three World Cups.
TESTING TIMES
Beckham’s international career appeared to have ended after that tournament when new manager Steve McClaren dropped him from the squad. But the midfielder refused to take the face-saving option of retirement and, the following June, he was back in the fold, setting up John Terry for England’s goal in their first match at the new Wembley, a 1-1 draw with Brazil. The century of caps was chalked up in a friendly defeat by France last March and it has been inevitable for some time that Beckham would reach Moore’s milestone.
That has triggered some unfavourable comparisons between Beckham and Moore which, according to Sir Bobby Charlton, are unfair. “David Beckham can’t do any more than go on the field and do his best. And his best has been good enough,” Charlton said on Wednesday.
“Of course Bobby Moore was the captain when we won the World Cup and maybe people will say that will always overshadow anything David Beckham has done. “But I don’t think David Beckham will see it like that, he’ll be very pleased and very proud.”
FRIDAY DEADLINE
Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber has set a Friday deadline for AC Milan to complete a transfer deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy for David Beckham. Garber said on Wednesday that the league will not approve any transfer that is not completed by Friday even though Beckham’s threemonth loan to the Italian club does not end until March 8, 11 days before the US league’s season begins.
CLEAN SHEET
Ryan Giggs scored a sublime goal to seal a 1-0 win for Manchester United at West Ham United on Sunday that sent them back to the top of the Premier League. In a cagey game of few chances, Giggs jinked past two West Ham players after 61 minutes before skimming a low shot inside the far post to put the champions two points clear of Liverpool.
United have 56 points from 24 games while Liverpool, who beat Portsmouth 3-2 on Saturday, have 54 from 25.
United’s miserly defence was never unduly troubled as they registered a 13th consecutive league clean sheet while goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar made it over 20 hours since he last had to pick the ball out of his net in the league.
“This has been a difficult match for us over the years and this was a great result for us to come away with a win,” Dutchman Van der Sar told Sky Sports. “The defenders are incredible, how they defend, how they clear the ball, it’s a team effort.”
ARSENAL FIFTH
Arsenal remain a distant fifth with 44 points after drawing 0-0 at north London rivals Tottenham
Arsenal remain a distant fifth with 44 points after drawing 0-0 at north London rivals Tottenham
Hotspur despite playing for nearly an hour with 10 men after Emmanuel Eboue was sent off. Eboue, who also had a goal disallowed, was shown a red card for a sneaky kick at Tottenham’s Luca Modric after 36 minutes but the home side, even with Robbie Keane back in the starting line-up, failed to take advantage.
For all their attacking flair, United’s surge towards a hat-trick of Premier League titles has been built on rock-like defending.
Sunday’s victory was their sixth by 1-0 in an eight-match winning sequence in the league. West Ham had not lost until before Christmas and started confidently against United.
Carlton Cole, who was included in the England squad on Saturday, had the game’s first chance when he found a rare gap in United’s defence before trying to chip Van der Sar.
At the other end a Paul Scholes shot was re-directed by Cristiano Ronaldo, forcing a fingertip save from West Ham keeper Robert Green.
United were comfortable after the break without really threatening until two of their most experienced players combined to unlock West Ham’s defence. Scholes drilled a perfect crossfield pass to pick out Giggs on the left wing and the Welsh winger cut in, side-stepped past two static West Ham players and threaded a shot into the net.
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY
Rafael Nadal made 2008 his own, but the signs are not good for the Australian Open where he will bid to extend his mastery with a first hardcourt Grand Slam. The muscular Mallorcan has played only three tour matches since October, when he wrapped up his season early with an injured right knee, and crashed out in last week’s Qatar Open quarters.
Nadal, 22, was also beaten in an exhibition event by the in-form Andy Murray, and will have to play his way into form here. “There’s no damage to my confidence,” he insisted in Doha.
“I knew that the beginning of the season was not going to be easy because, although I have had more rest than other players, I have also had more time outside of competition than others.
“So it is a little bit more difficult to come back fast to my rhythm. I’ll leave here with positive feelings when I go to Australia.” The clay-court king also started slowly last year, winning his first title in April before finally wresting the top ranking from Roger Federer.
Last year’s Australian Open semi-final — which he lost to an inspired Jo-Wilfried Tsonga — was his best performance in four visits to Melbourne Park. However, Nadal won Beijing Olympic gold and also made the US Open semis, suggesting he is not a complete slouch on hard surfaces. The Spaniard also has something else in his favour one — of the fiercest competitive streaks in modern sport.
This desire can be traced back to his low-key home life in Manacor, Mallorca, where he was born into a family wellversed in sporting success.
Uncle Miguel was the ‘Beast of Barcelona,’ a well-known footballer who was capped 62 times by Spain. But it was his father Sebastien’s other brother, Toni, who changed Nadal’s life when he first handed him a tennis racquet at the age of just four. After shedding his two-handed forehand at about nine, the young Nadal quickly rose through the ranks and reached the junior Wimbledon semi-finals at his first attempt in 2002.
TOP 100
‘Rafa’ reached the top 100 in April 2003, making his first ATP final at Umag, and enjoyed his career breakthrough at Sopot a year later. In 2005 the clay-court livewire began to scythe through the rankings, reaching the top 50 in January and the top 10 three months later.
The first of four consecutive French Open crowns brought him to the number two spot that July — a position which he occupied until last August, when he finally overhauled Federer. The all-action Nadal was fast garnering a reputation for his feats on clay, and he shattered Guillermo Vilas’ 53-match win streak with 81 straight victories on the surface between April 2005 and May 2007.
SEVEN TITLES
Despite ongoing knee injury concerns exacerbated by his physical style of play, the Spaniard upped the tempo last season grabbing seven titles and ending Roger Federer’s five-year Wimbledon reign in an epic final.
The legend is secured, but super-stardom appears at odds with Nadal’s selfeffacing personality and unflashy lifestyle. Eschewing the trappings of fame, Nadal still lives with his parents above the family restaurant in Manacor where the ardent Real Madrid fan watches football matches and goes fishing with his childhood friends.
While fiercely protective of his private life Nadal is reportedly dating local beauty Maria Francisca ‘Xisca’ Perello. AFP Rochus test for Nadal
Rafael Nadal finds British contender Andy Murray in his half of the men’s singles for the Australian Open, starting on Monday.
Murray, the fourth seed, is bidding to become Britain’s first men’s Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936. Second seed Roger Federer, chasing one more slam title to equal the record 14 set by American Pete Sampras, has defending Australian champion Novak Djokovic in his bottom half of the draw.
Nadal begins his campaign against Belgian Christophe Rochus and could face unseeded former world number one and Australian finalist Lleyton Hewitt in the fourth round.
Hewitt, whose ranking has slipped to 74 after hip surgery last August, has a tough first-up opponent in former finalist and 13th seed Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.
Murray’s first-round opponent is Romanian Andrei Pavel and he also has last year’s beaten finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in his quarter of the draw.
Federer, beaten by Djokovic in last year’s semi-final, takes on Italian Andreas Seppi in the first round and could meet 2005 champion and 26th seeded Russian Marat Safin in the third round.
Djokovic starts off with a qualifier and has American seventh seed Andy Roddick and Argentine 10th seed David Nalbandian in his quarter of the draw.
Tough draw for Serena
Serena Williams, chasing her fourth Australian Open title, has drawn sister Venus and in-form Russian Elena Dementieva in her half of the women’s singles draw.
The second-seeded American is looking for her 10th Grand Slam title, but has been given few favours by the draw’s computer.
She starts off against China’s Meng Yuan and has a potential quarter-final against Russian eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and a possible semifinal against either her sixthseeded sister Venus or fourthseeded D e m e n t i e v a . Venus Williams kicks off her Australian campaign against Angelique Kerber, while Dementieva faces another German, Kristina Barrois.
World number one Jelena Jankovic has Russian third seed Dinara Safina and fifth-seeded Serbian Ana Ivanovic in her top half of the draw.
Nadal, 22, was also beaten in an exhibition event by the in-form Andy Murray, and will have to play his way into form here. “There’s no damage to my confidence,” he insisted in Doha.
“I knew that the beginning of the season was not going to be easy because, although I have had more rest than other players, I have also had more time outside of competition than others.
“So it is a little bit more difficult to come back fast to my rhythm. I’ll leave here with positive feelings when I go to Australia.” The clay-court king also started slowly last year, winning his first title in April before finally wresting the top ranking from Roger Federer.
Last year’s Australian Open semi-final — which he lost to an inspired Jo-Wilfried Tsonga — was his best performance in four visits to Melbourne Park. However, Nadal won Beijing Olympic gold and also made the US Open semis, suggesting he is not a complete slouch on hard surfaces. The Spaniard also has something else in his favour one — of the fiercest competitive streaks in modern sport.
This desire can be traced back to his low-key home life in Manacor, Mallorca, where he was born into a family wellversed in sporting success.
Uncle Miguel was the ‘Beast of Barcelona,’ a well-known footballer who was capped 62 times by Spain. But it was his father Sebastien’s other brother, Toni, who changed Nadal’s life when he first handed him a tennis racquet at the age of just four. After shedding his two-handed forehand at about nine, the young Nadal quickly rose through the ranks and reached the junior Wimbledon semi-finals at his first attempt in 2002.
TOP 100
‘Rafa’ reached the top 100 in April 2003, making his first ATP final at Umag, and enjoyed his career breakthrough at Sopot a year later. In 2005 the clay-court livewire began to scythe through the rankings, reaching the top 50 in January and the top 10 three months later.
The first of four consecutive French Open crowns brought him to the number two spot that July — a position which he occupied until last August, when he finally overhauled Federer. The all-action Nadal was fast garnering a reputation for his feats on clay, and he shattered Guillermo Vilas’ 53-match win streak with 81 straight victories on the surface between April 2005 and May 2007.
SEVEN TITLES
Despite ongoing knee injury concerns exacerbated by his physical style of play, the Spaniard upped the tempo last season grabbing seven titles and ending Roger Federer’s five-year Wimbledon reign in an epic final.
The legend is secured, but super-stardom appears at odds with Nadal’s selfeffacing personality and unflashy lifestyle. Eschewing the trappings of fame, Nadal still lives with his parents above the family restaurant in Manacor where the ardent Real Madrid fan watches football matches and goes fishing with his childhood friends.
While fiercely protective of his private life Nadal is reportedly dating local beauty Maria Francisca ‘Xisca’ Perello. AFP Rochus test for Nadal
Rafael Nadal finds British contender Andy Murray in his half of the men’s singles for the Australian Open, starting on Monday.
Murray, the fourth seed, is bidding to become Britain’s first men’s Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936. Second seed Roger Federer, chasing one more slam title to equal the record 14 set by American Pete Sampras, has defending Australian champion Novak Djokovic in his bottom half of the draw.
Nadal begins his campaign against Belgian Christophe Rochus and could face unseeded former world number one and Australian finalist Lleyton Hewitt in the fourth round.
Hewitt, whose ranking has slipped to 74 after hip surgery last August, has a tough first-up opponent in former finalist and 13th seed Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.
Murray’s first-round opponent is Romanian Andrei Pavel and he also has last year’s beaten finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in his quarter of the draw.
Federer, beaten by Djokovic in last year’s semi-final, takes on Italian Andreas Seppi in the first round and could meet 2005 champion and 26th seeded Russian Marat Safin in the third round.
Djokovic starts off with a qualifier and has American seventh seed Andy Roddick and Argentine 10th seed David Nalbandian in his quarter of the draw.
Tough draw for Serena
Serena Williams, chasing her fourth Australian Open title, has drawn sister Venus and in-form Russian Elena Dementieva in her half of the women’s singles draw.
The second-seeded American is looking for her 10th Grand Slam title, but has been given few favours by the draw’s computer.
She starts off against China’s Meng Yuan and has a potential quarter-final against Russian eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and a possible semifinal against either her sixthseeded sister Venus or fourthseeded D e m e n t i e v a . Venus Williams kicks off her Australian campaign against Angelique Kerber, while Dementieva faces another German, Kristina Barrois.
World number one Jelena Jankovic has Russian third seed Dinara Safina and fifth-seeded Serbian Ana Ivanovic in her top half of the draw.
Rooney winner moves United up to second
Wayne Rooney scored the winner but suffered a hamstring injury in a 1-0 victory over Wigan Athletic that moved Manchester United up to second in the Premier League on Wednesday. The England striker netted after just 54 seconds at Old Trafford but hobbled off soon after scoring and will be sidelined for at least three weeks, manager Alex Ferguson said.
“Unfortunately we lost Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez came on and did fantastically for us then he got injured. It was a test of our character for the last half hour because it was an absolutely brilliant performance by Wigan,” Ferguson told Sky Sports News.
United, who have 44 points and a game in hand, will go top if they beat Bolton Wanderers on Saturday as leaders Liverpool, who have 46, do not play until they host Everton in the Merseyside derby on Monday. Wigan, coached by former United favourite Steve Bruce, remain in seventh place. Shortly before kickoff they rejected a 10 million pounds bid from Tottenham Hotspur for Honduras midfielder Wilson Palacios. “When the big boys start circling and coming and nicking your players, unfortunately if they pay enough they are always going to get their own way,” Bruce said.
CHELSEA WIN
Chelsea went some way to relieving the pressure on coach Luiz Felipe Scolari by coming from behind to beat Southend United 4-1 in an entertaining FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday. Goals from Michael Ballack, Salomon Kalou, Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard gave Chelsea, with only one win in their previous six matches, a deserved win after League One (third division) Southend had taken a shock 16th-minute lead with an Adam Barrett header. The ultimately emphatic nature of the victory was just the boost Brazilian coach Scolari needed after a recent run of unimpressive performances.
DATE WITH DESTINY
Federer had his aura of invincibility shattered, but this time the Swiss is determined to win one Grand Slam to cement his legacy as the greatest player of all time.
Just a year ago, Roger Federer arrived at the Australian Open as the undisputed king of the courts, ready to kick off another season of domination with his third successive title. A trifling virus couldn’t stop the Swiss maestro, right? Wrong. The debilitated Federer went down in the semis to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, ending a record run of 10 straight Grand Slam finals and setting in motion the toughest period of his career.
This year, Federer comes to Melbourne with a few questions to answer. Can he regain the number one ranking? Does he still have the mental edge? Can he beat Pete Sampras’s Grand Slam record before age catches up with him? He can start to answer at least one of those straight away. “I have high hopes and aim to play well from the start,” he said this week. “Of course I’m trying to beat the record of 14 from Sampras so we will see how it goes.”
NEW PHASE
Federer, who begins the year without the top ranking for the first time since 2004, is entering a new phase of his career.
He has already announced a slimmed-down schedule, dropping clay-court events to stay fresh for Wimbledon where he is desperate to win back the title from Rafael Nadal.
If all goes to plan, Federer will win here and overhaul Sampras’s 14 Grand Slam titles in London, cementing his legacy as the greatest player of all time. That career, with 57 titles and counting plus 44 million US dollars in prize money, stems from humble beginnings when he was born in Basel, Switzerland, on August 8, 1981.
SAMPRAS EFFECT
Federer first picked up a racquet aged eight, inspired by the exploits of Sampras and Boris Becker and an outstanding amateur career followed, including the junior Wimbledon title in 1998.
After turning pro, he ended 1999 as the youngest player in the top 100 and reached his first ATP final in Marseille the following year. But it was in 2001 that he made his entrance, famously ending Sampras’s 31-match Wimbledon winning streak in the fourth round.
He stalled briefly, losing a number of finals in 2002 when he was staggered by the death in a car accident of his first coach, Peter Carter.
MAIDEN SLAM
Rock-bottom, and the careerdefining moment, came at the 2003 French Open with a firstround defeat to Luis Horna. One month later the chastened Federer took Wimbledon by storm for his first Grand Slam title aged 22. It set the stage for a spell of unprecedented dominance. Federer reached number one in February 2004 and racked up 11 titles that year, repeating at Wimbledon and winning the US and Australian Opens. Tennis had rarely seen anything like it but Federer matched the exploits in 2005, winning another 11 including successful defences at Wimbledon and the US Open in a season he finished 81-4.
INCREDIBLE RUN
Only the French Open eluded him in 2006 and 2007 as Federer extended his incredible Grand Slam run which left most of his rivals, except Nadal, at a loss. It was a bout of mononucleosis which finally stopped him when he went out in the semis here last year, beginning his worst season since becoming number one. He was hammered by Nadal in the French Open final but recovered for Wimbledon, only to lose his five-year unbeaten run to the Spaniard in an epic showdown.
LOSING THE STATUS
Suddenly, Federer was vulnerable and he lost his number one ranking after a record 237 weeks. Now world number two, and in danger of slipping to third behind Djokovic, Federer remains his phlegmatic self. “I felt the most (pressure) when (I) reached six or seven slam titles and everyone was expecting me to win every match I played. That’s gone away and it’s a relief,” he shrugged. “But I’m very motivated and will remain so for a long time. I just don’t feel a lot of pressure now.”
AUSTRALIAN OPEN BOSS DEFENDS TIMING OF TOURNAMENT
SYDNEY: Australian Open organisers have dismissed suggestions from Roger Federer that the first Grand Slam of the year should be switched from its usual January time slot to February.
Fededer, president of the ATP Player Council, said he would like to see the Australian Open moved back a few weeks so the top players could enter warm-up events in the Middle East and Australia. Under the current schedule, players often choose between events but Federer, one of a handful of players who played at both regions, said changing the dates of the Australian Open would give all players the chance to play both.
“The calendar is always something we do talk about,” Federer told reporters in Melbourne. “I guess to fix the Australian Open problem, having more tournaments beforehand it, is to move it backwards a couple of weeks so you have more of an Australian swing coming, and maybe also the middle eastern tournaments.” A number of top players, including world number one Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick, as well as Venus Williams played warm-up events overseas instead of the Australian circuit. Australian Open organisers have long faced complaints from players about the timing of their summer circuit but Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said there was nothing wrong with the lead-up events.
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