Posts Tagged ‘says’

Wimbledon 2011: Roger Federer is my tip for the title, says Boris Becker

Wimbledon 2011: Roger Federer is my tip for the title, says Boris Becker
It might be 18 months since Roger Federer last won a major title, but I still make him one of the favourites for Wimbledon.

Read more on Daily Telegraph

Serena says she was ‘depressed’ following many setbacks

Serena says she was ‘depressed’ following many setbacks
Please read the full story on TSN.ca for the latest details

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Tsonga says the Federer and Nadal era is over in tennis

Tsonga says the Federer and Nadal era is over in tennis
The Nadal and Federer era is over , according to Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga . The world No. 18 (above right) said this week that the time when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will dominate the sport is no longer. Speaking to reporters at the ATP Rotterdam Open, he said: “Federer and Nadal are not alone [at the top of the rankings] any more. Maybe on clay, things (Nadal’s victories) are still …

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McEnroe says Federer-Nadal dominance hard to break

McEnroe says Federer-Nadal dominance hard to break
US tennis legend John McEnroe (AFP photo) HONG KONG (AFP) – American tennis legend John McEnroe said Tuesday that there are no likely challengers who could break Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s stranglehold on the game’s top tournaments. “Federer and Nadal are two of the greatest players that have ever lived,” McEnroe told reporters ahead of the exhibition Hong Kong Tennis Classic. “I see …

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Federer says he asked IMG executive about bets

Federer says he asked IMG executive about bets
Switzerland’s Roger Federer kisses the cup during the award ceremony after his final match against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic at the Davidoff Swiss Indoors tennis tournament at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2010.

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Wheat Sales From Australia to Get `Very Strong Start’ on Russia, AWB Says

Wheat Sales From Australia to Get `Very Strong Start’ on Russia, AWB Says
Wheat shipments from Australia’s next harvest will probably begin at a rapid pace as dry weather cuts Russian production, said AWB Ltd. , the nation’s largest exporter of the food grain.

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Del Potro says he has yet to return to training

Del Potro says he has yet to return to training
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Defending U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro says he has yet to pick up a racket after wrist surgery with the start of the tournament just over five weeks away.

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Rob Andrew Says James Haskell Affair Means England Selection Rethink ? Autumn Internationals 2010

Andrew said: “When we made the call last July about whether we should involve players based in France, having had meetings with the relevant French clubs, we knew that at some point this may happen. The policy is open to review at any stage after the end of this campaign. We have to look at who is in France, what their circumstances are and make another call on what happens next season.

“We need to be absolutely clear these are the circumstances under which players who are based in France will be considered for England. This is the one ripple we have had and we have enjoyed excellent relationships with the French clubs. We want to make sure that going into next season, which is World Cup year, that we have all this covered. We cannot have a situation where we have fights and compromises: we had plenty of those with the English clubs and do not want them again.”

Stade wanted Haskell to play against Toulouse , arguing England had to release him because a rest weekend in the Six Nations meant the International Rugby Board regulation on player release did not apply and that the 24-year old would be in breach of contract if he failed to return. The RFU refused after the player’s lawyer said Haskell had an agreement with his club that allowed him to be released for Test duty in line with the elite player deal to which Premiership clubs have signed up. Ironically, Haskell was in bed yesterday after contracting a virus.

England play New Zealand in December, a match that will not be covered by the IRB regulation governing player release. Any player based in France who does not have an agreement with his club will not be released. England also have pre-World Cup training camps for which French clubs will not be bound to release players.

“When players went to France last year, we told them all they would only be considered for the national side if they gave us assurances that they could be released for England when Martin Johnson [the team manager] wanted them,” said Andrew. “We did not want players who could not fulfil the same criteria as those based in England. Some of got that in their contracts directly, others negotiated separately with their clubs after they signed their original contracts. A misconception this week is that the RFU has an agreement with clubs in France. We do not.

“We have been given assurances by James and his advisers that he has an agreement with Stade that allows him to fulfil the release periods for England training as per the EPS agreement. The position this week has been between the player and the club. We have spoken convivially to Stade about the RFU’s position and there is no issue between us.”

Andrew said he had not seen the agreement between Stade and Haskell: “It is confidential between player and his club. If the club does not give authority for that piece of paper to be shown to us we can only go on an undertaking from a lawyer, which we have in James’s case, that they have the release rights.”

Johnson said: “We are not prepared to compromise the management of players, which is based on what we think they need. We told Stade on Sunday of our intention to keep all the players who started against Ireland to keep them fresh for Scotland and the following day they said they wanted James back. I do not think he will be affected by all this.”

Johnson said he did not expect the full-back Delon Armitage and the lock Simon Shaw, who suffered rib and shoulder injuries against Ireland, to face Scotland. Ben Foden and Louis Deacon have stayed with the squad. Joe Worsley was called up for training when Haskell fell ill.

England V Samoa Hospitality

Autumn Internationals Hospitality

Serena hoping to play at U.S. Open, agent says

Serena hoping to play at U.S. Open, agent says
Serena Williams is hoping to recover from a right foot injury in time to play at the U.S. Open, the agent for the 13-time Grand Slam singles champion said Tuesday.

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Bring back the serve and volley, says Edberg

Bring back the serve and volley, says Edberg
MANILA, Philippines – The serve and volley is a rarity in singles tennis these days, with netters playing long rallies from the baseline more often than not. This is what tennis legend Stefan Edberg lamented about today’s game, noting that the serve and volley rarity takes away the excitement from singles tennis.

Read more on ABS-CBN via Yahoo! Philippines News

Respect sis-in-law Sania, says hubby

Respect sis-in-law Sania, says hubby
Lahore, April 24 (PTI): Shoaib Malik has appealed to the people of Pakistan to give a decent welcome to Sania Mirza.

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Venus Williams says “love to win in Melbourne”HOW to motivate W sisters to be their best?

The best sportspeople realise you compete against your own best not other people – so you have to be your own best to win. Certain tennis players slack off before Melbourne open. How can we fix this?