Andy Murray did everything asked of him in 2008, except win a major. By the end of the year, he was the playing better than anyone, including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, both of whom ran out of steam after gruelling seasons. Hence his nomination for the Beeb’s Sports Personality of the Year.
If the Scot contines to improve at his current rate, he will surely win a major soon. The Australian and US Opens, which book-end Roland Garros and Wimbledon, represent his best shots at a major, but there’s so many good young players out there, that there’s still a good chance he’ll end 2009 without a major to his name.
Do you think he’ll win one of the big four next year? Vote below:
Don’t try this at home, unless you’re a pyromaniac, in which case fill your boots. Just don’t come running to us when you burn off all your forearm hair.
Sexy young athlete gets her hands around a big pole. How many double entendres did you order?
Alison Stokke vaulted onto the scene last year when this photo of her went viral and web surfers around the world collectively drooled on their keyboards.
But is she any good at her chosen sport of pole vaulting? Aw, who cares, really. All you need to know is that she now vaults for the University of California.
R-Fed is a runner-up in the style stakes. It’s Wimbledon all over again
Roger Federer has been voted the second most elegant man in the world, by Spanish publication Marca.
Who could possibly be more elegant than this example of Swiss perfection? James Bond perhaps? Or George Clooney? No, the answer is more shattering than that…
England offered revised tour schedule by Indian authorities. But should they go back?
Indian cricket bosses claim the ECB has provisionally agreed to the Ahmedabad and Mumbai Tests switching location, to Chennai and Mohali, the first Test starting on December 11. A scheduled three-day warm-up match has also been scrapped.
It’s clear that the Indian authorities are desperate for England to return, but for obvious reasons, the English players are not so keen. The Daily Telegraphreports that Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison (surprise surprise; when it comes to pulling out of tours, homeboy Harmison has previous) have refused to return to India, “citing their children and wives as their prime consideration”.
Both Flintoff and Harmison have young families, but it’s worth pointing out that less than a month after the July 7 London bombings, in 2005, the Ashes went ahead in London. However, this situation is different in one crucial respect: Westerners are being specifically targeted this time.
Do you think England should go back to India? Vote below:
Say hi to Michael Phelps’ new girlfriend. Her name is Caroline Pal, and she’s a cocktail waitress in Las Vegas.
Phelps introduced Pal, who he has been dating for two months, to his family over a turkey dinner at Thanksgiving. Let’s hope Momma and Poppa Phelps don’t surf the internet too much, or they might see more of their prospective daughter-in-law (yeah, right) than they wanted to.
Do England stand a chance against New Zealand? Our pals at Chicken Dinner have put together this preview of Saturday’s game…
Almost 12 months have passed since England’s rugby team were recognised as the best British sporting team of the year at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards. Since then it’s gone downhill.
First they flopped at the Six Nations, then they were comfortably beaten in New Zealand, before recent home defeats against Australia and South Africa, the latter of which was England’s heaviest ever loss at Twickenham. Have they got a chance against the All Blacks on Saturday? Probably not.
Undeterred by that though, we have scoured the history books to find some stats that suggest England have some hope:
» On the last three occasions that England have lost successive games they have bounced back to win the third.
» England’s last loss by a 36 point margin or greater came against South Africa in the World Cup, from which they recovered to win four on the spin and reach the final.
Is this why Rafa didn’t show up for the Masters Cup?
Holy moly, what’s happened to Rafa Nadal - is that a huge tennis racket in his hand, or has he shrunk to miniature proportions?
It’s the former, of course. This is a promo photo for Nadal’s upcoming duel against Real Madrid goalie Iker Casillas. The charity event for malaria, which takes place on December 16, will involve football, tennis and go karting. Does that mean fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso will make a guest appearance?
Tennis would be a lot more entertaining if all the players used giant rackets, no?
A golf tournament in Japan is hiring extra security because of threats that land mines have been buried around the course.
A mysterious caller reportedly warned that mines have been planted at the Kuroshio Country Club, site of the Casio World Open, which teed off earlier today (no explosions to report… yet).
Kochi Prefectural Police mobilised around 1,300 officers to secure the course ahead of the event, after an explosion there earlier this month, believed to have been caused by a hand grenade.
General Motors is ending Tiger Woods’ $7m-a-year endorsement contract a year early.
Woods has been carrying the Buick logo on his bag for the last nine years and still had one year left on his contract.
But with GM currently begging for a chunk of a proposed $25bn federal loan, it would have been obscene to carry on padding the wallet of a sportsman who is currently too injured to play his chosen sport.
