Fashion models, with varying degrees of taste, have been strutting their stuff at Wimbledon this week -- oh, and they play a spot of tennis too.

The courts seem to have become catwalks -- Maria Sharapova was showing off a military-style jacket and Serena Williams wore a new mac (an odd choice since it was dry and even if it rained, Centre Court now has a roof).

There has been much discussion about the merits of women's tennis. Michael Stich last week said the main point of it was sex appeal. Treating Wimbledon like London Fashion Week simply adds weight to the view that the ladies' game is a fluffy waste of space, doesn't it?

That said, it is not just the women who have caught the bug and perhaps we should be grateful that the players even bother about their appearance.

Fashion phobes like Andy Murray can be distracting by their scruffy outfits (untucked shirts in an array of colours better suited to the older man -- hardly the look of a potential grand slam champion).

Luckily, either he or someone in his entourage has taken note, and on Tuesday a smarter-looking Murray will step on to Centre Court sporting a new range of clothing.

Perhaps he thinks taking an interest in fashion is a pre-requisite for a champion, even if the results sometimes border on the ridiculous.

Take 14-times grand slam champion Roger Federer. There are few men who could sling a gold and white bag casually over their shoulders and not look daft -- and he is not one of them.

What is he thinking? The blazer a few years ago just about passed for dapper, the RF logo is a good marketing tool but this year's military-style jacket and the bizarre waistcoat are the kind of items better suited to the fancy dress box.

Sharapova called for the sport to recruit some fashion police. "In my tennis, a board would approve all outfits before players could wear them on the court. There are some tacky outfits out there!" she wrote on her website last week.

And then there are the accessories. Why should we care that a player is wearing earrings specially designed for the championships?

When I was at school all jewellery was banned when we played sport -- pretty logical when you consider the nasty mess there would be if a dangly earring got caught on something.

PHOTO: Roger Federer arrives on court to play Taiwan's Lu Yen-hsun at Wimbledon in London, June 22, 2009. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

Ditching most of the rages -- which culminated at last year's Roland Garros with some unsuspecting flowers near the court being decapitated -- seems to have worked for the Russian as she stayed on track for a maiden grand slam title by reaching the French Open semis (although she did break one racket along the way).

It got me wondering how many more titles her big brother Marat might have won if he'd learnt to control his fury.

One of the most naturally gifted players of his generation, he claimed the 2000 U.S. Open and 2005 Australian Open and also held the number one spot -- relatively slim pickings when you consider his talent.

Safin estimated four years ago that he had destroyed 300 rackets and it must be at least another hundred by now. 

Did the inability to stop himself boiling over on court cost him more grand slam trophies?

Roger Federer used to be a hothead but has put his temper in check, becoming the model of serenity in his charge to 13 grand slam titles. Pete Sampras, the man whose record of 14 major titles Federer is chasing, was level-headed to the point of machine-like.

Getting angry wastes energy - which you would think would be worth conserving during a match.

Mind you, the fans would miss the entertaining shows of frustration if the players kept their cool. And if anyone proves you can still be a winner and behave badly on court it is John McEnroe -- seven grand slam titles and countless swear-athons, damaged rackets and fines.

So go on, Dinara, let's see a few more rackets being smashed!

PHOTO: Dinara Safina reacts during her quarter-final victory over Victoria Azarenka of Belarus at the French Open, June 2, 2009. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

Sitting on centre court at the French Open this week, I realised I was listening to tennis rather than watching it.

There have been the grunters like Monica Seles and Maria Sharapova who have annoyed their opponents by accompanying their lethal deliveries with distracting guttural sound effects ... but Portuguese teenager Michelle Larcher de Brito took things to a whole new level. Decibel level, that is.

She later told reporters that the noise was simply part of the shot and that her game would not be complete without it (in the end, it didn't seem to help her as she lost). When her opponent complained to the umpire that it was all very disturbing, Larcher de Brito pointed out that there was no rule against The Grunt.

Raising the question: Isn't it time there was?

She quashed the suggestion that grunting was on the Nick Bollettieri curriculum but there can be no denying that the Florida tennis academy boasts a number of alumni with first-class qualifications in Art of the Grunt - Sharapova, Seles, Nicole Vaidisova.

How is it that their male counterparts can get on with hitting the ball hard without the need to add a soundtrack? Yes, Rafael Nadal is guilty of the odd grunt but it usually happens on a key point or during extreme exertion, rather than on 15-0 in the first game. Roger Federer maintains a dignified silence at all times.

"Quiet please," the umpires urge raucous fans at Wimbledon. Shouldn't this also apply to the players? Points deductions or fines would soon shut them up.

PHOTO: Michelle Larcher de Brito of Portugal plays a shot during her match against Aravane Rezai of France at the French Open, May 29, 2009. REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel

What have the UEFA Cup and the Eurovision song contest got in common?

A) Some people don't take them as seriously as they could.

B) They give lesser known participants the chance to appear on prime-time TV.

C) East European countries have started to dominate them

And the answer, I'm starting to think, is C ... because of A and B.

This year will be the third year in the past six that an ex-Soviet team plays in the UEFA Cup final after victories by Russian sides Zenit St Petersburg last year and CSKA Moscow in 2005.

Watching Shakhtar Donetsk's dramatic victory over fellow Ukrainian team Dynamo Kiev, I wondered why eastern European teams were enjoying such a love affair with a competition others have lost their passion for.

Then it struck me -- it's not the competition itself, it's the winning. Winning anything ... even the things no one else takes every seriously.

In a similar trend to Europe's second-tier club competition, seven of the last 10 winners or runners-up in the continent's bottom-rung singing competition have been east European.

While others plonked some Z-list no-hopers on the stage, Russia brought out Olympic figure skating champion Yevgeny Plushchenko to perform during their song and duly won last year's edition.

While English sides like Aston Villa sent several reserve players on to the pitch, Russian and Ukrainian teams showcased their strongest sides, usually featuring several expensive Brazilian or African imports.

They really want to win it.

Before their defeat in the semi-final second leg Ukrainian league leaders Dynamo Kiev had a survey on their website asking fans which competition should be the club's top priority.

When I last looked, 87 percent of more than 10, respondents had plumped for the UEFA Cup.

I can't imagine if the same question was asked of Manchester City or Tottenham Hotspur fans, the result would be the same -- surely they would vote for the Premier League.

During several years spent in Moscow, I used to notice that when a Russian team or person won anything it was the government who was among the most excited -- perhaps a throwback to Soviet times where sporting victories were a useful way of showing the country in a good light to the rest of the world.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has got in on the act this year.

"I am convinced that on May 20 in Istanbul in the UEFA Cup final Ukrainian club football will once again confirm its might, tactical talent and irrepressible striving for victory," local media quoted him as saying.

Were it not for Dynamo drawing Metalist Kharkiv in the last-16, Ukrainian teams might have grabbed three of the last four places, as English ones did in the Champions League.

They have certainly not had an easy ride in the competition, having overcome teams like Valencia, Tottenham Hotspur, Sampdoria and Olympique Marseille.

But the question in my mind is are these ex-Soviet teams actually better than the rest or are they just winning because no one else can be bothered?

They certainly have much to gain with victory -- foreign players may be even more tempted to join their leagues if they win European trophies, if they weren't already convinced by the very attractive salaries the clubs' wealthy owners can offer.

FOOTBALL PHOTO: Players of Shakhtar Donetsk react against Dynamo Kiev during their UEFA Cup semi-final in Donetsk, May 7, 2009. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

EUROVISION: Svetlana Loboda of Ukraine performs during rehearsals for the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow May 6, 2009. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

England have made their best start to a World Cup qualifying campaign and Wayne Rooney thinks he's playing at his best, so why haven't Fabio Capello's men been bragging about how they're going to bring home the trophy in 2010?

What has been striking about the Capello era is a new sense of humility and realism that England players had long lacked.

Frank Lampard finally admitted last week that he and Steven Gerrard had failed to reproduce their club form when playing for England.

Rio Ferdinand said this week that the national team set-up had been like a circus until Capello's arrival and that players had been obsessed by their celebrity lifestyles.

Under the new Italian coach, newspaper column inches now focus more on the skills of the footballers on the pitch rather than the shopping prowess of their WAGS off it.

Yes, Capello seems to have found a way to get the best out of Rooney by playing him alongside Emile Heskey and yes, he is becoming more successful at solving the how-to-play-Gerrard-and-Lampard-together conundrum.

But could it be that the main reason for England's improvement is simply a change in attitude? Is that down to Capello or the players themselves?

Mind you, it is hard to get carried away by victories over Kazakhstan, Belarus and Andorra, which should not even come as a surprise.

The Croatia win was class but what about the defeat by France in a friendly - they may be World Cup runners-up but France's dismal efforts at Euro 2008 and since hardly suggest they are ‘difficult opponents'.

So are we looking at the start of a bright future for England and has Capello really changed them?

PHOTO: England's Wayne Rooney fights for the ball with Belarus' Igor Stasevich during their World Cup 2010 qualifying match in Minsk Oct. 15. REUTERS/Vladimir Nikolsky

That is the deluded view that led me to be excited when I was sent to my first "mixed zone",  where players are available for quick interviews as they walk past reporters when leaving the stadium after a match.

Bruised and battered from a lot of tactical shoving and suffering from a severe overdose of testosterone (not ideal when you're a woman), I'm thinking more war zone than mixed zone.

Elbows fly as dozens of hungry newshounds battle for position in the hope of getting a juicy quote -- or most likely yet another tired cliché -- from the player of the moment. You have to pick your position: avoid standing next to a cameraman (that's a big bit of equipment to be hit with, trust me I know) and avoid anyone who may have dubious personal hygiene (you are going to get very close to them).

Then all you have to do is get the players' attention while they saunter past looking like they really can't be bothered.

One cunning ploy that I have noticed several times, particularly by radio and television journalists, is to bring along a beautiful woman (who definitely didn't spend the last 90 minutes cramped in the media tribune hunched over a laptop) to act as bait to hook the player for an interview. Once they have reeled him in with a few pleasantries, the men ask the ‘proper' questions.

I look on enviously, wondering why I have my nose up someone's sweaty armpit, a dead arm from holding my dictaphone at an impossible angle and cramp from standing on tip-toes in the middle of the big huddle of reporters. Oh, and I can't breathe because I am crushed against the barrier that keeps the poor footballers out of harm's way. Thankfully, I've got a quote.

Forget elbowing and barging, next time I'm coming armed with some sharp stilettos...

PHOTO: Czech Republic's Michal Kadlec listens to journalists' questions after a training session in Seefeld, June 4, 2008. REUTERS/Petr Josek

For full coverage of Euro 2008 see here

There's just a few hours to go before the Czech Republic take on Portugal and the Koller question is foremost in my mind.

There is no disputing Jan Koller's impressive goalscoring record - 54 goals in 88 internationals - so you can understand why coach Karel Brueckner picks him time and again.

The problem is that at 35, Koller has definitely slowed down and the only realistic way of him scoring is by using his height advantage (2.02 metres) in the box. He is never going to make darting runs or use dazzling footwork to score. He will either use his head or his bulk and it won't be pretty.

That was all fine when Czech Republic boasted a fine array of creative midfielders - Pavel Nedved, Karel Poborsky, Vladimir Smicer - who could supply the big man with the perfect ball. Now they have all gone and, as we saw against the Swiss, the Czechs are left seriously lacking in midfield ideas and Koller barely got a decent ball.

Without taking anything away from Koller, isn't it time Brueckner took a chance on some of the younger forwards in the team, perhaps playing two of them upfront instead of his preferred lone striker formation? Koller would be the perfect player to bring on as a late substitute when they're looking for a goal.

Koller seems bound to be in the starting XI against Portugal but Brueckner has said there will be some changes.

What do you think would work best? Saturday's goalscorer Vaclav Sverkos as a second striker? Euro 2004 top scorer Milan Baros alongside Koller? Or does young forward Martin Fenin have a role to play?

I guess we'll see soon enough...

PHOTO: Switzerland's Gokhan Inler (R) challenges Jan Koller at St Jakob Park in Basel, June 7, 2008. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

While police said it was only a small minority of supporters causing trouble, the sight of British football fans making headlines for the wrong reasons comes at just the wrong time -- less than a week before tens of thousands of Chelsea and Manchester United followers head to Moscow for the Champions League final.

Should the Russian police be worrying about what might hit their capital city next week?

It seemed that Wednesday's incidents were largely down to the breakdown of one of the big television screens in a fan park, so perhaps there is little to worry about.

Because of the visa issues and the expense of getting there, there are unlikely to be as many ticketless fans out on the streets in Moscow as there were in Manchester, but then again mix Russian vodka with those few trouble-seeking fans and things could turn nasty.

What do you think?    

Ferguson, 66, has been at the club since 1986 and has brought nine league titles, five FA Cups and one European Cup to Old Trafford - will he ever feel he has won enough silverware?

He is a great example of why keeping the same manager for a long time can be effective - perhaps Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra should think about this before he gives Sven-Goran Eriksson the boot after just one season in charge. After all, Ferguson took nearly four years to win his first trophy.

He was due to retire in 2002 but the lure of more success changed his mind.

When is the right time for Ferguson to call it a day?

Sonia Oxley, London

He has achieved something no other Chelsea manager has by taking the club to a Champions League final, but there is still speculation Avram Grant will be axed at the end of the season.

With a Premier League title still also a possibility, what more does the man need to do to keep his job?

Admittedly, he is working with a team put together by fans' favourite Jose Mourinho but he has gone one better than the "special one" with Chelsea in Europe - with those same players.

He may lack Mourinho's charisma but is that reason enough to not want him in charge? At least he also lacks the Portuguese's arrogance and there are certainly a fair few neutrals out there who do not miss Mourinho's regular TV rants.

On the other hand, Grant has yet to prove he can build a great team in the way Mourinho did, the flair is still missing and his tactics have been dubious at times.

Will Grant ever be "special" or will he be a victim of his predecessor's popularity?

Sonia Oxley, London

PHOTO: Chelsea manager Avram Grant celebrates at the final whistle of their English Premier League soccer match against Manchester United, April 26 REUTERS/Eddie Keogh