Cricket-ICC object to Pakistan TV channel hiring banned Butt
MUMBAI, Feb 16 (Reuters) – Cricket’s governing body (ICC) is unhappy that banned batsman Salman Butt has been hired as a TV pundit for the World Cup and is checking whether the Pakistani has breached the terms of his punishment.
“We are not satisfied with this appointment and we have written to (ICC) tribunal chairman Michael Beloff QC to enquire whether this could be viewed as a breach against the terms of his suspended sentence,” ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement.
Butt was banned for at least five years by an ICC anti-corruption tribunal earlier this month after being found guilty of spot-fixing elements of a test against England last year.
The former opener is also facing criminal charges of accepting bribes and fraud by the London Metropolitan Police and will appear in a London court on March 17.
The ICC statement added: “The Board, having a zero tolerance attitude towards corruption, expressed disappointment at the decision by a minor Pakistan television channel, which has no relationship with the ICC, to employ the suspended Mr Salman Butt as a studio pundit during the World Cup.”
Butt was also sacked by his employer, for whom he played domestic cricket, and had his central contract terminated by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
The former skipper, who will be working for Pakisan’s Channel 5, has denied any wrongdoing.
Nadal hopes his numbers add up as he chases Rafa Slam
Fourteen days, seven matches, 21 winning sets and at least 126 winning games – that is all that is separating Rafael Nadal from pulling off the “Rafa Slam”.
It all looks simple enough in numbers but reality is that, and as many calculator-bashing accountants will acknowledge, it takes a lot of work to make sure all the numbers add up correctly.
It has been more than four decades since any man could boast holding all four grand slam titles at the same time and Nadal – the holder of the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open crowns — knows the next fortnight at the Australian Open is likely to be his one and only chance of winning four in a row.
“Maybe I only have this opportunity once in my career,” Nadal said over and over again on Saturday as he was asked the same question during a series of interviews on the eve of season’s first major.
Asked about his chances of achieving a feat that has even eluded his great rival Roger Federer, he replied: “I think it is almost impossible.
“Tennis is a very competitive sport and there is not a lot of difference between players.
“A lot of matches are decided between a few balls, so for that reason it is very difficult to have one player winning everything.”
Will anyone gatecrash the Roger-Rafa party in 2011?
Will 2011 be the year when Rafael Nadal’s stock rises even further? Or will it be the year when Roger Federer will leave Australia with a lighter suitcase? Or will it be the year when someone finally gatecrashes the Roger-Rafa party?
There will be 126 players looking to stop the all-or-nothing battle royale between Nadal and Federer when the Australian Open kicks off in 18 days.
While Nadal will be in pursuit of becoming the first man in over four decades to hold all four grand slam titles at once – a feat last achieved by Rod Laver in 1969 – Federer will be heading to Melbourne Park with a pounding heart as one slip up would mean that for the first time since 2003 he will not be a reigning champion at any of the four majors.
It is a situation that seemed unthinkable in January 2010.
Many pundits were busy penning Nadal’s tennis obituary when he followed up his injury-ravaged 2009 season by quitting mid-match in the Aussie Open quarter-final against Andy Murray. While Nadal headed home to nurse his dodgy knees, an unstoppable Federer looked like he was ready to monopolise the men’s game for a few more years when he pocketed a record 16th grand slam title on Rod Laver Arena.
But a monopoly of any kind rarely excites the masses and thankfully for the men’s game, rumours of Nadal’s demise were greatly exaggerated. After the Spaniard roared back to win the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S.
Open crowns, the Roger-Rafa rivalry was once again reignited at the season-ending Tour finals.
Q+A: Federer yearns for Wimbledon gold
LONDON (Reuters) – With six Wimbledon trophies already packed on to his mantelpiece, Roger Federer would like nothing more than to win a singles gold medal on the hallowed turf when it hosts the Olympic tennis event in 2012.
The 16-times grand slam champion has stockpiled so many records in his decade-long career that a couple of rainforests have probably been chopped down to produce the paper needed to print them all. But there is one more chapter he would dearly love to add to his memoirs — winning an Olympic singles title.
Dressed in a dapper navy suit and tie, Federer settled into a well-worn leather armchair in the corridor of a plush London hotel to have a chat with Reuters about how much winning the gold will mean to him and how Wimbledon will finally put tennis at the forefront of the Olympics.
REUTERS: Roger, for all your grand slam wins and records, the one glaring omission in your impressive resume is the Olympic singles gold. How much of a priority is it to win it in 2012, especially since it’s being held at Wimbledon?
FEDERER: “The beauty of it being at Wimbledon is huge for the world of tennis. At the Olympics, the focus is on swimming and athletics and tennis has been forgotten a little bit.
“At the last couple of Olympics, we’ve seen the best players are always playing. Rafa (Nadal) winning the singles in Beijing, me winning the doubles over there, that was great news for tennis in an Olympic spirit.
“I’ve now carried the flag twice, in Beijing and Athens, and it’s always been a dream for me to play for my country and to win an Olympic gold. I already have one but still, the special part of having it at Wimbledon will be amazing.”
Reuters Q & A – Federer yearns for Wimbledon gold
LONDON (Reuters) – With six Wimbledon trophies already packed on to his mantelpiece, Roger Federer would like nothing more than to win a singles gold medal on the hallowed turf when it hosts the Olympic tennis event in 2012.
The 16-times grand slam champion has stockpiled so many records in his decade-long career that a couple of rainforests have probably been chopped down to produce the paper needed to print them all. But there is one more chapter he would dearly love to add to his memoirs — winning an Olympic singles title.
Dressed in a dapper navy suit and tie, Federer settled into a well-worn leather armchair in the corridor of a plush London hotel to have a chat with Reuters about how much winning the gold will mean to him and how Wimbledon will finally put tennis at the forefront of the Olympics.
REUTERS: Roger, for all your grand slam wins and records, the one glaring omission in your impressive resume is the Olympic singles gold. How much of a priority is it to win it in 2012, especially since it’s being held at Wimbledon?
FEDERER: “The beauty of it being at Wimbledon is huge for the world of tennis. At the Olympics, the focus is on swimming and athletics and tennis has been forgotten a little bit.
“At the last couple of Olympics, we’ve seen the best players are always playing. Rafa (Nadal) winning the singles in Beijing, me winning the doubles over there, that was great news for tennis in an Olympic spirit.
“I’ve now carried the flag twice, in Beijing and Athens, and it’s always been a dream for me to play for my country and to win an Olympic gold. I already have one but still, the special part of having it at Wimbledon will be amazing.”
Q & A: Roger Federer yearns for Wimbledon gold
LONDON (Reuters) – With six Wimbledon trophies already packed on to his mantelpiece, Roger Federer would like nothing more than to win a singles gold medal on the hallowed turf when it hosts the Olympic tennis event in 2012.
The 16-times grand slam champion has stockpiled so many records in his decade-long career that a couple of rainforests have probably been chopped down to produce the paper needed to print them all. But there is one more chapter he would dearly love to add to his memoirs — winning an Olympic singles title.
Dressed in a dapper navy suit and tie, Federer settled into a well-worn leather armchair in the corridor of a plush London hotel to have a chat with Reuters about how much winning the gold will mean to him and how Wimbledon will finally put tennis at the forefront of the Olympics.
REUTERS: Roger, for all your grand slam wins and records, the one glaring omission in your impressive resume is the Olympic singles gold. How much of a priority is it to win it in 2012, especially since it’s being held at Wimbledon?
FEDERER: “The beauty of it being at Wimbledon is huge for the world of tennis. At the Olympics, the focus is on swimming and athletics and tennis has been forgotten a little bit.
“At the last couple of Olympics, we’ve seen the best players are always playing. Rafa (Nadal) winning the singles in Beijing, me winning the doubles over there, that was great news for tennis in an Olympic spirit.
“I’ve now carried the flag twice, in Beijing and Athens, and it’s always been a dream for me to play for my country and to win an Olympic gold. I already have one but still, the special part of having it at Wimbledon will be amazing.”
Reuters Q & A-Tennis-Federer yearns for Wimbledon gold
LONDON, Nov 26 (Reuters) – With six Wimbledon trophies already packed on to his mantelpiece, Roger Federer would like nothing more than to win a singles gold medal on the hallowed turf when it hosts the Olympic tennis event in 2012.
The 16-times grand slam champion has stockpiled so many records in his decade-long career that a couple of rainforests have probably been chopped down to produce the paper needed to print them all. But there is one more chapter he would dearly love to add to his memoirs — winning an Olympic singles title.
Dressed in a dapper navy suit and tie, Federer settled into a well-worn leather armchair in the corridor of a plush London hotel to have a chat with Reuters about how much winning the gold will mean to him and how Wimbledon will finally put tennis at the forefront of the Olympics.
REUTERS: Roger, for all your grand slam wins and records, the one glaring omission in your impressive resume is the Olympic singles gold. How much of a priority is it to win it in 2012, especially since it’s being held at Wimbledon?
FEDERER: “The beauty of it being at Wimbledon is huge for the world of tennis. At the Olympics, the focus is on swimming and athletics and tennis has been forgotten a little bit.
“At the last couple of Olympics, we’ve seen the best players are always playing. Rafa (Nadal) winning the singles in Beijing, me winning the doubles over there, that was great news for tennis in an Olympic spirit.
“I’ve now carried the flag twice, in Beijing and Athens, and it’s always been a dream for me to play for my country and to win an Olympic gold. I already have one but still, the special part of having it at Wimbledon will be amazing.”
Wimbledon will put tennis on the Olympic map, says Federer
LONDON (Reuters) – Staging the Olympic tennis at Wimbledon for the 2012 Games will help give the unheralded event the fanfare it deserves, says Roger Federer.
When the sport slotted back into the Olympic program in 1988, it did so with a comfortable click rather than any pyrotechnics, but its Olympic image could be in line for a revamp thanks to the iconic setting of the next event.
Federer, a champion at the All England Club six times in a glittering career, now cannot wait for his chance to win a singles gold medal on the green turf having fallen short in his three previous Olympic attempts.
“The beauty of it being at Wimbledon is huge for the world of tennis. At the Olympics, the focus is on swimming and athletics and tennis has been forgotten a little bit,” the 29-year-old told Reuters during an interview at a stately London hotel.
“At the last couple of Olympics, we’ve seen the best players are always playing. Rafa (Nadal) winning the singles in Beijing, me winning the doubles over there, that was great news for tennis in an Olympic spirit.
“In London, with the heritage we have for tennis through Wimbledon, it’s probably going to be the biggest tennis Olympics we’re going to have,” added Federer, who was reduced to tears after unexpectedly winning a doubles gold in 2008.
Despite his voice “starting to fade” after speaking for more than two hours about the season-ending finals, Federer was eager to talk up the benefits of staging the Olympic tennis event on such an iconic stage, especially since it will take place just three weeks after the grasscourt major.
Tennis-Wimbledon will put tennis on the Olympic map, says Federer
LONDON, Nov 25 (Reuters) – Staging the Olympic tennis at Wimbledon for the 2012 Games will help give the unheralded event the fanfare it deserves, says Roger Federer.
When the sport slotted back into the Olympic programme in 1988, it did so with a comfortable click rather than any pyrotechnics, but its Olympic image could be in line for a revamp thanks to the the iconic setting of the next event.
Federer, a champion at the All England Club six times in a glittering career, now cannot wait for his chance to win a singles gold medal on the green turf having fallen short in his three previous Olympic attempts.
“The beauty of it being at Wimbledon is huge for the world of tennis. At the Olympics, the focus is on swimming and athletics and tennis has been forgotten a little bit,” the 29-year-old told Reuters during an interview at a stately London hotel.
“At the last couple of Olympics, we’ve seen the best players are always playing. Rafa (Nadal) winning the singles in Beijing, me winning the doubles over there, that was great news for tennis in an Olympic spirit.
“In London, with the heritage we have for tennis through Wimbledon, it’s probably going to be the biggest tennis Olympics we’re going to have,” added Federer, who was reduced to tears after unexpectedly winning a doubles gold in 2008.
Despite his voice “starting to fade” after speaking for more than two hours about the season-ending finals, Federer was eager to talk up the benefits of staging the Olympic tennis event on such an iconic stage, especially since it will take place just three weeks after the grasscourt major.
Nadal and Djokovic vie for Maradona’s attention
LONDON (Reuters) – Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic have enjoyed the support of Diego Maradona during their opening matches at the World Tour Finals but the Argentine soccer great will have split loyalties when the duo meet on Wednesday.
The top two players in Group A won their opening round-robin encounters and victory on day four of the season-ending championships will almost certainly secure them a place in this weekend’s semi-finals.
French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion Nadal has a commanding 15-7 advantage in their head-to-heads but significantly on hardcourts, Djokovic has come out trumps in seven of their 11 meetings.
With this in mind, Nadal knew he would have to do better than his three-set tussle against Andy Roddick on Monday.
“Right now I have to play better. I have to play with a little bit more energy,” said the world number one, who lost all six sets he played here last year.
“I have to play with a little bit more positive attitude.”
Maradona has been a regular visitor this week to the O2 Arena on the Thames riverbank and his presence has energized Djokovic, who thumped Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych on Monday.
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