Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
U.S. Open: Day Three
By Helen Cook and Josh Hargreaves
Earlier in the day tournament talk swirled around the moment Victoria Azarenka collapsed in a heap on court under the searing sun at just 11:30 a.m., but the heat took a back seat in the evening matches when the best American hopeful in the men’s draw Andy Roddick stumbled to a bad-tempered second round exit.
Roddick, who was called for a foot-fault in the third set, went off on both the lineswomen and the chair umpire, with his best line being, “What is this, call 1-800-RENT-A-REF?”
He later apologized for his behavior, saying he was attempting to change the momentum of the match, and although his tactic didn’t work, that was a pretty good line.
Earlier Azarenka was taken off court in a wheelchair mid-match, the incident fueled the safety discussion surrounding the temperatures – which reached 32 degrees when Azarenka crumpled and on-court temperatures topped 37 degrees. But doctors say the heat was not the only reason for the frightening episode.
U.S. Open: Day Two
By Helen Cook and Josh Hargreaves
It was a battle of the sweat on court during day two – even the fans gave up and went in search of shade.
There was a lot of tired screams and exhausted slumps in chairs as the 95 degree heat hit the courts hard. The baking got so intense at Flushing Meadows the tournament referee had to invoke the Extreme Weather Policy for the women’s matches. Even Jelena Jankovic resorted to an ice pack on top of her head during one break.
from Photographers Blog:
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…?
Snow. Looks good on those Christmas cards, doesn’t it? Fun for small children. Even nice for penguins in the zoo. But photographers covering soccer? Brrrrrrrrrr. Not really.
Let’s get one thing straight. We Brits go on about the weather like a stuck record, but when it comes to it, we can’t cope with it. That’s why we live in Britain.
Time to consider warm weather territory for future World Series?
Last weekend’s wintry conditions in the Bronx made ear flaps and balaclavas essential gear for some players and contributed to a reel of American League Championship Series fielding bloopers worthy of the old Keystone Kops.
Temperatures dipped into the low 40s and winds whipped a cold rain through Yankee Stadium, only a few degrees short of bringing a flurry of snowflakes.
Cold, damp and on the losing side: A British sporting summer
If you were being uncharitable you’d call it a typical scene from a British summer: a few hundred hardy fans braving the cold, the damp and the threat of travel chaos to stay on long after the TV cameras had packed up and watch Andy Murray partner Lleyton Hewitt in a meaningless doubles match at Queen’s.
“Come on Andy!” “Come on Muzzah!” they shouted from deep within their coats and under their blankets but the chants seemed more to encourage themselves on another gloomy evening than for the British number one.
Where cricket is concerned, more does not mean better
Bright spring sunshine hit Lord’s on Saturday but with England’s first Test against West Indies having finished inside three days there was no one there to enjoy it.
Instead, the England and Wales Cricket Board were left gloomily counting the lost gate receipts for the final two days of the earliest Test yet staged in England.
