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text-decoration:none; } img {border:none;} The Sport Review: “Barcelona
Open 2011: Rafael Nadal secures sixth title” plus 2 more- Barcelona Open 2011: Rafael Nadal secures sixth title - Arsène Wenger: Don’t blame the players, blame me - Ian Harte close to long-awaited return to the Premier League Barcelona Open 2011: Rafael Nadal secures sixth title Posted: 24 Apr 2011 04:54 PM PDT The extraordinary Rafael Nadal cannot stay out of the tennis headlines. At every turn, he is ticking off more records and this week, at Spain's oldest tennis club, the prestigious Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899, has been no exception. Nadal already owned a replica trophy in recognition of his five consecutive wins in Barcelona—2005 to 2009. Now, at the event that began life as the International Championships of Spain, Nadal faced down David Ferrer, just as he had done last week in the Monte Carlo Masters, in an attempt to get his name on this trophy for the sixth time. The No4 seed Ferrer's unenviable task, just as it had been in Monte Carlo, was to bring almost two years of Nadal supremacy on clay to an end. The uphill task was made all the more challenging by the knowledge that he had not only failed in his mission last week but had also failed in two previous finals at this very tournament: in 2008 and 2009. But Ferrer, one of the fittest, most tenacious and committed players on the tour, was still enjoying a good run of form and, like Nadal, had not dropped a set all the way to the final. He had also put up a sterling fight against Nadal in Monte Carlo's denouement with some great attacking play. Had his serve not let him down so badly, he was close to taking the champion to a deciding third set. However, the odds looked stacked against Ferrer before the Barcelona final had even begun when he walked onto court with some major strapping on his left calf. And as soon as play got under way, it was also clear that Nadal had worked himself into even finer form than he had shown the previous week. He broke Ferrer's two opening service games with identical forehand bullets down the line to quickly lead 4-1. Although Ferrer pulled one break back, he conceded a further break with a fearful volley into the net, leaving Nadal to serve out, 6-2. Nadal looked home and dry when he immediately broke Ferrer in the second set with yet another whiplash forehand down the line to lead 2-0. But then Ferrer rediscovered the attacking game that had almost won the second set in Monte Carlo. Helped by some better serving—up to 73 per cent—he worked his fast-improving volley skills along with some searing off-forehand winners to break twice, and led the set 4-2. Then came a pivotal seventh game. Ferrer found himself in a volley exchange at 40-A and was outmanoeuvred by the lightning quick reactions of his opponent. The break of serve returned the reins to Nadal, who needed no further invitation and won the next three games and the match, 6-3. Had fortune favoured the brave, perhaps Ferrer—showing signs of a slight limp by the end of the match—would have become the first victor over Nadal on clay in 34 matches. As it is, Ferrer can still look at his 13-2 win-loss record on clay this year and know that he has came closer to Nadal than anyone on the red dirt. For Nadal, the win takes him to a 29-match unbeaten record at the event and keeps the number of sets lost since his 2003 debut in Barcelona to just two. He has played in four consecutive finals and, in the process, has ticked off more records than you can shake a stick at. In Monte Carlo, he became the first man to win a tournament seven times in a row and, incidentally, notched up his 30th clay court title. During Barcelona, he reached the 500th win of his career—the second youngest player after Bjorn Borg to do so. He also became the first man in the Open era to win two tournaments at least six times. None of this will inspire confidence in Ferrer or any of the other men who face the prospect of meeting this unstoppable clay force just as Madrid, Rome and Paris appear over the horizon. However, Nadal now has to repeat the perfect run he produced during the 2010 clay season to guarantee his place at No1 in the coming couple of months. As champion in the big three tournaments ahead, he has 4,000 points to defend while Novak Djokovic, who has been resting a knee injury since adding to his 2011 unbeaten record in Miami, has just 540. And Nadal will have 2,000 more to defend at Wimbledon. The 500 points gained this week in Barcelona will certainly help his campaign to be No1 at the end of the year but, due to the vagaries of the ATP ranking system, he cannot add the points until the Washington 500 in August. So the real fun may only just be starting: 2011's unbeaten man on clay up against 2011's unbeaten man on the hard courts fighting for the No1 spot as early as Wimbledon. That's some prospect. Arsène Wenger: Don’t blame the players, blame me Posted: 24 Apr 2011 12:23 PM PDT Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger refused to criticise his players after a 2-1 defeat by Bolton Wanderers surely ended the Gunners’ title hopes for another year. Arsenal had fallen behind to Daniel Sturridge’s first-half opener but the game looked to be turning in their favour after the break when Kevin Davies missed a penalty before Robin van Persie equalised for the visitors. But the Frenchman’s side slumped to their first Barclays Premier League defeat of 2011 when Tamir Cohen headed home a 90th-minute winner for Owen Coyle’s men. “The facts are the facts. I feel the players have had an outstanding attitude during the whole season and they are not to blame,” said Wenger afterwards. “If there is someone to blame, it is me. I pick the team and I choose the players. For me, the players [have] had an outstanding attitude all season.” Wenger admits Arsenal’s hopes of winning the title are now “minimal”, and that sloppy defending has cost the north Londoners this season. “The chances are very minimal now, that is for sure. But we have to continue to fight,” he continued. “I am convinced we are a very good footballing side. We have not been stable enough defensively. “The numbers are the numbers, we have conceded six goals this week at a moment where you cannot afford to conceded six goals in three games and win the championship. We were too frail defensively during the season. “It is very frustrating because we should have nine points from this week and we have two. That's a little bit the story of our season.” Ian Harte close to long-awaited return to the Premier League Posted: 24 Apr 2011 07:15 AM PDT After seven years away from the top flight, Ian Harte is tantalisingly close to a return to the Premier League with Reading. The 33-year-old left-back has helped propel the Royals into the play-off places in the Championship, just four points behind second-placed Norwich City. The former Republic of Ireland international experienced top flight relegation with Leeds United in 2004, after reaching the semi-finals of the 2001 Champions League and making the second round of the 2002 World Cup with the Republic of Ireland. Harte has netted 10 times since moving to Reading from Carlisle United on the final day of last summer's transfer window. “I fully expected to finish my career at Carlisle," said Harte, who was named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year last week. “Then Reading came in for me on deadline day.” “At Carlisle there was a man and his sheepdog watching. But I love the game and the important thing was to play. It wasn’t about the money for me. “Sometimes you have to drop down the leagues, hope that your quality shines through and you will get the rewards.” When Leeds were relegated Harte was rumoured to be a target for Barcelona, but a move to Cataluña never materialised and he ended up swapping the Yorkshire dales for newly-promoted La Liga side Levante. Harte made a positive start to his career in Spain, becoming the first Levante player to score in the Primera División for more than 41 years. But injuries hampered his first season and the club were eventually relegated to Segunda División. Harte then featured regularly at left back, scoring nine goals in a fruitful second season as the Valencia-based outfit achieved promotion back to the Spanish top flight. But on his return to La Liga injury struck once more and he missed the entire 2007-08 campaign and was released by his employers. Harte then had a brief spell with Sunderland but failed to make an impression and was subsequently allowed to leave the club in June 2008. Following a series of unsuccessful trials at Sheffield United, Norwegian side Valerenga and Charlton Athletic, Harte joined Blackpool on rolling contract. He lasted just three months at Bloomfield Road before departing for Carlisle United, where he played an instrumental role in the club’s run to the Football League Trophy final at Wembley. Despite a 4-1 defeat by Southampton Harte was named in the League One Team of the Year and finished the 2009-10 campaign as Carlisle's top scorer with 19 goals. Following his return to form at Carlisle, where the free-kick and penalty specialist hit 19 goals in 52 appearances, he attracted a £100,000 bid from Reading. Now, almost a decade after Harte made a semi-final appearance against Valencia in the Champions League, he is on the verge of a return to the English top flight – a promotion that would ensure his career comes full circle. You are subscribed to email updates from The Sport Review To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Email delivery powered by Google Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 -- Posted By Mas Item Arekjowo to The Sport Review at 4/25/2011 12:06:00 AM -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Gugukluhayat" group. To post to this group, send email to gugukluhayat@googlegroups.com. 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